WWP summer classes on socialism
By Greg Butterfield
and Deirdre Griswold
This summer, Workers World Party in New York will be
sponsoring classes on socialism. Is socialism just a utopian
idea? Is it realistic to fight for socialism in the world's
most powerful capitalist country?
To answer these questions, it helps to know some
history.
The movement for socialism goes back to the early days of
industrial capitalism in Europe, when fierce class struggles
began to break out because of the glaring contradiction between
the tremendous productive potential unleashed by capitalism and
the growing misery of the working class.
It became clear to millions that while the new science and
technology held the promise of eradicating the age-old scourges
of poverty, disease, hunger and ignorance, their control by a
small privileged class subverted that goal.
The socialist movement grew into a powerful force in Europe
in the 19th century, and was able to win some improvements for
the workers. But it underwent a transformation as capital began
scouring the earth in search of super profits. The new
imperialist stage of the system exported the worst features of
capitalism to the oppressed colonial world. At the same time,
the Western ruling classes did all they could to tame the
workers' movement at home while cultivating racism and national
chauvinism in the population.
Of all the socialist parties in Europe, the one that most
successfully resisted this was in Russia. It refused to go
along with the imperialist war of 1914-18, and used the war
crisis to organize for a workers' and peasants' revolution.
With the Russian Revolution in 1917, the center of the world
movement for socialism began shifting from the industrialized
West to the oppressed nations of the East. Russia was a bridge
between the two. It had a revolutionary industrial working
class in several large cities, but most of the people,
scattered over a vast territory, were peasants living in
pre-capitalist conditions. With no help from workers'
revolutions in the West, the new Soviet Union barely survived
civil war and imperialist encirclement.
The years since have seen both triumphs and defeats for
socialism in many parts of the world. It is very difficult to
build a new, higher system of human relations on a low-tech
material foundation, but it is exactly those conditions,
accompanied by foreign imperialist oppression, that generated
the great revolutionary movements of the 20th century.
At the same time, the contradictions of capitalism have
become even more acute on a world scale, and continue to
generate not just class struggle but movements seeking total
social transformation.
Imperialist wars, the degradation of the environment, racism
and national oppression, sexism, the oppression of lesbian,
gay, bi and transgender people--all these problems added on to
the exploitation of the workers are generating social movements
looking for answers that can't be found in capitalism.
So people want to know, would socialism in the U.S. be like
Cuba, or China, or the Soviet Union? Or would it be
different?
Would it be limited to economic changes, or would it address
the causes of special oppressions?
If the means of production--the factories, mines, stores,
hospitals, etc.--are socially instead of privately owned, how
would the workers participate in planning their use so as to
best solve the needs of the people?
What is the role of a revolutionary party in this process,
or is one even necessary?
These are the kinds of questions that will be addressed in
the WWP classes.
Defend the socialist countries
With all their difficulties, the socialist revolutions to
date have clarified many things. Take Cuba, for example. It has
shown that, even with a formidable enemy just 90 miles from its
shores, the socialist revolution has made possible great
achievements for the people in health, education and the direct
participation of the workers in solving large and small
problems.
Its National Assembly is an example of people's power, where
all the important questions are discussed and acted upon. Its
members are chosen in competitive elections in the
neighborhoods and workplaces. This is a totally different
process than the high-priced elections in the U.S. that
guarantee victory for candidates anointed by the wealthy.
When Cuba faced hard times during the 1990s because of the
loss of the USSR as a trading partner and the tightening of the
U.S. blockade, assemblies of workers were held throughout the
island to discuss and decide on emergency economic
measures.
Can anyone imagine George W. Bush or Bill Clinton calling
for such assemblies?
What should progressives here be doing to support the
socialist gains in countries like Cuba, Vietnam and north
Korea, which have suffered so much at the hands of
imperialism?
Ultimately, the hope for socialism everywhere is linked to
the struggle in the big capitalist powers that dominate the
globe-especially the United States. A socialist revolution here
will face many challenges, but by mobilizing the greatest
popular participation it will have at hand all the necessary
resources to quickly meet the people's needs.
If you would like to learn more about WWP's summer classes,
call (212) 255-0352 or email ww@workers.org.
Reprinted from the June 6, 2002, issue of
Workers World newspaper
This article is copyright under a Creative
Commons License.
Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011
Email: ww@workers.org
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