In history and as historical character, I was in the camp of the anarcho-syndicalist deviation (without quotes) in 1919 and 1920 Russia. While I never abandoned this political ideology, several of Lenin articles and the strength of his personality convinced me of the danger of belonging to a political faction. In Russia of 1920 a political faction did not mean comrades with a different view who fought for their views. A political faction meant a separate organization within the party formed on the basis of a political ideology; with a separate press and publishing capacity; a separate dues structure because all distinct political groups must raise money to exist, and more than less secret cells, within the cells of the party.
A faction does not mean the existence of different and coherent body's of thought. In history, from 1920 to the early 1990s, my anarcho political orientation, with it romantic and intoxicating visions of industrial workers councils and industrial general strikes storming the citadels of capital, began a fundamental collapse and restructuring. Not as the result of some spiritual like change in political ideology, but because all political ideology - without exception, is connected to and expresses something material, that in the last instance is bound up with the productive forces and the interplay of classes as they collude and collide. I understood Lenin's meaning but my reality ran against the grain of his theoretical underpinning. I most certainly understood myself to be planted firmly within Engels writings and critique of anarchism, and this was expressed by an undying loyalty to the dictatorship of the proletariat as it was expressed as the worker-peasant alliance - government, that gave shape to the proletarian state; the supreme guardian of, and extra legal terrorist organs that protected the new laws of society that prohibited virtually anything from passing to the hands of the consuming workers other than means of consumption. In 1922/4 I could not be part of the Left Opposition because of their program and misunderstanding of industry as a living organism that could not be housed in "militarization of labor." I had read about Mr. Trotsky and the nice things Lenin said. but I had also studied Lenin for years, even before the revolution and knew Mr. Trotsky was never really part of the Lenin Group, and therefore had no real future because the old heads tended to only really support the other old heads. Never being scared to express my views unwaveringly, I was not a factionalist. What would happen 70 years later in 1990's, was experiencing the waves of social consequences that was the destruction and transformation of the industrial system as I had known it and as it had been transferred to me through family and dad working for Ford Motor Company for more than 30 years. The platform on which was erected the "industrial ideology" of anarcho-syndicalism was being furthered shattered by Marx famous "progress of industry." Not all at one time. But when fundamental tings change, everything dependent upon that, which is fundamental, must in turn change incrementally. There will be workers strikes and general strikes to bring down the government and bring society to insurrection. However, until such strikes leap outside of the bounds of just strikes, nothing changes and only momentary concessions can be won. The October Revolution was not a gigantic strike. Most people went to work on the day Lenin seized power. Anarcho-syndicalism is of course a combination of ideological anarchism as an expression of a concept of the state withering away detached from the value relations and the dying off of classes attached to value production; and French syndicalism with it called for the general industrial strike as the supreme weapon to bring down the government. Hence, its over emphasis on trade union forms and self perpetrating workers councils, as the most personalized conception of the meaning of political democracy. I happened to personally know that the real proletarian masses hated these petty bourgeois concepts of democracy because they required endless meetings and after ten years of such meeting, you become aware of the "self contained political logic of meeting." This logic or rule is that you begin to meet to set up the next meeting and every comrade has experienced this. Plus, the real proletarian masses hated rotating leadership and understood democratic centralism to be no more or less that the inherent organization of th factory system. You stand at the political assembly line and contribute. I also discovered the secret to a meeting is 45 minutes and the meeting ends no matter what has not been covered on the agenda. Then you have an after meeting with music drinks, checkers or cards. Anarcho-syndicalism as political ideology is neither good nor bad, in its theoretical roots, as such, but is riveted to a material configuration of the productive forces. Although Marxism is not compatible with anarcho-syndicalism, this does not and never meant both could not coexist in the same organization. If fact all healthy Communists Party's in the industrial countries recruited directly from the workers in large scale industry, and this very act recreated and continuously gave to anarcho-syndicalism. Even if an organization tried to stamp out anarcho-syndicalism as a political ideology it was doomed to ultimate fail because this ideology does not spontaneous spring from ideas detached from material relations of production. By material relations of production is meant the actualized conditions of labor - the division of labor, compelling labor to group itself in large factories. What one ended up doing was purging individuals only to recruit new individuals "suffering" from the same ailment. The state cannot cure a psychosis. What destroys anarcho-syndicalism as a political institution is the revolution in the productive forces, that reconfigures industry and destroys the old industrial shape of production. Specifically, when I entered industry . . . again . . . in 1970, there were 125,000 Chrysler UAW workers. Today, there are 43,000 and rapidly falling and these 43,000 can produce a magnitude of commodities = to the 125,000. This means a 2/3 fall in value - the amount of socially necessary labor. Twenty years later - from 1990 to 2009, anarcho-syndicalism as a political ideology only exists in the minds and hearts of those of another generation and era. Sometime between 1979 and 1983, I was in Chicago, the party's center, and call onto the carpet before basically a tribunal and charged and question about my anarcho-syndicalism. by either 3 or 4 leading comrades whom I deeply respected. I believe in my hear to this day the purpose was my purge on the grounds of anarcho-syndicalism. I basically answered all the question to the affirmative, because I have never felt the need to hide or lie about my political convictions. The leading comrade - Chairman, asked me what I had to say in my defense. By basic attitude and defense was that I am not required to defend my political ideology or convictions to anyone, at any time for any reasons. I will explain the facts. "The fact of the matter is that I have done nothing in violation of the party program. I recruit members, sell more papers than 90% of the party members; volunteer for all assignments; pay more than my dues on a regular basis and I am trying to figure out what part of the party program or policy I am in violation of. The Chairman smiled and said "dammit Comrade Waistline, you are absolutely right. Sorry." And the meeting was ended. It would take me another 15 years to really figure out and grasp what those comrades really meant. In turn I taught them - everyone and I am taking credit for it, that anarcho-syndicalism is not a mistake; the reason it is incompatible with Marxism is because Marxism is a theoretical science and the science of society and anarcho-syndicalism is a political doctrine of combat, that is not hostile to Leninism; a political doctrine. A theoretical science cannot be measured against a political doctrine of combat or Leninism would be called "Marxism2." That is to say Lenin was a Marxist and the doctrine bearing his name is a specific complex of strategy and tactics. Anyway, I would be expelled later for violating party rules. I demanded that my unit demand the tax records of my wife, who had divorced my dumb ass and no one can demand or insists that the party reveal or demand that any individuals personal financial standing be discussed or made public. Sine that time I have been asked if interested in various organizations including one with former lading members in it. My point of course is that if a section of th communist movement cannot get pass the Stalin period then a call must be made to begin reform of the communist movement around those stuck in the old period with nothing new or enlightened to contribute. Stalin is the bone in the throat of the communist movement that can neither be swallowed or coughed up. I take immense pride as history at being in the Stalin Polarity - on the left. When Comrade Stalin called me on the carpet, I listened and when he asked what I had to say for myself, I first sat down because he is only 5'4 and I am 6 feet talk. No one enjoys anyone standing over them. I leaned over with forearm resting on my right leg and said, "The fact of the matter is that I have done nothing in violation of the party program. I recruit members, sell more papers than 90% of the party members; volunteer for all assignments; pay more than my dues on a regular basis and I am trying to figure out what part of the party program or policy I am in violation of. Plus, I brought 3 new plants on line without weighting down the party organizations with the peasant mentality." The Chairman smiled and said "dammit Comrade Waistline, you are absolutely right. Sorry." On the way out the door Beria started at me. Turning around I walked up to Beria, turned and looked at Stalin and said "Boss, I do not mind sitting down at your knee and talking man to man." "But that mutherfuking Beria, I'll gut that mutherrfuker." Boss say, "Comrade Beria, you better pray to your God that not one single hair on Waistline's anarchist syndicalist head is disturbed. I want to see him in 60 days and you are to pick him up personally. He tell the truth." All we have to do is tell the truth and stop leading with political ideology. The benefit of a listserv such as this, with individuals embodying decades of experience is their clarity of conceptions while never fearing to be truthful to themselves and the keyboard. My questions about the meaning of the state, property relations, The Commune form, the meaning of surplus was not meant to offend but honest to the best of my ability. WL. **************Get a jump start on your taxes. Find a tax professional in your neighborhood today. (http://yellowpages.aol.com/search?query=Tax+Return+Preparation+%26+Filing&ncid=emlcntusyelp00000004) _______________________________________________ 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
