Re: Social Imperialism [DMS, Huato]

["Tom O'Lincoln" <suarsos@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Nestor:
>>What do you _exactly_ mean by "reformism", Tom?<<

Gulp. Exactly? You ask hard questions -- I'm glad you didn't ask me
_exactly_ what I mean by "Third World" :-)

I meant it in the vague sense everyone has used it so far! But I'll try to
be more precise:

I mean the belief that a significantly better social order can be achieved
through gradual reform and via existing channels, typically with some kind
of class collaboration. Also I mean movements built around such an
assumption, explicit or implicit. This still leaves room for many
phenomena, including for example:

* The Brazilian Workers' Party -- for which one can still feel enthusiasm
but which is using power in the way reformists usually do.
* Parts of the Labor Parties in the west, and much of their voting base.
(But not Tony Blair - he is not trying to get a better world at all.)
* Most trade unionists, including for example the big independent union in
Indonesia: the SBSI who want to get union representatives onto company
boards.
* Peronism in its hey day.
* The supporters of Fateh and Hamas.

Of course Lenin used the term "opportunism", which I take to mean fake
socialists manipulating the reformist sentiments of their supporters.

How would you define reformism?


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