East Equals West?

Since the 1917 revolution a debate has raged in the left over what sort of society could be and eventually was, created in the Soviet union and Eastem Europe, The sight of corrupt and universally unpopular regimes crumbling has been a fatal blow to those who have seen these regimes as socialist, However for some these events have been viewed as striking confirmation of their analysis, One such group of people are those who regard Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union as some sort of capitalism - state capitalism, In Ireland this view is represented by the Socialist Workers Movement and in the January issue of its paper ‘Socialist Worker’ it proudly boasted that “the state capitalist analysis is the only position from which anti-Stalinist revolutionary socialism can be coherently defended’, Peoples Democracy is a Trotskyist organisation. We believe that these socictics are deformed and degenerated workers’ states. The dcbate between these two positions isan old one and has often got bogged down in definitions. Now however the events in Eastem Europe and the Soviet Union have given the debate a new relevance. As faras we are concerned the boasts of the SWM are not only hollow but dangerous as well . Contrary to their claims, the state capitalist analysis is far from being ‘a key weapon in the fight for a new world’. (5.W. Jan.19%)), EAST EQUALS WEST?

First ofall the comrades are completely incapable of explaining the nature of the crisis affecting the cast. Why if there is such a crisis in the ‘capitalist’ east is there no such crisis in the capitalist west? If state capitalism is, as they say, ‘the most concentrated form of capitalism’ why is it not stronger than the most concentrated form of capitalism in the west - the giant monopolies of the USA, Western Europe and Japan? If the east is capitalist why docs it not exhibit all the features of crisis which are distinctly exhibited by capitalism in the west when il is in crisis? Where and when was the stock market crash similar to the one in October 1987 in London, New York and Tokyo? Fundamentally why is the crisis in the east one of an inadequate supply of goods and the crisis in the west one of overproduction of commodities which people cannot afford to buy and an overaccumulation of capital which cannot earn the hecessary profi. This is nota minor difference, To describe both as the same, both as capitalism, is completely confusing. This is particularly so as the comrades claim that both sons of society are driven by the same dynamic. In the west itismarket compclilion of individual capitals. In the cast the comrades describe it this way:

“The economic and military pressure of world capitalism and the world market forces the ruling bureaucracies to engage in compeculive capital accumulation through the exploitation of their respective working class” (SW Jan 1990).

If the way these societies work are so similar why such completely different results?

### REAL GAINS

The problem is that the decay of Stalinism has been followed by a capitalist offensive which argues that only full conversion tocapitalist ownership and market economics offers a solution, Our comrades in the Fourth Intemational argue for a move to democratic control and planning by the working class. It will be difficult to win this debate if we begin by saying that they have already been living under the market, under capitalism, for the last 40 to 70 years!

But this is not the least difficulty with the state capitalist analysis. The fundamental point is well put by the comrades themselves - “We do not fear a restoration of capitalism since capitalism already exists’. (SW Jan 1990). The comrades should think about this because it is absolutely disastrous. A Primary duty of socialists both east and westis to shout fromthe highest rooftop to Russian, Polish or Hungarian workers that they should be absolutely terified of the restoration of capitalism. Itwould mean a massive increase in poverty - in unemployment, rising prices, inequalities, altacks on basic social welfare provision and on the unity of the working class. Very quickly it will also mean attacks on hard won democratic rights. Already workers in the cast have protested at these results. They show themselves more intelligent than the ‘Marxists’ of the SWM.

### OUR ANALYSIS

To be fair to the comrades they do oppose these attacks (despite AN REABHLOID - Page. 15.

rather than because of their analysis). Butif they are poing to be consistent how can they explain thal a society exists called ‘capitalism’ which has all the real gains, a; part of its very structure, which have to be defended, They poke fun at us who call these societies workers’ states (degenerated and deformed) but they too find themselves (or should) defending the very characteristics that show these states to be workers’ states no matter how degencrated. They ask how a state can be called a workers one when the workers are without basic political rights. They forget that they too define pro-capitalist parties like the British Labour party as ‘workers* parties. For Trotskyists there is no such problem. Our understanding of these societies has been of states which have climinated private property in basic industry, destroyed the capitalist class and instigated centralised bureaucratic planning. There are real pains to be defended and the state capitalists must defend this also if they are to be on the side of the workers. Forus these gains have been constantly undermined, threatened and distorted by the ruling bureaucracies who have usurped political power and who can only beoverthrown by a political revolution (notreform) which smashes therr repressive state apparatus. Our altemative isreal socialist democracy. If Trotskyism can be defined as having BLOCK LETTERS PLEASE LaSE NBME oe ee ee ee JOIN US IN THE FIGHT!

eee ee ee eee ee Page 16 - AN REABHLOID. stood for anything over the last 50 years then this 1s it.

### OBJECTIONS

The objections of the state capitalists to our analysis now takes ona more shortsighted character. Forexample they do not fear the restoration of capitalism in Eastern Europe and the Sovict Union but do they not realise that this would mean a massive strengthening of world capitalism? Does their dogmatic view really blind them to this massively obvious global reality?

We argue with those in these movements who seck a return to capitalism because of the attacks on the working class it would mean, We base our hopes and confidence on the working class fightback which has already begun to bureaucrats introduction of the market and its effects on workers’ living standards. We thus support these movements and our comrades in Eastern Europe are Involved in trying to give.a lead to those who see the alternative to Stalinism not as capitalism but as socialist democracy. Tothe comradesof the SW M we say that Trotskyism is the ‘only position from which anti-stalinist revolutionary socialism can be coherently defended’.

LiNE Thae- POCR COMES st HSCRIPTIGSS LURPSPT TROMIDTAL SSA SST Tats Co ne LiAP WHERE PSG aA Lae ISAT Ts See ase T An Reabhioid Conway Mill Falls Rd Belfast PEOPLES DEMOCRACY For more information contact;

38 Clanawley Road, DUBLIN 2

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