The Dictatorship of the Proletarian

[Batman]

I've been wracking my brains over this. How do you determine whether the working class are in power, are holding the apparatus of the state in the interests of the proletarian. I think this goes back to how is the best way to organise the working class, by the party i.e. Marxist-Leninism or through syndicialism and Anarchism. How do you determine that the working class as a class, as a whole own the means of production, distribution and manage the rate of exchange. This might result in a discussion of whether the USSR was really Socialist and if the working class had influence in the affairs of the State or not but I'd like to stay clear from that.

[MKS]

Once a revolution is successful, one the class divisions have been destroyed, would there be a working class? No there wouldn’t, there would only be people, we would all have to be workers.

I think that even in today’s society it is hard to draw the line between the working class and the bourgeoisie. Sure there are clear cut examples, but sometimes the lines blur.

Constructing any sort of council or "governing" body would contradict the spirit of anarchism. There lies the blatant hypocrisy of anarchism; ignoring the inherent trait of people to organize, to structure, and to establish power bases. One you can admit and identify that trait we can work towards a true democratic government, however government will always exist.

[RASH chris]

Don't be absurd. Anarchism is not against the government it's against the state. I can't believe that you could be around on this board long enough to accumulate 300 some-odd posts and think that anarchists reject any form of organization.

[The Feral Underclass]

Originally posted by [email protected] 1 2005, 04:31 PM
Constructing any sort of council or "governing" body would contradict the spirit of anarchism. There lies the blatant hypocrisy of anarchism; ignoring the inherent trait of people to organize, to structure, and to establish power bases. One you can admit and identify that trait we can work towards a true democratic government, however government will always exist.
For your own sake read.

'Organisation' by Errico Malatesta (http://www.zabalaza.net/texts/txt_organ_em.htm)

[Batman]

Once a revolution is successful, one the class divisions have been destroyed, would there be a working class? No there wouldn’t, there would only be people, we would all have to be workers.


That is a form of communism though. There has to be a transitionary period when the working class are in control of the means of production, distribution and rate of exchange i.e. the dictatorship of the proletarian. The bourgeouse will give fierce resistance to this. My question is, how to measure that? Through the party?

[RASH chris]

Well if there is no central power for the displaced bourgeoisie to sieze then how could they come back to power?

By dismantling bourgeois democracy and replacing it with federated worker's councils comprised of delegates how will the bosses come back to power? They will have to kill every single worker.

And also, some, though not all, are in favor of limiting the free speach of reactionaries after the revolution, and surely they would not be permitted to own arms or organize politically.

But once workers take control of thier factories and thier shops, and once neighbors take control of thier communities why will we need to gauge or measure anything? We'll just live and face whatever new struggles develop.