Loved the post George, I always feel people who have never lived in a communist ruled country, like most Australians, cannot understand the deprivations which follow from the practical application of Marxist theory.

Again, separating “Marxist Theory” from the practical application of Marxism is the ultimate state of denial.

It allows the academics to wash their hands of the millions of dead people who suffered under the practical application of Marxism/Leninism or
Collectivism by any name

Doubtless all the Marxists and Leninists and Stalinists and Maoist will find it strange that I find no need to
separate the theory from the fact of libertarian capitalism

But that is because, unlike the bland, monotony of uniform and equal collectivists, who strive to all wear the same shabby grab, eat the same boring gruel and suffer the same pointless existence, forced, by criminal penalty, to worship as an apparatchik of the state, instead of worshipping a deity of their personal choosing -

Libertarian Capitalism not only tolerates but rejoices and sees benefit in peoples natural diversity,

encouraging them to be their individual best and

live their individual lives to the full.

In short, under libertarian capitalism, you get to live the life you choose

Under Collectivism (by any name) the best you can hope for is to exist

"Again, separating “Marxist Theory” from the practical application of Marxism is the ultimate state of denial." - Stern

Marxism is a failed philosphical and economic theory. Marx tried to take Hegel's metaphysics of a dialectical progress of history and apply it to political economics (where each stage of was serially progressive: e.g, capitalism is superior the feudalism and socialism is superior to capitalism).

A common thread running through the neo-Helgelian Maxian scheme was the engagement of dialogue between a thesis and an anti-thesis, which when resolved (synthesis), nudges the system along; the economic system in the case of Marx.

True Marxists I think would see Capitalism as primitive, as we might a developmentally/technologically tribal clan. Marx wanted to turb-change matters towards greater equity. The inequality in capitialism was based on each individual's relationship with the ownership of capital. The wealthy owned the means of production and the workers were said to be (powerless, interchangeable) organic capital/components. Moreover, the Theory of Surplus Value, stated workers generated more value (units of production) than they received as reward. The surplus was kept by the capitalist as profit.

I think Marx made the mistake of overgenalising Hegel's dialectic to political-economic materialism. Moreover, he failed to recognise the wealth that can be generated by a large, weel-educated Middle Class in a democracy.

Both China and Russia entered their so called "Communism" from alarge agriculturally base or recent history. I put, Marx would not have seen leap-frogging the intermediate stages as consistent with natural course of political history. Moreover, with Mao and Stalin, we have ugly, opportunistic autocrats whom cared more about power than the socialist idealism of political economists tooted in the nineteen century

"tooted in the nineteen century" Let's try rooted :-). O.

Hi Oliver,

Yes, if what Marx believed was the "primativeness of capitalism" was actually true -

People like Bill Gates and Warren Buffett would not exist

Here is an observation of a general, if little known, fact of life

The first generation invent it

the second generation build it

the third generation pee it up against the wall

- thus making opportunity for others who invent and build -

and resolving the issue of the distribution of equity

Sure some folk have it easy and others do it tough

but under a this primative capitalist philosophy, we all get a chance to climb and join the stars

under the collectivist/Marxist philosophy - we are imprisoned behind the bars of "equality", "equalisation" and some dumb stuff called "social equity", which is a nice philosophical term used to describe

having nothing at all.

workers striving for the glory of equality

the thought of it is enough to make one vomit

Stern,

A society needs a strong Middle Class to create demand. Demand leads to innovation. Without the Middle Class there would be no Microsoft or Mega-stores. The very wealthy if left to their own devices, all too often, seek to spend capriously(Veblein)on things like Faberge eggs. I have been inside must of the major palace and museums of the world and have some sympathy with Veblein's posit.

Moreover, you forget, the other name of State Capitalism, "Fascism", wherein, the State is run for the benefit of powerful capitalists in bed with political power brokers. Ordinary people are quashed.

Libertianism emphasises small government, not so much capitalism. Capitalists will wear a soclialist cap, in need. Consider manifest agricultural subsidises given to farmers all around the world and not forgetting the US bailout of Banks. Herein, market forces would dictate the capitalists should loose their money and a more able better capitalised international bank(s) takeover the US failures. Herein, entrepreneurs will turn their backs on the Marketplace if means joining the ranks of the hoi polloi.

*About forty years ago Rupert Murdoch was about to go under for over extending and several banks would not provide him credit. At the time, he not did say to the lender whom ultimately funding him. He didn't say, "No don't help me, there are more able capitalists with better balance sheets to lend to". He thought of his own ar*e and forgot market and accounting principles.

What is required is balance between the key parties/players; government, capital and employees. Without balance one nurtures either, exploitation or inefficiency.

* TV documentary. He needed $80 million dollars (liquidity) to meet short-term commitments.

Dear George,

Thanks for your input.

However, I am well aware of what communism
means - and as you know my parents fled
Lithuania and came to Australia as displaced
persons after World War II -( victims of
Stalin's terror). My father's brother was
tortured to death in the infamous massacre
at the forest of Rainiai by the Red Army
(he was a high school
student at the time, and totally uninvolved
in politics). The rest of my father's family
were deported to a gulag in Siberia.

I was born in Australia. However, Marxism -
and Communism are totally different things.
As I think that you well know.

Dear Olly,

As always - your knowledge is spot on!
Thank You!