Number 1, Marxism is anti-Utopian. As in, against the old “model builders” of Fourier, Saint-Simon, Robert Owen, and the like. Marxism instead is what Marx called “scientific,” it focuses on analyzing the laws and trajectories within societal movement and Political Economy. When I ask what branch of Marxism you consider yourself, it’s so I can get a feel for what general “lines” you agree with, or if you even consider yourself a Marxist in the first place.
Number 2, Marxism-Leninism is the branch of Marxism that has seen the most success, and has actually succeeded in bringing real revolution and real improvements for the working class. Cuba, Vietnam, the PRC, Laos, DPRK, and former USSR all hold to a Marxist-Leninist line, with their own unique characteristics driven from their unique circumstances.
Number 3, I don’t agree with you when you say “embrace of hierarchy” and “power creep” aborted “the” project in a matter of decades. For starters, there are several Marxist-Leninist states that have not fallen, and learned from the lessons of the USSR. Secondly, the dissolution of the USSR had nothing to do with “power creep” nor “hierarchy,” and was driven instead by numerous complex factors:
Liberal reforms that gave the Bourgeoisie power over key industries
A firm dedication to planning by hand even as the economy grew more complex and computers too slow to be adapted to the planning mechanisms
A huge portion of resources were spent on maintaining millitary parity with the US in order to dissuade US invasion
80% of the combat done in World War II was on the Eastern Front, and 20 million Soviets lost their lives, with no real economic support from the West in rebuilding despite taking the largest cost of war
An enclosed, heavily sanctioned economy relied on internal resource gathering, closed off from the world market
Countries like the PRC have taken to heart what happened in the USSR. As an example, the PRC shifted to a more classically Marxist economy, focusing on public ownership of only the large firms and key industries, and relying on markets to develop out of private ownership. This keeps them in touch with the global economy without giving the bourgeoisie control of key industries, and thus the bourgeoisie has no power over the economy or the state.
Further, Marxism-Leninism is the most advanced and adopted line globally among Marxists. There are fringe branches that mostly exist in the west, such as Trotskyism and Marxism-Leninism-Maoism (also called Gonzaloism, not to be confused with Marxism-Leninism Mao Zedong Thought), but these have no successful revolutions.
What do you consider important when judging a Marxist strain as “successful” vs “unsuccessful?” I keep a reading list, infographics I’ve found, data, sources, etc going over different aspects of Marxism-Leninism and AES states, but rather than just regurgitate what I know and shower you in links, I’d rather know from you what drives your understanding of success and failure so we can find common ground.
Number 1, Marxism is anti-Utopian. As in, against the old “model builders” of Fourier, Saint-Simon, Robert Owen, and the like. Marxism instead is what Marx called “scientific,” it focuses on analyzing the laws and trajectories within societal movement and Political Economy. When I ask what branch of Marxism you consider yourself, it’s so I can get a feel for what general “lines” you agree with, or if you even consider yourself a Marxist in the first place.
Number 2, Marxism-Leninism is the branch of Marxism that has seen the most success, and has actually succeeded in bringing real revolution and real improvements for the working class. Cuba, Vietnam, the PRC, Laos, DPRK, and former USSR all hold to a Marxist-Leninist line, with their own unique characteristics driven from their unique circumstances.
Number 3, I don’t agree with you when you say “embrace of hierarchy” and “power creep” aborted “the” project in a matter of decades. For starters, there are several Marxist-Leninist states that have not fallen, and learned from the lessons of the USSR. Secondly, the dissolution of the USSR had nothing to do with “power creep” nor “hierarchy,” and was driven instead by numerous complex factors:
Liberal reforms that gave the Bourgeoisie power over key industries
A firm dedication to planning by hand even as the economy grew more complex and computers too slow to be adapted to the planning mechanisms
A huge portion of resources were spent on maintaining millitary parity with the US in order to dissuade US invasion
80% of the combat done in World War II was on the Eastern Front, and 20 million Soviets lost their lives, with no real economic support from the West in rebuilding despite taking the largest cost of war
An enclosed, heavily sanctioned economy relied on internal resource gathering, closed off from the world market
Countries like the PRC have taken to heart what happened in the USSR. As an example, the PRC shifted to a more classically Marxist economy, focusing on public ownership of only the large firms and key industries, and relying on markets to develop out of private ownership. This keeps them in touch with the global economy without giving the bourgeoisie control of key industries, and thus the bourgeoisie has no power over the economy or the state.
Further, Marxism-Leninism is the most advanced and adopted line globally among Marxists. There are fringe branches that mostly exist in the west, such as Trotskyism and Marxism-Leninism-Maoism (also called Gonzaloism, not to be confused with Marxism-Leninism Mao Zedong Thought), but these have no successful revolutions.
What do you consider important when judging a Marxist strain as “successful” vs “unsuccessful?” I keep a reading list, infographics I’ve found, data, sources, etc going over different aspects of Marxism-Leninism and AES states, but rather than just regurgitate what I know and shower you in links, I’d rather know from you what drives your understanding of success and failure so we can find common ground.