Issues for clarification of our work as communists.
Evidently, the Chinese Revolution was a transcendental event in human history for several reasons. One of them was the immense masses it mobilized: 400 million people at first, and 800 million during the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution. China, a vast country with a long history of hard-fought struggles of the peasants and the people, was the scene of great conflicts on a world level, and also wars, for example, the Opium War in the early 40's of the last century. During the Cultural Revolution, an assessment of the long revolutionary process was made and it was concluded that Chinese history has been characterized by several armed struggles. On top of this process, emerged the Communist Party of China (CPC) and Chairman Mao, the third luminary of Marxism. All of these factors provided China with very special conditions, and the events that took place there shook the world.
I. THE CHINESE REVOLUTION Let's think about Democratic Revolution, and its essence as a revolution, as the overthrowing of one class by another, which is done with the People's War, with revolutionary violence. Think about this universal law, more so today, that they want to consider it obsolete. The Democratic Revolution in China is a paradigm, a prototype of revolution against imperialism, feudalism and bureaucratic capitalism. The Democratic Revolution inevitably leads us to the second revolution. Therefore, the Chinese Revolution not only makes us think about the Democratic Revolution, but about its uninterrupted continuation as a Socialist Revolution. In a country like ours [Peru], without a Democratic Revolution, the Socialist Revolution would not be possible. Chairman Mao taught us that the Socialist Revolution is a continuation of the Democratic Revolution. Furthermore, he stated that the Cultural Revolution is a continuation of the revolution under the dictatorship of the proletariat supported by a People's Army, capable of defending the New State which is based on the immense masses. He showed us very clearly that the main task of the revolution is the construction of socialism, which is a very complex process and requires a long time to be achieved. He told us that even we, as communists, still have not achieved a thorough understanding of the laws of socialism and to do so takes a long time. He taught us that the construction of socialism requires a sharp and violent class struggle of two roads confronting each other. These are the capitalist road and the socialist road, and it was not clear which side was going to win. But in perspective he never had doubts that socialism will win. In concrete terms, he said that in order to achieve the dictatorship of the proletariat, an acute class struggle lies ahead.
He taught us that socialism requires the support of the immense masses: the peasantry, proletariat and the people, in order to generate new modalities of life, and not repeat the old capitalist ways which were torn down by the revolution. This phenomenon still posed a potential risk that can undermine the socialist road. He established that during the construction of socialism, the class struggle continues and that the center of contention is the dictatorship of the proletariat, supported by the immense masses.
Furthermore, the Chinese Revolution has shown the need for the Cultural Revolution, and that the revolution demanded a relentless struggle, that was necessary to continue under the dictatorship of the proletariat. Obviously, the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution is an epic song of the worldwide revolution, a victorious stage for worldwide communists and revolutionaries, and an indelible fact. While it is a process that we will eventually face, that revolution taught us great lessons that we already apply as guidance, such as, for example, the issue of change of ideology as a fundamental factor for the class to conquer power.
In addition to the above two issues, the Chinese Revolution showed us how the revolution takes place within a process of restoration and counter restoration (a contradiction with two aspects.) No class takes power all at once, but restoration presents itself. Therefore, there must be a constant battle for counter restoration until the time the class is definitively entrenched in power. The proletariat has already traveled most of the distance on this road.
Thus, the Chinese Revolution calls upon us to think about Democratic Revolution, the Socialist Revolution, the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution and the processes of restoration and counter restoration, which in essence, is the permanent revolution. Marx said that's the persistent march of the class is to enter communism as it goes through the dictatorship of the proletariat.
Today, more than ever, we must raise communism as the future reality to which we march inexorably, the necessary march toward our final goal. But we must pass through stages and processes that are very difficult, and each stage generates new problems which are more difficult to solve. But as communists we possess the necessary strength to overcome them. And to begin with, we have a powerful ideology. We reaffirm, then, that Communism is the goal that the class, the proletariat, must arrive at, no matter how many difficulties it must go through. The problems we see today, the restoration in China, and the USSR, do not negate that goal, but merely show how long and complex the process of the march to Communism is. Today, when the alleged obsolescence of Communism is preached, let's firmly uphold the Chinese Revolution, and that our Party, as part of the world revolution, must accomplish its goal: Communism.
We have illustrated above the meaning of the Chinese Revolution and the role of Chairman Mao.
It is the decisive question, as Chairman Mao taught, the ideological-political line decides everything, and our ideology is one: Marxism-Leninism-Maoism, mainly Maoism. This is not the time nor is there a reason to draw here an outline on Marxism. Of interest to us is how the ideology of the proletariat, as manifested reality, develops itself by leaps and stages. It had Marxism as a first stage, Leninism as a second stage, and Maoism as the third, greatest and highest expression. Thus, we see as communists that Marxism is an irresistibly dynamic force, alive and vibrant, in full development. Many fools have declared it dead, only to later see Marxism developing even further, thus, refuting their empty talks. They said the same thing during Marx's time, similarly in Lenin's time and today. It should not surprise us then that today some charlatans claim to have buried Marxism. Maoism faces sinister and treacherous attacks precisely, because it is the highest concept of humanity.
II. MAOISM. However, as we have been reaching higher stages in the ideology of the communist parties, it is when it is attacked, and negated as obsolete. But all the noise about the obsolescence of Marxism is (and this is very important): The prologue of a new development of Marxism. That's the way it was at the time of Marx and Lenin. Maoism, is the highest scientific ideology. Consequently, it's the highest transforming reality; emerging from matter, and material expression, because the spirit is but a form of matter. We have received, then, the highest ideology of humanity: Maoism.
We must reaffirm ourselves in the great Party slogan of 1979: uphold, defend, and apply Marxism-Leninism-Maoism, mainly Maoism! (readjusted, since at the time we used to say Mao Tse-tung Thought); more so today, when some pretend to negate it. Futile dreams!
Maoism is a new ideology, and whatever is new, has never been readily accepted but imposed in a hard struggle by the proletarian leadership in the revolution under the Communist Parties. To Lenin, Marxism is the tree of life and idealism is nothing more than a parasite. So the idealism preached today is but a rotten parasite. We are convinced of the greatness of Maoism, and how much we owe to Maoism. Without it, we would not be together here. There would not be the People's War and so forth. And this People's War would not be a vigorous flame imposing itself against tide and storm as is today.
Maoism is supreme to the international proletariat and the people of the world, and consequently, the task of struggling to put it as command and guide of the world revolution is still valid. It imposes itself as a necessity. Let us think about the immense power of Maoism, and all its potential. It is capable of arming the proletariat and the people. Chairman Mao used to say that in difficult times, we should think of our powerful ideology, and now we have Maoism. It was rightfully said in the past, that the proletariat had a weapon more powerful than the atomic weapon: Mao Tse-tung Thought.
So, let us reaffirm ourselves that Maoism is the most glorious summit.
It is clear that revisionists carry their program out in collusion with world reaction and imperialism. This is because the interests of both imperialism and revisionism converge.
III. THE REVISIONIST COUNTERREVOLUTIONARY OFFENSIVE WAGED BY GORBACHEV AND TENG IN THE WORLD. It is also clear to us what the sinister and treacherous character of Gorbachev's and Teng's new offensive entails. They deny the most elemental questions of Marxism. Thus, the Chinese revisionists, Teng's accomplices, allege that capitalism has four moments: embryonic, primary, secondary, and advanced; and that after World War II, capitalism would have reached its highest stage. Therefore, they deny Lenin's central thesis on imperialism. Further, they say that capitalism is far from being obsolete, and it has sufficient strength to solve its problems. Writers in the international press contend that the world capitalism system, U.S. imperialism, is proving Marx's theses wrong. They claim that Marx was essentially mistaken in saying that capitalist overproduction generates crises, and if so, these crises are manageable and by no means shows the obsolescence of the system. At the same time, however, they do not deny that crises are possible, as the ones generated by mismanaged overproduction. As we can see, they contradict themselves. But, what we are interested here is to show how the Chinese revisionists and the imperialists collude to negate Marxism.
On the role of the Church. An entrepreneur of the big bourgeoisie, tied to U.S. imperialism, said recently that the Peruvian economic process will necessarily lead to an explosive situation, and therefore to curb such explosiveness, it is already implementing plans with the Catholic Church. Precisely, Community in Action, administered by Caritas, is part of these plans to contain the revolution and trafficking with the hunger of the masses. In China today, it has been said that the new role of the Church must be considered, and in socialism it can no longer be said that religion is the opium of the people. This is an open denial of Marx, which is used by the revisionists under the tale that this was stated by Marx before Marxism came up with a scientific explanation of the role of religion. And on this issue, we also see how revisionism coincides with reaction. To us, the role of the Church is clear. As we have proposed earlier, we make a clear distinction between the class interests of the Church's hierarchy and the religious fervor of the people. Besides, no one forgets the wrathful ultimatum the Pope gave us: "Change your attitude . . . do not disobey law and order," while blessing the reactionary armed forces [Editor's note: visit of the Pope to Ayacucho-Peru, 1989.] The Pope goes wherever the imperialists face problems, and he fulfills a counterrevolutionary role. Poland is another example.
So, revisionism is showing specific forms in its negation of Marxism, a negation that evolves its own death and disintegration.
The Party contends that the time for the big battle to defend Marxism at all levels will eventually come, and that its time has arrived today. It is the moment to defend Marxism-Leninism-Maoism, principally Maoism. The present moment demands that we must study in depth the nature of revisionism, in the same way we study the enemy, because we are in war with it. We must analyze and smash it and show its monstrous character before the whole world. Our objective is to denounce how Marxism is denied by the revisionists, imperialists and world reaction, all acting in collusion.
On the economic level, they hold the view that capitalism has found a solution to its problems, and therefore, it is not doomed. They want to make the people of the world, the proletariat, believe that capitalism is here forever. Politically, they attempt to fool the people as well. How stupid it is to contend that the bourgeois dictatorship is not marching to its ruin, that the bourgeoisie is not obsolete, but has entered its rejuvenation, to the perpetuation of the bourgeois dictatorship! Ideologically, they preach the actuality of idealism patched up by religion, mainly the Catholic faith, which is the most superstitious, the most deceitful and the most reactionary religion.
Therefore, armed by Maoism, which is a summit of Marxism, the People's War, and the Party mobilizing the masses, we will expose and crush each of these fabrications and our main objective is to serve the advance of the world revolution.
It is a Marxist-Leninist-Maoist, Gonzalo Thought, PCP. The Communist Party and the People's War it leads are living proof of the vitality and invincibility of Marxism, of Marxism-Leninism-Maoism, principally Maoism. That's our primary responsibility. Hence, we must develop the People's War, so it will continue to show to all the vigorous power of Maoism, and conquer power in all the country.
IV. THE PCP. The conquest of power will be achieved because we are in a key location of Latin America in this time of history, as compared with Asian and African countries, and Peru faces the harshest economical, political, and ideological crisis. It is a general crisis of bleak perspective in the near future. Today, for example, while Asia has an economic growth of more than 9%, Africa 3%, the poor countries of Europe, Northern Africa and the Middle East 2.5%; the growth for Latin American countries is about 1% only, and the high rate of population growth continues.
Let us think about the role of the PCP, and what the conquest of power nationwide implies, and its historic significance. Facts show how the reactionaries themselves are repeating today what the Party had established earlier. For instance, reaction would face the accumulation of two decades of crisis, which was confirmed by themselves. We must seriously take into account the plans of U.S. imperialism. Bush said [Editor's Note: Clinton continues the same foreign policy initiatives of Bush] he would fight against the production of coca. Peru is the main producer, Bolivia the second and Colombia the third, that is true. But where is the U.S. government aiming its own counterrevolutionary war? To the Andean countries, which are the backbone of Latin America, especially of South America. And, where is the place in which the People's War is raging? Peru. It is the leadership of the Party and the actions of the masses that make this reality possible. So, they aim their blows against us. What implication(s) does this have? It leads to the development of the contradiction between nation and imperialism, mainly U.S. imperialism, without overlooking the role of the other superpower and powers. It implies a change of contradiction. We must not forget that other countries may be used, too; and within this perspective, Brazil is seeking an opening to the Pacific through the ports of Matarani and ILO. This would have serious consequences, especially for the Southern portion of our country. There are also reports that the Peruvian state is getting closer to Chile and distancing its relations with Bolivia. The direct Yankee's aggression, or indirect by the use of puppets, will take us to a war of liberation. Despite the sacrifice and effort, this magnificent perspective would demand that we unite 90% of the Peruvian people, at the time when the Party is forging the conquest of power nationwide. The triumph of the Peruvian revolution will overcome these harsh conditions.
Finally, imperialism dreams that by means of a direct invasion the revolution will be defeated. In such a case, this period would be the most difficult, complex, and bloody. It will move the people toward victory, emancipation of the class, and to the world proletarian revolution, and most decisively, will put Marxism-Leninism-Maoism, principally Maoism, in command of the world revolution.
Chairman Mao used to say: Only by storms can the world be changed. The Chinese Revolution is the most powerful encouragement that we have to fulfill the tasks of the Party, and assume the place that history has assigned to us!
Note: Speech by President Gonzalo at the meeting of leaders and cadres on the 40th Anniversary of the Chinese Revolution. September 30, 1989.
Translated, reproduced and distributed by Peru People's Movement (MPP) and The New Flag.