CB: But this is not the way in which Marx and Engels use "antagonism" to describe the antagonism being lived out during the time of Marx and Engels. They use "antagonism" to refer to the irreconcilable conflict or contradiction between antagonistic classes, not, as you say, between "the evolution and rise of the industrial system and its bourgeois mode of production versus the landed property relations and its political superstructure called feudalism."
**************** WL: I read your second sentence . . .""antagonism" . . . refer to the irreconcilable conflict or contradiction between antagonistic classes," as a historically obsolete rendering of antagonism. This formulation is in my opinion, "standard" issue of the Third Communist International and the Stalin polarity of which I evolved my particular form and rendering of Marxism. The Stalin polarity existed in relations to political Trotskyism and other Leninists treads, but contained within itself several divisions. I absolutely agree that antagonism refers to "contradiction between antagonistic classes." However, after the publication of the 1939 Textbook of Marxists Philosophy antagonism as a concept was described as a specific mode of resolution of contradiction. What drives the antagonistic mode of resolution is not t he contradiction or conflict between worker and capitalist as property categories. I would love to hear your point of view on this matter. I will again quote Lenin when he states: "Antagonism and contradiction are by no means the same. Under socialism the first will vanish, the second will remain." What vanishes is the specific mode of resolution. Marx does of course speak specifically of the bourgeoisie as a class existing in antagonism to the advance of the productive forces and the does it in the Communist Manifesto. "The bourgeoisie finds itself involved in a constant battle. At first with the aristocracy; later on, with those portions of the bourgeoisie itself, whose interests have become antagonistic to the progress of industry; at all time with the bourgeoisie of foreign countries. In all these battles, it sees itself compelled to appeal to the proletariat, to ask for help, and thus, to drag it into the political arena. The bourgeoisie itself, therefore, supplies the proletariat with its own elements of political and general education, in other words, it furnishes the proletariat with weapons for fighting the bourgeoisie. " Repeat: "The bourgeoisie finds itself involved in a constant battle . . . with those portions of the bourgeoisie itself, whose interests have become antagonistic to the progress of industry." Why does this happen? Enough said Waistline _______________________________________________ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
