Cowbee

joined 1 year ago
[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 hours ago

It's a sentence I made, just because the PRC agrees with describing themselves that way doesn't mean I'm not adding to meaningful conversation. When you declare that China is a cocktail of Capitalism and Socialism, what does that actually mean? It seemed like your comment was more about not analyzing China's economy than coming up with a coherent and consistent answer, which is what I pushed forward.

Basically, Capitalism and Socialism are descriptors of overall systems, not portions of an economy, so calling a system a cocktail of each doesn't make too much sense and adds confusion more than clarity.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 hours ago (2 children)

China has a Socialist Market Economy, it isn't so much a cocktail as it is Marxism-Leninism applied to China's current conditions.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 hours ago

Vaush has to, by virtue of his profession, at least pretend to know what he's talking about with Marxism, so it can seem convincing. The issue is that it is abundantly clear every time he makes a mistake to anyone who takes theory seriously, yet that isn't Vaush's target audience, who are mainly western liberals and occasionally pro-US Anarchists.

That's why I recommend reading theory, the only way to be 100% sure is to go the source.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 3 hours ago

Russia is Capitalist, the EU is Capitalist, the US is Capitalist, and China is Socialist. Communism must be global, but Socialism is the process of building towards that through publicly owning large firms and key industries. Communism exists as an ideology for now, and hasn't been achieved yet.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 hours ago* (last edited 3 hours ago)

The USSR didn't "do repression and violence to speed up Communism," they had a successful revolution and established Socialism. By all accounts it was quite successful overall, but we can learn from where they erred and adapt for the future.

The only ones who believe the Soviet Union wasn't Socialist are generally Western Trots or liberals/Anarchists who already don't want the form of society Marxists want, which is a government that publicly owns its large and key industries and gradually folds in the new firms that grow to that level until the entire economy is publicly owned.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 hours ago* (last edited 3 hours ago)

Yes and no. The AES ststes of today have learned from what happened to the USSR and other former Socialist countries snd have adapted, such as China's Socialist Market Economy an stance towards international investment, not closing off but not ceding power.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 4 hours ago

Can you elaborate? They have a better respect for human rights than the vast majority of states.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 4 hours ago (2 children)

One of the worst issues is when he depicts AES as "not real Socialism" because they contain contradictions, when Dialectical Materialism shows that all systems contain contradictions and must resolve them, that doesn't mean they aren't that system. Ie, Capitalist states contain public ownership, which is a contradiction but does not define the system.

One of the recent and larger-scale issues was when he tried to explain Lenin advocated voting Socialism into existence.

I don't make it a point to hate-watch sex offenders that do the work of the US state department.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 hours ago (4 children)

The vast majority of them, to be honest. He has no grasp of Dialectical and Historical Materialism, has no knowledge of AES, and horrendously distorts Lenin.

He's a liberal that cosplays an Anarchist and pretends to have beyond a Wikipedia understanding of Marxism.

That's, of course, ignoring that he's a chaser, pedophile, sex offender.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

Fantastic question! The answer is no, not necessarily. The PRC is Socialist, and never had a true "Capitalist" phase. It currently has a Socialist Market Economy, but never really had a stage dominated entirely by Capitalism.

There are also reversions. Russia reverted to Capitalism, and Germany almost became Communist, but was stopped by the Nazi Party coming to power.

However, all of that being said, history does generally progress alongside technological development, and the Mode of Production follows suit.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 hours ago (3 children)

Most people don't become Marxist-Leninists without doing a lot of reading, in my experience.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

East Germany was the side with practically no industry, and the Soviets de-Nazified it and made it pay reparations, as the Soviet Union, unlike the US, emerged from the war with massive reconstruction costs and tens of millions of lives lost. It was not in a position to offer the same kind of support the US gave to West Germany, it had to build itself up first and then help out more. Later on, the DDR was much better and support increased.

In addition, the DDR provided free, high quality education, while the West offered higher pay, meaning a lot of educated workers could get the "best of both worlds" by getting educated in East Germany and defecting to the West.

The East had a good system, but it was bogged down by sitiational problems.

 

Among many who have not engaged with Marxist theory, there can be confusion regarding the determination of systems as Socialist, Capitalist, and so forth. Are markets Capitalism? Is public ownership Socialism? Is a worker cooperative in a Capitalist country a fragment of Socialism? These questions are answered by studying Dialectical and Historical Materialism, and I will attempt to help clarify those questions here.

The idea that Socialism means only and exclusively full ownership in public hands is wrong, and anti-Marxist. To take such a stance means either Capitalism and Feudalism have never existed either, the sort of “one-drop” rule, or that Socialism itself is a unique Mode of Production that needs to be judged based on “purity” while the rest do not, a conception that has roots in idealism rather than Materialism.

Modes of Production should be defined in a manner that is consistent. If we hold this definition for Socialism, then either it means a portion of the economy can be Socialist, ie USPS, or a worker cooperative, or it means an economy is only Socialist if all property has been collectivized. Neither actually allows us to usefully analyze the trajectory of a country and who actually has the power within it.

For the former, this definition fails to take into account the context to which portions of the economy play in the broader scope, and therefore which class holds the power in society. A worker cooperative in the US, ultimately, must deal with Capitalist elements of the economy. Whether it be from the raw materials they use being from non-cooperatives, to the distributors they deal with, to the banks where they gain the seed Capital, they exist as a cog in a broader system dominated by Capitalists in the US. Same with USPS, which exists in a country where heavy industry and resources are privatized, it serves as a way to subsidize transport for Capitalists. The overall power in a system must be judged.

For the latter, this “one drop” rule, if equally applied, means Feudalism and Capitalism have never existed either. There is no reason Socialism should be judged any differently from Capitalism or Feudalism. To do so is to add confusion, and the origin of such a desire is from idealists who believe Socialism to be a grand, almost mystical achievement of perfection. The truth is more mundane, and yet because it's more mundane, it's real, and achievable, as it already has been in many countries.

What Socialism ultimately is is a system where the Working Class is in control, and public ownership is the principle aspect of society. If a rubber ball factory is privately owned but the rubber factory is public, the public sector holds more power over the economy. In the Nordics, heavy industry is privatized for the most part, and social safety nets are funded through loans and ownership of industry in the Global South, similar to being a landlord in country form. In the PRC, heavy industry and large industry is squarely in the hands of the public, which is why Capitalists are subservient to the State, rather than the other way around.

As for the purpose of Socialism, it is improving the lives of the working class in material and measurable ways. Public ownership is a tool, one especially effective at higher degrees of development. Markets and private ownership are a tool, one that can be utilized more effectively at lower stages in development. Like fire, private ownership presents real danger in giving Capitalists more power, but also like fire this does not mean we cannot harness it and should avoid it entirely, provided the proper precautions are taken.

Moreover, markets are destined to centralize. Markets erase their own foundations. The reason public ownership is a goal for Marxists is because of this centralizing factor, as industry gets more complex public ownership increasingly becomes more efficient and effective. Just because you can publicly own something doesn’t mean the act of ownership improves metrics like life expectancy and literacy, public ownership isn’t some holy experience that gives workers magic powers. Public ownership and Private ownership are tools that play a role in society, and we believe Public Ownership is undeniably the way to go at higher phases in development because it becomes necessary, not because it has mystical properties.

Ultimately, it boils down to mindsets of dogmatism or pragmatism. Concepts like “true Socialism” treat Marx as a religious prophet, while going against Marx’s analysis! This is why studying Historical and Dialectical Materialism is important, as it explains the why of Marxism and Socialism in a manner that can be used for real development of the Working Class and real liberation.

Marxism isn't useful because Marx was prophetic, but because he synthesized the ideas built up by his predecessors and armed the working class with valuable tools for understanding their enemy and the methods with which to overcome said enemy.

 

For good fun, here are a few of Lenin's most important contributions to Marxist theory, I highly recommend all of them (but Imperialism especially).

Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism (must read for any Leftist wanting to understand modern Capitalism, Anarchists included!)

The State and Revolution

"Left-Wing" Communism

 

Dr. Michael Parenti 1986 Lecture "Yellow Parenti"

Blackshirts and Reds: Rational Fascism and the Overthrow of Communism

But that expropriation of the Third World—has been going on for 400 years—brings us to another revelation—namely, that the Third World is not poor. You don't go to poor countries to make money. There are very few poor countries in this world. Most countries are rich! The Philippines are rich! Brazil is rich! Mexico is rich! Chile is rich—only the people are poor. But there's billions to be made there, to be carved out, and to be taken—there's been billions for 400 years! The Capitalist European and North American powers have carved out and taken the timber, the flax, the hemp, the cocoa, the rum, the tin, the copper, the iron, the rubber, the bauxite, the slaves, and the cheap labour. They have taken out of these countries—these countries are not underdeveloped—they're overexploited!

 

Interested in Marxism-Leninism? Check out my "Read Theory, Darn it!" introductory reading list!

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Parenti Hands (lemmy.ml)
submitted 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
 

Dr. Michael Parenti 1986 Lecture "Yellow Parenti"

Blackshirts and Reds: Rational Fascism and the Overthrow of Communism

But that expropriation of the Third World—has been going on for 400 years—brings us to another revelation—namely, that the Third World is not poor. You don't go to poor countries to make money. There are very few poor countries in this world. Most countries are rich! The Philippines are rich! Brazil is rich! Mexico is rich! Chile is rich—only the people are poor. But there's billions to be made there, to be carved out, and to be taken—there's been billions for 400 years! The Capitalist European and North American powers have carved out and taken the timber, the flax, the hemp, the cocoa, the rum, the tin, the copper, the iron, the rubber, the bauxite, the slaves, and the cheap labour. They have taken out of these countries—these countries are not underdeveloped—they're overexploited!

 
 
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PragerUrine (lemmy.ml)
submitted 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
 

"More than 80% of all combat during the Second World War took place on the Eastern Front."

For a fantastic look into the history of fascism and Communism as bitter enemies, Blackshirts and Reds by Dr. Michael Parenti.

 

Check out my "Read Theory, Darn it!" introductory reading list!

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