Για τη δικτατορία του προλεταριάτου

by Étienne Balibar, Νίκος Μανωλόπουλος (translator), Σούλα Παπαϊωάννου (editor)

No-one and nothing, not even the Congress of a Communist Party, can abolish the dictatorship of the proletariat. That is the most important conclusion of this book by Étienne Balibar. 

Balibar spells out his reasoning against the background of the 22nd Congress of the French Communist Party, which decided to ‘drop’ the aim of the dictatorship of the proletariat and to substitute the objective of a ‘democratic’ road to socialism. His concrete references are therefore usually to arguments put forward within the French Party. But it is quite obvious that the significance of this book is much wider, not least because, in spite of the important political and economic differences separating the nations of western Europe, many of their Communist Parties are evolving in an apparently similar ideological direction, and indeed appear to be borrowing arguments from one another in support of their new positions.

Genres: Politics, Philosophy, Nonfiction

272 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1976

About the author

Étienne Balibar is emeritus professor of philosophy at Paris X Nanterre and emeritus professor of comparative literature at the University of California, Irvine. He is also professor of modern European philosophy at Kingston University, London, and professor of French and comparative literature at Columbia University. His books include Violence and Civility: On the Limits of Political Philosophy (Columbia, 2015).

Reviews

[Nikos Tzhmas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Λόγω μίας εργασίας, διάβασα σε μικρό χρονικό διάστημα όλα τα μεταφρασμένα γραπτά του Μπαλιμπάρ που έχουν στοιχεία ανάλυσης του αστικού κράτους. Εδώ ο Γάλλος δεν βρίσκεται σε αυτή τη κορυφαία κατάσταση θεωρητικής ευφυΐας που επιδεικνύει στα υπόλοιπα έργα της περιόδου (ειδικά σε εκείνα που συνθέτει έννοιες μέσα από την ανάγνωση του μαρξικου έργου - βλ Κράτος, κόμμα, ιδεολογία και τη "διόρθωση του Κομμουνιστικού Μανιφέστου). Για αυτό ευθύνεται κυρίως ο χαρακτήρας του βιβλίου, καθώς αποτελεί υπεράσπιση της έννοιας της "δικτατορίας του προλεταριάτου" απέναντι σε όσους ζητούσαν την απαλειφή της από το καταστατικό του Γαλλικού Κομμουνιστικού Κόμματος και ταυτόχρονα επιτελεί το ρόλο μίας πολεμικής κριτικής απέναντι στην "ευρωκομμουνιστική" γραμμή περί δημοκρατικού δρόμου προς τον σοσιαλισμό. Όμως ο χαρακτήρας αυτός φέρνει και τα θετικά χαρακτηριστικά του βιβλίου. Η έλλειψη της θεωρητικής εφευρετικότητας αναπληρώνεται από την καθαρότητα των επιχειρημάτων, σε ένα φαινομενικά δύσκολο εγχείρημα. Επίσης η τρομερή σχολαστικότητα με την οποία διαχειρίζεται τις έννοιες ο Γάλλος είναι εμφανής και σε αυτό το βιβλίο. Η σχολαστικότητα λοιπόν, και η καθαρότητα των επιχειρημάτων υπεράσπισης και κριτικής καθιστούν το βιβλίο αυτό πολύ σημαντικό για τη μαρξιστική σκέψη και υλική συμπύκνωση της θεωρητικής κριτικής στη "δεξιά" ευρωκομμουνιστική στροφή των μαζικών κομμουνιστικών κομμάτων της δυτικής Ευρώπης.

[Colm Gillis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A disclaimer first off that I read this purely for research purposes. However, I was very impressed with this book. I thought the author had a difficult thesis to propound but did it quite well. For an academic work the writing is lively. Recommended reading for understanding Marxism.

[Victor Lopez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Balibar's argument is that socialism isn't some partial or intermediate mode of production, between capitalism and communism, with its own characteristic economic laws (or more precisely, relation of production). Instead, socialism is the *process* of the transition between these modes of production. This transition has two components, basic and superstructural; so socialism likewise has two components, the development of the productive forces and the maintenance of the DotP. So these are *identified* with socialism, on the economic and political levels respectively. The point is that things like Marx's labour-voucher sketch in the *Gotha Crit*, Lenin's NEP from *The Tax in Kind*, Deng's Reform and Opening Up + 4 Cardinal Principles should all thus be understood as tactical manoeuvres of socialism in a particular moment; to preserve political power while developing the productive forces. There is no higher or more abstract "mode" for socialism; it is a fundamentally flexible process of getting where you want to go, and managing the contradictions in the way. This conception forwarded by Balibar cuts through many illusions held by both reformist social democrats as well as by anarchists.

If, as he argues, socialism is the use of proletarian political power to build productive forces and create a communist mode of production, attempting this without class power is simply vacuous. So one of the groups he is addressing are the Eurocom reformists of the time who wanted a whole-society democratic socialism; Balibar argues that such a thing just isn't socialism. Even if it mimics some features of a socialist transition, socialism for Balibar isn't characterised by particular features (a social safety net, unions in the workplace, or even labour-vouchers); it is characterised by being a transitional programme of a class power.

Overall a very strong book that dismantles common misinterpretations of what the Dictatorship of the Proletariat represents. Would recommend.

[Nas · Rating 4 out of 5]

pretty cool

[Szabolcs Lőrik · Rating 5 out of 5]

nah Étienne, u need new haters, old one became fans (eg. I)

[Iqra Tasmiae]

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