Countries want independence, nations want liberation, people want revolution. This has become an irresistible historical trend.
These famous words accurately sum-up the excellent strategic international alignment of forces for the proletariat and all oppressed in the era of imperialism and proletarian revolution.
The defeat of Great Britain as an imperialist power, the crushing of the fascist German empire, the glorious birth of the Soviet Union, the world’s socialist motherland now turned capitalist, the rise of the People’s Republic Of China, Albania, Korea, North and South Vietnam, Cambodia, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau all of these are clear examples of this irresistible trend.
But, comrades, we are Marxist-Leninists, and therefore we have not only a telescope, which enables us to see broadly, see trends in their development, we also possess a microscope, which enable us to go deeply into the particular, to make “concrete analysis of concrete situations”.
And with this microscope of Marxism, the concrete analysis of the current international situation teaches us that:
Profound changes have taken place in the international situation since the 29th Session of the United Nations General Assembly. A serious capitalist economic crisis plagues most parts of the world. All the basic contradictions in the world are further sharpening. The trend of revolution by the people of the world is actively developing. The Asian, African, and the Latin American peoples have advanced valiantly and won a series of significant victories in their struggle against colonialism, imperialism and hegemonism. On the other hand, the contention between the two superpowers has become more and more intense. The whole world is in greater turbulence and unrest. Rhetoric about detente cannot cover the stark reality. The danger of world war is visibly growing. (page 1, Speech by Chiao Kuan-hua, at the Plenary Meeting of the 30th UN General Assembly)
We hope that the people of all countries will heighten their vigilance and get prepared against the growing danger of a new world war. It is better to be prepared than unprepared. Without preparation one will suffer. The superpowers look strong but inwardly weak and very isolated. The more evils they do, the more thoroughly they will reveal their true features, and the stronger the resistance of the people of the world will become. At present, the factors for both war and revolution are both increasing on a world scale. Whether war gives rise to revolution or revolution prevents war in either case the international situation will develop in a direction favourable to the world’s people, And the future will be bright. (p. 9 ibid)
Comrades and friends, it is in this light that we must view the current struggle inside the communist movement in the U.S. For as Marxist-Leninists we understand that the intensification of class struggle is not something that occurs just in the international arena or in the general domestic area; in fact, we clearly grasp the fact that class struggle in the communist movement is a reflection of the international struggle between two classes, two lines and two roads.
Also, we understand that our greatest duty as proletarian internationalists in this superpower is to over throw our “own” bourgeoisie, to make proletarian revolution. And how is it that we fulfill this great historic mission? We believe that our central task is Party Building.
The formation of a Genuine Bolshevik Party is the task, out of all our tasks at this time, which when accomplished, moves forward all our other work toward the strategic onslaught against the bourgeoisie, toward the seizure and maintenance of state power, the basic question of all revolutions.
As we pointed out in our “Principles of Unity”, Comrade Stalin said,
I have already spoken of the difficulties of the struggle of the working class, of the complicated conditions of the struggle, of strategy and tactics, of reserves and maneuvering, of attack and retreat. These conditions are no less complicated, if not more so, than the conditions of war. Who can see clearly in these conditions, who can give correct guidance to the proletarian millions? No army at war can dispense with an experienced General Staff if it does not want to be devoured by its mortal enemies.
But where is this General Staff? Only the revolutionary party of the proletariat can serve as this General Staff. The working class without a revolutionary party is an army without a General Staff.
Many comrades here have probably heard this before, that party building is our central task, even the petty-bourgeois liberals of the October League (OL) say this out of one side of their mouths. But comrades and friends, tonight we’d like to talk about how and what kind of party we’re trying to build, and why this is fundamentally different from the kind of party the O.L. and other opportunists are frenzidly forming, we’d like to talk about building a party of genuine Marxist-Leninists, a party of advanced workers and other elements who have turned themselves into communists and not an organization or party of the petty bourgeoisie, composed of sham Marxists, anarchistic intellectuals and every striker who yells “Fight Back” or “Soul Power”. Tonight, we’re going to talk about building a Bolshevik Party and polemicize the opportunist, Menshevik line on party building.
We will begin this presentation with our view of the current state of the U.S. Communist Movement.