Shawgi writes;
>
>>Why is it that not a day goes by without the bourgeoisie attacking
>>communism, through its media, think-tanks, universities and in a
>>million and one other ways? If communism is "finished," "dead,"
>>"utopian," "dictatorial," "totalitarian," "the antithesis of human
>>rights" and any number of other colorful epithets which come to
>>mind, what are imperialism and the bourgeoisie worried about?
Actually the only thing dead is "Stalinism" in the form of state power in
the former Soviet Union and East block countries. Unfortunately much of the
tactical and theroretical garbage which derived from this era is still
around in one form or another. Thus we see myriads of "communist" and
"Socialists" groups and parties around the world who might have overgiven
defending the more horrible crimes of the Stalinists but have kept much of
the political bagage.
What we are seeing today in fact is not new in the sense of anything to do
with Communist ideology layed down by Marx. But a reorientation of the
politics of the Stalinists (which at the bottom line is Menshevik politics)
into at best an attempt to build models along the lines of the traditional
Social Democracy (East Europe and the Euro-Communists). While at the same
time we are seeing that the traditional Social Democracy has taken a
qualitive leap into the camp of the bougeoisie!
>> The real issue is that imperialism and the bourgeoisie can only
>>continue to keep themselves in power so long as the working class
>>and all the forces in society which stand to gain from coming to
>>power themselves are confused about the significance of what is
>>going on in the society and their consequent line of march.
>>The aim of the ideological and political confusion-making of the
>>bourgeoisie is to ensure that the workers, women, youth, students
>>and others do not seriously think about the causes of the problems
>>as they exist in the society and how to deal with them. The
>>bourgeoisie makes communism and the communist party the targets of
>>its attack because they are the main instruments of
>>enlightenment and of the new arrangements which are required to
>>open society's path for progress.
It is not just the ideological confusion sown by the class enemy which is
the problem here. But in fact that the left has not learned anything from
the great historical events leading up to the disintegration of the former
Soviet Union. In fact the left appears to be wallowing in the leftovers of
this ideological mess. Trying to build broad parties based on the politics
and tactics of the Stalinists or in tailing the traditional Social Democracy
in demanding that the welfare state Keynesian model be saved! In fact the
bougeoisie has not only been sowing ideological confusion-but far more
important has declared war on its own working classes Internationally in
taking advantage of the post Stalin era. Just as the left at the same time
is whining about
the horrible bougeoisie--can,t seem to get it up in regards to a political
program and tactics which can show the way forward. In fact the real problem
is not the working class, they are doing just fine, in tryiong in many
different ways to combat the general attack by the bougeoisie on their
interests. The problem is that the left is at best tailing these events as
the working class begins to wake up and in both spontaneous and more
organised forms try to defend themselves.
>> Modern Communism is the profound revolutionary condition for the
>>complete emancipation of the working class and all of humanity, in
>>which people are the creators of their own history. It emerges out
>>of the concrete conditions of capitalism in which production is
>>social but appropriation is private. It is this contradiction
>>between the character of production and the means of its
>>appropriation which is accentuating the contradiction which is
>>tearing the society apart - the contradiction between the
>>productive forces and the old moribund relations of production. The
>>condition of Modern Communism comes into being after a
>>thoroughgoing resolution of this contradiction. The stage of
>>socialism is the transition period between capitalism and
>>communism. But imperialism and the reactionary bourgeoisie present
>>Modern Communism as if it is a set of lunatic principles
>>conjured-up and imposed on the objective world by self-serving
>>power hungry maniacs or utopians who are simply out of tune with
>>the "harsh realities" of life
Nice speech Shawgi! But hardly enough. Most of it sounds like time worm
platitudes to things that have been said many times before. In fact the
system has been pregnant since 1917-The problem was and is not the material
conditions or that the working class had not evolved enough in order to take
on its historical role to give birth to a new society and in the process
destroy the old capitalist-Imperialist society. The problem has been the
historical crisis of leadership for poor and working class people.
>> In other words, without Modern Communism the workers and
>>people cannot find their bearings. The bourgeoisie does not want
>>people to embrace communism and the communist party for no other
>>reason than to keep them disoriented and unable to direct the
>>strength of their numbers and organization in a manner which
>>benefits them, not the bourgeoisie.
If this last bit is a backhanded way of saying that the whole question of
the present epok is the crisis of leadership-Fine I agree...
Bob Malecki
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