kromando33
29th December 2007, 08:03
I think I would like to reflect here today on the relationship between nationalism and class struggle, and the so called 'regional variants' of socialism, which in effect are anti-Marxist and deeply revisionist in root. Building socialism, that is an imperfect implementation of collectivist principles, in contradictive times, brings many challenges to building socialism, and that the party and movement can be overtaken by revisionist elements. Mao's theory of 'bourgeois in party' was never so rightly proven as with the revisionist state capitalist, and eventually full-blown bourgeois takeover of China. Mao built upon Marxist class struggle in theorizing 'Criticism and Self Criticism', in which a process was formulated to expel bourgeois elements from society (that is to build socialism). My point is pretty clear, by Marxist definition socialism is class struggle, the current governments exist as the 'dictatorship of the bourgeois', and it's institutions exist to protect that class. Socialism is by nature the revolutionary 'dictatorship of the proletariat', which is simply when the working class overthrows the bourgeois dictatorship and replaces it with their own.
My point is that socialism is by definition imperfect, which means until communism is achieved imperfect structures like the state/nation and party must be used to build socialism, although as socialism develops more such reactionary institutions would be lessened in relevance.
It should be remembered that socialism does not assume everyone is innately altruistic, but in reality socialism assumes everyone is innately imperfect, and therefore sets out a process by which society identifies reactionary tendencies and expels them from society, and moves towards creating the said 'perfect society' through a practical building process.
We true Marxists must differentiate ourselves in the most fundamental way to the emerging 'Left' of revisionists political opportunists such as environmentalists, liberals, Trots etc. And the way we differentiate ourselves is simple, class struggle, it's the sure way to find a true Marxist, revolutionary class struggle is the fundamental way to build socialism, negotiation and compromise with the bourgeois is revisionism. The modern 'Left' in essence is defeatism and capitulation to capitalism, it's a childish disorder that obsesses with the effort to 'elect' members to the bourgeois liberal conception of modern parliaments and congresses. It comes down to an infantile 'political game' with the 'Right' to 'win', and in essence compromises the revolutionary movement of the working class in so doing. 'Regionalism' then, or 'specificism', is fundamentally this defeatist attitude of conformism to bourgeois standards, brought on by the 'failure' of 'communism' in the form of the revisionist Khrushchevist USSR.
But more specifically regionalism is the degenerate ultranationalist attempt of idealism in contradiction, which always ends in reaction. The 'Zionist Socialist' Kibbutzim of Israel eventually turned into bourgeois private enterprises, the Ba'th movement eventually became a fascist movement, and so too did the revolutionary movements of Africa (Marxist inspired) became an ultra-nationalist racist reaction to the 'white power structure'. For example, Mussolini in Italy started out as a Marxist but was eventually compromised completely by revisionism, because Italy was a proletarian country 'class struggle' became 'national struggle' which eventually justified the meaningless butchery of WWII and imperialist expansion and exterminations in Africa.
Our enemy therefore is the Hegelian 'idealism' which tries to make a utopia overnight, and which ensures the 'ideal', a near spiritual anti-materialist (Marxist) concept, is never achieved - either through ignorance of it's leaders and failure ending in reaction, or in a sinister and cynical manipulation by the bourgeois - which in itself placates the population with great ideals and religion, to keep themselves in power. Either way, the result is stagnation and does not only fail to build socialism, but destroys the worker movement. Internationalism becomes ultranationalist imperialism, in essence progressivism becomes reactionism. Without socialism there is no transition to communism - true utopia, and that can only be achieved once reactionary tendencies are weeded out of society, class struggle.
My point is that socialism is by definition imperfect, which means until communism is achieved imperfect structures like the state/nation and party must be used to build socialism, although as socialism develops more such reactionary institutions would be lessened in relevance.
It should be remembered that socialism does not assume everyone is innately altruistic, but in reality socialism assumes everyone is innately imperfect, and therefore sets out a process by which society identifies reactionary tendencies and expels them from society, and moves towards creating the said 'perfect society' through a practical building process.
We true Marxists must differentiate ourselves in the most fundamental way to the emerging 'Left' of revisionists political opportunists such as environmentalists, liberals, Trots etc. And the way we differentiate ourselves is simple, class struggle, it's the sure way to find a true Marxist, revolutionary class struggle is the fundamental way to build socialism, negotiation and compromise with the bourgeois is revisionism. The modern 'Left' in essence is defeatism and capitulation to capitalism, it's a childish disorder that obsesses with the effort to 'elect' members to the bourgeois liberal conception of modern parliaments and congresses. It comes down to an infantile 'political game' with the 'Right' to 'win', and in essence compromises the revolutionary movement of the working class in so doing. 'Regionalism' then, or 'specificism', is fundamentally this defeatist attitude of conformism to bourgeois standards, brought on by the 'failure' of 'communism' in the form of the revisionist Khrushchevist USSR.
But more specifically regionalism is the degenerate ultranationalist attempt of idealism in contradiction, which always ends in reaction. The 'Zionist Socialist' Kibbutzim of Israel eventually turned into bourgeois private enterprises, the Ba'th movement eventually became a fascist movement, and so too did the revolutionary movements of Africa (Marxist inspired) became an ultra-nationalist racist reaction to the 'white power structure'. For example, Mussolini in Italy started out as a Marxist but was eventually compromised completely by revisionism, because Italy was a proletarian country 'class struggle' became 'national struggle' which eventually justified the meaningless butchery of WWII and imperialist expansion and exterminations in Africa.
Our enemy therefore is the Hegelian 'idealism' which tries to make a utopia overnight, and which ensures the 'ideal', a near spiritual anti-materialist (Marxist) concept, is never achieved - either through ignorance of it's leaders and failure ending in reaction, or in a sinister and cynical manipulation by the bourgeois - which in itself placates the population with great ideals and religion, to keep themselves in power. Either way, the result is stagnation and does not only fail to build socialism, but destroys the worker movement. Internationalism becomes ultranationalist imperialism, in essence progressivism becomes reactionism. Without socialism there is no transition to communism - true utopia, and that can only be achieved once reactionary tendencies are weeded out of society, class struggle.