Part II - Imperialist provocations in Cuba and out of its time and place ML statements and commentaries
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II
Socialist revolution is not a “one leap”, “one strike “ action, but has
its dialectically connected stages passing from one to other in durations that
cannot be foreseen but varies contingent on the existing conditions of a given
country -not only internal but external conditions and situations.
As far as the fundamental stages of building Socialism is concerned Lenin’s assessment was;
““"history has proven that in some very
important problems of the proletarian revolution, all countries will
inevitably have to do what Russia has done"”. (12)
Lenin, The Principal Stages in the History of Bolshevism
While the fundamental “stages” may be similar, as far as the means and methods used is concerned, there is NOT one way or form of acquiring political power that fits all the countries and all the conditions. Political power coinciding with the interests those of majority, that is to say of laboring masses may be acquired through an uprising directed by a provisional revolutionary government, or through proletarian revolution or through an anti-fascist or anti-imperialist war. Giving the example of Bulgaria, Stalin states;
"The proletariat is known two forms of
dictatorship. As the first of Marx and Engels in Paris he saw the Commune
and argued, democratic Republic with a majority of the proletariat, the
best form of proletarian dictatorship ... Lenin had the Soviet form suitable
to our conditions formulated. Here, it was proved to be the easiest way to
seize power in your country, where the power of the working class was seized, not
from the insurrection, but from outside (Soviet Army), you can go back to
the Marx and Engels model without the Soviet form. People's Democracy will
play the role of the Dictatorship of the Proletariat.
(In Bulgaria) The capitalists and the Landlords
have fought against us for four years, and they have surrendered without war
and fled. “ (13)
Lets support the fact that the capturing the political power is the
first and foremost step toward socialism with some additional quotes from
Lenin;
“A necessary condition for this social
revolution is the dictatorship of the proletariat, i.e., the conquest by the
proletariat of such political power as will enable it to suppress all
resistance on-the part of the exploiters .” (14)
“History teaches us that no oppressed class
ever did, or could, achieve power without going through a period of
dictatorship, i.e., the conquest of political power and forceable suppression
of the resistance always offered by the exploiters—the resistance that is most
desperate, most furious, and that stops at nothing.” (15)
“To effect this social revolution the proletariat
must win political power, which will make it master of the situation and enable it to remove all obstacles along
the road to its great goal. In this sense the dictatorship of the proletariat
is an essential political condition of the social revolution.” (16)
“The point is that one and the same class
should have political power both centrally and locally, that democracy should
be quite consistently applied in both cases to an absolutely equal degree, a
degree sufficient to ensure the complete supremacy of, let us say, the majority
of the population.” (17)
It is clear that for the construction of socialism the ways and forms of acquiring the political power is not decisive but acquiring it, is a precondition, for socialism cannot be established without a class struggle for the political power and a state. The conquest of political power in order to carry out the economic and political measures - which are the sum and substance of the socialist revolution- is the fundamental task, and that by itself determines the “quality” of a state in a given country in the sense of political structure. Second determining factors for her quality are (definitely its direction, but regardless of its degree of economic development) related to the primary steps taken for the organization of socialist society such as socialization of production, expropriation of large scale industry and private property etc., meaning that making the means of production the property of society.
Following the acquiring of political power the speed and degree of
economic and social developments will inevitably vary from country to country
based on their existing conditions and how determined the leadership and the
people for the direction they initiated. Depending on the existing condition,
internal and external struggle, some will be able to continue the building of
socialism without taking any backward step, others will have ups and downs. As
long as the direction does not change, back steps taken forced upon by the
conditions does not change the essence of political power and political
system.
Lenin, in his various writings states that the “ conquest of political
power does not put a stop to its class struggle against the bourgeoisie; on the
contrary, it renders that struggle most widespread, intense, and ruthless.” (18)
In some countries the bourgeois flees and deserts the country, in others remain to
fight in various ways. In some countries they still will have the upper hand in the economy and
social life due to their educational background, skills, knowledge, and expertise,
in others they may not.
Lenin explains this clearly and bluntly;
“After the first socialist revolution of the
proletariat, and the overthrow of the bourgeoisie in some country, the
proletariat of that country remains for a long time weaker than the
bourgeoisie, simply because of the latter’s extensive international
links, and also because of the spontaneous and continuous restoration
and regeneration of capitalism and the bourgeoisie by the small commodity
producers of the country which has overthrown the bourgeoisie. The more
powerful enemy can be vanquished only by exerting the utmost effort, and by
the most thorough, careful, attentive, skillful, and obligatory use of any,
even the smallest, rift between the enemies... Those who do not understand
this reveal a failure to understand even the smallest grain of Marxism, of
modern scientific socialism in general. Those who have not proved in
practice, over a fairly considerable period of time and in fairly varied
political situations, their ability to apply this truth in practice have
not yet learned to help the revolutionary class in its struggle to emancipate
all toiling humanity from the exploiters. And this applies equally to the
period before and after the proletariat has won political power. (19)
Giving the example of Soviet Revolution, Lenin reiterates these
difficulties;
“two exceedingly difficult problems still
remained, the solution of
which could not possibly be the triumphal march we experienced in the first
months of our revolution—we did not doubt, we could not doubt, that the
socialist revolution would be later confronted with enormously difficult tasks.”
(20)
Lenin, on his writing “Letters
From Afar” outlined the tasks after capturing the political power in Russia;
“ the immediate tasks of the revolutionary
proletariat in Russia were formulated as follows:
(1) to find the surest road to the next stage
of the revolution, or to the second revolution, which (2) must transfer
political power from the government of the landlords and capitalists to a
government of the workers and poorest peasants.
(3) This latter government must be organised on
the model of the Soviets of Workers’ and Peasants’ Deputies, namely,
(4) it must smash, completely eliminate, the
old state machine, the army, the police force, and bureaucracy (officialdom),
that is common to all bourgeois states, and substitute for this machine (5) not
only a mass organisation, but a universal organisation of the entire armed
people.
(6) Only such a government, of “such” a class
composition (“revolutionary-democratic dictatorship of the proletariat and
peasantry”) and such organs or government (“proletarian militia”) will be
capable of successfully carrying out the extremely difficult and absolutely
urgent chief task of the moment, namely: to achieve peace, not an
imperialist peace….
These steps are dictated, with absolute
inevitability, by the conditions created by the war, which in many respects
will become still more acute in the post-war period. In their entirety and in
their development these steps will mark the transition to socialism, which
cannot be achieved in Russia directly, at one stroke, without transitional
measures, but is quite achievable and urgently necessary as a result of
such transitional measures. In this
connection, the task of immediately organising special Soviets of Workers’
Deputies in the rural districts, i.e., Soviets of agricultural wage-workers
separate from the Soviets of the other peasant deputies, comes to the fore
front with extreme urgency. “ (21)
“Since political power is in the hands of the working-class,
since this political power owns all the means of production... the
alliance of this proletariat with the many millions of small and very small
peasants, the assured proletarian leadership of the peasantry, etc.” says Lenin
“ is this not all that is necessary to build a complete socialist society.
It is still not the building of socialist society, but it is all that
is necessary and sufficient for it.
But see how things have changed now that the
political power is in the hands of the working-class now that the political
power of the exploiters is overthrown and all the means of production are owned
by the working-class.
Now we are entitled to say that for us the mere
growth of cooperation is identical
with the growth of socialism, and at the same time we have to admit that there
has been a radical modification in our whole outlook on socialism. The
radical modification is this; formerly we placed, and had to place, the main
emphasis on the political struggle, on revolution, on winning political power,
etc. Now the emphasis is changing and shifting to peaceful,
organizational, “cultural” work. “ (22)
Looking at Cuban history, under the difficult conditions of imperialist
blockade, provocation, assassination and invasion attempts, Cuba has initiated and
carried out all within her capabilities. Everything in large scale in Cuba has been taken out
of the hands of Bourgeoisie and landlords. While people in almost al countries spend
half of their lives working to cover their rent or mortgage, Cuba made it
free for her citizens. While students in the most countries spend their lives to pay back the student
loans (that is if they can afford it or even get loan), in Cuba education is free.
While in most countries health care is a privilege, ( especially in the so
called “champion of democracy- USA or highly taxed in others), where one has to
be rich in order to get sick, Cuba has free health care. There are numerous
social benefits to mention here from childcare to women issues.
III
Let’s start analysing
the “critiques” of Cuba with Lenin’s assessment;
Following its seizure of political power, the principal and fundamental interest of the
proletariat lies in securing an enormous increase in the productive forces
of society and in the output of manufactured goods. This task, which is
clearly formulated in the Programme of the Russian Communist Party, is
particularly urgent in our country today owing to post-war ruin, famine,
and dislocation. Hence, the speediest and most enduring success in restoring
large-scale industry is a condition without which no success can be achieved
in the general cause of emancipating labour from the yoke of capital and securing the victory of socialism.
(23)
I should mention the fact that other than all the frivolous “critiques” goes back to this assessment of Lenin, it is
important to read between the lines that Lenin’s use of words “securing the
victory of socialism” at a time when there was no increase in the
productive forces, but the acquired political power only.
In order to prevent the most likely demagogies and accusations of “eclecticism”,
the quotes from Lenin will be longer, and must be read. It is important because, the critiques of Cuba - in deed the accusations- made just to appear "balanced", "impartial" are not so much different than, but typical of the Trotskyite accusations of Soviets and Stalin (actually of Lenin through Stalin).
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