From: michael a. lebowitz (mlebowit@SFU.CA)
Date: Tue Dec 23 2003 - 15:00:31 EST
At 22:25 22/12/2003, jerry wrote:
>Now a question: in reading again the 4/12/71 letter to Kugelmann, I noticed
>the following:
>
>"If you look at the last chapter of my _Eighteenth Braumaire_, you will
>find that
>I say that the next attempt of the French revolution will be no longer, as
>before,
>to transfer the bureaucratic-military machinery from one hand to another,
>but to
>_smash_ it, and THIS IS THE PREREQUISITE FOR EVERY REAL PEOPLE'S
>REVOLUTION ON THE CONTINENT." (capitalization added for emphasis, JL).
>
>-- Do you think that this is also a prerequisite for the people's
>revolution in
>Venezuela?
I agree entirely with your remarks on Marx's comments on the Commune and on
the responsibility of revolutionaries. As to the question about
transferring the military machinery, etc,: concretely in the absence of
support for the government by the military to this point, there would be no
possibility of a people's revolution at this time--- especially given
support of the opposition by the heavily armed police, the US involvement
in Plan Colombia, etc. It's a pretty complicated situation and there are
lots of arms in civilian hands, too. I share Paul B's point-- you need to
recognise that the context in which Marx made his comments is rather
different; on the other hand, Marx's comment in 1871, I think, universally
applies: "World history would indeed be very easy if the struggle were
taken up on condition of infallibly favorable chances."
in solidarity,
michael
---------------------
Michael A. Lebowitz
Professor Emeritus
Economics Department
Simon Fraser University
Burnaby, B.C., Canada V5A 1S6
Office Fax: (604) 291-5944
Home: Phone (604) 689-9510
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