Focus theory

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Under focus theory means a voluntarist revolutionary approach based on writings of Cuban revolutionary Che Guevara is based. From one focus, the core of a group of determined revolutionaries, the revolution should be carried into the rural population. The focus theory is also considered to be one of the theoretical foundations of the left-wing extremist armed groups of the 1970s and 1980s in Europe, such as the German Red Army Fraction (RAF).

Basics

The focus theory derives two essential insights from the experiences of the Cuban revolution :

  1. A revolution in the socialist sense can succeed even without broad support from the working class. All the prerequisites, as defined by classical socialist revolution theorists as a prerequisite for a successful revolution, do not have to be met in every case.
  2. Of central importance, especially for revolutions in the Third World, is a determined group of fighters ( foco ) who concentrate on a few strategic goals, seek contact with the population and attack the state directly through selective actions.

The focus theory thus joins the socialist theory of voluntarism , which puts the will and determination of the revolutionary above the existence of objective conditions for a revolution.

Practical implementation

The focus theory is a central theoretical reference point for revolutionary groups around the world. In particular for terrorist groups in Western Europe ( RAF in Germany, Action Directe in France and Red Brigades in Italy) it provided the theoretical protection for revolutionary terrorism, even in the case of an obviously lacking objective prerequisites for a revolution and without the support of broad sections of the classic revolutionary working class.

criticism

The criticism of the focus theory starts at two central points: On the one hand, it is accused of placing the military action of individuals at the center and thus neglecting the political and educational work of broad sections of the population. The will of the revolutionary to the act is over-emphasized the view of the critics, while the socialist analysis is neglected.

The second point of criticism is directed against the uncritical adoption of a theory derived specifically from the experiences of the Cuban revolution and the guerrilla struggles in South America and Asia on the highly industrialized societies of Western Europe.

See also

literature

  • Ernesto Che Guevara: The guerrilla war , Münster (Unrast Verlag) 2005. ISBN 3-89771-909-6
  • Régis Debray: Revolution within the Revolution? Armed struggle and political struggle in Latin America , Munich ( Trikont Verlag ) 1967.
  • Keyword Foco , in: Ian FW Beckett: Encyclopedia of Guerrilla Warfare , New York (Checkmark Books) 2001, pp. 70–71. ISBN 0-8160-4601-8
  • Matt D. Childs: An historical critique of the emergence and evolution of Ernesto Che Guevara's "Foco" theory , in: Journal of Latin American Studies, Vol. 27 (1995), Part 3, pp. 593-624.

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