Contribution of the Communist Workers' Party – For Peace and Socialism (Finland)

Dear comrades,

 

I want to take the time today to speak not so much on the mass-strike rallies that shook France and especially Paris two years ago, but about communist work in mass organizations more broadly.

The mass-strikes were sparked on the issue of pension reforms, which ultimately got passed without a parliamentary vote. Whether to use article 49.3 or not was only a difference in opinion within the ruling class over how to best squeeze the French working class. That it has to be squeezed in the first place was however never up for discussion. Communists should not have any illusion about the character of parliaments, as one of the institutions of the dictatorship of the bourgeoisie.

The mass strike rallies showed the strength of the proletariat, as one of the two essential social forces under capitalism. It revealed the gaping chasm between the working people and the capitalist government. It brought the masses one step closer to realizing that the capitalist state can never work in their interest, but can at most offer concessions under certain conditions. The recognition of the masses that the state is the instrument of capitalist class rule is a necessary precondition for revolution.

 

This is why, we as communists must under all circumstances be active members of mass organizations, no matter how reactionary its leadership, because only from within the organizations of the working class can we lead its struggles. There exists a general atmosphere of anti-communism, which also pervades the working class organizations like unions. There is however no excuse not to work in the mass organizations, in a generally permissive environment. Communists must use all available opportunities to spread class consciousness especially in the unions.

The idea that one can be a purely propagandist circle, which gives advice to the working class from outside is erroneous. It renders communists an ineffectual social force and is a left deviation from Marxism-Leninism, already well analyzed by Lenin in his work “Left-Wing” Communism.

It is not enough just to write propaganda against opportunism, it also has to be refuted in practice. Opportunism leads the working class into a dead end, by always seeking to stay within the limits of capitalism, by trying to reconcile the interests of fundamentally antagonistic classes. This impasse can only be overcome by waging mass struggles as part of a revolutionary strategy.

 

Right-wing opportunism exists in all fields of mass work. In the organizational field the idea of some labor representatives taking care of the workers worries, while they themselves are kept “out of politics”. In the ideological field, the acceptance of capitalism as the ultimate form of social organization and the toleration of harmful views, instead of a struggle for a thoroughly scientific world outlook. In the political field the class collaboration between exploiters and exploited, instead of a ruthless struggle against capitalism and its “agents in the labor movement”.

We have to learn how to work within unions and to organize them against opportunist leadership. The alternative would be to “give up” on these “yellow unions”, to give up on drawing our fellow workers into taking an active part in the class struggle. Mass work is hard and sometimes grueling. The trust needed between the communist party and the working class cannot be built in a couple of weeks or months, by just spreading communist ideals in the abstract. It has to be built over years, by reliable, clear headed and steadfast people that have a good grasp of Marxism-Leninism know how to apply it to each specific situation and coordinate their activities in the communist party. Only thus can the communist party be acknowledged by the working masses as their party, as the real leading center that is able to unite it for a struggle for power. To hide from these tasks under the current, relatively peaceful conditions, means losing the decisive struggles of the future before they have even begun.

 

Right-wing opportunism also exists in relation to the Party. It exists in negating the role of the Party and its character. The Party must be an independent organization, organized along the principles of a Party of the New Type, with a core of well trained cadres. Instead, right-wing opportunism calls us to unprincipled unity, to merging the Party with the mass organizations, to liquidate the underground apparatus or the Party as a whole.

These attempts are often coupled with undermining the principle of democratic-centralism and while using ultra-revolutionary rhetoric. Thus right- and left-deviations are not mutually exclusive, but complement each other.

All of these issues are usually “old problems in new disguise”, repeating past attempts of derailing the communist party from the path of class struggle, although with new methods. The origin of these deviations is to be sought in the different class relations. It is our task to learn from our past and reject ideas that have proven to be false. The struggle against mistaken ideas and the need for a creative application of Marxism-Leninism in the real struggles of the working class are thus intimately related.

 

Comrades,

We are seeing the world imperialist system being shaken by crisis.

The current rise of new imperialist powers, like China and BRICS, the cracks emerging from old imperialist alliances, such as NATO and the EU, are signs of this sharpening imperialist crisis. The burden of this crisis is borne by the working class of all countries. It is due to these developments that we see an intensification of mass actions, like strikes and uprisings.

If we are to achieve our historic task of leading the working people to socialism-communism, then we have to intensify our work amongst the masses. Then we have to learn how to listen to their troubles, to fight alongside them and help them to understand the need for revolution, through their own practical experience. Only thus can the revolution be successful. Only thus can the imperialist front be broken.