Re: [Marxism] Gorbachev defends Putin's methods

["Nestor Gorojovsky" <nestorgoro@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

From:                   Louis Proyect <lnp3@xxxxxxxxx>
To:                     Activists and scholars in Marxist tradition 
<marxism@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date sent:              Sun, 29 Jul 2007 16:08:51 -0400
Send reply to:          Activists and scholars in Marxist tradition
        <marxism@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject:                Re: [Marxism] Gorbachev defends Putin's methods

> Walter Lippmann wrote:
> > Under the domination of Stalinism, the USSR built itself up enough that
> > it could resist Germany's attacks. 
> 
> Walter, have you joined the CPUSA? I haven't read such feeble attempts at
> ex post facto justification of Stalin's rule outside Political Affairs. We
> don't need to get into a prolonged discussion about Stalin here, but it is
> pretty clear that WWII (ie., Germany's attacks) could have been prevented
> by a revolutionary foreign policy and democracy at home. After the
> Wehrmacht invaded the USSR, it was supported by Ukrainian peasants. If
> people felt that they had something to fight for, the invasion would have
> not gone so well initially. Stalin was able to beat back the Nazis through
> appealing to "Mother Russia" and through Draconian discipline imposed on
> Soviet fighters. This period is a terrible indictment of Stalin's rule.
> Period.

I hope I am not rehashing a Stalin-Trotsky debate. 

However, I would place a couple of divides between Stalin, 
"Stalinism", and the Soviet Union.

Stalin did all that was at his hands to make German policies 
succesful.

Stalinists did all what was in _their_ hands to defend the country 
from a foreign invader.

The USSR, taken as a collective subject, "built itself up enough that
it could resist Germany's attacks". 

I don't think that your positions and Walter's collide as deeply as 
you believe.

Este correo lo ha enviado
Néstor Miguel Gorojovsky
nestorgoro@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
[No necesariamente es su autor]
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 
"La patria tiene que ser la dignidad arriba y el regocijo abajo".
Aparicio Saravia
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