First Published: Bolshevik, Vol. 8, No. 3, August 1978.
Transcription, Editing and Markup: Paul Saba
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I Wor Kuen (IWK) and August 29th Movement-“Marxist-Leninist” (ATM-“M-L”) have joined finally, and as a “larger” organization are negotiating with “Communist” Party “Marxist-Leninist” (“C”P “M-L”) for seats on the Central Committee, in the editorial board of The Call, etc.
We believe that the recent joint statement by the ATM-’M-L’, ’C’P ’M-L’ and IWK on the initiation of joint efforts to form a committee to unite Marxist-Leninist in consultation with other Marxist-Leninist forces is an important step in forging communist unity. (Getting Together Vol. 9 #6)
Why haven’t IWK and ATM-“M-L” joined the “C”P “M-L” already? There’s so much professed unity – ATM-“M-L” says – in its May issue of “Revolutionary” Cause, that it apologizes to “C”P “M-L” for calling October League (former “C”P “M-L” name) right opportunists, that in fact says ATM-“M-L”, O.L. had a “Marxist-Leninist” line all along and only made right errors. But in the June issue of “Revolutionary” Cause we’re told – ”a single, unified Communist Party still needs to be forged”.
“C”P “M-L” tell us in its June “Happy Birthday issue of The Call: “This week marks the first anniversary of the “C“P “M-L”, an event of great significance for all working and oppressed people in this country”. This of course is news to the working class and oppressed people. Even their “third worldist” collaborators of IWK and ATM-“M-L” don’t seem to see it as “significant”. They say in the June joint declaration of ATM-“M-L”-IWK that “there is still no leading center for our movement”, no single unified Party. Is “C”P “M-L” according to ATM-“M-L” and IWK a group, a collective, a Party, but not a Party? In the game of scheming with three such professionals as ATM-“M-L”, IWK, and “C”P “M-L”, there is bound to be hegemonic conflicting.
Of course for ATM-“M-L” and IWK it amounts to keeping their old forms as long as possible, maybe hoping that the new leadership in China will reconsider its recognition of “C”P “M-L” and then they can rise as sole representative of the “third world” peoples in the U.S.
If IWK and ATM-“M-L” join “C”P “M-L” too prematurely then they stand a change of losing the “individual”, “Collectives”, “forces” other groups of petti-bourgeois nationalists and social chauvinists, who continue to stand and are consolidated on the treacherous theory of the “three worlds”, but who at the same time refuses to be swallowed up by the “C”P “M-L”. Some might even shift positions under the pretext of polemics against the theory of the “three worlds” while remaining social chauvinists.
The weakening by factional infighting in Revolutionary “Communist” Party (RCP) who tried to outslick “C”P “M-L” by founding its Party, has temporarily, maybe permanently, put them out the dog-eat-dog race. Meanwhile ATM-“M-L” and IWK have made a rallying call to the other “third worldist” purged elements from the Revolutionary wing, “new” collectives, etc., to join the “unity” trend. One such new collective is Red Dawn, composed of purged elements who are still figuring out how to continue fraternal relations with ATM-“M-L” and IWK, who assisted them so well in slandering the Leninist Core, while not making their line unity with “C”P “M-L” too obvious.
ATM-“M-L” and IWK provide a bridge between “C”P “M-L” and these loose social chauvinists of the international unity trend? which in actuality is the international class collaborationist trend of the social chauvinists, who rally under the reactionary banner of the revisionist theory of the “three worlds” the yellow alliance with U.S. imperialism.
ATM-“M-L” and IWK therefore presently are playing the middleman role, which they have historically played, while openly joining in “efforts” with the “C”P “M-L”, at the same time they must remain outside to join in efforts with the forces still on the loose, who have their own hegemonic agendas but are still too weak to make open challenges on “C”P “M-L” or negotiate with them from outside.
So ATM-“M-L”-IWK join in efforts with “C”P“M-L”, but still challenge “C”P“M-L“’s proclamation of being the “vanguard Party”, “C”P“M-L” feeling no great challenge, yet, allows this undermining of itself to go on – to meet more long range goals. “C”P“M-L” may get impatient and push its “third worldist” cohorts harder, in which case we may get some “political line” polemics out in the open, actually we may be bombarded by some “internal views” of behind closed-door maneuvers, and ATM-“M-L”-IWK may get off the pot and reverse its unprincipled alliance into unprincipled re-alliances. Or ATM-“M-L”-IWK might get off the potty and be satisfied with some positions on “C”P“M-L” leadership and editorial board of The Call, correspondents abroad to impress further some elements and bring along with them whatever loose social chauvinists they can muster in the next months or within this year.
The proletariat can rest assured that in either case the social chauvinists will continue to defend their “own” bourgeoisie for crumbs which the U.S. imperialists throw them from the superprofits which they rip off from the plunder of the colonies and neo—colonies.
The three forces here scheming jointly in their “efforts” of “unity” gave great praise to the French and Belgian troops for another fine exhibition of colonialists military maneuvering in Zaire, The three forces here scheming “advised” the U.S. working class to support the bourgeoisie in the signing of the Panama Canal treaty, which is designed to tighten U.S. control over the Canal.
The three spokesman for “Marxist-Leninist unity” are openly criticizing the U.S. ”appeasement policy” towards the Soviet Union, reprimanding their “own” bourgeoisie for its lack of backbone and “firmness” for allowing itself to be “cowed by Soviet social-imperialism”. Throw out this “appeasement”, they say to the bourgeoisie, and instead beef up military aid to NATO, the strengthening of NATO, the strengthening of U.S. imperialism, a hated enemy of the worlds people, no less but equally as dangerous as Soviet social- imperialism, assisted and defended by the social chauvinists.
The outcries of “unity” are accompanied by the instigation of imperialist war preparations.
In April President Carter announced a decision to defer production of the neutron bomb, a weapon designed to counter Soviet tank assault on Western Europe. (Getting Together, ibid.)
Two very calculated lies are propagated here,
1 – The U.S. imperialist have not “deferred” production of the neutron bomb or other nuclear war arms.
2 – The neutron bomb is designed as a way to blackmail and threaten the peoples of the world into submission to the capitalist-revisionist world.
Only social chauvinists can speak of the neutron bomb so matter of factly, while covering up that it is the most vicious weapon to date designed by the imperialists to exterminate masses of people while whole buildings can remain standing.
The U.S. and Canadian bourgeoisie have promised the Western European capitalists “a steady supply” of uranium with the condition that restrictions be observed in the production of bombs, Western Europe agreed. (See Times Magazine July 31, 1978 issue)
The social chauvinist “third worldist”, provide covers, while the U.S. NATO bloc make use of the demagogery of their new mask, the theory of the “three worlds”, to go full-swing ahead in their vicious plunder and rape of the colonies and neo-colonies while preparing for World War with the Soviet Social-imperialists to redivide the world amongst themselves. It is the masses who suffer, who have to shed their blood, while the capitalists no matter how small their country, join the imperialist to carve up their piece of the pie. But the “three worldists” tell us, “Brezhnev’s visit proves once again that the people of Western Europe must be prepared to defend their national independence from Soviet aggression”. (Revolutionary Cause, ibid)
The open call to the proletariat of the Western European countries to give up Proletarian Revolution, the only way out of the horrors of war, and to instead align itself with the revanchist bourgeoisie of Western Germany, the French proletariat with the French bourgeoisie, the Italian proletariat with the Italian bourgeoisie, the Canadian proletariat with the Canadian bourgeoisie, the Japanese proletariat with the Japanese bourgeoisie, the proletariat with the capitalist world. Such is the treachery of the revisionist theory of the “three worlds!” Under the guise of “unity”, under the guise of exploiting the inter-imperialist contradictions, the “third worldists” internationally have struck an open alliance with the imperialists big and small. Under the guise of national independence for the so called “second world”, the revisionist “third worldists” have erased class struggle. Instead of the contradiction between the proletariat and the bourgeoisie in the capitalist countries, which is resolved through proletarian revolution, we are told that it’s a contradiction between the “people” of Western Europe and Soviet social-imperialism.
For ATM-“M-L” and IWK this is not a change in line but their consistent social chauvinist position. Both have historically held that the principle contradiction in the U.S. has been (is) between the nationally oppressed and the bourgeoisie, between the “third world” people and the bourgeoisie, between the “minorities” and the bourgeoisie, and now there is no contradiction, according to the “third worldists”, with the U.S. bourgeoisie at all. It’s between the “people” and Soviet social-imperialism.
How well the social chauvinists form their yellow alliance. How openly they defend the right of their “own” bourgeoisie to plunder and rape the colonies and neo-colonies. How professionally they apologize for the blunders of Mr. Carter, to the rest of the bourgeoisie. Foaming at the mouths, they stretch out their hands to receive the crumbs, self righteously they protect their privileges which they so “vigorously” defend. Its no wonder they attacked the Central task, party building, propaganda the chief form of activity, the advanced workers who will cut the grass from right under their feet. All this they do under the hypocritical outcries of “unity of the majority of Marxist-Leninists”. Doomed to failure, they shall come out more desperately begging their own bourgeoisie to recognize them as the sole representatives of the “people”. In the dog-eat-dog race between “C”P “M-L” IWK, and ATM-“M-L”, they have all earned their yellow tag, of social chauvinists.