The Actuality of Communism by Bruno Bosteels

303 Pages·2011·5.15 MB·English

The ActualoifCt oym munism
The Actuality
ofC ommunism
BRUNO BOSTEELS
VI'.RSO
Firpsutb libsyVh eerds2 o0 11
© BrunBoo st2e0e1ls1
Alrli grhetsse rved
Them oral orfti hgaehu ttshh oarvb ee eans serted
13 5 71 0869 42
Verso
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Contents
Inotdruction
The OntologTiucranl 42
2 PolitIincfsr,a poalnidtt hiIecm sp,o litical 75
3 Leftiasmn dI tDsi scontents 129
4 InS earocfth h Aec t 170
5 The ActuaolfiC toym munism 225
Conclusion 269
Acknogwmlesen dt 289
Index 291
Introduction
Communiissmt hes olutoifto hnre i ddolfhe i story,
andk nowist steobl eft hseo lution.
- KarMla rxE,c onoamnidc
PhiloMsaonpurhsiicpocft1 8s4 4
Moret haan s oluttioto hnep roblewmeas r fea cing
todacyo,m muniissmi tstehlenf a meo fa problem:
a namef otrh ed ifficutlatso kfb reakoiuntog f t he
confinoefts h e ma-rakn-edst t fartaem ewaot raksf,ko r
whicnhoq uifcko rmuilsaa th and.
- SlavZoijz eFki,ra ssTt r adgye,
Thena sF arce
Inth eN ameo fC ommunism
"OfW hatI sC ommunistmhN ea me?S"u cwha st hgeu id­
inqgu estbieohni anr de cesnpte cdioasls oifeC ro ntermepTs,
thFer enjcohu ronfac lo mmuncirsitt icqou-ef oubnydt ehde
latDea niBeeln sa"id.i nPr aerstplotyno st eh Mea rc2h0 09
Londocno nfer"eOnntc heIe d eoafC ommunisomr;g'a nized
byC ostDaosu ziannadsS lavZoijz epka,r talsay t ongue-in­
cheeakl lustioAo lna iBna diobue'sst seThlelM eera noifn g
2 THE ACTUALITOYF COMMUNISM
Srakotzhyoe, r igiFnraeln tciht olfwe h icwho ultdr anslate
literaasal/ lWyha ItsS r akyo ztNhamee ?pa,r ttlody e fyt he
half-hecaerlteebdr aotfNi oovnesm b2e0r0 i9nh onoorft he
twentainentihv erosfta hrceyo llaopfts heBe e rlWianl aln,d
partilnpy r eparaftoiaron no thienrt ernactoinofnearle nce,
"PotentioafCl oimtmiuensi sOmf:W hatI sC ommunism
thNea meT odayh?e:l'id n P ariinsJ anua2r0y1 j0u sdta ys
afteBre nsasludc cumtboea ld o ng-tielrlmna en susm,b er of
'
authofrrsoa mv arioeftb ya ckgrowuenrdaess ketdod efine
thpeo ssisbtlaeki ensv olivnte hdce u rrreenvti ovfia nlt erest
int hied eaan dp ractoifcc oem muni"sHma:v teh ceo mmu­
nisitd eaan dt hceo mmunniasmtbe e ehni storciocmaplrloy­
miseidnt hel ascte ntubryty h esitra tainsdbt u reaucratic
usetso,t hpeo inotfh avibnegc omuen pronouncOera ble?
elsoefw, h at-iodfea an othweorr lcdr,i tuitcoaplei maa,n ci­
patomroyv emesnttr,a theypgoitch esisc-ocmamnu nibsem
thnea met odaAyn?d w hereliinie tsss t ialclt iavcet uality?"l
DaniBeeln sSat'iadt,Kh oiusv elaankFdir sa,nS ciit"seD le, quoi
Iec ommuniessmtel- ei mln?o"C ontermep,TsR:e dveuc er itique
comnmiu4s( tWein2t0e0r19 2I).n:t h fier ssetc toifotinhn et roduc­
tiohne rIer ,e woarnkd exmpyao nrdi gainnsawlte or etdhiet ors'
openqiunegs tOitohnce.or n tritbou tCtohoresn termepdTso ssier
inclVuerdoen iBqeureg Oelni,v Bieensrca enAolte,Cx a llinicos,
PieDrrared oIts,a bGealrlMoei, c hKeolz lowCshkrii,sL taivaanl ,
MichSeulr aynaEd,l lMeeni ksWioondsT. h per oceefdriotnmhg es
Marc2h0 0L9on dcoonn ferheanvcee p buebelni isnEh negdl aiss h
The IodefCao mmuneids.m ,C ostasa nDdSo luazvZiionzjae sk
(�ondVoerns:o2 ,0 1A0l)a.Bi and ioDueq' su oSia rkeosztIy-e i l
nom(?P aris:2 0L0ihg7an)bse e se,tn r ansilnattEoen dg laiss h
INTRODUCTION 3
Inh omagteoB ensa'id-wIhm oemti np ersoonnl oyn ce,
inL isbbounwt,h osuen paralilnetleerdn atviiosniaaonlndi st
generosseirtavysea c onstraenmti nodfew rh aatn i ntellec­
tuacla ann ds houdlod-I w oulwda ntth feo llocwhianpgt ers
tob er eaadso ngoiantgt emtpoat nss wheirrs e quaensdti ts
guidgiq nuestion.
Myo rigirneaslp olniskteeh, a otfm any other contributors
noto nltyot hsep ecdioasls oifeC ro ntermepbTsuat l stoot he
proceedfirnotgmhs Pe a rciosn ference pupbalritsiihanel dl y
as peciisaslou fet hjeo urAnaclt Muaerlcx o,n sisted rather
coyilnyr aisain negws eotfs ubsidqiuaersyt ions.
Firlsyit,n deewdh,a its t ob ed onwei tthh ep asatn d
witthh eb urdeonfh istoCrayn?w ef ormulaa ftoer omf
communismi-daesaa s,m ovemenatsh, yp othesoiras s,
progrfaomtr;h tei mbee intgh idsi spuwtoeu lndo tm atter
TheM eanoiSfnag r ktorzayDn,as v.iF de rnb(aLcohn dVoerns:o ,
200T8h)ib.so okl'apssa trw ta asl so pusbpelairsahatese"d lT yh e
CommunHiypsott heNseiwLsft e: R'e vi4e9(w 02 082)9:- T4h2e.
program for 2t0h1eP0 a Jrcaionsnu faerry"e Pnucies sdaun ces
communi(sDmqeeu ocio mmuniessmtae-u oijulr d'Ihenu oim? )' :
organbiyDz aendi Beeln scaa'ibnde f, ou nod n-laitwn wewc .ontre­
tepmsu. teogetwhietsrhe vevriadle iotsps;a rtnitcpsia praltliya
overeldawp iptthh ofsreo tmh Leo ndcoonn fermeonsnctoe t,a bly
int hpee rsoofTn osn iN egrJia,c qRuaensc iere,T osAclabneor,t o
anSdl vaoZji zewkh,i olteh sepre akienrcsl,uE dtiinegBn anleair b,
AleCxa llinanidIc soasb,Ge alrldoee, s painut ned leyrisnygm pa­
thyw,e roep enolrcy o verctrliyto ifBc aadolui 'isnt iiatSiovmee.
oft hceo ntribtuott hiicosonn sf erceanancl esb oef oundi nt he
specdioaslst iietrCl oedm muniesdmitebey?Jd ,a cqBuiedsfe otr
thjeo urAncatlMu aerl4x 8( 2010).
4 THE ACTUALITOYF COMMUNISM
much-withaouutto matihcaavlilntygo f acuep t ot he
disastervoi.udse nscteo riendt heo fficiaanld u nofficial
archiOveris s?t hec hoiocfeo neo ft hesoept iosnasyi, n
favoorfc ommuniassma ni deolohgyipcoatlh reastihse r
thaans a reamlo vemenatl,r eabdoyu ntdo i mpacotu r
capactioct oyn frtohnihtsi stcorriyt icTahliilssay g ?e nera­
tionqaule stniood no,u betv,e tnh ohut ghneo tioofgn e ner­
atiosnt,e eapseid it s i nt hied eoloofcg oyn sumebraissemd
ont hem odeolf t hep araldleevle lopomfei nntd ividuals
ande rasse,e mtsom et op roviadf ea lwsien doBwu.ti ti s
alsaoq uestoifot nr ansmiasnsdic oonn testbaettiwoene n
anda crogsesn erataip ornosb,lo efwm h ich Bensald toward
thee ndo fh ilsi fbee camaec utaewlayr "eS.os omething
hasc omet oa ne ndt ogetwhietrth h et wenticeetnht ury,
betwetehnfe a (loltr h teo pploifnt ghB)ee rlWianla ln dt he
9/1a1t tacSkosm.e thibnugtw, h atF?r omt hiqsu estiino n
suspeinsbs oer naenu ndenimaabllaeii snte r ansmission;'
Bensawlrdo tiena nh omagoefh iosw nt,o t hTer otskyist
intellectuaaln,d e mdiiltJioatrca qnuHtea,ss soubne,f ore
addrestshiinmsga laiosrde i sconutnednettr h reu broifc
thef ollowqiunegs tiWohnasti: st ob et ransmiHtotwe d?
tot ransmAintdw? h yt ransmBiutta? l sIow ,o uladd ds o
ast om akee xpliacnui ntd erstsaetlefd- crittowi hcaits m:
extesnhto uwledt rutshtoe l mda steirnts e rmosfw hatth ey
decitdote r ansomrni ott tihnfe i rpslta ce?2
2 ,DaniBeeln s"aMiadl,ad ainsIseta r ansmiJsasciqHouanes.ss oun
ouI eS ageen ga(gaeu"t htoypre'ssc) rB.ie pnatsidh'osm awgiet,th h e
INTRODUCTION 5
Ifi ti sc ommunitshma itsa n ewi deianE urotpoed ay,
asB adiocul aiwmhsy,a ret hes oixanatredw-shh,et uhietr
TrotskyMiasoti,sa tn,a rcohrio stth etrh,oe n etso p roclaim
thinso velatltylh, we h ilree peatthienoiglr qd u ibbilnte hse
proceSshso?u clodm muninsomta bandtohni" sm ost intol­
erabbluer detn"h aitsa lstoh "eo ncuep oant imeor"t h"ei t
waso"ft hpea sotfE, sw aras,N i etzsucshetedo s aiyn Th us
SpokZea rathtuow shitcraFhr, e ud seteorm eepdwl iyt hhi �
ownm axiomf W oe sw asro ilciwh e rd"eWnhe,ri etw asI,
shaclolm teo b e;a'si ft oe chZoa rathuSsotwr oal'ilsct ehes !
ast hdee cisaicovtfet hwei ltlh asto lvtehrsei ddolfee v eErys
wa(r' 'A'liwlta si'sa f ragmearn itd,d ald er,e adcfuhla nce­
unttihlce r eatwiivlsela ytsoi t':B uIwt i lliettd h us!F"r'o3m) ?
puni ni ttsi tolnSe i gmuFnrde uCdi'vsi lainzdaD tiIitsoscn o ntents
(usutarlalnys ilnaFttroee dna cMsh a ladiaslnecas i vilsipsieafct­ion),
icatllayk tehsfe ro m aor fe vioeftw w bo oobkysJ acqHuaesss oun,
LeCso ntresbd aen mdleaimi eor(reP aSryirs1o:s9 ,9a 4n)Ad c tueasl it
d'umna la(iPsaerE irse1:s9 ,9 F7o)ra. p ortroafiB te ni'sdal'isf e,
charaacntwdeo rr,k sthhoauthl edlt ph cer oss-genterraantsi­onal
missisoeSnee, b astian" ThBeRu eddHg uesns,Da arn:iB eeln sai'd,
1946-2I0net1r0n:a'tS ioocniaaAlQl u iasrmtyJ:e uo rrlnoaSflo cialist
Theor1y2 (7J u2n0e1 a0v)a,i loanb-llaeitw n wew. isj.Soeraegl .suok .
thsep eciisasolufL e i g3n2e( Msa 2y0 1w0i)tc,ho ntribfurtoimo ns
AlaBiand iEotui,e Bnanlei Sbtaart,Kh oiusv esl,Mai kcihLa6ewly ,
EnzTor arvseaon odt hers.
3 FriedrNiiceht zs"cVhoend, e rE rl6suAnlgs:so'rp ach
ZarathinuWe srtkKrerai: t iGsecshaem gtaabeueds,. Giorgio Colli
and Mazzino vMo6ol1:n.( t BienraWlraliitn,de: erG ruyt1er98,6) ,
17Th7u;s S pokZea rathtursatnRrs.J. a.H , o llin(gLdoanldeo n:
Pengu1i9n6,19 6)3S,i. g muFnrde umda'xsi Wmo e sw arU i scoh
werd("eWnh iewtra esI s, h aclolmt eob eo"r" Wheirdwe a st,h ere