Communist Roundtable 4 (State Socialism)

In 1918, a swift succession of events brought the Bolshevik faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party to power in the former areas of the Russian Empire. What developed in the ensuing years under Lenin & Stalin was the development of what we now refer to as ‘soviet-style socialism’-- the state & the party as separate entities, with the party leading the state, government, & all associations from the top-down with instruction & democratic participation on local levels, but a bureaucracy mostly isolated from democratic controls. By the 1930’s, this bureaucracy was referred to as a ‘caste’ by some critics, for the privileges bureaucrats and their families enjoyed, the special shops they had access to, the wealth they enjoyed, & their overall seeming impunity. Was the Soviet model an effective manner of striving toward Communism? Or did its’ defects hinder the struggle of building socialism? More questions -- Is State Socialism still a valid method of achieving Communism? Should we follow the Soviet model, but just implement it better? Could State Socialism in a wealthier country achieve Communism more effectively? Could the Soviet Union have produced Communism if simply given more time? In this roundtable, Author & Feminist Rinita Mazumdar & I discuss these foundation questions for socialist revolutionaries. Musick- Destiny -- Mission Space Why Don't You Want My Love Anymore? (Bruce Forest Instrumental) -- La Toya Jackson