Actually Existing Socialism

Chris Burford cburford at gn.apc.org
Wed Nov 3 15:57:47 PST 1999


At 15:33 03/11/99 -0500, you wrote:


>Just what was 'actually existing' ('no longer' existing) socialism anyway?
>a) socialist, or moving along 'socialist road'
>b) capitalist, or moving along 'capitalist road'
>c) transition between capitalism & socialism, but not genuinely socialist
>d) new socio-economic system neither capitalist nor socialist
>e) state capitalism
>f) green slime oozing up from underneath earth necessitating that
> one clean her/himself off following contact
>
>No power to those who exploit others' labor, Michael Hoover

I think the riddle can only be solved if we distinguish Marx's method of rigorous abstraction out of concrete reality, from that concrete reality.

Both before and after the revolution that concrete reaility included a mixture of different modes of production.

Chris Burford

London



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