malachi151
15th June 2003, 00:10
The problem that Marxism has is that it died in the west after WWII, and in the so called Communist countries it became dogmatic. So today we have the challenge of brining Marxism into the 21st century.
The first step there is understanding the failures of the 20th century, as this site helps in doing.
Here is how I see the 20th century.
The Bolsheviks screwed Marxism over and destroyed any chance for a decent Socialist Revolution. Lenin was wrong to do what he did. Russia was not ready to be a Socialist Republic, and though Stalinist Rapid Industrialization does have its merits its no substitute for capitalism. I term most Communist countries of the 20th century Industrial Feudalisms.
All of the failures of the 20th century come from not paying attention to Marx in the first place, who planning demonstrated that communism is a product of capitalism.
Why do people keep ignoring this? You don't move from some weak economy to communism, you move from advanced capitalism to communism.
Lenin knew this, its why he was ready to go to work in Germany or France or England, but when Russia had its revolution, he stupidly got over eager and took to trying to implement revolutionary Marxism in a country that had never even experienced capitalism. Now I know that he knew that and that they discussed that problem, but they should have just left Russia alone and kept focus on Europe.
At any rate it does not matter, because as we can see the world was really not ready for Communism anyway, and its still not ready.
So, is Communism even something to try and achieve or was it all just a bunch of nonsense? If its is something to achieve, then how do we do it?
I doubt that Marx's description of Communism will even be achieved, nor do I even want it to be.
What are the real goals of Marxism?
Well, the "real goal" IMO is to ensure economic fairness and inclusion of all people in the economic system and to ensure equal opportunity for all and the end of exploitation of man by man.
So first lets look at that.
Do we need to get rid of private property to do that?
No.
I think that the idea of workers control of the means of production is a flawed idea. The basis of Marxism is ultimately democracy and democratic control of everything.
I think that democracy itself is problematic, and that the real flaw of Marxism is that its too democratic.
So, how to we reach the goals of Marxism w/o state control of production while maintaining private ownership of the means of production.
Through investment and public ownership. Instead of no one owning industry, as in state control, everyone should have private ownership, like we have now in the Stock Market.
So, my plan for this is a state run investment plan, a collective portfolio. All workers get shares in the portfolio based on hours worked. Every hour counts the same. You receive a shares in a divided paying account that is invested in a whole market stock and bond portfolio. This would be in addition to regular pay.
Once this takes place the fruits of production will be more fairly and equally shared by all. Then increased computerization and mechanization can take place in a way that will eliminate jobs. As jobs are eliminated efficiency will increase and fewer people will need to work and people can retire sooner. They will be able to retire sooner because of their investment portfolios, which will be like a form of Social Security, except based on private industry, not the state.
The end of capitalism will only happen when capitalism causes its own destruction. We can't jump ahead. The way to end capitalism is to increase mechanization and computerization, consolidate power and eliminate opportunity. Some form of Communism will only happen when all economic opportunity is eliminated in capitalism.
So the country that will first be ready to achieve communism will be America.
It is inevitable, the only choices are capitalism stagnation, relapse to feudalism, or advancement to socialism, and then communism.
The biggest problem with Socialism is that Socialism allows relapse to capitalism. Relapse is easier the weaker the capitalist economy was before it entered socialism.
This is again why America is the best candidate for Communism.
The path to Communism is though the very things that Communists now fight. The truth is that you have to go through advanced capitalism though to get there.
Who is pushing toward Communism the most today? The big Corporations.
As they consolidate power and get more and more powerful and wealthy and eliminate jobs the more they sew the seeds of Communism.
I see the next phase of Capitalism as the Industrialization of the Service Industry.
You see the Industrial Revolution was not enough to create Communism. The Service industry still exists in the same form that feudal production existed. Each worker has control over his own services. A barber, doctor, mechanic, etc. Their skills are still independent and are not industrialized like production has been. These service professions have been the cushion that keeps capitalism alive.
Now, the next stage is to Industrialize Services and put service through the same process of production.
This is happening with computerization, and will continue with computers and robotics.
We have stores with self checkout not, no clerks. See it happening, those jobs are eliminated. As that happens we take steps closer to Communism.
As the internet and computers allow fewer people to service more people communism becomes inevitable as the need for human workers decreases.
The key to communism is not focus on the worker, it is elimination of the worker.
Workers movements actually were a form of counter-revolution. As workers took control they just prolonged capitalism.
The key to all this is pushing capitalism to its breaking point not trying to thwart capitalism.
The real enemy of Communism is the Welfare State.
The Welfare State is a capitalist construction that causes capitalist stagnation. The Welfare State is what allows capitalist exploitation to continue.
The wealthy elite are dependant on the welfare system to appease the poor w/o having to provide work for them. Reducing welfare is actually a way to speed up the march towards Communism because then private industry is forced to deal with these workers.
So ultimately my view of Socialism it that it shoud lnto be state ownership of anything, but private ownership of the means of production through a state brokers portfolio. The PEOPLE though OWN the produciotn, notthrough the state, but directly, the state is just a BROKER in ownership.
A Marxist should at this point be focused on capitalist develpment and education of the masses in preparation and in giving direction for the future. Just as Trotsky said that the Marxist revolutionary should take up arms and join the miltary to be able to influence that institution, revolutionary Marxists now need to take up business and drive capitlaism. This seems contradictory, but we must have Marxists in place in the capitalsits superstructure ready to take capitlaism to the next level and eventually to socialism, from within.
I'm sorry, this post is kind of rambeling I didn't really plan it :P
I'll quit now :D
The first step there is understanding the failures of the 20th century, as this site helps in doing.
Here is how I see the 20th century.
The Bolsheviks screwed Marxism over and destroyed any chance for a decent Socialist Revolution. Lenin was wrong to do what he did. Russia was not ready to be a Socialist Republic, and though Stalinist Rapid Industrialization does have its merits its no substitute for capitalism. I term most Communist countries of the 20th century Industrial Feudalisms.
All of the failures of the 20th century come from not paying attention to Marx in the first place, who planning demonstrated that communism is a product of capitalism.
Why do people keep ignoring this? You don't move from some weak economy to communism, you move from advanced capitalism to communism.
Lenin knew this, its why he was ready to go to work in Germany or France or England, but when Russia had its revolution, he stupidly got over eager and took to trying to implement revolutionary Marxism in a country that had never even experienced capitalism. Now I know that he knew that and that they discussed that problem, but they should have just left Russia alone and kept focus on Europe.
At any rate it does not matter, because as we can see the world was really not ready for Communism anyway, and its still not ready.
So, is Communism even something to try and achieve or was it all just a bunch of nonsense? If its is something to achieve, then how do we do it?
I doubt that Marx's description of Communism will even be achieved, nor do I even want it to be.
What are the real goals of Marxism?
Well, the "real goal" IMO is to ensure economic fairness and inclusion of all people in the economic system and to ensure equal opportunity for all and the end of exploitation of man by man.
So first lets look at that.
Do we need to get rid of private property to do that?
No.
I think that the idea of workers control of the means of production is a flawed idea. The basis of Marxism is ultimately democracy and democratic control of everything.
I think that democracy itself is problematic, and that the real flaw of Marxism is that its too democratic.
So, how to we reach the goals of Marxism w/o state control of production while maintaining private ownership of the means of production.
Through investment and public ownership. Instead of no one owning industry, as in state control, everyone should have private ownership, like we have now in the Stock Market.
So, my plan for this is a state run investment plan, a collective portfolio. All workers get shares in the portfolio based on hours worked. Every hour counts the same. You receive a shares in a divided paying account that is invested in a whole market stock and bond portfolio. This would be in addition to regular pay.
Once this takes place the fruits of production will be more fairly and equally shared by all. Then increased computerization and mechanization can take place in a way that will eliminate jobs. As jobs are eliminated efficiency will increase and fewer people will need to work and people can retire sooner. They will be able to retire sooner because of their investment portfolios, which will be like a form of Social Security, except based on private industry, not the state.
The end of capitalism will only happen when capitalism causes its own destruction. We can't jump ahead. The way to end capitalism is to increase mechanization and computerization, consolidate power and eliminate opportunity. Some form of Communism will only happen when all economic opportunity is eliminated in capitalism.
So the country that will first be ready to achieve communism will be America.
It is inevitable, the only choices are capitalism stagnation, relapse to feudalism, or advancement to socialism, and then communism.
The biggest problem with Socialism is that Socialism allows relapse to capitalism. Relapse is easier the weaker the capitalist economy was before it entered socialism.
This is again why America is the best candidate for Communism.
The path to Communism is though the very things that Communists now fight. The truth is that you have to go through advanced capitalism though to get there.
Who is pushing toward Communism the most today? The big Corporations.
As they consolidate power and get more and more powerful and wealthy and eliminate jobs the more they sew the seeds of Communism.
I see the next phase of Capitalism as the Industrialization of the Service Industry.
You see the Industrial Revolution was not enough to create Communism. The Service industry still exists in the same form that feudal production existed. Each worker has control over his own services. A barber, doctor, mechanic, etc. Their skills are still independent and are not industrialized like production has been. These service professions have been the cushion that keeps capitalism alive.
Now, the next stage is to Industrialize Services and put service through the same process of production.
This is happening with computerization, and will continue with computers and robotics.
We have stores with self checkout not, no clerks. See it happening, those jobs are eliminated. As that happens we take steps closer to Communism.
As the internet and computers allow fewer people to service more people communism becomes inevitable as the need for human workers decreases.
The key to communism is not focus on the worker, it is elimination of the worker.
Workers movements actually were a form of counter-revolution. As workers took control they just prolonged capitalism.
The key to all this is pushing capitalism to its breaking point not trying to thwart capitalism.
The real enemy of Communism is the Welfare State.
The Welfare State is a capitalist construction that causes capitalist stagnation. The Welfare State is what allows capitalist exploitation to continue.
The wealthy elite are dependant on the welfare system to appease the poor w/o having to provide work for them. Reducing welfare is actually a way to speed up the march towards Communism because then private industry is forced to deal with these workers.
So ultimately my view of Socialism it that it shoud lnto be state ownership of anything, but private ownership of the means of production through a state brokers portfolio. The PEOPLE though OWN the produciotn, notthrough the state, but directly, the state is just a BROKER in ownership.
A Marxist should at this point be focused on capitalist develpment and education of the masses in preparation and in giving direction for the future. Just as Trotsky said that the Marxist revolutionary should take up arms and join the miltary to be able to influence that institution, revolutionary Marxists now need to take up business and drive capitlaism. This seems contradictory, but we must have Marxists in place in the capitalsits superstructure ready to take capitlaism to the next level and eventually to socialism, from within.
I'm sorry, this post is kind of rambeling I didn't really plan it :P
I'll quit now :D