Marxism and Revisionism

Although history has shown that Lenin and Stalin were correct in insisting that it is possible to build socialism in one country Stalin's comment points out the necessity of maintaining an armed, vigilant organised socialist state in a hostile, capitalist world. The uneven development of capitalism (and therefore of socialist revolution) in different countries ensures that forces hostile to socialism will exist for a long time, this is why there are no "communist countries" at present. A communist society is one in which the state (an organ by which one class opposses another) is no longer necessary to defend socialism from attacks, internal or external. Communist society is a classless society. The state is not necessary for its function and consequently withers away.

In the present period of history there arc many different opponents to the liberation of the working classes of all nations. As we have indicated these opponents may be clearly seen in the existance of the powerful, capitalist countries referred to by Stalin, the imperialist countries. Opposition to the struggle of the working class is also evident in the workers movement itself. This takes the form of various "false Gods", of theories demonstratably unworkable in practice. In order of their historical development these trends are anarchism, syndicalism, reformism and revisionism.

Anarchists believe that the abolition of the state is the immediate task of the proletariat, not by forming a workers' party, not by any political struggle at all, but simply by direct action.

"Individualism is the basis of the entire anarchist world outlook... Failure to understand the development of society — the role of large scale production — the development of capitalism into socialism. Anarchism is a product of depair. The psychology of the unsettled intellectual or the vagabond, not of the proletarian." (Lenin)

Syndicalism is a close relative of anarchism. It repudiates the dictatorship of the proletariat, maintaining that through the trade unions the workers can call a general strike, seize control of production and overthrow capitalism.

Reformism is the doctrine of the Fabians. It is a movement largely of intellectuals upholding the thoroughly unMarxist idea of the "inevitability of gradualism". This position maintains (falsely) that capitalism can be transformed into socialism by a series of gradual changes, without a revolution, or qualitative change. At present, none of these discredited theories have significant working class support anywhere.

Revisionism, of which there arc varied forms, is reformism represented as Marxism. The modern revisionists of the Soviet Union claim to be Marxist—Leninists, but their practice exposes the true nature of their treacherous position.