Viktor Tiulkin First Secretary, Central Committee, Russian Communist Workers’ Party — Revolutionary Party of Communists (RCWP-RPC)
Dear Comrades,
Would it be reasonable to raise the issue of crisis in the international communist movement at present? We think it would, because first, there has been a temporary defeat of socialism in the USSR and Eastern Europe, and, second, despite the fact that virtually every party has attempted to analyse its reasons, the global communist movement has still not come to a common conclusion. Thus, we observe the ongoing confusion and vacillation (as Lenin called it); there are a number of parties and movements communist only in their name. Basing on this, we agree with Greek comrades that it is necessary to position clearly and merge on the ideological and organisational basis a communist pole.
We know from theory — as Lenin emphasised — that the right-wing deviation is the most dangerous one for communists. Obviously, we keep in mind Stalin’s view that both kinds of deviations are worse, or that the one that we underestimate is the worst one, but Lenin also pointed out that the left-wing deviation, or the infantile disorder, arises from impatience, from the augmented intention to solve the questions of revolution and socialist construction quicker, and this kind of disorder is much easier to cure. Opportunism is not just the departure to the right; it is a political cancer with just two outcomes: it either gets cured, or it turns ex-communists into a servile of capitalism.
It makes the point to emphasise that this part of theory is known for its reflection in practice — first of all, in the practice of CPSU. Its right-wing deviation, noticeable particularly since the 20th Congress, where the class-based approach and the principle of proletarian dictatorship were disregarded, while the state was described as a non-class popular structure, led to the overt adoption of the decision to switch to free market and privatisation, i. e. capitalism. Thus it was the CPSU itself that, under the red banner, led the Soviet people to capitalism. This was outlined in the warning message addressed to the 28th Congress of CPSU by the orthodox communists in the Movement of Communist Initiative, in the Minority Resolution (1259 votes caster for, 2012 against, 414 abstained; total number of votes 3685 with 160 congress delegates not taking part in the voting). The Resolution, in particular, noted:
“We find it necessary to warn all Soviet communists: the unreasonable approach to the free market, … the forced application of capitalist methods to solve the problems of socialism will not raise production levels or the living standard; it will cause an inevitable decline, a broad social protest and serious consequences for the people.
The party should not carry out any restructuring that would bring down the living standard for the people.
The Communist Party itself would not survive the impact.”
(Verbatim report on the 28th Congress of CPSU, Bulletin No. 12).
This issue of “free-market socialism” politics caused by revisionist position, remains extremely relevant, because there is a chance, we believe, that a number of ruling parties — the Communist Party of China amongst others — could replay this infamous part of CPSU’s history.
As we pointed out, it was the CPSU itself that led the Soviet people back into capitalism, and the CPSU itself did not withstand the impact. Strictly speaking, the CPSU was not a communist party by the time of its 28th Congress, nor did it represent working class’ or working people’s interests. It remained communist only in its name. This is why the masses did not come out to defend it back in 1991, when Yeltsin imposed a ban on CPSU.
Nonetheless a harsh ideological struggle was taking place within the CPSU. There were communists who fought against revisionism, opportunism and the right-wing deviations, with Gorbachov. This struggle, in somewhat different forms, has its continuation today between the currents and parties. Those who stand for orthodox Marxism-Leninism on one hand, and those who are carrying on along the Gorbachov line in its modern variation — moving towards, as he called it, a party “new in its essence and name.”
In Russia the most compact expression of their position is in the motto, “Russia has exhausted its revolutionary capacity.”
As this line follows on logically from the CPSU political line in the era of Gorbachov, these are the representatives of this direction who never like mentioning the 28th Congress of CPSU, the last party congress to take place in the USSR. They virtually never assess its decisions.
Why is the right-wing deviation so dangerous? Why is it so difficult to combat it even when it can be easily observed and when the reasons for this current being anti-Marxist are so clear?
This is due to the alliance between this deviation with the bourgeois politics and broad government forces. Vladimir Ilyich Lenin noted that the bourgeoisie always supports the opportunist party that is closest in its name and wording to a true revolutionary party. In the struggle against the right-wing deviation, therefore, apart from combating opportunists and revisionists in their ranks, communists must fight against the whole bourgeois class and the government.
Lenin also noted — and we understand it as never before — that bourgeoisie has always been using provocateurs to infiltrate communist and workers parties, and will always be using them. Today, in contrast to early 20th Century, bourgeoisie has a huge experience in this and many more resources, including media, scientific centres, and the special police services and, of course, much money.
We should be warned about the method of right-wing diversions applied to left-wing parties using official state financial support of political organisations represented in parliaments. This is well seen today in the example of the European Left. We can observe these processes in Russia. The Parliament adopted a special legislation earlier this year to quadruple the financing of parliamentary political parties (starting with 2009, the government will be paying 20 roubles (around 0.8 USD) yearly for each vote casted for the party). For the Communist Party of Russian Federation (CPRF) this will amount to around USD 7 billion a year. The conditions are similar for the participants of the presidential elections.
Opportunists modify the key points in Marxist-Leninist theory concerning the historical mission of the working class under the pretext of changes in economics structure and overall; they reduce all the class struggle to the permanent elections, disregarding the real struggle forms such as strikes, street actions, the confrontations etc. as extremism. They regard the working class merely as electorate.
For instance, in his presidential elections campaign Gennadii Ziuganov, the CPRF leader said: “There are two ways to solve the problem — the ballot paper and the cobble. The CPRF remains the supporter of honest, reputable and fair elections.”
By the way, during his presidency, Vladimir Putin said something along the same line: “Russia exhausted its capacity for revolutions and civil wars in the 20th Century”; “Communists will either change their programmatic aims and become a regular left-wing party like the parties in Europe, or they will be leaving the political arena.” As we see, in Russia (and in the rest of the world) the bourgeoisie is attempting to make communists follow its rules for party construction. And, we have to admit, it succeeds in many cases.
The situation described above forces opportunists, who would just stick to parliamentary methods of work to get more votes, to fight against orthodox communists, against the radical left, whom they see as their potential competitors at the elections. They are more and more arrogant to enter any political alliances (especially, in the run-up to the elections); the only form of alliance they see is other organisations’ support in their election campaigns. Effectively what we observe is that these parties choose, and stick to, the form of comfortable existence for their organisation and leaders as parliamentary opposition incorporated into the bourgeois democracy system and being the inherent part of that system to guarantee its stability.
It is significant that these parties do not divert to the right totally. This phenomenon is known since the days of the Second International. They do not change names; they use progressive slogans and terms; they use what people remember about them, the history of struggle. This is a major complication and a big danger. If they moved to the right completely, it would be good, as a new truly revolutionary party would grow in their place, capable of real struggle with the bourgeoisie. Bourgeoisie has developed an understanding of this danger and so, it gives no option for the opportunists to perform a total conversion to social-democracy.
The tactical trick that comes in hand is the increased use of radical left-wing, revolutionary and communist rhetoric by the opportunists whenever the situation becomes hot or whenever the masses dispute their sincerity. The opportunists proclaim their adherence to communism and quote Marxist-Leninist thinkers.
Mikhail Gorbachov was particularly skilful in this. When a prominent imperialist doubted if reforms are still being carried out in the USSR, Gorbachov replied: “You will have to trust that my political plan is right. How fast I am doing it depends on the current situation.”
Therefore we find it necessary to conclude that we have to stick to speaking out directly, to describe the real condition. It is impossible to avoid “insulting” someone. But this is still the way to go. Given that the leader of the political party called the Communist Party of Russian Federation tells that the capacity for revolution has been exhausted, what else could we talk about? Perhaps, we could raise the question of them changing their name.
Given that the representative of the Communist Party of Moldova during our meeting in Athens told us all that they decided not to use “ism” endings anymore (no capitalism, no socialism!) and that they are constructing a socially-oriented free market, all we can do is to refer to Lenin’s words. Not matter how they are constructing it, they will end up constructing capitalism.
In these examples it would be more honest and correct to change the labels.
A special analysis is required when a communist party supports a progressive left-wing leader, or even a self-proclaimed socialist leader, yet in a bourgeois state (Venezuela, Moldova, Belarus, Cyprus etc.) There is a danger that we lose the main determining quality of communists — namely, the scientific approach. We cannot just adhere to the position where the whole programme is reduced to supporting the statesman and all his or her actions. Communists must have their own view on the current situation, support the progressive moves by these leaders, but also look further, not to lose sight of the movement towards socialism and classless society. When the left-wing leaders are wrong, communists must have the courage to criticise them, to propose the better option (or to demand it). We believe that the Communist Party of Venezuela has been absolutely right not to dissolve itself in the United Socialist Party of Venezuela led by Hugo Chávez, having kept its ideological and organisational independence. The complications in the relations between CP of Venezuela and Chávez that followed, confirm that they were right. At the same time we do not assess tactics of CPV at the municipalities elections as perfect. We believe that having refused to support some Chávez-promoted candidates, they should not have stood their own candidates, so as to avoid helping the main enemy.
Comrades, as before, we encounter the views that we should not complicate our relations, that if we concentrate on a strictly communist pole of the movement, then the opposite part would also polarise and that we have to preserve our collaboration and unity despite the differences, exchange our views and so on.
We agree that the interaction and exchange of views can and should be preserved, but the polarisation is inevitably already taking place. For example, it is taking place in Europe in the process of the European Left Party being set up. In the territory of former USSR there is a polarisation of two currents, the right wing and the left wing. The Union of Communist Parties around CPRF, on the one hand, and the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU), whose branches are RCWP-RPC (in Russia), Socialist Party of Latvia, the Communist Party of Tajikistan.
We are living through the deepening capitalist crisis, the situation where different positions at the opposite poles can become apparent. Leninist theory tells us that during the crisis the revolutionaries work to make use of the increased tension to intensify the class struggle, while the opportunists aim at damping the class struggle. The opportunist camp claims that these are global or national difficulties and that everyone should unite to overcome them and to get out of crisis, that it is hard for all, and we should tolerate and work, not destabilise the situation, forget about “irresponsible” radical political line. The situation was similar in Russia during the 1998 crisis, when the parliamentary CPRF supported the bourgeois government of Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov, calling it a “government of public confidence“, sent its representatives into that government and helped to damp the wave of mass protest. What the government did was they paid the debt in wages in the currency that had devalued with the ratio of 4. Once the government performed its main task (prevented the mass action), it was dismissed.
Communist politics during the crisis must concentrate on disguising capitalism as such, disguising it as the main source of crisis and burden; on the one hand it must bring masses into organised struggle to reduce the hardship of exploitation and not to let the capital relay the entire burden onto the working people, while on the other hand it must attempt to get more political freedoms and social guarantees for the working people through the organised struggle at the time when the capitalist system is weakened.
Ideally the crisis can be converted into a revolutionary situation, and communists must work for this to come true, not to avoid this and to substitute this by the reconciliation with the ruling class.
Dear Comrades,
Even though emotions may be present in some comrades’ speeches, our stand is completely constructive in character and is directed at clearing the left-wing movement from opportunism. Let me remind you of Lenin’s idea. “Struggle against imperialism that is not closely linked with the struggle against opportunism is either an empty phrase or a fraud.” (V. I. Lenin, Collected Works, Volume 27 (The “Disarmament” Slogan))