[lbo-talk] Platypus: what we are, what we do, and why

[Chris Doss]

I am not making a value judgment about the beliefs of Marx and Engels either way. I'm just pointing out that they were not "principled anti-imperialists," but rather, as Chris Mk. II points out, judged these things on a case by case basis (with reference to their overriding view of historical progress).

----- Original Message ----
From: Wojtek S <wsoko52 at gmail.com>
To: lbo-talk at lbo-talk.org
Sent: Thu, April 8, 2010 6:15:15 PM
Subject: Re: [lbo-talk] Platypus: what we are, what we do, and why

Chris: they had no problem siding with larger nations against smaller ones
if they thought the former were progressive (which ironically usually meant
more capitalist) and the latter backward.

[WS:] I have no interest in hagiography  - but the position itself warrants
some thought (whether or not it was actually proposed by M&E.)  That is to
say, let's consider the distribution of cost and benefits of national
independence vs. imperial domination.  If the former leads to backward rural
societies ruled by a priestly oligarchy and the latter leads to economic
development that replaces  the local priestly oligarchy with remote central
bureaucracy and improves, even if slightly, the living conditions of the
vast majority of the population (cf Tibet) - why would someone identifying
him- or her-self with the left support the former but not the later?

Wojtek