[Marxism] Re: Cuba and China - discussion

[l.willms@xxxxxxxxxxx (Lueko Willms)]

.    On  06.03.05
  wrote  walterlx@xxxxxxxxxxxxx (walterlx@xxxxxxxxxxxxx)
     on  /ALIST/MARXMAIL
     in  188240-2200531705455903@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
  about  [Marxism] Cuba and China - discussion


w> One decisive difference between the processes which occurred
w> in Eastern Europe versus that of Cuba is that, with the sole
w> exception of Yugoslavia, the other countries of Eastern Europe
w> did not have their own indigenous revolutions. The abolition
w> of capitalism was accomplished by the power of the Red Army as
w> it overthrew the Nazi-sympathizing regimes of the region and
w> this is a decisive difference.

   Not quite yet. The Red Army (the name was changed only shortly  
after that) was decisive in the change of _political_ power, taking it  
into its own hands in a number of cases.

   But for an overturn of social relations, changing political power  
is not enough, it requires also a certain amount of mass mobilization.  
Without that, expropriations are simply a form of etatization, but not  
effect and cause of real changes in the fabric of society.

  So such mobilizations did occur, and were initiated after the USSR  
had to recognize that they would not be accepted as a permenent part  
of the imperialist coalition led by the USA.

  But each and every such step forward to an expropriation of the  
propertied classes was accompanied by steps to limit the _political_  
space for the working class; in East Germany e.g., at the same time  
that a wave of expropriations of private factories was organized in  
April 1948, and was helped quite often by assemblies of the workers of  
that factory, the factory councils (Betriebsrat) elected by the  
workers of one plant were abolished, giving as explanation that there  
was no need for two organizations within one workplace, and that the  
"democratic centralist" trade unions could do the job alone. Being  
"democratic centralist" meant of course that the trade union was not  
controlled by the workers in the shop.

  In China, when the national revolution turned into a social  
revolution during the intervention in Korea, the Chinese Trotskyists  
were arrested and put behind bars for several decades.


  Now, back to Cuba:

w> There are questions which anyone can reasonably ask about the
w> extent to which Cubans widely engage in practices which I like
w> to describe as being "outside the legal framework". It's clear
w> to anyone who spends much time on the island that few people
w> live on their peso salaries alone. The informal sector (nice
w> radical visitors donâ't call it "the black market" though that
w> is the term Cubans themselve use for it) plays a significant
w> part in Cuban life. Don't ask me for a statistical breakdown
w> as my comment is just anecdotal based on my own observations.

   I have not yet met a person who would not declare that he "has to"  
do it, because otherwise he (or she) could not make ends meet. A lot  
of Cuba-friends over here repeat the same talk.

   The fact is, that by deviating goods from one's own workplace to  
exchange it for goods which others took from their workplace, or even  
for goods produced by individual farmers or laborours, does not  
produce on grain of maiz or one kilo of beans more, it only helps to  
increase social inequalities, and it also causes material losses in  
the process (I mean in form of perishing or damaging the things).


w> In time, something will have to be done about the fact that so
w> many people do live outside the formal legal framework, but it
w> must be kept in mind, at ALL times, that Cuba lives, exists,
w> persists and survives in a specific, distinctive situation.

   The situation is similar to the one encountered when possession of  
USD was legalized - you can't put millions of people in jail. A  
general crackdown on these extralegal activities, as Walter likes to  
call it, is ruled out, in my opinion.

   But of course, this kind of theft can't be legalized. The only way  
forward, which I see, is to increase production, increase the amount  
of foodstuff and other goods available by Libreta and in the market,  
so that the mental pressure for "resolver" eases.

   It has to be added that theft of cattle _is_ heavily prosecuted --  
when the thieves are identified.



Yours,
Lüko Willms                                     http://www.mlwerke.de
/--------- L.WILLMS@xxxxxxxxxxx -- Alle Rechte vorbehalten --

"Die Arbeit in weißer Haut kann sich nicht dort emanzipieren, wo sie
in schwarzer Haut gebrandmarkt wird."     - Karl Marx     12.11.1866

_______________________________________________
Marxism mailing list
Marxism@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism