To mark the 132nd anniversary of the birth of Chinese revolutionary Mao Zedong, December 26, Fight Back News Service is circulating quotes from some of his writings on the United States and its role in the world.

“Chiang Kai-shek and his supporters, the U.S. reactionaries, are all paper tigers too. Speaking of U.S. imperialism, people seem to feel that it is terrifically strong. Chinese reactionaries are using the ‘strength’ of the United States to frighten the Chinese people. But it will be proved that the U.S. reactionaries, like all the reactionaries in history, do not have much strength. In the United States there are others who are really strong – the American people.”

— Talk with the American correspondent Anna Louise Strong, August 1946

“Apart from those who are deliberately deceiving the people or are utterly naive, no one will believe that a treaty can make U.S. imperialism lay down its butcher’s knife and suddenly become a Buddha, or even behave itself a little better.”

— Statement Opposing Aggression Against Southern Vietnam and Slaughter of Its People by the U.S. – Ngo Dinh Diem clique, August, 1963

“The United States has all along attempted to control the Congo. It used the United Nations forces to carry out every sort of evil deed there. It murdered the Congolese national hero Lumumba, it subverted the lawful Congolese government. It imposed the puppet Tshombe on the Congolese people, and dispatched mercenary troops to suppress the Congolese national liberation movement. And now, it is carrying out direct armed intervention in the Congo in collusion with Belgium and Britain. In so doing, the purpose of U.S. imperialism is not only to control the Congo, but also to enmesh the whole of Africa, particularly the newly independent African countries, in the toils of U.S. neo-colonialism once again. U.S. aggression has encountered heroic resistance from the Congolese people and aroused the indignation of the people of Africa and of the whole world.”

— Declaration of Support of the People of the Congo, December 1964

“The speedy development of the struggle of the American Negroes is a manifestation of sharpening class struggle and sharpening national struggle within the United States; it has been causing increasing anxiety among U.S. ruling circles. The Kennedy Administration is insidiously using dual tactics. On the one hand, it continues to connive at and take part in discrimination against Negroes and their persecution, and it even sends troops to suppress them. On the other hand, in the attempt to numb the fighting will of the Negro people and deceive the masses of the country, the Kennedy Administration is parading as an advocate of ‘the defense of human rights’ and ‘the protection of the civil rights of Negroes,’ calling upon the Negro people to exercise ‘restraint’ and proposing the ‘civil rights legislation’ to Congress. But more and more Negroes are seeing through these tactics of the Kennedy Administration. The fascist atrocities of the U.S. imperialists against the Negro people have exposed the true nature of so-called American democracy and freedom and revealed the inner link between the reactionary policies pursued by the U.S. Government at home and its policies of aggression abroad.”

— Statement Supporting the American Negroes in Their Just Struggle Against Racial Discrimination by U.S. Imperialism, August 8, 1963

“The Afro-American struggle is not only a struggle waged by the exploited and oppressed Black people for freedom and emancipation, it is also a new clarion call to all the exploited and oppressed people of the United States to fight against the barbarous rule of the monopoly capitalist class. It is a tremendous aid and inspiration to the struggle of the people throughout the world against U.S. imperialism and to the struggle of the Vietnamese people against U.S. imperialism. On behalf of the Chinese people, I hereby express resolute support for the just struggle of the Black people in the United States.”

— Statement by Comrade Mao Tse-tung, Chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, in Support of the Afro-American Struggle Against Violent Repression, April 16, 1968

“The Black masses and the masses of white working people in the United States have common interests and common objectives to struggle for. Therefore, the Afro-American struggle is winning sympathy and support from increasing numbers of white working people and progressives in the United States. The struggle of the Black people in the United States is bound to merge with the American workers’ movement, and this will eventually end the criminal rule of the U.S. monopoly capitalist class.”

— Statement by Comrade Mao Tse-tung, Chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, in Support of the Afro-American Struggle Against Violent Repression, April 16, 1968

“A new upsurge in the struggle against U.S. imperialism is now emerging throughout the world. Ever since the Second World War, U.S. imperialism and its followers have been continuously launching wars of aggression and the people in various countries have been continuously waging revolutionary wars to defeat the aggressors. The danger of a new world war still exists, and the people of all countries must get prepared. But revolution is the main trend in the world today.

“Unable to win in Vietnam and Laos, the U.S. aggressors treacherously engineered the reactionary coup d’etat by the Lon Nol Sirik Matak clique, brazenly dispatched their troops to invade Cambodia and resumed the bombing of North Vietnam, and this has aroused the furious resistance of the three Indo Chinese peoples. I warmly support the fighting spirit of Samdech Norodom Sihanouk, Head of State of Cambodia, in opposing U.S. imperialism and its lackeys. I warmly support the Joint Declaration of the Summit Conference of the Indo Chinese Peoples. I warmly support the establishment of the Royal Government of National Union under the Leadership of the National United Front of Kampuchea. Strengthening their unity, supporting each other and persevering in a protracted people’s war, the three Indo-Chinese peoples will certainly overcome all difficulties and win complete victory.

“While massacring the people in other countries, U.S. imperialism is slaughtering the white and black people in its own country. Nixon’s fascist atrocities have kindled the raging flames of the revolutionary mass movement in the United States. The Chinese people firmly support the revolutionary struggle of the American people. I am convinced that the American people who are fighting valiantly will ultimately win victory and that the fascist rule in the United States will inevitably be defeated.”

— People of the World, Unite and Defeat the U.S. Aggressors and All Their Running Dogs, May 23, 1970

#RevolutionaryTheory #Mao #Socialism #MarxismLeninism

New York, NY – On the evening of December 6, the Manhattan office of Workers World buzzed with activists, writers and community members gathered to celebrate the launch of China Changes Everything, a new anthology produced by Friends of Socialist China (FOSC).

Edited and compiled by FOSC, China Changes Everything offers a sweeping, politically grounded portrait of China’s socialist project. With chapters covering topics from green energy transitions and universal healthcare initiatives to high-speed rail networks stitching together rural and urban communities, the book documents China’s model for development.

Speakers at the launch included a number of contributing authors who gave talks about their chapters’ focus and offered insights on both China’s achievements. FRSO leader Mick Kelly, whose chapter is titled “An Analysis of the Escalating U.S. Threats Toward China,” spoke to Washington’s military encirclement and the motives behind Trump’s tariff war.

Syd Loving, who contributed the chapter, “Reflections on How China is Building Socialism,” emphasized the on-the-ground changes behind China’s model. Loving stated, “With lifting 800 million people out of extreme poverty, we are seeing the construction of a society where serving the people is real, and that takes priority over chasing the highest profits. In the U.S., the development that exists is for the few, not for the many. In China, development that leaves people behind is seen as a failure.”

Loving continued, “There are two visions for the future. For the U.S., the vision is more division, more greed and more wars. What’s happening in China and the relationships being built with the rest of the world show that the vision is actually more equality and more peace.”

Speakers expressed that the book arrives at a pivotal moment. One attendee, a longtime anti-war organizer, said, “China is a hot topic, sometimes misunderstood, sometimes feared. The U.S. is ramping up Cold War-style propaganda every day. This book is only going to become more important– it features actual experts and cuts through the noise.”

China Changes Everything can be purchased through this form.

#NewYorkNY #NY #International #China #Socialism #FOSC #FRSO #Feature

Grand Rapids, MI – Spirits were high as Syd Loving, a member of the Central Committee of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, spoke at two events in the Grand Rapids area on Monday, November 11. Loving had spent ten days during the summer in China as a part of the Friends of Socialist China delegation there – learning about Chinese history, the role of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in daily life and governance, and the technological advances the largest socialist country has made.

Loving took on the numerous misconceptions about China and told why we should learn from China’s experience building socialism.

The two events in Grand Rapids marked the beginning of Loving’s five-day speaking tour through the Midwest. In addition to the talks in Grand Rapids, they will be in Detroit, Columbus, Cleveland and Lafayette. Loving has already spoken to crowds in over a dozen cities in the U.S. since their return.

Loving began the event with an overview of their experiences in China as they visited cities such as Shanghai, Yan’an, Xi’an and Jiuquan. The delegation also attended a major cross-cultural meeting in Dunhuang where hundreds of delegates from countries across the world met with one another.

“China is a real place, it isn’t a utopia.” Loving began. “It’s a real place on Earth. So of course there’s going to be contradictions there like there is in everything. But what we saw really affirmed that China is not only continuing to build socialism in a way that centers the people, but also that China’s role in the world proves that the future is more equal, more peaceful, and more prosperous for more people if we build socialism.”

The talk focused on many aspects of Chinese society in the 21st century, as well as Chinese revolutionary history. They said the trip to Yan’an was amongst their favorite places due to its importance to the revolution.

“I’m a revolutionary, so of course I was excited to go to Yan’an! It was the cradle of the revolution. The party was based there from ’35 to ‘38. It was the end point of the Long March, where members of the Red Army marched tens of thousands of kilometers around enemy lines to group up. And then, from the city, commanded a war against Japanese aggression,” Loving explained.

China’s resounding successes with poverty alleviation was another important topic.

“The U.S. and the rest of the imperialist countries define extreme poverty as something like making less than $3 a day. China has a more robust definition. To them, extreme poverty is when someone doesn’t have access to a safe home, running water, running electricity, education, or safe food. China has completely eradicated this back-breaking poverty in their country and that’s why people support the CPC.”

Loving ended the event with a Q&A portion.

Cindy Gomez, a student at Grand Valley State University, expressed gratitude for their reporting on China, saying, “Syd connecting with the students was beautiful, but listening to Syd break down the myths of China was an awakening experience. Syd brought a form of clarity to the students of Grand Valley about the socialist construction in China.”

Check out Syd Loving’s report back on their trip to China by attending a talk in any of these cities: Detroit on November 18; Cleveland, Ohio November 19; Columbus, Ohio November 20; and Lafayette, Indiana on November 21.

#GrandRapidsMI #MI #International #China #Socialism #FRSO #Feature

Tallahassee, FL – As a part of the national tour, Sydney Loving, a member of the central committee of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO), spoke to a Tallahassee event after her recent visit to socialist China. Loving traveled to China as a member of a delegation organized by the Friends of Socialist China.

Community members joined the event, hosted by Tallahassee FRSO, at the Dr. B.L. Perry branch library, where attendees learned the truth about China from a firsthand account. Loving also dispelled many of the common rumors and lies told about China, emphasizing the remarkable success the nation has had in improving the material conditions for billions of people.

Even Western media, which is often notoriously critical of China, made note of the outstanding progress the Chinese Communist Party has made in eliminating poverty.

Loving described just how different China was even in everyday life, describing just how clean the streets were, and explained how the cities were built with people in mind, in contrast to the car-centric cities of the United States, which have caused immense traffic jams, increased commute times, and a loss of community. This car-centric infrastructure is the polar opposite of what Loving observed while in China. “Moms and their kids would just walk across the intersection, confident the cars would stop for them,” Loving remarked, expressing just how much the feeling of community and mutual trust existed in China.

Although China is undoubtedly a modern country with its eyes on the future, Loving also explained the preservation of culture and history present in China, visiting many cultural sites, including the terracotta generals and a museum dedicated to remembrance of the revolution, one which not only freed China from centuries of dynastic rule. It was truly due to the support of the Chinese people and the commitment of the CCP to improve the lives of the Chinese people that the revolution was so successful despite the odds being stacked against it.

The system of monopoly capitalism that has enveloped many parts of the world is undeniably failing, and the many successes of China, not only in economic development but also in the enhanced standard of living of its people, further showcase the success of socialism.

Overall, Sydney Loving explained how a better, socialist world was possible, one in which the concerns of the people are prioritized over the concerns of mega corporations, a world in which the total eradication of poverty is possible, and a world in homelessness is seen as a failure of the government rather than the failure of the person. Socialist China certainly acts as a beacon of hope as we witness the decay of monopoly capitalism.

#TallahasseeFL #FL #Socialism #International #China #FRSO

The revolutionary struggle that brought about the first socialist state in the former Russian Empire in 1917 had its first major upheavals years earlier. The Russian Social Democratic Labor Party (RSDLP) had split into two factions, the Bolsheviks (meaning majority, led by V.I. Lenin) and Mensheviks (meaning minority, led by Julius Martov) in 1903. The RSDLP remained as one party formally, but the two factions, practically, had separate centers, presses, and programs. As The History of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (Bolsheviks) – Short Course puts it, “on the eve of the first Russian revolution, when the Russo-Japanese war had already begun, the Bolsheviks and the Mensheviks acted as two separate political groups.”

The Russo-Japanese war broke out in 1904, and the Bolsheviks and Mensheviks each took a different stance toward the war. “The Mensheviks, including Trotsky, were sinking to a position of defending the ‘fatherland’ of the tsar, the landlords and the capitalists,” says the Short Course. “The Bolsheviks, headed by Lenin, on the other hand, held that the defeat of the tsarist government in this predatory war would be useful, as it would weaken tsardom and strengthen the revolution.”

By 1905 the struggle came to a head. The Short Course sums it up like this: 

“The workers' recourse to mass political strikes and demonstrations, the growth of the peasant movement, the armed clashes between the people and the police and troops, and, finally, the revolt in the Black Sea Fleet, all went to show that conditions were ripening for an armed uprising of the people. This stirred the liberal bourgeoisie into action. Fearing the revolution, and at the same time frightening the tsar with the spectre of revolution, it sought to come to terms with the tsar against the revolution; it demanded slight reforms ‘for the people’ so as to ‘pacify’ the people, to split the forces of the revolution and thus avert the ‘horrors of revolution.’ ‘Better part with some of our land than part with our heads,’ said the liberal landlords. The liberal bourgeoisie was preparing to share power with the tsar.’

In this time of great upheaval, the RSDLP lacked unity over tactics on how to move forward. The Bolsheviks called the Third Congress in order to assess the situation and formulate tactics that the whole party would be bound to carry out. But the Mensheviks boycotted the Third Congress and called their own “conference” in order to formulate their own tactical line apart from the Bolsheviks. 

The Third Party Congress correctly assessed that the liberal bourgeoisie didn’t want complete victory for the revolution but would instead seek compromise with the tsar on the basis of forming a constitutional monarchy. Therefore, it called for the proletariat to lead the bourgeois-democratic revolution, allied closely with the peasantry, since those were the class forces fundamentally interested in complete victory. The Menshevik conference, on the other hand, insisted that the democratic revolution be led by the liberal bourgeoisie, and that revolutionary socialists should make every effort to avoid frightening the liberal bourgeoisie and thereby undermining the revolution. The Bolsheviks advocated the revolutionary overthrow of tsarism, and the continuation of the revolution from its bourgeois-democratic stage to its socialist stage, while the Mensheviks instead advocated a policy of compromise and reform. 

Lenin’s arguments

Lenin’s book, Two Tactics of Social Democracy in the Democratic Revolution appeared two months after the Third Congress, in July 1905. It explained and developed the Bolshevik tactical line as it exposed and criticized the Menshevik tactical line. 

There are three main points in Lenin’s book that must be emphasized. 

First, Lenin argued that the proletariat must be the leader and guiding force of the bourgeois-democratic revolution. Thus, in Two Tactics Lenin writes, 

“Marxism teaches the proletarian not to keep aloof from the bourgeois revolution, not to be indifferent to it, not to allow the leadership of the revolution to be assumed by the bourgeoisie but, on the contrary, to take a most energetic part in it, to fight most resolutely for consistent proletarian democracy, for carrying the revolution to its conclusion. We cannot jump out of the bourgeois-democratic boundaries of the Russian revolution, but we can vastly extend these boundaries, and within these boundaries we can and must fight for the interests of the proletariat, for its immediate needs and for the conditions that will make it possible to prepare its forces for the future complete victory.”

For this reason, Lenin writes, “The outcome of the revolution depends on whether the working class will play the part of a subsidiary to the bourgeoisie, a subsidiary that is powerful in the force of its onslaught against the autocracy but impotent politically, or whether it will play the part of leader of the people’s revolution.” To do this, Lenin held that it was necessary for the proletariat to ally itself with the peasantry, on the one hand, and, on the other hand, to isolate the liberal bourgeoisie and force it out of leadership of the revolution. 

Second, Lenin argued that the means for overthrowing tsarism and achieving a democratic republic was through revolutionary armed struggle. 

In Two Tactics Lenin writes, “In order to be able to exercise this pressure from below, the proletariat must be armed—for in a revolutionary situation matters develop with exceptional rapidity to the stage of open civil war – and must be led by the Social-Democratic Party. The object of its armed pressure is that of ‘defending, consolidating and extending the gains of the revolution,’ i.e., those gains which from the standpoint of the interests of the proletariat must consist in the fulfilment of the whole of our minimum program.”

Against the Mensheviks, who advocated for reform during a revolutionary situation, Lenin wrote, “under the circumstances … amendments are moved by means of street demonstrations, interpolations are introduced by means of offensive action by armed citizens, opposition to the government is effected by forcibly overthrowing the government.” 

Third, Lenin argued that the revolution should have two stages, and that the revolution must not come to a halt with the victory of the bourgeois-democratic stage. Instead, it must strive immediately to pass into the socialist stage.

Therefore, Lenin writes in Two Tactics, “The proletariat must accomplish the socialist revolution, by allying to itself the mass of the semi-proletarian elements of the population in order to crush by force the resistance of the bourgeoisie and to paralyze the instability of the peasantry and the petty bourgeoisie.”

The Short Course points out, “This was a new theory which held that the Socialist revolution would be accomplished not by the proletariat in isolation as against the whole bourgeoisie, but by the proletariat as the leading class which would have as allies the semi-proletarian elements of the population, the ‘toiling and exploited millions.’” It goes on to explain, “According to this theory the hegemony of the proletariat in the bourgeois revolution, the proletariat being in alliance with the peasantry, would grow into the hegemony of the proletariat in the Socialist revolution, the proletariat now being in alliance with the other laboring and exploited masses, while the democratic dictatorship of the proletariat and the peasantry would prepare the ground for the Socialist dictatorship of the proletariat.”

The hegemony of the proletariat in the bourgeois-democratic revolution, the necessity of revolutionary armed struggle, and the importance of carrying the revolution forward from the democratic to the socialist stage: these are the most important lessons to draw from Lenin’s Two Tactics. 

Two Tactics today

After 1905, the democratic revolution in Russia entered a period of retreat, and wouldn’t be completed until February of 1917, after which the Bolsheviks did indeed push the revolution forward to the victorious October socialist revolution. 

Regarding Lenin’s book, Two Tactics, the Short Course says, “Its invaluable significance consists in that it enriched Marxism with a new theory of revolution and laid the foundation for the revolutionary tactics of the Bolshevik Party with the help of which in 1917 the proletariat of our country achieved the victory over capitalism.”

It is important that revolutionaries study this cornerstone of Marxist-Leninist theory today. Indeed, it explains in clear terms how revolutionaries should relate to the movements for democracy and the other class forces involved in those movements. It lays out the basic principles at the core of Leninist tactics. The lessons of Two Tactics apply to our own struggle in the U.S., where different class forces are united in struggle against monopoly capitalism. At the core of this united front is the strategic alliance of the multinational working class on the one hand and the movements of the oppressed nations and nationalities for liberation on the other hand. Lenin’s Two Tactics explains clearly the importance of the leadership of the proletariat and its need for allies. And while we must push forward and develop the struggle to defend and expand democracy in a revolutionary way, we must advance to the overthrow of the capitalist system and struggle for socialism.

#RevolutionaryTheory #Socialism #MarxismLeninism #MLTheory #RedTheory

Dallas, TX – On Saturday, August 30, more than 30 Dallas residents gathered at Pan African Connection Bookstore and Resource Center for discussion on socialism as it pertains to the modern People's Republic of China.

Hosted by the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, (FRSO), the event was part of a speaking tour led by Sydney Loving, a Central Committee member of FRSO, who spent ten days in China as part of a delegation of Friends of Socialist China.

Loving began the presentation by stating, “75 years of socialist construction. We saw a country that has the largest economy in the world as measured by Purchasing Power Parity, which is a more accurate view than GDP, or Gross Domestic Product, which relies on the stock market and inflates the real economy. China's economy is the largest by industrial manufacturing. Even smaller cities are high-tech and increasingly green, life expectancy is over 78 years which is two years longer than the U.S., and of course where over 800 million people have been lifted out of extreme poverty.”

Loving continued, “Thanks to China's socialism they are completing an industrial revolution every decade since the 1980s. China is in the forefront of this new industrial revolution with AI, quantum technology, big data etc. China and the world have changed forever. But despite these advancements China remains controversial in the West, even amongst the left! Believe it or not. So, it's important to seek truth from fact as Mao says.”

Loving expounded on the particular advancements from the five cities she visited, Xi’an, Yan’an, Dunhuang, Jiayu guan and Shanghai.

Loving stated, “We went to Yan’an, which was really the cradle of the revolution from 1935 to 1947. The Red Army re-grouped there after the Long March, and the CPC [Communist Party of China] held the 7th National Congress there, 16 long years after the 6th Congress, because they were fighting Japanese imperialism and the KMT. [Yan’an is] where Mao Zedong Thought was crystalized and adopted. They fought dogmatism and made the decision to be the party of the masses of Chinese people.”

“In Jiayu guan, we visited JISCO, a state-owned steel company that the workers built the whole city around in the 1950s. Today it has 42% green cover, with ponds and parks– remember this is the Gobi Desert, “ said Loving.

“In Shanghai we went to a robotics facility where they demonstrated the advancements for surgery and industry, and a Lenovo factory where they showed off how they’re partnering with the school system to bring advanced tech into rural classrooms,” said Loving.

Loving concluded her presentation by saying, “China is not a utopia, it's a real place. Everything that we saw affirmed that China is continuing to build socialism that centers the people. China is building a future for all of us that is more peaceful and more equal.”

#DallasTX #TX #International #RevolutionaryTheory #China #Socialism

Noticiero ¡Lucha y Resiste! se sentó con Sydney Loving, participante de la delegación de Amigos de China Socialista, que recientemente regresó de una visita de diez días a cinco ciudades en China. De bases revolucionarios a ciudades de alta tecnología y desarrollo verde, la delegación presenció de primera mano el poder del socialismo a levantar las vidas de la gente. Loving es miembro del Comité Central de la Organización Socialista Camino de la Libertad.

¡Lucha y Resiste!: ¿Cómo llegaste a China? ¿Cuál fue el propósito del viaje?

Sydney Loving: La delegación fue organizada por Amigos de China Socialista, un proyecto político dedicado a fortalecer la comprensión y apoyo para China según la solidaridad y la verdad. Yo representé la Organización Socialista Camino de la Libertad, y la delegación incluyó la gente de la Alianza Negra por la Paz, Mundo de Obreros, Internacional Progresista, Partido Comunista de Britania Liga de Comunistas Jóvenes, la Alianza de Liberación Negra, Libros Iskra, y otros.

Fuimos invitados por la Red China de ONG de Intercambios Internacionales, y durante 10 días visitamos Xi’an, Yan’an, Dunhuang, Jiayuguan y Shanghái.

Durante nuestro viaje a una variedad de lugares, tuvimos la oportunidad de descubrir cómo China está construyendo el socialismo, los avances increíbles que han hecho en 76 años de construcción socialista, y tuvimos diálogos maravillosos sobre cómo podemos rebatir mejor las narrativas negativas y las mentiras estilo Guerra Fría con las que estamos bombardeadas dentro del oeste. Al final, lo que encontramos fue un país encabezado por un partido político con una visión de futuro, con una meta que crea un mejor futuro para todos.

¡Lucha y Resiste!: ¿Cómo describirías el camino de desarrollo de China?

Loving: Para entender verdaderamente lo extraordinario que es el desarrollo de China, hay que entender la historia y cómo fue la vida anterior para la mayoría de la gente. Antes de la revolución en 1949, China fue totalmente devastada por el imperialismo y la ocupación extranjera, feudalismo brutal, las hambrunas provocadas por el hombre, el caudillismo y más. La expectativa de vida en las áreas rurales era tan baja como 24 años. En Xi’an fuimos a unos sitios históricos antiguos, y los generales de terracota y las estatuas de mujeres nobles estaban rollizos – porque la hambruna masiva era una característica de la sociedad por siglos. Entonces, el socialismo tenía que superar todo esto.

Fuimos para Yan’an, que fue verdaderamente la cuna de la revolución de 1935 y 1947. El Ejército Rojo se reagrupó allá después de la Marcha Larga, y el PCCh [Partido Comunista de China] tuvo el 7mo Congreso Nacional, (16 largos años después del 6to Congreso, porque estaban luchando contra el imperialismo japonés y el KMT) en el cual el Pensamiento Mao Zedong fue cristalizado y adoptado. Ellos pelearon contra el dogmatismo y tomaron la decisión de ser el partido de las masas de la gente China. Cuando construyeron las estructuras políticas y eligieron representantes al Congreso, tenían un sistema de platos hondos y frijoles para las personas que no podían leer para votar por sus candidatos.

Ahora, 76 después, vimos un país que es la economía más grande del mundo medido por Paridad de Poder Adquisitivo. Incluso en las ciudades más pequeñas son tecnológicamente avanzadas y cada día más verde, la expectativa de vida es de más de 78 años, y claro donde más de 800 millones de personas han salido de la pobreza extrema – y no solo estamos hablando en términos de cantidades de dólares. Estamos hablando de alimentación, ropa, vivienda, electricidad y agua, atención médica y educación garantizadas.

El capitalismo no es capaz de cumplir esa clase de proyecto. Lo lograron con el planeo central y la movilización en masa. Cada ciudad que visitamos mostró cómo el Partido Comunista está guiando el desarrollo que prioriza a la gente primero.

¡Lucha y Resiste!: ¿Cuáles diferencias notaste en la vida cotidiana?

Loving: Se siente sinceramente diferente a las ciudades en los EE. UU., incluso nuestras ciudades más grandes. Las calles están limpias, caminables, y bien ordenadas a pesar de lo pobladas que están. Hasta el punto de que las madres y sus hijos simplemente caminaban tras cada intersección, con confianza de que los carros tenían que pararse. Muchos vehículos y cosas son diseñados con consideración a las necesidades de los viejos, los niños y los obreros. Aun en uno de los hoteles, los trabajadores se reunían en la plaza para hacer baile/ejercicio por las mañanas. Fue verdaderamente tranquilo pero animado, con parques y jardines en todas partes, y muchas actividades gratuitas y acceso a la cultura y a sitios históricos.

En Xi’an y Dunhuang en particular vimos como miles de años de civilización están siendo preservados como parte de la identidad viva de la gente. Y ya que el turismo interno es tan importante, los museos y sitios estaban llenos de niños, ancianos y familias. Para mí, me quedó claro que mantener el pueblo como dueño de su historia y su cultura es parte fundamental del espíritu revolucionario.

Y no como las ciudades de los EE. UU., no vimos casi ninguna falta de vivienda. En diez días, viajando por cinco ciudades, solo vi a una persona pidiendo limosna en la calle con un código QR en el fondo de una olla. Compáralo con San Francisco o Nueva York, donde hay barrios enteros de campamentos.

Además de eso, la tecnología fue increíble. Desde pequeños robots que toman el elevador para entregar comida a tu cuarto de hotel a los aeropuertos donde solo te paras frente a una cámara y te muestra toda la información de tu puerta de embarque y vuelo. Nuestros anfitriones nos avisaron contra tomar el tren bala porque nosotros los occidentales somos muy lentos con tanto equipaje y seguro íbamos a llegar tarde, pero el tren normal también fue genial.

¡Lucha y Resiste!: Fuiste al noroeste, una región bastante pobre de China. ¿Qué fue lo que más notaste?

Loving: Si, fuimos a la provincia de Gansu, en el borde del desierto de Gobi, una de las partes más empobrecidas de China. Pero realmente nos impresionó lo que están haciendo allí.

En Jiayuguan, visitamos JISCO, una empresa siderúrgica estatal alrededor de la cual los obreros construyeron la ciudad entera en los años 1950s. Hoy tiene una cobertura verde de 42%, con estanques y parques — y recuerda que esto es el desierto Gobi. Es un testamento del nivel de desarrollo de las fuerzas productivas que ahora JISCO incluso tiene una granja lechera y una vinatera con la bodega de vino techada más grande de Asia (sí, probamos el vino — delicioso). También recorrimos la planta de poder solar de sal fundido de Dunhuang, que puede almacenar energía por la noche y un centro de control con IA para una red eléctrica inteligente que ayuda a reducir la producción de carbón en toda la providencia. Le preguntamos a un trabajador allí cuál es la diferencia tecnológica entre cómo funciona su red eléctrica y la de EE. UU., y modestamente nos dijo: “Bueno, nuestra red nunca se cae”. Desafortunadamente, eso me hizo reír – siendo de Texas.

Hay un gran énfasis en la modernización ecológica. Realmente están transformando el desierto en un lugar habitable y sostenible. Es un testamento de cómo van juntos el alivio de la pobreza y el ambientalismo bajo el socialismo.

China también está demostrando que la tecnología no es inherentemente anti-humana. En Shanghái fuimos a una fábrica de robótica en donde demostraron los avances en la cirugía e industria, y una fábrica de Lenovo donde mostraron cómo colaboran con el sistema escolar para llevar tecnología avanzada a escuelas rurales. La diferencia está en quién controla la tecnología, bajo qué sistema y para qué propósito.

Para China, un desarrollo que deja gente atrás simplemente significa un fracaso. Por eso se enfocan en equilibrar el desarrollo de las regiones, impulsando el occidente y el noroeste en lugar de permitir que la riqueza se concentre solo en las costas. Así, tras el éxito de los masivos proyectos de aliviar de la pobreza – que ni la ONU puede negar – la siguiente fase es la “prosperidad común”.

¡Lucha y Resiste!: ¿Cuál fue el papel del Partido Comunista en la vida cotidiana?

Loving: El Partido Comunista estuvo en todas partes. Digo acaban de celebrar haber alcanzado 100 millones de miembros. Aldeas, hospitales, escuelas y fábricas tienen ramas del Partido. En Jiayuguan pasamos por uno de los “Centros del Partido,” donde nuestros guías nos dijeron que las personas pueden ir a hacer preguntas o pedir ayuda de los cadres, hasta el cuidado de los niños.

Me repito, es tan diferente de los partidos políticos de aquí. A los funcionarios locales se les evalúa por cómo sirven a la gente, con el partido siendo una meritocracia en ese sentido. No puedes comprar un puesto de liderazgo como lo hacen en los partidos políticos aquí en los EE. UU.

De hecho, para ascender rango en el Partido, tienes que demostrar tu dedicación y servicio al pueblo. Un miembro del Partido, que era maestro y que también fue nuestro guía improvisado en el autobús, lo resumió diciendo que es un sentimiento de orgullo por lo lejos que han llegado y hacia dónde van. Y con buena razón.

La presencia del PCCh no es misteriosa ni abstracta. Son doctores dando consultas gratis, comités organizando la limpieza de las calles y obreros mejorando las condiciones de seguridad en el trabajo. Esto demuestra por qué pudieron vencer el militarismo japonés y al KMT: porque estaban, y siguen estando, profundamente arraigados en el pueblo.

¡Lucha y Resiste!: ¿Qué lecciones deberían los revolucionarios en los EE. UU. sacar de tu experiencia?

Loving: Sabemos que el capitalismo monopolista es un sistema moribundo, así que una lección para todos es que el socialismo funciona. Esta es la vida real, así no es una utopía, y hay contradicciones y mejoramientos que hacer en todo. Pero está haciendo el trabajo más importante que existe, que es mejorar las vidas de las personas y resolver problemas complicados enormes como la pobreza, el cambio climático, y los ataques a la soberanía y amenazas de guerra, con creatividad y flexibilidad en tiempos de cambio. Si tienen la oportunidad, la gente definitivamente debería visitar y ver por sí mismos.

Pero no es suficiente solo admirar a China. Para los revolucionarios aquí, tenemos que entender nuestras tareas. El mayor obstáculo a un futuro pacífico y digno para todos es el imperialismo de los EE. UU. El mismo sistema que bombardea Palestina, bloquea Cuba, financia golpes de estado en África, y quiere declarar guerra contra China.

El imperialismo de los EE. UU. es enemigo de la gente aquí también.

Como comunistas, estamos estableciendo liderazgo en todos los aspectos de la lucha de la gente y construyendo un movimiento revolucionario en la casa, para crear un partido de la clase obrera, arraigado en la gente, con la misma agilidad y claridad de propósito que han demostrado los comunistas de China por casi un siglo. Dicho esto, no hay una forma de copiar y pegar el camino de China que funcione para nosotros. Tenemos que aplicar la ciencia revolucionaria a nuestras propias condiciones, tiempo y lugar.

¡Lucha y Resiste!: ¿Tienes pensamientos finales?

Loving: ¡El socialismo es el futuro! En muchos aspectos, China está mostrando el camino, pero es verdad para todos nosotros. La gente en cada rincón del mundo merece vivir con dignidad y paz. Lo alcanzaremos si luchamos por ello.

#International #China #FRSO #OSCL #RevolutionaryTheory #Interview #Opinion #Socialism

Minneapolis, MN – On Friday, August 15, more than 50 Twin Cites residents gathered at Lucy Parsons Center for the event “China: A Contrasting Vision for the World,” hosted by Women Against Military Madness (WAMM) talking about China and constructing a socialist society.

While China is growing influence in the world, it is being seriously threatened, both militarily and economically, by the U.S. and other Western powers. The Western press is constantly vilifying the country, pumping out disinformation on a near-daily basis. It was the goal of this panel to help dispel some of these myths.

Sarah Martin, a longtime member of WAMM, opened the panel by talking about some of the ways China is building socialism, “from ground-breaking achievements, poverty alleviation, and environmental protection to China’s role in promoting a global future built on mutual prosperity and a just peace.” Martin then introduced the main speaker for the event, Sydney Loving.

Loving, a member of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization’s Central Committee, went to China as part of the Friends of Socialist China delegation. She traveled to five different cities, including Xa’An and Shanghai, to see up close how China is building socialism.

Loving began the presentation with a brief history of the conditions of pre-revolution China, stating, “The countryside was being looted by elites, you had millions of deaths due to famines.” Indeed, “starvation was a feature of society. There was a life expectancy of around 24 years in the countryside, opium addiction was rampant, warlords ruled vast regions of the country. It was hell.”

Loving contrasted that with conditions in current-day China, stating, “With 75 years of socialist construction it has the largest economy, the largest industrial manufacturing and trading economy, absolute poverty eliminated, and life expectancy that is two years longer than the U.S.”

Loving continued, “China is the only renewable superpower in the world. 60% of all wind and solar production in the world is in China, 98% of all electric buses are made in China, 70% of all high-speed rail is in China, two-thirds of electric vehicles are in China, and they are a world leader in biodiversity and forestation.”

With wealth inequality growing, violence increasing around the world, and climate change continuing rapidly, the world is now more than ever looking to China for how to build an equal and just society, one that puts people's needs first. Panels like this are critical for understanding the path forward.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #International #China #Socialism #RevolutionaryTheory #WAMM

Fight Back! sat down with Sydney Loving, a participant in the 2025 Friends of Socialist China delegation, which recently returned from a ten-day visit across five cities in China. From revolutionary bases to high-tech cities and green development, the delegation witnessed firsthand the power of socialism to uplift the lives of the people. Loving is a member of the Central Committee of Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

Fight Back!: How did you go to China? What was the purpose of the trip?

Sydney Loving: The delegation was organized by Friends of Socialist China, a political project aiming to strengthen understanding and support for China on the basis of solidarity and truth. I repped Freedom Road Socialist Organization, and the delegation included folks from Black Alliance for Peace, Workers World, Progressive International, Communist Party of Britain Young Communist League, Black Liberation Alliance, Qiao Collective, Iskra Books, and others.

We were invited by the China NGO Network for International Exchanges, and over ten days we visited Xi’an, Yan’an, Dunhuang, Jiayuguan, and Shanghai.

Traveling to a range of areas, we got to investigate how China is building socialism, the incredible advances they’ve made in 76 years of socialist construction, and we had awesome dialogues about how we can better counter the negative narratives and Cold War-type lies we’re bombarded with in the West. Ultimately what we found was a country led by a forward-thinking political party, with a purpose that’s carving out a better future for everybody.

Fight Back!: How would you describe China’s path of development?

Loving: To really understand how remarkable China’s development is, you’ve got to understand the history and what life was like for most people. Before the revolution in 1949, China was totally devastated by imperialism and foreign occupation, brutal feudalism, man-made famines, warlordism, etc. Life expectancy in the rural areas was as low as 24 years old. In Xi’an we went to some ancient history sites, and the terracotta generals and statues of noblewomen were plump – because mass starvation was a feature of society for centuries. So, socialism had all this to overcome.

We went to Yan’an, which was really the cradle of the revolution from 1935 to 1947. The Red Army re-grouped there after the Long March, and the CPC [Communist Party of China] held the 7th National Congress there, (16 long years after the 6th Congress, because they were fighting Japanese imperialism and the KMT) where Mao Zedong Thought was crystalized and adopted. They fought dogmatism and made the decision to be the party of the masses of Chinese people. When they built the political structures and elected representatives to the Congress, they had a system of bowls and beans for people who couldn’t read to vote for their candidates

Now, 76 years later, we saw a country that’s the largest economy in the world as measured by Purchasing Power Parity. Even smaller cities are high-tech and increasingly green, life expectancy is over 78 years, and of course where over 800 million people have been lifted out of extreme poverty– and we’re not just talking by dollar amounts. We’re talking guaranteed food, clothing, housing, electricity and water, healthcare and education.

Capitalism is just not capable of that kind of project. They did it through central planning and mass mobilization. Every single city we visited showed how the Communist Party is guiding development that puts people first.

Fight Back!: What differences did you notice in daily life?

Loving: It really feels very different than cities in the U.S., even our biggest cities. The streets are clean, walkable, and well-organized despite how populous they are. To the point where moms and their kids would just walk across the intersection, confident the cars would stop for them. Lots of electric vehicles and things are designed with the needs of the elderly, children and workers in mind. Even at one of our hotels, the workers would all meet in the quad for a dance/exercise in the mornings. It was really peaceful but lively, with parks and gardens everywhere, and tons of free activities and access to culture and historical sites.

In Xi’an and Dunhuang especially we saw how thousands of years of civilization are being preserved as part of people’s living identity. And with internal tourism being a big deal, museums and sites were full of schoolkids, seniors and families. To me it was clear that having history and culture belong to the people is part of the revolutionary spirit.

And unlike cities in the U.S., we saw almost no homelessness. In ten days, traveling around five cities, I saw just one person begging on the street with a QR code in the bottom of a pan. Compare that to San Francisco or New York, where you have entire neighborhoods of encampments.

Also, the technology was unreal. From little robots that take the elevator to deliver food to your hotel room to the airports where you just stand in front of a camera and it displays all your gate and flight info. Our hosts advised against us taking the bullet train because we Westerners were too slow with all our luggage and definitely would’ve been late, but the normal train was awesome, too.

Fight Back!: You went to the northwest, a poorer region of China. What stood out?

Loving: Yes we went to Gansu Province, on the edge of the Gobi Desert, one of the most historically impoverished parts of China. But we were really blown away by what they’re doing there.

In Jiayuguan, we visited JISCO, a state-owned steel company that the workers built the whole city around in the 1950s. Today it has 42% green cover, with ponds and parks– remember this is the Gobi Desert. It’s a testament to the level of development of the productive forces that now JISCO even has a dairy farm and a winery with the largest indoor wine cellar in Asia (yes we tasted the wine – delicious). We also toured the Dunhuang molten salt solar power plant, which can store energy at night, and a smart grid AI control center that helps reduce carbon output across the province. We asked a worker there what’s the difference in tech between how their power grid works vs. in the U.S., and he modestly said, “Well our grid never goes down.” Unfortunately, I got a kick out of that – being from Texas.

There’s a big emphasis on ecological modernization. They’re really transforming a desert into a livable, sustainable place. It’s a testament to how poverty alleviation and environmentalism go hand in hand under socialism.

China is also proving that tech isn’t inherently anti-human. In Shanghai we went to a robotics facility where they demonstrated the advancements for surgery and industry, and a Lenovo factory where they showed off how they’re partnering with the school system to bring advanced tech into rural classrooms. The difference is who controls tech, under what system, and for what purpose.

For China, development that leaves some folks behind means failure. That’s why they focus on balancing the regions, uplifting the west and northwest instead of letting wealth pool on the coasts. So after the success of the massive poverty alleviation projects -which even the UN can’t deny – the next phase is “common prosperity.”

Fight Back!: What was the role of the Communist Party in daily life?

Loving: The Communist Party was everywhere. I mean they just celebrated reaching 100 million members. Villages, hospitals, schools and factories have Party branches. In Jiayuguan we passed one of the “Party Centers,” where our guides told us people can go and ask questions or get help from cadres, even childcare.

Again, it’s so different than political parties here. Local officials are graded on how well they serve the people, with the party being a meritocracy in that sense. You can’t buy your way into leadership like they do for political parties here in the U.S.

Actually, to rise the ranks in the Party, you have to demonstrate your dedication and service to the people. One Party member who was a teacher and an impromptu tour guide on our bus summed it up by saying it’s a feeling of pride in how far they’ve come and where they’re going. And for a good reason.

The CPC’s presence isn’t shadowy or abstract. It’s doctors giving free checkups, committees organizing street sanitation, workers shoring up safety conditions. It proves why they were able to defeat Japanese militarism and the KMT: because they were, and still are, deeply rooted in the masses.

Fight Back!: What lessons should revolutionaries in the U.S. draw from your experience?

Loving: We know that monopoly capitalism is a dying system, so one of the lessons for everyone is that socialism works. This is real life, so it’s not a utopia, and there’s contradictions and improvements to be made in everything. But it’s doing the most important work there is, which is lifting up people’s lives and solving huge complicated problems like poverty, climate change, and attacks on sovereignty and threats of war, with creativity and flexibility in changing times. If you get the chance, folks should definitely visit and see for yourselves.

But it’s not enough to just admire China. For revolutionaries here, we have to understand our tasks. The biggest obstacle to a peaceful, dignified future for everybody is U.S. imperialism. The same system that bombs Palestine, blockades Cuba, funds coups in Africa, and they’d like to wage war on China.

U.S. imperialism is the enemy of the people here, too.

As communists, we are earning leadership in all the strands of the people’s struggle and building a revolutionary movement at home, to create a party of the working class, rooted in the people, with the same agility and clarity of purpose that China’s communists have shown for almost a century. That being said, there’s no copy-pasting of China’s path that will work for us. We have to apply revolutionary science to our own conditions, time and place.

Fight Back!: Final thoughts?

Loving: Socialism is the future! In many respects China is showing the way, but it’s true for all of us. People in every corner of the world deserve to live with dignity and peace. We will get there if we fight for it.

#International #China #FRSO #RevolutionaryTheory #Opinion #Interview #Socialism #Feature

This paper, by Political Secretary Mick Kelly of Freedom Road Socialist Organization, was presented to the international conference entitled “Stalin: The teachings for the fight of today’s communists”. The October 15 conference took place in Milan, Italy and was organized by Partito dei CARC (Carc Party), Resistenza Popolare Milano (Popular Resistance Milan) and Associazione Stalin (Stalin Association). The Communist Party of Cuba and the Communist Party of the Philippines also participated. The paper was delivered to the conference by FRSO National Organizer Andy Koch.

Dear Comrades,

On behalf of Freedom Road Socialist Organization, I extend our warmest greeting to the participants and organizers of this important event on the teachings of JV Stalin and the struggle of communists today. Conferences such as this one are vital for the international communist movement as they provide a venue for Marxist-Leninists to deepen our understanding of the world and how to change it. We are also glad to hear about the publication of Stalin’s Collected Works in Italy – as everywhere, spreading the thinking and contributions of Stalin help to illuminate the path to revolution and socialism.

The class enemy hates Stalin. When his name comes up, they lie and – just when you think they are going to wrap it up – they lie some more. They do so because Stalin led a vast movement of working class and oppressed peoples that spanned the globe, with the capacity to mount a serious challenge to world capitalism. Like Marx, Engels, Lenin and Mao, he frightened them.

Revolutionaries have one view of things, and those who serve as mouthpieces for monopoly capital have another. How could it be otherwise? Mao made the point that every idea without exception is “stamped with the brand of a class.” This same applies to how one evaluates Stalin. Communists have a positive summation of Stalin’s thinking and practice.

We appreciate the many contributions Stalin made to the theory of Marxism-Leninism. In practice, he was an outstanding proletarian revolutionary who helped lead the revolution in Russia and in the establishment of what would become the USSR. Stalin led the process of socialist construction, transforming a country that had a backward, rural-centered economy into a land that was truly modern in the best sense of the word. The five-year plans developed industry at a pace that was until then unknown. In the vast rural areas, production relations were revolutionized – the old property relations which bore the marks of serfdom were swept away by the movement to collective agriculture. Simultaneously, a revolution was conducted in the societal superstructure and new socialist culture was nurtured.

The USSR was a country encircled by hostile capitalist countries that wanted to destroy it. Stalin proved to be a master at utilizing contradictions in the enemy camp, and when the time came, he provided able leadership to the Great Patriotic War against fascism.

JV Stalin was a great proletarian internationalist who took a keen interest in the workers and national liberation movements around the world. The theory and practice of Stalin, as it can be applied to the situation we find ourselves in today, will be the focus of the rest of this paper.

Monopoly capitalism and “American Exceptionalism”

In 1929, the American Commission of the Presidium of the Executive Committee of the Communist International was rocked by a debate that was taking place inside the Communist Party of the USA. Stalin addressed the commission at length, making two major points that are of real importance to communists today. The first was the danger of factionalism and how factionalism undermines the unity that is required by a communist party to act effectively. Stalin spoke of a potential developing revolutionary crisis and stated:

“For that end the American Communist Party must be improved and bolshevized. For that end we must work for the complete liquidation of factionalism and deviations in the Party. For that end we must work for the reestablishment of unity in the Communist Party of America. For that end we must work in order to forge real revolutionary cadres and a real revolutionary leadership of the proletariat, capable of leading the many millions of the American working class toward the revolutionary class struggles. For that end all personal factors and factional considerations must be laid aside and the revolutionary education of the working class of America must be placed above all.”

Stalin went on to state:

“Let us take any factory or plant. Let us assume that the majority of the workers of that factory show an inclination to go on strike, whereas the minority, on the plea of their convictions, declare against a strike. A war of opinions commences, meetings are held, and in the end the vast majority in the factory decide to strike. What would you say of ten or twenty workers, representing a minority in the factory, who declared they would not submit to the decision of the majority of the workers, since they were not in agreement with that decision? What would you call them, dear comrades? You know that such workers are usually called strike-breakers.”

The fact that factionalism is poison to a revolutionary communist organization is well known and must be dealt with accordingly. Less well known was the underlying debate among U.S. communists that was helping to fuel the factional battle – that is the problem of “American exceptionalism.” Long before it became a buzz word in bourgeois political circles and U.S presidential campaigns, in the lead-up to the Great Depression the issue of exceptionalism was a topic of debate among communists.

A group of right opportunists inside the Communist Party, led by J Lovestone, made the argument that the general laws of capitalism – including crisis theory – did not really apply to the U.S., which would be immune from the crisis engulfing the capitalist world. Stalin responded:

“It would be wrong to ignore the specific peculiarities of American capitalism. The Communist Party in its work must take them into account. But it would be still more wrong to base the activities of the Communist Party on these specific features, since the foundation of the activities of every Communist Party, including the American Communist Party, on which it must base itself, must be the general features of capitalism, which are the same for all countries, and not its specific features in any given country.”

The point Stalin is making here is that we must understand the laws of capitalism and that these laws apply in all places you find capitalism.

Today the issue of “American exceptionalism” still comes up. In the U.S. and some other developed capitalist countries, there are those who argue that the laws of change – which are in fact, the laws of society’s development, and which were laid bare by Marx, Lenin, Stalin, Mao and many others – do not apply anymore (if they ever did). So, they say things like the working class is “bought off” and unable to serve its historic role as the grave digger of the capitalist system, ascribing that role instead to social movements. Or take for example the modern revisionists, who remove all that is revolutionary from Marxism. They negate the need for the dictatorship of the proletariat and make the silly argument that it is possible to have a peaceful transition to socialism, or they deny the inevitably of wars being waged by the imperial powers.

Decline of U.S. imperialism

Monopoly capitalism is a law-governed system, and revolutionaries can understand those laws. Imperialism is a dying system, and the decline of U.S. imperialism is accelerating. In 1960, the U.S. economy represented about 40% of the world economy. Today, it is about half that. In his work, Foundations of Leninism, Stalin states, “Lenin called imperialism ‘moribund capitalism.’ Why? Because imperialism carries the contradictions of capitalism to their last bounds, to the extreme limit, beyond which revolution begins.”

The decline of monopoly capitalism is a real phenomenon that is shaping every social contradiction within the United States. The contradictions within the ruling class are sharpening, and Trump is an ideal political representative of an imperial power in decline.

The fact that Biden/Harris have retained many of Trump’s policies concerning the international financial architecture – including policies that limit the functioning of the World Trade Organization; protectionism; and the “delinking” the economies of the U.S. and People’s China – are indicators that broader economic forces are at work, leading the U.S. ruling class to some points of agreement about what to do in a world where U.S. power is slipping. But on a host of issues, especially those that involve inter-imperialist rivalry such as NATO or the war in Ukraine, there is anything but a consensus.

In U.S. society, the contradictions along class and national lines are also growing sharper. There is a notable uptick in major strikes by U.S. workers, most recently at Boeing by 30,000 members of the International Association of Machinists.

The National Question

Among Stalin’s most important theoretical contributions to scientific socialism was his work on the national question. Starting with his pathing-breaking 1913 work Marxism and the National Question, Stalin studied and wrote about the movements for national liberation his whole life.

In Foundations of Leninism Stalin notes:

“Formerly, the national question was regarded from a reformist point of view, as an independent question having no connection with the general question of the power of capital, of the overthrow of imperialism, of the proletarian revolution. It was tacitly assumed that the victory of the proletariat in Europe was possible without a direct, alliance with the liberation movement in the colonies, that the national-colonial question could be solved on the quiet, “of its own accord,” off the highway of the proletarian revolution, without a revolutionary struggle against imperialism. Now we can say that anti-revolutionary point of view has been exposed.”

What is being said here is that those facing national oppression, and the working class of the oppressor nation, face a common enemy, and that movements for national liberation should be actively supported. Under Stalin’s leadership the Soviet Union actively supported the national liberation movements.

Today, the importance of this approach stands out in sharp relief. Palestine is currently the pivot of the revolutionary process in the Middle East, where the heaviest blows are being landed on U.S. and Western imperialism. Likewise, the U.S. itself is a jailhouse of nations. National oppression and systematic inequality are visited upon the African American nation, which has its national territory the Black Belt South, and on the Chicano nation, which has its national territory in the Southwest portion of the U.S.

In the context of imperialism’s rapid decline, the issue of national oppression inside the U.S. is playing an important role in defining the contours of struggle – for example, the 27 million people came out into the streets after the murder of George Floyd. Or the massive demonstrations in support of Palestine over the past year. Understanding the national question has allowed our organization, FRSO, to play an important role in these events.

Lessons from the past, and looking towards a bright future

Above all else, Stalin was a revolutionary who never hesitated to point the way forward for the international communist movement, and never hesitated to correct errors when he found them.

For example, in the United States, during the later period of the popular front, especially during World War II, revisionists within the Communist Party went so far as to liquidate the Party. It was the world communist movement, headed by Stalin, that called attention to the problem and demanded the mistakes be addressed.

We are now in a period where large scale radicalization is underway in the U.S. There are more people who view themselves as Marxist-Leninists than at any time since the 1970s. The situation for building a new communist party in the U.S. is excellent.

Marxism-Leninism is a science, and Stalin contributed a lot to our understanding of that science. And we will learn still more by applying it to the concrete conditions we face.

Long live Marxism-Leninism!

Long live the international communist movement!

We have a world to win!

#RevolutionaryTheory #Socialism #Stalin

“One of the most lucid and brilliant leaders in Africa, Comrade Amílcar Cabral instilled in us tremendous confidence in the future and the success of his struggle for liberation.” — Fidel Castro

September 12, 2024 marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of one of the giants of 20th century African liberation struggle and global anti-imperialist movement, Amilcar Cabral.

Progressive and revolutionary people should take this occasion to celebrate the proud revolutionary legacy of Amilcar Cabral, the national liberation movement he led in Guinea Bissau and Cape Verde, and the worldwide anti-imperialist movement he was part of.

Cabral: Fighter for the liberation of Guinea Bissau and Cape Verde

Amilcar Cabral was the principal leader of the national liberation struggle in Guinea Bissau and the islands of Cape Verde on the west coast of Africa. The national liberation movement that he led declared independence from Portugal on September 24, 1973.

The people of Guinea Bissau and Cape Verde had been brutally colonized by Portugal for centuries. The first Portuguese people arrived in Guinea Bissau in the 1440s when the Portuguese monarchy began “exploring” the Atlantic coast of West Africa in pursuit of gold. The Portuguese colonizers enslaved hundreds of thousands of people from this region of Africa through the 1800s, many of whom were taken in chains across the Atlantic Ocean to Brazil, which was a Portuguese colony in the Americas, to work as slaves in mines and on plantations. As a result, to this day Brazil has the largest African-descendent population in the Americas.

Under brutal Portuguese colonialism, by the 1950s the literacy rate was as low as 1%; the few schools were more for the Portuguese colonizers. There were barely any doctors and only 300 hospital beds in the whole country.

A wave of national liberation movements gained steam in Africa in the 1940s and 50s, with powerful inspiration and support from the world’s first socialist country, the Soviet Union. Victories for national liberation movements in China in 1949 and Cuba in 1959, which became socialist countries after liberation, provided further momentum and inspiration. This was part of a broader anti-colonial and anti-imperialist movement that was sweeping not just Africa, but also Asia, Latin America and the Middle East, where the majority of humanity had been subjugated by competing European empires for centuries.

In reaction to this wave, and as rival colonial powers were losing their grip on their colonies, Portugal tried to exert an even tighter and more brutal grip on its African colonies. In 1951, Portugal declared Guinea Bissau a province of Portugal itself. In that context, the movement fighting for national liberation advanced in Guinea Bissau and Cape Verde in the 1950s.

Amílcar Cabral was born September 12, 1924 in “Portuguese Guinea” as it was called before liberation, to Cape Verdian parents. He was one of a small number of Africans from Guinea Bissau who was able to pursue higher education in Portugal. He studied agronomy, and while he was there, he participated in the student movement opposing Portugal’s right-wing dictatorship and supporting independence for Portugal’s colonies in Africa.

When he returned home, he carried out a country-wide agricultural census, traveling extensively and learning in great detail about the people, the land and the problems of his country. This deep knowledge of the material reality of his people and his country allowed Cabral to make a materialist assessment of who could be united to fight for liberation, and how they needed to be organized to do so. There is an echo here of Chinese revolutionary leader Mao Zedong’s deep investigation into the material realities of the oppressed peasant majority in China in the 1920s that led to strategic breakthroughs in the Chinese revolution’s path to victory.

In 1956, Amilcar Cabral co-founded the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC), the organization that led the national liberation struggle in Guinea Bissau and Cape Verde. Cabral was the PAIGC’s secretary-general. After Portuguese soldiers carried out a massacre against dockworkers in 1959, the PAIGC moved toward armed struggle to win liberation. The PAIGC began its armed struggle in earnest in 1962-63, fighting a guerrilla war until they liberated the majority of the country and then declared independence.

Tragically, Amilcar Cabral was assassinated on January 20, 1973, on the eve of the PAIGC liberating Guinea Bissau and Cape Verde and declaring independence in September 1973. According to leaders of the PAIGC, agents of colonialism carried out the assassination on behalf of the government of Portugal, who had as a key objective the decapitation of the liberation movement’s leadership. But despite Cabral’s assassination, the movement still won independence.

Cabral: Anti-imperialist and internationalist

“Either we admit that there really is a struggle against imperialism which interests everybody, or we deny it. If, as would seem from all the evidence, imperialism exists and is trying simultaneously to dominate the working class in all the advanced countries and smother the national liberation movements in the underdeveloped countries, then there is only one enemy against whom we are fighting. If we are fighting together, then I think the main aspect of our solidarity is extremely simple; it is to fight.” – Amilcar Cabral

While primarily focused on building the revolutionary movement in Guinea Bissau and Cape Verde, Amilcar Cabral also built Pan-African and worldwide anti-imperialist unity. Starting in 1961, the PAIGC united with national liberation movements in Portugal’s other colonies in Africa, creating the Conference of Nationalist Organizations of the Portuguese Colonies together with the Mozambique Liberation Front (FRELIMO) in and the People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA).

Cabral also built alliances with socialist countries like Cuba as well as other countries that had won liberation from imperialism. Cabral attended the Tricontinental Conference in Havana, Cuba in 1966, where he expressed strong support for Cuba’s socialist revolution and even offered to send fighters to defend socialist Cuba against imperialism if needed.

Cabral was inspired by Marxism-Leninism’s anti-imperialist theory and practice. In 1970 he wrote, “Whether Marxist or not, Leninist or not, it is difficult for anyone not to recognize the validity, even the genius of Lenin’s analysis and conclusions, which prove to be of immense historical scope, illuminating with fruitful clarity the often thorny and even somber path of the peoples who are fighting for their total liberation from imperialist domination.”

In his writings, Cabral talked explicitly about applying a dialectical and a materialist method, and the need for class analysis and class struggle. Along with Kwame Nkrumah and Franz Fanon, Cabral was an early theorist on the dangers of neo-colonialism after winning independence.

When Cabral would come to the U.S. to speak at the United Nations to gain support for the national liberation movement in Guinea Bissau, he sought out meetings with revolutionaries in the U.S., especially African American revolutionaries. Cabral understood that anti-imperialist struggles in colonized countries and the struggle inside the imperialist countries share a common enemy, and that any blow against imperialism from within or without is mutually beneficial.

In a meeting with around 120 Black revolutionaries in the U.S. in 1972, Cabral said, “We try to understand your situation in this country. You can be sure that we realize the difficulties you face, the problems you have and your feelings, your revolts, and also your hopes. We think that our fighting for Africa against colonialism and imperialism is a proof of understanding of your problems in this continent. Naturally, the inverse is also true. All the achievements here are real contributions to our own struggle.”

Cabral’s understanding of the relationship between revolutionary movements in the colonies and in the imperialist countries themselves ended up being prophetic when the surging revolutionary national liberation movements in Guinea Bissau and Portugal’s other African colonies helped spark a progressive uprising of soldiers and then workers in Portugal in 1974 against the reactionary Portuguese government.

Amilcar Cabral stands among the greatest heroes of 20th century fighters for liberation. He studied the concrete conditions of his country and developed a revolutionary strategy based on that. He built a revolutionary organization to lead the struggle for liberation. He built unity on an anti-imperialist basis with liberation movements around the world. He united with socialist countries. By doing these things, he was able to lead a successful national liberation movement that won independence from Portuguese colonialism. His life and contributions should be remembered and celebrated by revolutionaries the world over.

#International #GuineaBissau #CapeVerde #AmilcarCabral #Socialism #NationalLiberation #RevolutionaryTheory #Opinion #Feature

The Freedom Road Socialist Organization calls on working and oppressed peoples to celebrate May 1st, International Workers Day.

On this May Day, we will show that the revolutionary spirit of the working class is alive and well in 2024. Unions are waging fierce battles and reviving the strike. Chicanos and Latinos are mobilizing and steeling themselves against escalated militarization at the U.S.-Mexico border. The people of Palestine are shaking off the chains of U.S. imperialism and leading a heroic resistance that will set their people free. Revolution is in the air, and the masses of workers and oppressed peoples are on the move.

A DAY FOR WORKERS

Following the police attack on the rally in Chicago’s Haymarket Square, in May 1886, five revolutionaries were executed by the capitalist class after a major general strike for an eight-hour work day. Today, from auto workers to delivery drivers to flight attendants, rank-and-file workers are taking charge of the labor movement and bringing fighting tactics back to their unions. Last summer, a looming Teamsters strike and a series of practice pickets forced United Parcel Service to make major concessions. Last fall, the United Autoworkers took the auto industry by storm when workers led a national “stand-up” strike against the Big Three – Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis, the monopoly auto manufacturers. The strike lasted 44 days and won many gains, not only in the form of raises but also improved working conditions. This spring has already seen a flurry of strike votes pass among members of the Association of Flight Attendants, with contracts set to expire this year for up to 80,000 workers.

More and more, workers are taking the fight to their bosses and refusing to back down. Class struggle-oriented leaders are emerging among them. This May Day, we must take every opportunity to fan the flames.

“A DAY WITHOUT IMMIGRANTS”

For decades, large May Day protests were a rarity. That changed in 2006, when Wisconsin Senator Sensenbrenner pushed legislation to criminalize millions of undocumented immigrants and was met with a watershed response. Millions of people from the Chicano, Mexicano and Central American communities marched; protesters shut down the city of Los Angeles. The “day without immigrants” megamarches brought new life to May Day and demonstrated the power of Chicanos, Mexicanos, Latinos and all who stood with them.

We expect more anti-immigrant attacks this year. Trump worsened conditions in detention centers and heightened restrictions on immigration, and Biden continues these policies. Now Greg Abbott, the governor of Texas, has lined the Rio Grande with razor buoys and deployed the Texas National Guard to brutalize immigrants and refugees at the U.S.-Mexico border in Eagle Pass. Despite this, Chicanos and Latinos are mobilizing to resist these attacks. We must take up this call to defend immigrant and refugees' rights, and call for the legalization of all undocumented immigrants.

A SYSTEM BEYOND REFORM

In a time of change, at least two things are for sure: there are many fights ahead of us, and more people by the day are realizing that capitalism cannot be reformed and must be smashed.

We don't need to look further than the upcoming presidential election to see this. On one hand, Trump's platform is built on increasing deportations, expanding militarization of the U.S.-Mexico border, and even reversing the 14th Amendment. On the other hand, Biden is bankrolling a genocide in Gaza, as the Israeli occupation starves, bombs and massacres the people of Palestine. The growing numbers of uncommitted voters shows that the masses' anger at continued U.S. aid to Israel has the power to decide the elections. The capitalist class is in disarray.

Meanwhile, the people’s movements are on the rise. Plans to march in great numbers on both the Republican National Convention and the Democratic National Convention this summer are in full swing. Even as the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and rolled back the right to an abortion, women's rights and reproductive rights, protesters pushed back at every turn and formed new organizations.

The people of Palestine are showing the way forward. The brave resistance and sacrifices of workers, farmers, students, doctors and parents weigh more than billions of U.S. dollars' worth of bombs, fighter jets, and chemical weapons. And in the U.S., hundreds of thousands of people have been marching since October to end U.S. aid to Israel. We must keep on marching until not a penny more is used to fund the Israeli occupation and until Palestine is a free, united state, from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea.

Important organizations in the Black liberation movement, such as the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, continue the fight for justice for the families of victims of police crimes and community control of the police. The flame sparked by the Justice for George Floyd rebellion in 2020 has never gone out. It is critical for the working class to support this cause, and we must actively build this alliance. Fighting the national oppression of Black Americans, Chicanos, Latinos, and other oppressed nationalities is decisive for defeating our shared enemy: the billionaires who sit on Wall Street and are the architects of U.S. imperialism.

LET'S BUILD A PARTY

Our mission is clear: we must unite all who can be united against the monopoly capitalists of the U.S. and turn our movements into a tide that will sweep them away. We need to replace their system with socialism, one where the working class is in power and which serves the people. Every struggle we wage, whether for immigrant rights or for a stronger contract at our workplace, can become a lesson for the people to learn how to unite, fight and win. We can win better conditions, raise political consciousness, and fuse socialist theory with these movements. To do that, on May Day, we must mobilize the labor movement and the immigrant rights movement, identify the fighters of those movements.

This year, we will honor the Haymarket Martyrs and continue our work to build a new communist party, put the working class in power, build a united front against Wall Street, and turn this whole system upside down. The working class is the class of the future. We have nothing to lose but our chains!

We will host marches, demonstrations, and programs in cities across the US.

Click here for a list of local May Day events.

#RevolutionaryTheory #Labor #InternationalWorkersDay #MayDay #Socialism #FRSO #Statement

Freedom Road Socialist organization will be hosting an online meeting with Carlos Martinez, author of The East is Still Red: Chinese Socialism in the 21st Century on Sunday, October 29, 3 p.m. Central time (1 p.m. Pacific, 2 p.m. Mountain, 4 p.m. Eastern).

The book was reviewed for Fight Back! by J. Sykes, who gave the following summary:

“The new book, The East is Still Red: Chinese Socialism in the 21st Century, by Carlos Martinez and published by Praxis Press, is a valuable and important defense of socialism in the People’s Republic of China today. As the U.S. ramps up propaganda and aggression against China, this book addresses an important need, for everyone who wants a better world, to understand and defend China.

“The book begins by acknowledging that there is a great deal of ignorance and confusion, especially in the imperialist countries, about China. Martinez writes, ‘Even among socialists and communists, there are misconceptions and important gaps in understanding.’ He addresses these issues head on.”

The Sykes review concludes, “The book ends with a call to ‘unite to oppose the U.S.-led New Cold War on China,’ and says that ‘All those that oppose imperialism must resolutely and consistently oppose the U.S.-led New Cold War in all its manifold forms.’ This is certainly true, and this book makes a great contribution towards that effort.”

Visit tinyurl.com/frso1023 to register for the meeting and receive the Zoom link.

#FRSO #Socialism #China

The Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) took another major step forward with the launching of an African American Commission and a Chicano/Latino plus other oppressed nationalities commission. Comrades from more than a dozen cities where the FRSO does organizing among African Americans, Chicanos, and other oppressed nationalities gathered to carry out a decision by the 9th Congress to establish these commissions.

Attendees ranged from veterans of the upsurge of the Asian American, Black, and Chicano peoples struggles in the 1960s and 1970s to a plurality of the meeting who joined in the last three years following the rebellions and protests after the murder of George Floyd in 2020. The meeting also reflected a surge in organizing by the FRSO in new cities, in both the African American and Chicano nations in the South and Southwest, respectively.

Participants formed into the two commissions, discussing the Marxist-Leninist theory on the national question, and the particular experiences and thus demands of different oppressed nationalities within the United States. There was also discussion of key forces in the African American and Chicano nations, and how to further party-building and recruitment to the FRSO in the oppressed nations and among oppressed nationalities.

Michael Sampson, chair of the African American Commission, who became active in the 2012 struggle for justice for Trayvon Martin, said, “The creation of the African American Commission is a historic advance in our fight for Black liberation today.”

Sampson continued, “The Black liberation struggle is a struggle for national liberation. The creation of the African American commission will only strengthen the fight against national oppression because of the historic role that Black people have played, from the Civil Rights and Black Power movements of the 1960s to the fight against police crimes today.”

Marisol Marquez, co-chair of the Chicano/Latino (plus) Commission, who joined the struggle for immigrant rights more than ten years ago, said that “We were able to target areas within Aztlán, where the commission plans on expanding. Launching this new commission is a significant advancement for us Marxist-Leninists doing organizing among Chicanos and Latinos. It is a big step in accomplishing our goal for freedom from national oppression.”

Masao Suzuki, member of the FRSO Standing Committee and chair of the Joint Nationalities Commission, said, “The launching of the African American and Chicano/Latino (plus) commissions is a major victory on the path to building a new communist party in the United States. These commissions, along with our Labor Commission, will help advance the struggle for Marxist-Leninist leadership needed to forge a strategic alliance between the working class and the oppressed nationalities, which is at the core of the united front needed to overthrow the capitalist system and establish socialism in the United States.”

#UnitedStates #OppressedNationalities #frso #Socialism #commissions

Minneapolis, MN – The Freedom Road Socialist Organization Fund Drive has now surpassed $70,000 and more money is coming in every day.

FRSO Organizational Secretary Tom Burke states, “The FRSO online fundraiser was a grand success. Now we need a push to achieve our final goal. The money we spend will make us bigger, badder and bolder in advancing the cause of the American working class.”

Burke also urged local FRSO groups to follow up on folks who have made pledges.

To contribute to the fundraising drive, go to FRSO.org and hit the donate button. You can also donate by mailing a check made out to “Lucy Parsons Institute” to 2942 Oakland Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 55407.

#MinneapolisMN #PeoplesStruggles #FreedomRoadSocialistOrganizationFRSO #Socialism

In an effort to build a unified progressive base in Orlando, FRSO Orlando members Jacob Muldoon, Edmund Anglero and Diego Gonzalez discussed the history of struggle in the United States, FRSO and their goal of building a new communist party, and the united front against monopoly capitalism.

“FRSO believes that only through a strategic alliance of the oppressed nations and working class, under proletarian leadership, can we lead the fight into socialism,” said Gonzalez. “The party is the spear of the working class and our history of struggle in America, pulling from and going to the oppressed and exploited under monopoly capitalism is our means forward.”

The progressive allies in Orlando offered spirited and principled discussion allowing FRSO to explain and consolidate their line and establish dialogue between the organizations. Questions over mass work and its application were discussed, along with many other topics.

A FRSO speaker closed out the meeting by plugging both the June 24 conference in Tampa to defend the Tampa 5 and the possibility of an upcoming UPS strike, as well as detailing their next steps in LGBTQ rights work in Orlando.

#OrlandoFL #frso #Socialism #program

Minneapolis, MN – More than $26,000 was pledged at the May 25 Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) online fundraising event. The event featured Frank Chapman of the FRSO central committee member and executive director of National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, FRSO Standing Committee Member Fern Figueroa, and the FRSO Labor Commission Chair Cherrene Horazuk.

This means about $70,000 has been raised in the $130,000 fund drive that will help FRSO expand its national office and put more full-time organizers in the field.

Fern Figueroa, states, “Fundraising is an important part of organizing that can not be ignored. We seek to change the world around us and that takes resources. Everyone can help to build a revolutionary movement by donating.”

The online event included special guest Chrisley Carpio, one of the Tampa 5, who urged participants to contribute generously.

To contribute to the fundraising drive, go to FRSO.org and hit the donate button. You can also donate by mailing a check made out to “Lucy Parsons Institute” to 2942 Oakland Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 55407.

#MinneapolisMN #PeoplesStruggles #FreedomRoadSocialistOrganization #Socialism

El libro traducido al español del programa político de la Organización Socialista Camino de la Libertad ya está disponible. Esperamos que esta nueva traducción ayude a traer ideas revolucionarias a una mayor audiencia, incluyendo al movimiento de la liberación Chicano y el movimiento para los derechos inmigratorios.

OSCL es una organización que reconoce la existencia de la nación Chicano de Aztlán y miramos la lucha por su liberación como parte importante de nuestra estrategia para la revolución en los Estados Unidos. La introducción de nuestro programa dice:

En 1846, Estados Unidos lanzó una guerra que resultó en el robo del norte de México y la expansión de la esclavitud hacia Tejas. Dentro de lo que ahora es el suroeste de los Estados Unidos, la nación Chicano fue destituida de su tierra, denegada la igualdad, incluyendo la prohibición de su lenguaje, y enfrentó la brutalidad de la opresión nacional. La nación Chicano siempre ha resistido. Esta tradición de lucha es un punto dorado en la historia de los Estados Unidos.

Muchos inmigrantes a los Estados Unidos afrontan la superexplotación y tienen una historia orgullosa de lucha en contra de la opresión. A través de las marchas masivas para defender los derechos de trabajadores inmigrantes en 2006, el movimiento obrero otra vez acogió el Día Internacional de los Trabajadores en los Estados Unidos. Miembros de la OSCL están activos en el crecimiento del movimiento de derechos inmigratorios por todo el país.

Lucha popular y organización

El programa se dirige de forma directa con el enemigo con quien nos enfrentamos, las condiciones presentes, y aún más importante, lo que se debe de hacer para progresar. OCSL es una organización que lleva los planes al cabo. Trabajamos con diligencia para construir la lucha popular. Nuestra experiencia como líderes en la lucha en nuestros lugares de trabajo y comunidades, al igual que movilizaciones populares fundamentales — incluyendo varias de las protestas masivas durante la Rebelión de George Floyd — nos ha dado una profunda apreciación de la necesidad de comunicar nuestros puntos de vista de manera certera.

Nosotros estamos enfocados en construir el movimiento popular. Pero también estamos enfocados en crear una organización que pueda derrocar al capitalismo.

La sección que trata con nuestra estrategia revolucionaria hace estas afirmaciones:

“Para que ocurra el cambio revolucionario en los Estados Unidos, tres condiciones tienen que estar en orden. Primero, las amplias masas del pueblo – gente obrera, nacionalidades oprimidas, y todos quiénes están bajo el yugo de los capitalistas monopolistas – tienen que llegar a la conclusión que ellos no pueden vivir de acuerdo a los viejos tiempos y necesitan qué estar dispuestos a luchar para terminar con el viejo orden. La segunda condición necesaria es que la clase empoderada tiene que estar en una crisis intensa, donde se divide entre sí y se encuentre incapaz de seguir su negocio de siempre. Finalmente, tiene que existir una organización revolucionaria con carácter, un partido comunista que sea capaz de navegar situaciones políticas complejas y que pueda ser líder en la lucha para establecer la clase obrera en el poder.”

Nuestra estrategia

El plan de largo plazo en los Estados Unidos se resume en el programa de esta manera,

“Nuestra estrategia principal para la revolución y el socialismo es la creación de un frente unido en contra de la clase de capitalistas monopolistas, bajo el liderazgo de la clase obrera y su partido político, con una alianza estratégica entre la clase obrera multinacional y las nacionalidades oprimidas en el corazón de este frente unido.”

Identificando nuestros amigos y enemigos verdaderos es el primer paso hacia la construcción de un frente unido en contra del capitalismo monopolista. Para llevar al cabo este análisis necesitamos entender las diferentes clases, nacionalidades, y grupos sociales en los Estados Unidos, identificar esas fuerzas cuyos intereses por la mayoría están en oposición a los capitalistas monopolistas, y necesitamos tomar en cuenta los rasgos específicos de nuestra sociedad.

Es de suma importancia comprender la realidad de que los Estados Unidos es un país donde nacionalidades enteras, Afroamericanos, Chicanos y Latinos, Asiático-Americanos, Pueblos Indígenas — incluyendo al pueblo Hawaiano — Arabe-Americanos, y otros dentro la frontera de los Estados Unidos — están atados por las cadenas de la opresión nacional. La igualdad verdadera y entera, liberación, y la autodeterminación serán posible con la destrucción del capitalismo monopolista.

La meta socialista

Tenemos metas. Miramos al capitalismo y decimos que podemos hacer algo mejor que esto. El capitalismo es un sistema fracasado.

El socialismo es el poder político de la clase obrera, y ese poder es el martillo que hará renacer la sociedad de arriba abajo.  Sobre y, ante todo, es necesario romper la resistencia de los capitalistas y sus seguidores. A lo largo del camino, el poder es necesario para garantizar que la sociedad continué avanzando y desarrollándose, y también para que la clase obrera pueda afrontar a quien sea que la desafié en casa o en el extranjero. Nosotros vamos a seguir la lucha de clases hasta que ya no existan las clases.

Hay que pasar la voz

El crecimiento acelerado de OSCL confirma la realidad de que estamos en una época donde muchos están en busca de una organización revolucionaria seria. Somos exactamente eso. Cuando hablamos de revolución, lo decimos con el corazón. Estamos hablando de nuestra clase derrocando a los explotadores y opresores.

Nuestro programa merece la consideración y debemos de ponerlo en las manos de quien estén luchando a nuestro lado. El pueblo trabajador y oprimido tiene un futuro esperanzador. Esta nueva traducción al español del programa político de OSCL es un paso decisivo en la construcción del movimiento revolucionario en este país.

Para obtener el programa, entre aquí: https://tinyurl.com/programaoscl

#UnitedStates #Socialism #OrganizaciónSocialistaDelCaminoDeLibertadOSCL

The Spanish translation of the political program of Freedom Road Socialist Organization is now available as a paperback book. We hope that this new translation will help to bring revolutionary ideas to a wider audience, including the Chicano liberation and immigrant rights movement.

FRSO is an organization that recognizes the existence of the Chicano nation of Aztlán and sees its struggle for liberation as an important part of our strategy for revolution in the United States. The introduction to our program states,

“In 1846, the U.S. launched a war that resulted in the theft of northern Mexico and the extension of slavery into Texas. A result was the development of the Chicano nation. Located in what is now the U.S. Southwest, the Chicano people were robbed of their land, denied equal rights, including the right to equality of languages, and faced brutal national oppression. The Chicano nation has always resisted. This powerful record of struggle is a bright point in U.S. history.”

Many immigrants to the U.S. face super-exploitation and have a proud history of fighting back against oppression. It was through the massive marches to defend the rights of immigrant workers in 2006 that the labor movement again embraced International Workers Day in the United States. FRSO members are active across the country in building the immigrant rights movement

People's struggle and organization

The program deals in a forthright manner with the enemy we are up against, the conditions we face, and most importantly what is to be done to move forward. FRSO is an organization that gets things done. We work hard to build the people’s struggle. Our experience leading struggle in workplaces and the communities, as well major mass mobilizations – including many of the mass protests during the George Floyd Rebellion – have given us a keen appreciation of the need for a crisp and clear statement of our views.

We are about building the people’s struggle. But we are also about building the kind of rganization that can overthrow capitalism.

The section of the program dealing with our strategy for revolution makes these points,

“For revolutionary change to take place in the United States, three conditions need to be in place. First, the broad masses of people – workers, the oppressed nationalities, and others who are held down by the monopoly capitalists – need to arrive at the conclusion that they are unable to live in the old way and need to be willing to fight to bring the old order to an end. Second, the ruling class needs to be in real crisis, where it is divided against itself and unable to continue with business as usual. And, finally, there needs to be a strong revolutionary organization, a communist party that is capable of navigating complex political situations and that can lead the fight to establish working class political power.”

Our strategy

The long-term plan for change in the U.S. is summarized in the program like this,

“Our basic strategy for revolution and socialism is building a united front against the monopoly capitalist class, under the leadership of the working class and its political party, with a strategic alliance between the multinational working class and the oppressed nationalities at the core of this united front.

“Identifying our real friends and our real enemies is a first step towards building a united front against monopoly capitalism. To carry out this analysis we need to understand the different classes, nationalities, and social groups in U.S. society, identify those forces whose interests are in the main opposed to the monopoly capitalists, and take a look at the specific features of our society.

“Of paramount importance is grasping the fact that the United States is a country where entire nationalities—African Americans, Chicanos and Latinos, Asian Americans, Native peoples including native Hawaiians, Arab Americans, and others within U.S borders—are bound by the chains of national oppression. Real and full equality, liberation, and self-determination become possible with the destruction of monopoly capitalism.”

The socialist goal

We have goals. We look at capitalism and say we can do better than this. Capitalism is a failed system.

The program talks about these goals, stating,

“Socialism is working class political power, and that power is the hammer to remake society from top to bottom. First and foremost, it is needed to break the resistance of the capitalists and their supporters. Over the long run, power is needed to guarantee that society continues to advance and develop, and that the working class can meet those who might challenge it—at home or abroad. We will continue the class struggle until there are no more classes.”

Let’s spread the word

The rapid growth of FRSO confirms the fact that we are in a period where many are looking for a serious revolutionary organization. We are exactly that. When we talk about revolution, we mean it. We are talking about our class overthrowing the exploiters and oppressors.

Our program is worth considering and we should get it into the hands of those who are fighting alongside us. Working and oppressed people have a bright future. This new Spanish translation of the FRSO political program is an important step in building a revolutionary movement in this country.

To get the program go to https://tinyurl.com/programaoscl

#UnitedStates #FreedomRoadSocialistOrganizationFRSO #Socialism

To mark the birthday of the outstanding Vietnamese communist Ho Chi Minh, Fight Back News Service is circulating has 1960 article “The Path Which Led Me To Leninism.” The Path Which Led Me To Leninism

After World War I, I made my living in Paris, now as a retoucher at a photographers, now as painter of “Chinese antiquities” (made in France!). I would distribute leaflets denouncing the crimes committed by the French colonialists in Viet Nam.

At that time, I supported the October Revolution only instinctively, not yet grasping all its historic importance. I loved and admired Lenin because he was a great patriot who liberated his compatriots; until then, I had read none of his books.

The reason for my joining the French Socialist Party was that these “ladies and gentlemen” – as I called my comrades at that moment – has shown their sympathy towards me, towards the struggle of the oppressed peoples. But I understood neither what was a party, a trade-union, nor what was socialism nor communism.

Heated discussions were then taking place in the branches of the Socialist Party, about the question whether the Socialist Party should remain in the Second International, should a Second and a half International be founded or should the Socialist Party join Lenin’s Third International? I attended the meetings regularly, twice or thrice a week and attentively listened to the discussion. First, I could not understand thoroughly. Why were the discussions so heated? Either with the Second, Second and a half or Third International, the revolution could be waged. What was the use of arguing then? As for the First International, what had become of it?

What I wanted most to know – and this precisely was not debated in the meetings – was: which International sides with the peoples of colonial countries?

I raised this question – the most important in my opinion – in a meeting. Some comrades answered: It is the Third, not the Second International. And a comrade gave me Lenin’s “Thesis on the national and colonial questions” published by l'Humanite to read.

There were political terms difficult to understand in this thesis. But by dint of reading it again and again, finally I could grasp the main part of it. What emotion, enthusiasm, clear-sightedness and confidence it instilled into me! I was overjoyed to tears. Though sitting alone in my room, I shouted out aloud as if addressing large crowds: “Dear martyrs compatriots! This is what we need, this is the path to our liberation!”

After then, I had entire confidence in Lenin, in the Third International.

Formerly, during the meetings of the Party branch, I only listened to the discussion; I had a vague belief that all were logical, and could not differentiate as to who were right and who were wrong. But from then on, I also plunged into the debates and discussed with fervour. Though I was still lacking French words to express all my thoughts, I smashed the allegations attacking Lenin and the Third International with no less vigor. My only argument was: “If you do not condemn colonialism, if you do not side with the colonial people, what kind of revolution are you waging?”

Not only did I take part in the meetings of my own Party branch, but I also went to other Party branches to lay down “my position”. Now I must tell again that Comrades Marcel Cachin, Vaillant Couturier, Monmousseau and many others helped me to broaden my knowledge. Finally, at the Tours Congress, I voted with them for our joining the Third International.

At first, patriotism, not yet communism, led me to have confidence in Lenin, in the Third International. Step by step, along the struggle, by studying Marxism-Leninism parallel with participation in practical activities, I gradually came upon the fact that only socialism and communism can liberate the oppressed nations and the working people throughout the world from slavery.

There is a legend, in our country as well as in China, on the miraculous “Book of the Wise”. When facing great difficulties, one opens it and finds a way out. Leninism is not only a miraculous “book of the wise”, a compass for us Vietnamese revolutionaries and people: it is also the radiant sun illuminating our path to final victory, to socialism and communism.

#Vietnam #PeoplesStruggles #Socialism #HoChiMinh