Marxism and Russia (1970)

From the November 1970 issue of the Socialist Standard

The outcome of the Russian Revolution —the evolution of state capitalism in Russia— was a confirmation of Marxism. For Marxism holds that Socialism is only possible at a certain level of social, economic and political development: when the productive system can provide plenty for all, and when the working class, being the main class in society, understands that their problems can be solved only through political action to make the means of production the property of the whole community. In 1917, could the Russian productive forces provide plenty? Was the working class the main class there? Were they Socialists? The answer to all three questions must be “no”. Given this the failure of the Bolshevik attempt to impose “Socialism” by dictatorship was inevitable. Marx was right. It is not possible to skip stages by bold leaps or legal enactments.