Polemic on General Line of International ... - From Marx to Mao

is seizing state power, to overthrow the bourgeoisie byarmed force if it uses armed force to suppress the people’srevolution (generally speaking, it is inevitable that thebourgeoisie will do so).2. In the present situation of the international communistmovement, it is advantageous from the point of view of tacticsto refer to the desire for peaceful transition. But it wouldbe inappropriate to over-emphasize the possibility of peacefultransition. The reasons are:a. Possibility and reality, the desire and whether ornot it can be fulfilled, are two different matters. We shouldrefer to the desire for peaceful transition, but we shouldnot place our hopes mainly on it and therefore should notover-emphasize this aspect.b. If too much stress is laid on the possibility of peacefultransition, and especially on the possibility of seizingstate power by winning a majority in parliament it is liableto weaken the revolutionary will of the proletariat, theworking people and the Communist Party and disarm themideologically.c. To the best of our knowledge, there is still not asingle country where this possibility is of any practicalsignificance. Even if it is slightly more apparent in a particularcountry, over-emphasizing this possibility is inappropriatebecause it does not conform with the realities inthe overwhelming majority of countries. Should such apossibility actually occur in some country, the CommunistParty there must on the one hand strive to realize it, andon the other hand always be prepared to repulse the armedattacks of the bourgeoisie.d. The result of emphasizing this possibility will neitherweaken the reactionary nature of the bourgeoisie nor lullthem.e. Nor will such emphasis make the social democraticparties any more revolutionary.106