No, it isn't. The economy forms the Base, while politics forms the Superstructure. You cannot have one without the other, and they are tangled.
Cowbee
joined 2 years ago
vaguely socialism related countries like Russia or China
The Russian Federation isn't socialist in any way. China has a Socialist Market Economy, that's true, but nobody idolizes Russia nor do they believe they would live a better life there.
No worries! If you go with Politzer, you can skip Dialectical and Historical Materialism, which covers the same subject. I prefer Politzer's work.
I used that site! Got through parts 1-3 and need to do org theory. Great works, don't use the site, a comrade pointed out that it uses google analytics. Make the same list, but read from sites like Marxists.org instead.
State and Rev is great, but I would read Politzer's Elementary Principles of Philosophy first, understanding Dialectical and Historical Materialism means you understand Marxism itself, the rest of Marxism builds on that foundation.
Personally i don't mind the communism as much (I share many of its beliefs and goals) as the tankieism.
Can you meaningfully explain the difference in your eyes?
No, China and Russia are not role models but hostile actors
Not a single Communist thinks Russia is a role model. The PRC being a role model is far more accurate than the implication that Communists like the Russian Federation, though.
No, their imperialist bullshit and human rights violations or straight up war crimes aren't justified because the west did a thing that one time and it was also evil
The West is by far the largest purveyors of War Crimes the world over, and by far the most Imperialist. I suggest you read Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism. It should help you understand what Communists refer tk when they mention Imperialism, specifically a form of international monopoly Capitalism and exploitation.
No, the russian kleptocracy and chinese state capitalism are not socialism or communism.
Again, nobody thinks the Russian Federation is Socialist or Communist, just anti-West.
As for China, they are Socialist. They have a Socialist Market Economy, the aim of which is to guide market developments into large syndicates that are then absorbed into the public sector, which makes up the majority of the PRC's economy. The PRC is socialized by degree, which is how Marx described the transition from Capitalism to Communism, repeated by Engels here, in The Principles of Communism:
Will it be possible for private property to be abolished at one stroke?
No, no more than existing forces of production can at one stroke be multiplied to the extent necessary for the creation of a communal society.
In all probability, the proletarian revolution will transform existing society gradually and will be able to abolish private property only when the means of production are available in sufficient quantity.
China's economy works by that same function, markets coalesce into syndicates, socializing themselves and making these syndicates ripe for public ownership. This is the Dialectical path of Historical Materialism, the conditions for Socialism are born from Capitalism. "State Capitalism" is incorrect.
Solarpunk is more of an aesthetic than an actual strain of Socialism.
dbzer0 has a bunch, same with Hexbear.
Glad to hear it!
And that's not having even dug deeply into theory, yet.
What have you read so far? I can make some good recs if you want.
It's actually the opposite, as a Marxist-Leninist it's very enjoyable to be separated from the 100th liberal anticommunist post or comment, being able to actually consistently talk with people who have actually read theory is nice and productive, instead of having to explain the basics of Marxism all the time.
Can you explain? They outright defederate from explicitly Marxist instances.
Pre-emptively as a last resort, of course.
There's a massive overlap between being anti-Marx and being liberal. Doesn't mean all anti-Marxists are liberals, but most are.