State capitalist China travesties Karl Marx
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The dictators who control the government in China have hypocritically prepared a cartoon series on Marx under the ridiculous and insulting title of “The Leader”:
This could be dangerous for them as people might begin to put two and two together and realise that Marx’s analysis applies to China with its commodity production organised by profit-seeking enterprises and based on wage-labour.
Some, apparently, already are, according to the Times report on the story:
Beijing tolerates no independent studies of Marxism, especially after students from the country’s best university joined protests to demand better conditions for Chinese workers.
Did Marx ever say “weapons of criticism cannot replace the criticism of weapons”?
Sounds very Maoist to me
And Karl and Jenny is perhaps a great untold love story
Yes:
The weapon of criticism cannot, of course, replace criticism of the weapon, material force must be overthrown by material force; but theory also becomes a material force as soon as it has gripped the masses.
It’s from his 1844A Contribution to the Critique of Hegel’s Philosophy of Right, the same article which contains his famous quote about religion being the opium of the people. See:
https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1843/critique-hpr/intro.htm
I wouldn’t say that’s a Maoist position. When quoted in full, it’s what we say isn’t it? Except that when the socialist idea grips the masses and becomes a “material force” this doesn’t necessarily mean armed force but political pressure backed up, if need be, by armed force?
Nice thing about being a socialist, is you learn something new everyday.
So i’m pleased that at least they are sticking to what Marx actually said. Maybe, it will be worth a watch after all. A special showing at HO with discussion afterward
And also for deep relationships, apart from Karl and Jenny, isn’t Marx and Engels perhaps one of the greatest bromances of all time.
I wonder if it will depict the Helene Demuth affair or does that spoil the Disney-esque image
To be fair to the Chinese leadership they are after all only continuing to pursue Mao’s 1953 policy.
THE ONLY ROAD FOR THE TRANSFORMATION
OF CAPITALIST INDUSTRY AND COMMERCE[*]September 7, 1953
The transformation of capitalism into socialism is to be accomplished through state capitalism.
- In the last three years or so we have done some work on this, but as we were otherwise occupied, we didn’t exert ourselves enough. From now on we should make a bigger effort.
<ol start=”2″> - With more than three years of experience behind us, we can say with certainty that accomplishing the socialist transformation of private industry and commerce by means of state capitalism is a relatively sound policy and method.
- The policy laid down in Article 31 of the Common Programme should now be clearly understood and concretely applied step by step. “Clearly understood” means that people in positions of leadership at the central and local levels should first of all have the firm conviction that state capitalism is the only road for the transformation of capitalist industry and commerce and for the gradual completion of the transition to socialism. So far this has not been the case either with members of the Communist Party or with democratic personages. The present meeting is being held to achieve that end.
- Make steady progress and avoid being too hasty. It will take at least three to five years to lead the country’s private industry and commerce basically onto the path of state capitalism, so there should be no cause for alarm or uneasiness.
- Joint state-private management; orders placed by the state with private enterprises to process materials or manufacture goods, with the state providing all the raw materials and taking all the finished products; and similarly placed orders, with the state taking not all but most of the finished products — these are the three forms of state capitalism to be adopted in the case of private industry.
- State capitalism can also be applied in the case of private commerce, which cannot possibly be dismissed by “excluding it”. Here our experience is limited and further study is needed.
- With approximately 3,800,000 workers and shop assistants, private industry and commerce are a big asset to the state and play a large part in the nation’s economy and the people’s livelihood. Not only do they provide the state with goods, but they can also accumulate capital and train cadres for the state.
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http://www.marx2mao.com/Mao/TC53.html
[Although when I presented that to a Maoist on revleft several years ago they speculated that it was a forgery produced later by the gang of four or something.]
But I guess the leadership have at least dropped the workers overalls and haircuts and are now wearing Armani suits.
“…An uproar of voices was coming from the farmhouse. They rushed back and looked through the window again. Yes, a violent quarrel was in progress. There were shoutings, hangings on the table, sharp suspicious glances, furious denials. The source of the trouble appeared to be that Napoleon and Mr Pilkington had each played an ace of spades simultaneously.
Twelve voices were shouting in anger, and they were all alike. No question, now, what had happened to the faces of the pigs. The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again: but already it was impossible to say which was which…..”
http://orwell.ru/library/novels/Animal_Farm/english/eaf_go
I suppose it can appear to be a bit strange with them holding onto a Marxist ideology.
I would be a bit like the Ferengi capitalists paying lip service to a religion that said that the rich and those who worshipped money would go to hell.
Jesus, could you imagine that!
