[PEN-L:8234] Re: Without Modern Communism The Workers And People
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
[PEN-L:8234] Re: Without Modern Communism The Workers And People
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