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Socialism: the Goal,

the Paths and the Compass

[Presentation of El Socialismo no Cae del Cielo: Un Neuvo Comienzo at the 2010avana !oo" #air$ 1% #e&ruar' 2010()

Michael A. Lebowitz

*here+s an old sa'in, that if 'ou don+t "no- -here 'ou -ant to ,o$ an' road -ill ta"e 'ou

there( .s /+ve said on man' occasions$ this sa'in, is mista"en( /f 'ou dont "no- -here'ou -ant to ,o$ noroad -ill ta"e 'ou there( /n other -ords$ 'ou need an understandin, of

the ,oal( ou need a vision for the future(

ar3 had a ver' clear vision( /t -as a vision of a societ' -hich -ould 4ermit the full

develo4ment of human &ein,s 5 a societ' -hich allo-ed ever'one to develo4 their4otential( .nd$ that -ould occur not &ecause of ,ifts from a&ove &ut$ rather$ as a result of

the activit' of human &ein,s( *his -as his conce4t of revolutionar' 4ractice 5 the

simultaneous chan,in, of circumstances and human activit' or self chan,e( uman

develo4ment and 4ractice 5 this "e' lin" in ar3 reminds us that there are al-a's t-o4roducts as the result of our activit'$ the chan,e in circumstances and the chan,e in

4eo4le themselves( /t reminds us that -hat ar3 called rich human &ein,s$ socialist

human &ein,s$ 4roduce themselves onl' throu,h their o-n activit'(

The Goal

Elementar' trian,le of socialism(

*he !olivarian Constitution of 6enezuela incor4orates this conce4t( /t stresses that the,oal of societ' must &e the full develo4ment of ever' human &ein, and that 4artici4ation


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and 4rota,onism is the necessar' -a' of achievin, the involvement to ensure their

com4lete develo4ment$ &oth individual and collective( /n 2007$ President Chavez of

6enezuela reinforced this vision &' introducin, -hat he called the elementar' trian,le ofsocialism( Social o-nershi4 of the means of 4roduction$ social 4roduction or,anized &'

-or"ers and 4roduction for social needs and 4ur4oses ma"e u4 this trian,le(

#irstl'$ social o-nershi4 of the means of 4roduction is the -a' to ensure that our

communal$ social 4roductivit' is directed to the free develo4ment of all rather than usedto satisf' the 4rivate ,oals of ca4italists$ ,rou4s of 4roducers$ or state &ureaucrats(

Secondl'$ social 4roduction or,anized &' -or"ers 4ermits -or"ers to develo4 their

ca4acities &' com&inin, thin"in, and doin, in the -or"4lace and$ thus$ to 4roduce notonl' thin,s &ut also themselves as self8conscious collective 4roducers( *hirdl'$

satisfaction of social needs and 4ur4oses is the necessar' ,oal of 4roductive activit' in

the ne- societ' &ecause it su&stitutes for the focus u4on self8interest and selfishness anorientation to the needs of others and relations &ased u4on solidarit'(

The Paths

*his is the vision of the societ' -e -ant to &uild( *his is -here -e -ant to ,o( .nd if -edont "no- that$ no road -ill ta"e us there( o-ever$ "no-in, -here 'ou -ant to ,o is

not enou,h( /ts not true that if 'ou do "no- -here 'ou -ant to ,o$ an' road -ill ta"e

'ou there( /snt there a relationshi4 &et-een the ,oal$ and the road 'ou ta"e to ,et there9.re these inde4endent of each other9 #or e3am4le$ can 'ou ,et to the ,oal &' ,oin, in the

oppositedirection9 o 'ou &uild social o-nershi4 &' rel'in, u4on ca4italist o-nershi4

of the means of 4roduction and the ca4italist mono4ol' of our social herita,e and of the

4roducts of our la&our9 o 'ou &uild a societ' of associated 4roducers and social4roduction &' 4reventin, decision8ma"in, &' -or"ers and retainin, the ,a4 &et-een

thin"in, and doin,9 o 'ou &uild a societ' &ased u4on solidarit'$ -here 4roduction is forsocial needs$ &' stressin, selfishness9 /n other -ords$ do 'ou ,o for-ard &' ,oin,&ac"-ards9

Maybe( a'&e sometimes it is necessar'( Socialism does not fall from the s"'( /t is

necessaril' rooted in 4articular societies( ;e all start from different 4laces 5 in our

develo4ment$ in our histories( *herefore$ there cannot &e one sin,le 4ath( .ll 4aths -ill&e different( Some -ill &e lon,er than others( Some -ill &e relativel' strai,ht$ -hile

others -ill re


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4oint in the direction of the ,oal -hen o&stacles have tem4oraril' forced 'ou to ,o in the

o44osite direction(

/ a,ree -ith that in 4rinci4le( !ut / also &elieve that -e need to learn from historicale34erience that the 4art' is not itself immune$ that it does not stand outside societ' and

thus does not al-a's 4oint to the true North( *his -as certainl' the case$ for e3am4le$ inun,ar'$ u,oslavia and China( .nd$ not onl' there( / have >ust returned from an intense

month in 6ietnam( *here is no


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com4lete develo4ment of human &ein,s$ &oth individuall' and collectivel'( ;hile there

has &een some focus u4on ,rassroots democrac' @for e3am4le$ in o Chi inh Cit'A$

there has &een ver' little decision8ma"in, &' -or"ers in -or"4laces @outside of annualcon,resses in state8o-ned industr'A$ and there has &een little em4hasis u4on conscious

4roduction for social needs( .nd$ the results are 4redicta&le( /n the a&sence of social

4roduction or,anized &' -or"ers and 4roduction for social needs$ the third side of thesocialist trian,le$ social o-nershi4$ is -itherin, a-a'( .nd$ increasin,l'$ the human

4roduct is 4eo4le -ho em&race the lo,ic of ca4ital(

/ thin" that 6ietnam reinforces the lesson that ever' ste4 to the mar"et must &e

accom4anied &' t-o ste4s in the direction of &uildin, a socialist societ': &uildin, -or"erdecision8ma"in, in -or"4laces and &uildin, institutions &ased u4on solidarit'( /f -e

reco,nize that 4eo4le 4roduce themselves throu,h their activit'$ then their activit' should

unleash their 4otential rather than &e left to an orientation to the mar"et and self8interest(*his is -hat / -as stressin, in 6ietnam 5 that the 4art' needs to create the conditions in

-hich 4eo4le can develo4 their ca4acities as 4rota,onists -ithin their -or"4laces and

their communities$ institutions such as the communal councils and -or"ers councils&ein, develo4ed in 6enezuela(

/ su,,est that throu,h such a 4rocess of 4roducin, rich human &ein,s -ith confidence

and di,nit'$ &oth the 4eo4le and the 4art' -ill &e inoculated a,ainst the infection that can

4revent us from reachin, the socialist ,oal( *hat -ont &e achieved$ ho-ever$ &' a one8sided focus u4on develo4in, 4roductive forces( /n short$ -e should never for,et the

essential insi,ht of Che Buevara 5 the necessit' simultaneousl' to &uild 4roductive forces

and socialist human &ein,s(

ichael .( De&o-itz is 4rofessor emeritus of economics at Simon #raser Universit' in

6ancouver$ Canada$ and the author ofBeyond Capital: Marx's Political Economy of theWorking Class@also availa&le onScri&dA andBuild It o!: "ocialism for the #!enty$

%irst Century( *his article also 4u&lished at Fine(or,(

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