Categories of Communism

[Samuel]

Hey,

I know there is lots of bickering and arguing about the types of communism/socialism, but please spare me your personal beliefs and help me with this one. I have tried searching the RevLeft forums, but to no avail:

What are the categories/classes/types of communism/socialism?

Thanks,

Samuel

[Lamanov]

http://www.marxists.org/glossary/terms/c/o.htm

:ph34r: :hammer:

[More Fire for the People]

Before the discovery of scientific socialism by Marx and Engels all forms of socialism were utopian. After the discover socialism was divided into two forms: scientific socialism (Marxism) and utopian socialism.

Aftewards several different variations of Marxism were developed in diverse socio-economic locations.

For instance "Marxism-Leninism" is a branch of Marxism that almost abondons scientific socialism for idealism. In short Leninism is an attempt to force socialism on peasants and inexperienced proletarians by a dictatorship of intellectuals.

"Marxism-Leninism-Trotskyism" is an extension of Marxism-Leninism that states that nationalist peasant revolutions are neccessary to push the imperialist first world towards revolutionary socialism.

"Marxism-Leninism-Maoism" is a branch of Leninism that completely abandons the concept of a proletarian revolution in favor of a nationalist peasant revolution. Typically this results in 'humane capitalism' but China is rapidly become corporate-capitalist (though this is not really the fault of the Maoist).

"Council Communism" is a general continuation of Marxism developed by the German socialist but it was attempted at the wrong time and probably in the wrong place.

[black]

Before the discovery of scientific socialism by Marx and Engels

:D Ooohkay.

[Warren Peace]

Also:

Social Democracy: This usually means more moderate, usually reformist socialists, like the SPUSA. Most Social Democrats could easily be in the left-wing of the Democratic Party. Though technically all of us socialists are social democrats, because we all support democracy.

Anarchism: The idea of achieving a society free from oppression and classes through revolution.

Anarcho-Capitalism: This is basically feudalism; it really has nothing to do with socialism.

Anarcho-Communism: Revolutionaries like myself who are in between Anarchism and Marxism-Leninism. Or if you are talking about an Anarcho-Communist group, it could mean anarchists and communists working together.

Marxism-Leninism-Stalinism: Could be called socialism, because the industrial control is still owned collectively, but it's in the hands of the ruling class, and not the masses. Some people call this State Capitalism.

[novemba]

what do you call the type of communism that has abandonded the idea of socialism and instead work straight for communism?

[Djehuti]

The wikipedia articles are actually quite good in general. Check them out.

Left Communism (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Left_communism)
Council Communism (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Council_communism)
Trotskyism (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trotskyism)
Anarchist Communism (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anarcho-communism)
Situationist (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Situationist)

[Djehuti]

Originally posted by [email protected] 9 2005, 08:58 PM
what do you call the type of communism that has abandonded the idea of socialism and instead work straight for communism?
Non-leninist communism? Marx himself never spoke of socialism as as something that goes before communism.

[violencia.Proletariat]

Originally posted by [email protected] 9 2005, 03:58 PM
what do you call the type of communism that has abandonded the idea of socialism and instead work straight for communism?
anarchism, specifically anarcho communism

[novemba]

While we're on it what exactly is a Socialist Republican? I saw it in CongHails sig thigy and have been infering what it is since? Anyone know?

[Bolshevist]

Originally posted by Djehuti+Aug 9 2005, 08:16 PM--> (Djehuti @ Aug 9 2005, 08:16 PM)
[email protected] 9 2005, 08:58 PM
what do you call the type of communism that has abandonded the idea of socialism and instead work straight for communism?
Non-leninist communism? Marx himself never spoke of socialism as as something that goes before communism. [/b]
Yes, he did. He called what we call socialism "the first stage of communism". You should read "The state and the revolution" by Lenin, there he gives the Marxist view of the state.

[black]

Perhaps you'd like to provide more references as to how Marx's view equates to Lenin, you know by using his own writings rather than the State and Fucking Revolution...

[novemba]

...if your a leninist....Lenin i Stalin i laughed at your post cause Djehuti was like Marx didn't write about it and you were like yeah he did check out Lenin's State and Revolution...typical leninist answer hahaha

[Entrails Konfetti]

"Between capitalist and communist society there lies the period of the revolutionary transformation of the one into the other. Corresponding to this is also a political transition period in which the state can be nothing but the revolutionary dictatorship of the proletariat.

Karl Marx

Marx never mentioned a phase of Socialism,although,he mentioned dictatorship of the proletariat, which is the first phase of communism.Socialism has a class system but it seeks to abolish classes through many different measures,dictatorship of the proletariat has classes and it also seeks to abolish classes.Both seek to put means of production in common,both seek to abolish private property.

Dictatorship of the Proletariat = Socialism.
Its just different phrases .

[anomaly]

There is but one communism, and that is anarcho-communism (I just call it 'communism').

Dictatorship of the proletariat does not neccesarily 'equal' socialism. Dictatorship of the proletariat simply means the proletariat ruling over the bourgeoisie. This need not be done with the typical Leninist vanguard party. Perhaps this dictatorship of the proletariat will simply mean the proletariat has the guns (as well as the means of production). Socialism implies a rigid class society with a large vanguard party along with a planned economy. Usually the bureacracy plays an important role in socialism (or so is my opinion...back when I was a socialist I viewed a bureacracy as neccesary, however, it should be limited in levels).

[Scars]

As you can see, classifying different braches is made harder by the fact that every branch defines things in different ways. These are all very, very brief descriptions and is more designed to be a refence list than to give you and explination of the brances

Basically, there are:

Orthodox Marxism (rejects Leninism in favour of 'pure' Marxism)

Leninism (parties modelled closely on the Bolsheviks)

Marxist-Leninists (sometimes called 'Stalinists', uphold the Leninism as put forward by Stalin who changed things to deal with the new situation the world found itself in. 'Marxist-Leninist' is also sometimes used to describe Anti-Revisionists)

Trotsky-ites/ists (uphold the thought of the late Leon Trotsky. Similar to 'classical' Leninism, with the theroy of 'permanent revolution' ploped on top)

Maoism (Uphold the thought of Mao Zedong/Tse Tung. Despite what a earlier poster would have you think, there is more to Maoism than pissed of peasants. Nationalism does not have to be a factor, but commonly is)

Guevaraists (Marxist-Leninists with particular ideas regarding warfare and a couple of other things. Some Maoist influence. Based on Che, hence the name.)

Castroism (Uphold Castro, similar in many ways to Guevaraists)

Post-Stalin Soviet Communists (they're like 'softer' Marxist-Leninists, inspired by Khrushchev, Breznev and other post-Stalin Soviet leaders. Vary a lot.)

Reform Communism (Communists who think that Communism can be brought into place by way of reform, as opposed to revolution)

Eurocommunism (A form of Communism that functions within a 'democratic' state, with a planned economy. Pluralistic system of government, similar to Reform Communism)

Titoism (Strange mix of nationalism, neutrality and Marxist-Leninism. Few self-proclaimed Titoists around)

Hoxhaism (has been many things, now it's a particularly hardline version of Marxist-Leninism with one or two additional ideas)

Ultra-Leftist/Council Communist/Left Communism (most often inspired by Rosa Luxemburg, advocate a mass movement as opposed to vanguardism and are noted for the use of worker councils. Vary a lot)

Juche (Based on Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il, hail North Korea. Generally fanatical, pseudo-religious nutters, once again, in my experience)

DeLeonism (Communism with some aspects of Anarcho-Syndicalism. Kinda like Ultra-Leftism)

Anarcho-Communism (a midpoint between Communism and Anarchism, overall reject Leninism, are often similar to Ultra-Leftism. The are also the 'Platformists' who are more like Leninists, but still consider themselves Anarcho-Communists)

There are other branches, generally very small, that I've left off or forgotten. I'll probably be attacked by different people for this list because, as I've said, every branch interprets things differently. A Jucheist would say that Trotsky was the anti-christ while a Trotskyite would have to insult Stalin, for good measure. An Anarcho-Communist would probably claim that everything other than Anarcho-Communism isn't Communism at all and a Hoxhaist would try to explain away the fact that history has proved Hoxhaism wrong.

The politics and history of the Communist movement are fun funs, no? :huh:

[Bolshevist]

The state and the revolution is nothing but a large compilation of articles Lenin could find by Marx and Engels concerning the state, thus what is in The State and the Revolution cannot be nothing more than Marx's own thoughts. Marx for instance, called the Paris Commune for the first dictatorship of the proletariat. From Critique of the Gotha Programme:


But these defects are inevitable in the first phase of communist society as it is when it has just emerged after prolonged birth pangs from capitalist society. Right can never be higher than the economic structure of society and its cultural development conditioned thereby.

In a higher phase of communist society, after the enslaving subordination of the individual to the division of labour, and with it also the antithesis between mental and physical labour, has vanished; after labour has become not only a means of life but itself life's prime want; after the productive forces have also increased with the all-round development of the individual, and all the springs of co-operative wealth flow more abundantly -- only then can the narrow horizon of bourgeois right be crossed in its entirety and society inscribe on its banners: From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs!