Reich,Autonomist Marxism and Self-Organisation.

In"The Masses and the State" from Wilhelm Reich's book "The Mass Psychology of Fascism", Reich talks about the capacity (or incapacity) of the masses to do without leadership The question is raised how can "the masses" ( a somewhat problematical label admittedly) dispense with authoritarian leadership and govern themselves in a free and non -hierarchical manner and dispense with leaders, the state and state capitalism- how do we get from here to there in other words. Reich being a member of the KPD -the German Communist Party- naturally had illusions about Lenin's theory of party organisation where, supposedly an an organisation that only appears to be authoritarian and whose authority is designed to undermine itself can alone lead the masses to freedom, the very different outcome of the Russian Revolution being attributed to the incapacity of the masses for freedom........and Lenin's failure to account for the character structure of the masses......... does not this argument sound a bit circular perhaps? In other words, a basically sound sociological theory fails in its application because the masses did not appreciate what Lenin was trying to do for them. Reich attributes this to the early imposition of infantile sexual repression which creates a character structure that craves authority and leadership and in turn produces an incapacity for self-government. Later theorists, notably Michele Foucault were not so complacent in the belief that merely acknowledging and investigating the fact of human sexuality was in itself liberating- in fact as Foucault writes, from about the eighteenth century onward the study of sexuality was a means of defining and categorising people and was repressive rather than liberating- the scientific study of sexuality is discursive. Nowadays, many of Reich's prescriptions for sexual freedom have been followed or even dare I say recuperated.......monogamous marriage is no longer so prevalent but Capital still rules. Reich talked of "sexual hygiene" but then so did the Nazi Party! In my view Reich ignored or underestimated the capacity of the masses to liberate ourselves- and in the view of autonomist Marxism subjectivity still exists and acts upon the world and it is the capacity for self- organisation which, at least in part, causes economic crises- the present one included. The difficulty is to extend and consolidate the gains of struggle without reifying them and turning them into timeless dogmas-to institutionalise without institutionalising- and Lenin's vanguard party is certainly not the way.