Spicy question maybe, but I’m interested in your takes.
Personally, I think there’s some major issues with at least the terminology of the 2 phase model of lower/higher stage communism or socialism/communism as the terms are used in classical theory. Specifically the ‘lower stage’ or ‘socialism’ term is problematic.
In the age of revision and after the success of counterrevolution it has become clear that there is in fact a transitional phase leading up to the classical transitional phase. Societies did not jump from developed capitalism to socialism immediately and even the states that arguably did were forced to roll back some of the core tenets of ‘socialism’ as it is described in Marx, Engels and Lenin. Namely no private ownership of the means of production and no exploitation of man by man.
To ultras this just means countries following this path aren’t socialist. So then China isn’t, Cuba isn’t, no country still is really and those of us claiming they are then have to be revisionists. And to be fair, if you’re dogmatic you can make that point going from the source material. China itself recognizes this inconsistency, thus not seeing itself at the stage of socialism. Yet it’s a socialist state. But then what do we actually mean by ‘socialism’ when we use the term like this? Just a dictatorship of the proletariat? Any country in the process of building socialism?
That question comes up all the time and confuses the fuck out of people, because the term is either not applied consistently or as it’s defined is lacking. I think discourse in the communist movement and about AES would profit immensely if we had a more consistent definition or usage of the term or a better defined concept of what that transition to socialism is and how we should call it.
I am not convinced that international class war should be practiced, especially in the modern era. The reality is that countries where a socialist revolution succeeds will most likely be economically malnourished; so, instead of publicly waging class war on nearly every country in the world and letting yourself be isolated and slowly asphyxiated, it’s better to work with these nations to some extent and acquire the appropriate technological know-how and other means of production. Proletarian internationalism, in the form of making donations to people-centric governments or sending rescue teams after some natural disaster, is acceptable; however, military alliances and other burdening constraints based on ideology should be avoided at all costs.
As for China, I would say that it’s socialist because of instead sharpening the contradictions between capital and labour as what is occurring in countries, like the US, the Chinese state is resolving them to their logical conclusions. The most important aspect of this is preventing the move from the real economy of industrial production and consumption to the fictitious financial economy, like what exists in the US. For example, the de-industrialization of the US primarily occurred because of the antagonism between decreasing amount of profit and rising wages, but this is not what is occurring in China. Instead of exporting all low-value manufacturing to poorer nations so monopolies can make even more profit, the Chinese central government is automating that level of manufacturing and taking away the privileges that the domestic industrialists have enjoyed so far; thus, we can see that the primary internal contradictions are slowly being resolved, and that China is increasingly heading into the type of classless and harmonious society that was described by Marx and Engels.
By failed “international class war” do you mean like establishing an international and trying to do a global strike? I think most people have abandoned that strategy besides maybe WWP. As for China being socialist, even they don’t claim they are. I’d describe them as a mixed economy under a proletarian government. I’m not sure why you suggest a socialist country would try to sharpen contradictions. As I’m currently reading ‘The Correct Handling of Contradictions Among the People‘ it appears to me that the CPC is treating the contradiction between the proletariat and bourgeoisie internally as contradictions among the people, as they already have state power.
The rest of the first paragraph after the first sentence clarifies what I mean.
The constitution of the Communist Party of China disagrees with that statement. http://eng.chinamil.com.cn/CHINA_209163/TopStories_209189/10195159.html
"The Communist Party of China is the vanguard of the Chinese working class, the Chinese people, and the Chinese nation. It is the leadership core for the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics and represents the developmental demands of China’s advanced productive forces, the orientation for China’s advanced culture, and the fundamental interests of the greatest possible majority of the Chinese people. The Party’s highest ideal and ultimate goal is the realization of communism.
The Communist Party of China uses Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory, the Theory of Three Represents, the Scientific Outlook on Development, and Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as its guides to action."
Yes, I apologize for sounding confusing. What I meant was pretty much exactly what you said: the Chinese working classes are in possession of state power and are using it to resolve the internal contradictions in their society by taking them to their logical conclusions rather than arbitrarily lengthening them, as what has occurred in the US.
“Instead of exporting all low-value manufacturing to poorer nations so monopolies can make even more profit, the Chinese central government is automating that level of manufacturing and taking away the privileges that the domestic industrialists have enjoyed so far; thus, we can see that the primary internal contradictions are slowly being resolved, and that China is increasingly heading into the type of classless and harmonious society that was described by Marx and Engels.”
So, by international class war you mean like a bi-polar world with the capitalist nations on one side and the socialist ones on the other, not willing to interact besides threats and proxy wars? So, basically you agree with the Chinese position of “no new Cold War.”
On “is china socialist:”
The constitution says the goal of the CPC is socialism and eventually communism. Basically every party would say that their goal is country specific socialism and eventually communism. If China is already fully socialist then why does XI say “socialism by 2050?”
More or less.
Xi has stated that socialism with Chinese characteristics, the ideology of the Communist Party of China, is socialism adapted to Chinese historical conditions, and not any other -ism. https://redsails.org/regarding-swcc-construction/
“First of all: Socialism with Chinese characteristics is socialism, not any other “ism.” The guiding principles of scientific socialism thus cannot be abandoned. Our Party has always emphasized adherence to the basic principles of scientific socialism, but adapted to the particular conditions of China. This means that socialism with Chinese characteristics is socialism, not some other doctrine.”
“Socialism by 2050” refers to one of two core concepts of the Chinese Dream, which is the material and cultural rejuvenation of the Chinese nation by the 100th anniversary of the founding of the PRC: the first, being a moderately prosperous society by 2020 - which has already been completed; the second, being a modern, prosperous and fully developed nation by 2050.
According to the Chinese themselves, their mode of production is socialism, but they also believe that there exist multiple stages of socialism in their country. As of now, they are in the primary stage and won’t enter the intermediate stage until 2050 or so.
I understand what SWCC is. However, it’s an ideology not an full economic system (yet). I support China, but until the special economic zones are eliminated it won’t be full socialism.