Arguments for revolutionary socialism
ARGUMENTS FOR REVOLUTIONARY SOCIALISM JOHN MOLYNEUX
Bookmarks London, Chicago and Melbourne Arguments for Revolutionary Socialism by John Molyneux
Published April 1987 Bookmarks, 265 Seven Sisters Road, London N4 2DE, England. Bookmarks, PO Box 16085, Chicago, IL 60616, USA. Bookmarks, GPO Box 1473N, Melbourne 3001, Australia.
ISBN 0 906224 35 7
Printed by Cox and Wyman Limited, Reading, England. Typeset by Kate Macpherson, Clevedon, Avon. Design by Roger Huddle.
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Contents
FOREWORD / 9
WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY SOCIALISM? / 13
Tut you can t change human nature . . Won t we always need bosses? Don t revolutions mean violence? `Under socialism they d make us all the same . .
SO HOW DO WE GET TO THIS NEW WORLD? / 27
Why we don t like Mondays What do you mean by exploitation? What is capital ? How capitalism causes crises Where is history leading? Socialism or barbarism? What puts socialist revolution on the agenda? What we mean by workers power
GETTING OUR IDEAS RIGHT / 47
Tut socialists are such a tiny minority . . Dialectical materialism? What on earth does that mean? Their truth, and ours The point, however, is to change it
STRATEGIES OF THE SYSTEM / 57
`You socialists would abolish democracy . . Isn t the state neutral? Whose law and whose order? So how do they maintain their rule? Divided we fall . . .
WHAT DO SOCIALISTS SAY ABOUT . . . ? / 71
Overpopulation Religion War Terrorism Class Crime The family
THE SHAPE OF THE WORLD / 89
Surely we must defend the national interest? What about immigration? So do socialists oppose national liberation movements? What do you mean by unconditional but critical support? What happened in Russia? Is China any different? But isn t a simultaneous world revolution impossible?
STRATEGIES FOR SOCIALISM / 105
`But we ve already got a mass workers party . Can the Labour Party be changed? Couldn t we do without organisation? Do trade unions have a role to play? What about nationalisation? What we mean by revolutionary leadership Many campaigns — only one war Why we need a revolutionary party
SUGGESTED READING / 125 Foreword
THIS SMALL book is made up from a selection of articles from the `Teach yourself Marxism