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

Lenin once gave an excellent description of the renegadeKautsky’s attitude towards the question of a revolutionarysituation. He said of Kautsky that if the revolutionary crisishas arrived, “then he too is prepared to become a revolutionary!But then, let us observe, every blackguard . . .would proclaim himself a revolutionary!” “If it has not, thenKautsky will turn his back on revolution!” As Lenin pointedout, Kautsky was like a typical philistine, and the differencebetween a revolutionary Marxist and a philistine is that theMarxist has the courage “to prepare the proletariat and all thetoiling and exploited masses for it [revolution]”. 1 People canjudge for themselves whether or not Khrushchov and hisfollowers resemble the Kautsky type of philistine denouncedby Lenin.We have always held that the proletarian parties in the capitalistcountries must actively lead the working class and theworking people in struggles to oppose monopoly capital,to defend democratic rights, to improve living conditions, tooppose imperialist arms expansion and war preparations, todefend world peace and to give vigorous support to the revolutionarystruggles of the oppressed nations.In the capitalist countries which are subject to bullying,control, intervention and aggression by U.S. imperialism, theproletarian parties should raise the national banner of oppositionto U.S. imperialism and direct the edge of the massstruggle mainly against U.S. imperialism as well as againstmonopoly capital and other reactionary forces at home whichare betraying the national interests. They should unite allthe forces that can be united and form a united front againstU.S. imperialism and its lackeys.In recent years the working class and the working people inmany capitalist countries have been waging broad mass struggleswhich not only hit monopoly capital and other reactionaryforces at home, but render powerful support to the revolu-1V. I. Lenin, “The Proletarian Revolution and the Renegade Kautsky”,Selected Works, Eng. ed., FLPH, Moscow, 1952, Vol. II, Part 2, p. 103.394