330 polities ure.Onepoint,however,iscentral:solongastheworking classdoesshowmobility,unrest,anypossibilityforraisingitselfonceagaintotheheightsof25yearsago,revolutionists mustcontinueeveryefforttobringtheSocialistmovement oncemoreintointimatecontactwiththeworkers.(*)Any- thinglessisdesertion. leAsthusfardiscussed,theissuerevolvesaboutthequestion oftheviabilityoftheworldworkingclassinthe present situation.ButMacdonaldtransfersit tostillanotherplane. HeabandonstheideathattoachieveSocialismmasssocial movementsandactionsarenecessary;herejectspartiesand tradeunions;heproposesinsteadthecreationofsmal"psychologicalcommunities"tobe"groupedaroundcertainprinci- plesandfeelingstheyhaveincommon"andtolive"accordingto(their)trueandspontaneousnature." TheQuestionofMassAction WiththisprogramMacdonaldhasofcoursereallyaban- donedSocialism.Hehasabandoneditnotasa desire butas aperspective.For Idoubtifevenhewouldclaimthatthe creationofsuchgroupscouldbringSocialismwhateverother goodstheymightachieveorwhateverdevelopmentofperson- alitytheymightstimulateintheirparticipants.Theissuehas herereachedrockbotom:attemptedsocialactionthroughmass movementsandorganizedparties,or"freecommunes"existingwithintheframeworkofcapitalistsociety. Macdonaldobjectsto"massactiontoday"onthegrounds "thatanyatempttoworkalongthatlinecorruptsone'spurposes."Or"ifoneresistscoruptioninthesenseofstickingby one'sprinciples,onebecomescorruptinasubtlerway:one pretendstobespeakingtoandformilionsofworkerswhen oneisnotevenspeakingtoandforthousands. . ."Thefirst objectionisnotnovel:itisusualwithallethicalabsolutists whoinsistthatthechosenmeansbequalitativelyidentical withthedesiredend.Butifthemeansthehighwayfromthe presenttothefuture--istobeidenticalwiththedesiredend, thentwothingsmustfolow: 1.Thedesiredend already residesinthemeans,inwhich casethereisnoneedforsocialactiontoreachtheend(thus: thetheoryof"buildingSocialismnow"oncooperativefarms ratherthanbuildingarevolutionarypartytooverthrowcapitalism);and 2.Themeanshasnorelationshiptothepresent,sinceitis moralyequivalenttothedesiredendwhichisantitheticalto thepresent.Themeansistherefore necessarilyinefective as aconnectionbetweenthepresentandthefuture(thusrpacifismwhichhasadmirableethicalaimsisnotanefectivemeans ofoverthrowingcapitalismpreciselybecauseof itsfailure realisticallytoanalyzecapitalism.Inpracticeitsdoctrineof classpeacehelpsperpetuatecapitalism.) Nowthiscentralcontradictionbetweenmeansandendsis averyrealone.Howtosolvethedilemmabetweenameans eithertoocloselyidentifiedwiththepresentandtherebydis- tortingthedesiredend,orameanstoocloselyidentifiedwith thefutureandtherebyunrealistic?Thereisnosimpleformula. *Inpassing:evenifonegrantsthetriumphofahypotheticalbureaucratic colectivism,thatdoesn't necessarily makethesocialistperspectivemerely "utopian."Theassertionmaybetrue,butwehave asyet nowarrantfor asumnigso.Forclassconflictswillcontinueunderbureaucraticcollectivismasundercapitalism;andonthebasisoftheseconflictstherewill remainthepossibilityofbeginningastruggle,perhapsinitiallyondemo- Bibitoteeedgineuerstrpooasocialistrevolution. Theproblemcan be solvedonlyinpractice,andnotbya formula:themeans,alwaysanunstableandtenseconnective, musthavestrongtieswithboththepresentandthedesired fut Fuorerin . stance,allrevolutionaryparties(whichMacdonald findscorrupting)facethedangerofbureaucraticdegenera- tion,aneventualitywhichwouldindicatetheircorruptionby themoresofcapitalistsocietysinceallrevolutionaryparties must,alas,functionwithintheframeworkofcapitalistsociety.Accordinglysomepeoples—suchasIgnazioSiloneatone time,andnowMacdonaldconcludethatalpartiesarenecessarilycoruptandshouldthereforebeeschewed.Butthiscon- clusionforegoesthepossibilityofmasaction,andtherebythe possibilityofSocialistrevolution.Itignoresfurtherthepos- sibilitythatthemasesthemselves,whoseemforMacdonald amereinertlumptobemanipulatedatwill,mayandinrevo- lutionarysituationsdoexertacorrectiveandlimitinginfluenceonrevolutionaryparties.Havingabandonedthepossi- bilityofmassaction,isitanywonderthatMacdonald,repeledasheisbycapitalism,seeksshelterin"psychological coMmamcduonn itieas ld? 's" otherobjectionto"massactiontoday"issmal potatoes:"thepretensetobespeakingtoorformilionsof workersiscorrupting."Norevolutionarypartywithapinch ofintelligencesopretends.Manifestoesaddressed"tothe workingclass"merelyindicatesadesiretoproposeideasto theclassasawhole,evenifonlyasmalsectionofitisaware ofthem.Everyseriouspartyatemptstospeakto,andbelievesitsprogramrepresentstheinterestsof,theclass,group ornationitclaimstorepresent.Thissometimesmaybrush theridiculousbutisnotthesameascorruption.Simply becausethemoremyopicfolowersoftheSocialistWorkers Partytalkasiftheyhadmerelytopushabutonandpresto! therevolution,isnoreasontofindmasactioncorrupting. Macdonalds'dismissaloftheverypossibilityanddesirability ofmassactionisfundamentalyanextremelysnobbishattitude.Foritimpliesthatcorruptioncanbeavoided only ina communityofintelectualsandothersaintsandthataparty inwhichmereworkersparticipateleadstobureaucraticcor- ruption. Idon'twishtoindulgeinanysimplisticexaggerations:itistruethatworkersinarevolutionarypartyareoften preytodemagogicmanipulationbybureaucraticleaders—a dangeragainstwhichconstantvigilanceisrequired.Butwould Macdonald'sgroupsbeanylesscorupting?Whichofthe mechanismsmakingforcoruptioninapartywouldbeab- sentinhisgroups?Rivalry?Concernwithstatus?Bureaucraticlustfordominationandpower?Intelectualsnobbery? Bureaucratismcanexistinpoorlyorganizedgroupsaswel asintightlyknitparties. Marxistsarescornfuloftheatempttobuildlittlegroups of"psychologicalcommunities"whichatbestremainsub- jecttothezz.onomiclawsandmoresofthecapitalistsociety inwhichtheyexistandprovidesolaceforafewwearyre- cluses,whileinnowaysolvingtheproblemsofthemassof humanity.Weproposeinsteadtoplungeintothedirtyand imperfectbusinessofpolitics,inwhich,yes,thereisbureaucratismandimperfection.Weretainourbeliefinthevalidity andrelevanceofsocialactionbecause: 1.Ithasprovedefectiveinthepast.Withalltheirlimi- tations,thegreatrevolutionsofthepasthavebeenthepeaks ofhistory,inwhichmasesofpeopleparticipatedwithenergy andenthusiasmneverdisplayedintheirroutineliving.The
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