IWG online meeting on state capitalism in the USSR.
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Mexicof from BC informa NOV 07
Submitted by stevein7 on Fri, 2007-11-30 13:09
Mexico
The protest of 1500 mine workers from Cananea, in Messico, is still ongoing, from the 11th of September, and has been followed by strikes in other mines, in Zacatecas and Taxco.
Thousands of miners have been striking since July to have more decent working conditions, a minimum of security and against the repressive measures the government has taken in the confrontation with the most militant workers.
The entire city depends on the work of the miners and at the moment it is living through ever more difficult conditions; there are serious shortages of food and medicine and almost all the workers have no wages.
Nevertheless, the strikers are not giving up. They say they have no choice because they can no longer live and work in those conditions and will continue the fight. This struggle shows how in conditions of crisis, proletarian anger makes all the workers ever more militant and capable of anything, but without the leadership of a class party that knows how to direct them, such struggles are in danger of remaining isolated and can inflict huge damage on the most militant proletarians.
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IWG Online Meeting
IWG online meeting on state capitalism in the USSR.
DATE
April 22nd, 7 PM EST
WHERE
Online
CONTACT INFO
IG: @iwg.official | Twitter: @IWGOfficial | FB: @iwgusa | Email: us@leftcom.org
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In my opinion revolution is
In my opinion revolution is more likely to take place in countries like Mexico, where the difference between bourgeoisy and proletarians is stronger. In these countris it is therefor of extreme importance that proletarians get guided to revolutionary prospectives by communist parties, rather than populists which rather have other occult plans.
I tend to agree, though I
I tend to agree, though I think there are strong counterforces at play everywhere. Factors like race and religion have more weight in Mexico than here in the UK for example. Class formation is possibly more righid in UK, its hard to move out of the working class or even to a better position within the class.
I would not be at all surprised if Latin America opened up another wave of revolution, the inequality is tremendous. It is very easy to envisage a successful proletarian revolt in a Latin American country/countries immediately shattering the social peace in the USA, given the latter's intervention would most likely be swift and hard. The USA is probably the most important factor in all this.
Nationalism and populism
Nationalism and populism
Cleishbotham
IBRP
I agree with Stevein7's view that for every factor which suggest that revolution should break out in the periphery of capitalism first there are also counter-tendencies. The question MAO7 poses about the formation of genuine autonomous communist parties in thses areas is a big one. Although it appears that communist ideas are becoming more known in Lat Am now, it is a very small drop compared to the weight of the nationalist and populist propaganda machines of the likes of Chavez. There is also the fact that communists who do put theri head up baove the parapet in Lat Am are faced with real physical danger. As Stevein7 implies the problems there are different but they are enormous. Only once we have built a certain nucleus protected by a widespread class movement will we really be able to move forward in these areas. Otherwise, like the working class we are trapped by rampant globalised capitalism on the one hand and nationalist populist responses on the other.
“like the working class we
“like the working class we
unluckly is that above sadly true.
Unfortunately, you are right
Unfortunately, you are right when you say that these areas are dangerous for communists, so we must fight the system as much as we can, until capitalists of our nations shall bother no more communists of these areas.
communist's struggle on capitalism's periphery
communist's struggle on capitalism's periphery
It's very difficult for the revolutionary communists to struggle under the conditions of a strong nationalist mouvement in the countries of the periphery. The workers of these countries heve to find their own class identity and conscience. The communists must go against the stream, with no concessions or oscillations. Chavez and all governments of this kind are the historical heirs of the bonapartism of "radical" dictators like Kardennas(Mexico), Peron (Argentina) etc. They will have the same conclusion with the deceased "Peronist Mouvement". The government Chavez started with a great popular support, but now the workers can see clearly that the cadres of the "new state" are corrupt and that the new state-capitalist deal do not alter the capitalist relations. But the fall the "legendary Chavez" must be the result of the workers' struggle. And the communists must have a clear programm. The proletariat, there, has capabilities for revolutionary organisation: Remember the exemple of the bolivian workers in 1952, when they turned over the government and they joined in majority the trotskist Partido Obrero Revolucionario. But the trotskists supported the nationalists of the MNR into the framework of the "united front".
Balance of forces
Balance of forces
The balance of forces varies everywhere but essentially the objective situation will always be favourable to the working class. It is Marx's brilliant and in my opinion most important discovery, the tendency for the rate of profit to fall which forces the capitalists to smash the social peace, push the working class into a corner and force it to fight. All the counter - tendencies crumble before this process, be they welfare in the capitalist centres, nationalist illusions in the periphery etc. Capitalism can only create situations of desperation for the working class. Momentary historical conditions may allow for periods of social calm and the subjugation of the proletariat by a whole range of reactionary ideas, but eventually the conditions ripen for the penetration of revolutionary ideas. The pain of our separation from the bulk of the class today is the price of our success tomorrow. The clarity of our anti-capitalist stance is the dividing line between us and all other tendencies who opportunistically adapt to the contemporary situation and preach anything other than opposition to all factions of capital.
Against the stream!
Against the stream!
I agree comrade! The communist struggle today is similar to the revolutionary struggle of Lenin, Luxemburg and Liebknecht against the nationalist and sovinist illusions of the masses during the first world war. Behind the illusions of the masses there are many years of reactionary propaganda. But the workers' strikes in Venezuela are showing that workers are not pawns in the game of Chavez with ohter capitalist countries. The support to the nationalist parties in the periphery is the road for the defeat of the proletariat. The proletariat and the communist vaguard are alone against all the others.