Re: In Defense of Marxism - L.T.

["dmschanoes" <dmschanoes@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Melvin writes:

 Later in this same article Mr. Trotsky states:
 "The United States, which formally has almost no colonies, is nevertheless
the most privileged of all the nations of history. Active immigrants form
Europe  took possession of an exceedingly rich continent, exterminated the
native  population, seized the best part of Mexico and bagged the lion's
share of the  world's wealth. The deposits of fat thus accumulated continue
to be useful even  now, in the epoch of decline, for greasing the gears and
wheels of democracy."

 I hold only the American Marxist responsbile for understanding their
history.  The most prized colony is the South or rather old plantation South
and it was  won in the Civil War. Here is the key.
___________________________________________________

There should be no argument about Trotsky's "blind spot," the "blind spot"
of  Trotskyism, indeed American Marxism in general. It's a fact, and a
failure.
And equally, there should be no argument about Trotsky's overall brilliance,
analytic excellence, leadership of the Russian Revolution, and further
contributions to the class struggle between the two wars.

Melvin is right.  American Marxists are responsible for understanding their
history, and that history is the organization of  slave production and its
overthrow; that collective slave labor producing value, and the overthrow of
that slave system by an industrial system determined to organize collective
wage-labor for the production of value.  Melvin is wrong, or not complete
enough.  Our "American history" is in the "public domain" the world history
of capitalism, and thus is the responsibility of all.

And no excuses, please, for Trotsky's blind spot (not the only one to be
sure).  Keerist, if Brenner made a statement like that of Trotsky's
everybody would want to tar and feather him.

dms



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