Note to Charles: Marx never talked about socialism being the transition to communism. The DOP as conceived by Marx was a proletarian democracy, not socialism as it represented a class dominated, as opposed to a classless society. The socialism transition to communism conceptual construction was one taken by the leadership of the CPSU and other M-Ls.
^^^^^
CB: Mike , here's an argument on two phases in communism in Marx. Marx may not have used the term "socialism' to refer to the first phase, but the essential point is that Marx referred to "first" and "higher" phases of communism. ********************
Yeah, I know THE CRITIQUE OF THE GOTHA PROGRAMME pretty well, Charles. My point is that the whole conceptual orientation of Marx, especially concerning the interchangeable use of the 'socialism' and 'communism' was changed in the left public mind by the weight of the Soviet propaganda machine, along with Marx's notion that socialism meant the abolition of wage-labour and its replacement with a system which would have the transparency of socially necessary labour time vouchers in the first phase of socialism.
"But democracy means only formal equality. And as soon as equality is achieved for all members of society in relation to ownership of the means of production, that is, equality of labor and wages, humanity will inevitably be confronted with the question of advancing farther, from formal equality to actual equality, i.e., to the operation of the rule “from each according to his ability, to each according to his needs”." Lenin THE STATE AND REVOLUTION.
Equality of wages is something Marx ridiculed e.g. "What are the mistakes committed by the piecemeal reformers, who either want to raise wages and in this way to improve the situation of the working class, or regard equality of wages (as Proudhon does) as the goal of social revolution?" WAGE LABOUR AND CAPITAL
"Indeed, even the equality of wages demanded by Proudhon only transforms the relationship of the present-day worker to his labour into the relationship of all men to labour. Society is then conceived as an abstract capitalist.
"Wages are a direct consequence of estranged labour, and estranged labour is the direct cause of private property. The downfall of the one aspect must therefore mean the downfall of the other." Marx ECONOMIC AND PHILOSOPHIC MANUSCRIPTS
As you may know, equality of wages was more or less the rule in the 1920s in the USSR and inequality of wages was introduced in the 1930s.
Wage systems? Who needs em?
Mike B)
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