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Socialism Today 118 - May 2008

Revolutionary Socialist Students’ Federation

RSSF Manifesto

1. RSSF commits itself to the revolutionary overthrow of capitalism and imperialism and its replacement by workers’ power, and bases itself on the recognition that the only social class in industrial countries capable of making the revolution is the working class.

2. RSSF opposes all forms of discrimination and will lend its support to any group engaged in progressive struggle against such discrimination.

3. RSSF commits itself on principle to all anti-imperialist, anti-capitalist and anti-fascist struggles and resolutely opposes all forms of capitalist domination and class collaboration.

4. RSSF will lend its support to any group of workers or tenants in struggles against the wage freeze and price and rent increases.

5. RSSF's aims cannot be achieved through parliamentary means and it therefore constitutes itself as an extra-parliamentary opposition.

6. RSSF extends to all left students and organisations the invitation to co-operate with it in supporting and organising for its aims, and extends fraternal greetings to organisations abroad already doing so.

7. RSSF recognises that the trend of modern capitalism to the increasing integration of manual and mental labour, of intellectual and productive work, makes the intellectual element increasingly crucial to the development of the economy and society, and that this productive force comes into sharpening conflict with the institutional nature of capitalism. The growing revolutionary movement of students in all advanced capitalist countries is a product of this. To organise this vital sector as a revolutionary ally of the proletariat and as an integral part of the building of a new revolutionary movement, RSSF resolutely opposes ruling-class control of education and determines to struggle for an education system involving comprehensive higher education, and the abolition of the binary system, public schools and grammar schools. The transformation of this sector requires the generation of a revolutionary socialist culture.

8. RSSF believes that existing political parties and trade unions cannot either structurally or politically sustain revolutionary socialist programmes. It affirms that it is neither meaningful nor valuable to attempt to capture these organisations. While retaining support for their defensive struggles, it believes that new, participatory mass-based organisations are required to overthrow capitalism.

9. RSSF believes that students will play a part in the building of such organisations and in the linking of struggles of existing militant groups. It sees its particular role as developing socialist consciousness among youth.

10. RSSF believes that the institutions of higher education are a comparatively weak link in British capitalism, and that the ruling class’s field of action can be severely restricted by correctly waged struggles for student control and for universities of revolutionary criticism.

11. RSSF will build red bases in our colleges and universities by fighting for the following Action Programme:

  • All power to the general assembly of students, staff and workers - one man one vote on the campus.

  • Abolition of all exams and grading.

  • Full democracy in access to higher education.

  • All power to the general assembly of students, staff and workers - one man one vote on the campus.

  • Abolition of all exams and grading.

  • Full democracy in access to higher education.

  • An end to bourgeois ideology - masquerading as education - in courses and lectures.

  • Abolition of all inequality between institutions of higher education - against hierarchy and privilege.

  • Abolition of all inequality between institutions of higher education - against hierarchy and privilege.

  • Break the authority of student union bureaucracies and institute mass democracy.

Adopted by the Second RSSF Conference - London, 10 November 1968.

From: New Left Review I/53, January-February 1969


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