Re: [OPE-L] Marxist internet archive

[David Yaffe <david@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I do not hold Stalin in high regard,  but I do object
to the gratuitous use of the term Stalinism as an insult to attack
opponents by those who have never examined its class roots and
development in the Soviet Union.

David

At 18:48 05/05/2007 +0100, you wrote:
> Quoting David Yaffe
> <david@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>:
>
> > Paul,
> >
> > I have no idea what is happening to MIA. Personally I find it a
> very
> > important source of material.  However you cannot get away with
> your
> > gratuitous insult against Che Guevara. Che was a Marxist of
> international
> > standing who had a deep knowledge of Marx's Capital and wrote an
> important
> > critique of the Soviet Manual of Political Economy, so contributing
> very
> > significant theoretical insights to our understanding of the process
> of
> > constructing socialism. Orthodox Marxists cannot be equated
> with
> > 'Stalinists' either. Neither Castro nor Guevara are/were
> Stalinists.
> > Perhaps this kind of comment reflects the appalling state of the
> left
> > movement in imperialist countries, but one expects higher standards
> in
> > OPE-L to be maintained.
>
> I dont use the term Stalinist as an insult. From what I can gather
> Che held Stalin in high regard, and insisted in planting flowers on
> his grave when visiting Moscow, some what to the embarasment of
> the Cuban ambassador.
>
> >
> > David Yaffe
> >
> > 'At 22:13 04/05/2007 +0100, you wrote:
> > >Has the Marxist internet archive been taken over by the SWP or
> some
> > >similar Trotskyist sect?
> > >
> > >The content of the archive seems to have changed significantly
> recently.
> > >There are now a large number of relatively minor American and
> British
> > >Trotkyists included, which is probably fair enough, but what
> is
> > >more insidious is that orthodox communist writers are
> being
> > >systematically dropped from the index.
> > >
> > >Mao, Chou-en-lai, Stalin, Castro have all be edited out of the
> main web
> > >site index. Geuvara is the only orthodox communist or Stalinist
> still
> > >retained in the index - presumably because his romantic appeal
> is
> > >taken to redeem his Stalinism.
> > >
> > >Whoever is running the archive now is airbrushing out
> politically
> > >unacceptable marxists just as was done in the USSR, all that
> has
> > >changed is the particuluar set of marxists who are deemed
> unacceptable.
> > >
> > >Paul Cockshott
> > >
> >
> >www.dcs.gla.ac.uk/~wpc
> > >reality.gn.apc.org
> > >
> >
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> >
>
>
> Paul Cockshott
>
> www.dcs.gla.ac.uk/~wpc
> reality.gn.apc.org
>
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