April 2003

[NOTE: This article was written prior the political

bust-up of The Gnostic Pagan Tradition. It is in

the process of re-editing. We’d be glad to post

opposing views here as well. Updated 07.07.09]

GLOBAL SOCIALISM

vs.

ANARCHISM

vs.

COMMUNISM

vs.

NATIONAL SOCIALISM

Takes On All !

______________________

One of the primary goals facing International Socialism is the not only (!) the question of the unequivocal Social Revolutionary overthrow of Corporate State Capitalism—but also how to create a Global Society free from the reactionary tendencies of Rightist Anarchism (Libertarianism), Single Party Communist Dictatorship, and that fascist perversion of Marxism, National Socialism. Ideally socialism incorporates the best of an Anarchist point of view by promoting the concept of CREATIVE & RADICAL INDIVIDUALISM WITH A COLLECTIVE FOCUS.

Historically, however, organized and semi-organized Anarchistic political tendencies have been responsible for the indefensible terrorism and senseless, anti-social vandalism that, in turn, often results in State repression directed against the entire socialist/worker’s movement. In San Francisco there is (or was) a painted mural around the boundaries of a school in a working class district depicting the political evolution of racial diversity in the United States, titled “Our History is No Mystery.” Rightist Anarchist delinquents saw the mural as an expression of socialist “Authoritarianism” so they defaced this collective work of art with the Anarchist Circle A and such intelligent graffiti as “Nigger Lovers” and “Death to Commies!” During the recent mass Peace March (January 2003) in San Francisco a tiny band of these idiots ran around breaking windows and vandalizing newsstands (robbing the working class operators of income.) It is just this type of stupidity that supplies the Establishment with justification to call the cops in, and to slander all the good the march represented. It also created an atmosphere that could only serve to senselessly alienate the many first time participants in collective political Left action.

This is just what the Anarchists wanted.

They are so politically immature and disoriented that they are unable to form any coherent revolutionary program on their own—and it drives them crazy to see positive, nonviolent, unified action. So they go out of their way to wreck it. These so-called “Anarchist” thugs (the cast-offs of a capitalist society in deep decay) are the first to be recruited as skinhead fascist thugs. Libertarian Anarchism as represented by the United States Libertarian Party, is a scraggy outfit run by Rightists who are even too far to the Right for the ultra-reactionary Republican Party. They remain somewhat in organizational existence thanks to capitalist $$$ and impressionable idealists and/or crackpots without a political oar to row. The capitalists in charge of the Libertarian Party (primarily frustrated, white, small business owners and landlords—often of the slum variety) promote trendy causes like the legalization of marijuana, zero population, and elimination of income tax. They hide behind a propagandistic smoke screen and snare social activist innocents into the mire of the Libertarian political swamp. During times of revolutionary upheaval these types willingly rush into the welcome embrace of fascism, and undoubtedly discover more congenial company with upfront bigots than with their former pothead colleagues.

There is an intelligent, Left Anarchist alternative, Anarchist Syndicalism or Utopian Socialism. Lenin called this tendency “ultra-leftist” and considered it “an infantile disorder.” We think that went a bit too far, but there’s a lot of truth in it too.

______________________

Emma Goldman represented the best of Left Anarchism. Goldman was a highly principled immigrant to the U.S. and personified the highest pro-worker currents of the Anarchist tendency. She was a feminist pioneer who fought determinedly for both women and men’s rights, and was a tireless champion of the working class. She got the Hollywood treatment in the movie “REDS.” The film somewhat accurately portrayed her impressionistic inability to grasp the Bolshevik political necessity for the newly created Soviet regime to enact various “authoritarian” degrees, in order to prevent a massive international Capitalist invasion and bloody Tsarist counter-revolution.

The inheritors of the Left Anarchist position today who, while obviously sincere in their beliefs, have not progressed any further than Goldman in accessing the political realities needed to achieve a victorious GLOBAL SOCIAL REVOLUTION. As a matter of fact, many Utopian Socialists would not care to witness such an historic event if it involved the survival of the State in any form. They are like political Gnostics, seeking not to change reality, but to devalue it completely.

In the most “Utopian” pro-socialist scenario, capitalist society will fall with such a global crash—that areas of people will be forced to INTELIGENTLY OPT FOR AN INTERNATIONAL COLLECTIVE ECONOMIC SYSTEM BASED ON MUTUAL RESPECT & SIMPLE COMPASSION. This schema is noble, but naïve.

In order for international socialism to survive the inevitable global economic crisis, a strong Socialist Administration will be necessary to facilitate the implementation of economic democracy and social justice—and in order to prevent counterrevolution from the rapacious appetites and the capitalist Oligarchy and its fascist armies & goon squads.

______________________

This socialist era will be based on an EXPANDED economic social democracy far surpassing the current deceptive global capitalist “democracy” strangling the world today. In addition, citizens in the socialist State will be ENCOURAGED to ACTIVELY & INTIMATELY PARTICIPATE IN THE DAY TO DAY ACTIVITIES OF THE STATE, BOTH AS GUARDIANS & ADMINISTRATORS. This level of participation will be possible due to the increased “free time” afforded to the average person. Socialism can achieve this new freedom through the proactive utilization of advanced technology (including nanotechnology/transpersonal socialism.) No longer will citizens be restricted to voting once every four years or so in rigged elections. The Socialist State will belong to the people, because the people will run it—and not egotistically motivated politicians. It is essential that International Socialists learn from the brutal mistakes of the Soviet Regime—as well as from Social Democratic and Labour Party betrayals of the Working Class.

[INSERT] …

[See also, THE SOCIALIZATION OF STATE AUTHORITY]

______________________

Marxist-Leninists-Stalinists (“Orthodox” Communists or self-styled Bolsheviks) as pointed out in earlier articles—had their chance and blew it BIG TIME. And not just in the Soviet Union and Eastern Block States—but EVERYWHERE they have had a presence. The Marxist-Leninist policy can be described as “Moral Substitutionalism.” Marxist-Leninists-Whateverists draw a specious and self-serving distinction between “Bourgeois Morality” and so-called “Proletarian Morality,” and in so doing assert the right of The

The-Party-of-the-Moment to use any means at all to foster the Goals of “their” Party.

We draw a distinction between Communism with a capital “C” and communism with a lower case “c.” The former refers to the political program advocated by Marxist-Leninist-Stalinists who insist on the “traditional” Marxist doctrine of the Dictatorship of the Proletariat solely directed by the Communist Party. We suggest that the term “Proletariat” is archaic considering the economic and social reality today. Communism with a small “c” can refer to any number of collectivist philosophies, including that of Early or Gnostic Christianity. Indeed, we consider ourselves today as modern Gnostic communists.

As far as Gnosticism goes, there’s an historic precedence for this position.

See, THE NATURE & HISTORY OF GNOSTICISM]

Trotskyism, or the Left Opposition reflects more tolerance regarding the positive value of individualism in support of the international social revolution. Regarding Trotskyite Communism there are two essential elements of the equation to consider: (1) The persona of Trotsky himself, and (2) the nature and political effect (or lack thereof) on the political landscape today.

Leon Trotsky was a complex, multi-faceted individual with a personal will-to-power that matched Lenin’s. Many people have speculated on what a different course history might have taken had Lenin—and particularly Trotsky—stayed in power at the head of the Soviet Union. Perhaps such projections are mere fantasizing, but the forces and factors involved are indeed legendary. One thing is certain, creativity and individual development would have fared far better with either Lenin or Trotsky at the helm than Stalin

There is a story concerning the American expatriate dancer Isadora Duncan and her run-in with the early Soviet Bureaucracy. The dancer was giving a free performance in Moscow during the famine years. The performance included her now famous interpretation of the March Slav. When Party Leaders realized that sections of the music contained the old Tsarist Anthem, they demanded it be omitted from the program. Duncan appealed to Lenin (who was in the audience) and he reportedly admonished the bureaucrats saying, “Leave Isadora alone; she’s not hurting anyone, and we can learn from her.” Isadora Duncan later went on to being banned in Boston for dancing bare-breasted.

Trotsky formulated the Marxist theory of PERMANENT REVOLUTION in opposition to the Menshevik (Social Democratic) and Stalinist theory of a two-stage Socialist Revolution. The two-stage theory suggests the necessity for a bourgeois-democratic revolution before a socialist administration can be effected. This theory led directly in the anti-working class notion of the “Popular Front,” the uniting of capitalists and the working class in joint political action. This tactic has always led to the DEFEAT of working class interests in every instance it has been applied. Trotsky’s Permanent Revolution may sound like a recipe for perpetual political chaos to those unfamiliar with his views, but it actually makes a lot of sense. What it implies is the need for the working class to take absolute charge of the socialist revolutionary process without the corrupting and deceptive involvement of capitalist parties or individuals. National Socialism substitutes capitalist interests and those of the small bourgeoisie (small businesses, etc.) for those of the working class.

Today the Trotskyite Left Opposition is represented/fractured by a bewildering host of groups, each calling the other “sectarian,” “bandits,” “traitors,” “renegades,” etc. All the invectives are cloaked with the late 19^th and early 20^th century terminology so typically dreary of pre-Soviet Marxist polemics. After Stalin’s ascendancy, there were only the ultra-dreary polemics of Stalinism and the corrupt “theory” of “socialist realism” in art and literature. Most seem to claim to be the “only authentic heirs of Trotskyism.” They cannot find the common ground necessary to forge a reconstituted REVOLUTIONARY SOCIALIST INTERNATIONAL based on mutual respect and creativity. There are, however, legitimate concerns regarding the area of political principle that prevent almost any form of unity (or United Front) that seem to obsess the various factions.

[NOTE 07/07/09] There are signs this impasse may be changing. The accelerating cracks in capitalism—and the Internet—may be bringing socialists closer to the true unity needed to overthrow the capitalist system. A warning is appropriate here. We should not get exaggerated illusions of security just because we see ideas held in common shared over the web. Never forget: there is no real anonymity on the Internet—and it can be virtually shut down at a moment’s notice. It should not substitute for political action on the street.]

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Let’s briefly examine just ONE of the issues splitting the worker’s movement: The disastrous 1979 Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan.

Here’s how FUNK & WAGNALLS New Encyclopedia (1980) describes the political process that led to the invasion:

In 1963 King Zahir removed his cousin Muhammad Daud,

who had been prime minister since 1953, and took full control of

the reins of government. The following year he promulgated a new constitution…

The first legislative elections were held in September 1965.

Afghanistan experienced major economic difficulties in

the late 1960’s…during which 80,000 persons are believed to

have died of starvation. By 1973 aid from the Soviet Union had reached

$1.5 billion; from the U.S. $425 million; and from China $72 million.

…In July 1973…Daud seized power, deposed the king,

and proclaimed Afghanistan a republic…In April 1978 Daud

was killed during a violent coup d’etat. The new rulers…led first by

Noor Muhammad Taraki…and later by Hafizullah Amin…suspended the

constitution and instituted a program of “scientific socialism.” This led to armed

resistance by devout Muslims, especially among the mountain tribes. Unable to contain

the rebellion, Taraki and Amin turned to the USSR for help. Despite Soviet military aid,

resistance to the government continued in 1979. In December…Amin was overthrown and

killed in a Soviet-backed coup, and Afghanistan was occupied by Soviet troops. The USSR

then installed Barbak Karmal…Although Karmal tried to placate the rebels,

the insurgency in the countryside persisted, and more than 2 million

refugees fled to Pakistan…

What FUNK & WAGNALLS omits to mention is the fact that the Karmal regime instituted progressive reforms to improve the level of education in general, and the horrendous plight of women (who were basically treated as slaves) in Afghanistan. The Muslim reactionaries took their revenge by skinning teachers alive and stoning to death any one they perceived to be progressive. 

The Red Army occupation became a major bone of contention between at least 2 ostensibly Trotskyist factions: The Spartacist League (now the International Communist League) and the International Committee of the Fourth International. Incidentally, both groups accept the Red Flag Hammer & Sickle with the 4 to represent their support for a reconstituted Fourth International…we prefer to visualize it as the birth of a Fifth, or SOCIALIST INTERNATIONAL.

The Sparticist League (SL) gained some notoriety with their slogan HAIL RED ARMY IN AFGHANISTAN! Most of the Left, including the ICFI, denounced the invasion and the slogan as Stalinist and Sectarian. The SL, as usual, accused everybody else of betraying Trotskyism.

 So who was “correct”?

We can see both sides of this issue, but with the collapse of the Soviet Union (Bureaucratically Degenerated, State Capitalist, or otherwise) it becomes something of a moot point.

And more to the point, must it stand in the way of long delayed UNITED FRONT OF INTERNATIONAL SOCIALISM? It’s not going to get any easier in the days ahead with U.S. and British Capitalism straining at the bit to re-colonize the entire planet, particularly the Middle East. Naturally the capitalists of Germany, France and other nations would like to get their share of the pickings too. Surely revolutionary socialist groups can rise above fratricide and formulate an operational United Front Founding Document everyone can live with.

INTERNATIONAL SOCIALISM is in critical need of revolutionary leadership. The essential fact that the Trotskyite groups seem immune to admitting, is that a monolithic Party, whose ethical consistency is dependent upon the power of one or even two dominant personalities, is bound to degenerate into reactionary leader syndrome at best, National Socialism at worst.

So now we arrive at the National Socialists (Fascists or Nazis).

During World War II most of the fascist leaders of the time in Germany, Italy and Japan were either justifiably eradicated by the enemy or committed suicide, thereby saving the time, labor and expense of their execution. It’s just a shame that the Allied capitalist States and Stalinists didn’t finish the job by eliminating the German, Italian and Japanese Capitalists (who were the primary benefactors of fascism)—but then, of course, that particular task was not a priority on the Allied Agenda (considering that Allied capitalists also benefited financially from the War.) The German capitalists (and nuclear fission experts) were given preferential treatment because they were needed in the “War Against Communism.” Many of them, including the manufacturers of the Concentration Camp gas that killed millions, are thriving today throughout all of “Unified,” capitalist Germany.

Organized Christianity is certainly not as blameless as it now pretends to be. It was the anti-Semitic Roman and Eastern Orthodox Catholicism that encouraged pogroms and all manner of reactionary doctrines that directly fueled the insanity of the Third Reich. In Germany itself every mainstream, “traditional” Christian Church blessed the blood soaked flags of Hitler and his MILLIONS OF CO-CONSPIRATORS in Genocide. In the United States today these selfsame Christian and Religious “Leaders” will bless the bombs of U.S. and British Capitalism aimed at the People of Iraq.

According to Marx, the Global Social Revolution would have to first succeed in an advanced capitalist nation such as Germany or the United States—and then the surrogate Capitalist countries would fall like a row of dominos.

 This scenario is the only way it will work.

The working class of the United States has often been blind-sighted by the machinations of the State Capitalist Democratic Party—and, as is the case today, roped in to support Imperialist war aims. The difference today is the fact that the Capitalist State is in an advanced stage of increasingly violent senility.

There are three political alternatives:

 (1) Indefinitely continuing the current state of perpetual war, eventually leading to fascism and barbarism.

 (2) Complete Economic and Social Chaos that will eventually lead into #1 above, or #3 below.

 (3) GLOBAL SOCIAL REVOLUTION. Certainly it would be better if this goal can be met before a total Global breakdown. However, it may require such a disaster in order to wake people up from their support for the State Capitalist System. No matter how the process eventually plays out, it will take a highly motivated and educated Working Class to pick up the pieces.

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Updated 7/09