The next stage after the pre-insurgency stage is the incipient stage. … It is [ ] dangerous for the government as they can risk overreacting and harming people who aren’t involved or taking actions that are unpopular, such as making mass arrests, initiating martial law, shooting into crowds, etc. Such actions could increase support for the revolutionaries thereby strengthening them or if not that, at least reduce support for the government.
Is that why the Red Scares were absolute failures?
I wouldn’t actually say the Red Scare were overall failures. The Red Scare ended an era of increasing unionization, reversing it resulting in some of the most aggressive union busting in Amerikkka. It caused every generation living within it and after it to associate the words socialism and communism with whatever Capitalists wanted them to believe, which is why it is easy to find people who say dumb shit about how Communists are worse than Nazis or whatever.
Also there were no insurgencies in the incipient stage during that time. The Weathermen Underground was not seeking to replace the government so is not an insurgency by definition. If it were they were extremely unsuccessful. The Black Panther Party, if it was an insurgency seeking to eventually replace the US, they were still in the pre-insurgency stage. They were still planning, organizing, finding group identity and refining their cause. They also made no move to declare any sort of war. The most aggressive they got was in following cops while armed to make sure they didn’t get up to any bullshit or otherwise get a bit pushy, otherwise the bulk of their activities revolved around community organizing and mutual aid, which on its own isn’t insurgent activity.
Now, if you direct your attention abroad at the US government’s counterinsurgency efforts against Communism there, you find a mixed bag. The US was highly successful in South America in achieving its aims of keeping the region under imperialist control by planting fascist regimes in power for decades, but lost Vietnam and Korea, meanwhile China grew immensely and is now currently overtaking the US as the global power de facto.
Thanks.
Is that why the Red Scares were absolute failures?
I wouldn’t actually say the Red Scare were overall failures. The Red Scare ended an era of increasing unionization, reversing it resulting in some of the most aggressive union busting in Amerikkka. It caused every generation living within it and after it to associate the words socialism and communism with whatever Capitalists wanted them to believe, which is why it is easy to find people who say dumb shit about how Communists are worse than Nazis or whatever.
Also there were no insurgencies in the incipient stage during that time. The Weathermen Underground was not seeking to replace the government so is not an insurgency by definition. If it were they were extremely unsuccessful. The Black Panther Party, if it was an insurgency seeking to eventually replace the US, they were still in the pre-insurgency stage. They were still planning, organizing, finding group identity and refining their cause. They also made no move to declare any sort of war. The most aggressive they got was in following cops while armed to make sure they didn’t get up to any bullshit or otherwise get a bit pushy, otherwise the bulk of their activities revolved around community organizing and mutual aid, which on its own isn’t insurgent activity.
Now, if you direct your attention abroad at the US government’s counterinsurgency efforts against Communism there, you find a mixed bag. The US was highly successful in South America in achieving its aims of keeping the region under imperialist control by planting fascist regimes in power for decades, but lost Vietnam and Korea, meanwhile China grew immensely and is now currently overtaking the US as the global power de facto.