Prospects of a Third American Revolution

Omar Ahmed asks if the current situation is Riots or Uprising? If this Turmoil were in Iran, Trump would be Cheering on Arsonists and Dreaming of Regime Change.

At the time of writing, it is unclear where the Black Lives matter protests are going in the US, but doubts are already being expressed about whether George Floyd’s family and friends can expect justice for him any time soon. Not only did it take days for the police officer involved to be arrested and charged, but his colleagues who stood by and did nothing to stop him are also still at liberty.

Floyd’s murder could be an era-defining moment, with the Trump administration’s disastrous response to Covid-19, mass unemployment and a devastated economy all thrown into the mix. Far from “making America great again”, Trump is presiding over a country whose standing in the world has never been lower. China’s GDP is on course to overtake that of the US by the end of the decade and the declining power of the petro-dollar means that Americans face tough times ahead. They need to get a grip on the racism that blights their society before it is too late; it could be the factor that tips the balance.

Emphasis Mine

This is definitely not the beginning of an American revolution. The protestors want to reform the system in order to get equal rights, not to overthrow the system.

The first American revolution was about independence from Great Britain. This was a political revolution in which the English ruling class was replaced by a local one, and by a change in political mechanisms (constitutional monarchy to a republic).

The second American revolution (1861-1865) was about the abolition of slavery during the American Civil War. This was a social revolution in which two (2) classes of people were abolished: slaves; and slave-owners.

Anthony DiMaggio argues for Revolution, Not Riots: Prospects for Radical Transformation in the Covid-19 Era.

…Within the context of these intensified protests, many self-identified radicals I have talked to believe we are witnessing the beginnings of a political and economic revolution, in light of the violent protests that have now taken over dozens of cities in the U.S. But we should be wary of romantic celebrations of revolution. Americans are nowhere near developing the radical working-class consciousness that’s needed for a socialist revolution. And efforts to frame riots as revolution are fraught with peril in a country where the large majority of Americans lack critical working-class consciousness, let alone revolutionary consciousness.

Emphasis Mine

Because of the emphasis on race in this time, it will be difficult to move the conversation to class even among Blacks.