[PEN-L:3088] Re: Re: Re: Aztecs

["Charles Brown" <CharlesB@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

>>> Louis Proyect <lnp3@xxxxxxxxx> 02/09 10:55>
Imperialism invests in an entirely
different manner in Africa than it does at home. In the colonies (now
neocolonies), it invests in roads, seaports, mining equipment, oil
refineries, fertilizers, tractors, etc. to the extent that is necessary to
expedite the removal of raw materials. In recent years it has also invested
heavily in assembly plants with all the latest equipment. Workers receive a
pittance wage, while the profits are returned to the mother country. This
is the story of Nike, etc.
_________

Charles: It seems to me, that in the long run, the superprofitting in the colonies and neo-colonies has been the basis for avoidance of revolution in the main imperialist countries themselves, through redistributing some of the booty among the working classes therein.
_________



Louis:
Andre G. Frank has examined this tendency and drawn the conclusion that
"classical" Marxism is the enemy, since it has often adapted to
imperialism. What he has in mind is the sort of Marxism that the Analytical
Marxists, Doug Henwood, the LM sect-cult and the Stalinists espouse. In
some ways, I sympathise with him. However, the one thing that Marxism does
offer is a historical materialism that can serve to sharpen our
understanding of how the system works and what direction it is moving in.
Armed with that understanding, we will be in a better position to overthrow
it and live like free human beings.
__________

Charles: Classical Marxism, especially in the form of the Soviet Union, has been a main bulwark, directly and indirectly, for national liberation victories in colonial nations. Someone will give an example of something the Soviet Union or the Cuban Communist Party did that was "adapting to imperialism." Of course, it was not perfect, but no other school of thought or theory has been the basis for ANYWHERE NEAR the anti-imperialist struggle as classical Marxism and the Soviet Union. Just because we are in the down part of a political "long wave" doesn't mean the enormous anti-imperialist victories, starting with the Chinese Revolution right on through the Nicaraguan Revolution are now total failures or reversed. When the next round of revolutions start they will build on the achievements of the last round. I know of no Frankian based revolutionary movements.

Charles Brown