7155 Tit 9 Fi REVO TNS T ee with an introduction by THE MINISTER OF INFORMATION BLACK PANTHER PARTY FOR SELF DEFENSEne ah E oF Te REVEL THiNIS el by Mikhail Alexandrovich Bakunin Introduction by Minister of Taformation slack Panther Party for Self Defense PERSPECTIVES 1N GLACK LIBERATION #1 Published by: SELY DEFENSE BLACK PANTHER PARTY FC P.O. Box 8641, Emet Oakland, Cover Design: By Revolutionary Black Artist EmoryINTRODUCTION The Catechism of the Revolutionist,by Mikhail Alexandrovich Bakunin, is one of the most important formulations of princi- ples in the entire history of revolution. A contemporary of Marx, Bakunin was the epitone of the activist and his deeds spoke louder than his words. But his words are what history has alloved co endure, Baku- nin's message. The history of revolution ary movements all over the world attest to the fact that Bekunin's message must be un- earthed and scrutinized by a new. generation faced with a new tyranny. In the midst of 1 this Evil and human suffering, there is too much co-existence going on. Commu- nists co-existing with Capitalists. Slaves co-existing with Slave Masters. Peace seekers co-existing with Nar Mongers. Black nationalists co-existing with Anti- Afro-American Hordes. It'e time to intensify the Struggle. Within the black colony of Afro-America, this means a declaration of war upon the black bourgeoisie and upon the class of Big Business Men who have turned the Natfon~ al Liberation Struggle into Big Business. These Civil Rights Executives must be al- lowed one choice and one choice only: total cooperation with the forces of national Liberation or facing a terrible consequence. The black bourgeoisie in general have only fone choice: return to your people, bringing with you your wealth and skills, and put it at the disposal of your people's cause. You have nothing that is sacred ~~ not even your life.Intensifying the Struggle means, at this stage within the white mother country, arising from the sleep of tradition and making some new definitions. Some new distinctions. Within the ranks of the white mother country radicals, the new generation must part company with the old at the very least. Preferably, the new generation should take hold of the old and bend them or break then. There is nothing left for then to prove. They must be de~ moted to advisory and technical positions. Pressure on then must be stepped up to the maximum and kept there. Stop at nothing. Compared to the job that Afro-American revolutionaries and white mother country radicals have on their hands, all revolu- tions and national Liberation struggles of the past have been child's play. What must be kept clear is that white mother country radicals are fighting for a revolution ~ while Afro-American revolutionaries are fighting for national Liberation -- against ‘@ common enemy: White Racist Capitalism and its bastard offspring, Colonialise, Imperialism, and Neo-Colonialisn. Read the Catechism. Perhaps you will find a word or phrase that vill enhance your revolutionary perspective and inten— sify your activity. At the very least you have to appreciate Bakunin's spirit. If you get Bakunin's message, then the whole World will have moved a little closer to the future. Minister of Information Black Panther Party for Self Defense REVO TINTS? | aCATECHISM OF THE REVOLUTIONIST The Revolutionist's Attitude Toward Himser§ 1, The revolutionist is a doomed man. He has no personal interests, no affairs, sentiments, attachments, property, not even a name of his own.” Everything in him is absorbed by one exclusive interest, one thought, one passion -- the revolution. 2. In the very depth of his being, not nerely in word but in deed, he has broken every connection with the social order and with the whole educated world, with all the laws, appearances, and generally accep ted conventions and moralities of that world which he considers his ruthless foe. Should he continue to live in it, it will be solely for the purpose of destroying it nore surely. 3, The revolutionist despises every sort of doctrinairism and has renounced the peaceful scientific pursuits, leaving then to future generations. He knows only one science, the science of destruction. For this and only for this purpose he makes = study of mechanics, physics, chemistry, and possibly medicine. For this purpose he studies day and night the living science of hunan beings, their characters, situa tions, and all the conditions of the pre~ sent social systen in ite various strata. The object is but one -- the quickest pos- sible destruction of that ignoble system.4, He despises public opinion. He despi- ses and hates the present day code of morals with all its motivations and manifestations. To him, whatever aids the triumph of the revolution is ethical; all that which hin- ders it is unethical and criminal. 5. The revolutionist is a doomed man. He is merciless toward the State and toward the entire system of privileged educated classes; he need in turn expect no mercy from them. Between him and them there is a continuous and irreconcilable war to the bitter end -- whether it be waged openly or secretly. He must be ready to die at any monent. He must train himself to stand torture. 6. Rigorous towards himself, he must also be severe towards others. All tender, softening sentiments of kinship, friendship, love, gratitude,and even honor itself nust be snuffed out in him by the one cold pas- sion of the revolutionary cause. For him there is only one satisfaction, consolation, and delight — the success of the revolu- tion. Day and night he must have one tho- lught, one aim ~~ inexorable destruction. Striving coldly and unfalteringly towards this aim, he must be ready to perish him~ self and to destroy with his on hands everything that hinders its realization. 7. ‘The nature of a real revolutionist pre~ cludes every bit of sentimentality, roman- tietsm, of infatuation and exaltation. Tt precludes even personal hatred and revenge. Revolutionary passion having become a nor- mal phenomenon, it must be combined with cold calculation. At all times and places the revolutionist must not be that tovards which he is impelled by personal impulses, but that which the general interests of the revolution dictate. The Relations of the Revotutionist Toward His Comrades in the Cause 8. A revolutionist may feel friendship or attachment only for those who have Proven thenselves by their actions to be revolutionists like himself. The measure of frienship, devotion, and other obli- gations towards such a’ comrade is deter mined solely by the degree of his useful- ness to the cause of the all-destructive revolution. Solidarity of the revolutionists goes without saying. The whole strength of the revolutionary cause is based on it. The fellow revolutionists whe stand in the sane plane of revolutionary understanding and ardor must, as far as possible, dis~ cuss all important matters jointly and decide them unanimously. In the execution of a plan thus decided upon, however, every~ one must, as far as possible, count upon himself.” Ta carrying out acts of destruc~ tion each one ust act alone and resort to the couns*1 and aid of comrades only when this is necessary for success. 10. Each comrade must have at hand several revolutionists of the second and third de~ gree, ive. such as are not entirely initi- ated. He must consider then a part of the comon revolutionary capital placed at hisdisposal. He must spend his portion of the capital economically, alvays striving to extract the greatest possible use from it. He is to consider himself as capital, fated to be spent for the triumph of the revolutionary cause; however, he has no right personally and alone to dispose of that capital, without the consent of the aggregate of the fully initiated. 11. When a comrade cones to grief, in deciding the question whether or not to save him, the evolutionists must take into consideration not his personal feelings, but solely the interests of the revolutio~ nary cause. ‘Therefore, he must weigh on the one hand the useful work contributed by the comrade, and, on the other, the expenditure of revolutionary forces neces~ sary to rescue him, and he is to decide according to which side outweighs the other. The Revolutéonist's Rokations with Socéety 12. The admission into the organization of a nev member, who has proved hinself not in words but in deeds, can be effected only by unaninous agreement. 13. The revolutionist enters the world of the State and of the educated privileged classes and lives in it only for the pur- pose of its fullest and quickest destruc tion. He is not a revolutionist if he is attached to anything in this world, if he can stop before the annihilation of any situation, relation, or person belonging to this world -- everything and everybody must be equally hateful to him. All the worse for him if he has any relations of Kinship, friendship, or loves he is not a revolutionist if they can stop his hand. Ls. For the purpose of ruthless destruc~ tion, the revolutionist may and frequently must Live in society, pretending to be something entirely different from what he is. The revolutionist must penetrate everywhere, into all the higher and middle classes, the merchant's store, the church, the noblenan's hone, the bureaucratic world ond military Circles, into litera~ ture, into the Third Departnent (Secret Police), and even into the Tsar's Winter Palace. 15. The vhole ignoble social system must be divided into several categories. In the first category are those vho are con~ denned to die without delay. ‘The associa tion should draw up a List of persons thus condemned in the order of their relative harmfulness to the success of the cause 60 that the preceding numbers may be renoved before the subsequent ones. 16. In making up such lists and for the purpose of establishing the above mentioned Order, one should by no means be guided by the personal villainy of the individual, nor even by the hatred which he calls forth in the association or anong the people. ‘This villainy and this hatred may even be partly useful by helping to arouse the masses to revolt. It is necessary to be guided by the measure of usefulness which Mould result, from his death, to the revolu-