Communist Party of Labor of the Dominican Republic (PCT) statement at SIPRAL 27

THE STRUGGLES OF WORKERS AND PEOPLES, AND
THE INTER-IMPERIALIST DISPUTES

The Communist Party of Labor considers the central theme of the Seminar to be very timely on this occasion. In the first place, because the struggle of the workers and peoples corresponds to the need for changes and as a necessary response to the problems posed by imperialist domination; secondly, because the current historical situation of the revolution continues to be one of class confrontation, in which the struggles of the masses for the overthrow of the bourgeoisie occupy a fundamental place; thirdly, because in the present context, the inter-imperialist contradictions are therefore at the order of the day, and it is up to the revolutionary parties and organizations to analyze them in order to derive the lines of orientation pertinent to the great cause of revolutionary change.

1. THE STRUGGLES OF THE WORKING CLASS AND THE PEOPLES ARE DECISIVE TO FORGE THE REVOLUTION

Marxism-Leninism is the doctrine of liberation of the working class and oppressed peoples; this is a known truth to which it will always be necessary to return with regard to analyses and evaluations of the living and working conditions of the workers, as well as the perspectives of their struggles. against exploitation and oppression in capitalist society. The historical resistance of the workers and their victories in different scenarios of struggle are irrefutable examples of their power as a revolutionary social class, as seen in the struggles waged throughout history against capital. The experience of the Paris Commune as the first test of working-class power and the glorious October Revolution of 1917 are illustrative examples of the correctness of revolutionary theory.

The Bolshevik revolution, the most important political event in the 20th century, bequeathed lessons of extraordinary value to the revolutionary cause throughout the world. It was the result of a whole complex process of struggles, accumulation of forces and political tactics, which culminated in the triumph of the revolution. With this experience it was shown that, in the context of the capitalist system, the oppressed workers and peoples can not only aspire to power, but their effective victory and the revolutionary transformation of society is a viable task when the revolutionary struggle has a vanguard and is endowed with political strategy and tactics. consistent with that ideal in tune with reality.

The building and accumulation of forces in the revolutionary sense challenges communists and revolutionaries to develop ever closer links with the working and popular masses. This task in the current context entails difficulties and obstacles whose overcoming requires a lot of creativity and audacity, just as we strive to carry out the critical balance, the revolutionary parties and organizations in our daily struggle, but the visible results demand much more, much more. We must hammer consciousness into this.

The struggles of workers and peoples for their emancipation are developing in the face of powerful enemies who have at their disposal enormous resources of all kinds. Faced with this reality, the working class and the peoples necessarily require the building and strengthening of Marxist-Leninist parties and revolutionary organizations that, in the heat of class struggles, shape and evaluate their ability of struggle, thus responding to the challenge of promoting the convergence of objective and subjective conditions that make it possible to seize power and begin the beginning of the new society that is the gravedigger of capitalism, socialist society.

2. THIS STRUGGLE IN THE NEW HISTORICAL CONDITIONS

   Marx and Engels established in the Communist Manifesto: " Our epoch, the epoch of the bourgeoisie, possesses, however, this distinctive feature: it has simplified the class antagonisms. Society as a whole is more and more splitting up into two great hostile camps, into two great classes directly facing each other: Bourgeoisie and Proletariat." Lenin, in his classic work "Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism" (1916) consolidated the conclusions of Marx and Engels, characterizing the epoch of imperialism as one of great concentration of monopolies and of the proletarian revolution.

   With the victory of the Russian revolution and the organization of the Soviet state, the experience of the Bolsheviks became a universal socialist model that served as an inspiring spark. so that the proletariat in struggle on a world scale would make the leap from "a class in itself" to "a class for itself", trusting in the capacity of its vanguard for revolutionary change and the building of a new society.

   Despite all the disorienting maneuvers of the imperialists and their spokespersons, such as the emergence of the theory of the so-called "end of history and the class struggle", the working class and oppressed peoples have not ceased to fight for their demands against capitalist domination and oppression.

   From the disintegration of the Soviet bloc and the impact on society of the scientific-technical revolution, new circumstances have been created in which the capitalist system and imperialism deepen their domination, while their spokespersons from certain academic scenarios and media speculate about the ability of that system to "reinvent itself" and that "revolutions are a thing of the past." Despite this confusing and demobilizing campaign, to the extent that the exploitation of labor power and the oppression of peoples and nations are expanded and deepened, the objective bases of class confrontation continue to mark the course of contemporary society.

   This incontrovertible truth is revealed in the various actions of struggle and resistance against oppression and exploitation by the workers and peoples in recent decades in various are was, which have their most recent expression in the extraordinary struggles by workers and other oppressed sectors in France.

   The strikes, street fighting, attempts at popular insurrection in different areas, are part of the scenario of contemporary society.

   It is true that, in various countries, this potential for rebellion has often been channeled into support for reformist democratic electoral choices that, in many cases, betrayed the electorate, abandoning any idea of democratic and social justice reform. This betrayal is creating great frustrations in broad sectors of society, which together with the continuity of the crisis and its consequences for the working masses, is creating conditions for the strengthening of fascist and neo-fascist choices, as we are seeing in a growing number of countries.

   The great challenge is to create revolutionary consciousness in the masses, whose mobilization is the antidote to the fascist danger. This mobilization of the masses cannot be limited to the level of economic demands, it requires action in pursuit of political gains. For this, the role of the vanguard communists and revolutionaries and their party is key. In this sense, the present challenge for the cause of the revolution remains to win the hearts and minds of the masses, placing the workers and youth in the first place, starting from the fact that in capitalist society, of all the exploited classes, it is the working class that is most consistently revolutionary.

   On this point, comrade Manuel Salazar proposes the reflection based on the question before "Who will win over the masses is a very topical question. And it has always been for a force interested in seizing power, having the masses of workers and other popular sectors as the main factor to achieve and retain it" (M. Salazar. The Revolution is Today, Santo Domingo (1997), p. 61).                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        The raison d'être for the militants, for communists and revolutionaries, is the political exercise for the overthrow of the reactionary classes and the building of revolutionary political power. For this, the struggles of the workers and peoples are key, because the real revolution must be their work.

   In this regard, a text by comrade Pablo Miranda states that, "For the popular struggles to be included in the revolutionary process it is necessary that they (the masses) clarify their understanding of the class character of their enemies. They must understand the need to fight for power, recognize their present strength, their potential, they must identify their true friends and accept the leadership of the Party and its forces.” (Pablo Miranda. The subjects of the revolution, p. 55.)

   It is important to emphasize that this consciousness is achieved, built, with the experience obtained by the workers and other popular sectors in their daily struggles closely inspired by the communist party and other revolutionary organizations. Without this, the masses can be the object of confusion, seduced by the parties of the bourgeois-capitalist system, by which they are diverted.

   In response to the adverse conditions in which we are struggling today, and in recognition of the unprecedented challenges we face, in order to raise our capacity for analysis and intervention on an increasingly complex reality, it is worth noting that the revolutionary movement has faced similar situations in the past and has been able to overcome them.

   In this regard, referring to the experience of the mass struggle during the period 1905-1907, Lenin warns that:

   "The defeat of the revolution resulting from this first campaign revealed... that the forces were insufficiently prepared, that the revolutionary crisis was insufficiently wide and deep.... The great wars in history, he great problems of revolutions, were solved only by the advanced classes returning to the attack again and again—and they achieved victory after having learned the lessons of defeat.” (V I Lenin, “On the Road,” Collected Works, Volume 15, p. 351,: Progress Publishers, Moscow, 1977.) The logic on which the evolution of the capitalist system rests, creates factors of crisis that eventually lead to a revolutionary situation, that the constancy of the communists and revolutionaries in consistent positions, with firmness and clarity of orientation, their protagonism in tune with the masses, lead us to new revolutionary crises.

   That is the true perspective of our work.

   1. INTER-IMPERIALIST STRUGGLES CONSPIRE AGAINST THE INTERESTS OF WORKERS AND PEOPLES

   On a world scale, inter-imperialist conflicts are developing motivated by the interests of this or that imperialist power, regardless of human lives, the destruction of the environment and the destiny of the peoples.

   Every day it becomes clearer to the peoples that the war in Ukraine is the theatre of confrontation of the interests of the imperialist powers, which in the framework of this war, are consolidating old and new alliances.

   In the context of this military conflict, the United States, which instigated the war together with the United Kingdom, has managed to increase its control over the European Union, despite the fact that the big business of delivering weapons to Ukraine creates benefits for all. It is a fact that in this context the community of interests between Russia and China has also been strengthened.

   Assessing the nature of the First World War very early on as a war between imperialist sides, an illuminating text by Lenin states that "Seizure of territory and subjugation of other nations, the ruining of competing nations and the plunder of their wealth, distracting the attention of the working masses from the internal political crises... disuniting and nationaliststultification of the workers.... these comprise the sole actual content, importance and significance of the present war.... Neither group of belligerents is inferior to the other in spoliation, atrocities and the boundless brutality of war" (Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, “The War and Russian Social Democracy,” in Collected Works, vol. 21,: pp. 27-28Progress Publishers, Moscow, 1974).

   As if it were written today, these ideas confirm the relevance of relying on Leninist theory when addressing the complex phenomena and processes of the national anti-imperialist struggle and the struggle for socialism; the agreements and disagreements between imperialist powers and groups of imperialist countries; the crises in the evolution of capitalism in its monopoly phase, and especially our responsibility for the modification of the current framework, to promote the emergence of new conditions conducive to revolutionary change, the creation of consciousness, organization and struggle of those exploited and oppressed for national and social emancipation.

   GLORY TO MARXISM-LENINISM!

   DOWN WITH IMPERIALISM!

   LONG LIVE THE STRUGGLE OF THE WORKERS AND PEOPLES!

   Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the PCT. August 31, 2023.