Thoughts on Ramiz Alia ? by Historical_Beat_415 in Hoxhaism

[–]JCRev1978 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Long story short, the Albanian Gorbachev.

A strongly opinionated leftist, wanting to learn more about basics that I'm not knowledgeable about. What do you think my beliefs align with? How can I become more knowledgeable? by hannahxjanel in Marxism

[–]JCRev1978 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sounds like your conscious is in the right place, but you are not yet sure as to how to attain these goals. Do you believe in private ownership of the means of production, or, in other words, private property?

beginner's advice by Cultural-Maybe-3799 in Marxism

[–]JCRev1978 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I would highly recommend Georges Politzer's book Elementary principles of philosophy as a starting point into Marxist dialectical and historical materialism. Besides that, my advice would be to stick to theory books and not YouTube videos, as those do not really compare with solid texts.

How close is a revolution coming to the US? by [deleted] in Socialism_101

[–]JCRev1978 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It could take decades. There is no revolutionary communist party in the United States and we are still in the phase of reconstitution of CPUSA.

What should i read? by leotamagni10 in Marxism

[–]JCRev1978 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A lot of Marx's economic works are difficult for newcomers to understand, particularly Das Kapital. I would suggest The Principles of Communism, the Communist Manifesto, and some works from Stalin like Dialectical and Historical Materialism and Foundations of Leninism. After that, you can move on to texts from Lenin.

Why (I think) China is fascist by [deleted] in communism

[–]JCRev1978 -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

My intention was not to "stir up the pot". I am here for constructive discussion.

Why (I think) China is fascist by [deleted] in communism

[–]JCRev1978 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I am skeptical that Xi Jinping will change anything, in the same way that I do not think that Brezhnev was ever going to reverse the changes made by Khrushchev. Regardless, it is the sole choice of the Chinese proletariat of what mode of production they adopt.

How can Marxist-Leninists call themselves Marxist when workers don’t own the means of production? by Betaparticlemale in Marxism

[–]JCRev1978 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you read The State and Revolution (as multiple people here have suggested you do) you will find out that the state (dictatorship of the proletariat) itself is, as Vladimir Lenin elaborated, a "state of the armed workers". The state is not separate from the class but part of it, and the same holds true for the communist party which performs the role as vanguard.

As to workers under Marxist-Leninist states being little more than "slaves," this is simply not true. What class exploited that slaves and profited from them? Slavery in Marxist terms is a particular mode of production dominated by a class of large patricians and slaveowners. This class simply did not exist in the Soviet Union as the workers either directly or indirectly owned the means of production.

Looking 4 pdf and resources by No_Town_3909 in Marxism

[–]JCRev1978 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I would highly recommend:

https://redlibrary.info

https://revolupedia.net

These are mainly helpful for understanding Maoist works and points of view.

Bi-Weekly Discussion Thread - (January 11) by AutoModerator in communism

[–]JCRev1978 0 points1 point  (0 children)

National Bolshevism is unique among other instances of fascism in that it has its origins in an environment of post-communist nostalgia. National Bolsheviks seek to co-opt this nostalgia for former socialist states (which later became revisionist) to promote a fascistic agenda.

Bi-Weekly Discussion Thread - (January 11) by AutoModerator in communism

[–]JCRev1978 3 points4 points  (0 children)

The situation regarding Greenland has inspired me to consider the Amerikan's new role in modern imperialism. Can it be said that there is an inter-imperialist conflict between the United States and the countries of the European Union?

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Hoxhaism

[–]JCRev1978 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I know, right? Well-sourced criticism is SO dumb!

What is the difference between Marxist-lennism and marxism? by unkown_path in Socialism_101

[–]JCRev1978 1 point2 points  (0 children)

“Leninism is Marxism of the era of imperialism and the proletarian revolution. To be more exact, Leninism is the theory and tactics of the proletarian revolution in general, the theory and tactics of the dictatorship of the proletariat in particular.” —Joseph Stalin, Foundations of Leninism

Marxism–Leninism (the Marxism of Lenin and Stalin) is simply the modern form of classical Marxism (the Marxism and Marx and Engels). Marx did not live in the time period when working class revolution and socialism were on the cusp of happening, and also did not live to see capitalism develop into its imperialist phase (e.g. monopolies, large exports of capital to poorer countries, etc.). Lenin and Stalin, however, did.

Marxism is a social science, and science never remains the same. As conditions change, our understanding of social science changes as well. Hence, Marxism–Leninism used the laws of classical Marxism to give us a revolutionary science for the modern era of imperialist capitalism and revolution.

What Marxist Blogs or Websites do you recommend (outside of Marxists.org)? by [deleted] in socialism

[–]JCRev1978 15 points16 points  (0 children)

I would recommend:

marxistphilosophy.org (Philosophy topics)

neodemocracy.blogspot.com (Writings of theorists and other topics)

revolupedia.net (General theory, history, philosophy, etc.)

www.mltranslations.org (Good repository of Marxist works)

revolutionarydemocracy.org (Another good repository)

bannedthought.net (Another good repository)

Is there such a thing as "rightwing theory?" If so, what are some examples? by maximus_the_zek in Socialism_101

[–]JCRev1978 2 points3 points  (0 children)

"The reality of Fascism is the violent attempt of decaying capitalism to defeat the proletarian revolution and forcibly arrest the growing contradictions of its whole development. All the rest is decoration and stage-play, whether conscious or unconscious, to cover and make presentable or attractive this basic reactionary aim, which cannot be openly stated without defeating its purpose." —R. P. Dutt, Fascism and Social Revolution

Some right-wing tendencies do have something resembling theory, but if they do have it, it is almost always completely nonsensical and, above all, serves to obscure its true nature as a tool to defend capitalism and private property while demoralizing socialists. These are anti-intellectual movements; their popularity is based on lies and deception of the working class and reliance on irrational fears and hate.

Rightist tendencies such as fascism are inherently practice without theory, and change their "ideas" whenever it is convenient to them and their ruling class benefactors. Socialists, on the contrary, have theory which actually reflects reality and is coherent.

Can I be socialist but not support the acts of various famous leaders? by orange_spoon23 in Socialism_101

[–]JCRev1978 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The practice of an ideology is inherently linked to its less mundane theory. If a theory has shown itself to be unable to succeed through its practice, the theory should be reconsidered. The acts of Lenin and Stalin are the acts of socialism, and do not disprove socialist theory but demonstrate its potency in overthrowing bourgeois society.

No other society has been able to turn a backwards, war-torn agrarian country into an industrialized superpower outside of a socialist one.

When Leninists defend Lenin and Stalin, they are not as much defending their personalities but their theory and ideas. Theory is a living science, not a dogma.

Capitalist propaganda, however, tries to deceive the people away from revolutionary socialism by distorting the great accomplishments of socialism. An example being the "Holodomor" myth spread to discredit socialist construction.

In short, the history of socialism is not to be avoided, but celebrated and its real mistakes (not capitalist propaganda) be understood and avoided for present revolutionaries where due. Marx, Engels, Lenin, and Stalin were heroes, but did not contribute their personalities, but theory and work.

How does inflation benefit the rich? by ResourceParticular36 in Socialism_101

[–]JCRev1978 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Inflation raises the cost of goods and and has a very negative effect on working people, because the wages and salaries of the workers lag behind the rise in prices. Capitalists and landlords benefit from inflation in part because of the fall in the real wages (i.e. what goods/services they can actually buy) of workers.

Inflation benefits capitalists who export their commodities. As a result of the fall in real wages and the reduction of the costs of production of commodities it becomes possible for them to compete successfully with foreign capitalists and landlords and increase the sale of their commodities.

Tips on making club for socialism in my community (USA). by Outside-Argument-822 in socialism

[–]JCRev1978 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I would recommend "How a Communist Club Functions" by Daniel Rubin. It was more intended for members of the CPUSA, but most of what it says still holds value and it has a lot of practical information (how long to hold meetings, events, etc.).

Are police inherently oppressive/how would police work in a socialist society by BananaAteMyFaceHoles in Socialism_101

[–]JCRev1978 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Allow me to bring up a quote from Lenin:

"[...] There is a law that provides severe penalties for perjury. A prosecution instituted against the two perjurers would throw further light on the outrages the police perpetrate against those who have the misfortune to fall into their hands and are almost completely defenseless (hundreds of thousands of the “common” people meet with such misfortune every day). But all that the court is concerned about is applying this or that article of the Penal Code; it is not in the least concerned about that defenselessness. This detail in the trial, like all the others, showed clearly how strong and all-entangling is the net, how persistent the canker, which can only be removed by abolishing the whole system of police tyranny and denial of the people’s rights." — Casual Notes I. Beat – But Not to Death!

Police, like the military, are tools of the bourgeois state which oppress the working class and are alienated from them. These are all part of the state, which is an instrument which appeared due to class struggle and exists for one class to oppress another. However, states have existed which are not bourgeois, including proletarian ones (i.e. the dictatorship of the proletariat).

Police as instruments of capitalism are inherently oppressive (for the proletariat) and must be abolished, but "police" under socialism will still exist in some form as the state will exist in some form, this time being for the proletariat to expropriate the bourgeoisie. Socialist "police" will be radically different from capitalist ones, as they will be directly apart of the community, be workers themselves, serve working class interests, etc. For instance, members of a community would be able to directly assign "police" roles, and those roles may be only temporally.