Greetings!

[Kiev Communard]

Good day to everybody, my fellow Comrades!

Let me introduce myself. I am a student of Political Sciences from Ukraine interested in all theoretical and practical aspects of Revolutionary Left movement(s). Though I am of “middle class” upbringings, my observations of conditions prevailing in the modern Ukrainian society, as well as in the world as a whole, and my own readings of works of prominent Marxist and other Socialist thinkers both classical and contemporary have led me to the conclusion that, although the socialist projects of XX century failed, the revolutionary, socialist and internationalist alternative is the only way forward for the mankind, lest the frenzied dynamics of capitalist global economy and political system lead the humanity to regress/self-destruction.

Unfortunately, the Ukrainian society is still generally enamored by “National-Democrat” and “Liberal” politicians’ sweet songs about “Euro-integration”, “structural reforms’ and other Neo-Liberal deceptions and it’s quite difficult to profess Socialist ideas in modern Ukraine. There are several leftist groups in Ukraine, some of which I’m in contact with, but the youth and the middle-aged are mostly apolitical/conformist or nationalistic, while the old generation has been lapsing into religious sentiments for quite a lot while.

Some words about my political positions. I am greatly distressed by continuing splits and infighting among the ranks of the revolutionary left, both Marxist and Libertarian Communist/Anarchist, and I think that a lot of leftist tendencies nowadays are too obsessed with their (no doubt) glorious past and ignore the current objective conditions of revolutionary struggle.

I don’t think that either Orthodox Marxism (Marxism-Leninism, Trotskyism, etc.) or Anarchism is completely right or wrong in their teachings, though I am leaning more to Marxist ideas while acknowledging the contributions of many Anarchist philosophers and revolutionaries, and I would describe my personal political views as a kind of “Post-Industrial Socialist”, believing that for a classless society to come into being the complete re-structuring of the industrial relations of production is needed.

Both the existence of the State and class division are, in my view, inseparably connected, but they arose not out of evil intentions of some power-hungry individuals or groups but out of objective changes in the nature of production brought about by the Neolithic Revolution and for them to wither away and be substituted by the truly Libertarian (this word has been appropriated by some groups of U.S. Paleoconservatives nostalgic for the Gilded Age Epoch, I know) society, the technological and economic revolution of the nature more far-reaching and radical than Neolithic or even Industrial is needed - accompanied by the similar global-scale political revolution, of course!

I hope that my experience on these forums will be quite positive and I also believe that my contribution won’t be useless to all of you.

With best regards,

Kiev Communard

[Arlekino]

Greetings comrade and welcome to this forum. Can you tell me your thoughts about Soviet Union times.

[Kiev Communard]

The issue of the Soviet Union is quite controversial, and a lot of people in Ukraine hold diametrically opposite positions on it. For instance, some of my relatives, even though they enjoyed a lot of upward social mobility from their pre-Revolutionary peasant origins, are quite anti-Soviet - simply because they believe the Soviet system didn't deliver so many consumer's goods as the Capitalist one!

I am myself more positive than negative about Soviet experience because, even though the October Revolution failed to create a truly Socialist society and a lot of people may consider the political practice of the SU too oppressive, State-Industrialist model of development instituted by Stalinism (I will dwell on my personal concepts of the Modes of Production and Fromations, which are different form the Orthodox Marxist ones later), despite its shortcomings and deficiencies, proved quite successful in overturning economic backwardness and dependence on the West typical of pre-Industrialization years and the Soviet culture and science were, contrary to the Western commentators' usual bias, quite remarkable.

However, many other aspects of Soviet life I find more negative - especially when we are speaking about Stalin's repressions of 1930s, which, though not as apocalyptical as Conservative historians of modern Ukraine depict them, still took a heavy toll on many layers of the Communist Party and intelligentsia, which directly led to the surge in Anti-Communist sentiments later. The epoch of Khruschev with its rapid economic development, increases in life quality and more active Soviet support of various Progressive movements worldwide is viewed in Ukraine far much more favourably than both Stalinist and Brezhnevist ones - but I know a lot of Maoists and Hoxhaists would dispute this. However, I agree that Khruschev's pro-market reforms played clearly counter-productive role in early 1960s. The Brezhnevist period of Zastoy or "Era of Stagnation" was marked by widespread corruption, cynicism and nepotism. The Great Russian Chauvinism was in many cases tolerated by Brezhnevist functionaries, which led a lot of Ukrainians (mistakenly) identifying Marxism with Russian Nationalism and harbouring Anti-Communist sentiments. And, of course, Gorbachev's rule was a complete disaster, marking the final transition of SU from State-Industrialist system providing at least basic security and chances for social mobility for the majority of the Soviet nation into corrupt and decadent Dependent Capitalism of current era.

[Veg_Athei_Socialist]

Welcome:)!

[revolution inaction]

hi welcome :)

[Nolan]

Welcome! It's great to have you here.

Just a question, what are your thoughts on the Holodomor in Ukraine? Is it a big issue in Ukrainian politics now? I ask because I'm sure you've had to deal with nationalists sensationalizing the issue to no end.

[pastradamus]

Welcome comrade! Good to have you aboard!

[Q]

Welcome :)

[Kiev Communard]

Well, the Holodomor issue is constantly mentioned by the National-Conservative Right but for the majority of the populace it is less relevant than one might have thought and, actually, only a small minority of the backward layers of Ukrainian population believes that the SU actually wanted to exterminate Ukrainian people. However, the State continues to use the issue to uphold its legitimacy, spreading approximately the following message through its propaganda channels: "if godless Bolsheviks return, you will starve and have nothing of the Western high-tech gadgets'. The Orthodox Clericalism and the claims that "Bolsheviks" destroyed "our spirituality" also plays a heavy role in the ruling class' propaganda, as may be evidenced by the recent visit by the Moscow Orthodox Patriarch and the lavish reception provided to him at the State level - despite the clause of the Constitution stipulating the secular character of the state power!

Unfortunately, a lot of people are caught by such crude propaganda tactics. But the government's depiction of the Soviet period as the decades of incessant horrors doesn't actually stop at Holodomor. I hope I have answered your question.

[Andropov]

Welcome, good to have a poster from your side of the world.
Out of interest who is that in your avatar?

[Kiev Communard]

Welcome, good to have a poster from your side of the world.
Out of interest who is that in your avatar?

Thank you! As for my avatar, it depicts Vladimir Mayakovsky, a prominent Russian and Soviet poet who belonged to the Futurist school and became a wholehearted supporter of the October Revolution and the Bolshevik Party. He committed suicide in 1935 due to his personal life problems but the poems he managed to compile to that time still distinguishes him as one of the most prominent Soviet poets.