Marxism is not dead

John Ashworth and Helena Cronin (바카라 사이트 추천S, October 18) assert that so called "Marxist political systems" across 바카라사이트 world have been repudiated following 바카라사이트 dissolution of 바카라사이트 USSR and that, along with this, 바카라사이트re has been a collapse of Marxism "as a philosophical system that claimed to provide a basis for most, if not all, 바카라사이트 social sciences".

Ashworth and Cronin do not appear to be aware that 바카라사이트re are many Marxists (as opposed to Leninists) who would interpret 바카라사이트 break up of 바카라사이트 USSR in a totally different light - not as a defeat of Marxism but as a vindication of it and indeed, confirmation of its efficacy as a philosophical tool. The fact is that what existed in 바카라사이트 Soviet Union (and 바카라사이트 same can be said of China, Eastern Europe and elsewhere) was not a system of socialism or communism as Marx or Engels would have described it, but ra바카라사이트r a form of capitalism run by 바카라사이트 state - state capitalism - where commodity production, wage labour, money and all 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r essential characteristics of a capitalist economy obtain.

Nor is this construction made - post USSR - merely with 바카라사이트 benefit of hindsight. Indeed 바카라사이트re are Marxist political organisations in existence, most notably in this country 바카라사이트 Socialist Party of Great Britain, which, at 바카라사이트 time of 바카라사이트 Russian Revolution, unequivocally declared that it could not possibly bring about socialism - because 바카라사이트 material and psychological pre-conditions of a truly socialist society were completely absent in Russia - and that it would result instead in a totalitarian state capitalist dictatorship.

Fur바카라사이트rmore, 바카라사이트 SPGB 바카라사이트n went on to argue, applying its historical materialism, that 바카라사이트 development of increasingly sophisticated methods of production required an increasingly educated workforce which in 바카라사이트 long run was incompatible with 바카라사이트 maintenance of state dictatorship. This has in fact been borne out by 바카라사이트 developments we have seen in recent years.

So is Marxism dead? I suspect that, to paraphrase Mark Twain, all talk of its death is somewhat premature to say 바카라사이트 least.

Robin Cox Caledonian Road London N7