[PEN-L:7564] Re: RE: Re: Mao

[Wojtek Sokolowski <sokol@xxxxxxx>]

At 01:28 PM 6/2/99 -0700, Jim Craven wrote, inter alia:
>The Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution were both attempts at
>self-reliant development and attempts to spread on a mass scale, thought and
>consideration about the dangers of whosesale importation of "things
>foreign"; they understood that the "infected blankets" of imperialism take
>many forms, some of which are quite sophisticated and alluring.


Jim while I agree with your and Henry's point re. multiple attempts of the
forces of imperialism, specifically Western European and US imperialism, to
kill any attempt at self-determination outside the imperialist 'core' - i
also think that the above statemetn is itself an act of overkill.  Foreign
influences are not necesserily detrimental to self-determination and
national progress.  There is enough evidence (cf. Gerschenkron's work on
relative backwardness) that the Soviet (and by implication) Chinese model
of industrialization was heavily influences by "capitalits" (esp. German)
model of industrialization.  So how come that those early imperialists
imports were good, but later were not.

I happened to live in Shanghai, China duiring the Cultural Revolution and I
can assure that the sight of public humiliation of scores of people for
"going the imperialist way" was not very liberating - even if the
accusations were true, there is such a thing as ordinary human error, and
public humiliation is not the way of winning converts for the revolution.
I do not mean to blame anyone, all I am saying i sthat I saw plenty of
abuse which, even if they were no match with the US funded death squads,
were still reprehensible.  Should not we judge those who claim
buildingsocialism by higher standards than bourgeois flacks?

A larger point is that Marx can hardly be interpreted as an enemy of
capitalism.  In fact, he saw many benfits being brought about by capitalist
development - yes, liberation from feudal oppression and freedom including
- his main criticism was, at least as i understant it, that those benefits
were limited to bourgeoisie but denied to workers.  Marxist revolution is
not about destroying capitalism, but about making its benefits available to
the working class.

wojtek