100^th Anniversary of the founding of the Communist International

The Fight for Peace and Socialism Continues.

[Contribution from the Communist Party of Bangladesh]

It is indeed a historical moment that the 21^st IMCWP is taking place at a time when the whole world is observing the 100^th Anniversary of the founding of the Communist International- the Comintern. 100 years ago the foundation of this revolutionary platform laid. It was a reflection of the revolutionary idea that the proletariat has no geographical border. The fight for socialism and communism is an international phenomenon. The barbaric assaults being perpetrated even today by global capitalism and imperialism teaches us that exploitation has no boundary. At the same time fight against calls for unity of all workers and toiling people of  the world against that barbaric assaults also has no boundary.

100 years ago, on 2^nd March of 1919, when V.I Lenin inaugurated the first meeting of the ‘Third Communist International’, which is also known as ‘Comintern’ only fifty-one delegates were registered, representing 35 organizations from 22 countries. Delegates to the Communist International had attended the meeting at a time when imperialist countries were blockading the Soviet Union, the first socialist country of the world. Forced by the terror and suffering unleashed on the masses against the first imperialist world war, and inspired by the Russian Revolution, the working class in the industrially advanced centers of imperialism and as well as the oppressed peoples in the vast areas of the colonial East rose up to express their solidarity with the fighting Comrades and Workers-Peasants of the USSR.

There followed new advancements for the revolutionary struggle of the workers in all countries as well as of national liberation movements in the colonial countries. All these helped the advance of mankind towards Socialism and Peace. The activities of Third Communist International were based on the positive and negative experiences of both First and Second Internationals. We know that the main cause of the collapse of First and Second International were failure of some workers parties to determine their position regarding imperialist war. Lenin wanted to invite to the Moscow meeting only those who were fully committed to revolution and proletarian internationalism and who would never repeat the mistakes that doomed the previous Internationals.  It was Lenin’s view that no working-class party could base its analysis and goals only on conditions in its own country alone, but rather on an accurate analysis of the overall state of the global class struggle. The class struggle in any single country is, separate from the rest of the world and has its own features, but it is no less true that regardless of such special national features struggles of the working class in the different countries have many common aspects and also are interdependent. All this is relevant even today under present day 'Globalization'.

Lenin had persistently linked the future of the Soviet Union with solidarity and help of the working class of the world, and principally of its vanguard assembled under Comintern. During Lenin’s time the oath of the Red Army of USSR pledged loyalty to the international working class. Indeed the Red Army was not regarded as just an independent 'national' force, but as one of the contingents of the world revolution. Lenin presented his proposal regarding the national and colonial questions to the Second Congress of the Comintern in 1920, he painted out that if the movement of the workers did not embrace the national liberation movements and the struggle of the oppressed nations for self-determination, the objective of a strong workers’ international would be impossible. This is why the slogan “Workers of the World Unite” was transformed into “Workers and Oppressed Nations of the World Unite” was adopted universally as the new slogan.

The 21^st International Meeting of Communist and Workers Parties meet at a time when the whole world is facing unprecedented turmoil and danger. US imperialism and its allies have placed the entire world at the brink of a threat of nuclear war for protecting it’s global hegemony in the excuse of so called national and international security. The increase of apartheids, racism, misogyny, religious extremism devastation of environment and nature etc.  are the latest negative manifestations of capitalism of 21^st century. US imperialism is continuously attacking major achievements of the past century.Consequently, human freedom is being trampled underfoot and nations are being harnessed to the global geopolitical strategy of imperialism to intensify its global economic exploitation and social-political domination. US imperialism has practically embarked on the mission of ‘re-colonization’. But this is not the end of history. Humanity is fighting back.

It is quite understandable that global capitalist economy is in decay. Claims by some that global capitalism is recovering from the recession of the recent past are being proven wrong. Crisis situations are persistently reemerging. Capitalist bankers and politicians — especially in the U.S. — who had been trying to deny, ignore or conceal the magnitude of the economic crisis can no longer do that. Another worldwide financial market crash appears to hover over Wall Street and the whole system of finance capital. The global slowdown is not really a temporary recession; it is in reality a permanent systemic crisis, one that is irreversible.

Bangladesh as a densely populated country with huge quantity of cheap labor and some Hydrocarbon energy resources are under the systematic attack of global capitalism. Multi-National Companies and imperialism is nurturing neoliberal regime within our country and that unpopular regime is conducting farcical elections to perpetuate its power destroying the democratic institutions.

This scenario necessitates a persistent unity of toiling masses to combat capitalist globalization. The historical lessons learnt from the past experiences of the Third International are relevant in many aspects to our current global struggle for Peace and Socialism. The struggles against US led imperialist aggression and occupation, against the unfettered exploitation of multinational corporations and the machinations of World Bank, IMF, WTO etc., against the continuing destruction of bio diversity and stubborn refusal to take urgent steps for preventing environmental calamity- all these struggles are gearing up in all parts of the world. Indeed the global assault of capitalism-imperialism calls for a new global coalition of all anti-imperialist forces of the world. It calls for raising to a qualitatively new level the unity, cohesion, cooperation and coordination of the struggles of these forces all over the world. The Communist and Workers parties of the world have a crucial role to play in building up this coalition and spearheading the struggle for Peace, Democracy, Socialism and Justice.

We must intensify our activities in our own countries. At the same time we must not make the grave mistake of regarding our international activities as simply ‘residual work’. The Communist Party of Bangladesh stands firmly beside this international forum in this great collective struggle of the new century.

Revolutionary greetings to all.

On behalf of the Communist Party of Bangladesh.

Communist Party of Bangladesh, Central Committee

Mukti Bhaban, 2 Comrade Moni Singh Road, Dhaka-1000, Bangladesh

Phone : +8802-9558612, 9582483, Mobile: +8801711828772, Fax : 880-2-9552333

E-mail: cpbinter@gmail.com Website: www.cpbbd.org