The dissolution of the Soviet Union and the counterrevolutionary events in Eastern Europe in 1989-1991 marked the biggest blow to the international communist movement. Bourgeois thinkers, like the notorious Francis Fukuyama, predicted the “end of History”, as capitalism was emerging triumphantly victorious from the Cold War. Some Communist Parties were completely dissolved, others were incorporated into the emerging social democracy and many of them saw a dramatic shrink of their electoral influence.
The years that followed the foundation of the IMCWP and up to this day an important ideological and political battle on fundamental issues of Marxist-Leninist has been taking place within the international communist movement. Significant developments in world politics, such as the 2008 capitalist financial crisis, the rise of new global superpowers such as China and Russia and the imperialist confrontation in Ukraine contributed to the intensification of the ideological confrontation between Communist Parties.
A crucial issue of the above-mentioned ideological struggle is the erroneous and opportunist perception of the strategy of “stages” towards socialism which leads numerous Communist Parties to provide support, or even participate, directly or indirectly, to “left” and “progressive” bourgeois governments. Stemming from the failed current of Euro-communism, this strategy treats socialism as something so distant - if not impossible - and seeks solutions within the capitalist system thus resorting to political alliances and collaborations with parliamentary characteristics within the bourgeois political system. In this context, CPs ally with social democratic parties or even participate in “left” bourgeois governments, something that ultimately leads to the disarming of the labour movement, spreads disappointment to working class masses and undermines the role of the Communist Party itself.
The opportunist perception of the strategy of “stages” is inextricably linked to the deeply erroneous and dangerous conception of Imperialism that exists within the communist movement. The imperialist war in Ukraine, which flared up with the 2022 Russian invasion but with its roots going back to the western-backed Euromaidan coup in 2014, exposed a major ideological division in the communist camp.
As we have pointed out in previous articles, two major tendencies have been formed within the communist movement worldwide:
1. The first highlights the imperialist character of the war as a confrontation between two camps; the Euro-Atlantic bloc (USA, NATO, EU) and the newly formed Eurasian one (Russia, China),
2. The second tendency, based on the fallacious theory of “multi-polarity”, tends to support capitalist Russia under the pretext of “anti-NATO struggle”, denying the imperialist character of the war from both sides.
Based on the above ideological and political division, the 2022-2024 period marked a setback for the coherence within the international communist movement. In October 2022, a group of Communist Parties, in collaboration with social democrats, nationalists and other groups of dubious ideological origins, proceeded to the formation of the so-called “World Anti-Imperialist Platform” (WAP), a highly controversial amalgam of different political forces.
In September 2023, almost a year after the foundation of WAP, the erosive role of opportunism led to the termination of the activity of the European Communist Initiative (INITIATIVE), a group of Communist and Workers' Parties that existed since 2014. In a statement, the KKE pointed out that some parties of the INITIATIVE participated in WAP which “engages in fabricated provocative attacks against some parties of the Initiative and especially against the KKE”.
No more illusions
It isn't in the purposes of this article to elaborate extensively on the ideological and political division among the world's communist movement. What is important is to understand that such divisions lead to the confusion and disorientation of the working class masses in very critical times such as the ones we are currently experiencing, with the risk of a generalized world war being hanged over our heads as the sword of Damocles.
The divisions within the communist movement have been historically exploited by the ruling class and the bourgeois forces for the further consolidation of their power. The 20th Century history provides us with significant experience on how opportunism and social democracy tries to insidiously penetrate the communist movement and drive a wedge among Marxists-Leninists. Based on this experience the question that we must ask ourselves is the following: What is the future of Marxism-Leninism and how is the international communist movement going to respond to the contemporary and upcoming challenges?
If we had to summarize the major tasks of the communists today, these would be the following: a) Defend Marxism–Leninism in theory and practice, against revisionist distortions, b) Struggle against opportunism and reject the so-called “left” or “progressive” management of capitalism and any other variation of the strategy of stages, c) Research and draw lessons from problems and mistakes of the 20th Century's socialist construction, d) Create and maintain an ideological front against erroneous perceptions on imperialism, particularly those detaching its military aggression from its economic content (monopoly), e) Forge strong ties with the working class, within the trade union movement and the movements of the popular sections of the middle strata, include the daily struggle for workers’– people’s rights in a contemporary revolutionary strategy for workers’ power.
Today, the world's communist movement is at the crossroads; it will either overcome the current political stalemate and move forward or, sooner or later, will be shattered into pieces. There must be no illusions. In times of monopoly capitalism, where the exploitation of the working class is intensified and the inter-imperialist contractions lead to the slaughtering of peoples, there is one and only task: The revolutionary regroupment of the communist movement across the world.
The new year – 2025 – must mark a new milestone for the strengthening of the international communist movement through unity and comradeship, far from erosive, opportunist and factionist activities such as the ones we experienced in the previous years.
* Nikos Mottas is the Editor-in-Chief of In Defense of Communism.
