Ideologies and states: the socialist challenge

Ideologies and states: the socialist challenge The Extra-European World Term 1, week 9

Outline • Introduction: fourleaders • The Impact of the First World War • 2.TheSoviet Model • 3.TheCommunist International • 4. National Liberation and Social Revolution • 5. Cold War and Communism • 6. Conclusion and Outlook

Four leaders

Four leaders Mao Zedong (Mao Tse-tung) 1893-1976 Leader of Chinese communist party Kim Il-Sung 1912-1994 Leader of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea Fidel Castro 1926- Cuban leader of the 1959 revolution Secretary of the CCP Hồ Chí Minh 1890-1969 President of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam)

What do they have in common? • All leaders of extra-European communist parties • All leaders of communist states • All had exposure to the Western world • All were exposed to the world of agriculture • All had connections to the military

What do they have in common? • Nationalist tendencies, perhaps originating with experiences of colonial occupation in their youth • Leaders of politically isolated states • Cult of personality

Education • Why is education significant for understanding communism in the non-Western world? • European communism had his mass base in blue-collar workers (many of the leaders also came from the working class) • Extra-European support for communism came at the beginning from intellectuals • Much of the world was ruled by European colonial powers • Needed loyal bureaucrats to serve the colonial administration • Educated promising individuals at Oxford, the Sorbonne, Leiden • Questioned the relationship between metropolitan theories and domestic realities in their homelands, and demanded rights for their own homelands.

Liberalism to Marxism How did the transition from liberal nationalists to radical Marxists come about? Students of the history of relations between the first and the third worlds realised that capitalism was impoverishing the majority on a global scale. There seemed to be a connection between imperialism and capitalism, and it wasn’t working in favour of the majority of the population in the non-European world (see here Hilferding’s and Lenin’s views of the nature of imperialism) Socialism seemed to offer an alternative for understanding the relationship between imperialism and capitalism, and offer solutions Promising young bureaucrats returned home as flaming Marxists.

Impact of world war I Impact of the brutalities of the first World War: raised questions about how civilised Europe was and whether the Europeans were in any position to bring civilization to the rest of the world Indian soldiers convalesce outside the Royal Pavilion. Over fifty thousand volunteered to fight for Britain in the First World War. Image courtesy of the Royal Pavilion & Museums, Brighton & Hove.

Impact of world war I European administrators in the colonial world were recalled by their European governments, and replaced by native administrators. Were promised a great deal of independence and responsibility, but these promises were not kept in the interwar era. German East Africa, for example, had been under German colonial administration, but was placed under Belgian administration in 1920, known as Ruanda-Urundi. The Belgians used the indigenous power structure, so that the largely Tutsi ruling class controlled a mostly Hutu population. The anger at the oppression and misrule among the population focused on Tutsi elite rather than the distant colonial power.

Impact of world war I Peace Treaty Negotiations in Versailles in 1919. Woodrow Wilson offered self-determination of nations, but in practice their requests were denied. Chinese protesters during the May Fourth Uprising, 1919

Impact of world war I Peace Treaty Negotiations in Versailles in 1919. Woodrow Wilson offered self-determination of nations, but in practice their requests were denied. National intellectuals in colonies disappointed from victorious Western democracies – looking for alternatives Egyptian women demonstrating in the 1919 Revolution, precipitated by the British-ordered exile of nationalist leader Saad Zaghlûl

Joseph V. Stalin (1879-1953 Leon D. Trotsky (1879-1940) Permanent Revolution Socialism in one country

New Economic Policy (NEP) 1921-1928 • Free small trade • Expropriation of peasants stops, taxation • Small enterprises allowed • But… • State monopoly of foreign trade • Big industry nationalised • Leading role of the Communist Party (no other parties legal) • Party control of state, economy, army, secret police (Tcheka, GPU, OGPU, NKVD)

Democratic Centralism • State and party have hierarchic and centralistic structure • Leaders of party and state (on every hierarchical level) elected from bottom to top • Candidates for elections chosen “top-down” • Decisions by higher level binding for lower level • Minorities have to accept strict party discipline Authoritarian centralism, simulation of democracy

Stalin’s revolution from above 1929/30 • Industrialisation as precondition for building socialism not fast enough • Peasants do not sell their grain to the state if there is nothing to buy • Peasants (majority of population) and NEP backbone of capitalism – danger of restitution of capitalism • Danger of old specialists/bureaucrats • Foreign threat: fear of anti-Soviet united front of capitalist countries (with capitalist allies inside Soviet Union) • Aggravation of class struggle as socialism progresses Rapid industrialisation, forced collectivisation of agriculture, quick education of red specialists to replace old elites

Stalinist Terror • Forced collectivisation and dekulakisation 1928-1932 • Campaign against old specialists • Ukrainian famine • Great Terror 1936-1938 • Former members of other parties • People with contacts to foreign countries • Old Bolsheviks • Old political enemies of Stalin • Class enemies • National minorities Many groups targeted / millions of people sent to Soviet camps Hundreds of thousands executed

Leninism and Stalinism • Leninism – revolutionary, materialist ideology based on Marxism, permeating whole life: one party state, leading role of the party, dictatorship of proletariat, nationalised industry, planned economy, society based on an ideology claiming to be universally applicable, democratic centralism, monopoly of mass media, aims of revolution and socialism justify all means, other opinions are excluded, certain plurality in Bolshevik party accepted • Leninism + excessive use of force, rule of terror, cult of the leader (Stalin), system of camps, people with different views imprisoned or killed, general line of Party obligatory, no pluralism allowed inside Bolshevik party

Model for state building • Russian nationalism reconciled with socialism: Soviet patriotism • Soviet development: role model – only one path to socialism: dominant until 1950: war communism followed by New Economic Policy (with capitalist elements), collectivisation of agriculture accompanied by industrialisation with focus on heavy industry (ideological aim: creating working class – mass base for communism) • Soviet Army takes revolution to other countries (setting example for China, Cuba) • After Stalin’s death: return to more Leninist principles, camps dissolved, de-Stalinisation, more Leninist than Stalinist • Oppressive but no use of terror • Foreign policy: wars can be avoided (after invention of nuclear weapons)

The Communist International and the World Revolution • Founded 1919 in Moscow, basis (since 1920): Marxism-Leninism, membership only for revolutionary parties • Until 1929 Bolshevisation of communist parties, administered by Comintern centre in Moscow (under control of Bolshevik leadership) • Political line of Comintern determined by Bolshevik leadership, reflects ideological development of Bolshevik Party • General staff of world revolution • Discussions, for example, on: Are alliances with social-democratic parties possible, only from below, or also from above, or not even with rank-and-file social democrats as potential allies in fight for working class, international solidarity and revolution • 1928 Social fascism thesis: Comintern equates social-democratic parties with fascist parties; in fact, they are even more dangerous because they deceive working class, act in interest of capitalists

Comintern subordinated to interests of Soviet Union • Soviet Union – Fatherland of all workers • Defence of Soviet Union more important than revolution • Existence of Soviet Union most important factor in world revolution • 1935 VII World Congress of Comintern (after Hitler came to power) now so called Popular Front, in fight against fascism alliances not only with social- democratic parties possible, but also with moderate bourgeois parties: example: Spanish Civil War. • 1943 Comintern officially dissolved • 1947 Communist Information Bureau (Cominform) founded

Socialism in Asia and Africa A range of socialist and communist parties were founded after WWI. These included: Argentina, 1918 Great Britain, 1920 China, 1921 Cuba, 1921 South Africa, 1921 Japan, 1922 India, 1925 Vietnam, 1930

The Communist International and the ‘Peoples of the East’ 1920 Conference of Baku of the ‘Peoples of the East’, mostly from different parts of Soviet Union Colonised countries not yet ready for socialist revolution National Bourgeoisie of colonised countries is progressive because it is fighting for national liberation against imperialist powers and their local collaborators Communists in these countries should form alliance with nationalist organisations fighting for ‘national liberation’ After national liberation and successful de-colonisation communists have to fight against national bourgeoisie Imposed from Comintern and Moscow on Communist parties all over the world, often against the will of national communists Comintern and Soviet Union send advisors to different countries advising not only Communists but also nationalist organisations. Example China: Soviet military advisors help to strengthen Nationalist Party (GMD)

Socialism in Asia and Africa In May 1925, strikes broke out in a number of Chinese cities, and workers protested against the Japanese and British manufacturers. The Chinese Communist Party played a central role in these anti-British, nationalist strikes.

Impact of world war II Enforced the sense of weakness of the imperial powers (see what happened in France and Holland) Failed promises to colonial adminstrations led to protests and conflicts

Impact of world war II Enforced the sense of weakness of the imperial powers (see what happened in France and Holland) Failed promises to colonial administrations led to protests and conflicts Leader of the Indonesian National Party Achmed Sukarno (1902-70) demanding independence from the Netherlands in an undated photo. Indonesian independence from Dutch colonial rule was achieved in 1949 after a bloody struggle. (-/AFP/Getty Images)

Impact of world war II Enforced the sense of weakness of the imperial powers (see what happened in France and Holland) Failed promises to colonial adminstrations led to protests and conflicts On 8 May 1945, an uprising against the occupying French forces in the Algerian town of Sétif resulted in the deaths of 21 settlers, and killed perhaps as many as 40,000 Algerians.

Case studies: China Communist party in conflict with Chiang Kai-shek’s Nationalist Party (GMD) Comintern(advocated collaboration with and support for bourgeois parties such as the Chinese Nationalist Nationalist Party (GMD). Cooperation of Communist Party and GMD ends in disaster (for Communists), Chiang-Kai Shek (new leader of Nationalist Party turns in Shanghai against left GMD and Communists). In the year after this ‘incident’ in April 1927, up to 300,000 communists were killed. Cominterninsists (afterinvasion of Japan) on a renewal of thealliance CCP and Nationalist Party (GMD) formed United Front in 1931 against the invading Japanese forces. Location of the first Congress of the Chinese Communist Party in Shanghai, 1921

After events in Shanghai – new power base of Communist Party in provinces Jiangxi and Hunan – birthplace of People’s Liberation Army In Autumn 1934 attacked by Nationalist Army, Communist Army on legendary long march (October 1934 – October 1935) from Jiangxi to Shaanxi province. Communists again forced by Soviet leadership to cooperate with Nationalists Even after World War II Stalin did not expect socialist revolution in China, only reluctantly supports Mao when he turned against nationalists. Civil War between 1945 and 1949 led to 1949 CCP victory. Development of Mao Zedong-thought (emphasizing the revolutionary potential of the peasantry) In Marxist-Leninist-Mao Zedong thought, peasantry takes on the role of the proletariat

Note: • War as the pathway to revolution and the communist goal • Ongoing importance of Maoism • Based outside Peru

Case studies: CUBA Fidel Castro started as a radical nationalist who wanted self-determination for Cuba, at the beginning he was no communist Castro started out with socialist inclinations, and quite strong economic ties with the US 1959 Cuban Revolution, and turn to the SU Transforms Communist party into ruling party Che Guevara added a democratic socialist dimension

Communism, decolonisation and the Cold War I • After 1945 Eastern Europe becomes Communist: Beginning of Cold War • In Western Societies: Communist scare • Afraid of power of Soviet Union (atomic weapons and Sputnik shock) • Afraid of attraction of Communism inside Western Societies • McCarthyism in United States of America • Cambridge Five • Strength of Communist parties in Italy and France • Fear that more and more previous colonies would fall under Communist influence and become allies of Soviet Union • Unrest in Soviet camp: 1953 GDR, 1956: Poland and Hungary, 1968: Czechoslovakia

Communism, decolonisation and the Cold War II • But communist movement is no longer mono-centric: no longer just Soviet model: Yugoslavia, China, later Cuba • Soviet Union, China and Cuba different agendas – Soviet Union quite conservative since Khrushchev: peaceful coexistence with capitalism possible, reluctant to support communist insurgencies in Asia, Africa, South America • Korean war (1950-1953), Vietnam war (1956/65-1975) – successful and failed attempt to contain communism • Cuba takes over: Cuban military advisors and soldiers in Angola, helping communist insurgents against Portugal • In several Asian, African and South American states communist guerilla fighters fighting against ‘national bourgeoisie’ and against (mostly) American economic imperialism (United Fruit) – CIA organises coup d’états in several states to replace anti-imperialists with ‘friends’

Social-democratic parties completely embrace reformism (SPD 1959 eliminates any traces of Marxism in its programme) • New protest movements in 1960s • New left and student movements • Marxism inspires theorists and intellectuals (Sartre, Marcuse and others, also historians - Hobsbawm)

Fall of Communism in Eastern Europe 1989 ff • End of socialism or communism as an alternative to capitalism? • Some revival of socialist ideas in South America Evo Morales (Bolivia) and Hugo Chavez (Venezuela) • After financial crash sales of Das Kapital (Karl Marx) in Germany went up • Increasing gap between top earners and low earners in many ‘developed’ societies • Child labour, exploitation of workers in many ‘less developed’ countries • What will be the future of capitalism?

Red - socialism White - capitalism Neoconservatism Neoliberalism Welfare state liberalism Traditional conservatism Social democracy Ultraconservatism Democratic socialism Reform communism (market socialism) Fascism (National socialism) Totalitarian communism Socialism vs. Capitalism From: www.nmsu.edu/~govdept/students/Undergraduate/Ideologies-liberalism.ppt

Ideologies and states: the socialist challenge