Category Archives: Former issues

Former issues

No. 70 | (Summer 2006)

This issue of Eszmélet addresses two major and historically relevant topics: the popular front, of which actuality is given by the anniversary of the Spanish civil war, and the second is the so-called organisational issue that is unresolved internationally as we entered into the new era of globalisation. In order to contribute to raise the level of intellectual debates of the political left in Hungary, it is important to sum up the relevant aspects of the oeuvre of Lenin concerning this topic.
In Hungary, so far no unbiased analysis was made on the international support to the forces of the Spanish Republic, the division and reasons of the split in the Spanish left, the role of anarchists, the weight of Soviet help in the civil war etc. Conclusions from the articles published can be relevant to restore unity of the present left. The Leninist experience on the organisational issue can also be linked to this question. What are the traps to be avoided by the present left? What were the profoundly different structural features of party development before and after 1917? Have we faced the progressive heritage of pre-Stalinist Marxism? Have we wasted 18 years since the system change? On historically and theoretically analysing the past probably we have not but concerning lessons to be learned – certainly yes.
Table of contents
  1. Harsányi Iván : Popular front – looking back over 70 years
  2. Farkas Miklós : When World War II began? The military coup against the Second Spanish Republic broke out 70 years ago
  3. Mezei Bálint : Soviet officers in the Spanish Civil War
  4. Konok Péter : Is the enemy of my enemy my friend? The failure of the Spanish popular front in May 1937
  5. Zolcsák Attila : Anarchist federalism and Spanish regionalism
  6. Ana Bazac : Present-day popular fronts
  7. Bánki Éva : Europe − for cartoon heroes On Aleš Debeljak: Europe without Europeans
  8. Joaquín Bustelo : Critical remarks to the idea of “democratic centrism”
  9. Michael A. Lebowitz : The politics of assumption, the assumption of politics
  10. Krausz Tamás : Lenin and the “organisation question” – historical reconstruction
Former issues

No. 69 | (Spring 2006)

Table of contents
  1. Szigeti Péter, Szalai Erzsébet, Lugosi Győző, Wiener György : Exploring world systems (Global “open competition” – the current stage of world capitalism)
  2. Mészáros István : Farewell to Harry Magdoff
  3. Marsovszky Magdolna : Anti-Semitism: “Negative aspects of a positive programme”
  4. Gyenyisz Leonyidovics Babicsenko : Residency in the Soviet Union (Yuri Andropov’s official biography rather resembles to a cover story of a professional spy)
  5. Sziklai László : After the End – On The Auschwitz Album. Story of a Transport
  6. Robin Blackburn : A visionary pragmatist: Rudolf Meidner, 1914 – 2005
  7. Istvánffy András : Resistance and the centre of the structure
  8. Paul Blackledge : A critique of “anti-Leninist” anti-capitalism
  9. Alekszandr Nyikolajevics Taraszov : World Revolution. A return to the strategy of global revolution also integrating 20th century’s experience
  10. Bartók Gyula : Will a global socialist revolution come?
  11. Rastko Močnik : Social changes in the Balkans
  12. Boda Zsolt : Environmental effects of economic globalisation
Former issues

Farewell to Harry Magdoff

"Assuming it was relatively justified to call the capitalist order a system of »productive destruction«… but today that would be a dangerous self-delusion we have to part with. We should not misunderstand the capitalist order in an era when we – reflecting the consequences of the historical developments emerging at the end of the 20th century caused by the structural crisis of the whole capitalist system – have to inevitably face the devastation of destructive production and its catastrophic force, in other words reality, which is the utter opposite of the idealised »productive destruction."

Former issues

Anti-Semitism: “Negative aspects of a positive programme”

The study explores the phenomenon of anti-Semitism in Hungary using research methods developed in Germany on the subject. Hungarian anti-Semitism is aiming not only discriminating Jews but also the whole political left, that is excluding socialists and the liberals from the national community. Thus the cultural war intensified under the Orbán-government reproduces the democratic deficit.