Reading Lenin, he refers to oppurtunism. a footnote declares

Reading Lenin, he refers to oppurtunism. a footnote declares
"The reference is to the Mensheviks (who formed the Right and opportunist wing of Social-Democracy in the R.S.D.L.P.), and to the Socialist-Revolutionaries. "
What exactly is socialist opportunism?

If only so-called "Marxists-Leninists" could actually read Lenin.

Leninists don't read him either.

I'm not aware of people calling themselves "Leninists".

It basically means sacrificing your long-term goals for short-term improvements.

Look at the history of any major socdem or "socialist" party. Discarding your revolutionary goals to appeal to a larger number of people.
Of course one of the biggest examples to this day is still the German social democratic party supporting German imperialism in WW1 because they thought it would profit the workers or some shit.


The ballpark is that way
>>>/anarcho/

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Isn't every party in the world, Bolsheviks included, then oppurtunist? Lenin explicity endorses compromises and strategic retreats. The question is whether you are sacraficing your long-term goals, which no one thinks they are doing. They are gaining "short-term" advantages inorder to later fulfill their long-term goals.

What exactly was the Menshivik oppurtunism?

Not every compromise endangers your revolutionary principles. In some cases it might be hard to judge, but often (like the WW1 example) it's really fucking obvious. As for the Menshevisk they went for some hard determinist interpretation of historical materialism a la Kautsky and went "Russia isn't ready yet! Instead of seizing power when we get the chance and doing shit, let's just establish a liberal democracy and let the bourgeoisie run it into the ground while we sit on our asses."

No one thinks he is sacrificing his long-term goal, maybe (I wouldn't be so sure), but some people objectively do it while others don't.

Just like any judgement, calling someone an opportunist is risking being wrong.

Are you high?

The mensheviks generally thought that Russia could not become socialist until it reached a Western level of capitalism. Lenin thought this was basically right-opportunism because it advocated abandoning the revolution and keeping capitalism for an extended period of time. There was also a minority of mensheviks who believed Russia could go straight to socialism and that it wouldnt develop capitalism but they were disproven when it did develop it.

There's some other issues more relevant to people in developed countries but I can't exactly recall them rn tbh

I was being cheeky.

Nine out of ten "Leninists" who discard ebul Tankies and claim Lenin's "true legacy" are just run of the mill "Bernie Sanders will make gommunism real" liberals just like Chomsky.
The tenth is based Bordiga.

Didn't the Mensheviks though seize power and form the Democratic Republic of Georgia(which the bolsheviks oppurtunistically crushed)? And their hardline determinist materialist perspective could just as easily be construed as revolutionary steadfastness, rather than oppurtunism. Oppurtunism would be just the opposite of sticking the principals (which Lenin also thoroughly attacks)

I'd wager the Georgian republic was a liberal democratic regime, I don't know much about that though.

Doing nothing is never "steadfastness". You judge opportunism by results.

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Fixed that for ya, comrade

It's the idea of delaying revolution, even if the workers are ready, in exchange for building up capitalism first before carrying out revolution towards socialism.

If this was done in Russia, they would of ended up being taken over by a far right coup though.

I've barely seen any GMIL comics following this formula.

Butthurt

Perhaps the best example in the modern day is Syriza.


Opportunism is about wittingly or unwittingly directing discontent and resistance back into safe channels, while selling such decisions as a mere question of tactics. It's not revolutionary – so much as counterrevolutionary – realpolitik.

Not an argument :^)

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They read Stalin to "read" Lenin