Marxism failed in both theory and practice

By Jayapradeep Viswanath

(This article is based on the book written by Marxist leader P. Kesavan Nair. He is frustrated with Marxism and his expose has become a bestseller in Malayalam.)

As he seems, unlike other communist-turned-anti-communists, Nair is never emotional. His critical narration exposes Marxism. Cleverly he quotes Bertrand Russell.

“Russell was one of the greatest scholars of 20th century. Philosopher, mathematician, writer, etc., his battles for world peace are legendary. Russell disapproved and dissented Marxism till his end. The history gave flamboyant approval to Russell’s criticism on Marxism. His reservations against communist governments are harsher than against Marxism. Russell had been seeking answer to two questions: 1. Whether Marxism is truth. 2. The implementation of that gave human beings peace and happiness. In the celebrated article ‘Why I am not Communist’, Russell quests for the answer. Marxism is not only not truth but also it supplies only chaos, were his findings. The history of socialist governments and Marxism justify the findings.”

“The concept of dialectical materialism and historical materialism of Marx do not merge with the philosophy originated from the modern science,” Nair’s theoretical analysis goes on. “Marx imagined that the dialective materialism is a law which rules the universe. He also considered it a universal force which rules the human history, independent of human ambitions. It is the same value that religion gives to God’s rules, that the Marx gives to the dialective materialism. The communists misunderstood the dialective materialism as the science of science. This history-discarded principle is still the basic principle of the strategy and swindle of the communists. The approach of the communists, snuggling the failed techniques, is highly conservative’, Kesavan Nair swears.

From the theory he comes to the epitomes. “The incidents in the socialist countries proved the theory and practice of Marxism has no correlation. The destruction of Soviet Union and Eastern Europe are examples. In regard to the Marxist theories, these incidents are very important. According to the Marxian view the theory is to be proved through practice. In that view, the devastation in Soviet Union and Eastern Europe proves that in practice the Marxian theory is a failure. In those countries and in China the practice of Marxism ended in the bullying of predominance of party leaders and their gourmet pursue. Communist party leaders rejoiced in luxury, extravagance, corruption, hedonism and wealth. Marxism was establishmentlised in socialist countries. In China so-called market-socialism is going on. Economy is capitalism while the political system is ‘socialism’ ! In capitalist countries the monopolists control the economical-political systems. But in Marxism the economy decides politics. But Chinese communist party says that the political system is decided by economic system. What an irony! In China the party leaders are the shareholders or veneer owners of the industrial-commercial establishments.”

“Imperialism is the apex state of capitalism, Leninism says. Theoretically and pragmatically the prime opponent of communism is imperialism. America is the main envoy of imperialism. But the most favoured nation of America is China. America’s enormous investments flows into China. Virtually now-a-days China is under the American boots. Red China spread red carpet to Henry Kissinger, Nixon, George Bush and Bill Clinton and now to the junior Bush. Under the leadership of Communist party, capitalism is bullying China. In normal capitalist countries ‘independent democracy’ is the camouflage of capitalism. In China the camouflage is ‘communism’.”

“It was not with the people’s involvement the 1917 October revolution cropped up in Russia. It was a planned, conspired sabotage against the Kerenski government by the Bolshevik party led by Lenin during the tail end of first World War. Lenin and those intellectuals around him depicted it as a labour-class revolution. Lenin who came to power in Russia became the unquestionable leader of international Communism through shortcuts. After Lenin, more autocratically than Tsar, annihilating all the old revolutionarists, Stalin established the ‘Commissar’ empire. The brutality of Stalin beneath the iron curtain is indescribable. It was Khrushchev who lifted the iron curtain a little through his confessing speech in the 20th party congress of CPSU. The artists and writers who pointed out the autocracy of communist rule were branded as the enemies of working-class. The 75-year-long despotism of Communist rule ended up not due to any external force, but by the natives themselves.”

“The government led by Lenin in the post-revolutionary period also was an oppression machine. The governmental terrorism was at its zenith when it was ruled by Stalin. With the rule of Stalin the identity of individuals waned out. The emotion, likes and dislikes, independent personality, the value of life, etc, become taboos. In the working-class totalitarianism, an individual withers to a scapegoat to scarify in the revolution.”

The reason of becoming of Communist leaders as autocrats, is to be sought in the concept of Marx about revolution. Marxism opened up a vast vista for autocracy. ‘Labour-class-totalitarianism’ was brought about by removing the existing governments, and those who criticise such labour-class governments were, without any mercy, annihilated or wiped off. That were the basic lessons taught by Marx and Angels. In Communist countries, all those reign on the saddle of power become autocrats. Workmen and farmers have no role in the Governments. The ruling Communist leaders themselves become a ‘Ruling class’.

‘The Communists give an impression that, the working-class-totalitarianism is a rule of the majority. Not at least one example is available to show that the Communist Government is the equipment of the majority. During the devastation period of the Soviet Union, the apology of CPSU is worth notable. ‘All country men’ narrowed to ‘working-class’. ‘Party’ constricted to its central committee, central committee to Politburo, Politburo to the General Secretary. Working-class totalitarianism and democratic-centralisation is the foundation. Democratic-centralisation transformed to the power-centralisation of the Secretary. In democratic-centralisation the difference between ‘upper’ and ‘lower’ become severe. The directions from ‘up’s are strict orders. Those who are in the lower committees are the slaves of upper committees.

‘Between 1825 and 1917, under the rule of Tsar, the total slay was 6321. But, after the 1917 revolution, within the two months of 1918, the ‘red terrorism’ declared officially by Lenin did 15,000 killings. In the famine occurred due to the implementation of collective farming in 1932-33, the total carnage was 60 lakhs. In the cleaning process done by the party bumped off 7,20,000 people. Between 1934 and 1941, 70 lakhs innocent people were jailed in the notorious ‘Gulags’. Of them the majority found their end within that camps. When Stalin expires 27.5 lakhs prisoners were in the Gulags. For vindictiveness towards their own people, the Communist leaders are more cruel than those of capitalists countries. In the famous book ‘Gulag Archipelago’, the celebrated writer Solzhenitsyn imparts that, 6 crores people were put to sleep in the Communist experiment in Russia due to the cruelty of the governments.’

‘During the era of Tsar, the Russia was the granary of Europe. 1/6th land of the earth, with plentiful natural resources and minimal populace were the blessings of Soviet Union. Though they were ahead in Astronomy, Nuclear physics and Armoury, Soviet Union was trailing behind in agriculture and industry. Under Communists’ rule the agony of Soviet people was relentless. Everything was in dearth. From bread to butter people queued up for hours. The Russian breadlines were notorious. Two crores of people involved in black marketing. Meanwhile curious voices for food and clothing were muffled like anything. During the rule of Communists’, the workers and farmers of Soviet Union got only chains but no new world.’

‘The turmoil is similar in China, Cambodia, North Korea and Eastern Europe. In China, the cultural revolution bestowed mass slaughter. Including Liu Shaoqi, the No.2 in the party leadership, with other top leaders ( the foes of Mao), one crore pretty ‘comrades’ were numbed in the name of cultural revolutions. A section of the world still believe that the toll is three crores. It is pity to find that those who killed and kill are Communists. In the ‘‘Great Leap Forward’’, lead by Mao, due to famine, another four crores of people dead. Nobody knows that, how many people were killed in Tiananmen square.

‘The Pol Pot, the leader of Cambodian Communist party rejoiced by heaping skulls and bones in the ‘killing fields’. During his regime, 30 million people were slaughtered. The red terrorism ran riot in north Korea and Eastern Europe.’ ‘The ideas and opinions of not of them were suppressed by Communism. Talented writers and scientists were forced to flee from those countries.

‘Though the pre-streams are there, Marxism did not expounded in Western Europe. Though the political set up were based on Capitalism, Communism could not mature there. In the capitalist countries also, they could not mellowed. The poverty in the undeveloped & under developed countries welcome Communism, says Russell. Communism is the philosophy of poverty. It is the philosophy of insurgence and hatred. Poverty and starvation usher the Communist devil and its proliferation can be stopped only by poverty eradication.’

‘The Marxism exported by the Communist totalitarianism-Government of Soviet Union to the countries like India, turned up like a bad penny as opium to the so called left intellectuals. They betrayed their poor brothers and sisters with its intoxication’.

(The author is a practising lawyer in Kerala High Court and Editor of ‘Neethi’ Magazine.)