[Marxism] Petty Bourgeois bullshit

["Charles Brown" <charlesb@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Carrol Cox 



2) And he (along with the "Stalinists") left a terrible heritage -- the
delusion that there could be a general theory of revolution. There
cannot be. Every revolution is separate and only in the most banal ways
will resemble any other revolution. Each requires New Thought.

Carrol

^^^^
CB: Yes, although Lenin wrote that some features of the Soviet Rev had general 
significance for other revolutions.  Revolutions are probably _not_ all utterly 
unique and distinct from each other. We should draw upon other revolutionary 
experience in developing the revolutionary theory particular to our concrete 
situation.
 
See below

Vladimir Leninâs
Left-Wing Communism: an Infantile Disorder 

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In What Sense we can Speak of the International Significance
of the Russian Revoluion 

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In the first months after the proletariat in Russia had won political power 
(October 25 [November 7], 1917), it might have seemed that the enormous 
difference between backward Russia and the advanced countries of Western Europe 
would lead to the proletarian revolution in the latter countries bearing very 
little resemblance to ours. We now possess quite considerable international 
experience, which shows very definitely that certain fundamental features of 
our revolution have a significance that is not local, or peculiarly national, 
or Russian alone, but international. I am not speaking here of international 
significance in the broad sense of the term: not merely several but all the 
primary features of our revolution, and many of its secondary features, are of 
international significance in the meaning of its effect: on all countries. I am 
speaking of it in the narrowest sense of the word, taking international 
significance to mean the international validity or the historical inevitability 
of a repetition, on an international scale, of what has taken place in our 
country. It must be admitted that certain fundamental features of our 
revolution do possess that significance. 

It would, of course, be grossly erroneous to exaggerate this truth and to 
extend it beyond certain fundamental features of our revolution. It would also 
be erroneous to lose sight of the fact that, soon after the victory of the 
proletarian revolution in at least one of the advanced countries, a sharp 
change will probably come about: Russia will cease to be the model and will 
once again become a backward country (in the "Soviet" and the socialist sense). 

At the present moment in history, however, it is the Russian model that reveals 
to all countries somethingâand something highly significantâof their near 
and inevitable future. Advanced workers in all lands have long realised this; 
more often than not, they have grasped it with their revolutionary class 
instinct rather than realised it. Herein lies the international "significance" 
(in the narrow sense of the word) of Soviet power, and of the fundamentals of 
Bolshevik theory and tactics. The "revolutionary" leaders of the Second 
International, such as Kautsky in Germany and Otto Bauer and Friedrich Adler in 
Austria, have failed to understand this, which is why they have proved to be 
reactionaries and advocates of the worst kind of opportunism and social 
treachery. Incidentally, the anonymous pamphlet entitled The World Revolution 
(Weltrevolution), which appeared in Vienna in 1919 (Sozialistische Bucherei, 
Heft 11; Ignaz Brand), very clearly reveals their entire thinking and their 
entire range of ideas, or, rather, the full extent of their stupidity, 
pedantry, baseness and betrayal of working-class interestsâand that, 
moreover, under the guise of "defending" the idea of "world revolution". 

We shall, however, deal with this pamphlet in greater detail some other time. 
We shall here note only one more point: in bygone days, when he was still a 
Marxist and not a renegade, Kautsky, dealing with the question as an historian, 
foresaw the possibility of a situation arising in which the revolutionary 
spirit of the Russian proletariat would provide a model to Western Europe. This 
was in 1902, when Kautsky wrote an article for the revolutionary Iskra, [1] 
entitled "The Slavs and Revolution". Here is what he wrote in the article: 

"At the present time [in contrast with 1848] it would seem that not only have 
the Slavs entered the ranks of the revolutionary nations, but that the centre 
of revolutionary thought and revolutionary action is shifting more and more to 
the Slavs. The revolutionary centre is shifting from the West to the East. In 
the first half of the nineteenth century it was located in France, at times in 
England. In 1848 Germany too joined the ranks of the revolutionary nations.... 
The new century has begun with events which suggest the idea that we are 
approaching a further shift of the revolutionary centre, namely, to Russia.... 
Russia, which has borrowed so much revolutionary initiative from the West, is 
now perhaps herself ready to serve the West as a source of revolutionary 
energy. The Russian revolutionary movement that is now flaring up will perhaps 
prove to be the most potent means of exorcising the spirit of flabby 
philistinism and coldly calculating politics that is beginning to spread in our 
midst, and it may cause the fighting spirit and the passionate devotion to our 
great ideals to flare up again. To Western Europe, Russia has long ceased to be 
a bulwark of reaction and absolutism. I think the reverse is true today. 
Western Europe is becoming Russiaâs bulwark of reaction and absolutism.... 
The Russian revolutionaries might perhaps have coped with the tsar long ago had 
they not been compelled at the same time to fight his allyâEuropean capital. 
Let us hope that this time they will succeed in coping with both enemies, and 
that the new âHoly Allianceâ will collapse more rapidly than its 
predecessors did. However the present struggle in Russia may end, the blood and 
suffering of the martyrs whom, unfortunately, it will produce in too great 
numbers, will not have been in vain. They will nourish the shoots of social 
revolution throughout the civilised world and make them grow more luxuriantly 
and rapidly. In 1848 the Slavs were a killing frost which blighted the flowers 
of the peopleâs spring. Perhaps they are now destined to be the storm that 
will break the ice of reaction and irresistibly bring with h a new and happy 
spring for the nations" (Karl Kautsky, "The Slavs and Revolution", Iskra, 
Russian Social-Democratic revolutionary newspaper, No. 18, March 10, 1902). 

How well Karl Kautsky wrote eighteen years ago! 





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Footnotes
[1] The old Iskraâthe first illegal Marxist newspaper in Russia. It was 
founded by V. I. Lenin in 1900, and played a decisive role in the formation of 
revolutionary Marxist party of the working class in Russia. Iskraâs first 
issue appeared in Leipzig in December 1900, the following issues being brought 
out in Munich, and then beginning with July 1902âin London, and after the 
spring of 1903âin Geneva. 

On Leninâs initiative and with his participation, the editorial staff drew up 
a draft of the Partyâs Programme (published in Iskra No. 21), and prepared 
the Second Congress of the R.S.D.L.P., at which the Russian revolutionary 
Marxist party was actually founded. 

Soon after the Second Congress, the Mensheviks, supported by Plekhanov, won 
control of Iskra. Beginning with issue No. 52, Iskra ceased to be an organ of 
the revolutionary Marxists. 

http://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1920/lwc/ch01.htm


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