p Imperialists of a small group of advanced countries not only exploit their own people, but also enslave millions of peoples in other countries. In their time, with the help of bloody armed violence and also deceit, blackmail, and bribery, they laid their hands on the whole of Africa, Latin America and a considerable part of Asia, creating a system of colonialism which until recently oppressed more than half of humanity.

p The colonial system of imperialism constitutes one of the grimmest chapters in human history. The death of countless numbers of people, inhuman exploitation, poverty and hunger, disease and benightedness—such was the lot 332 which the imperialists had assigned to the colonial peoples. Suffice it to say that the colonialists were responsible for the enslavement or death of more than 100 million Africans.

p The imperialists and their ideologists always talked a great deal about their humaneness and their civilising mission, and that they allegedly bring civilisation, modern technology, culture, a new and better way of life, etc., to the backward peoples. But the oppressed peoples are not taken in by this verbiage. They know that the colonies are a profitable capital investment sphere for the imperialists, a source of cheap raw materials and labour power, commodity markets and extensive military bridgeheads. Exploitation of the enslaved peoples for the sole purpose of gaining maximum profits—such is the essence of colonialism.

p Naturally, the peoples could not reconcile themselves to colonial rule: they waged and are continuing to wage a gallant struggle against the imperialist predators, for freedom and national independence.

p The Great October Socialist Revolution opened new prospects for the national liberation movement, and gave it a tremendous revolutionary potential; it awakened the oppressed peoples, inspired them to rise and fight, and drew them into the mainstream of the world revolutionary movement. The Soviet Union, the world’s first socialist country, became and continues to be a vital source of political and moral support for the oppressed peoples.

p The victory of socialism in the USSR and the resulting liberation of more than 100 nations and nationalities from social and colonial oppression, the rout of German fascism and Japanese militarism and the new balance of forces in the world after the Second World War, the rise of the world system of socialism, the growth of the revolutionary movement of the working class and the mounting influence of the communist parties created particularly favourable conditions for the development of the national liberation struggle of the peoples. Imperialism brings the peoples the yoke of colonialism, whereas the emergence of socialism opened up the era of liberation for all oppressed peoples. The succession of socialist and national liberation revolutions has destroyed 333 the old colonial system of imperialism.

However, only the system of open, direct political domination by imperialist states over the bulk of the world population has been undermined.