Marxism Q&A

[Alan]

The philosophy club asked me to make a presentation on Marxism in two weeks and I have to prepare for that.
I already have an idea of what I will present and in what order, but the presentation will focus more on Q&A rather than me talking, so I wanted to have an idea of what questions might arise so that I can prepare and practice and make sure I can give them a satisfactory answer.
Imagine you were in the audience, and what kind of questions would you want to have an answer to?

Now, the questions I'm asking you for are limited in two aspects for two reasons:

1) Although the lecture is open for everyone, we're presupposing that they have already heard me briefly mention the bases of Marxism (scientific socialism, dialectical materialism, class conflict...) so I'm not looking for questions like "What is Marxism?"

and 2) As, again, we're presupposing that they now know the basics of Marxism, whether the questions are criticisms of Marxism or further inquiry on Marxism, they are questions on Marxism. Therefore, for instance, it would be legitimate to ask "Was Stalin a Marxist?" but it wouldn't be legitimate to ask "If Marxism is so great why did the Soviet Union fail?" May god have mercy on you if you ask me "How can you like Obama?"

Thanks in advance.

[Luv2H8]

What MAKES Marxism fail? Is it that it is usually corrupted or is it just that it doesn't work?

[CptSternn]

Originally Posted by Luv2H8

What MAKES Marxism fail? Is it that it is usually corrupted or is it just that it doesn't work?

Marxism doesn't fail, it just was corrupted in the Soviet Union, much like Democracy is corrupted in America. Neither are shining examples of the form of government they claim to represent.

Ireland was founded by Marxists, and our government incorporates many Marxist principles, as do many European nations, so to say 'it fails' discounts the fact half of the first world countries are Marxist or Marxist based.

[Entropic]

Here are the questions I usually see asked:

How would Marxism handle pre-existing property, like the car or house that I already have?

How would Marxism handle inheritance or family heirlooms?

How would Marxism handle people who do not want to live in a Marxist society?

What is the incentive to work, in Marxism?

Are there examples of successful Marxist societies/states/countries/nations?

Was the Soviet Union a Marxist country? Why or why not?
How can you like Obama?
Was Nazi Germany a Marxist country? Why or why not?

Did Marx make any predictions? If he did, how did those predictions turn out?

[Doppleganger2]

Isn't Marxism like out of date or something?

[HumanePain]

Can Marxism scale to global proportions in today's world and still work?

[KontanKarite]

I've actually wanted to see these questions answered as well. I'm curious about Marxism and I'm still waiting on Grozny to let me read the Communist Manifesto.

But yeah, Entropic's questions seem pretty solid.

[Luv2H8]

Nazi Germany wasn't Marxist. It was totalitarianism. Although Hitler considered himself a Socialist and was part of the German Socialist Party (something like that, my memory is kind of shady nowadays) he was a totalitarian in that he demanded absolute control over his country.


I need to stop posting this...

[Despanan]

How can you like Obama?

[Luv2H8]

^ e-HIGH FIVE!!

[Alan]

Alright, pretty good questions. I'm gonna try and respond them, but give me until thursday for that. Also I think I'm gonna mention some of the points I know I have to include in the presentation. Bear with me, and really thanks, because any little question demands that I strengthen my answers.

[HumanePain]

I am very interested to read the response to my question because it seems that one the main components for it to work (which happens to be the main reason it is considered evil by capitalist nations) is that it is all or nothing: the whole world must be taken over by communism for it to be true Marxism, otherwise it dies an eventual, corrupted death. Of course, this is also a handy excuse: "It failed in Russia because the whole world wasn't communist", "It was corrupted in China because they had to deal with capitalist nations" etc.

[Despanan]

I've actually got a real one here:

Speaking practically, what systems does Marxism have in place which protect it from abuse/corruption and why were these systems unsuccessful in the case of the Soviet Union and Red China?

[gothicusmaximus]

In Soviet Russia, Q As you.

[Despanan]

I'll "A" your "Q"

[Ben Lahnger]

If the governments of the world were predominantly Marxist, how would natural disasters like the recent earthquakes be dealt with? In other words, how does Marxism address the area of international aid?

(This may just be a case of me not understanding the mechanism of a Marxist government, but I thought I would ask.)

[JCC]

How would a Marxist government effectively distribute adequate supplies to the people based upon requirement? The market allows people to purchase as they see fit, how much decentralisation is necessary to accurately distribute goods without leaving it to the judgment of the individual consumer?

How would a Marxist regime offer inessential luxury items to the population, or cater to specific needs/preferences such as gluten-free, wheat-free, vegan etc. without the independence that markets offer? Is it inevitable that the production of luxury or niche items will stagnate under a fully Marxist regime? Is Marxism a society built only on essentials, and can such a society ever be prosperous or happy?

Given the growing interdependence of national economies as part of a wider global tapestry, how would a country largely bereft of an industrial base or natural resources that formerly depended upon the service sector survive without the global market, assuming that it is a singular, isolated Marxist state rather than part of a wider movement of Marxist revolutions?

[Entropic]

How would Marxism handle small-businesses and start-ups?

Would a Marxist state have a professional, standing army?

If not, how would a Marxist state defend itself?

[JCC]

Would Marxism allow me to have my own castle? If not, FUCK MARXISM.

[Entropic]

Originally Posted by JCC

Would Marxism allow me to have my own castle? If not, FUCK MARXISM.

If he gets a castle and I don't get a castle, I'm gonna be pissed.

[Deadmanwalking_05]

Originally Posted by JCC

Would Marxism allow me to have my own castle? If not, FUCK MARXISM.

Originally Posted by Entropic

If he gets a castle and I don't get a castle, I'm gonna be pissed.

And while you guys are waiting to be given a Castle...
I'll invest my time,money,and energy into buying a few acres of land,then building a cabin.

Which would be faster and last longer?

[Entropic]

Originally Posted by Deadmanwalking_05

And while you guys are waiting to be given a Castle...
I'll invest my time,money,and energy into buying a few acres of land,then building a cabin.

Which would be faster and last longer?

[Deadmanwalking_05]

Originally Posted by Entropic

I agree...if I were you I'd slap myself too.

[JCC]

In a Marxist state, can I kick Deadman in the balls without legal repercussions? If so, I retract my request for a castle.

[Alan]

Alright alright. Lemme slow down the questions there. I fear it might become another place to flame Deadman, or worse, another place for Deadman to flaunt martyrdom where we barely attacked him. I have time right now so lemme answer as many as possible in chronological order.

As a preamble, because I will also say the same disclaimer in front of the audience, I will make the responses as close as possible to a Marxist response. We know that this gets iffy as Marxism is not a stone set doctrine, plus I have my own ideas which go below or beyond marxist orthodoxy, but these would be basically the parameters:

Because it's a philosophy discussion, the answers won't be based on the political Marxist-Leninist tendency which is
Marx -> Lenin -> Stalin -> Mao -> Castro
But rather on the organic theoretical Marxist tendency which roughly is
Marx -> Lenin -> Trotsky -> Luxembourg -> Pannekoek -> Gramsci and is more contemporaneously embodied in the Frankfurt School and the New Left.
Where I find Marxism to be deficient in offering an answer, I will say so, and I will also say whether I will give a personal opinion or I just refrain from being authoritative in giving an explanation.

Alright, so here it goes: