First Published: The Call, Vol. 8, No. 3, January 22, 1979.
Transcription, Editing and Markup: Paul Saba
Copyright: This work is in the Public Domain under the Creative Commons Common Deed. You can freely copy, distribute and display this work; as well as make derivative and commercial works. Please credit the Encyclopedia of Anti-Revisionism On-Line as your source, include the url to this work, and note any of the transcribers, editors & proofreaders above.
Report from cadre school student –
The theory of the three worlds was the topic of study and lively debate at the CPML’s recently held cadre school. The school, which was aimed at developing the Party’s leading and backbone members, was the second of its kind since the formation of the CPML.
As we came to understand at the school, the theory of three worlds is of decisive importance in understanding the world situation today; in having a correct orientation for doing revolutionary work in this period; in fighting revisionism; and in uniting Marxist-Leninists.
Our main study material was the pamphlet “Chairman Mao’s Theory of the Differentiation of the Three Worlds is a Major Contribution to Marxism-Leninism,” written by the Editorial Department of the Chinese paper People’s Daily.
As a result of the week’s study, the students got a better understanding of how Mao Tsetung’s theory of the three worlds is .a scientific analysis of class struggle in the world arena today, a dialectical materialist evaluation of the different world political forces. This means that the theory is based, not on abstractions or on what we might like the world to look like, but on actual conditions in the world today.
Briefly summarized, the three worlds theory holds that the two imperialist superpowers, the Soviet Union and the United States, constitute the first world and are the main enemies of the world’s people. The U.S. and USSR try to dominate and oppress the whole world, and their rivalry is bound to lead to a new world war.
The socialist countries and the oppressed nations together form the third world. They are the main force in the worldwide struggle against imperialism. The big struggles now taking place in Africa, Latin America, and Asia against imperialism show the third world’s great power.
Lastly, the developed countries in between the two worlds, including Europe, Japan and Canada, constitute the second world. While they oppress and exploit the third world, they themselves are objects of super-power bullying and therefore can at times be brought into the united front against the superpowers.
These basic formulations of the theory were made more concrete and real to us in presentations on history and the current situation in Iran and the Dominican Republic; on the struggles of the people in Hawaii; as well as on other subjects.
Through the course of our study we understood better what was wrong with the claims of the revisionists and opportunists like the revisionist Communist Party U.S.A. and the Revolutionary Communist Party that the three worlds theory negates class struggle.
In fact, struggles between different nations and between countries are struggles between classes on a world scale. The fight against the superpowers creates more favorable conditions for the development of the class struggle in each country. As the People’s Daily pamphlet explains, “the internal class struggles of various countries are actually inseparable from the global class struggle.”
We saw how in the case of Iran, for example, the massive internal upheaval cannot be viewed apart from the sharp contention between the U.S. and the Soviet Union to control this strategically located country.
Similarly in Ethiopia, while the exit of U.S. imperialism in 1975 was a positive step, the Soviet penetration that followed has caused a severe setback to the revolutionary struggle of the Ethiopian people; who now face even harsher repression under the Mengistu regime.
We also discussed how the three worlds theory takes into account Lenin’s theory of the uneven development of imperialist powers, which inevitably leads to war; how the struggle of oppressed nations pushes forward the socialist revolution throughout the world; as well as the importance of uniting all forces that can be united to build a worldwide united front against the two super-powers.
The school, which was held in the South, included general presentations as well as small group study. Students were organized into “brigades” and, besides study, time was set aside each day for plenty of sports and cultural activities.
The cadre school participants, who included various national minorities, came from all parts of the country. We were all involved in different areas of Party work in factories, communities, campuses, etc. Thus the cadre school also gave us an opportunity to share a variety of experiences.
We all came to the cadre school with questions and had open and lively struggle over different ones, While we left clearer on many questions, some were left unanswered and put off for further study. But mainly we learned how to better apply Marxism-Leninism and use the scientific method to analyze various situations and problems in the world today.