let’s say, hypothetically, I found myself in a position to begin to actually implement the mass line, perhaps through connections with orgs that have pre-existing relationships with a deeply oppressed community that’s interested in implementing community defense. I’m aware I can read Mao and get an outline of the strategy, feel out the circumstance, and implement whatever is possible, but relationships are fragile and it’s deeply important that any plan I proposed be rock solid. moreover, I need to teach a bunch of people the nitty-gritty of what we need to do - so a feel for the theory isn’t quite sufficient.
so let’s crowdsource an archive. let’s pull together the resources that are out there from MLs, Maoists, leftcoms, anarchists, whoever has tried to implement these tactics. I’m not worried at this moment whether the goal of the works is to build a demcent party or not - I’m interested in the practical details of planning and implementing a program based on these tactics.
what do you got, hexbears? are y’all here to LARP or to create the conditions necessary for the revolution?
definitely, but these relationships evolve over time. we have to offer them what they need before they’ll listen to us and read heavier theory. and right now, they’re worried about how to protect their communities from frequent fash incursions.
the guerilla warfare pdf in that archive looks like a good choice for inclusion on the theory side. unfortunately, it’s a summary of Mao’s work by the USMC, not a mere translation of the man himself.
edit: it actually does a direct translation of Mao once you get past the introduction.
edit 2: this too was very light on the practical details. it supposes that you can teach people with little documentation on what to teach them.
here’s an example of something that’s not useful: Che Guevara’s Guerilla Warfare. this has a lot of useful info on how to fight an insurrectionary war and very little on a practical program for teaching people how to defend themselves, which necessarily must come first.
this one, I just cross-posted cause posts in !tactics@hexbear.net don’t get a ton of attention.
You should read this pamphlet: Some Points on the Mass Line .
The principles it outlined were very helpfull for me when I was organising protests.