There are a number of ‘’Independent’’ news networks, operating on the internet. This is to say that they are not part of the mainstream press, not owned by the monopoly corporations. These are referred to as ‘’Leftist’’ news outlets.
One of these news outlets is known as ‘’BreakThrough News’’. It recently posted an article titled ‘’US Imperialism In Crisis? Century of Bullying Boomerangs Into Resistance On All Fronts’’.
It is an interesting report, and appears to be presented quite sincerely, but contains a number of serious theoretical errors. As it is quite likely that those who are just now becoming politically active, are likely to read it, those mistakes should be pointed out.
The journalist is clearly concerned with that which she refers to as ‘’genocide in Gaza’’, committed by the ‘’American Vassal state of Israel’’. She then raised the question, ‘’Is the fierce resistance of the people of Gaza a sign of an imperialist system in crisis?…What are the characteristics and contradictions of this US led imperialist order?…Here to discuss this is …an assistant professor of law …and long time activist, and a scholar of critical race theory, with a focus on US imperialism and its impact on domestic law. Her forthcoming book, is called, ‘Imperialism, An American Story’’.
After that glowing introduction, the hostess stated that she wanted to talk about US led imperialism. ‘’What are the characteristics of modern day, US led imperialism? Is this a system in crisis, if so, why?’’
That is a good question, but the answer was at best, confused. The distinguished ‘’Guest’’ answered, by pointing out the particular method of rule, by the American imperialists, as opposed to the method of rule, of other empires. She then proceeded to point out that American imperialism tends to rule through proxy, or’’vassal states’’. These ‘’execute the American agenda, in order to get control of a particular land and its resources’’. She further stated that, in her opinion, ‘’Israel is the most important vessel state, the military arm, the proxy’’, and that the ‘’Gaza War was that of colonialism’’. This was followed by a reference to ‘’Islands’’, which she thought was of great significance. Although that is doubtful, none of this has anything to do with the question!
After this confusing statement, she did manage to get to something specific. In particular, she referred to the ‘’originator and forefather of the intellectual history of anti imperialist thought’’, that of Lenin. This was promptly followed by more confusion, in that she said Lenin wrote ‘’Imperialism, the Last Stage of Capitalism’’. In fact, the title of the book is Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism.
The incorrect title of the book, is rather incidental to her main point of confusion, in which she stated that, Lenin wrote, ‘’In the second paragraph of his volume, because of Czarist censorship, his analysis of imperialism is largely theoretical, and focused on economics. Because of censorship, he cannot speak of politics the way it should be spoken about, with regards to imperialism. So what came from that, all of the great anti imperialist thinkers since then, have focused quite a bit on economics, and militarism as well. But the question of politics, and of the politics that under gird the imperialist project, that is receiving less attention, by the great thinkers. The American imperialist project relies heavily on politics. It would not be able to dominate the world through the dollar without politics, or use foreign aid to coerce foreign nations to do what it wants, without politics, and that has a lot to do with race and racial ideology, in addition to a host of other things. And Lenin, in that second paragraph, also talks about the law, and he cannot talk about legal system. The ICC is a political institution, among others that are upholding imperialism, and this has also not been given a lot of attention, the role of the law in upholding imperialism’’.
This is nothing other than an absolute muddle. In fact, the ‘’second paragraph of the volume’’, to which she is referring, was not written by Lenin. That ‘’second paragraph’’ was almost certainly the second paragraph of the introduction, written by an editor, to the volume written by Lenin.
This particular editor collected a number of key works of Lenin, and published them in one volume, titled The Essential Works of Lenin. That same individual then wrote an introduction to the article by Lenin, titled Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism. In the second paragraph, of that introduction, he stated that, ‘’The book was written for open, legal publication in Russia; Lenin had Tsarist censorship in mind and devised means to circumvent it’’.
It is very likely that the Guest confused this introduction, by an editor, with that which was written by Lenin. She then proceeded to express her opinion that, ‘’because of Czarist censorship’’, Lenin did not ‘’speak of politics the way it should be spoken about’’.
This is nothing other than a distortion of one of the revolutionary theories of Lenin. In particular, she maintains that Lenin did not ‘’speak of politics’’ properly.
In his work State And Revolution, Lenin warned against such attacks on Marxist revolutionary theory: ‘’This is how history is written! This is how a great revolutionary doctrine is imperceptibly falsified and adapted to prevailing philistinism!’’
The opinion of this distinguished Guest, is merely one more example of a revolutionary theory being ‘’falsified’’, ‘’adapted to prevailing philistinism’’. She based this falsification upon the writing of an editor, whom she confused with Lenin!
It is entirely possible that the Guest was sincere, in her misunderstanding of that which she thought Lenin wrote. But an honest mistake remains a mistake. That mistake was compounded by going ‘’on the air’’, and propagating it!
In conclusion, BreakThrough News deserves credit for raising the question of American imperialism, especially as it relates to the War in Gaza. Yet to bring in a Guest who has no idea of what she is talking about, can lead only to ‘’falsification’’ of revolutionary theory. Such a correct revolutionary theory, of Marx and Lenin, has to be clarified, not falsified!
This is all the more reason for working people to read Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism, by Lenin. In that book, workers will find the answer to the question raised by the Hostess of BreakThrough News, that of the ‘’characteristics of imperialism’’, and not just American imperialism.
As Lenin pointed out, capitalism reached the stage of monopoly, at around the beginning of the twentieth century. It was the capitalists who noticed a change in the manner of ‘’doing business’’, and coined the term of ‘’imperialism’’.
The capitalists did not understand these changes, nor did they care. They cared only about the fact that they were making huge profits.
It was Lenin who conducted an extensive investigation, of capitalism in its new, non competitive stage of monopoly, referred to as imperialism. Based on that investigation, Lenin came to a few conclusions:
‘’The question as to whether it is possible to reform the basis of imperialism, whether to go forward to the aggravation of the antagonisms which it engender, or backwards, towards allaying these antagonisms, is a fundamental question in the critique of imperialism. As a consequence of the fact that the political features of imperialism are reaction all along the line, and increased national oppression, resulting from the oppression of the financial oligarchy and the elimination of free competition, a democratic petty bourgeois opposition has been rising against imperialism, in almost all imperialist countries, since the beginning of the twentieth century’’.
It is very likely that the ‘’Guest’’ represents a member of the ‘’petty bourgeois opposition’’, against imperialism. Her criticism, to the effect that ‘’Lenin did not speak of politics the way it should be spoken about’’, was very likely a reference to his statement that ‘’the political features of imperialism are reaction all along the line’’.
She is determined to ‘’reform the basis of imperialism’’, to ‘’go backwards, towards allaying these antagonisms’’, which simply cannot be done! There can be no question of going ‘’backward’’, to the age of competitive capitalism! The imperialists will never allow this!
Yet Lenin also gave a very complete definition of imperialism, which is monopoly capitalism:
‘’But very brief definitions, although convenient, for they sum up the main points, are nevertheless inadequate, because very important features of the phenomenon that has to be defined, have to be especially deduced. And so, without forgetting the conditional and relative value of all definitions, which can never include all the concatenations of a phenomenon in its complete development, we must give a definition of imperialism that will embrace the following five essential features:
‘’1) The concentration of production and capital developed to such a stage that it creates monopolies which play a decisive role in economic life.
‘’2) The merging of bank capital with industrial capital, and the creation, on the basis of ‘finance capital’, of a financial oligarchy.
‘’3) The export of capital, which has become extremely important, as distinguished from the export of commodities.
‘’4) The formation of international capitalist monopolies, which share the world among themselves.
‘’5) The territorial division of the whole world among the greatest capitalist powers is completed.
‘’Imperialism is capitalism in that stage of development in which the domination of monopolies and finance capital has established itself; in which the export of capital has acquired pronounced importance; in which the division of the world among the international trusts has begun; in which the partition of all the territories of the globe, among the great capitalist powers had been completed’’.
This is not to say that we can expect ‘’peace and tranquility’’, among the imperialist powers. On the contrary, as capitalism develops, among those powers, Lenin calls attention to the ‘’vast disparity of economic and political conditions, the extreme disparity in the rate of development of the various countries, and the violent struggles of the imperialist states’’. This in turn necessarily leads to ‘’the division and re-division of the world, the transition from peaceful division to violent division and vice versa’’. (italics by Lenin)
The point must be stressed that monopoly capitalism, imperialism, leads to war. It cannot be ‘’patched up’’! It must be destroyed! It must be replaced with Scientific Socialism, in the form of Soviet Power and the Dictatorship of the Proletariat.
The best way to support the people of Gaza, as well as all of Palestine, is to focus on overthrowing the American imperialists. The American proletariat must become class conscious, aware of the fact that they are destined to mount a revolution, smash the existing state apparatus, and crush the monopoly capitalists, the billionaires, the bourgeoisie, under the Dictatorship of the Proletariat.
It is proper to give credit to BreakThrough News, for raising the question. The answer provided, by the ‘’democratic petty bourgeois’’ Guest, is incorrect. Imperialism cannot be ‘’reformed’’! Imperialism is ‘’reaction all along the line’’! It must be destroyed!
The working class will soon provide the proper answer. Now it is up to Communists, to provide the proper direction.
Gerald McIsaac Science Project 