- Capitalism and Alternatives -

Oh...I remember it well.

Posted by: bill on October 31, 1999 at 18:03:03:

In Reply to: trotskyists are leninists... posted by Red Deathy on October 29, 1999 at 12:01:43:

: : By the way, were there more then one Trotskyite group? Were there policies different? (Hold on here! Don't all communists hew to Marx?) Why did you delete the part about 30,000 dead?

: Ever seen life of Brian? thats trotskyists- they split first in 1940 - led by Cannon in the US (IIRC), over the issue of Russia- degenerate workers state? bureaucratic collectivist state? State capitalist? Each demanding a different position on the 'unconditional defence of russia' policy- over here we have some 5 trot groups I could name, Socialist Workers Party (Tonmy Cliff), Marxist party, Socialist Equality Party (Both ex- Workers Revolutionary Party, and claiming to be the official Committee For the Fourth International Branches- healyite Splinters), Alliance for Workers Liberty, Socialist Appeal (Ted Grant), and 'Socialist Party' formerly known as Millitant, but they can't stand at elections as Socialist Party coz that was our name first (we aren't trots).

: Trotskyism is a sub-sect of Leninism (at least they pay lip-service to Lenin).

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Ahh...you very nearly brought tears to my eyes in remeberance. Those cold and windy evenings on Chicago streets trying to push "The American Socialist". We would then go to somebody's livingroom and hear a disposition by Sy Lansky or Harry Braverman - and afterwards to an all night cafe where we'd sing: "Oh those Yip-sel girls"!

It was fashonable to split in those days. (Ours was a split of the Cochran split). Practically all I remember of the period was the endless debate as to how to characterize the Soviet Union and its satalites - the great betrayal of socialist ideals. This anti-Stalinism was of course not understood by the public at large, having incorporated the mainstream media depth of analysis so concisely presented later as "The Great Satan" by that lofty theoretician Ronald Reagon.

Sniff.. I think I'll go look for that book of Braverman's.



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