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Farmer-Rick

(11,963 posts)
14. Marx did not advocate Marxism
Sat Aug 2, 2025, 11:44 AM
Aug 2

He felt it was more like spin than a real program.

He wrote in a letter "What is certain is that I myself am not a Marxist."

It was in response to French Marxists going around and sloganeering, not having a good theoretical basis for what they were purporting to have supported.

If on the other hand, you are talking about Socialism, he supported that more. Though he really thought Communism was the best but not the kind of Communism practiced in the USSR.

It seems to me that the problems with most types of Socialism and Communism implemented so far have had one big failure. They failed to give control (of the means of production) to the workers.

In the USSR the control was handed over to political leaders who acted as badly as capitalists. Marx thought the people would vote out anyone who failed to use that control fairly and equally. Well you' ve seen how the voting public can be easily manipulated. Especially if you have Musk controlled voting machines.

In China, they handed the control to one political party who then gave it to a dictatorial leader.

I don't think democracy is compatible with capitalism. Anytime you allow large amounts of wealth to be controlled by a handful of people you run into serious problems. Because in capitalism money is power and then the handful takeover.

What we need is a more democratic form of economics. Capitalism is not the answer even when combined with socialism, democracy or Marxism.

Recommendations

5 members have recommended this reply (displayed in chronological order):

Important studies on this topic include "The Breakdown of Nations" by Leopold Kohr (1952), dedl67 Aug 2 #1
MOST interesting. This whole thread is, most definitely. Small really IS beautiful. calimary Aug 2 #15
Ah yes, the predictions of Karl Marx Farmer-Rick Aug 2 #2
It's ironic, the people that trash Marx the most are those most fervently working Uncle Joe Aug 2 #7
Just an outside the US perspective Uncle Joe jfz9580m Aug 2 #10
Marx did not advocate Marxism Farmer-Rick Aug 2 #14
Kick. Great stuff & reading rec. Thanks for posting! bronxiteforever Aug 2 #3
Supposedly celebrity chefs are an early sign of collapse nuxvomica Aug 2 #4
That's been going on for years NJCher Aug 2 #6
Capitalism is an outdated system NJCher Aug 2 #5
I get emails from a credit card company asking me to rate their automated phone payment system . . . hatrack Aug 2 #9
I think NJCher Aug 2 #12
I don't agree with this: "I'm optimistic about people." live love laugh Aug 2 #8
Yeah I gotta agree jfz9580m Aug 2 #11
Thank you! It's edifying to read of a sweeping perspective & difference between past regional & current global factors, ancianita Aug 2 #13
woo hoo! NJCher Aug 2 #16
Well, yes, extreme inequality tends to lead to revolutions, "Let them eat cake!" OKIsItJustMe Aug 2 #17
Must be a new version of history Progressive dog Aug 2 #18
"Reality TV" is our Circus ThoughtCriminal Aug 2 #19
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