Re: General Strikes

["Jose G. Perez" <jgperez@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Marx did not have a position about specific tactics or means of struggle in
general.

In the Communist Manfesto, he and Engels stated that: "They [Communists] do
not set up any sectarian principles of their own, by which to shape and mold
the proletarian movement."

That said, Marx and Engels viewed the workers struggle not merely as an
economic struggle against the capitalists, but as a political struggle: "The
immediate aim of the Communists is the same as that of all other proletarian
parties: Formation of the proletariat into a class, overthrow of the
bourgeois supremacy, conquest of political power by the proletariat."

By "formation ... into a class" here is meant conscious organization.

The anarchist fetish around a general strike is due to their ideology. Since
they do not recognize the need for a state at all, they come up with all
sorts of ideas and formulas to explain how you can get rid of one political
power without organizing another to overthrow it and prevent its
reimposition.

In my opinion, various strands of Marxism make similar mistakes. The
self-proclaimed "Leninists" fetishize the building of an ultra-centralized
party and urban insurrection. The current influenced by the Cuban revolution
in the 1960's replaced the party/insurrection with the column/rural
guerrilla warfare. Many in the pre WWI social democracy, including Debs's
Socialist Party is the U.S., gave pre-eminent emphasis union struggles,
electoral campaigns, and, in some countries, parliamentary opposition.

My opinion is that Marx and Engels would have embraced (and did, during
their lifetimes) all forms of struggle which advanced the organization and
consciousness of working people, but would have warned against making a
fetish of any particular tactic or form of organization. I believe, BTW, the
same is true of Lenin.

José


----- Original Message -----
From: "Joe R. Golowka" <joeG@xxxxxxxx>
To: <marxism@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Friday, April 06, 2001 11:47 AM
Subject: General Strikes


Does anyone know what Marx's position on the idea of using a General strike
to end capitalism (popular among many Anarchists) was?  What about Engels?

Joe R. Golowka
JoeG@xxxxxxxx
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"The end is in the means as the tree is in the seed." - Mahatma Ghandi