"Parvae Evertere Ingenti"
– by Leslie Avanti, Red Soil Editor
Over 175 years ago, The Communist Manifesto concluded with this radical statement. Since then, across Europe, in Russia, China, Cuba, Palestine, the Philippines, India, Vietnam, South Africa, Peru, and all around the world, this Marxist call-to-arms has taken root and blossomed into socialist revolutions and national liberation struggles. Today, we invoke these words to plant new revolutionary seeds as we introduce Red Soil, a Communist journal from Prince Edward Island, Canada. Just like its namesake, this journal, full of iron and grit, will foster a lush and fruitful yield for the masses.
Red Soil will be published on a monthly basis. It will carry articles on a variety of topics: local events and news from Prince Edward Island; Atlantic, Canadian, and international news; essays on theory, practice, strategy, tactics, and history; socialist perspectives on arts and entertainment; contributions from our readers; and other topics to nourish the seeds of revolution.
At the present time, the working class and oppressed masses in Canada are in a dire situation that is steadily worsening. The cost of living continues to outstrip nominal increases in wages. For many workers, having both a place to live and food to eat requires overtime work, multiple jobs, or insurmountable debt. As a result, homelessness, poverty, and hunger abound. Drug addictions and mental health issues spread like infectious diseases, and all three are left equally untreated by the collapsing healthcare system. A corrosive combination of misinformation and disinformation is breaking down social connections and trust. Many people do not understand the conditions of exploitation and oppression they are facing. These economic crises and social tensions are all happening against the backdrop of the consolidation of fascism in the United States, which in turn foments more reactionary activity in Canada and the rest of the world.
The masses of Prince Edward Island experience this reality through our particular conditions: the innate insularity of Island culture, and the further insularity of small remote communities, as well as contradictory aspects, such as the close-knit social structure within each community no matter how small or remote it is. The rest of the world often seems far away. These factors can make PEI more susceptible to fascist movements who use misinformation, disinformation, prejudice, and bigotry to divide-and-conquer the masses. However, these same factors could also make PEI an excellent ground for planting the seeds of socialist revolution – the bourgeois trappings of big city life are less present, and small close-knit groups can be very helpful for building a revolutionary movement.
Those of us who see the real danger posed by fascism must take action to raise up the masses and stop fascism. We must take the initiative, seize higher ground, and use it as a vantage point to give the masses a new perspective, to enable them to join in the struggle against exploitation and oppression. This journal will be a means of elevating class consciousness, and of rallying the revolutionaries of PEI.
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