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Kiev Communard
7th November 2010, 08:33
Comrades, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all of your on this date of the beginning of the most radical stage of Russian Revolution of 1917 - the October Revolution of 7 November 1917.

Despite the fact that the Revolution ultimately failed in implementing the consistently communist programme of social transformation, that is, in abolition of division of labour and therefore the class society per se, the October 1917 led to tremendous upheavals in overcoming the pre-capitalist rudiments in social structure of former Russian Empire, the temporary freeing of Soviet society from the situation of dependence within the capitalist world-economy, in stimulating massively the sociopolitical and technoscientific progress around the globe.

Even though, as was the case with Great French bourgeois revolution, the leaders and participants of October Revolution failed to realize their own programme, having succumbed to the internal contradictions and their own etatist mistakes, the roots whereof should be sought both in objective circumstances of social structure of then-Russian society and in the subjective flaws of Bolshevik model of socialism as "state-capitalist monopoly acting for the benefit of the whole people", the example of Red October showed that, in spite of proponents of economic determinism's views, the postcapitalist social transformations can be commenced even in relatively backward countries, but also that for their successful completion the revolution should be elevated to the global scalem and that the radical transformation not only of formal relations of property, but also of relations of control over the productive process is needed. Regrettably, due to the objective reasons of underdevelopment of former Tsars' empire and the failure of revolutionary proletarian forces of Europe to overthrow their local exploiters, the Revolution failed in its endeavours, this being the reflection of the fact that global capitalism had still not exhausted completely its progressive potential.

Nowadays, however, the practical impasse of technoscientific progress, the deepening financialization of capital and the decay of previously existing Keynesian and Post-Keynesian systems of regulation of capitalist world-economy demonstrate that capitalism has seemingly hit its stumbling block. However, it should never be forgotten that without subjective factor (i.e. revolutionary theory and revolutionary leadership) no objective reasons shall lead to capitalism's "automatic" demise, therefore the lessons of October 1917 still retain their practical importance.

Nolan
7th November 2010, 08:40
Yaaaaaaay go commiez

Die Neue Zeit
7th November 2010, 18:03
Comrades, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all of your on this date of the beginning of the most radical stage of Russian Revolution of 1917 - the October Revolution of 7 November 1917.

Despite the fact that the Revolution ultimately failed in implementing the consistently communist programme of social transformation, that is, in abolition of division of labour and therefore the class society per se, the October 1917 led to tremendous upheavals in overcoming the pre-capitalist rudiments in social structure of former Russian Empire, the temporary freeing of Soviet society from the situation of dependence within the capitalist world-economy, in stimulating massively the sociopolitical and technoscientific progress around the globe.

Don't forget, comrade, that it also stimulated anti-colonial movements. Colonialism would not have gone the way of the dinosaur as fast as it did without "tankie" support.


and in the subjective flaws of Bolshevik model of socialism as "state-capitalist monopoly acting for the benefit of the whole people"

That would be the Revolutionary Social-Democratic maximum program for Europe since the 1900s. Don't blame just the Bolsheviks.


the example of Red October showed that, in spite of proponents of economic determinism's views, the postcapitalist social transformations can be commenced even in relatively backward countries

You need to give more credit to the main line of the Second International on less developed countries, which was quite contrary to economic determinism.


Nowadays, however, the practical impasse of technoscientific progress, the deepening financialization of capital and the decay of previously existing Keynesian and Post-Keynesian systems

You need to say "Bastard Keynesian and neoliberal" and not "Keynesian and Post-Keynesian." Post-Keynesianism refers to a school of economic thought that's more left-leaning and structural than Bastard Keynesianism.

Kiev Communard
8th November 2010, 17:41
Die Neue Zeit, thanks for constructive response!


Don't forget, comrade, that it also stimulated anti-colonial movements. Colonialism would not have gone the way of the dinosaur as fast as it did without "tankie" support.

When I wrote of "sociopolitical progress", I meant, among other things, the contribution of USSR to anti-colonial movements' victories as well.


That would be the Revolutionary Social-Democratic maximum program for Europe since the 1900s. Don't blame just the Bolsheviks.

Yes, it could be said that in this aspect the Bolsheviks were very much Kautskyan :D. I am not blaming them, I am simply pointing out the flaws of their model of socialism.




You need to give more credit to the main line of the Second International on less developed countries, which was quite contrary to economic determinism.

I meant not the Second International, but rather Mensheviks and bourgeois politicians of then-Russian state who argued against the "leapfrogging through the stages of historical process".




You need to say "Bastard Keynesian and neoliberal" and not "Keynesian and Post-Keynesian." Post-Keynesianism refers to a school of economic thought that's more left-leaning and structural than Bastard Keynesianism.

Under "Keynesian" I meant the Bretton Woods system of global financial and economic institutions (including the IMF), the composition whereof was largely influenced by John Keynes, despite their later Monetarist apostasy, and under "Post-Keynesian" I meant Jamaica Accord/Washington Consensus structures established in neoliberal era proper.

Die Neue Zeit
9th November 2010, 05:09
I just wanted to raise the profile of the Post-Keynesianism (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-Keynesian_economics) of Joan Robinson, Hyman Minsky, L. Randall Wray, and so on. ;)