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Defending Marx 8: The Only Path to Realizing Socialism in the Marxian Sense

2008/2/27 16:19:03

What is discussed here is socialism in the Marxian sense, not the so-called socialism of every Tom, Dick, and Harry. Of course, you can snatch a chicken feather and call it socialism, but that has nothing to do with Marx. Here we explore only socialism in the Marxian sense.

Note: all forms of socialism that are not in the Marxian sense, from Marx's standpoint, are merely variations of capitalism—and the most debased among them still carry remnants of feudalism.

First, among all so-called Marxists and non-Marxists alike, there is this foolish question: "Doesn't socialism have to be realized country by country? There must be a sequence, right?" This kind of foolish question reveals only one fact: these people are utterly ignorant of socialism in the Marxian sense.

Socialism in the Marxian sense can only be a product of the advanced development of capital globalization. The advanced globalization of capital necessarily corresponds to economic integration, and standing on Marx's most fundamental logic that the economic base determines the superstructure, economic integration necessarily leads to political integration. Therefore, under capital globalization, the current so-called nation-states will gradually move toward fusion and integration. In other words, as long as nations are still nations, capital globalization has not reached its final limit.

One of the most important aspects of communism is the withering away of the state. The withering away of the state has two stages: one is the withering of the state's form, and the other is the withering of the state's content. Socialism, as a transitional stage of communism, must necessarily coincide with the withering of the state's form in its realization. That is to say, at the realization of socialism in the Marxian sense, the state as a form—particularly the fragmented form of nation-states—must simultaneously be abolished. Therefore, the realization of socialism fundamentally has nothing to do with whether it can be realized in one country first, because without the abolition of the fragmented form of nation-states, there is no realization of socialism.

This is the necessary conclusion of Marx's theoretical logic. And at the realization of socialism, when the fragmented form of nation-states is abolished, some basic content of the state will persist for a certain period—this is the so-called stage of the dictatorship of the proletariat. Once this stage concludes, the content of the state will also wither away, providing the most fundamental basis for the eventual transition to communism.

Capital globalization still has a long way to go before reaching its limit. The most urgent stage is the 1.25-billion-scale stage that this ID has repeatedly emphasized. This is the last fragmented stage before the limit of capital globalization, and whichever country becomes the leading nation of this stage will hold historically decisive significance.

This is also why this ID wrote Currency Wars and the RMB Strategy years ago. The trend of capital globalization is unstoppable by anyone. The only thing that can be done is to make China the leading nation of the 1.25-billion-scale stage. The significance of this cannot be overestimated.

Unfortunately, no one truly understands. Everyone is confused by minor trends and minor fluctuations. Let me put it bluntly: the abolition of the fragmented form of nation-states is inevitable—it is the inevitable result of capital globalization. This cannot be changed by anyone. And who ultimately abolishes whom is the most crucial question. If you cannot see this clearly, you have not understood Marx's theory at all.

Of course, socialism is not inevitably destined to emerge, because during the process of capital globalization, there are actually two possible choices: first, systemic collapse and human extinction; second, the system runs well and socialism is realized. Therefore, in the stage where capital globalization moves toward the abolition of the fragmented form of nation-states, the most important thing is to prevent systemic collapse.

Of course, if the system truly collapses, so be it. Humanity is merely an existence, and any existence undergoes birth, abiding, decay, and extinction. Marx's theory is the most perfect and supreme of all possible human theories, but this is only a minor path—because humanity is not merely humanity. This is what it truly means to be human.

Humanity can achieve communism, but this is not the ultimate truth. But if humanity cannot even realize communism, what awaits humanity is nothing but extinction. That is all.

Humanity nurtured the monster of capital. The power of capital can abolish everything, including itself and humanity. Whether it abolishes itself or humanity—that is the real historical choice facing humankind.