Lenin CW-Vol. 23.pdf - From Marx to Mao

A CARICATURE OF MARXISM63Though he denies the “achievability” of self-determination,our brave author now argues that the class-consciousproletariat of the advanced countries must assist in achievingthis “unachievable” goal!5) Why must “we” “actively resist” suppression of a nationaluprising? P. Kievsky advances only one reason: “...weshall thereby be combating imperialism, our mortal enemy.”All the strength of the argument lies in the strong word “mortal”.And this is in keeping with his penchant for strong wordsinstead of strong arguments—high-sounding phrases like“driving a stake into the quivering body of the bourgeoisie”and similar Alexinsky flourishes.But this Kievsky argument is wrong. Imperialism is asmuch our “mortal” enemy as is capitalism. That is so. NoMarxist will forget, however, that capitalism is progressivecompared with feudalism, and that imperialism is progressivecompared with pre-monopoly capitalism. Hence, itis not every struggle against imperialism that we shouldsupport. We will not support a struggle of the reactionaryclasses against imperialism; we will not support an uprisingof the reactionary classes against imperialism and capitalism.Consequently, once the author admits the need to supportan uprising of an oppressed nation (“actively resisting” suppressionmeans supporting the uprising), he also admitsthat a national uprising is progressive, that the establishmentof a separate and new state, of new frontiers, etc., resultingfrom a successful uprising, is progressive.In none of his political arguments is the author consistent!The Irish Rebellion of 1916, which took place after ourtheses had appeared in No. 2 of Vorbote, proved, incidentally,that it was not idle to speak of the possibility of nationaluprisings even in Europe.6. THE OTHER POLITICAL ISSUE RAISEDAND DISTORTED BY P. KIEVSKYLiberation of the colonies, we stated in our theses, meansself-determination of nations. Europeans often forget thatcolonial peoples too are nations, but to tolerate this “forgetfulness”is to tolerate chauvinism.