Date: Wed, 31 Jul 1996 11:58:02 -0500 (EST)
Subject: Re: Marxism: meat and potatoes questions


Mark,
     1)  You are correct that there is a lot of
petty sectarianism on the marxism lists.  If you
think this one is bad, check out marxism where 
people routinely call each other police agents
and occasionally even threaten each others' lives
(oops, I'm violating the Baroness's rules!).  This
list is relatively tame and has even been labeled
the "duck pond" for its placidity.
     2)  You seem to continue to ask more questions
than anybody can answer, but perhaps this is your
attempt to embody the Socratic method.  You want to
know what unifies everybody, but mighty little does.
Sectarianism is indeed rampant.
     3)  Let me illustrate by trying to deal with what
seems to be an underlying issue for you, not knowing
how much about history you really know (although you 
were pretty quick to assume historical ignorance on the
part of listmembers, even as you request educational guidance).
The issue is democracy.  Marx claimed to be for it, largely
on the presumption repeated by Rahul that the proletariat
would be the majority.  Debates over who is in that blessed
group is one issue separating current sects, without naming names.
On the other hand, Marx occasionally made sneering comments
about "bourgeois democracy" leaving it very unclear what he
meant and opening the door to all kinds of interpretations.
Lenin ran with a "democratic centralism" view that allowed
debate within the party, but dismissed parliaments.  This
was part of the split early in this century between the 
Bolsheviks and the Social Democrats, many of whom claimed to
be Marxists, although that claim was dismissed by the Leninists.
After Lenin's death the struggle between Stalin and Trotsky
led to yet further disagreements over this matter, many of which
continue to haunt both of the M lists to this day.  Mao had
yet another interpretation, as did Tito, as do the anarchists,
some of whom claim to be Marxists (In _The Critique of the Gotha
Program_ Marx said that the state would wither away under communism,
although he had earlier fought with the anarchist, Bakunin, for 
control of the First International, Bakunin accusing him of supporting
state dictatorship).  So, there are lot of "Marxist" views on 
democracy.  Which would you like to view as "correct"?
     BTW, the phrase is "dictatorship of the proletariat," not
"dictatorship of the people."
Barkley Rosser
Professor of Economics (just to show what a pompous asshole I am)
James Madison University
Harrisonburg, VA 22807 USA


     --- from list marxism2-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu ---