The aim of this blog entry is to raise some questions that have come up in the course of researching and investigating Marxism-Leninism-Maoism (Mao Tse-Tung Thought) versus contemporary Marxist-Leninist Thought.
On May 1, 2007 while taking part in the NYC immigrant anti-war demonstrations and march I got to meet and talk with a member/supporter of the Revolutionary Communist Party, USA. I had hundreds of Voice of Revolution (VOR) newspapers which I was distributing, carrying them in my shoulder bag and my alice backpack. I was also carrying one of the USMLO flags which was strapped to my alice pack as I was distributing. In any case, as time wore on I was getting a bit exhausted. The march itself was dwindling out near Foley Square about late in the evening [It started out from Union Square in the afternoon] and I decided to sit down for a bit. I found a sidewalk bench not too far away and I sat down next to a man who just happened to be sitting there.
He looked like he was in his forties, had greyish hair and wore glasses. He was wearing the black “Wanted” T-shirts that many members and supporters of RCP were wearing. He apparently saw the red USMLO flag because as I sat down he asked if I was associated with the organization. I said yes and handed him a VOR in which he looked at briefly and then kindly thanked me for it. We then had a brief conversation.
Two main questions came out of this discussion, both of which address the theory of Marxism-Leninism and Mao Tse-Tung Thought. In the course of discussion, he asked me why I didn’t accept Maoism and also asked “didn’t at one time your organization used to be Maoist?” The answers to which I gave I felt were less than satisfactory, not very well-stated nor thought out to assist with his inquiry. It also revealed the dullness of my knowledge concerning ideological theory and communist history. It was a sensible question. It is true that many organizations during the 1960s and 70s described themselves as Maoist in their theory and their work. So what happened that some organizations broke with Maoism altogether during the 1970s and 80s - in particular organizations that now base their ideology and organizing work on Marxism-Leninism and not Marxism-Leninism-Maoism? Although this is essentially the question he had asked me, it was also my desire to understand this question as well and the question I was in fact slowly up until this time investigating for myself.
The other question centered on the question of Mao’s criticism of Stalin. Up until this point, I had read only one book by Bob Avakian - “Phony Communism is Dead Long Live Real Communism”. I had a question concerning a section of Chapter One entitled “Mechanical ‘Historical Materialism’ and Dialetical ‘Historical Materialism’ “ - a section that dealt with the need to fight revisionism and opportunism, especially in the aftermath of the US imperialist war in the Persian Gulf in 1990 and the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. (In fact this entire book is a response to that particular period of the collapse of the bipolar division of the world and the continuation of revolution in retreat) Here is the passage I am referring to:
“Stalin was on the right side in these struggles both in the sense that his line, as opposed to the others, was consistent with and the ‘logical extension’ of Lenin’s position and, more fundamentally, because of Stalin’s (and lenin’s) line corresponded to reality* Whatever errors Stalin did make in implementing this strategic orientation — and he did make a number of errors, some of them quite serious (even grievous), as we have already summed up — nevertheless on this fundamental point of forging ahead with the building of socialism in the Soviet Union he was correct, and in practice he did lead the masses in the Soviet Union in carrying out socialist transformation and construction.”
(Avakian, Phony Communism is Dead, page 7
My question for my RCP friend - what was Avakian referring to when he wrote on the “grievous errors” of Stalin? The only indication I could find in Avakian’s book was a footnote on the previous page on how Stalin dealt with the issue of “Socialism in One Country” a bit critically (another point worth investigating). Other than that I could not find anything else that pointed to Stalin’s “grievous errors”. In fact the book leaves the question open.
When I asked my newly acquainted friend about this question, I accidently attibuted Mao’s criticism of Stalin’s “errors” as “crimes”. He corrected me on this and responded to my question that Mao in a speech quoted Stalin on the theory of classes. That is, Stalin advocated that a classless society could exist in one country, or that socialism in one country could lead to the elimination of classes, or something to that affect (I cannot remember the exact wording of how this response was presented). He also said that Mao was citing a speech that Stalin gave in 1939. Furthermore, he said that Avakian does talk on these things in other publications and recordings. Unfortunately, our conversation abruptly ended with an interruption from another person who was admiring the USMLO flag. My newly acqainted friend told me he had to get going and that it was great talking with me. We said goodbye and shook hands. Then he left.
So as part of my investigation, I would like to find when and where Mao makes this citation from Stalin and his criticism of it, along with the actual 1939 speech that Stalin gave on the theory of classes. I was told that on Bob Avakian’s website, he has recordings, which when I have time will look for. Currently, I am reading a 1978 speech by Bob Avakian entitled “The Loss in China and The Revolutionary Legacy of Mao Tsetung” that was given at the Mao Tse-Tung Memorial Meetings concerning the October 1976 revisionist coup in China.
The other part of my research is to also understand the parties and organizations who were affected by events taking place in China at the time and how that has affected their position on Mao Tse-Tung, his theoretical contributions, etc. This includes the analysis by Enver Hoxha, Party of Labour of Albania, and Hardial Bains, Communist Party of Canada (Marxist-Leninist). I am in the process of gathering information on this critical period.
Since I was born in 1978 and grew up mainly in the 1980s without so much of a clue as to what was taking place around me, most of these arguments, stances, etc, no longer speak to current conditions today. It reminds me of Comrade Sandra of CPC(M-L) who said that solutions come from the present, not by bringing up past controversies. Ever since my conversation with this RCP member/supporter I felt there is an urgency for Communists to communicate with one another and address the problems facing us today and together. One of the unfortunate features of the Communist movement in the U.S. is the factionalism and its splitting consequences. There is no doubt that the state had its role in shattering and discouraging unity among the progressive forces, but it is also time for communists and the progressive forces to unite a political basis for unity and to provide leadership and coherence to the working class and people to fight for their self-emancipation from capital rule and dictate.
In a later post, I will try to address the former question in more detail. I will aslo keep those interested posted on what I find out regarding the speeches of Mao and Stalin.
To be continued…
