[OPE-L:2783] Re: socialism and planning

Paul Cockshott (wpc@cs.strath.ac.uk)
Fri, 2 Aug 1996 02:19:07 -0700 (PDT)

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Appropos whether Stalin's published works were forgeries

Jerry:
>I thought that was generally acknowledged by most critical biographers of
>Stalin.

Paul:
It depends on whether you mean critical or objective. I have read
three or four biographies including Deutscher's and I dont recall
any of them making a case for his works having been forged.
Not do I recall having heard, since the archives were opened,
that this had been established. If you have any specific
references to such evidence, cite it.

Jerry:
>Paul ... you are not politically identifying with and defending Stalin,
>are you?
>

Paul:
Defending against what?

Against the criticism of the capitalist restorationists certainly.
I would also defend the correctness of the policy of building socialism in one
country that the Soviet government followed prior to 1948.

I do not identify with Stalin, in the sense of thinking that the
policies and institutions of the USSR in the 30s and 40s should
be adopted today.
Paul Cockshott

wpc@cs.strath.ac.uk
http://www.cs.strath.ac.uk/CS/Biog/wpc/index.html