Re: [Marxism] Lenin's definition of imperialism

[Steve Palmer <spalmer999@xxxxxxxxx>]

Sorry Einde, I only just saw this.

Yes, I like Bukharin's Imperialism and World Economy. It's a more 'technical'
work.

Lenin's Imperialism is, I think, best understood as a political, rather than
economic work. (Though the 'economics' are, I maintain, in their essentials, as
true today as they were then). As he makes clear in the preface, it was written
especially with an eye on the censor, with an eye to demonstrating the economic
underpinnings and the political significance of the labour aristocracy, "the
principal social ... prop of the bourgeoisie". Kidron does not discuss this at
all.

Steve

--- Einde O'Callaghan <einde@xxxxxx> wrote:

> Steve Palmer schrieb:
> > I really can't agree, Einde. Kidron took a snapshot of what British
> > imperialism, just recovered from second world war, was like half-a-century
> ago.
> > It was just embarking on constructing a neo-colonial solution to the
> problem of
> > 'decolonisation', had the Labour governments rebuild finance capital and
> crush
> > revolutionary national liberation movements, preparing for Thatcher era
> > deregulation which allowed resurgent British finance capital occupy the
> > position it does today.
> > 
> > Whatever merits Kidron's view might have had then, it is woefully out of
> date
> > and any attempt to pretend that Kidron's arguments hold up today is refuted
> by
> > the facts. Lenin was and is completely correct in his characterisation of
> the
> > essentials of imperialism and Kidron completely wrong
> > 
> I haven't had a chance to reply to you in any detail - and probably 
> won't for several days - but briefly: I wasn't trying to suggest that 
> Kidron's piece was an adequate description of imperialism today - indeed 
> that was what I wanted to suggest by referring to its age - rather I 
> think that Kidron did point to some problems with Lenin's analysis that 
> I feel are still valid. Indeed I've always felt that - despite 
> Bukharin's theoretical weaknesses -  his more theoretical work, 
> Imperialism and World Economy, gave a better description of imperialism 
> than lenin's "Popular Outline". However I don't have time to go into 
> that now - perhaps after the weekend.
> 
> Einde O'Callaghan
> 
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"I study a lot. That is one of the responsibilities of every revolutionary." 
Hugo Chavez.

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