[Marxism] MDC weaknesses

[S. Artesian]

I think it would be very hard to quantify levels of imperialist influence--  
but those who think the history of the Spanish Republic and the civil war 
are not germane to the discussion of Zimbabwe, "national revolutions," 
cross-class coalitions, etc. would benefit from a truly close study of the 
issues at hand during that period in that country.

I would strongly recommend ]The Spanish Republic and the Civil War, 
1931-1939[ by Gabriel Jackson.  Jackson points out that the second republic 
had been grappling for 5 years with the problems that today we now call 
"underdevelopment," and attempting to do so without giving itself over to 
civil war and revolutionary expropriation.

In addition that problem of underdevelopment was "uneven" in its 
manifestation with advanced industrial and agricultural areas scattered 
among and existing adjacent to the most backward relations of landed labor. 
And indeed, it is that question of landed labor, of land "reform" that 
proves itself so intractable to reform.  It is in the Andalusia that Spain 
upon the Reconquest developed its latifundia system, complete with a master 
class of war captains, and the racism against the rural laborers who more 
and more became landless.  I'm sure that this will sound familiar to our 
comrades in Latin America.

And there was foreign ownership of the MOP in Spain-- ATT owned the 
telephone works, etc. etc.

Moreover, the Republic suffered from the same actions that "underdeveloped" 
nations suffer today from their own and the foreign bourgeoisie whenever a 
radical government comes to power-- capital flight, refusals to extend 
credits, currency runs, etc.

But the real issue, that cuts across continents and eras is this argument 
that somehow imperialism oppresses all classes of an "underdeveloped" 
country, and that therefore all classes will support a program that opposes 
imperialism, and that is based on the unproven notion that there can even be 
made a distinction between international and "native" capitalism.

I think that close study of Spain, but not just Spain, but Bolivia, 
Venezuela, Chile, Argentina (including and particularly the Isabel Peron 
years), Brazil proves that all classes are not oppressed by imperialism, all 
classes will not support a program that opposes imperialism as, in fact, the 
distinction between international and native capitalism disappears as the 
basis of each and both, private property in land and labor, must be attacked 
in order to resolve the problems of "underdevelopment."



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Néstor Gorojovsky" <nmgoro at gmail.com>
To: <sartesian at earthlink.net>
Sent: Thursday, July 03, 2008 10:32 AM
Subject: Re: [Marxism] MDC weaknesses


> 2008/7/3, Louis Proyect <lnp3 at panix.com>:
>> Néstor Gorojovsky wrote:
>>  > Imperialism did not have the same influence in Spain, 1936, as it does
>>  > in Zimbabwe, 2008.