An Anarchist Defense of Karl Marx
From Chris M. at Black Sun Gazette:
Karl Marx has received a bum rap. Some see him as the godfather of the modern revolutionary movement while others see him as the architect of Stalin’s gulags. I’m in the former camp rather than the latter. This is not to say his he is infallible, his texts are sacred, or his supporters haven’t committed any errors. In fact I think that last point is the cause of most of the controversy.
Few people have bothered to read his works and instead point to the horrors committed by his followers mainly Lenin and the Bolsheviks. After Karl died three main voices appeared in the socialist movement of the 20th century all claiming the mantle of Marx — Bernstein, Lenin, and Luxemburg.
Bernstein who lead the democratic socialists, said revolution was unnecessary and pursed reforms within a democracy (this is the model of a number of European parties). Lenin believed in the revolution and thought a highly disciplined party could succeed even in a backwards country like Russia (these are the scary communists we’ve all been raised to fear). Then there was Rosa Luxemburg who believed that workers by seizing the means of production and by running themselves could create a new society (this is least talked about bunch of Marxists, but the ones I find most interesting).
Full Article at Black Sun Gazette
