First Published: People’s Canada Daily News, Vol 7, No. 220, September 14, 1977
Transcription, Editing and Markup: Malcolm and Paul Saba
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On September 10, 1977, over six hundred people gathered at a revolutionary mass rally in Montreal and passed a resolution denouncing the anti-Leninist theory of “three worlds” and the restoration of Teng Hsiao-ping. When Comrade Hardial Bains, Chairman of the Communist Party of Canada (Marxist-Leninist) finished reading the resolution, an enthusiastic applause broke out with the progressive people shouting slogans with their fists raised in the air: Down With the Restoration of Teng Hsiao-ping! Down With the Anti-Leninist Theory of “Three Worlds”! Long Live Marxism-Leninism and Proletarian Internationalism! and other revolutionary slogans.
The revolutionary mass rally was called by Communist Party of Canada (Marxist-Leninist) to commemorate the first anniversary of the passing away of Chairman Mao Tsetung. The rally started with a contingent of CYUC(M-L) comrades leading the one minute silence in mourning of the passing away of Chairman Mao. The stage was decorated with a big portrait of Chairman Mao Tsetung with red flags and slogan written above the portrait: Eternal Glory to Chairman Mao Tsetung!
Soon after the one minute of silence, Comrade Hardial Bains came to the stage to deliver his speech. The revolutionary masses received Comrade Bains with great enthusiasm and greeted him with sustained applause for several minutes. Comrade Bains spoke about the life and work of Chairman Mao Tsetung in the first portion of his speech and pointed out that Chairman Mao remained loyal to the theory of Marxism-Leninism throughout his entire life. Comrade Bains traced the entire historical development of the Chinese anti-feudal and anti-imperialist revolution and the period of socialist revolution and socialist construction and pointed out that Chairman Mao always put the leadership of the proletariat at the centre of the Chinese and world revolution and that during the period before liberation and afterwards he always held the view that without the proletariat leading the revolution through its genuine Marxist-Leninist party, the people of China and on the world scale would accomplish nothing. Comrade Bains dwelt on the theory of “three worlds” and pointed out that the entire historical experience of the Chinese revolution under the leadership of the Communist Party of China with Chairman Mao at the head refutes the theory of “three worlds”. The Chinese revolution was anti-feudal, anti-imperialist, a new type of democratic revolution, that is democratic revolution led by the proletariat through its genuine Marxist-Leninist party. Without the glorious Communist Party of China leading the democratic revolution, China would have remained a neo-colonial state and the social system would have remained semi-feudal. Those individuals and organizations who are advocating the theory of “three worlds” now are opposed to the entire historical development of the Chinese revolution, where the proletariat led by its Party was the leading force and remains so today. The theoreticians of “three worlds” do not place the international proletariat at the centre of world revolution and they deny that the transition from capitalism to socialism is the main content of this epoch. On the contrary, they begin by taking the counter-revolutionary stand that the main content of contemporary revolutionary struggle is to oppose the “hegeinonism” of the two superpowers and they put the imperialists and reactionary bourgeoisie of various countries at the centre of this “revolution”. Their “united front” hysteria begins by taking the counter-revolutionary view that whosoever opposes the hegemonism of the two superpowers is part of this “united front” and that the proletariat should become a tail of the reactionary bourgeoisie and chase event after event instead of vigorously taking up the historic mission of proletarian revolution to bring about the transition from capitalism to socialism. The theoreticians of “three worlds” talk a lot of nonsense about “exploiting” contradictions in the enemy camp in order to completely liquidate the proletarian revolution and national liberation movement. Comrade Bains explained that the history of the Chinese revolution concretely proves that the Communist Party leads the social revolution at the same time that it builds the united front of all revolutionary classes against the main enemy. Chairman Mao neither agreed with the right opportunists who wanted to make the proletariat the tail of the bourgeoisie nor did he agree with the ultra-left trotskyists who were advocating liquidation of revolution by opposing the united front of all revolutionary classes under the leadership of the proletariat through its Party. Chairman Mao followed the Leninist analysis that in the era of imperialism and proletarian revolution, the social revolution in a semi-feudal and semi-colonial country like China is anti-imperialist democratic revolution, a new type of democratic revolution which only the proletariat can lead to a successful conclusion, and that the old type of bourgeois democratic revolution is impossible and the bourgeoisie is incapable of leading it. Furthermore, he pointed out that the people’s democratic revolution is merely the prelude to socialist revolution and that the new democratic revolution will not stop after its completion but it will create conditions for the socialist revolution and that socialist revolution will begin at once when the new democratic revolution is completed without any interlude. The theoreticians of “three worlds” do not talk about this. They are using sophistry in order to take the revolutionary content out of Marxism-Leninism and proletarian internationalism. They advocate that the proletariat should become the tail of the imperialist bourgeoisie in the “second world” countries and of the reactionary comprador and bureaucrat bourgeoisie in the so-called :’third world”. Finally, they advocate that the proletariat in the U.S. should support its imperialist bourgeoisie in its contention with Soviet social-imperialism.
The theoreticians of “three worlds” make a big fuss about making “necessary” compromises and the fact that the Amir of Afghanistan fought against national subjugation at one time. This is nothing but sophistry because the Leninist line on necessary compromises is to advance social revolution and not to retard or liquidate it. What the theoreticians of “three worlds” are advocating are not necessary compromises but actual collaboration with the imperialists and reactionaries in order to paralyze and liquidate revolution. Furthermore, when Stalin talked about the Amir of Afghanistan fighting against national subjugation, then the Amir was actually doing so while, at the present time, those who actually collaborate with imperialism and social-imperialism and make up the social base for the domination of the nation by imperialism and social-imperialism are being presented by the theoreticians of “three worlds” as allegedly “fighting” and “opposing” the “hegemonism” of the two superpowers. This is far from the truth and from what is happening in real life.
Comrade Bains pointed out that the theoreticians of “three worlds” are using the hoax of “new data”” “new facts” and “changed situation” in exactly the same manner as Kautsky when he became a traitor to Marxism around 1914-1915, and as Khrushchov after the death of Comrade Stalin. Under the hoax of this “new data” and “changed situation”, they are pushing the revisionist and opportunist lines. According to them, in those countries opposing “hegemonism” of the “two superpowers”, the distinction between social groups is made not on the basis of classes, class struggle and the necessity for the dictatorship of the proletariat but, on the contrary, on the basis of what attitude any social class takes towards “hegemonism” of the “two superpowers” at a particular time. So, through sophistry, they are giving the comprador and bureaucrat capitalists and big landlords in Asia, Africa and Latin America as well as the imperialist bourgeoisie in the so-called “second world” countries a dual character. Sometimes, according to these theoreticians, these reactionary forces oppose the hegemonism of the two superpowers, thus playing a “progressive” role while other times, they support the two superpowers, thus playing a reactionary role. Comrade Bains explained that the revisionists in India of the “Communist” Party of India have long carried this counter-revolutionary view that the government of Jawaharlal Nehru had a “dual” character. The PKI made the mistake of analyzing the state of Indonesia in this way and gave it a “dual” character, and they made public self-criticism later on. When Chairman Mao gave a call for the “united front” against Japanese aggressors, he gave the call to the entire nation but at no time harboured any illusions about Chiang Kai-shek. To suggest that Chiang Kai-shek played a “progressive” role during China’s struggle against Japanese aggression is to sow very harmful illusions.
Comrade Bains concluded his speech by pointing out that the restoration of Teng Hsiao-ping is an affront and provocation against the International Marxist-Leninist Communist Movement and the revolutionary forces of the world. The restoration of Teng Hsiao-ping is an attack on Marxism-Leninism. It is the responsibility of all genuine Marxist-Leninists of the world to oppose it and defend Marxism-Leninism and proletarian internationalism. Comrade Rains also denounced the visit of arch renegade and imperialist cur Tito to China and pointed out that all those who have high regard for Chairman Mao’s China and Chairman Mao’s Communist Party of China will denounce this visit with the utter contempt it deserves.
Comrade Bains then presented the resolution against the anti-Leninist theory of “three worlds” and the restoration of Teng Hsiao-ping. The revolutionary masses received the resolution with tremendous enthusiasm and vigorously approved it. The mass rally ended with the shouting of slogans and the singing of the revolutionary song Here’s The Rose, Now Dance! and The Internationale. Revolutionary people carried on discussion for a long time after the mass rally and engaged Comrade Bains in discussion.
The revolutionary mass rally in Montreal is an historic event which drew clear lines of demarcation between the real friends of China, those who denounce the theory of “three worlds” and the restoration of Teng Hsiao-ping and those false friends who are using the revolutionary prestige of Chairman Mao Tsetung, the Communist Party of China and the People’s Republic of China in order to attack China. The rally drew clear lines of demarcation between the genuine Marxism-Leninism and proletarian internationalism of CPC(M-L) and the revisionists and opportunists of all hues.