• Cowbee [he/they]@lemmy.ml
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    24 days ago

    If Russia continues to pursue the path she has followed since 1861, she will lose the finest chance ever offered by history to a nation, in order to undergo all the fatal vicissitudes of the capitalist regime.

    Marx thought Russia had a unique opportunity to sidestep capitalist development, and kick off revolution in the west. He made it clear that if conditions continued as they had, however, that this opportunity would never materialize. I’ve read Capital and its post-scripts, I’ve read his letters to Russian revolutionaries. I used to be an anarchist, and these get thrown around all the time to make it seem like Marx was supportive of anarchism at the end of his life (which he wasn’t). This isn’t new information to me, you’re just confusing Marx saying Russia had a great opportunity to skip capitalism with Marx saying he thought Russia would in fact do so.

    • GlacialTurtle@lemmy.ml
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      24 days ago

      Marx did not merely say they had an opportunity in the abstract, he was directly involved with them and actively seeking to aid them. That is not the action of someone who merely once on the side referenced it as a vague possibility then effectively rejected it, which is what you now have to claim to deny the actual history and Marx’s own words on the topic to maintain the idea that Marx effectively only thought a revolution would happen in the west. Just stop going in circles.

      • Cowbee [he/they]@lemmy.ml
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        24 days ago

        Marx also aided and worked with western revolutionaries. He didn’t make a complete pivot, he saw new opportunity where he previously thought there was none. I have never said that Marx only thought a revolution would happen in the west, this is nonsense. Touch grass, comrade.

      • Xoriff@lemmy.world
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        24 days ago

        Y’all, as a baby leftist who still has All The Reading still to do. This whole back and forth has been fascinating to read. Also, kind of disheartening.

        A billion offshoots of Christianity killing each other over how/whether they dunk their babies. Liberals/Lefties in the US pissing each other off and leaving a nice opening for the fascists.

        What is with us as a species that we almost seem to prefer arguing fine points with people who we largely agree with while the actual enemies of a common cause laugh and win.

        Like I said, fascinating read. Just… “more unites us than divides us” and all that?