Socialism or Barbarism

"Socialism or barbarism" -- what does that mean? Authoritarian regimes will ultimately control all aspects of the political life of a country either with the velvet or the iron fist depending on the consciousness of the population of the country. Orban in Hungary is trying to be as controlling as the previous Communist government so the question for Hungary isn't will there be "democracy" but which class will control the levers of power. Previously the working class was in power and the bourgeoisie felt oppressed and the petty bourgeoisie was split. The leaders of the working class were unable to maintain their class hegemony and lost power and the bourgeoisie felt oppressed and the petty bourgeoisie was split. The leaders of the working class were unable to maintain their class hegemony and lost power to the bourgeois forces. Now the bourgeoisie is in power and the working class feels oppressed and the petty bourgeoisie is again split. Each class will try to control the courts, media, education and civil society so it is never a case of "democracy" versus "authoritarianism" but, if you are a hard-nosed realist it's "capitalist authoritarianism" versus "working-class authoritarianism" or, if you prefer, "bourgeois democracy*" versus "socialist democracy." Both class types share a limited amount of their power with the other class depending on the historical circumstances of the country involved but ultimately the working-class can exist without the capitalist class but the capitalist class cannot exist without the working-class. We all know which class is now controlling most of the world and that there is only one major world power where the working class is in power -- as Marxists we are, as it were, the super-ego of the working-class and are working for its ultimate victory over the capitalists. Marx and Engels thought the working class would ultimately win this class struggle but they also warned it could end with "the common ruin of the contending classes". That would be the triumph of barbarism; either socialism will eventually triumph or capitalism will destroy civilization as we know it (it is well on the way of doing so).

* In extremis the capitalists will dispense with the pretense of "democracy."

NYTIMES.COM

In Eastern Europe, U.S. Officials Talk Deals, Not Erosion of Democracy

Promoting weapons sales and isolation of Iran, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Vice President Mike Pence did not speak out on the illiberal direction of some allies.