First Published: Vanguard, Vol. 1, No. 8, September 1964.
Transcription, Editing and Markup: Ian Roberts, Paul Saba and Sam Richards
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In the August Vanguard the editorial “Isolate the Main Enemy,” stated: “It is good that several national bourgeois governments in Asia, Africa and Latin America are resisting, in varying degrees, the aggression of United States, and also British, imperialism, and are willing to lean, to a degree, and for a time, on the forces of Socialism, in this struggle against imperialism. For we must seek to win vacillating classes for the anti-imperialist struggle. We must never drive them into the arms of the enemy. The supreme tactical task at the present time is to develop the struggle against imperialism, and in particular United States imperialism, the main bulwark of reaction.”
This is only to restate what is agreed by Marxist-Leninists in this present period. Thus, in A Proposal Concerning the General Line of the International Communist Movement, published by the Communist Party of China, we read, p.4: “The general line of the international communist movement at the present stage... is one of forming a broad united front, with the Socialist camp and the international proletariat as its nucleus, to oppose the imperialists and reactionaries, headed by the United States; it is a line of boldly arousing the masses, expanding the revolutionary, winning over the middle forces, and isolating the reactionary forces.”
It is clear that the main contradiction in Africa today, is “the contradiction between the oppressed nations and imperialism,” and that, in “the nationalist countries which have recently won political independence… generally speaking... the bourgeoisie have a dual character. When a united front is formed with the bourgeoisie, the policy of the proletarian party should be one of both unity and struggle. The policy should be to unite with the bourgeoisie, in so far as they tend to be progressive, anti-imperialist and anti-feudal, but to struggle against their reactionary tendencies to compromise and collaborate with imperialism and the forces of feudalism.”
However, if we re-examine some of the articles on Africa published in recent months in Vanguard, we find some passages in them which reflect a left-sectarian line of argument. Thus, in the March issue there is “Events in East Africa.” This concludes: “The African workers and peasants will resist, even as they resisted and broke the chains of the imperialists – a far stronger enemy than these traitors (Nyerere, Mboya, etc.). There is one road, and only one road, for the African people: the road to Socialism. To carry forward the best that was in their tribal society, the closeness of each man to his brother, their readiness to share their bread to the last crumb. Long live the struggle of Africans for Socialism! Down with imperialism, neo-imperialism and all traitors!”
But the African workers and peasants have not yet broken “the chains of the imperialists,” and for this reason alone it is completely premature to call on them to struggle for Socialism at the present time. A moment’s thought makes it clear that until the chains of imperialism have been broken, and the national democratic tasks completed (e.g. the land to the peasants) that Socialism cannot be built in any African country. To call for the introduction of Socialism now is to drive away all vacillating classes into the arms of the imperialists – and that would include wide sections of the peasantry as well as the national bourgeoisie. The final concluding appeal, “long live the struggle of Africans for Socialism! Down with imperialism, neo-imperialism and all traitors!” by what it omits reveals a sectarian line. For we must appeal at all times to all vacillating classes to join us in the struggle against imperialism, and expose them when they fail to do this. But we cannot class as “traitor” everyone who does not fight for Socialism in this present period.
This is not to argue that the working class and its Party must not persistently conduct its general propaganda for Socialism, persistently point out that only in a Socialist society can the needs of working people be met. Such propaganda, the constant reiteration of the full and final goal, Socialism, the first stage of Communism, must continue at all times. And, of course, when the working class joins with the poor peasants in winning leadership of all sections of the people who are struggling against imperialism, and they establish their national democratic dictatorship against the imperialists and their agents, then it will be possible to move comparatively quickly from the completion of the struggle for national liberation, to the completion of the national democratic tasks, and on to the building of Socialism. This has been the way forward in Albania, in China, in Korea, in Vietnam, in Cuba, and thus, in essentials, will be the way forward in Africa.
Right opportunism tends always to play down the continuity of the revolution. Left sectarianism tends always to ignore the stages through which the revolution must develop. Both right opportunism and left sectarianism, if unchecked, lead to disaster. The fact that right opportunism, developing into outright revision of Marxist-Leninist principles, is the main danger within the international communist movement at the present time must not blind us to the dangers of left-sectarianism. Both play into the hands of the imperialists and harm the cause of the working class.
Take one more example, the article headed “No Third Road for Africa,” in the April issue. We read: “But of more evil, of greater villainy, are the actions of these black traitors (Kenyatta, Mboya, etc.) to their own people. These men are taking no steps whatsoever to introduce socialism into their countries... Let us have no illusions, Africans can take the capitalist road or the socialist road... The African petty-bourgeoisie can greatly aid the people in the struggle forward towards Socialism, and in the necessary task of unmasking traitors, in fighting the swindle of small land-ownership... Let (Kenyatta and other stooges of imperialism) take warning before it is too late; the African people are on the march towards Socialism; the people who drove out imperialism will not have too much trouble in dealing with those who would hinder the march or turn it aside. Long live the struggle of our African brothers for Socialism!”
But once again Marxists can only reply that the Africans have not yet driven out imperialism, and therefore to talk of “introducing socialism” at the present time, before imperialism has been ousted and the national democratic tasks completed, is both completely unrealistic and drives all vacillating classes into the arms of imperialism. Those who do not stand for socialism in Africa today are not, repeat not, all “traitors.” The very small African working class would completely alienate itself from the broad masses of the people if it advanced this line at the present time. It is a pernicious line which must be rejected. It directly challenges the general line of the Marxist-Leninist Parties and Groups throughout the world, which is “to form a broad united front, with the Socialist camp and the international proletariat as its nucleus, to oppose the imperialists and reactionaries… boldly arousing the masses, expanding the revolutionary forces, winning over the middle forces, and isolating the reactionary forces.” Only by implementing this general line correctly can we move forward to victory against imperialism, to the completion of the national democratic tasks, and then to the building of socialism, which alone can satisfy the needs of the oppressed masses throughout the world.