Date: Wed, 14 Feb 1996 23:05:12 -0500 (EST)
From: Philip Locker <jesusc-AT-interport.net>
Subject: Re: The Ongoing Young Liberal Fascist Cyber-Seminar


I would like to add my 2 cents to the discusssion:

1)  Obviously Stalin was a bruttle dictator.  If the USSR was socialist, is
that the society that we should fight for?

2) The problem I have is that many people have been attacking the USSR
completely.  I would argue that any Marxist would have to defend the USSR's
gains while fighting for proletarian democracy.  This is not easy.  It is
much easier when facing non-marxists to totally denounce the USSR.  But
whoever said being a marxist was easy.  Marxists must explain that we
support and fight for a planned economy, nationalized industry, etc.  The
Soviet Union despite its (great) lackings, had these things.  Its political
and economic degeneration was not due to Lenins "top down & dictitorial
metods" but its international isolation and the fact that it was the most
backward country in europe.  The economic and cultural prerequistes for
socialism was not there.  The USSR's only hope was to fight for
international revolution, which in fact the stalinist bureacracy objectively
subverted [i.e. "socialism in 1 country, in western countries supporting the
liberal bourgeoisie, destroying the marxist forces inside the USSR, etc.].



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