Aristotle: “It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.”
Good read.
I started to get into theory only recently, so I am kinda just happy that I was able to understand this at all (:
Me too. I didn’t understand all the references because I don’t know the history. I read it twice, and still didn’t know who CLR James was, now I do. Sometimes it feels like I could read for months, and still not have a grasp of it all.
“Marxism-Leninism” is an invention of Stalin’s camp and is a complete distortion of Marx, Engels, and Lenin. The purges that occurred under his watch were to eliminate some of the real revolutionaries and any other potential threats. It is mostly a dead, irrelevant current since the collapse of the USSR. They have no coherent political line anymore, since it all originated from the Kremlin loudspeakers, and most people who call themselves that are a mishmash of various leftist types. The article correctly points out that there are umpteen million different types of “Marxist-Leninist”. This is why.
The article mentions Left-Communists, but doesn’t go into detail into who they are. They were one of the few groups to prognosticate the trajectory of the USSR when it became apparent that opportunistic collaboration with the international bourgeoisie was going to be the order of the day. This opposition is laid out in their Lyons Theses, here. They were kicked out of the comintern for sticking to their principles and criticizing the new political line put out by Stalin’s new party. [They still exist] in the form of the ICP(https://www.international-communist-party.org/).
Lenin never put forward the notion that Russia could be socialist without successful revolutions in Europe. He was aware of Russia’s backwardness and that a successful socialist revolution could only occur as a result of a working-class struggle against capital in a fully developed capitalist country. This wasn’t anything new - this was Marxism. What was new was “Socialism in One Country” - the idea that Russia could “build socialism” within Russia’s borders alone in the absence of an international revolution.
Thank you so much for the links. Will definitely read them, especially about the ICP. It’s difficult to glean the truth from biased reporting. I wish I had started this reading journey in my 20’s. Are there any left comm, anarchist or internationalist left communities on Lemmy that you could recommend?
Edit: That ICP site is a goldmine. The Lions theses is dense. Thanks.
You’re welcome. I run an “unofficial” (not affiliated with the ICP or any other party) Left-Communist oriented instance, but it’s small with 50-60 subs and only contributed by me right now. Marxism101 is for learning and questions so you’re free to post there.
As for your reading journey, the correct answer can usually be found somewhere in Marx and Engels. I recommend keeping a narrow focus and sticking to mainly them rather than trying to read everything with a socialist label on it. There is just too much out there and the vast majority of it is bunk.
deleted by creator
wow, I was expecting an edited title but that’s the actual name of the article. not what I expected on a pro-commie website
Yeah I wouldn’t alter the headline. I don’t want to get in that habit. Just trying to learn about socialism as objectively as I can.
They didn’t answer my question of, do you have a mental illness or did you just never go to school to understand who humans are? Any group of humans larger than 100 people can not function in the manner they suggest.
Not sure what you’re referencing, is it in the article?
Article? Which article? This article? I’m not sure what you’re referring to.
Why troll? Was hoping for a good discussion about the merits of Marxist Leninism. I’m learning, and curious. But only met with hostility when inquiring. Seems reactionary.
What is trolling? Describe it in your own words. English isn’t my first language, I’m from Bangladesh-stan.
I only speak Bangladesh-stany. So, please elaborate your ideas? Gracias, por favor, arbor, de la puerta?!
I just don’t understand why you have to be so intolerant. I’ve repeatedly tried in multiple threads to find out why liberals think tankies are an enemy. I’m not a tankie. But they‘ve treated me with kindness and answered my ignorant questions. Meanwhile, liberals and centrist minded people treat me with such hostility and disdain. Do you even know why you hate tankies? I’m not gonna stop learning just because some guy says “tankie bad.” If you wonder why people are turning to Marxist-Leninism, look in the mirror. You’re not giving them a reason not to turn into tankies.
Feel free to enlighten yourself.
Thanks 😊. I’ve actually never read the Wikipedia. I need to read some Rosa Luxemberg.
