Subject: LL9804213 Ben Seattle: What is to be done? Date: Thursday, April 09, 1998 3:02 PM Louis Pausen (LL9804.212) replied to Chris Faatz (LL9804.174) who wrote: > In short, Klo, what are the routes to be explored in building > an authentic communist movement in this country that has > mass appeal and influence, that's not subject to social > democratic deviations, that's flexible enough to be able to > respond quickly and adequately to major turns on the part > of the class struggle, and to *actually* rather than > *theoretically* struggle for power? Louis and Chris are raising what, in my opinion, is the most important question of all. As Louis put it: "In essence, this question can be rephrased as 'WHAT IS TO BE DONE'?" My own views on this question were expressed in LL9804.039 (excerpt reproduced below). The decisive task *in practice* is to create an electronic news service for workers which will be open to all progressive (ie: including social-democratic and reformist) political trends. Such a common news service would function as an arena of both *cooperation* and *competition* between various trends (including between revolutionary and reformist trends), would lead to clarity on the similarities and differences between the various trends, would bring activists of different trends into contact with one another in the context of useful practical work and would bring *real news* (as well as a better understanding of the controversies involved in the creation of a communist movement) to a large audience (that would eventually number in the millions). The clear analogy here is the creation of Iskra. Such a development would lay the groundwork for a *real clarification* of the distinction between the revolutionary and reformist ideologies. The decisive task *in theory* is to focus on the key question: how will a system of workers' rule suppress the bourgeoisie without suppressing the workers? I would very much like to see thoughtful discussion of these views. I believe the question of "what are the decisive tasks?" is the most important question to address. Louis and Chris have raised it directly. Jim Hillier, in his post on "communist unity" of 27.Mar.98 also raised a strongly related question: How will the various forces committed to the creation of a powerful communist movement find ways to better coordinate their efforts? For the rebirth of an authentic and powerful communist movement, Ben Seattle ----//-// 9.Apr.98 email: ben@pix.org web: www.Leninism.org ==================================== Excerpt from LL9804.039 -- 30.Mar.98 ==================================== What are the tasks which I identified in my essay as being decisive for the creation of a powerful communist movement? * * * * The decisive task *in practice* is the development of an electronic news service without copyright and created such that readers could not be *barred access* to any progressive political trend. Readers themselves (thru a collaborative process) and competing political trends will rate articles and decide what will appear on various competing "front pages" that will function as windows into a single common database to which all trends will contribute. Such a news service will eventually provide millions of readers easy access to a common indexed system of progressive articles, commentary and opinion on all important topics and will, furthermore, allow readers to add their own public comments or questions to all articles and, in this way, will serve as the launching ground for a large number of forums. I am currently at work on a very modest web-based prototype of such a system. My prototype system would be capable of being used by hundreds of people, not millions. But it will help to illustrate the concepts involved. My hope is that it will both be of practical use (in a limited way) and inspire further work. Lenin unified the scattered, squabbling marxist groups in Russia around a common newspaper that linked the various organizations to one another --and to the masses. The linkage of the scattered groups thru a common information system (ie: Iskra) facilated their unity in practice and created conditions for the successful ideological struggle against the immense influence of reformism (ie: the reflection of the bourgeois ideology within the marxist movement). A distributed electronic news system, controlled by no single trend with a heavy hand, will likely begin to play a loosely analogous role in the first decade of the next century. Make no mistake. Such a news service, representing a powerful beacon to millions and embodying the hopes, dreams and aspirations of all progressive mankind--will inevitably emerge. The only question remaining is whether such a news service will be created now by progressive activists such as ourselves--or later by others with deeper insight and a more powerful dedication to the proletariat. * * * * The decisive task *in theory* is the development of a living picture of how workers' rule will function in a modern, stable society. From a scientific standpoint, such has *never existed*. In order for a communist movement to be viable, much less capable of shaking the earth, the present-day crisis of "communist" theory must be overcome. Nowhere is the bankruptcy of this theory more obvious and more critical--than in its utter failure to realistically explain (or even intelligently discuss) the *alternative* to bourgeois rule. This is *the* central question of communist theory. And until it is answered, until the *discussion* of this question succeeds in drawing in workers--a genuinely communist movement will never be able to outgrow its infancy. ======================= How will a workers' state suppress the newly overthrown (but still immensely powerful) bourgeoisie *without also* suppressing workers ? ======================= Against such a question, all the immense confusion, self-deception and inbred charlatanism (which, at present, dominate the present-day "communist" movement) -- will have about as much chance as a goldfish in a blender. All that will be left will be pink, frothy water. * * * * My essay, "1917 was the Beta Version" can be reached by clicking the prominent link to it at www.communism.org. I invite all readers of this list to check it out and either comment on it here or write to me. I am committed to linking, at the bottom of my essay, to all serious and thoughtful responses. Ben Seattle ----//-// 30.Mar.98 3am www.Leninism.org