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Question about the tendency to be reactionary of the the intelligentsia, and new petite bourgeoisie and labor aristocracy (lemmy.ml)

submitted 3 months ago by Confidant6198@lemmy.ml to c/asklemmygrad@lemmygrad.ml

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If the intelligentsia, and new petite bourgeoisie and labor aristocracy tend to be reactionary and tend to align with the bourgeoisie, how do we get to keep the infrastructure that they run without them holding it hostage against the revolution?

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[–] comradecalzone@lemmygrad.ml 0 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Intelligentsia maintain a portion of the means of reproduction of society. Scholars, professors, researchers and the like. It's important that bourgeois ideas and constructs are reproduced and reinforced to uphold capitalism, and their work requires a higher level of skill. Thus, they are historically better compensated and enjoy a higher level of privilege. Still generally workers - they don't own the means of production.

The petite bourgeoisie on the other hand do own the means of production, and do exploit labor to make profit, but operate at a smaller scale than the large bourgeoisie and their labor remains essential to their operations. Small businesses and the like.

Both groups, along with highly technically skilled workers (labor aristocracy) have similar interests in that they have more to benefit from collaboration with large bourgeoisie and imperialist forces than most workers do. This isn't a constant, however, as the contradictions of capitalism sharpen.

[–] znsh@lemmygrad.ml 0 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (2 children)

Intelligentsia maintain a portion of the means of reproduction of society. Scholars, professors, researchers and the like.

So if a scholar is also a marxist-leninist and teaches at an university they are automatically intelligentsia? Even if they support ML/Communist ideas?

Small businesses and the like.

This one is really difficult for me to grasp, it's probably my ignorance and lack of knowledge, but why would someone who is a small business owner that doesn't employ any other worker be bourgeois? Are freelancers and struggling artists who are trying to get their foot in the door of an industry also in that class? I hope I don't come off as aggressive (I just read back what I wrote and it sounds a bit like that, but I swear it isn't :D)

[–] PolandIsAStateOfMind@lemmygrad.ml 0 points 3 months ago

So if a scholar is also a marxist-leninist and teaches at an university they are automatically intelligentsia? Even if they support ML/Communist ideas?

Yes, inteligentsia is a subclass of working class, your political ideology alone does not change your relation to means of production.

[–] DonLongSchlong@lemmygrad.ml 0 points 3 months ago (1 children)

So if a scholar is also a marxist-leninist and teaches at an university they are automatically intelligentsia? Even if they support ML/Communist ideas?

I assume it works like the Engels situation. He was part of the bourgeoisie, but acted like a class traitor as far as I understand.

So, that professor imo would be part of the intelligentsia, but, if he actually teaches ML ideas, acts as a "traitor". In this case, unlike Engels, the professor is not part of a different class and exists more as a faulty tool than a class traitor.

Take this answer with a grain of salt though.

I am not yet educated enough to even attempt to answer your second question😇

[–] znsh@lemmygrad.ml 0 points 3 months ago

Thanks for the reply!