C&C readers debate 'The contradictions of real socialism'

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Join the discussion of Michael Lebowitz’s latest book

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Roy Wilkes’s recent review of Michael Lebowitz’s book, The Contradictions of Real Socialism, has prompted some interesting comments and debate.

Some highlights …

Roy Wilkes describes the book as an “important contribution” to our understanding of the failures of socialism in the 20th Century, “one that deserves to be read and discussed widely on the left.”

Bill Templer objects that Michael’s book  ignores the fact that many workers in those countries now regret what they have lost.

Michael Lebowitz responds that the real question is why the working class allowed ‘real socialism’ to be overthrown so easily — and “how to avoid a rerun of that experience.”

John Riddell says that “Marxists who opposed Stalinism have not done well, in my view, in explaining its collapse.”

Roy Wilkes says a new balance sheet of socialism in the 20th century is needed, “not as an abstract theoretical exercise but as a means of developing a shared understanding of socialism and of the role and nature of revolutionary parties.”

These are important issues for ecosocialists. Click here to read all the comments and join in the discussion.

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Ian

More from my notebook …