Trying to get a better grasp on Marxism

[The Man]

I just want some of my stupid questions answered :):

I need some help with Marxism, Specifically Marxism-Leninism.

1. How can we prevent the Dictatorship of the Proletariat from becoming another aristocracy and ruling the system?

2. Can you be a Marxist and not support a Vanguard?

4. Can you be a Libertarian Marxist and a Leninist at the same time? Like, I support a vanguard party during the revolution, but afterwards, I want power to the councils.

5. Are there any Marxists that support that abolishment of currency, and want a Gift Economy?

[Savage]

1. How can we prevent the Dictatorship of the Proletariat from becoming another aristocracy and ruling the system?
If capital and society (therefore capitalist society) really is subjugated to the working class then this isn't possible as no one will be alienated from the conditions of production.

2. Can you be a Marxist and not support a Vanguard?There are Marxists that don't support a party at all (or at least they don't call it a party), this depends on the definition of a 'Vanguard' though.

4. Can you be a Libertarian Marxist and a Leninist at the same time? Like, I support a vanguard party during the revolution, but afterwards, I want power to the councils.Lenin supported workers councils in both theory and practice, I don't think that equates 'left-libertarianism'.

5. Are there any Marxists that support that abolishment of currency, and want a Gift Economy?Anyone that has read Marx will understand that the abolition of commodity production and currency are prerequisites for communism, I don't know much about the theory of a gift economy but from what I understand it does not conform to Marx's theory of a free association of producers.

[Comrade Ian]

You should read more into the International Socialist tradition, that's the tradition of the International Socialist Organization and I think it's the closest you'll find to what you're looking for. The history of the tradition is that it emerged out of a grouping of Libertarian Socialists/Luxemburgists who we're coming to grips with the continued grasp of stalinism/reformism in the aftermath of 68 and who came to the conclusion that fighting for a real revolutionary perspective, for one advancing workers' power, required having a sort of Leninist organization. As to your specific questions...

1. The "Dictatorship of the Proletariat" is workers' power, the Paris Commune was the Dicatorship of the Proletariat and Soviet Power for the first few years of the Russian Revolution was authentic workers' power, the reasons for Russia's degeneration are longer then I can fit in a post but I can recommend some articles if you're interested. As for preventing an aristocracy, a new ruling class from emerging, the only way to do that is to organize to push forward a revolutionary perspective of workers' power and democracy against any new threat, essentially, organize a more revolutionary party of opposition to check anyone which currently has the most influence in the workers' councils.

2. The Vanguard is a frequently misunderstood term and comes from a misreading of Lenin propagated by Stalinists and Liberals alike. It's not an elite removed from the working class, it is a part of the working class. Vanguard in the military sense is the frontline of soldiers in and connected to an Army, but which is connected and apart of them. The Vanguard of the working class would be those worker's who have taken stands against racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, islamophobia, etc. and who are committed to building a socialist/communist future. The Vanguard is a reality, and winning more workers to be a part of the Vanguard, to combat the illusions the capitalist class attempts to force on the Working Class, is the task of the Vanguard organized into a revolutionary party. It is in effect the task of anyone who seeks to build more support for revolutionary socialism.

4. Absolutely, though I would say the task of the revolutionary party after the revolution is to advance the cause of power to workers' councils and that a genuine revolution is the seizure of power by workers' councils, not just the party.

5. I'm not going to lay out a firm position on that, sense the exact economic mechanisms of the new society aren't going to be merely envisioned by intellectuals but will be practically created in the process of overthrowing capitalism. I would see a socialist economy looking like a city which is under a General Strike, would recommend you check out some readings on Seattle 1919, Minneapolis 1934, Toledo 1934 and San Francisco 1933? to see what some of the biggest General Strike's we're like.

[The Man]

4. Absolutely, though I would say the task of the revolutionary party after the revolution is to advance the cause of power to workers' councils and that a genuine revolution is the seizure of power by workers' councils, not just the party.




Yeah. I don't want in a true Communist society, to have some sort of Soviet Premier. I want ALL of the political power in the hands of the Councils. Is that what the Soviet Union attempted to do before Stalinization?

[Comrade Ian]

One of my favorite essays of all time is one by Duncan Hallas, "Towards a Revolutionary Socialist Party", I'd highly recommend you check it out as I think it does a good job of addressing many of your concerns and advancing a political strategy towards implementing that vision. You're position reminds me quite a lot of me a few years ago when I was first getting interested in Revolutionary Marxism so maybe it will be as helpful to you as it was to me.

http://www.marxists.org/archive/hallas/works/1971/xx/party.htm

Edited for another work I'd highly recommend, Hal Drapers "The Two Souls of Socialism", would recommend most of Hal Draper's work
http://www.marxists.org/archive/draper/1966/twosouls/

[Tjis]

I won't answer any of your questions, I just want to talk about vanguards for a bit.

The vanguard in any revolution is its most advanced segment. In the context of a proletarian revolution it refers to those workers that are well aware of their class position and have organized themselves in order to do something about it. This can be in the form of a political party, but also as the radical segment of an industrial union for example. So a vanguard is not necessarily the stereotypical communist party commanding the revolution. The vanguard might not even all be in the same organization. Organizations that used to be the vanguard can cease to be the vanguard, and the other way around.

Only in the heat of revolutionary struggle does it become clear which organizations are part of the vanguard and which organizations aren't, so be wary of any self-proclaimed vanguard. They're probably wrong.