1009 (Part 1/10) Lenin's book "The State and Revolution" needs a RELOOK-INTO.

In the Context of the Centenary Year of the Bolshevik Revolution 1917 (Also called October Revolution 1917) in the Russian History, one short book of just 73 pages, which can be freely downloaded at Marxists.org is worth reading. Here is link: Click here to go to https://www.marxists.org/ebooks/lenin/state-and-revolution.pdf, for downloading the book.. For those Readers who do not have time to look into this 73 page book, can study this Book Review by Reddebrek Jun 24 2017 at his blog. Link: Click here to go to https://libcom.org/blog/whatever-happened-dear-old-lenin-24062017 and study the Review. The Review is titled: "Whatever happened to Dear old Lenin?". The Article has quite a large number of quotes from the "State and the Revolution" by Lenin, and the Essayist's observations, many of which are reasonable when viewed from a 2017 Environment. Of course, we all of us are, lettered and thinking individuals, with individual freedoms to think and express in the way we like.

ybrao-a-donkey's personal views which are not intended to be imposed on others

In my youth, and early middle age, I used to be a great Admirer of Lenin, his being the first person to have tried to 'reproduce in action' the precepts of Karl Marx and Frederic Engels. It is the case of "Great Expectations" which ought not to have been hoped for from Pioneers of Movements.

What has particularly disappointed me, in Lenin's Administration?

I thought that Lenin would implement the Communism / Marxism / Socialism (or whatever Marx and Engels have advocated / dreamed of), in its true spirit, at least substantially. But it did not happen.

Example

I thought that Lenin would completely nationalise Agriculture, and make into a State Enterprise, in which peasants, agricultural workers, landlords (kulaks) of the pre-revolution days will be Employees of Equal Pay and Equal Rank. I expected that both the profits and risks/losses from agriculture would go to the State. But, it didn't seem to have happened. Instead, he had introduced a system of targets of production to peasants, and purchase of their produce at State stipulated prices. That meant, the risks of agriculture, he had asked the farmers to bear. Though theoretically, the peasants could keep with them the production made by them in excess of State-imposed targets, that could never have happened because targets were too steep, and unattainable even in the best of Crop Years.

This system might have helped the Urban Organised Labor, the 'Blue Eyed Boys' of the Soviet Dictators, by providing them cheap agri-products procured from the peasants and supplied by the State, at the cost of peasants.

Can you correlate this to what is happening now (2017) in India, and some other countries, including some European countries?

Ans; Though ostensibly there are some benefits intended to come to rescue of farmers, such as Crop Insurance, Minimum Support Price Mechanism, Construction and Maintenance of Market Yards, Ever-rising prices of Agri-Inputs in spite of Input Subsidy Schemes etc., the most important missing element continues to be RISK MANAGEMENT which the small and marginal farmers are ill-equipped to handle. These risks are of myriad types such as vicissitudes and vagaries of monsoons, pests, excess domestic production, dumped imports at prices less than the domestic costs of production, from overactive exporting countries under the pretext of commitments to WTO-GATT and Free Trade Agreements, to name a few. The problems of small and marginal farmers are compounded by their inability to keep their produce(s) at home till prices change in their favor. Consequently, they are forced to sell their produce at below-cost prices, while hoarders and blackmarketeers who purchase from the peasants pocket super profits arising out of upward price changes.

One major difference we can see between the conditions of the Euro-American-ANZ farmers, and the Indian farmers, is that EurAmANZ farmers do not commit suicides, whereas Indian farmers commit suicides regularly, harassed and abetted by Private money lenders. Another important difference is, in India, we have millions of 'oral-tenant farmers' that is their leases are not rendered into writing by means of lease agreements with land-owners. That means we get three types of farmers:

1) 'On paper-farmers' and 'Real Farmers'. On paper-farmers (Absentee Landlords) collect all the benefits which Governments extend to farmers from States' and Central Exchequer. In this class, we get Government Employees, Private Executives, Professionals, Politicians, et al., apart from genuine Land-Lords who cultivate lands with tractors and machinery.
2) Real farmers (oral tenants who are not recognised by State) are left to their fate.
3) Mixed- farmers: Marginal farmers who own very small pieces of land say less than 2.5 acres which they themselves cultivate, and to support their livelihood, they take on oral leases additional, say 3 or 4 acres o land to supplement their activity.

This is a 1000 page subject, though even if I write the 1000 pages, nobody will read. This is the first of the 10 parts series, which I intend to write.

To come back and continue adding / deleting / modifying. सशेष. ఇంకా ఉంది.

916 (1 of 100 series). A look at V.I. Lenin, the first person who tried to implement his own brand of Marxism/Communism

We see in the so called democratic politicians professing liberalism, a trait of arrogance, and a sort of self-righteousness, which makes them to be rude when dealing with people and persons. When the recipients of such rudeness or hurtful conversations, later seek corrections / explanations from the speakers, they refuse to withdraw their remarks. They even try to pass on the buck to Media, saying that Media has twisted what they said. Or the politicians blatantly deny what they have said amidst media glare, and even when audio/ video clippings are available. Lenin, the mass leader of the 1917 Russia, who led Bolshevik Revolution there, seems to be somewhat an exception. Lenin might have been a dictator. May be under his tyrannical directions his cronies might have sent dissenters to Labor Camps, or killed them. But, this paragraph from his letter dated 16th June 1921 addressed to his Comrades Koenen, Thalheimer, Fröhlich prima facie shows that he did not hesitate to apologise to the concerned persons or withdraw his words..

Source: Vol. 45, of V.I. Lenin's Collected Works. Vol. 45 deals with his letters, to various persons during the period 1921-1923.

To WILHELM KOENEN, AUGUST THALHEIMER AND PAUL FRÖHLICH

Dear Comrades!

I have received a copy of your letter to our Party’s Central Committee. Thank you very much. I communicated my answer orally yesterday. I take this opportunity to emphasise that I do most resolutely withdraw the rude and impolite expressions I used, and hereby repeat my oral apology in writing.

With communist greetings,
Lenin

yb-donkey's personal views which are not intended to be imposed on others

I am not a worshipper or an irrational critic of Lenin.
This is only an exploratory and truth-seeking blog post. And, this is the first of a series of many, to follow. When new evidence(s) are found, I may change what I have written here. Hence, pl. forbear with me if there are any temporary errors/transgressions / unsound illogical deductions from Lenin's letters .

To continue. सशेष. ఇంకా ఉంది.

862 (1st of 10 series) No need to celebrate or mourn Bolshevik Revolution in Russia,Oct. 1917. We need to analyse where we have gone wrong!

Once bitten, twice shy. Thus says the traditional English idiom. 100 years have passed since Bolshevik Revolution took place in Czarist Russia of 1917. The Bolshevik Revolution was violent, and in the upheaval, the last Tsar Emperor of Russia Nicholas II or Nikolai I, was killed by Bolshevik Troup led by Yakov Yurovsky. The advent of U.S.S.R. (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) took place, and Lenin became the undisputed Leader of the geographically the most expansive Nation of the World.

In 1991, when Gorbachev was at the helm of U.S.S.R., it broke into splinters. About the 74 years existence (1917 to 1991) of U.S.S.R., superficially as a Communist / Socialist Nation, there are divergent opinions. According to the Capitalist Press, Communism was a total failure. According to them, it is beyond redemption. They say that, we, should now, mourn, the Bolshevik Revolution and the Communism. Lenin might have implemented his brand of Communism, rather boorishly and with procacity. It may be true, that erstwhile USSR went through harrowing and gruesome tales of mass-killings, ferocious persecution, in the hands of succeeding cruel dictators. Their oppression might have, really been brutal.

Here is a link to one article in Spectator.co.u.k., titled: "The centenary of the Russian revolution should be mourned, not celebrated"., dated 10th Dec. 2016, by Max Hastings Click to go to http://www.spectator.co.uk/2016/12/the-centenary-of-the-russian-revolution-should-be-mourned-not-celebrated/. The article has collected all the negative sides of the Soviety History 1917-2017. In reality, Soviet Communism might not have been so sepulchral dark and despicable with ghastly shrieks and charnel smells. We shall have a sample from this article:

"...In the West, the gullibility of the Webbs, Bernard Shaw and the rest of the ‘true believers’ was fed by a desperation to suppose the Soviet example viable. ‘Looking around us at our own hells,’ wrote the historian Philip Toynbee, who became a communist at Cambridge, ‘we had to invent an earthly paradise somewhere else’. As late as 1945, the leftist publisher Victor Gollancz brought posterity’s contempt upon himself by declining to publish Animal Farm, George Orwell’s great satire on Bolshevism. ..."

"...President Putin has made unlawful all published mention of the unspeakable cruelties the Soviet regime inflicted on its own citizens — shooting an estimated 300,000 soldiers for alleged desertion or cowardice — in order to prevail. Antony Beevor’s books, and for that matter my own, are nowadays banned because they describe the Red Army’s 1945 campaign of rape and pillage in Germany. ..."

The defunct Soviet Union might not have been either a paradise or, - a hell as is made out now, from hindsight.

Capitalist writers forget the hells created by Imperialism, Colonialism, and Corporate Multi Nationalism. Of course, two wrongs may not make one 'right'. Like slow poison, industrial and agricultural exploitation too took its toll, making people undeclared slaves, before the pulpit of "CASH".

INDIAN WRITER SHRI MOHAN GURUSWAMY, in DECCAN CHRONICLE.COM.

Here is a link to the renowned Indian Writer's article, Shri Mohan Guruswamy, in DeccanChronicle.Com, dated 24th Dec. 2016, when the whole world was celebrating Christmas. Click to go to http://www.deccanchronicle.com/opinion/op-ed/241216/will-russian-spring-return.html. The title of the article is Will the Russian Spring return?

Every sentence written by Shri Guruswamy is worth discussing and analysing. To start with we shall take one paragraph:

The second time I stayed in a small Moscow apartment belonging to an old Russian widow, who for a small dollar price agreed to part with her state-allotted home for a few days. The flat, a few kilometres away from the Indian embassy at Ulitza Obhuka, was as tiny as they come. The bedroom had enough place for just a single bed. The living room was of the same size and had a sofa-cum-bed. The kitchen was tiny and bare. The bathroom was not much bigger than a train toilet. Food was not available for love or money but there was a lot of love available for food or money. In the small store that stood outside the Indian embassy the shelves were bare, as were the shelves in Moscow’s famous GUM store facing the Kremlin. I wanted to experience typical Russian life and got plenty of it. The ruble was officially on par with the US dollar, but on the street the dollar fetched a dozen rubles at least. And for a carton of Marlboro cigarettes (then $8 in Delhi’s duty-free) cabbies would drive you all over Moscow for as long as one wanted. Such was the plight of the other superpower.

yb-a-donkey's observations

With due respect to Shri Mohan Guruswamy, who says "Will the Russian Spring return?", we can also say "Will the American Spring return? Will the British / French / German / Italian / Portuguese / Spanish Springs return?

To continue. सशेष. ఇంకా ఉంది.

842 A reasonably good obituary essay for Late Fidel Castro, by Shri Parsa Venkateswara Rao Jr., Senior Journalist

A reasonably impartial obituary for Late Fidel Castro, by Senior Indian English Journalist, Shri Parsa Venkateswara Rao Jr., can be found at Deccan Chronicle.com. Click to go to http://www.deccanchronicle.com/opinion/op-ed/301116/fidel-was-no-stalin-more-like-ho.html. Indian Capitalist Media seems to have ignored the demise of Fidel Castro, the former Cuban Dictator, as something untouchable. Fortunately, Deccan Chronicle has not done it. Proof, the piece of write-up, titled : "Fidel was no Stalin, more like Ho", by Shri Parsa Venkateswara Rao.

We shall take up a few quotes from the article of Shri Parsa Venkateswara Rao Jr. for an analytical review:

"... The pragmatist in Castro is best seen in the fact that Cubans who were allowed to go to the United States remitted huge amounts in dollars, and the Cuban dictator did not show any aversion for the capitalist dollar. The major achievement of the Castro government has been the welfare measures of free education, healthcare along with employment and housing, which seems to have kept the people at large in good humour. There is no doubt that he dealt harshly with his critics, imprisoned them or exiled them. But this did not seem to lead to popular discontent. ..."

yb-a-donkey: No aversion to Capitalist dollars! Welfare measures! Dealt harshly with his critics! Imprisoned them! Exiled them! This didn't lead to popular discontent!

Everything is crystal clear. No need to add more.

"...The state-run economy was not a huge success and people were allowed to run their own farms and businesses by and by. The iron curtain between Cuba and the United States was rather a thin one. ..."

yb-a-donkey: Mr. Castro's coterie members and cronies might have been allowed to do businesses and own farms. Where is Marxism or Socialism or Communism in all this? Castro might not have sold himself out to Capitalism, as openly as the Chinese Dictators. But degradation, though its intensity may vary, is very obvious.

To continue someday. कुछ अन्य दिन इसको जारी रखूंगा। ఇంకో రోజు దీనిని కొనసాగిస్తాను.

840 There will be many Odes and Hagiographies for Fidel Castro, but Facts may not support them

The sad demise of Fidel Castro, the ailing Dictator of Cuba is not totally unexpected. My heartfelt condolences. Late Fidel Castro had made alternate succession arrangements for anointment of his own brother as the next Dictator of Cuba. United States may be happy that the new rulers will be more amicable towards them. There is nothing specially right or wrong in that. What is permanent in this simultaneously Static and Dynamic World is, "Change". In the long run, we are all dead. There is nothing to rejoice about in the dynastic succession of Raul Castro to the throne of Cuba, as long as it is not democracy, through the expression of freewill of people of Cuba, howsoever, enlightened or unenlightened they may be.

If the Western Press, and the Euro-American writers get suddenly interested in Cuba, they may write some Odes, and hagiographies, digging out from the histories. Thereafter, they can also, and they usually do as is the habit of the Capitalist Histories, bury Late Fidel Castro into their standard templated pits of made-out histories, painting persons either as greats or villains.

We shall take up a sample set of FOUR quotes attributed to Late Fidel Castro.

A revolution is a struggle to the death between the future and the past.

They talk about the failure of socialism but where is the success of capitalism in Africa, Asia and Latin America?

I find capitalism repugnant. It is filthy, it is gross, it is alienating... because it causes war, hypocrisy and competition.

The revolution is a dictatorship of the exploited against the exploiters.

ybrao-a-donkey: Examination of the above three sample quotes

A revolution is a struggle to the death between the future and the past.

Talk about "struggle to death" is all nothing but empty chivalry. Marxist / Communist / Socialist / Proletarian Revolutions are not EXPECTED to be one time affairs. Such struggles-to-death tend to be one-time revolutions, lasting as long as the first leader lives, or, until the first leader is displaced/replaced. On the other hand, we need paradigm shifts of thought processes and skills of the EXPLOITED.

Revolutions are expected to be EVOLUTIONARY PROCESSES working within and over the hearts and minds of the proletarians. They are expected to be more of MENTAL EVOLUTIONS AND REVOLUTIONS. Obviously, they are expected to be gradual and time-consuming.

They talk about the failure of socialism but where is the success of capitalism in Africa, Asia and Latin America?

ybrao-a-donkey: Late Castro, by referring to Africa, Asia and Latin America, seems to be believing that Capitalism is a success in Europe, North America, ANZ. There are reasons to believe that Capitalism is a greater failure in the Industrial and Commercial World of EuroAmerica and ANZ, when compared to Africa-Asia-Latin-America, where it has not been sufficiently experimented upon. Capitalism, everywhere, makes a facade of success, in spite of its monstracity.

I find capitalism repugnant. It is filthy, it is gross, it is alienating... because it causes war, hypocrisy and competition.

ybrao-a-donkey: Using attributes like "filthy" does not add anything to the undesirable nature of Capitalism. While it is not possible in this brief write-up, to comment about Capitalism causing war and hypocrisy, I cannot altogether ignore, "Competition".

Competition per se , does not appear to be bad. Even in Communism (all its brand names Marxism, Socialism, etc.), there is need of competition among Public Sector Institutions. Without a healthy competition, lives can become dull and uninteresting. I have repeatedly emphasized that there is a dire/strong need for competition among proletarian parties, functioning with bottom-to-top leadership-transfer style.

The revolution is a dictatorship of the exploited against the exploiters.

ybrao-a-donkey: One dictatorship cannot replace another dictatorship. Dictatorship of Exploiters cannot be replaced by Dictatorship of Exploited. Reason: Dictatorships breed more dictatorships. Even if some Revolutions by situational and circumstantial compulsions start as violent upheavals,they are bound and expected to evolve as DEMOCRACIES OF THE EXPLOTED. Dictatorships breed callousness and apathy, apart from corruption. Dictators will ask people to eat cakes, where even bread is not available.

Sometimes, dictatorships can arise, with masks of democracies. Bottom-to-top Management Methods will get replaced by preachings and tyrannical hukums from the top.

To continue . सशेष. ఇంకా ఉంది.