Peaceful Vs. Violent Revolution

[Dean]

While reading of the Chilean coup of 1973 I came across this quote from Marxists.org (http://www.marxists.org/glossary/terms/p/e.htm):

"The “Peaceful Road” policy is contrary to Marxism. According to the Communist Manifesto, the working class must “win the battle of democracy”, but “winnng the battle of democracy” is only the first stage, the stage of winning broad political support for socialism and rallying the mass of the population behind the working class. But Marxists understand that the façade of democracy is available only so long as the working class does not use its voting power to abolish capital."

I cannot respond well to this accusation because it appears logically flawed. The implication appears to be that the abolition of a class system occurs at the same time as the abolition of democracy and therefore peaceful ways to communism are unviable. While I agree that a state of communism is inherantly lacking democracy, I do not see where democracy is un - Marxist in the sense that it cannot lead to communism.

In fact, it seems unlikely that anything besides a democratic institution can be adopted by a pre-communist marxist government, as it must be popular to have security or create a state of things where people are treated as equals.

[bcbm]

Seems to be a case of terms being vague and causing confusion. Class society cannot be challenged by bourgeois liberal democracy, but of course once the proletariat rises up their institutions will be free and democratic.

[Dean]

I agree to an extent, though I also think that a peaceful revolution (I assume you mean violent by "rises up") under bourgeois democracy can lead to the oppression of the upper class and their subsequent subsumption into the proletarian class. Most democracies (maybe all?) allow for constitutional changes via their democratic processes, and hence can allow for a democratic revolution if the environment is viable for that development.

Also, what makes you call yourself stalinist? Do you support the execution of perceived political enemies of the proletariat or do you deny that the purges existed at all? What is your take on the cult of personality, which Lenin opposed (at least in word)? What do you make of the focus on excess supplies of grain and other necessities which were used to make it appear that prosperity was abundant in the USSR while the grain was kept from many who starved?