NDFP Theoretical Conference Documentation Committee
November 2024
Introduction
The third international theoretical conference convened by the NDFP was held little more than a year since the first theoretical conference, and also more than one year into the intensification of the struggle of the Palestinian people against the Zionist-backed genocide in Gaza. It was an opportune moment to examine in more detail national liberation movements (NLM) and the theories that underpin them.
The conference was particularly interested in hearing from NLMs under leadership of a proletarian party, the struggle of nation-states asserting their independence, and the continuing relevance of the national question in advanced capitalist countries.
Held over two days from November 29-30, 2024, the conference brought together 114 participants from 19 countries, representing and 57 proletarian-socialist parties, national liberation movements, and anti-imperialist organizations.
This synthesis incorporates information from eleven submissions and two open fora discussions. Major themes uncovered during the conference proceedings were:
- The development of the theory of struggles for national liberation;
- The history of national liberation struggles in the era of imperialism;
- National liberation through people’s democratic revolution (PDR) with proletarian leadership;
- Struggles of nation-states assertive of their independence;
- The continued relevance of the national question in advanced capitalist countries;
- The international support for the Palestinian national liberation struggle;
- The role and necessity of communist parties in leading/actively participating in national liberation struggles; and
- Prospects and tasks for NLMs in the era of imperialism.
In addition, there were several standalone points which were not taken up for substantial discussion, but which are interesting to note for future exchanges.
1. Development of the theory of struggles for national liberation
As laid out by the conference concept paper and further detailed in the keynote paper by the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), the conceptual basis of revolutionary nationalism and the theory of struggles for national liberation have long been integral to the question of proletarian revolution, from the time of Marx and Engels and further developed through the theoretical contributions and practical victories of Lenin, Stalin, and Mao.
In particular, Lenin’s formulation of the right of nations to self-determination and the achievement of the Russian Revolution were widely cited among the interventions of conference participants as a historical moment from which many national liberation movements draw their lessons. Among these is the lesson of the February Revolution detailed by the Türkiye Komünist Partisi – Marksist Leninist (TKP-ML) that bourgeois democratic revolutions of the old type are incapable of providing a resolution to the national question; from this lesson, many of the inputs assert that national aspirations can only be realized through a socialist revolution.
The CPP was joined by several others in highlighting the theoretical contributions of Stalin in building on Lenin’s work on the national question and the importance of supporting the right of national liberation movements to free themselves from foreign domination.
Not all presenting organizations situated their movements within the framework of national liberation struggles as defined by Lenin and Stalin and understood by Marxist-Leninist (ML) parties, though their movements still contribute objectively to the defeat of the imperialist system. The Kurdish struggle for autonomy as presented by the Kurdish Women’s Movement (KWM) is such an example.
Importantly, tracing the history of movements for national liberation or national self-determination from the epoch of bourgeois democratic revolutions to the era of socialist revolutions against imperialism, as described by the CPP, TKP-ML, the Organisation Marxiste Léniniste du Sénégal (OMLS), among others, reminds participants that there is a rich continuity of practice and theory that have led to the understanding of national liberation movements from imperialism in the current period.
2. The history of national liberation struggles in the era of imperialism
The history of national liberation struggles in the era of imperialism, is described by the keynote as a period of shifting power balances, and ebbs and flows in revolutionary movements around the world.
The first half of the 20th century was characterized by a wave of anti-colonial struggles in which emerging communist parties played a leading or active role, energized by the strengthening of the Socialist camp. The Soviet Union under Lenin and Stalin, and China under Mao, for example, upheld a policy of proletarian internationalism that extended the support of socialist states and the world’s proletariat to oppressed nations.
Post-WWII saw the shift in US imperialist foreign policy from violent opposition to national liberation movements playing out primarily as wars of aggression and direct colonial rule, to semi-colonial/neocolonial rule through financial and politico-military mechanisms such as the IMF-WB and NATO, and puppet regimes as well, which continue to act as agents of US imperialism in these countries today.
These geopolitical shifts, from the rise of US hegemony as the predominant world imperialist power, to the rise, and subsequent betrayal, of socialism by modern revisionism in the USSR and China, influenced the development of national liberation movements in different ways. These movements then needed to negotiate these drastic realignments in the balance of power.
The rise of modern revisionism in the USSR and intensifying competition between the USSR and the US motivated the USSR to offer support to anti-colonial struggles around the world in an effort to expand its sphere of influence. The victory of the Indochinese people in 1975, for example, while mainly the result of their own tremendous efforts and sacrifices, also enjoyed the support of other anti-US states, including the USSR.
From the 1980s onwards, the dismantling of the socialist system and subsequent restoration of capitalism in China led to its integration into the world capitalist system as an emerging partner of the US.
The loss of internationalist support that had been extended to national liberation movements during Mao’s China was a sobering lesson for NLMs regarding the need for self-reliance.
In this period, neoliberal globalization intensified the lopsided and exploitative economic conditions in neo-colonies, spurring popular resistance and fueling the rise of national liberation movements. Neoliberal globalization created the conditions for the current multipolar world order and the rise of Russia and China as rivals to the US, though there was a common understanding shared by the conference participants that the most vicious, antagonistic, and belligerent imperialist force remains the US.
Against the backdrop of these changing dynamics, revolutionary struggles for national liberation led by communist parties and anti-imperialist forces continued around the world, even amidst intensifying repression.
In the current period, characterized by intensifying inter-imperialist contradictions and heightened exploitation due to chronic crisis, the need to wage struggles for national liberation remains critical, not only to resist the wars of intervention and aggression carried out by US imperialism and its allies, but also for national liberation movements to seize their own destiny and strike a blow to imperialism for their own freedom.
In order to share and discuss the experiences of national liberation movements currently being waged around the world, the theoretical conference invited submissions based on three main themes: national liberation movements with proletarian leadership, the struggles of nation-states assertive of their independence, and the continuing relevance of the national question in advanced capitalist countries.
3. National liberation through people’s democratic revolution, with proletarian leadership
The history and experience of the past century have provided movements currently waging struggles for national liberation with a wealth of theoretical and practical lessons that reiterate the validity of Marxist-Leninist principles on the national question.
By thoroughly understanding the historical development of national liberation struggles and the theories that underpin them, national liberation movements with proletarian leadership are able to study and apply Marxist-Leninist-Maoist (MLM) theory to their own concrete conditions, formulating the strategies and tactics appropriate to their particular contexts.
The conference keynote pays particular attention to the form of national liberation struggle being waged in countries that are “colonial, semi-colonial, semi-feudal, or otherwise under imperialist domination,” that of new democratic revolution, a model of social transformation successfully employed by Mao as a preparatory stage on the path to socialism.
For those proletarian parties in attendance who are playing a leading role in their country’s new democratic revolutionary struggles for national liberation, such as in the Philippines, Senegal, Colombia, and Nepal, their aim is to overthrow imperialist domination and the ruling class of big comprador bourgeoisie and landlords that act as local agents of imperialism, as a precursor for total social transformation towards socialism. Against these main enemies, the basic alliance of the workers and peasants must build unity with the petty bourgeoisie, and even the national bourgeoisie who can become positive forces against imperialist oppression.
The backwards conditions in these countries are favorable for waging armed struggle through protracted people’s war. Alongside armed struggle, these movements also recognize the importance of employing other tactics in order to advance their revolutionary goals, such as legal mass movements, parliamentary struggle and peace negotiations.
The primary demand of the people’s democratic revolution in these countries, which are predominantly rural, with a majority population of peasants, is resolving the land question. The issue of land is also of vital importance to those national liberation movements suffering under the yoke of settler colonialism, as in Palestine and Cyprus.
While underscoring the importance of proletarian leadership for national liberation movements, the keynote acknowledges the reality of the current situation, where only a small number of communist parties are capable leading the national liberation struggles in their own countries. In some cases communist parties may participate in these struggles as part of a multitude of forces, or the composition of the resistance lacks independent proletarian representation entirely.
The absence or minority participation of proletarian leadership within national liberation movements does not, however, negate the potential and actual positive, anti-imperialist character and contributions of these movements within the world proletarian revolution. This principle, clarified by Lenin and Stalin is held in wide agreement among the conference participants.
There was considerable space given to discussions on the Kurdish question and the situation of nations whose territories have been carved up and divided by colonization and imperialism, and whose nation now spans multiple states. The substance of these discussions revolve around how Kurdish and other such movements understand their history and analyze their current conditions in navigating the complex decisions around the strategies and tactics they should employ, the alliances that they determine to be to their advantage during certain stages of their revolutionary process, and the democratic participation of the masses that inform these decisions.
4. Struggles of nation-states assertive of their independence
The keynote maintains that the struggle of national liberation movements against US imperialism is closely linked to the defense of countries that are assertive of their national independence and the socialist cause. This dialectic is representative of the fourth major contradiction in the world today as identified by the CPP.
These countries include Cuba, Venezuela, North Korea (DPRK), Iran, Syria, as well as some countries with participants in attendance like Nicaragua and Eritrea.
These countries still face interference from imperialist powers (primarily the US) in the form of economic and political sanctions, propaganda, and both overt and covert actions to sap international support to these countries and to try to foment dissensions favorable to imperialism. In order to counter these interventions, nations asserting their independence rely on mobilizing the masses and the mass base that was built up in the past. This is vital to remaining self-reliant economically and culturally, in order to prevent the “return” of elements detrimental to the nation’s independence. One example of this is the situation presented by Nepalese comrades of their country.
Countries where NLMs have already won decisive victories must guard against the reassertion of neocolonial control through the comprador big bourgeoisie, who remain puppets of US imperialism, in the main. This class exerts internal pressures and act as a conduit for the maintenance of imperialist domination, weakening the country from within while the nation is subjected to a host of external socio-economic and politico-military sanctions and subversive tactics aimed at restricting national development and industrialization. Defending their achievements against counter-revolutionary resistance by big comprador-landlord forces is a central task of nations asserting national independence.
This speaks to the correctness of the concept of the two-stage revolution as elucidated by Lenin, Stalin, Mao and others. How does an NLM transition to power, how does it understand and analyze the changing nature and remaining contradictions within its given society, and how does it proceed with a more thorough social transformation? The way an NLM answers these questions is dependent on their understanding of their nation’s changing class structure, as was exemplified by the presentation on the current state of Nicaraguan society.
The experiences of these countries provides many lessons for NLMs. The factors leading to the success of the Eritrean revolution, for example, such as clarity of line, commitment to economic independence, avoidance of dogmatism, revolutionary pride and patriotism, and commitment to peaceful coexistence, can inform and support national liberation movements in breaking free of the world imperialist system.
5. The continuing relevance of the national question in advanced capitalist countries
Critical to the advancement of anti-imperialist unity is the solidarity extended to national liberation movements by the class-conscious proletariat in advanced capitalist countries.
Several papers, including those from TKP-ML, CPP, and People’s Resource for International Solidarity and Mass Mobilization (PRISMM), call on the workers of imperialist countries to, at every opportunity, expose and denounce the oppressive and exploitative actions of the reactionary state representing their nation. Those members of dominant nations in multinational states must likewise defend the right to self-determination on behalf of the oppressed nationalities within their countries.
Conference interventions from those organizations located in advanced capitalist/imperialist countries were in agreement as to the internationalist duty of the proletariat in Sweden, the US, Germany, and Italy. Solidarity with those movements waging struggles for national liberation was a shared principle, as was the necessity of building a revolutionary movement within their country capable of opposing and defeating the local ruling class. This opposition includes exposing and fighting against the chauvinism of the bourgeois states and the international imperialist machineries their countries participate in or support, such as NATO. The attendants active in areas with a Kurdish population such as Turkey (KWM, Marksist-Leninist Komünist Partisi [MLKP] and TKP-ML), as well as representatives from Eritrea and Cyprus, have notably pointed out the roles chauvinism and ethnonatoinalism play in sowing divisions among the proletariat and people of different nationalities living in the same territories.
The keynote calls on the proletariat everywhere to learn and draw inspiration from successful national liberation struggles and people’s wars being waged around the world, an appeal answered by the response of the Kommunistischer Aufbau, adding that part of their international solidarity is not to dictate to movements on the forefront of the anti-imperialist struggle about what character or form that resistance should take.
One aspect of the continuing relevance of the national question in advanced capitalist countries that the concept paper aimed to solicit responses for was the situation and experiences of those countries where national minorities have asserted their right to self-determination. The lack of papers responding to this point of interest indicate the need for more study and analysis, which can hopefully be discussed and shared in future opportunities.
6. The international support for the Palestine national liberation struggle
Without exception, the just cause and steadfast resistance of the Palestinian people against the onslaught of US-backed Zionist terror have been applauded and upheld by the conference participants, who believe that supporting the Palestinian movement is the proletariat’s revolutionary duty in the global struggle to dismantle imperialism and its systems of domination.
Anti-imperialist unity continues to forge broad international support for the national liberation struggle of the peoples of Palestine and neighboring countries, who have been subjected to historical oppression and genocidal war by Israel backed by imperialist powers such as the United States.
Many organizations spoke of the interconnectedness of the Palestinian struggle and their own nation’s national liberation movement. For some it was not only the shared hunger for freedom and justice that connects the Palestinian cause to their own, but also the cooperation of their own reactionary governments with the machinations of the Zionist entity.
It is the duty of national liberation movements and progressive forces to direct their condemnation towards US imperialism as the common enemy, including exposing the barrage of imperialist lies vilifying the Palestine resistance,justifying the genocide, and escalating imperialist meddling.
7. The role and necessity of communist parties in leading/actively participating in national liberation struggles
It had already been recognized in Lenin’s time that the leading role or presence of proletarian elements is not an absolute requirement for a national liberation movement to strike blows against imperialism and political reaction, a point echoed in several interventions. However, many papers underscored the fact that history has proven that proletarian parties are able to successfully rise to the challenges faced by national liberation movements in the process of waging revolution.
Stalin, in expanding on Lenin’s conceptualization of the national question, emphasized the integral role of a proletarian party in waging revolution. Building on that basic principle, the keynote stressed that the proletariat as a class has the duty, and should develop its ability, to unite the other positive classes and national forces within the scope of their struggle with a clear perspective of socialist revolution. Without this, the aspiration for national liberation becomes exclusively espoused by the petit bourgeoisie and national bourgeoisie or a small bureaucratic elite who share the desire for national sovereignty in line with their class interest.
Proletarian parties are versed in the theory and practice of MLM, and can apply these basic principles to an analysis of their concrete conditions in order to determine the correct ideological, political, and organizational line for their organization at the particular stage in their development. It can use these tools to determine the strategy and tactics that are appropriate for their movement. Without these, a movement could be led astray by the bourgeois or unremolded elements within their organization. They must hereby remain vigilant to the dangers of opportunism and reformism to ensure that the revolution stays its course to resolve these contradictions, including those involving the national question.
Proletarian parties have the ideological and organizational practice of assessment, summing up, criticism and self-criticism, and rectification to address errors, learn from past mistakes, and elevate theory to higher levels based on practice. They also update their social investigations, class analysis and theoretical studies.
The reflections on behalf of those organizations who have already amassed many years of experience waging revolution are evidence of how these tools result in improved practice.
8. Prospects and tasks for National Liberation Movements from imperialism
The current period is a moment ripe for the advance of national liberation movements due to the sharpening contradictions and crises which NLMs and other revolutionary movements should take advantage of. Still, there are shortcomings in ideology, politics and organization among revolutionary forces and it behooves them to combat these towards victory. In doing so, it is important to study and apply MLM by understanding the contradictions in their own society, identifying these positive class and national forces and setting a political line on how to create revolutionary change.
In light of this, the keynote made the salient points for revolutionary forces to take inspiration from successful NLMs and to seriously prepare for armed struggle at the earliest possible moment. The worsening imperialist crisis has ripened conditions to wage national liberation struggles. Recognizing that the imperialist crisis further heightened contradictions, many participating parties stressed the necessity and urgency for revolutionary armed struggle. NLMs and participants are urged to remember that there is a strong demand for liberation from imperialism and that no matter how intense the repression, this has not extinguished “the flames of revolution.” When the masses are able to utilize their strength, it will be impossible to match.
9. Additional points for further study
The papers and discussions uncovered other points that were not taken up widely but that could serve as springboards for further study and discussion. These include such questions and topics as: How are NLMs handling/affected by the climate crisis that is being exacerbated by imperialism? The place and importance of women’s liberation and the abolition of patriarchy as a fundamental capitalist relationship of exploitation. The concept of indigenous nationhood and the struggles of indigenous peoples/national minorities within settler colonies, and the role of settler colonialism in oppression by imperialist powers. Anti-scientific culture and destruction of the forces of production in decaying monopoly capitalism.