File spoon-archives/marxism-international.archive/marxism-international_1997/marxism-international.9709, message 353


Date: Thu, 18 Sep 1997 07:35:05 -0400
From: malecki-AT-algonet.se (Robert Malecki)
Subject: Re: M-I: Re: Reply to Rebbeca and Dave,


>Bob,
>On the question of restoration in the former SU. 
>
>We say that a political counter-revolution cannot be determined merely by
>which group of bureaucrats holds power, but by which social relations they
>defend. Do they defend the plan, keep the monopoly of trade, and oppose the
>operation of the law of value?  If so, then these bureaucrats are still
>defending the workers state. If however, they take power and then clearly
>take a number of key measures to DISMANTLE THE PLAN, abandon the MONOPOLY
>OF TRADE, and allow the LAW OF VALUE to operate through the mechanism of a
>HARD CURRENCY which is pegged to world money, then obviously they are no
>longer defending the plan but defending the restoration of capitalism. At
>this point we argue that the workers state has undergone a qualitative
>change into STATE CAPITALISM. The combined effects of this BIG BANG are a
>massive devaluation and horrendous price inflation, collapse of production
>and employment, and deeps cuts in state expenditure.  Instead of shortages
>of goods and queues we begin to see plenty of goods but few people with the
>money to buy them. We say the BIG BANG  began in earnest  Russia during
>1992. Partly because of resistance to this "shock therapy" Yeltsin had
>trouble consolidating his power and had to sack his free market economist
>Gaidar and the end of 1992. But he regained power in the October coup
>against Rutskoi in 1993. This was a temporary slowdown in the restoration
>process. It was a squabble over which band of brigands was going to run the
>new capitalist state, not over the issue of defending the workers state. So
>therefore, we dont think you can say that the workers state ended with the
>October 1993 coup anymore than you can say it ended with the August 1991
>coup. The transformation from workers state to state capitalism began in
>1992 and was completed in 1993. In other words the 1991 coup put the fast
>track restorationists in power and allowed them to begin the big bang. The
>1993 coup consolidated their power and allowed them to complete the big
>bang. By December 1993 Gaidar could say with confidence; "A domestic market
>did not exist in 1991. Now we have a market...We no longer have a deficit
>economy. Now we have a MONEY ECONOMY IN WHICH MONEY INCOME, NOT STATE
>ORDERS, PLAYS THE CATALYTIC ROLE". (Economist, 11 December 1993).
>
>Dave.

Dave,

I have a real problem with this line. The question I pose is I feel that 
this is running the stage theory of revolution backwards. What is this 
"state capitalism" and is it or is it not a degenerated workers 
states--states right now..And if your thesis is right then we have to decide 
if these new state capitalist regimes can be defended.
In both cases I think that the analisis is wrong. There is no state 
capitalism as a "state" in any of the republics of the ex-Soviet Union. Nor 
can these states even if they existed be defended against imperialism.

If anything could be called "state capitalist" the closest thing to it is 
probably China with their line of one country two systems and nowafter the 
last congress moving towards using the Hong Kong model on mainline cHina. 
Meaning in the classical sense the Chinese CP transforming the one party 
state towards capitalist relations but keeping it under party control by 
dismantling the collective ownership of property and industry. And having 
the military might to back up this transition. But sooner or later it must 
reach a point (not their yet) of the deformed Chinese workers state becoming 
a deformed "state capitalist" state  I think just and outright capitalist 
dictatorship run by the Chinese CP.

But in the Soviet Union this is hardly the case. 

Warm regards
Bob Malecki
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