According to Lenin, imperialism has existed as a special stage of capitalism since at least 1900. The communist movement always called for the unity of the proletarian movements in the imperialist countries with the national liberation movements in the oppressed nations. The communist movement has always called for a world wide united front against imperialism. Right now the united front against the two superpowers is the form taken by the world wide united front.
It is not this united front that we criticize. Every Marxist, if he/she is to remain a Marxist, must support this united front; support the united front against imperialism of the oppressed nations and the proletarian movements in the imperialist countries. One of the current critiques of the united front against imperialism does criticize just this united front, and in doing so completely abandons Marxism.[1] The defenders of the anti-imperialism strategy are very happy with the criticism from this quarter, since the criticism is so obviously anti-Marxist.
Our criticism is directed exclusively at the notion that the united front against imperialism provides us with an “internal strategy for revolution“.
[1] We refer to the Communist League, now the C.L.P. They hold that the principle contradiction in the world is between imperialism and socialism – not between imperialism and the third world nations.