Date: Sun, 16 Mar 1997 14:14:38 -0500 (EST)
From: Andrew Wayne Austin <aaustin-AT-utkux.utcc.utk.edu>
Subject: Don't Reduce Essence to Form and Function (Was Re: M-I: Re: Pudding Head)


Neil,

I agree with the spirit of your post, but I want to caution you on
something. Do not reduce essence to form or function. Stalin was not a
fascist. Fascism is authoritarian capitalism, where the ruling class--the
capitalist class--dispenses within any pretense of democracy through
liberalism, and wields the state as a bludgeon. Stalinism, on the other
hand, is totalitarian state capitalist ideology and practice, where the
state owns and controls the production forces, not a capitalist class.
Granted, both ideologies are totalitarian and anti-working class.
Moreover, in the long term, Stalinism is much more damaging to the worker
movement because it confuses more workers about what it is and is not.
Whereas most workers can see that fascist's populist appeals, which are
anti-Marxist in form, are a false populism, the Stalinist deceitfully
deploys Marxist rhetoric to mobilize working class support. So while
fascism lies to obtain power, their lies are more apparent historically.
Stalinist lies, and this is painfully apparent from reading the posts sent
to this list, are much more difficult to purge from our midsts.

AA





     --- from list marxism-international-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu ---