Re: Stalin, Mao, idealism and voluntarism

[Jim Jaszewski <jjazz@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Wed, 11 Oct 1995 glevy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx wrote:

> > It's that simple. We prefer to take responsibility for Stalin's
> > mistakes than responsibility for the status quo left unchanged
> > by his critics. The status quo is everywhere far bloodier than
> > Stalin's mistakes were. <snip>
>
> Do you have any idea of the meaning of what you have written? You have
> taken *responsibility* for the murder of *MILLIONS* of peasants, workers,
> intellectuals, nationalists, and revolutionaries! Furthermore, you have
> the audacity to refer to that simply as Stalin's "error." Pat -- you are
> a very scary person.

        It's always been clear to ME, anyway, that people who declare that
`Stalin did this for us' or `Comrade Stalin taught us that' simply do not
comprehend that _maybe_ if Stalin had been removed in 1923, A FUNCTIONING
BOLSHEVIK LEADERSHIP WOULD'VE DONE A SUPERIOR JOB IN *ALL* RESPECTS THAN
WHAT WAS ACTUALLY `ACCOMPLISHED' BY STALIN (mucho sarcasm here).

        _Think_ about it.  Name *ANY* sphere of Comrade Joe's
`accomplishments' -- COLLECTIVE LEADERSHIP would've been VASTLY
superior -- obvious _especially_ given 20/20 retrospect..!!

        I believe the same point has been made in other ways on this list
previously.


> > Hello! Stalin died in 1953! That's not a joke! The people who took
> > power right after him criticized him and the Soviet Union went
> > down the toilet.
>
> One of the reasons why Maoism should not be taken seriously by
> revolutionaries today.

        This is VERY clearly a case of confusing cause and effect -- (Pat
& MIM3?) have blundered GREATLY here -- and maybe it might be time to club
the `Maoist' Monster (not you personally, `Pat') to death once and for all
-- right here on this very List...


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