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  • Leszek Kolakowski - Main Currents of Marxism - Its Rise, Growth and Dissolution, Vol. 3 - The Breakdown-Oxford University Press (1981)

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    Leszek Kolakowski - Main Currents of Marxism_ Its Rise, Growth and Dissolution, Vol. 3_ the Breakdown-Oxford University Press (1981)

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    Leszek Kolakowski - Main Currents of Marxism - Its Rise, Growth and Dissolution, Vol. 3 - The Breakdown-Oxford University Press (1981)

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    cicero.thiago

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    MAIN CURRENTS OF MARXISM ITS ORIGIN, GROWTH, AND DISSOLUTION Leszek Kolakowski VOLUME IL THE BREAKDOWN Translated from the Polish b PS. Falla CLARENDON PRESS » OXFORD fe Uieiy Pras, Wala Set, Ondo © Oat ty a 4 oe Sef pa rd “len mci se is we Tate Bl the ‘anes ae nee Vay Totnes i eH Fake Pa seen Serosesg er ote tethers pee eat ee nr a PREFACE, ‘Tat present volume deals with the evolution of Masxism inthe Jast Balrcentury. Writing it has involved especial difeulties, fone of which i the sheer bulk of the available literature: no historian can be fully acquainted with it, and it ie therefore, soto spak, impossible to do everyone justice. Another difelty isthat am notable o wear the subject with thedesirabledetach= reat. Many of the people mentioned in this volume 1 know or have known personally, and some of them are at were my Sends: Moreover, in describing the controversies and pial strogglesin Eastern Europe te later 1agos Lam writing about fevers aid issues in which I myself ok part, so that Tappeat| Jn the iavidious role of judge in ay cnn cause. AX the sane time, ould not pas over these matters in silence, The upeot| is chat the most reoent period, which isthe one T know bes, fiom my own experience, & treated less fly than any osher, ‘The atchapter, which deals with thi period, could be expanded Into a further volume; bit setting aside the dificsliessleady ‘mentioned, Tam not convineed thatthe subject i intrinsically worthy of treatment at such Tength CONTENTS ‘THE FIRST PHASE OF SOVIET MARXISM. THE BEGINNINGS OF STALINISN. 2: The anges of Sion 3 4 5, Sans ry it and et power {Sette oor cout a aad the NP data. The econoie “antwowesy f e1a0 5 ‘THEORETICAL CONTROVERSIES IN SOVIET MARXISM IN THE soso" 6 2 Rabharn So» piper s 5 Palopical ntoytcs: Deri vera the meoanet o MARXISM AS THE IDEOLOGY OF THE SovIED STATE 1 Te ig signin of he eet parse » 2) Sala woiesion of Masao o {The Comune ap he fli asormaion of ‘nema oeal Commies 205 ‘THE CRYSTALLIZATION OF mansisst— LENINISM AFTER THE SECOND WORLD 1. The ware inte by 2 The no Wag tesive ta 5) The hops comoveny of 967 Ss £ Maesne-Leninmn in psi ond cseaogy ‘31 & Saree gender 1 Genel He op Soviet lene Me ai Contant 8: Si on ly 10° Geeta ara Sot etre Sta at years ‘0. Thegaene uate of decal sateen 12 The rome anagieant of Sanam The quo of 19. Boop Mari ding thet pu of Staion V. TROTSKY 1 The yar le ed Thema 7 . 4) eleven to Sans. The ie of Sit darn {Chim of Svc coord esgn pokey sc cemocacy, and was & Goetrie v ANTONIO GRAMSCI: COMMUNIST Revisionisa 1, ie ad work 2 Theselbaticeney of ta erica eli 4 Grkigne oon rea ad i 4 Geeioe of mera 2 lntlecetsthe sas sug, The concep of © Orta ond mas monet. The een of ‘bene VIL GYORGY LUKAGS: REASON IN THE SERVICE OF DOGMA 2 The oe ad the preteen 4: The jet and bet try. Tay an rae, ‘What ad wha sght toe Giga Crtsqe he ales of mata andthe teary of redeet The ceeep econ (Ge ceeciumnes anf cpuneion {Gaaqece natalie “The wince meiaton, apd mines as este categois eat spat ely, sed the so ‘The capi of Mart mhaley Commentary aki a Sulit and bi can Sale 18 oa et Ms 9 2 a 26 " of Contnte KARL KORSCH 2 Beep dae 2 Theory and practice Moverent and ideo. “cores Pelcvn 15 Thor pha of Mactan 4 Gruge of Rausty ee of Levin ’nen dei of Mari LUCIEN GOLD ANN 1 Le an wigs 2 Genet acai, Wiens 43 Theta meitien 4 Goiinann an Laks, Comment on geet rotaraon THE FRANKFURT SCHOOL AND ‘CRITICAL TieoRy" 1 Miser ap graphical ote nei etal ey gave dete 4 Slee stil stoi 9 Gig enlightenment 8 ten Frenun 4 eit oy (Concie) egen Habere anise TOTALITARIAN UTOPIA OF THE NEW LEFT 2 Hg an Mr sere pots 2 "Onetimenieesl ta {The rescon age Gedo $ Gonna ERNST BLOGH: MARXISM AS A FUTURISTIC GNOSIS 1 Lie sad wring 2 Re en 5; Grater ad ewes day deans 1 Manan 9 ance Drop Nowe oe 1 ts pli renin xe a an os * i 495 x Coments XIE DEVELOPMENTS IN MARXISM SINCE STALIN'S DEATH 1. ‘DeSinzion 2 Rests it Ease Prep 2 agate resin 4 Retonim and erthodeny fn Fasce 4 Mansi and ie New Let GEidpeman Mar of Mao Teetang EPILOGUE SELECTIVE BIBLIOGRAPHY INDEX “ a a BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTE Soues of quotations wsed in he text nosso, Trronon W., Neate Dalen, The Seabury Pres, New "York, 1972: Routledge & Kegan Pal, London, 1873 GGotasnss, Ly, Th Hisdn Gta Thy etenatonal Library ‘of Phileopi), Routledge & Kegan Pal, Landon, 1973 Horsumen, Max and. Troabon W- Abonxo, Dilete nth tran Jon Cains, The Seabury Pres, New York 1978 Allen Lape, The Penguin yes, London, 175. Konan, Kast, Meision and Ppt, ware F Haliday, New Left Books, London, «970 Lowes Geonce, The Meaning of Couenpoary Ream, The Metis Pres, London 1970 Mao Tse-Towo, dntolegy of His Wings, ed Anne Fremantle ‘Mestr Book, New American Library. New York, o962 "Pear Evenson Phil, Peking, 1966; Colles, London, 1967 ouiatons From Chairman Mao Tieng, ed, Stas Schram, Pal Mal Pre London, 1962 IE" Mon Trung, Unehovd, of and trans, Staart Schram, Palican Books, London, 1974, and as Chaiman ‘Meo Tall: 1 the Ps, Pacem Books, New York, 105 Manctst Hexasar, OneDinesona Mo, Rove & Kegan Pau Tandon, 1963, — he Leas, Allen Lane, The Penguin Pros, Landon, 1970 2g voy Lawrence & Waar, London 1959-5 Seow, Ebaun, Tae Laeg Resion, “Hutchinson, London, 1075, Stati, Joste, Calatad Wks, vols 7 and 6, Engl ed, 75 val, Lawrence & Wishar, London, 1953-5 ‘Twonas, Laon, Their Moral aud Os, ed. George Novack, Path ‘Sader Press, New York, 106. si Bibliographical Nowe —— In Deo of brn, New Patk Publication, London, 193; Pathfinder Pres, New York, 197 Wingy af Lam Try 989-109, 12 vol, Pathe Pres, New Vor, 1972-7. Wourr, Romar, Batwuvcrox Moost, J, snd. Henan Mancuse, Cru f Pare Tala Jonathan Cape, Londo, 1960, Zunarox, A. Ay, Ov Litootire, Mui, eu! Phionply, Lawrence & ‘Wishart, Londo, 190. CHAPTER I The first phase of Soviet Marxism. ‘The Beginnings of Stalinism 1, What wes Statinisn? ‘Twnneis no general agrecment as to what the term ‘Stalinism’ ‘comots, Tt has never been wsed by the official ideologsts of the Sones state, as it would seem to imply the existence of a self-cortained social system. Stuce Khrushches's time the ‘accepted formula for what went on in Stalin's day has been “the ous of personality, and this phrases invariably astociated with to presuppositions. The fine ie that throughout the ‘existence ofthe Soviet Union the partys policy was in principle right and salutary, but dhat occasional errors were committed, {he meat serious of which war the neglect of collective lead ship's Le. the concuntration of ynlimited powor in Stain’ hands. Thesecond assumption ithat the main source of errors and disortion® layin Stalin's own faults of character, his thirst for pover, despotic inclination, and so on. After Stains death all hese deviations were immediatly cured: the patty once more tonforned to proper democratic principle, and that was the fend of the matter” As to Stalin's error the most serous war the mas liquidation of Communist and especially ofthe higher party tureaucracy. In shore, Scalin’'s rule was 2 monstrous but Accidental phenomenow there was never such a thing at ‘Stainiea’ or a'Stabnstrystem and in any cave the ‘negative ‘manifestations’ of the "personality cult fade into insgniieance beside he glorious achievements of the Soviet system ‘Although this version of events is doubilese not taken seriously by its authors of by anyone ele, controversy still prevails as to the meaning and scope ofthe term ‘Stalinism’ which is in current use ouside the Soviet Union even among Communists 2 The Begining of Saini ‘The later, however, whether eiical or orthodox in thei views, strict is meaning to the period of Stali’s personal yranny fm the eatly 19308 to his death in 1953, and they blame the “errore of the time Jess om Stalin's on’ wickedness than on segretiable but unalterable historical eircurstanct: the indi ‘ual and cultural backwardnes of Russa before and afer 1907, ‘he filure ofthe hoped-for European revolution, external threat to the Soviet stats, ae poitieal exhaustion aftr the Civil War, (The same reavons, incidentally, are regularly advanced by ‘Trowskyisis to explain the degeneration of Russia's post. Revolutionary government.) “Those, on theother hand, who arene: committed so defending the Soviet system, Lenni, or any Marxist historical schema generally regard Stalinism as 2 more of ls coherent political, fconomic, and ideological system, which worked in pursuit of 5s own aims and made few ‘eon fom is owen point of view: [Even on this bass, however, it may be debated how far and in what sense Stalinism was ‘historically inevitable’ i. was the politica, economic, and ideological complexion of Soviet Russia keady determined before Stalin'sriveto powers that Stalinism ‘vas only the full development of Leninism? The question also Femains, how far and in What sense have all dese characteristic features of the Soviet state persted to the present day? From the point of view of terminology itis of no special importance whether we confine the meaning of Stalinist «0 the last twenty-five years of the dictator’ ie or extend it 0 ‘over the political system prevailing atthe present time. Bet itis more! chan a purely verbal question whether the basic features ofthe system that took abape under Stalin have altered inthe last owenty years, and there Js also room for argument 6 ta what iG essential features were. ‘Many observers, including the present author, believe that the Soviet system ait developed under Stalin was a continuation ‘of Leninism, and that the sate founded on Lenin's political and iological principles could only have maintained iself in a Sialinist forms, such erties hold, moreover, that ‘Stalinism’ in the narrow sense, Lethe system that prevailed uncil¥953, has not heen affected in any esential way by the changes of the The Beginnings of Saiism a the creator of totalitarian doctrine and of the totalitarian state in embryo. Of course many events in the Stain era can be ateributed to chance or to Stalin's oven pecularites:carerism, Just for power, vindictiveness, jealousy, and paraneid suspicion ‘The mas Sanighter of Communist in 19369 cannot be called ‘historical necesiy’, and we may suppose that ie would not Ihave taken place under a tyrant other than Stalin meek. But if, asin the typical Communist view, tha slaughter egavded aithe tue, negative’ significance of Stalinism, ifllows thatthe ‘shole of Staiism seas deplorable accident-—the implication | boeing that everything is always for the best under Communist rule until prominent Commasins start being murdered. This |shardfor thehistrian co accept not only because b's interested in the fate of milione who were not party leaders or even party ‘members, but alo because the anguinasyterroron a hugeseale| ‘which occurred i the Soviet Union at certain pesiods i not 4 permanent of evential eature of totalitarian despots, The Gespotic system remains in force ivespecive of whether, in a particular year, ficial murders are counted in millions o only Jn tens of thousands, whether torture is ysed as a matter of routine or only occasionally, and whether the viedms are any ‘workers, peasants and intlletual or inchade party beavers aswell ‘The history of Stalinism, despite snguments over points of eval is generally known and is adequately described in many Dooks. As in the previous two volumes ofthis work, the min theme isthe hitry of doctrine: political history will be dealt wth cursory, so far as is neces) to indicate the broad frame- ‘work within which ideological ie developed. In the Stalin er, however, the link between the history of docirine and political events if much closer than before, since the phenomenon we Ihave io study is the absolute inscuionalization of Marxism as an instrument of power. This proces, it i ue, began ealier fom: it goes back to Lenin's view hat Marxism must be ‘the ppary"s worléontlock, i, that ie content mt be governed by dhe necs of the strugaie for power a a particular moment None the les, Lenin's political opportunism was to some extent restrained fy doctrinal considerations; whereas in Stalin's day, fom the carly thirties onwards, doctrine was absolutely sab otdinated tothe purpese oflegitimizing and gosfving the Soview ' The Begining of Sains government and everything it di. Marxism under Stalin cannot be dened by any collection of statement, ideas, or concept it was nota question of propostins as such but ofthe ac that there existed an all-powerful authority competent to declare at any given moment what Marxism was and what it was not "Marsien’ meant nothing more or less han the current pro- rouncement ofthe authority in question, ie. Stalin himselD For insance, up o June 1950 to be a Marvist meant, among other thins, accepting the philological cheoies of N.Y. Mary, while ser that date it meant rejecting them utterly. You were a Marxist not because you rated any particular ideas Mars’, Lenin's, of even Stalin'sas true, but beeause you were prepared ‘accept whatever the supreme authority might proclaim today, omorrow, or in a years time. This degree of instictional laation and dogmatizaton had never been seen before and did rot reach is acme ui he thie, butts roots ean be clearly traced in Lenin's doctrine: since Marxism isthe world-view and instrument of the proletarian party, tis for the later to Acide what is Marxism and what is not, regardless of any ‘objections fom outside", When the party is identified with the fate and the apparacis of power, and when ic achievs perfect tunity in the shape of a one-man tyranny, doctrine becomes a matter of sate and the tyrant proclaimed infallible. Indeed, Ihe realy jfalibe far ar the content of Marxion icon cerned, for there is no Marsism but that which the party asserts jn te capacity ae the mouthpiece of the proletariat, and the party, having once achieved unity, express is will and its ectine through the leadership embodied in the dictator's peteon In this way the doctine cha the proletariat shisrically the leading clas and, in contrat to all other clase, the poseswor of objective uth ie transformed into the principle that Stalin is always right’. This, infact, i not ton grave a disertion of Man's epistemology combined with Lenin's notion ofthe party asthe advance guard of the workers’ movement, The equation truth = the proletarian workiview = Marxism ~ the party= ‘world-view = the pronouncements of the party Teadershi thos af the supreme leader is wholly in accordance with Lenin's version of Marxism. We shall endeavour to trace the proces bby which thie equation found final expression in the Soviet ideology which Stalin christened Marxism-Leninism, Tt i The Beginnings of Staion 5 significant that he chose this term rather than speaking of Marsim and Leninism, which would have suggested «wo separate doctrines. ‘The compound expression signified that Leninigm was nota distinct trend within Marxism as though ‘here night be other forms of Marais that were not Leniaist— but was Marxism par excellence, the sole doctrine in which ‘Mars was developed! and adapted to the new historical era In actual fact Marxism-Leninism consisted of Stalin's own doctrte plus quotations selected by him from the works of Marx, Lenin, and Engel. Tr should not be supposed that anyone was fee in Stalin's day, to quote at will from Mars, Lenin, or ven Stalin himsells Marsism-Leninism comprised only the quc- tations currently authorized by the dictator, a conformity with ‘he dostrine he was currendy promulgating. ‘na-guing that Stalinism was a true development of Leninism 1 do not mean to belittle Stalin's historial importance. Ater Lenin, and alongside Hitler, he certainly did more to shape the presensday world chan any other individual since the First World War, Nevertheles, the fact that it was Stalin and not any other Bolshevik lender who becnme sole ruler of the party and state can beaccounted forby the ature ofthe Soviet stem, ‘The viw tha his personal qualities, while they had a great deal to do with his victory over his rivals, did not themselves deve= ‘mine the main lincr of the devclopinent of Soviet soviety i Supponed by the fact that throught his earlier carcer he did not belong tothe extremist wing ofthe Bulhevik party. On the conta, he was something of a moderate, and in inca-party lsputes he offen stood on the side of common sense and proderce. In shor, Stalin as a despot was much more the pary’s creation than its creator: he wat the personification of 4 system which iresstibly soughe to be personified 2 The sees of Stalinism It isa mania of Soviet historians to divide all epochs into stages; but the procedure is justified in some cases, expecially where the delmitacion is based on ideological ground Sinc: Stalinism was an international and not merely a Soviet Phenomenon, itt variations must he considered nt only fom the point of view of Russian internal policy and sectional srl, Ihutalicrom thatthe Comintern and international Bolshevisa, 6 The Beginnings of Stainise “There are, ower, dla of caring the rapoitive Perec aly “of momesestice Trays nde Exumnisy are inthe hati of diingelbing ef and “ig stages of Soviet history The ped eda ler tory, donate by the Cal War so by hope of word ‘Sela serrd cos ef nt ielowediby high? fored of be NEP, when the party acoicdgel the er Foray stablizatin of capa ihe word a ge, Then Eine» ving to the le in gabe, whom the party declared ‘Sat he stilton wos a a nde de of revlon st it ence nore sol deocracy was denounced td combated 2s tol Pain’ and Resa witnesed the begaing sas Eucciaton sn forced indatainntin, The age up roe to we coded i tg when ight poly was one Rove adopter the gas of «popula Teague Faciam. "Ens acceive si of plea asited ith Sectoral and pena eight stong the Rist lee ‘Theme of Slip Znoryer, and Ramet lao te poi ‘liminaGen of Truly, thea Zinoryey and Kamenty were ‘austen fvur o Bukhari, Ryko, an Toms then in ge Rutiacin was cst out and elecive didence iin the Bake pany cane a ed "Thichtonoloy ule fea, weve even apart fo the vague and svbtay te ofthe tame Tle and gh Ae tobe er pln, tw no lee why the dagen of cal Fuca was ei wile the stomp to compromie ih Chiang Kash wasightsorwhyt na Sei So pes pesos ena va ga bu "igh eae eae toe Kerpolial en Iran of conte bend what the ore 2 pele ivehes cater, the more lei? fe hi pnp is Reqoeny apled oe prs ay ind tony Sn Come tnt publcados,buc it hard fo ce what af 0 th the talons) en of ese Apare hm ti here i no Cleat cream betwen change in Cainer ple and te {ifecnt phn of ove sca) poly aad egy The tolled Neh sero tat Boren toil demectacy we {ranch of Fair was cone by Znowyen an was carve alata ery a ogg he Comintern ight agi cal democracy na ici a 1pay, ong Bere he foe cstecseadon atthe Ruan peasy wahonghtl Tn 535, The Beginnings of Stliniom ? when the campaign against social democracy was called oll and

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