5

p The seminar on Contemporary World Situation and the Validity of Marxism acquired great importance both nationally and internationally. Its deliberations drew the attention of the communists worldwide. The seminar has in effect fulfilled the yearning of communists for a discussion on the validity of Marxism in the background of the setbacks suffered by socialism with the disintegration of the Soviet Union and the collapse of the socialist regimes in the east European countries.

p It was precisely in the background of the developments during the last few years, and the massive propaganda blitzkrieg launched by imperialism and its spokesmen that the holding of such a seminar was proposed. This imperialist propaganda offensive sought to depict that socialism is dead, communism has no future and that capitalism is the last stage in the evolution of human society. Its paid scribes sought to negate the history of the last 150 years, that had seen the discoveries of Marx shedding a new light on philosophy, political economy and the social sciences. The study and works of Marx that brought a hitherto unknown approach on understanding and comprehending contemporary developments, were sought to be challenged.

p Through his analyses and theories, Marx not only uncovered and exposed exploitation and prophesied the historical inevitability of overthrowing of the exploiting class and its replacement by a better social order, he also at the same time, took a keen interest in the struggles and mass movements going on at the time. His works on the Paris Commune, the civil war in France and Germany, and the Mutiny of 1857 in India are outstanding examples of this.

p Subsequently, Lenin furthered this theory by his analysis of 6 imperialism, characterising it as the highest stage that capitalism reached. The Bolshevik Party headed by Lenin successfully carried out the Russian revolution, that heralded a new era. It was an example of concrete application of the Marxian theory to the concrete conditions prevailing in Russia at that time.

p The emancipatory role that this revolution played and the inspiration that it provided to the struggling peoples the world over, is all part of history. In the erstwhile Soviet Union proper, hitherto unknown rights to work, to education, to health-care, housing, and immense other social security measures, were provided. The provision of these social security facilities in the erstwhile Soviet Union, had its impact on the capitalist countries, forcing the capitalists in these countries to provide their workers some sort of social security network.

p The inspiration that the October Revolution provided, played a crucial role in triggering and achieving the independence of a large number of colonies and semi-colonies. Wedded to a cause, the Soviet people throughout the Union, heroically fought, defeated, the fascist hordes, while incurring heavy losses both in terms of human lives and material losses.

p Suffice it to say that the map of the world today would have been different had it not been for the theories of Marx, the emancipatory role that they played in liberating humanity. This however is not to imply that Marxism-Leninism has been always correctly applied to the concrete conditions prevailing in both the erstwhile Soviet Union and the countries of east Europe. Had this been the case, the setbacks and reverses would not have taken place.

p While some communist and workers parties, faced by the might of the imperialist propaganda, have given in and changed both their signboard and programme, others are in the midst of confusion. The parties that still adhere to the basic tenets of Marxism are evaluating the past and are trying to arrive at conclusions that will help them overcome the distortions and deviations that have led to the creation of the present situation.

p It was in the background of the setbacks and reverses suffered by socialism that the GPI(M) in its ongoing process of analysis adopted a resolution On Certain Ideological Issues at its 14th Congress held in January 1991. The resolution, now widely appreciated, encouraged us to take the process further. In order to facilitate 7 an exchange of opinion and experience between communist and workers parties, and defend the basic tenets of Marxism, the July 1992 Central Committee meeting of the CPI(M) decided to organise a seminar. Prior to thisdecision, to explore the possibilities, thiswriter visited many European countries, and Cuba, and had discussions with the parties concerned. The idea having found response from various parts of the globe, the CC decided to go ahead with the seminar.

p It is, without doubt, impractical to nave a single guiding centre for the international communist movement. The resolution adopted by the Communist International as far back as 1943, had categorically opined against this. Subsequently, however, efforts were made to impose such a guiding centre.

p It was clear that while all parties were engaged in evaluating the latest developments and nobody could claim to have arrived at final conclusions, efforts should not be made to convene a conference. This was made clear during the consultations with these parties and it was also agreed that no party would have to commit itself to any document emerging from the discussions.

p Out of the total 30 parties to whom we extended invitations, 21 parties including the CPI(M), were represented at the seminar, while three parties unable to send their representatives, sent their contributions in the form of papers, which formed part of the seminar proceedings. Eight parties sent messages expressing their inability to participate owing to critical political conditions in their respective countries. Among them were the Communist Party of the Russian Federation and the Communist Workers Party of Russia, who were unable to participate as they were confronting a difficult situation consequent to the results of the Referendum. The Communist Party of China too greeted the seminar. In its message it expressed its adherence to the science of Marxism and wished the seminar a success.

p The response to the seminar therefore was overwhelming, and the initiative thus was a reflection of the urge and desire of the communist and workers parties the world over.

p All the papers received were circulated, and arrangements made for translation for those who did not follow English. In the first round, most parties read out their papers while others made observations and comments on them. It was in the second round 8 that concrete questions were raised and discussed. The third round that took place on May 7, took the discussion further and clarifications and replies to questions raised in the earlier round of discussion on some of the important questions facing the communist movement, were given. In its totality, the participants debated on a wide range of questions for sixteen hours.

p The participants from different contingents of the communist movement and from different parts of the globe have varied experience of developing the movement in their respective countries . It was therefore natural that their analyses and approach to issues would differ. No doubt there are differences amongst the communist parties in their analysis of the past, depending on the concrete experience of each Party. But as the papers and the discussions establish, based on the science of Marxism-Leninism, they have the capacity to self-critically examine mistakes and overcome them.

p The thrust of the papers, as well as the discussions, was the necessity to confront the imperialist challenge to the science of Marxism, and more urgently to unitedly thwart the offensive against Cuba, Korea, Vietnam and China. The discussions also strikingly pointed out that the communist and workers’ parties stand united on the adherence to the fundamentals of Marxism.

p The CPI(M) had, in its XIV Congress stated: "The short comings and failures in the process of enriching this creative science in accordance with the unfolding historical develop* ments, is not due to its inadequacies or lack of scientific method of its content It is due to the inadequacies and lack of scientific rigour on the part of those who have embraced this philosophy”.

p The overriding validity and the abiding relevance of Marxism lies in its liberating vision and emancipatory goals. It remains today the highest form of philosophy that expresses all that humanism constitutes and ought to constitute.

p The entire quest of Marx during his lifetime and thatof all subsequent Marxists, was to establish the basic factors necessary for complete human liberation. Capitalism as Marx had shown and subsequent developments justify, is a system based on human exploitation. As long as exploitation of man by man and of nation by nation continues to be the basis of the capitalist system the yearning for human liberation can never be snuffed out. The world 9 that we know today, the rights that humanity has come to accept as a matter of course, had all been contributions of people’s struggles. It is this class struggle that continues to shape the present day developments and its associated human consciousness. The imprint of Marxism on contemporary society and the intellectual development of humanity is inerasable.

p The contemporary world situation tellingly demonstrate the unjust and inhuman nature of capitalism. It is its rapacious plunder that is responsible for the terrible situation of hunger, misery, sickness, illiteracy that stalk the millions in the developing world. It is directly responsible for the dangers of nuclear holocaust and worsening major ecological imbalances. The increasing moral and ethical degeneration of capitalist societies, drug abuse, violence, gender and racial discrimination are continuously debasing the finer qualities of human beings. Despite the perennial propaganda, intensified following these reverses to socialism, tha ’capitalism is eternal’, it today, as in the past, proves itself as a system incapable of solving the major problems confronting humanity.

p This is all the more evident from the experience of the former socialist countries. Millions are today deprived of the means of daily existence, unknown to generations under the socialist system. The process of restoring capitalism in these countries, is accompanied by its natural consequences of growing unemployment, insecurity, hunger and the merciless tearing asunder of the social and moral fabric. In the name of ‘Democracy’, the dismantling of Socialism took place. Today democracy has been rendered meaningless for the people. The recent attack on May day demonstrators at Red Square has shown the face of this ‘democracy’. Imperialism’s open support to Yeltsin exposes the real class nature of the new order in these countries. Capitalism has thus proven to be incapable of solving the problems of these countries.

p The tasks facing communists are indeed immense. The accentuation of the fundamental contradictions of our epoch, the new insidious and vicious process of economic ‘re-colonisation’ of the third world, and the imperialist attempts to impose its New World Order, call for a greater closing of ranks amongst Communists and anti-imperialist contingents. The unity of all communists, progressive and anti-imperialist forces is the basis for strengthening internationalism in the present situation. It is only on the basis of this 10 that the imperialist offensive can be rebuffed.

p The general conclusions arrived at by the seminar are as follows:

p 1. Marxism is a creative science, and remains as valid today as it was when first propounded; and it remainsa guide to action;

p 2. The setbacks and reverses to socialism arose out of distortions and deviations, and do not constitute either a negation of Marxism, or of the goal of socialism;

p 3. Socialism remains the objective for all the communists and workers parties;

p 4. Capitalism, based on exploitation of man by man, cannot provide remedies to the ills of present society;

p 5. Imperialism remains the main enemy of mankind, and we have to unite all forces in the struggle against it, and defend the socialist countries against its attacks;

p 6. The communist and workers parties defending Marxism will lead the working class and other toiling millions towards achieving socialism.

p When communists say they base themselves on Marxism as a creative science, they do understand that the science cannot be stagnant - that it is ever developing, and the very development of society itself, the development of the productive forces, goes on enriching this science. Lenin’s analysis of imperialism, as the highest stage of capitalist development, was not a small achievement. It continues to guide the direction of the movement and lays bare the contradictions inherent in the system till today.

p To date, nobody has succeeded in challenging the basis of Marxist philosophy, its political economy, the laws of social development summed up in the phrase, historical materialism. In fact history has vindicated these theories. It is in the applying of these theories that distortions and deviations have occured. That the socialist experience was the first of its kind, and that too in a largely backward country, is a factor to be recognised. Lenin in his last days, was trying to draw lessons from the experience, and formulating policies to meet the situation. It was in mis regard that Lenin reiterated what Marx and Engels repeatedly stated, that the theories of Marxism are not to be treated as a dogma, but used as a guide to action.

11

p Once we adhere to the science of Marxism, we have to reckon that, one, on the basis of the laws of development of society, capitalism is also transitory phase, and two, that socialism alone is capable of taking forward the productive forces developed under capitalism to their fullest capacity, thereby enabling mankind to free itself of not only all types of exploitation, but to reach new economic, social, cultural and political heights, with full freedom being enjoyed by all working people. This has been amply proved by the successive stages through which the development of the society has taken place. Though the nature of the classes have been different at each stage, it is the struggle between these classes which has transformed society, and the success of the socialist revolution was also the result of this struggle. Even today in the developed capitalist countries, the resistance developing against capitalist exploitation in the forms of strikes and huge demonstrations again vindicate this contention. By contrast the path of class collaboration advanced by the social democrats and the bourgeois politicians has not worked anywhere.

p That capitalism based on exploitation cannot provide remedies to the problems of contemporary society has been proved by the present situation in the capitalist world. The collapse of socialist systems in the countries of eastern Europe and the erstwhile Soviet Union does not prove the superiority of the capitalist system. The crisis of capitalism in the form of a long drawn-out recession, that has been going for the past many years, is a glaring example of this. The worsening conditions of the working class, the onslaught on their social security measures, the growing unemployment and closures have vindicated this claim.

p That imperialism is the main enemy is nowhere in doubt. It is known that after the developments in the socialist countries,no change has occurred in the nature of imperialism. In fact It has shown its most brutal form- whether in the new world order advocated, through which US imperialism seeks to impose its hegemony over the world, or the Gulf war, the present plight of the east European countries, or encouragement of the rightist forces in Angola, Mozambiqe, intervention in Ethiopia, the Palestinian issue etc. As far as its opposition to socialism is concerned, it has never hidden its designs, nor changed them. Defying the UN resolution it continues to impose its blockade on Cuba, while Cuba is heroically trying to defend its revolution. It is trying to intervene in the 12 DPRK by means of arm-twisting and pressurising it under the guise of concern over nuclear arsenals. It does not hesitate even to pressurise Vietnam and China. On the third world it seeks to forcibly impose its new economic order, make every country dependent on it and mortgage its economic sovereignty.

p In the contribution from the parties from the socialist countries, own experiences were outlined and self-critically examined. They explained how in order to overcome the distortions and deviations in their work, they have instituted reforms maintaining the socialist objective. One finding to come out very clearly in the di scussion was that the stage of transition from the old system to the new, has to be a long one. Although they were confident that by their reforms they would continue to strengthen socialism. Their contribution was very educative, because they have the direct experience of building socialism, in nearly all cases in backward countries.

p The communist and workers parties will lead the socialist revolutions armed with the scientific ideology of Marxism. This ideology equips them with the vision and capacity to organise the working class, the peasantry and the toiling millions in the struggle for social transformation and to create consciousness in their minds to intervene in the political situation prevailing in each country, by fighting not only economic policies but battles on the political and ideological front against the ruling class. In this process, they are able to rally all the forces fighting for social advance. The leading role of the working class that the communists talk about, cannot be imposed, but has to be won, by serving the interests of the working class, the peasantry and the toiling millions as well as the genuine national interests. Therefore the significance of the communist parties in the struggle for socialism must not be undermined.

p The success of the seminar in attaining the objectives it had set before it, gave renewed confidence to the various participants, in their struggle to defend socialism and to continue to fight for the goal of socialism. In this struggle the importance of international solidarity was also emphasised by maintaining the independence of opinion of various communist parties. All the parties decided to continue such efforts in future so that the exchange of experience not only contributes to advancing the cause of socialism in various countries, but enables them to learn from each other’s experience 13 and meet the challenged posed by imperialism and the reactionaries in their all-out effort to divert the course of history. Since all the papers and the proceedings are being given herein, I do not wish to elaborate the views of different parties . I would only like to conclude with the assertion that this seminar, held in the background of a critical situation in the history of the communist movement, will go down as a historic event.

Harkishan Singh Surjeet