TeaIsGreat [it/its, fae/faer]

So far, I'm managing to keep up well

Then there are people of exactly the opposite kind. They see themselves above all as pupils of the founders of Marxism-Leninism, conscientiously study the theory of Marxism-Leninism and strive to grasp its essence and spirit. They look up to the noble character and proletarian revolutionary qualities of the founders, and in the course of revolutionary struggles they conscientiously carry on self-cultivation and examine themselves to see if their handling of affairs, their dealings with people and their own behaviour conform to the spirit of Marxism-Leninism. They are well read in Marxism-Leninism but at the same time they make a special effort to investigate and analyse living reality, to study the characteristics of their own time and all aspects of the situation facing the proletariat of their own country, and to integrate the universal truth of Marxism-Leninism with the concrete practice of the revolution in their own country. They do not content themselves with memorizing Marxist-Leninist principles and conclusions, but take a firm Marxist-Leninist stand learn the Marxist-Leninist method and act accordingly, giving spirited guidance in every revolutionary struggle, and thus they transform reality and at the same time transform themselves. Every one of their actions without exception is guided by the general principals of Marxism-Leninism and is devoted to the victory of the proletarian cause, the liberation of the nation and all mankind, and the triumph of Communism.

Is, I think, the most important paragraph of the chapter, detailing what we should strive to be and be doing.

The last few paragraphs are also what grabbed me the most.

Thus, once they themselves became the ruling class, these revolutionaries lost their revolutionary quality and turned round to oppress the exploited masses; this was the inexorable law.

I can see how bourgeois revolutions would turn out that way, once in power, the bourgeoisie can start exploiting people themselves through financial means (more effectively).

But such can never be the case with the proletarian revolution and with the Communist Party.

I agree with the interpretation that this is what we must ensure after a successful revolution. At the same time, I also interpret it in a way where the proletariat generally speaking isn't a class that can exploit/exploits another class, so the members of the proletarian ruling elite would transition to being a class of ruling bureaucrats before they start exploiting the proletariat anew.

The proletariat is able to build a strictly organized and disciplined party and set up a centralized and at the same time democratic state apparatus, and through the Party and this state apparatus, it is able to lead the masses of the people in waging unrelenting struggle against all corruption and rottenness and in ceaselessly weeding out of the Party and the state organs all those elements that have become corrupt and removed (whatever high office they may hold), thereby preserving the purity of the Party and the state apparatus.

This, I feel is a very important statement to take to heart. We, as revolutionaries need to not only constantly improve ourselves (through self-crit among other things) but also the vanguard party and proletarian state, to ensure it doesn't removed into class oppression (of the proletariat) again. It's also interesting to consider this statement in the context of Xi's anti corruption purges.

I can't wait to see how the text continues from here.

I'm in, sounds fun (and also I've been slacking on reading theory lately)

It would be great if you could share some sources on those numbers that we could use as references.

I can only speak for myself here, but I would certainly be interested in the occasional fragment about the situation back in 1922 and how it relates to current events.

Thank you. Much appreciated.

@ComradeRat @SeventyTwoTrillion

Petition to archive these comments on the Bulletins Site.

I finally got rid of the last remnants of windows on my pc. :tux:

I've had the same results. Thanks for sharing.

I also haven't been able to find where it would get unlocked/where that decision gets made.

It exists in the game itself though and can be unlocked through editing local storage: https://hexbear.net/pictrs/image/M0fOJ4gSxH.png

To do this, I just did a search and replace from "locked\":true to "locked\":false.

It is possible to unlock them, they just have a really tiny chance. For Reference see element 40 or 82 here: https://play.half.earth/assets/content/projects.json

I had to edit my local storage to unlock them though.

Quite often industrial and commercial circles complain of the “terrorism” of the banks. And it is not surprising that such complaints are heard, for the big banks “command”, as will be seen from the following example. On November 19, 1901, one of the big, so- called Berlin “D” banks (the names of the four biggest banks begin with the letter D) wrote to the Board of Directors of the German Central Northwest Cement Syndicate in the following terms: “As we learn from the notice you published in a certain newspaper of the 18th inst., we must reckon with the possibility that the next general meeting of your syndicate, to be held on the 30th of this month, may decide on measures which are likely to effect changes in your enterprise which are unacceptable to us. We deeply regret that, for these reasons, we are obliged henceforth to withdraw the credit which had hitherto been allowed you.... But if the said next general meeting does not decide upon measures which are unacceptable to us, and if we receive suitable guarantees on this matter for the future, we shall be quite willing to open negotiations with you on the grant of a new credit.”

• Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism - Lenin, p.30 :back-to-me:

This starting-point could perhaps be placed at an even later date, for it was the crisis of 1900 that enormously accelerated and intensified the process of concentration of industry and of banking, consolidated that process, for the first time transformed the connection with industry into the actual monopoly of the big banks, and made this connection much closer and more active.” Thus, the twentieth century marks the turning-point from the old capitalism to the new, from the domination of capital in general to the domination of finance capital.

• Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism - Lenin, p.32 :back-to-me: