Contribution to the 13th International Communist Seminar
Brussels, 2-4 May 2004
www.icsbrussels.org , ics[at]icsbrussels.org
Nepal Communist Party (Unity Centre-Mashal)
Nepal
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Today, the world has ushered in the third millennium and 21st century. Along with this, communist movement has also entered into the third millennium and the 21st century. But after the downfall of the socialist system in former Soviet Union and other socialism countries and degradation of most of the Marxist-Leninist parties to revisionist ones, the world communist movement has become very with weak and is in defensive position. Basing upon this unfavourable condition of the ICM the reactionaries world over have declared that socialism has come to an end and it has no future. But what they ignore or try to falsify the truth is that in the last the course of history is decided by the material condition and role of the people . On the basis of how the material conditions, mainly the productive forces, are developing it is quite palpable that, as it happened with the social systems based upon slavery and feudalism in the past, the capital system also has no alternate, but has to give way to another higher social system and such a system cannot be other than socialist one. The capitalism is preparing condition for socialist system by giving the productive forces more and more social character. The globalization also is pre-establishing the conditions for world socialist system by socializing all productive forces in the international level. So the future of socialism is bright and optimistic. Thus it is not socialism but imperialism, which has no any future. It is considering upon both of these aspects of world communist movement, on the one side very weak and defensive condition subjectively and, on the other side bright future objectively the communist have to consider upon their tasks at the present context.
The communists, have great responsibility in their shoulders to change the world and build socialism and communism. To achieve this goal we should give prime emphasis to organize and strengthen communist movement and working class. But together with it we should do our best to unite with many other non-proletariat classes and political forces in different conditions of different countries or in the world situation. Communists have been following this policy from the inception of the communists movement to date and they have gathered vast experiences on both of these affairs. We drawing lesson from those should decide the course of action in the present world both to strengthen the party unity and united movement. But such a task is very complicated one and it can not be completed without going through a long process of struggle and unity both in the party and the united movement also. The great leaders of the communist movement, Marx, Engels, Lenin, Stalin, and Mao had to wage a tireless and continious struggle against all sorts of wrong tendencies and elements within the communist movement in order to maintain a principled unity among the communists and broad unity of working class with bourgeoisie during democratic revolution and in socialist movement throughout their life time.
Karl Marx and Fredrick Engels, the co-founders of scientific communism, tried their best in favour of building, strengthening and consolidating the communist movement. They did not spare anything in building the genuine unity in the communist movement. In this course, they brought out the Communist Manifesto which laid theoretical basis for the scientific communism and proletarian internationalism. It gave the slogan: Workers of All Countries, unite; Along with this Marx and Engels made vigorous effort to organize working class in international level. In doing so they founded Communist league at first and then after the first Communist international. But, their way was not strewn by roses and it was full of thorns. Consequently, they had to wage struggle against both ultra ''left" and right deviation as well.
After the demise of Marx, Engels took the responsibility of continuing the legacy of the international communist movement on his shoulder and organized Second International. this period also was not exception to struggle and Engels had to struggle against the right revisionist. After the passing away of Engels,V.I. Lenin upheld the revolutionary red flag of the international communist Movement his chief achievement being the socialist revolution in Russia. After betrayal of Second International Lenin organized the Third International which became a leading central of the world revolutionary movement for a long time to come. But it is well known in the history of ICM that such achievements of Lenin became possible only after going through a hard, tough and unyeilding struggle against the different types of opportunism both in Russia and in ICM. After Lenin, Stalin led the world communist movement and succeed to build socialism in Russia for the first time in the history of mankind going through a series of a fierce struggle against difference types of opportunist and ideologies. After the 2o th Congress of the Communist Party of USSR took a right revisionist path, Mao led the ICM against Soviet revisionism in the ICM and right revisionist in China. The GCRC is worth mention in this regard.
Today right revisionism is a dominant trend in the international communist movement. In the same time the "left" opportunist, Trotskyist or sectarian trends also are prevailing in one or another form in the communist movement of different countries and all of these have done much damages to ICM. In such a background the task of building communist movement on the basis of correct Marxist-Leninist ideology has been a task of international importance. So we should be serious enough about making correct Marxist-Leninist analysis and exposure of such trends. Even a cursory glimpse in the history of international communist movement indicates that the struggle against rightist, ultra "leftist", "centrist", liberal, sectarian or other opportunist trends with their varieties has been inevitable part of the world communist movement. We also are well acquainted with the reality that because of one or another type of such opportunist tendencies not only many of Marxist Leninist parties have been turned into right revisionist or have liquidated, but also former socialist countries have taken capitalist path. So the question of ideological struggle against all kinds of opportunist trend prevailing in the communist movement should not be overlooked at any cost.
Communists have great responsibility fighting for the liberation of working class and exploited people. This objective can be achieved after going through a long process of class struggle and revolutionary movement. In course of such struggle we have to struggle not only against different kinds of class enemies and political parties or ideologies representing them, but together with we have to struggle against different types of rightist or ultra "leftist" opportunist organisations or trends in respective countries or in international level. And it is only in this way that we can and should rebuild communist movement worthy leading working class to world socialist revolution.
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The Communists besides organising communist movement and working class have to enter into alliance with many of the non-proletariat classes or political forcesto fulfil responsibility in historical conditions of different countries and times. The policy of Marx and Engels to unite with bourgeoisie and intermediate classes during bourgeois democratic revolution and emphasis of Lenin an united front of working class and peasantry can be taken as classical example on the subject another example of historical importance being the anti-faschist united front practised by Stalin during Second World War.
After the emergence of fascism, more precisely, with the victory of Hitler in Germany fascism get inspired everywhere and the fascist forces took their initiatives all over the world. In such a situation, it was the primary duty of all anti-fascist forces to control the development of fascism. Communist International paid an immediate attention to the issue. The then Soviet Union put its proposal forward before the western countries to form an anti-fascist united front. The communists, during that period, tried their best to maintain unity among the parties supporting the Second International and Trade Unions, but the opposing governments or the parties were not in favour of the unity proposal placed by the communist parties. Notwithstanding this, communists gave as much momentum as was possible to the anti-fascist struggle
It was the moment when the peril of the Second World War was about to break out, the Seventh Congress of the Communist International was held in July/ August 1935. The congress paid a serious consideration in relation to the seriously posed fascist invasion before the whole world, it (the Congress) explained and analyzed its(fascist invasion) characteristics and worked out necessary duties to face its challenges. The revolutionary civil war of Spain, during that time, deserves t important place among the struggles waged against fascism. With the initiative of the communists, a broad united front was constituted among the communists, socialists and other leftist parties or trade unions in 1935. They also defeated the fascist forces, held their majority in the elections of 1936, and formed the government. The revolutionary war of Spain inspired the struggle against fascism the world over. However, having defeated the Spanish revolutionary war, fascism got its strength and consequently it opened the door for the Second World War.
Communists kept their continued effort to stop the fascist war against then USSR for a long time and they vigorously fought against fascism throughout the world in order to stop the development of fascism. Earlier, the western countries denied the proposals placed by then USSR with regard to maintain the anti-fascist alliance. Later, they came to a realization that unless forging a united front world widely together with the USSR, and without fighting jointly against fascism, it is impossible to overcome fascism. Under such a circumstances, the western countries agreed to maintain an alliance with the USSR to fight against fascism, eventually the victory over fascism was obtained through such a worldwide alliance against fascism. The experience of Communist Party of China with Chiang Kai-Shek to fight fascism and Japanese aggression also are of international importance. Besides those well known experiences of ICM, communist parties of different countries also have vast experiences of united movement or united front. All those experiences concerning united movement have not only great historical importance, but those might be important while considering present international situation dominated by imperialism and building an united movement to fight that (imperialism). So, we drawing lessons from the experiences of history should try our best to turn those (The lessons of the history) as guiding principles strengthen our anti-imperialist movement at present.
Present era is that of imperialism and proletariat revolution. Both Stalin and Mao has defined it as the era of Lenin, the era of competitive capitalism being that of Marx. Since then there have been many changes in the characteristics of imperialism and in the condition of socialist revolution. Inspite of these basic character of the imperialism or present era is the same. After the downfall of the former USSR, the US imperialism has been the only super power of the day, thus it (US) has been in the helm of the world imperialism. The US imperialism has adopted the policy of maintaining its hegemony the world over. In this course, the US has been intensifying its interference and domination all over the world. In doing so, it has pressurized, intervened or attacked in one or another form in the internal affairs of the countries of the world. In this way, the US has brought its bully attitude forward and this has been the serious threat to the independence and sovereignty of the independent nations and countries of the world. Besides, today, the US imperialism is embarking the mission in keeping its economic control up globally. It has been perpetuating the strategy of its financial empire globally through the means of World Trade Organization (WTO), World Bank (WB), International Monetary Fund (INF) as well as other multinational companies and financial institutions or, in a word, by means of globalization . Thus we can say that imperialism has entered into the phase of globalization. After the september11 incident, America in the name of fighting "Terrorism" has come out with open war policy to expand its domain. Besides attacking Afghanistan and Iraq America has been threating many sovereign countries of the third world to attack. America had made attack upon Iraq claiming that it possessed weapons of mass destruction such as biological or chemicals ones. But it has been proved that the claim was fully baseless fabricated. Thus America has been exposed as a No. one enemy of world peace and humanity and, its attack upon Iraq has been proved as the biggest terrorist action of the era. So it deserves punishment for its war crimes and terrorist action. But it is mockery that the No. 1 war criminal of the world is claiming itself as defender of humanity and world peace. Such a situation makes the struggle against imperialism and for the defence of peace much difficult and complicated. But it in no way means that it is a meaningless or it is impossible to fight imperialism or defeat it. On the country, it only means that we have to take the responsibility seriously. Mao has said that all reactionaries are paper tigers. But that holds good only in the long run and tactically it would be serious mistake to underestimate them. The paper tiger theory of Mao is correct in the present context also, i.e. in the context of struggle against imperialism in must difficult and complicated situation . In such a world situation world we should try seriously to use, organise or unite all possibilities existing against imperialism and in this way to build a world wide united movement against that(imperialism) . It is only in this way that we can defeat imperialism.
The problem of war and peace in the contemporary world is a burning question and the imperialist forces are making their every effort in imposing unjust war against all patriotic and peace-loving masses of people in the pretext of establishing so-called democratic regime, fighting against terrorism and defending human rights. it is, because of the war mongering attitude of imperialism that it has pushed the justice loving and patriotic forces and people of the world to live under the fear and threat of imperialistic war and their sovereignty and self-respect is curtailed in the most brutal way. Precisely speaking, imperialism and its war-mongering attitude is the root cause of wars prevailing in every nook and corner of our planet at present. Therefore, there is not any other way out for achieving lasting peace without defeating imperialism, the main source of war in present world.
The problem of war and peace is not an absolute question. The wars that have been waging with imperialistic motive, as a matter of fact, must be displaced by a just war, so to speak, a war being carried out by justice and peace-loving masses of people in the true sense. The war against imperialism could only be genuinely waged under the strong leadership of the proletariat; so to say, the proletariat should be the vanguard and spearhead in the struggle against imperialism. But, at the same time, we should not lose sight of the fact that there are many other forces around us, for instance, patriotic as well as peace and justice loving forces who are fighting and raising their voices against imperialism in one or another way. That is why it is imperative for us to adopt the policy of uniting all the forces that contribute to the anti-imperialist movement even in the limited or partial way. It is only by utilizing all such possible means and ways as well as the contradictions within imperialist camp that we can constitute a powerful united front against imperialism in global level.
However, we should not loose sight of the fact that struggle against imperialism is not simple one. What makes this task more complicated is that ,on the one side, while giving emphasis on building united movement against imperialism, we cannot and should not give up the task of fighting for socialism, new democratic revolutions or class struggle according to the historical conditions of different countries and. On the other side, to build united movement against imperialism we have to make unity with many of the forces with whom we have ideological or political differences. But it again does not means that there is not any way out. Such way can be and should be found out on the basis of dialectics which teaches us to take both unity and struggle together and dialectically. We should try to build a world-wide united movement even unifying with those forces with whom we have difference, but without giving up our struggle with them on which we have differences. But such a policy cannot succeed without fighting both right revisionist and sectarian tendencies. The former gives up the aspect of struggle giving one-sided emphasis on unity with the forces having differences while later cannot take initiative to forge unity with forces with whom we have differences.
To build broad anti-faschist united front we should be prepared even to support the various non-communist forces or governments of the third countries to the extent they have contradictions with imperialism and are prepared to oppose that (imperialism) although not giving up the policy of ideological struggle against them on the questions on which we differ.. It is only on such a dialectical way that we can and should forge a strong and wider anti-imperialist united movement. Such an unity might take multiple and divers forms both in national and international level. It will be a dogmatist view to take only one form of unity as granted one denying the possibility of developing it in numerous ways. It is only on the basis of such dynamic way that we can build a strong and decisive anti-imperialist movement and in the last can defeat imperialism
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Imperialism seems very strong and invisible today. But it is so only in appearance. When taking the matter as a whole the reality is quite different. The nature of development of capitalism is such that the more it expands, the more the tendency of destruction increases within itself. For the expansion of capitalism the expansion of profit is an inevitable condition. To achieve this objective they have to maximise the exploitation both of working class within country and oppressed nations outside of the country. This function necessarily leads to two kinds of contradictions: on the on one side, with the working class and oppressed nations; on the other side, with other sections of capitalists within or outside the country. These contradictions cause not only intensification of class struggle in the developed capitalist countries, which are developing more and more and more in developed capitalist countries in last few years, and national movement in the oppressed nations, but also sharpen conflicts among the imperialists. The situation of capitalism is becoming more and more weakened by inflation, over production and economics crises which it (capitalism) never can evade. The attempts of capitalism to come over these have always been failing with reverse results. Development of capitalism into monopoly capitalism could not solve the contradiction seen in the period of competitive capitalism, but led those to develop in higher ones during the period of monopoly capitalism causing the first and second world wars followed with it emergence of socialist system in a large part of the world. At the present the attempt of imperialism to cure the crises with the help of globalisation is widening the material condition for world socialist revolution by internationalising productive forces in more and more extensive way together with increasing contradictions with in imperialists countries. The contradictions increasing among USA, EU and Japan also are proof of the reality that the very nature of capitalism is such as even the globalisation would not enable it to solve the contradictions among the imperialist countries, but those will go on increasing
All these developments are certain to lead capitalism to collapse. But it is no way means that we should worship spontaneity and remain idle or passive. The material conditions play the decisive role in the development of history. But at the same time subjective conditions also play important role in the development of history at times even playing deceive role. So the role of communists also will decide to a large extent whether the domination of imperialism will come to an end sooner or later and, in the same time, the socialist revolution will be accelerated or delayed.. So the communist should be careful enough to decide their tasks both within respective countries or in inter national making correct analysis of the objective conditions on the one side and trying to apply Marxist-Leninist ideology on the other side. In this contest the question of adopting a correct policy to make a world-wide united movement against imperialism also is very important one. Its importance lies not only in strengthening the movement against imperialism and defeating it, but it will strengthen the socialist movement also. Because to weaken imperialism or defeat it also means to pave the way for the victory of socialism in the long run.