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by poszlem 1228 days ago
Their diagnosis was okay, it's the proposed cure people have a problem with.
1 comments

There's actually very little written by Marx or Engels on any kind of proposed "cure". Marx himself reacted very negatively to the idea of "writing recipes for cook-shops of the future." He didn't think it possible, nor desirable, to draw up plans.

The "cures" in the 20th century were on the whole written by people with far simpler minds and uglier motives. Their actions don't take away from the value of Marx as an analyst and critic of capitalism.

It is certainly a novel way to look at what Marx wrote.

I assume you are overlooking the little things like the abolition of private property, or central planning of the economy on purpose?

What little they did write in the Manifesto did plenty of damage all on its own, and it served as a step-by-step guide for most of history's failed communist states. (Particularly the bits of making "despotic inroads" on the existing systems)
I don't disagree, but I also think much has been lost in translation between 19th century phrases and language and conventions vs now. Context of the time was revolutions in the context of a mix of brutal 19th century monarchies/dictatorships, proto-capitalist/mostly agrarian economies, and brutal badly regulated industrial capitalisms.

The phrase "dictatorship of the proletariat" in particular has a very unfortunate history and ... interpretation.