Notes and questions on democratic centralism
Hey comrades, I feel like this is a bit scattershot, but here's my response to the piece. Thanks Celt for recommending it. From the title I really expected to respond a lot more negatively than I did as I read it.
From the preface:
They quote Mao, "Those who wish to rule and control others wish to keep them ignorant but those who wish to free the masses wish to keep them enlightened." That's a nice quote. Anyone know where he said it?
Ideological unity is the basis of all unity - I'm ambivalent about that. It all depends on what ideological unity consists in. Certainly revolutionaries must all be revolutionary. But I'm committed to an idea that people can have, for lack of a better term, objectively revolutionary demands (in some cases for some populations the demand to not be killed or consigned to a life of hyperexploitation). I'm also convinced that in some cases action on immediate interests is a better place to start than more abstract ideological points.
From the Mao piece:
Meeting procedure sounds good - distribute material, invite comment, amend based on comments, give and explain the report. I like that he recognizes the factor of time in meeting procedure. I've been to so many fucking long meetings, and people don't always realize that that's also a democracy issue - say for people who have to get home to kids and such.
Mao talks of "the present conference" - where and when was this talk given? He also talks of the "working experience of 12 years", what's the a reference to? Who is he addressing?
"Contradictions among the people can't be resolved by curses or fists, still less by knives or guns. They can be resolved only by discussion and reasoning, criticism and self-criticism. In a word, they can be resolved only by the democratic method, by letting the masses speak out."
Presumably 'the people' here means 'the working classes', not 'everyone', as there are enemies with whom discussion won't suffice. Later on he equates proletarian dictatorship with people's dictatorship, specifying that it will be "let by the proletariat and based on the alliance of the workers and peasants." The peasants, then, presumably are a subsidiary sector of the people. The communist party is the mechanism for proletarian leadership of the peasants, since the party is the vanguard of the proletariat. (As in, the party is the vanguard, or whatever is the leading sector shall function in the role as the party? I'm pretty sure it's the former.)
I like the point that under socialism errors will persist.
I find it interesting that the role of the party in being open to criticism is to explain to the masses and the cadre what the situation is, and then allow them to speak out in response.
Centralism=discipline, democracy=freedom. The former is more important for overcoming difficulties but can't exist without the latter. ("Without a high degree of centralism it is impossible to establish a socialist economy.")
Centralism requires nondivergence of views, unity of understanding, shared correct ideas. Democracy is a means for producing these conditions that make up centralism (like removing a blockage such as unexpressed opinions or unvented anger). The leadership 'merely' process the results of democracy in order to produce the unity of centralism and the formulation of lines, principles, policies, and methods. Democracy is also a means for knowing what's happening at the base. The base is/provides raw material that the leadership work over, as in a factory.
The topic of the conference he's addressing is 'opposition to decentralism,' 'strengthening centralism and unity'. What does decentralism mean? Who were its proponents?
I like the comparison of inflexible people in leadership roles with a government who will get overthrown, but it's interesting that it's an overthrowing in the form of conquest by a different state, not a revolt from below.
Exploitation no longer exists in China, according to Mao. I'm not convinced, though I have no evidence. I think exploitation does occur under socialism (as it does under social democracy). This is not to say it may not be less exploitative, more preferible, or that there may be a balance of power in this condition that favors those who are exploited (that's the most important matter).
New bourgeois elements continue to emerge in socialist society. Classes and class struggle still exist. (But not exploitation?) On what basis do these exist/emerge?
From the preface:
They quote Mao, "Those who wish to rule and control others wish to keep them ignorant but those who wish to free the masses wish to keep them enlightened." That's a nice quote. Anyone know where he said it?
Ideological unity is the basis of all unity - I'm ambivalent about that. It all depends on what ideological unity consists in. Certainly revolutionaries must all be revolutionary. But I'm committed to an idea that people can have, for lack of a better term, objectively revolutionary demands (in some cases for some populations the demand to not be killed or consigned to a life of hyperexploitation). I'm also convinced that in some cases action on immediate interests is a better place to start than more abstract ideological points.
From the Mao piece:
Meeting procedure sounds good - distribute material, invite comment, amend based on comments, give and explain the report. I like that he recognizes the factor of time in meeting procedure. I've been to so many fucking long meetings, and people don't always realize that that's also a democracy issue - say for people who have to get home to kids and such.
Mao talks of "the present conference" - where and when was this talk given? He also talks of the "working experience of 12 years", what's the a reference to? Who is he addressing?
"Contradictions among the people can't be resolved by curses or fists, still less by knives or guns. They can be resolved only by discussion and reasoning, criticism and self-criticism. In a word, they can be resolved only by the democratic method, by letting the masses speak out."
Presumably 'the people' here means 'the working classes', not 'everyone', as there are enemies with whom discussion won't suffice. Later on he equates proletarian dictatorship with people's dictatorship, specifying that it will be "let by the proletariat and based on the alliance of the workers and peasants." The peasants, then, presumably are a subsidiary sector of the people. The communist party is the mechanism for proletarian leadership of the peasants, since the party is the vanguard of the proletariat. (As in, the party is the vanguard, or whatever is the leading sector shall function in the role as the party? I'm pretty sure it's the former.)
I like the point that under socialism errors will persist.
I find it interesting that the role of the party in being open to criticism is to explain to the masses and the cadre what the situation is, and then allow them to speak out in response.
Centralism=discipline, democracy=freedom. The former is more important for overcoming difficulties but can't exist without the latter. ("Without a high degree of centralism it is impossible to establish a socialist economy.")
Centralism requires nondivergence of views, unity of understanding, shared correct ideas. Democracy is a means for producing these conditions that make up centralism (like removing a blockage such as unexpressed opinions or unvented anger). The leadership 'merely' process the results of democracy in order to produce the unity of centralism and the formulation of lines, principles, policies, and methods. Democracy is also a means for knowing what's happening at the base. The base is/provides raw material that the leadership work over, as in a factory.
The topic of the conference he's addressing is 'opposition to decentralism,' 'strengthening centralism and unity'. What does decentralism mean? Who were its proponents?
I like the comparison of inflexible people in leadership roles with a government who will get overthrown, but it's interesting that it's an overthrowing in the form of conquest by a different state, not a revolt from below.
Exploitation no longer exists in China, according to Mao. I'm not convinced, though I have no evidence. I think exploitation does occur under socialism (as it does under social democracy). This is not to say it may not be less exploitative, more preferible, or that there may be a balance of power in this condition that favors those who are exploited (that's the most important matter).
New bourgeois elements continue to emerge in socialist society. Classes and class struggle still exist. (But not exploitation?) On what basis do these exist/emerge?
posted by Nate @ 6:31 AM
3 Comments:
At 9:33 AM,
celticfire said…
Good post Nate, I like the questions you posed too.
Mao talks of "the present conference" - where and when was this talk given? He also talks of the "working experience of 12 years", what's the a reference to? Who is he addressing?
The Stuart Schram book (Mao Talks to the People) doesn't mention it where...but it does say "Talk at Enlarged Central Work Conference, January 30, 1962"
I think Mao meant 13 years, since it was January I think he was counting 1961 from 12 years since the consolidation of the revolution in 1949, so I think he is saying 12 years experience with state power.
The topic of the conference he's addressing is 'opposition to decentralism,' 'strengthening centralism and unity'. What does decentralism mean? Who were its proponents?
I am not exactly sure here, but I know in other places Mao mentioned the better off strata of peasants wanting a Western-style democracy, and no centralism. That appears what he is arguing against (I think.)
Exploitation no longer exists in China, according to Mao
Yeah this is kind of strange. I think he means to say exploitation doesn't exist on principle, that under socialism the objective is to do away with it, not increase it. Of couse the notion that "there is no exploitation" is absurd, and obviously Mao is aware of this in the literal sense.
At 9:35 AM,
celticfire said…
Found a better online version here.
At 6:13 AM,
Nate said…
Celt,
Thanks for answering those questions, that's helpful.
take care,
Nate
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