From: Eric Beck
Another Lenin misdiagnosis. Nothing about nationalism, which is the relevant category (if you mean to post this as a response to Oslo). But then Lenin saw nationalism as beneficial, which is why he encouraged the blooming of a thousand of them.
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"Nationalism is an infantile disease. It is the measles of mankind." [Einstein, 1921]
^^^^^ CB: Just to be clear, Lenin, following Marx and Engels of course, is a proletarian internationalist , in the first place on the issue of nationalism. His position on the right of nations ( oppressed, colonial nations, like Poland vis-a-vis Russia; or Viet Nam vis-a-vis France) to self-determination is definitely not to encourage national divisions between workers, in derogation of the concept of "Workers of all countries , unite !" He does uphold the right of oppressed nations to secede from the colonial rule of oppressor , big power nations. There is a contradiction here , but it is inherent in the configuration of actual power in that period, system of nations and colonialism.