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Ernest Mandel

Ernest Mandel Biography

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“As long as the productivity of labor remains at a level where one man can only produce enough for his own subsistence, social division does not take place and any social differentiation within society is impossible. Under these conditions, all men are producers and they are all on the same economic level. Every increase in the productivity of labor beyond this low point makes a small surplus possible, and once there is a surplus of products, once man’s two hands can produce more than is needed for his own subsistence, then the conditions have been set for a struggle over how this surplus will be shared.”

Human Nature
Book:Marxist Economic Theory: Vol II,
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“Only under conditions of revolutionary crises do you have the highest level of self-organization; this is the Soviet type of organization, which is to say, workers' councils, people's councils, call them what you want, popular committees.”

PeopleWantSelfLevelsConditionsTypeHighestOrganizationCrisisWorkersWhat You WantRevolutionarySovietCommitteesCouncil
Book:Revolutionary Marxism and social reality in the 20th century: collected essays
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“The only conclusion you can draw from the real historical movement is that by and large, in day-to-day life, what Lenin called trade union consciousness dominates the working class. I would call it elementary class consciousness of the working class.”

RealConsciousnessClassMovementDrawsTradeUnionsHistoricalConclusionDay To DayWorking ClassDay LifeTrade UnionsDay To Day LifeClass Consciousness
Book:Revolutionary Marxism and social reality in the 20th century: collected essays
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