Re: [OPE-L] Chavez and Marxism

[Paul Bullock <paulbullock@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Paul,


Chavez has publicly referred to learning from Che - who was undoubtedly a
Marxist - and his period as a  government minister, his concept of the new
man etc in speeches.  Otherwise his references are to socialism or a new
kind etc, using the odd Trotsky quote, and so on. Any one with the standard
reactionary filling who hears any of this will deduce that Chavist is
'becoming' a Marxist, by which they will mean that they now oppose him.

What is important is the underlying class conflict that gives rise to the
use of , or rejection of, expressions.

Paul B
----- Original Message -----
From: "Paul Zarembka" <zarembka@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <OPE-L@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Thursday, May 26, 2005 12:33 PM
Subject: [OPE-L] Chavez and Marxism


> Michael,
>
> VNews has an article of last Monday at
http://www.vheadline.com/readnews.asp?id=35312.  It begins:
>
>    "Let me begin by stressing that I believe wholeheartedly in President
Chavez and his Revolution ... but. I fear that by his invocation of
Marxism -- and by the occasional Marxist flavored comments which have
occasionally been made in this journal -- a great historical chance is being
jeopardized ... the chance to create a new kind of post Marxist socialism,
one based on decentralization, worker's cooperatives, and a truly moral and
spiritual, as opposed to coldly rationalist, historical materialist, road to
social justice."
>
> Afterwards there is no evidence offered that Chavez invokes Marxism.  Do
you know if he has and what he said?
>
> Paul Z.
>
> *************************************************************************
> RESEARCH IN POLITICAL ECONOMY,  Paul Zarembka,  editor,  Elsevier Science
> ********************** http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/PZarembka
>
>