Appropriation with fair reimbursement or expropriation without compensation

Reform always costs those who are to benefit from the reform. Thus those who are required to give up their benefits need be compensated for the loss of their privilege. Those who are fighting the good fight for the benefit for the destitute, labors and the wounded of the current economy must carry on the struggle beyond the victory or loose everything. Reform can happen in no other way, as the powerful will compromise only when forced too. Then the will give up only what they have to. With each victory begins the next battle.

The issue remains both resources at hand for transforming society, and the relative strengths of the contesting parties. First even revolutionary success has to face the lack of existing resources and institutions for the socialization of the economy. Public ownership is not enough, because unless it is managed by direct democratic participation then it is not really public ownership and thus it is not socialism. With the absence of current reserves and organizations for this conversion from private to public, bureaucratic to democratic, from government to popular control no socialization of the economy is taking place. Reform or revolution the results are the same. Step by step each win must be followed by yet another contest over assets. When the relative strength of employee improves and education and skill allows the administrative functions to be not understandable but measurable, accessible and to direct producers will accountability be in the handoff the general population.

Yet power is defined as and by the comparative disputes and associations between not only the two major classes, but also the contacts between all the classes and class factions in society. Each class and each fragment within each class has its’ own welfares to protect in the supervision of the economy. Both negotiation and cooperation are important strategies for the laboring multitudes in the ultimate contest between the exploited and the exploiters. Some will call this egalitarian others will say it is administrative control. A number of people will claim this democratic others will speak of it as bureaucratic. The reality it is both. As democracy increases bureaucracy declines. But, democracy is a process and a lifestyle and not a product. The economy compels us to realize endless examination and modification of economic choices to meet the real needs and issues that arises from unanticipated consequences of previous decisions.

The revolution can only attain, what the preexisting resources will allow. Economic and political strategies must be guided with real and objective information. This genuine and factual data must be gathered and studies using a combination of historical and scientific methods. The historical sociologist then shares her findings with the public.

At every point reform or revolution, forces of reaction are mobilized. Irrational emotional appeals mobilize those looking overly simple answers to complex problems to reactionary naïve catchphrases.

Source: Karl Kautsky: The Labor Revolution

Source: Nikolai Bukharin: The New Economic Policy Of Soviet Russia

Source: Clara Zetkin The Situation in Germany