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

Social democracy is a bourgeois ideological trend. Leninpointed out long ago that the social democratic parties arepolitical detachments of the bourgeoisie, its agents in theworking-class movement and its principal social prop. Communistsmust at all times draw a clear line of demarcationbetween themselves and social democratic parties on the basicquestion of the proletarian revolution and the dictatorship ofthe proletariat and liquidate the ideological influence of socialdemocracy in the international working-class movement andamong the working people. Beyond any shadow of doubt,Communists must win over the masses under the influenceof the social democratic parties and must win over those leftand middle elements in the social democratic parties who arewilling to oppose domestic monopoly capital and dominationby foreign imperialism, and must unite with them in extensivejoint action in the day-to-day struggle of the working-classmovement and in the struggle to defend world peace.In order to lead the proletariat and working people inrevolution, Marxist-Leninist Parties must master all formsof struggle and be able to substitute one form for anotherquickly as the conditions of struggle change. The vanguard ofthe proletariat will remain unconquerable in all circumstancesonly if it masters all forms of struggle — peaceful and armed,open and secret, legal and illegal, parliamentary struggle andmass struggle, etc. It is wrong to refuse to use parliamentaryand other legal forms of struggle when they can and shouldbe used. However, if a Marxist-Leninist Party falls into legalismor parliamentary cretinism, confining the struggle withinthe limits permitted by the bourgeoisie, this will inevitablylead to renouncing the proletarian revolution and the dictatorshipof the proletariat.11. On the question of transition from capitalism to socialism,the proletarian party must proceed from the stand ofclass struggle and revolution and base itself on the Marxist-19