Left wing @ Eastern Europe - How to rebuild the Communist mo

[inessa1917]

Hi everybody!

I'm a communist from Hungary, Eastern Europe. And this
is not a very simple thing in this part of the world. Although the post-stalinist dictature in Hungary was much less bad as fe. in other countries in this region, but for now the mainstream politics has made anti-communism in the region very strong. (One good example which greatly enlights this problem for everyone: Hungary is the only European country where the hammer&sickle and the red star are BANNED!)
Thousands and thousands of people would go out to the streets and would demonstrate against the left wing if the leader of the second biggest party of Hungary would tell this to them. During this anti-communist and anti-leftist propaganda (which is done by the - so-called - "social-democratic" government also, although this propaganda is not as loud as the right wing's, but it is still effective), there are very serious social problems in this country which are mainly the consequencies of the transition, but there are earlier ones, too -- growing social distances, poorness, serious problems in the agriculture, minority problems (the so-called Gypsy question -- they're discriminated, unemployed, uneducated and poor). The right wing is getting stronger and stronger and as I can see there is a huge danger of fascism in Hungary.
The leftist culture here is absolutely minimal, and, although I'm working hard to change this situation, I can't really see the way out from this situation. There's no proper communist party here, the Hungarian Labour Party pretends to be one, but it's only a light social- democratic stuff mixed with the dictatoricness of the old regime. There are other smaller leftist initiations and movements also (I think the most progressive is the Hungarian ATTAC, which is much more on the left then the other ATTACs in the world -- that's why I've joined it), but they don't include very much people, and the major part of it is >40 years. (I am personally an exception with my 18 yrs :-) And there's no good movement without the youth.
Now I was talking about Hungary, but I think the situation is the similar everywhere in Eastern Europe (except maybe the Czech Republic and Slovakia).

I know the question I am raising is a rather complex one. I no that there's no proper answer can be given to it, only phrases and stuff. But I'd like to invite everyone to talk over a bit this thing.
How can a smaller group make effective efforts to direct people's attention to the problems and to their leftist answers? How can you bring more young people into the movement, and distract them from the right wing and from the danger of fascism? How could one make effective and cool propaganda from very small financial basis? What are the experiences in other Eastern-European countries? Are there experiences at all?

[kylie]

I've heard the Ukranian Young Revolutionary Marxists(YRM) are becoming quite big, in relation to other groups of similar ideology in the region.
In terms of fighting the right wing, a united-front approach between the various leftist parties and organisations could be effective in pulling them back towards the centre. This would allow the various parties to have a co-ordinated campaign against the right-wing, without endorsing each others political thoughts, as is the case in a properganda bloc.
Another option could be for an organisation(i dont know any particular Hungarian communist parties) to join up with an organisation in another country. This would allow for increased resources for the smaller party, as well as giving it international status as an organisation. In terms of theory too joining another group outside the country can help, as it gives an idependant view and advice, not clouded by any national complications. Also it may have more experience with certain issues, and would be able to help there too.

[Nobody]

I agree with feoric. Cross boader communist parties is a good idea. Marx called for the workers of the world to rise up, and we always seem to forget that thing about "world".

[redstar2000]

What I would do in your situation, inessa1917, is catch the next train to Paris.

Ok, let's be serious; you obviously have severe obstacles to overcome in Hungery...and it is one of the countries with a genuine clerical fascist tradition. It wouldn't be impossible for that tradition to be revived.

Is there some section of the population known to be unusually receptive to leftist views? If so, those would be the people I'd go after first...try to deepen and extend whatever vague leftist sympathies they already have. You need "warm bodies", preferably "young warm bodies", to make an impact on capitalist society...not to mention lots of young warm brains, to figure out what to do next.

You might want to consider using the word "Marxist" wherever you would normally use the word "communist"...people will still understand what you mean, but it will briefly by-pass the knee-jerk reaction that many (most?) Hungarians might have.

Another question: are there any sensible anarchists in Hungary...it might be possible to work on some things together that might be too ambitious if tried separately.

I assume your group has a website; if not, get one and publicize it widely.

Somehow, you have to get across to Hungarians that you are not proposing a re-run of the old regime; that your conception of communism is markedly different and better than what went before. (That's true, isn't it?)

But I would still have that train ticket, if I were you.

:cool:

[inessa1917]

:-) Well, this train thing is not a bad idea at all .. I myself thought several times about this .. tell da truth, the main problem here is in the heads. People in Western Europe & USA can't even imagine how rotten can be the the public life & thinking in these Eastern European countries. There are no real civil activity except the "working" some small contrarevolutionary groups. Trade unions have usually already corrupted by the old regime, or destroyed by the capitalistic transition -- their leaders don't really care about the states of the workers, they'd rather build their own carreer with our so-called socialdemocrats. And communist parties practically don't exist. (Some are pretending to be communist, but, you know..)

It's obvious that one should begin with the fight against fascism -- well, this international cooperation stuff seems to be a good idea. But, although, this thing is a bit more complicated, because the communist parties and several organisations work somehow hidden. So it's really hard to find who are the ones who want to cooperate in an action like this.

It's very important, too, to talk about the real meanings of marxism to the people. But the problem is there that the formal politics uses all the possible ways to illegitimate Marx, and this results that most of the people here 1. doesn't know him and his works at all, that's why hate him or don't care 2. knows some stuff about it, but can't understand properly, which leads to serious misunderstandings. In the media or in the scientific life in Hungary Marx is a forbidden name, so it's very hard to get to the people with it

[YKTMX]

This is probably off the subject, as as I understood it, in Russia especially, the Communist Party is re-gaining a shit-load of members and support.

[redstar2000]

What are the kids doing there, inessa1917?

In the west and even in the U.S., radical students can sometimes serve as a kind of "catalyst" for moving a whole society in a leftwards direction.

Are there possibilities there?

Then I wonder about those "hidden" left groups...are they really hiding or are they just too small to be visible?

:cool:

[inessa1917]

Well, in this region of the world the situation is rather poor .. I think the worst is in Hungary, where a great percent of the youth (especially on the universities) tends to the right. (Here the situation of the left-wing is literally TRAGICAL. Imagine a country where hammer and sickle is a banned symbol, or where is Marx throwed out from the library, or where the word "antiglobalisation" is associated with anti-semitism :-///// And everywhere would you go in this region, everywhere would be better. In Croatia at least exist small group of antiglobalists/anticapitalists/antimilitarists.)

I don't really know the real causes of this, because the Hungarian dictature was far not as strong as it was at the other countries down here. Maybe it is due to the fact that the Hungarian political elite here could the most successfully manipulate people, due to its amounts of capital and pr knowledge. And they served an easily-digestible ideology to the youth, and it still doesn't see what is it all about.
And even ones who see that can't get properly to us, or doesn't even know that they need us. And we, due to our lack of money, cannot do many things against this. The only thing which we could try to make some contacts with other countries in the region -- but we don't even know about each other.

Yes, there are "hidden" groups, but they're not hidden for the cause that they have to hide. No, they're not banned, but there's something very similar. Here a party or stuff can't afford to claim that it acts for the workers' interests, because it will be outruled from the public life. If a party or a group says that it's communist, it gets so much attack from the other sides that it won't stand a chance anymore. (Although most of the people doesn't even know what does it mean.)
Communism in Hungary is considered even worse than fascism -- because fascist propaganda can be printed in the newspapers, but communist -- never. (There's no direct censoring, but they'd filter them somehow.)
And everybody in the so-called leftist government pretends that everything is all right.

[redstar2000]

Ok, inessa, I think I get the picture...and it is indeed a grim one.

Here are two suggestions that you may find useful. The first is kind of obvious but may be difficult in practice: find those kids in Croatia. Go there yourself if you have to and track them down. Maybe one of the big anti-globalization outfits will have a web address for them.

The reason I make a big deal out of this is that they were/are in a situation like yours and can offer really practical advice based on experience.

The other suggestion is something to do when the media is completely closed off to you. Print up a one page "broadside"--that's a single sheet of paper with no more than 50 to 100 large words...you can make it as artistic or as crude as you like. Then you go around at night and paste them to walls in public places.

The content should be very sharp and to the point: attacks on the treatment of workers by the capitalists, attacks on the ruling class parties and their corruption, servility to U.S. imperialism, etc.; occasionally a brief but incisive quote from Marx or Engels.

The language should be "ordinary" -- workers, not proletarians, etc. But it should be colorful and even, sometimes, humerous.

One that occurs to me right now: a big red hammer & sickle with the legend: WHY IS THIS SYMBOL ILLEGAL? on top and WHAT ARE OUR RULERS AFRAID OF? on the bottom.

This is "propaganda on the cheap" and insurgents have used it all over the world at one time or another. It doesn't make a revolution...but in a repressive environment, it gets people's attention.

There's always a way to resist if you look hard enough.

:cool:

PS: You might want to send a personal message to malte in Berlin...he might not only have some good suggestions but possibly even know some comrades who would be willing to visit you with a lot of knowledge in how to build a movement from scratch. (use the messenger icon at the top of the page). :)

[inessa1917]

Well, thx much for the infos & suggestions. I think that gonna try this broadside stuff with comrades -- there are some in here, but actions like this must be organized very well, with reliable people. (although the hungarian movement is not very poverful, but the police always keeps an eye on us.)

i thought so to internationalize our work somehow, with making contacts of people from the neighboring countries, to have at least a reliable net of activists who are mobilisable in case of a demo or other action.

the other thing: do you happen to know/have some good western propaganda material which could be used here also? surely there are some good stuff which we could insert to our propaganda also ...

[mentalbunny]

inessa, be careful with the word propaganda. It's not really what we want to do, we want people to know what's happening and how the left can make things better. But good luck, and let us know how things are going.