Comments on: Is Russia Imperialist? http://livingmarxism.wordpress.com/2008/10/06/is-russia-imperialist/ Bringing Marxism to life Mon, 05 Oct 2009 08:23:24 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: Yossi Schwartz http://livingmarxism.wordpress.com/2008/10/06/is-russia-imperialist/#comment-135 Yossi Schwartz Sat, 11 Oct 2008 10:51:34 +0000 http://livingmarxism.wordpress.com/?p=82#comment-135 At the same period the FI issued a statement on the question of a military support for oppressed nation-China facing a war with an imperialist state Japan while the US is moving in The statement is providing a test to the question when imperialist aid to an oppressed nation fighting another imperialist becomes a war between two imperialists states. American imperialism, pursuing its “manifest destiny,” is preparing to take over British Empire positions in the Far East, including China, and to bring about the defeat of its Japanese rival in the Pacific. Washington plans to subdue Japan in war, to expel the Japanese imperialists from China, and to assume the overlordship of the Chinese people. Preparatory steps in this direction are the military, naval and aerial moves in the Pacific and the increased “aid” given to Chiang Kai-shek in the form of loans and war supplies. The revolutionists, while recognizing the necessity for China to accept American material aid in the war against Japan, cannot ignore the dangers hidden behind it. They must combat all suggestions that American imperialism is actuated by benevolence toward China and explain to the broad masses the real motive of this aid—the preparation of a new slavery for tomorrow. If the “friendly” imperialists demand payment for their aid with preferential economic rights, concessions, military bases, etc., the revolutionists must oppose such transactions, which in the end would mean the displacement in China of one imperialism by another, the change being paid for in the blood of the Chinese masses. Should the Chinese bourgeoisie make any such bargains, revolutionists must denounce them as a betrayal of China’s struggle for emancipation. But they will not “punish” Chiang Kai-shek by declaring themselves “defeatists” in China’s war against Japan. They will continue to stand for the defense of China in spite of, and against, the Chinese bourgeoisie…. Washington’s alliance with Chungking for war against Japan will afford the American imperialists the opportunity of covering their enterprise in China with democratic and liberationist phrases. But the American workers cannot entrust to their exploiters—the most powerful imperialists in the world—the task of liberating China from the clutches of imperialist Japan. The “defense” of China by American imperialism is in reality the preparation of a new slavery for that country. A “sacred union” of the American proletariat with its bourgeoisie in the name of China’s defense, and the abandonment of the proletarian struggle for power, would mean that tomorrow China would be plundered by Wall Street. American imperialism would be strengthened at the expense of the Chinese masses and the American working class. The surest guarantee of China’s independence, of her emancipation from social backwardness, and of her development toward socialism, is the Soviet United States of America. To prepare for this, the class struggle cannot be halted for a single minute. V If even with greatly increased American material aid the Chinese armies should prove unable speedily to expel the Japanese invaders, the American imperialists will seek to land their own troops in China and to take over China’s struggle against Japan through the creation of a single command under their own control. It will be the duty of the Chinese revolutionists to oppose the subordination of Chinese military operations to the strategy and war aims of American imperialism American Intervention in China—1941( document of the FI) At the same period the FI issued a statement on the question of a military support for oppressed nation-China facing a war with an imperialist state Japan while the US is moving in The statement is providing a test to the question when imperialist aid to an oppressed nation fighting another imperialist becomes a war between two imperialists states.
American imperialism, pursuing its “manifest destiny,” is preparing to take over British Empire positions in the Far East, including China, and to bring about the defeat of its Japanese rival in the Pacific. Washington plans to subdue Japan in war, to expel the Japanese imperialists from China, and to assume the overlordship of the Chinese people. Preparatory steps in this direction are the military, naval and aerial moves in the Pacific and the increased “aid” given to Chiang Kai-shek in the form of loans and war supplies.
The revolutionists, while recognizing the necessity for China to accept American material aid in the war against Japan, cannot ignore the dangers hidden behind it. They must combat all suggestions that American imperialism is actuated by benevolence toward China and explain to the broad masses the real motive of this aid—the preparation of a new slavery for tomorrow.
If the “friendly” imperialists demand payment for their aid with preferential economic rights, concessions, military bases, etc., the revolutionists must oppose such transactions, which in the end would mean the displacement in China of one imperialism by another, the change being paid for in the blood of the Chinese masses.
Should the Chinese bourgeoisie make any such bargains, revolutionists must denounce them as a betrayal of China’s struggle for emancipation. But they will not “punish” Chiang Kai-shek by declaring themselves “defeatists” in China’s war against Japan. They will continue to stand for the defense of China in spite of, and against, the Chinese bourgeoisie…. Washington’s alliance with Chungking for war against Japan will afford the American imperialists the opportunity of covering their enterprise in China with democratic and liberationist phrases. But the American workers cannot entrust to their exploiters—the most powerful imperialists in the world—the task of liberating China from the clutches of imperialist Japan. The “defense” of China by American imperialism is in reality the preparation of a new slavery for that country. A “sacred union” of the American proletariat with its bourgeoisie in the name of China’s defense, and the abandonment of the proletarian struggle for power, would mean that tomorrow China would be plundered by Wall Street. American imperialism would be strengthened at the expense of the Chinese masses and the American working class. The surest guarantee of China’s independence, of her emancipation from social backwardness, and of her development toward socialism, is the Soviet United States of America. To prepare for this, the class struggle cannot be halted for a single minute.
V
If even with greatly increased American material aid the Chinese armies should prove unable speedily to expel the Japanese invaders, the American imperialists will seek to land their own troops in China and to take over China’s struggle against Japan through the creation of a single command under their own control. It will be the duty of the Chinese revolutionists to oppose the subordination of Chinese military operations to the strategy and war aims of American imperialism

American Intervention in China—1941( document of the FI)

]]> By: raved http://livingmarxism.wordpress.com/2008/10/06/is-russia-imperialist/#comment-134 raved Sat, 11 Oct 2008 09:45:40 +0000 http://livingmarxism.wordpress.com/?p=82#comment-134 Sorry Yossi but we went over all this in several previous posts. You don't raise anything new here. However, the reason I went back to the question of imperialism at its most basic was to look much more closely at why Lenin thought that Russia was imperialist in 1915, and then to apply that same method to characterising Russia today. Sorry Yossi but we went over all this in several previous posts. You don’t raise anything new here.
However, the reason I went back to the question of imperialism at its most basic was to look much more closely at why Lenin thought that Russia was imperialist in 1915, and then to apply that same method to characterising Russia today.

]]> By: Yossi Schwartz http://livingmarxism.wordpress.com/2008/10/06/is-russia-imperialist/#comment-128 Yossi Schwartz Mon, 06 Oct 2008 13:40:27 +0000 http://livingmarxism.wordpress.com/?p=82#comment-128 So we have an agreement that Russia is an imperialist state. Very food but there are two historical /Theoretical questions to answer and one concrete political one to answer. Historical/Theoretical A what has enabled Russia to become an imperialist state? We can ask the same question in a different way can China become an imperialist state( Or for this matter India or Saudi Arabia?) If the other three can become imperialist states it means that the all concept of imperialism as an epoch of decay of capitalism is wrong as the Third world countries can become imperialists. We think that China is not an imperialist and cannot be one due to the fact that unlike Russia it did not go through a workers revolution and can not use the achievements of such revolution where as Stalin could use the achievements to industrialize the country and turn it into an imperialist. This difference raise once again the question could a peasant army led by a counter revolutionary Stalinist leadership replace the working class and establish a workers state albeit deformed, or only the working class can establish a workers state? B When Did the workers state become a capitalist state. Unless you want to revise Lenin's theory of the state you must agree that it could not be at the early 1990s as such a claim is a reformist concept of a social transformation without a civil war and the destruction of the state's apparatus. C If Russia is an imperialist state and Georgia is an oppressed nation with a right wing regime, while when Georgia oppresses the national minorities the duty of revolutionaries is to defend them and when Russian imperial army intervene- it is the duty od Marxists who want to unite the working class of the region to struggle for the policy of revolutionary defeat or Russia and revolutionary defense for Georgia. So we have an agreement that Russia is an imperialist state. Very food but there are two historical /Theoretical questions to answer and one concrete political one to answer.

Historical/Theoretical

A what has enabled Russia to become an imperialist state?

We can ask the same question in a different way can China become an imperialist state( Or for this matter India or Saudi Arabia?)

If the other three can become imperialist states it means that the all concept of imperialism as an epoch of decay of capitalism is wrong as the Third world countries can become imperialists.

We think that China is not an imperialist and cannot be one due to the fact that unlike Russia it did not go through a workers revolution and can not use the achievements of such revolution where as Stalin could use the achievements to industrialize the country and turn it into an imperialist.

This difference raise once again the question could a peasant army led by a counter revolutionary Stalinist leadership replace the working class and establish a workers state albeit deformed, or only the working class can establish a workers state?

B When Did the workers state become a capitalist state. Unless you want to revise Lenin’s theory of the state you must agree that it could not be at the early 1990s as such a claim is a reformist concept of a social transformation without a civil war and the destruction of the state’s apparatus.

C If Russia is an imperialist state and Georgia is an oppressed nation with a right wing regime, while when Georgia oppresses the national minorities the duty of revolutionaries is to defend them and when Russian imperial army intervene- it is the duty od Marxists who want to unite the working class of the region to struggle for the policy of revolutionary defeat or Russia and revolutionary defense for Georgia.

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