RE: Stalin, Mao, idealism and voluntarism

[g.maclennan@xxxxxxxxxx]

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On Wed, 11 Oct 1995, Jonathan D. Jaynes wrote:

> Comrades,
>
> Are we really so blind or so ignorant that we cannot seperate the "murderous 
> bungles" from the achievements?  Why is it so difficult to admit that both 
> positive and negative can come from the hands of a single man?
>
> By implying that since MOST of Stalin's exploits were "murderous bungles" 
> then the same can be said about ALL of Stalin's exploits you are guilty of a 
> serious logical error and have over simplified the real world.
>
> Or you simply have your eyes closed.
>
> Jonathan D. Jaynes
> jjaynes@xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Dear Jonathan,

You are stumbling towards the argument that Deutscher advances in his book
on Stalin.  For Deutscher , "Stalin drove out barbarism by barborous
means".  Deutscher here was presumably intending a dialectical analysis.

The problem is that since Deutscher's book, " history"  has shown that the
"irreversable" nature of Stalin's achievements have simply been
reversed.  Now I think that (IMHO) Deutscher undestimated or mis read the
true nature of Uncle Joe's achievements. Stalin murdered the leadership
and a good share of the rank and file of the Bolshevik Party.  You have
to look to Pinochet and Suharto to find anyone with such an enthusiasm for
killing communists. Stalin's unique contribution was that he needed to
make the flower of the Russian revolutionary movement shit their pants in
public as well as kill them.

Pat for MIM says that Stalin died in 1953 and that his successors were
to blame.  Now it is true that if Stalin had lived much longer then his
successors would not have survived but that would have been because of the
paranoia of the absolute dictator rather than any political judgement.

In essence my argument is that Stalin is directly responsible for scum Like
Yeltsin because he ensured that only the filth could survive in the
Communist Party of the Soviet Union.

Pat for MIM wishes me to "come out" so then he can label and dismiss
me.  Actually I have already sent an autobio, but for what it is worth I
consider myself to be a non-sectarian independent Marxist and a
revolutionary one at that.  Such statements generally draw more yawns than
sneers  here in  Australia, but hopefully that will change one day.

I despise Maoists because they are objectively counter revolutionary and
with their defence of Stalin, Hoxha, and the rest of the criminal clowns
they have helped destroy the emancipatory potential of Marxism.  And all
that is said with my eyes open.

regards

Gary

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