First Published: Journal, No. 1, mid-February 1977.
Transcription, Editing and Markup: Paul Saba
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A great revolutionary storm Is sweeping throughout the world today. Old alliances are shifting and the shackles of exploitation and oppression are everywhere being thrown off by the people in straggle. Revolution is the irresistible trend. The revolutionary storm in the world is the direct result of the oppression and exploitation which the imperialist system causes. Therefore we must trace the development of this system.
When the capitalist system first came into being, it was characterized by competition; scores of small and larger capitalists fought with each other over raw materials, markets, labor and political influence. As the system grew, this competition increased and inevitably took its toll: some businesses prospered, others failed and went under. Countless others were forced out of business either by “legal” methods such as price wars or by a combination of these methods with blackmail, bribery to government officials, and even murder. By this process, production became increasingly concentrated in the hands of a few giant companies who collaborated with each other to fix prices and wages and restrict production so as to increase their profits. In this way monopolies were created, dominating entire sections of the capitalist economy.
These industrial capitalists, in need of large sums of money for expansion, became increasingly tied to and dependent on, the banks which supplied it. The merger of these two historically distinct sets of capital (bank and industrial) created a new dominant force – financial capital – and an elite group which held vast economic power and therefore political power as well.
The monopoly capitalists, as usual, were in search of new and bigger profits, but found themselves in a bind; they actually had too much capital to invest profitably in their own country. They then turned to other countries as a source of profit and began to export capital instead of simply selling their merchandise.
The world market soon became dominated by international “cartels” – international monopolies based on agreements between the already giant companies. These “super-monopolies” naturally possessed “connections” and influence far surpassing any business known before, penetrated every corner of the world with branches, agents, local subsidiaries, etc., often buying or even setting-up local governments to serve their needs.
The governments of these advanced capitalist countries, always at the beck and call of the monopolists, stepped-up their drive to acquire colonies and “spheres of influence” around the world, in order to secure avenues of investment, markets, sources and potential sources of raw materials for the monopolies. Soon the division of the entire world between a few rich countries was complete.
This is the general way that imperialism – the monopoly stage of capitalism – was born and came to dominate the world. American imperialism also developed in this way, and its bourgeois historians now try to glorify vultures like the Vanderbilts, Rockefellers, and Morgans who fought their way to the top of the imperialist ladder with riches wrung from the blood of the working class and oppressed peoples.
But capitalism develops unevenly. And some “new” imperialist powers (like Germany) arrived on the world stage only to find that Britain and France had already gotten the choice parts. And so a struggle ensued – to redivide the world. This struggle took the form of treaty alliances, diplomatic maneuvering, threats, trade wars, military build-ups, and finally World War I, fought between the “old” and “new” imperialist powers to redivide the world and reap its spoils.
When Germany lost WWI, capitalism didn’t disappear in Germany. It started to rebuild itself immediately. By 1938 it faced the same situation as in 1913 -Britain and France and the U.S. controlled all the colonies. Thus WWII was started by Germany for the exact same reasons as WWI – to redivide up the colonies...expand or die. But redivisions of the world are not the only result of the world wars.
It was partially directly due to the inter-imperialist struggle that the proletariat, together with its ally the peasantry, was able to seize power in Russia during WWI. The imperialists couldn’t fight as effectively against the revolutionary upsurges, while fighting for survival in the world war. During or immediately after WWII, 11 other countries broke loose of the capitalist world: including China, Albania, Rumania, Vietnam(north) and Korea(north) – countries which to this day are still socialist.
After World War II the U.S. emerged as the leading imperialist power in the world. Despite having the most powerful military apparatus in the world, the U.S. imperialists soon found their position slipping; all over the world the anti-colonial and revolutionary movements emerged to challenge them. In addition, the formation of the European Common Market and the re-emergence of the economies of Germany and Japan gave the U.S. imperialists increased economic competition.
The Soviet Union was the world’s first socialist country. Under the leadership of Lenin, and later Stalin, the Soviet people made great strides forward in building socialism, withstood constant external capitalist attacks and threats of attacks, and repelled threats from internal counter-revolutionaries too, and continued to grow while the rest of the world floundered in the depths of the great depression of the 1930’s. They defeated Hitler’s armies, and provided aid and inspiration to revolutionary forces around the world.
After the death of Stalin, revisionist elements who had been hiding in the Soviet state and party made a bid for power, and succeeded. With the emergence of N. Krushchov, the Soviet revisionists began in 1956 to openly peddle their anti-Marxist ideas in an effort to push them not only on the Soviet people but also into communist parties around the world. The Soviet revisionists have seized power from the working class and put it back in the hands of the privileged few – a new monopoly bourgeoisie.
They have re-instituted wage-slavery and constantly grind down the Soviet working class in pursuit of the number-one goal of their economy – profit. They live a life of ease and splendor while the working class and the masses of people know increasing hardship. They have reversed many of the gains made by Soviet women under socialism, and national oppression has appeared, once again turning the Soviet Union into the “prisonhouse of nations” it was before the revolution. Around the world they meddle in the internal affairs of other countries and peoples in pursuit of their own interests, hiding behind a smokescreen of “socialism” and proclaiming themselves “friends” of oppressed peoples and “lovers of peace.” In short, they have restored capitalism in the Soviet Union and made it a social imperialist country – socialist in words, imperialist in deeds.
Through both their exploitation of the masses of people at home and abroad, and their drive towards war to seek new profits and avert their downfall, the imperialists have made themselves the enemies of the people on a world scale.
The two main enemies of the masses of the worlds people are the two superpowers – The United States and the U.S,S.R.(which is the main source of war also.) These two superpowers are the two strongest imperialist powers in the world today. In fact, the U.S. and U.S.S.R. are constantly subjecting other countries everywhere to their control, subversion, interference, or aggression. And like all imperialists they are constantly driven to expand their influence and control. Thus they are locked in the most deadly contention(conflict): each resorts to bullying, invasion, sabotage, subversion, economic coercion, and other measures to try to maintain and expand its robbery around the world. In addition, the two superpowers sometimes collude (collaborate) for their mutual gain. They go around the world meddling in other countries’ affairs, setting themselves up as “mediators” in conflict, and sometimes work together in trying to suppress revolutionary movements, as in Cambodia, and the Middle East. But the essence of their relationship is competition, for like all imperialists, they must fight to re-divide and control the world in order to survive.
The great majority of the world’s people belong to the developing countries of the 3rd World. The developing countries face many problems and have long been exploited and brutally oppressed by imperialism. But the last 30 years have seen great political developments in the 3rd World, whose people have risen up to throw off colonialism and now are struggling to develop their countries and resist the plunder and interference of the imperialist countries – especially the superpowers. The unity land strength of the 3rd World has been growing by leaps and bounds, especially in recent years. The victory of the people in Mozambique, Vietnam and Cambodia and Laos represents great strides in the struggle against imperialism, hegemonism, and colonialism. In the United Nations and other arenas, such as the World Food Conference, great diplomatic victories have been won which exposed the 2 superpowers’ efforts to protect their privileged status and dictate to the world’s people. Economically, other 3rd World countries have followed the example of the Oil exporting countries which successfully used oil as a weapon in support of the struggle of the Palestinian people and have demanded more just prices for their raw materials.
The governments of many of these Third World countries have sharp contradictions with the imperialists, and with the superpowers in particular. They have taken many steps to combat imperialist domination and plunder of their countries – steps which should be supported because they are in the interests of the people of their countries and, ultimately, of the U.S. working class. But these governments, usually representing the interests of the exploiting classes, also compromise with imperialism and oppress their own people. Our partial support for them, to the extent that they oppose imperialism, in no way lessons our support for the broad masses in the developing countries in their struggle to make revolution, establish the rule of all the revolutionary classes led by the working class, and move on to building socialism.
The Peoples’ Republic of China is a part of the 3rd World and has played an important part in building the unity and strength of the developing countries. China and Albania, both socialist countries, have played a vital role in the international struggle against imperialism. Not only have they given direct aid to revolutionary movements around the world, but they have provided inspiration and support for millions of working and oppressed people in every country in their struggles to throw off the shackles of oppression and build a new society. The Communist Party of China and the Party of Labor of Albania took the lead in criticizing and repudiating the revisionism of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, analysing the restoration of capitalism in the U.S.S.R., exposing the development of Soviet social-imperialism, and encouraging the formation of new, genuine communist parties and organizations all over the world.
Socialist construction in China and the other socialist countries is a significant factor in the international situation in and of itself. In China and the other countries over one-quarter of the world’s people are building up heavy and light industry and mechanizing agriculture – quickly converting their economies from once backward ones in the direction of very developed ones. They have wiped out unemployment, starvation, most of the major diseases, flooding and other natural disasters, inflation, personal income taxes and many more problems. Medicine and science have reached world standards or better. Their heroic efforts in socialist construction and their keeping to the socialist road ensures the people of the world that we will that much better be prepared and able to fight against and defeat the imperialists and social-imperialists when they launch a world war (unless they are prevented from launching it by revolutions in their own countries).
In between the two superpowers and the developing countries stand several developed capitalist countries. These include all the countries of Europe (except Albania and Romania and the superpower USSR) and Japan, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, The capitalists of these 2nd world countries exploit their own working classes. They (in most cases) benefit from unequal trade relations with the 3rd World countries – buying cheap and selling dear – and thus are sometimes opposed to the interests of the 3rd World. But on the other hand, they are themselves in contradiction with the superpowers to some extent. These countries are attempting in many ways to resist domination of the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. over their economies, politics and cultures.
The two superpowers contend and collude in their struggle for world hegemony. They struggle economically and politically for control of resources and spheres of influence. This struggle is accompanied by an unprecedented arms build up. On the other hand they collude to undermine the struggles of both the 2nd and 3rd Worlds against hegemony. They deal behind the scenes, as in the case of the Middle East, to divide the world. This contention all over the world raises the threat of war. As long as imperialism exists there will be war or the threat of war. This, communists and the entire working class must understand.
Imperialism gives rise to two kinds of war: imperialist war and revolutionary war. When imperialist powers struggle to forcefully redivide the world for their profit, it is imperialist war. World Wars I and II were this type of war. Imperialism’s mad scramble to crush weaker nations and oppress and exploit them inevitably leads to resistance against oppression. The struggle against oppression and exploitation is the basis of revolutionary war. Communists and the international working class stand against all oppression. We must condemn all imperialist war – it only serves the interest of the bourgeoisie. We must firmly support revolutionary wars – wars that oppose and weaken imperialism and Soviet social imperialism. This is especially true when revolutionary wars are fought against “our own” bourgeoisie. The wars by the peoples of Indochina and southern Africa are this type of war.
The working class cannot praise “peace” for its own sake. Peace has a political character: the imperialists’ version of a “peaceful world” is one in which their oppression and exploitation goes unchallenged. For the imperialist powers, launching wars or talking about peace and detente have the same aim – the pursuit and maintenance of their rule. Only with the total elimination of imperialism can we begin to establish genuine world peace. Only then will the economic, political and social causes of all war be removed.
Because of the intense struggle between the two superpowers, the danger of war is increasing, Both the Soviet Union and U.S. possess large nuclear arsenals and stockpiles of conventional weapons – they use these to bully the world’s people and intensify their competition. But the Vietnamese, Cambodians and Laotians have demonstrated that technology cannot defeat the people – that a small nation can defeat a big nation. With this increased-threat of war, the masses of working and oppressed peoples must get prepared and struggle all the harder for liberation and revolution. In the words of Mao Tse-tung, “Either revolution will prevent war or war will give rise to revolution.”
The social nature of production and the private nature of appropriation is the basic contradiction of capitalism (and imperialism).
During the competitive stage of capitalism, periodic crises repeatedly occurred (the first big one in 1825 and followed by another one approximately every 8 years – between 5 and 10 years – generally each new one being bigger than the previous). The period from the beginning of one crisis to the beginning of the next is called the TRADE CYCLE. It consists of four phases: Crisis, depression, recovery and boom, then back to crisis again. The crisis is the basic, first, and decisive phase of the cycle. It is in the course of development of the contradictions deepened by the previous crisis that the whole trade cycle following gets its character.
Crises of the trade cycle are first noticed in the market; stocks of unsold goods grow. It affects consumer durables (houses, cars etc.) first, and presently affects basic necessities also. Gradually the commodity stocks grow to such a point that production must be cut.
The crisis in consumer credit, which is expressed in the bankruptcy of retail and wholesale and related services (Grants, Rea, Etc.), is the signal for the curtailment of production. The shortage of money raises interest rates and causes a drop in the stock market. This sparks a wave of bankruptcies as dividends go down. The curve of capitalist production falls to its lowest point, where it stagnates. This phase is known as DEPRESSION.
The decline in production and the drop in commodity prices during the crisis phase temporarily eliminates the disproportion between production and consumption. As commodity stocks diminish, due to lower prices, profit drops. The drive for maximum profits pushes the capitalist to cut production costs by raising the rate of exploitation of labor power and by using more efficient machinery and production methods. The replacement of older equipment, which may still be good, increases the renewal of constant capital, the means of production. The depression phase gives way to RECOVERY.
The demand for new supplies of the machinery, tools, etc. (constant capital) increases employment in the industries that produce the means of production. These workers’ income becomes the basis for a new demand on industries producing the means of consumption. As both spheres of production gain momentum, production booms. This BOOM phase creates the conditions for a new crisis.
Despite the growth of production the position of the working people does not substantially change. The value of labor power (that is – what it takes to keep a worker alive and able to work and for his/her children to be able to come along and eventually replace him/her on the job) continues to be the limit of the working class’s consumption. A new crisis of over-production emerges due to the contradiction between the increased productive capabilities of the economy and the relatively decreased capacity of the working class to consume.
Crises are the forced, but temporary, resolution to the main contradictions of capitalism. They are the connecting points of these contradictions. However, in the imperialist stage there arises the GENERAL CRISIS OF CAPITALISM, brought about through the first forced resolution to the contradictions of imperialism, the First World War. The World War sharpened the contradiction of capitalism, now in its final stage. With the victory of the Great October Revolution, the world economy was split. The emergence of the Soviet Union removed one-sixth of the globe from the area of capitalist influence.
Along with this great success for the oppressed peoples of the world, the imperialist camp began to rapidly lose ground in the colonies. What the general crisis of capitalism means is that the political-territorial division of the world is complete. Any new, rising capitalist power must of necessity go to war with the other imperialist powers to expand – get colonies. All the imperialist countries in this situation must squeeze ever more out of their own workers and especially out of the colonies. But this pushes the colonies to revolution – a process that is irreversible. Thus part and parcel of the general crisis is the fact that one part of the world already succeeded in withdrawing from the capitalist system (the USSR) and many more parts were moving in that same direction – thus steadily decreasing the field of influence of capitalism.
It was the coming about of the general crisis of capitalism at the end of WWI that meant that future crises in the trade cycle would be much more catastrophic. This was born out in the 1930’s great depression. Still the situation was to get even worse for imperialism. During the first stage of the general crisis (between the two world wars) while it is true that the world had been political-territorially divided up; it is also true that the economic penetration of the world by the cartels and trusts only “HAS BEGUN”. That is, before WWII the possibility and actual occurrence of the boom phase of the trade cycle still existed because there were still markets to be more fully expanded in the world. This changed with WWII and its immediate aftermath – the liberation of over one-fourth of the world’s people.
The loss of China and other countries plus the even wider spread of the flames of national liberation war combined with the fact that the world had now been fully economically penetrated thus resulted in this: that not only was there nowhere to expand into; but worse (for imperialism) the absolute area in which it could operate had decreased tremendously.
The results of this are many, including the fact that both the frequency and harshness of the depressions in the trade cycle have grown tremendously. Since WWII there have already been six major economic crises – the period between crises now fluctuates between 3 and 5 years, averaging one every four years. And the severity of these crises makes those prior to WWI look like peanuts. . .and still they worsen building toward the next huge depression which will eclipse the great depression of the 1930’s in both severity and endurance – perhaps imperialism will not survive the next one. Why do we say this? Read on...
As the markets of imperialism shrink, cyclical crises have become more acute, the industries of the capitalist countries, particularly the U.S., have been operating more and more below capacity. The Keynesian methods of economic stimulation – deficit spending, arms expansion, war preparations, monetary inflation, etc., adopted by the bourgeoisie as the means of salvation, no longer provide even the marginal and superficial relief they once did.
The period 1973-1975 saw a steep depression coupled with the worst inflation since the early 1950’s. The economic recovery of 1971-1972 never reached its boom phase and collapsed after its peak in the first half of 1973. Through May 1975 the decline in industrial production from the peak in 1973 was 14.4% and capacity utilization (how much industry is being used) fell to 68.5% of its potential in the first quarter of 1975 – both post-war records. The decline in real GNP has been both more prolonged and more profound than in previous crises, falling every quarter since the peak to a 7.7% drop (in early 1976).
While the material basis for the general crisis of capitalism resides in the political economy of the capitalist mode of production itself, and specifically in monopoly capitalism, today the crisis is an all around, general crisis, which finds its expression in all aspects of everyday life.
Economically it includes: soaring unemployment & consumer prices, balance of payments deficits, trade imbalances, a national debt of $60 billion in one year and $400 billion total, under-utilization of labor and resources, etc. In addition, because politics is merely the concentrated expression of economics, the political arena of most capitalist countries in the last few years has been sailing on very troubled waters. For the first time, a President of the U.S. was forced out of office. Everywhere corruption and scandal plague European governments. Housing, in all capitalist countries, falls drastically short of/heeds. In the U.S., 70 million people live in what is considered officially inadequate housing; 16 million people in France; well over 1 million in Italy; and in Britain, it is estimated that 130 thousand people die annually because of very bad housing coupled with severe poverty. Culturally, all capitalist countries are plagued by the extensive development of pornography and sadism.
Internationally, there can be no doubt but that the old alliances have fallen apart, and a fundamental realignment of forces is taking place, as a truly new economic and political order emerges. The recent developments in the U.N., starting with the admission of the People’s Republic of China, the seating of the Palestinian Liberation Organization, and other developments all attest to the dramatic changes that are taking place.
It is in this light, of the entire overall nature of the crisis, that we must understand the pitiful forecast generated by bourgeois political economy for some kind of “recovery”, while at the same time they speak of the need for “Americans to seriously reduce our living standards...” The chatter of recovery reminds us of the ”light at the end of the tunnel” that the U.S. strategists kept pointing to around Vietnam.
Yet, even for the bourgeoisie almost at every turn the light begins to flicker as the crisis of shrinking markets, the crisis of overproduction, the energy “crisis”, the currency crisis, the agricultural crisis, the housing crisis, etc. etc., etc., all intertwine. The combination of the innumerable crises of capitalism results in the inability of the trade cycle to function normally, eliminating the boom phase altogether. Capitalism has seen its last big splurge. Since the second World War, we have been living in a world where the second hand is ticking off the last moments of 400 years of bourgeois rule. From that point on, the course of capitalism consists of nothing but the spiral of crisis, depression, recovery and crisis again, again and again.
For the imperialist powers, the elimination of the boom phase is directly linked to the inability to discover any new markets. The demand for goods is the source of the rise of recovery and boom. However all factors, nationally and internationally, are working against this possibility. The crisis must find a forced resolution to the contradictions which are ever present and continually growing in aggravation. For the bourgeoisie of the two superpowers, the imperialist war is the only “resolution” to the crisis, as they lock horns in a battle to the death for the economic redivision of the world.
As we have said, the basic contradiction of capitalism (and therefore of imperialism) underlying its whole development and all its aspects and contradictions is the contradiction between the social character of production and the private character of accumulation.
Since the mid-sixties, with the full restoration of capitalism in the Soviet Union, the four fundamental contradictions became:
–the contradiction between imperialism (especially the two superpowers – U.S. and USSR) on the one hand and the oppressed nations and peoples on the other;
–the contradiction among the imperialist and social-imperialist countries;
–the contradiction between the proletariat and the bourgeoisie in the capitalist and revisionist countries;
–the contradiction between the imperialist and social-imperialist countries on the one hand and the socialist countries on the other.
We want to say, just briefly, what it means to say that these four are all fundamental contradictions in the world today. What this means is that all these four share certain characteristics: they are: all four are irreconcilable and antagonistic; all four have existed since 1917 (though the form has changed slightly with the Soviet Union going capitalist and the breakup of the socialist camp); all four will continue to exist as long as there is imperialism in the world; all four, and only these four, are key of all the myriad contradictions in the world- they are the ones which shape and move forward world events and all the other contradictions; that, therefore, if we don’t understand all four we cannot possibly understand (much less-help change) the world situation; and that any of these four can become the principal contradiction in the world; and lastly, that only one of these four can be principal...in other words, none of the many other contradictions in the world can become principal – as long as imperialism exists.
Mao teaches us that there must be and can only be one principal contradiction at any one time. The principal contradiction is that contradiction which “determines or influences the development of all the other contradictions” and which plays the “leading and decisive role”. In the sixties and early 70’s we see that the principal contradiction in the world was that between the oppressed nations and the imperialists (especially the superpowers). However, in the mid- and late-70’s we see the contradiction between the 2 superpowers as rapidly on the rise. Therefore, at this time, we can not tell for sure which of the two is principal. The situation is definitely characterized by great disorder under heaven!
Any of the four can become principal, let’s look at a few examples and possibilities For example, WWII started and the principal contradiction immediately before it and during its first few years was between/among the imperialist countries – and this may very well become principal again if world war comes before revolution can prevent it. On the other hand, when the fascists attacked the USSR, at that time the only socialist country, the whole character of the war changed to an anti-fascist and “save-the-socialist-Soviet Union” war; at some time in the future, this contradiction between the imperialists and social imperialists on the one hand and the socialist countries on the other may become principal again. Finally, (but not leastly) while at no time yet in the 60 years of the socialist revolution has the contradiction between the proletariat and the bourgeoisie in the capitalist (and now also the revisionist) countries been principal – we know that it will become principal in the future. This will happen generally when the question of whether “revolution will prevent world war” or “world war will lead to revolution” becomes the most burning question of the day and hour. We can’t say now when and how it will come down; but we do know that it could happen at almost anytime – given the right conditions. For this reason we raise the slogan – all-round and universal preparations for the dictatorship of the proletariat We may be faced with the civil war and proletarian revolution soon, and if we don’t get prepared it will be too late when it comes down. But in either case (between revolution “preventing war” or arising out of war), the deciding factor will be the proletariats’ struggle against its “own” bourgeoisies at that time. And its resolution, even the process of its resolution will most dramatically push forward the development of the three other main (or fundamental) contradictions as well as the many secondary ones in the world also.
Though we can’t say exactly when and how events will take place, we can definitely set a scenario. Chairman Mao tells us:
The next 50 to 100 years 02 so, beginning from now, will be a great era of radical change in the social system throughout the world, an earthshaking era without equal in any previous historical period. Living in such an era, we must be prepared to engage in great struggles which will have many features different in form from those of the past.
The two most prominent motions in the world today are those of the two superpowers toward war and of the third world countries for independence, liberation and revolution. On the one hand we know that the superpowers are incessantly preparing themselves for the third World War which is inevitable as long as internally the monopoly capitalists remain in firm control. But the conditions may change so that they will not be in a position to launch such a war. What conditions are those? Certainly, countries (particularly of the Third World) will continue to break out of the capitalist orbit. The struggle in the rest of the south-eastern Asian countries of Thailand, Burma, Malaya, the Philipines and Indonesia Is well on its way in that direction. Certainly liberation is not far off for the peoples of the bastions of white supremacy in southern Africa: Azania, Zimbabwe, and Namibia. Likewise in the 20 or so countries of Latin America. Both because of the intensification of imperialist oppression and because genuine communist parties are finally coming into their own in those countries – soon the national liberation wars will be raging throughout this area too; and as more and more succeed around the world, the others will reach success that much sooner because of the weakened position of imperialism – and social-imperialism.
In the middle-east, though they are temporarily suffering some serious set-backs, the Palestinians and other arab peoples will surely also reach victory. However, due to the presence of oil and other mineral resources and the fact that this region is a trade and militarily strategic crossroads – all of which is not only significant, in and of itself in the world-wide inter-imperialist struggle; but more so because western Europe and Japan could be brought to their knees if one superpower were to gain undisputed control over the oil...for these reasons the road to victory In the middle-east will be of the most protracted nature.
Simultaneously with these revolutionary struggles and victories will there be other significant struggles which will weaken imperialism (especially the two superpowers) tremendously. The struggle spearheaded by the Arab and other third world countries for a new economic order in the world is of tremendous significance. In this context, every struggle and every victory by these countries for such things as: 200 mile nautical boundary; more equal trade terms between the under-developed world’s unfinished products and the developed world’s finished goods; the coming together of producer’s organizations and the raising of prices of raw materials – all this and more weakens imperialism.
Additionally, the capitalists of the 2nd world countries will continue to struggle for independence from the 2 superpowers. This will interfere with the attempts at export of capital by the superpowers into the 2nd World and also their extraction of profit from it. All of these battles by the 2nd and 3rd Worlds will force all the imperialists (of both the 2nd and 1st Worlds) to squeeze their working classes even harder and increase national oppression of the oppressed nations and national minorities within their own borders. This will result in increased class and national struggle within the first 2 worlds. As the contradictions of 3rd World struggle abroad and working class and national struggle at home intensifies, some of the lesser capitalist powers will go under – like England and Italy are about to do soon. The superpowers will have to come to their rescue – this will tax the resources of the superpowers and will also put the squeeze on even harder in those countries in hock to them.
All of the above we know will happen, it is already happening! Whether in this context “revolution will prevent world war, or world war will give rise to revolution” we can’t say at this time. The critical factor at that time will be: the relation of class forces in the 2 superpowers. That is, if the proletariat is being led by a genuine communist party, If a united front has been successfully built, if the national and class struggles have been merged, if then the working class is ready and able to take the offensive and begin the revolution for the seizure of state power in both superpowers, then indeed revolution will prevent them from launching WWIII. If, however, the proletariat is not sufficiently prepared and led by a genuine communist party, the superpowers will indeed launch WWIII; but they will not finish what they have started. (We believe, that an objective analysis of the world situation and a serious look at the state of our party building movement – we still don’t have our party even formed yet much less in some position of leadership of the working class nationwide – argues that the most probable road to revolution will be through world war having been launched first and our proletariat then converting it into civil war and proletarian revolution.)
In the situation of a WWIII, were it to occur, we could be assured of two things: 1. that the third world liberation movements would very rapidly advance to victory – huge portions of the remaining capitalist world would go socialist; and 2. the proletariat and oppressed nations within the 2nd and 1st World countries would launch a civil war against the World War. Outflanked by the Third World revolutions and by internal class and national revolutionary war, the superpowers would succumb! THE FUTURE IS INDEED BRIGHT, IF WE DARE BUT TO SCALE THE HEIGHTS!
We can say with assurance that because of the very concrete crises of imperialism in the political, cultural, and especially In the economic sphere, that imperialism has less than 50 years left. We don’t rule out the possibilities that capitalism may be restored in some of the present socialist or future socialist countries (a factor which would slow but not stop the Inevitable victory of socialism on a world scale); that imperialism will be defeated and socialism come to power in a number of former imperialist powers without all the countries of the world becoming socialist – indeed due to uneven development of the capitalist countries and due to the uneven development in the preparedness of the proletariat(in those countries) to overthrow them some countries may very well remain capitalist for a short time after socialism has in the main won victory over most of the world; further, in such a circumstance we don�t rule out the possibility that socialism could come to power peacefully in some of those remaining countries. We definitely believe that before the near-total victory of socialism on a world scale that it will take armed revolutions to bring the proletariat to power. But In that future time, when the capitalists of some country will look around and see that there is no way out, no hope, no allies and that socialism is inevitable; in those circumstances the proletariat under the leadership of its party might be able to correctly handle the contradictions between the capitalists and the workers and turn it into a non-antagonistic one and peacefully replace capitalism with socialism.
Let’s close our position on the international situation with an excerpt from: “Report On The Work Of The Government” by Chou En-lai (from Peking Review, #4, Jan. 24, 1975)
The present international situation is still character^ zed by great disorder under heaven, a disorder which is growing greater and greater. The capitalist world is facing the most serious economic crisis since the war and all the basic contradictions in the world are sharpening. On the one hand, the trend of revolution by the people of the world is actively developing: countries want ’independence, nations want liberation, and the people want revolution – this has become an irresistable historical current. On the other hand, the contention for world hegemony between the two superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union, is becoming more and more intense. Their contention has extended to every corner of the world, the focus of their contention being Europe. Soviet social-imperialism “makes a feint to the east while attacking in the west.” The two superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union, are the biggest international oppressors and exploiters today, and they are the source of a new world war. Their fierce contention is bound to lead to world war some day. The people of all countries must get prepared. Detente and peace are being talked about everywhere in the world; it is precisely this that shows there is no detente, let alone lasting peace, in this world. At present, the factors for both war and revolution are increasing. Whether war gives rise to revolution or revolution prevents war, in either case the international situation will develop in a direction favourable to the people and the future of the world will be bright.