Editing Marxists Behaving Badly (section)

=== Abstract ===
<blockquote>In  theory,  Marxists  are  materialists.  Materialists  decide  the  truth  or falsehood of hypothesis on the basis of evidence. But with regard toJoseph Stalin and  Soviet  history  during  the  time  of  his  leadership,  many  Marxists  are  in  fact idealists,  ignoring  evidence  in  favor  of  their  preconceived  ideas.  This  essay discusses: the need for objectivity in historical research; the dialectical relationship of practice and theory; and six words or phrases that are hallmarks of idealism and anticommunism  on  the pseudo-Marxist “Left”:  Totalitarianism;  Stalinism;  Stalin the “Dictator;” “The  Great  Terror;” the  GULAG;  Democracy. The anti-Marxist nature of the Trotskyist website Marxists.org. is exposed and critiqued. The essay concludes that a true Marxist Left must reject the errors examined here. 

Note: The initial draft of this essay was completed on International Women’s Day, when we celebrate the struggles of working-class women. Founded in 1910, it was long a holiday only in the Soviet Union and, after World War 2, in the pro-Soviet socialist countries. It was primarily a communist holiday until the 1960s. It stands as a reminder to us both of the struggles of working women worldwide, and of the achievements of the communist movement.<ref name=":1">https://ojs.library.ubc.ca/index.php/clogic/article/view/197798/192301</ref></blockquote>