Alienation, autonomy, and ideology

Category: Class (Page 7 of 24)

Socialism Isn’t Ultra-Progressivism

Most politicians who win office and identify as socialists place their politics – and, by extension, socialism – under the umbrella of progressivism. So do some of the rank and file members of socialist orgs. But many others point out that progressivism and socialism grew out of much different traditions. We notably see this division in the DSA, which includes lots and lots of younger, newer leftists.

Even though many people see the division, few acknowledge it. This lack of acknowledgment allows an unhealthy situation to develop. We see far more acrimonious debate and ill-will due to this situation than an org like DSA can sustain. Were the two sides to make their assumptions explicit, they could engage more productively with each other.

But all this leads to a natural question: are the DSA politicians (and their followers) correct? Is socialism just some stronger flavor of progressivism? Or is it something else?

I’ll argue in this post that socialism and ultra-progressivism are different. Socialism isn’t just a more extreme form of progressive views. But while I’ll spend some time showing the differences between socialism and ultra-progressivism, I’ll point out that the goal is to help discussions proceed without all this ill-will.

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Marx on Modes of Production

In my very first post on this blog, I laid out for readers the Marxist term ‘base and superstructure.’ Lots of people new to leftist ideas could use a 101-level story about many of Marx’s key terms. And that especially goes for any term related to the analysis of economic relations over the course of history. In this post, I’ll approach the term ‘modes of production’ from a similar mindset.

Indeed, Marx didn’t just analyze capitalism and its social relations. He didn’t only talk about the transition from capitalism to a socialist society. He embedded all this within his broader theories of history. ‘Modes of production’ is a key term within Marx’s historical materialism.

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A Misconception About Marx on Profit

So, I’ve been listening to (and greatly enjoying!) Mike Duncan’s podcast Revolutions. In particular, I’ve been listening to his series on the Russian Revolution(s). Along the way, Duncan provides a great deal of background on Marxist theory. That makes sense, given the central role Marxism plays in 1917.

Overall, Duncan very skillfully explains Marxism 101, especially thorny terms like ‘means of production,’ and so on. I’d recommend his podcast, along with my own tips for reading Marx.

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Quick Note on Mein Kampf and Fascism

I’ve written a few posts on this blog laying out a basic reading of fascism as a political and broader social movement. In short, I see fascism as the ’emergency management’ mode of capitalism. Serious crises and leftist threats to capitalism produce the conditions that allow it to flourish. And fascism tends to arise in specific kinds of countries – peripheral capitalist states facing political and economic crises, credible threats to the capitalist system, et al.

However, competing accounts of fascism tend to emphasize the peculiarities of specific fascist systems, especially Nazi Germany. They point to, for example, some of the mystical elements of the Nazi system. As well as its persecution of religious and ethnic minorities. And they draw from that various general conclusions about fascism as a system.

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