The Republic of Albania is a sovereign nation in the southwestern part of the Balkan Peninsula. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, North Macedonia to the east, and Greece to the south. It has a coastline along the Adriatica and Ionian Seas, both of which are part of the Mediterranean Sea.
It is Sazan Island, along with one particular part of this coastline, which is currently the centre of a major controversy. That Island and coastline has, until very recently, been classified as a ‘’wildlife sanctuary’’, so that no industrial development was permitted. It is the nesting grounds for numerous species of migratory birds, including pink flamingoes.
But then, Ivanka Trump, the daughter of the President, and her husband, Jared Kushner, visited the Island, and reportedly ‘’fell in love with it’’. In fact, they loved this ‘’pristine environment’’ so much, they decided to destroy it. To be replaced with an ‘’eco resort community’’, including hotels, apartments, villas and a marina, in the interests of being ‘’faithful and considerate of the environment’’.
At that time, there was one minor problem, which was quickly resolved. By law, no industrial development could take place, as it was a wildlife sanctuary. So Ivanka and Jared simply met with the Prime Minister of Albania, Edi Rama. At that informal, friendly ‘’social gathering’’, it is very likely that a little ‘’palm greasing’’ took place. The government of Albania immediately became ‘’sweetly reasonable’’, and all laws limiting industrial development, within those wildlife sanctuaries, became ‘’null and void’’. Problem solved.
Work crews were immediately sent into Sazan Island, complete with bulldozers, and set to work building a ‘’playground for the bourgeoisie’’, starting with barbed wire fences, presumably to keep out the ‘’undesirables’’, the ‘’ragtag and bobtail’’, the ‘’common people’’ of Albania, by whom I of course mean the workers and family farmers.
It is to the credit of the working people of Albania, that they immediately responded, by disrupting the construction work. The barbed wire fences were pushed over, and massive protests began all across the country, especially in the capital of Tirana. These protests have placed the common people of Albania, in the forefront of the international working class movement. For that reason, they deserve our unconditional support.
There are numerous videos available on the internet, concerning the Albanian protests. It is safe to say that almost all are made by ‘’Leftist’’ journalists, those who are at least sympathetic to the protesters. They generally provide a reasonably accurate description of the events taking place, including the size of the crowds, the posters and symbols on display, mainly in the form of flamingoes, and the demands that are being put forward.
It is also safe to say that almost all of those same journalists are middle class, petty bourgeois, as their understanding of events, their analysis, is clouded by their middle class prejudices.Yet their analysis, even though faulty, is stated as facts. Many viewers, especially those who are new to the revolutionary movement, may confuse their faulty analysis with facts.
For that reason, it calls for a little explanation. No doubt, a great many middle class readers will find this to be quite tiresome, a crashing bore, as they are already well aware of the revolutionary history. Yet for this I make no apologizes. After all, my main focus is on the working class, the proletariat, the ‘’only consistently revolutionary class’’, according to Lenin, or as is stated in the Communist Manifesto, ‘’the revolutionary class, the class that holds the future in its hands.’’
In my opinion, it is now quite clear that, in various countries of the world, and not just Albania, the situation is indeed revolutionary. I fully expect a proletarian revolution to break out and spread to numerous countries of the world. The reason I say this, is because of that which Lenin stated, in Left Wing Communism, An Infantile Disorder:
‘’The fundamental law of revolution, which has been confirmed by all revolutions, and especially by all three Russian revolutions in the twentieth century, is as follows: for a revolution to take place, it is not enough for the exploited and oppressed masses to realize the impossibility of living in the old way, and demand changes; for a revolution to take place, it is essential that the exploiters should not be able to live and rule in the old way. It is only when the ‘lower classes’ do not want to live in the old way, and the ‘upper classes’ cannot carry on in the old way, that the revolution can triumph. This truth can be expressed in other words: revolution is impossible without a nation wide crisis (affecting both the exploiters and the exploited). It follows that, for a revolution to take place, it is essential first, that a majority of the workers (or at least a majority of the class conscious, thinking, and politically active workers), should fully realize that revolution is necessary, and that they should be prepared to die for it; second, that the ruling classes should be going through a governmental crisis, which draws even the most backward masses into politics (symptomatic of any genuine revolution is a rapid, tenfold and even hundredfold increase in the size of the working and oppressed masses- hitherto apathetic- who are capable of waging the political struggle), weakens the government, and makes it possible for the revolutionaries to rapidly overthrow it.’’ (italics by Lenin)
I consider the preceding paragraph to be of supreme importance. I would love to see it in poster form, and placed on the walls of all advanced workers, as well as on the walls of all union halls. I would be the first to buy a copy.
It is a very accurate description of the events currently taking place, within various countries of the world. These ‘’governmental crises’’ are indeed ‘’drawing in the most backward masses into politics’’. The ‘’lower classes’’ are indeed ‘’demanding change’’, while the ‘’upper classes’’ can no longer rule in the old way. The situation is absolutely revolutionary, in so many countries of the world. Now it is a matter of raising the level of awareness of those who were ‘’hitherto apathetic’’, of bringing them ‘’up to speed’’.
The people of Albania have a revolutionary history, of which they can be most proud. In 1946, the Party of Labour of Albania, the PPSh, led by Enver Hoxha, established the People’s Socialist Republic of Albania.
The PPSh was a true Communist Party, one which called for Soviet Power and the Dictatorship of the Proletariat. It was absolutely not revisionist.
The death of Stalin, in 1953, was followed by the return to power of the Russian capitalists, led by the revisionists, the social chauvinists, those who are socialists in words, chauvinists in deeds. Great pressure was brought to bear, on all countries ‘’within the Russian orbit’’, to also adopt this revisionist dogma. It is to the credit of Albania that they ‘’resisted the temptation’’. They remained a true Scientific Socialist state.
It is also a fact that, in 1949, the People’s Republic of China, the PRC, was created. Led by Mao Tse Tung, it too, was a true Scientific Socialist state. They joined the Albanians in resisting the Russian social chauvinists, until the death of Mao, in 1976. At that time, the Chinese revisionists were also able to restore capitalism in China. Yet the Albanian Scientific Socialists, refused to embrace the revisionist Marxism. For several years they stood alone, on the world stage, surrounded by capitalist countries.
The death of Enver Hoxha, in 1985, led to his successor, Ramiz Alia, a man who was not up to the task. In 1991, the social chauvinists were also able to restore capitalism in the country of Albania.
As I have documented in previous articles, those formerly Scientific Socialist republics failed, due to mistakes that were made by the leaders. Those mistakes allowed the capitalists to return to power. To briefly summarize, the Chinese Communists conducted a proper criticism of Stalin, after his death, and concluded that he was a fine Marxist, but had made several serious mistakes. These mistakes allowed the Russian capitalists to return to power. In order to prevent a similar event from happening to China, they launched the Great Chinese Proletarian Cultural Revolution.
Yet after the death of Mao, the Chinese capitalists were also able to return to power. This was due to the fact that the Chinese Communists also made a number of mistakes. The Cultural Revolution did not go far enough, as it was largely confined to culture. It did not penetrate deeply into science. The capitalists who were hiding in various fields of science, remained hidden, biding their time, waiting for the proper moment to strike. The death of Mao provided that opportunity.
As well, the Chinese Communist Party was not properly purged, on a periodic basis, as was recommended by Lenin. Instead, Mao and other Party officials chose to ‘’patiently struggle’’ with Communist Party members, pointing out the error of their ways, including those who were high ranking, even within the Central Committee. It was a serious mistake. They should have been removed from the Party.
It is now our duty, that of Scientific Socialists, Communists, to learn from the experience of previous revolutionaries, from their successes, as well as their mistakes. Especially their mistakes! So that we do not repeat those same mistakes!
Allow me to stress the fact that, even after the approaching Revolution, after the existing state apparatus is smashed, and replaced with a new state apparatus, in the form of Soviet Power and the Dictatorship of the Proletariat, classes will continue to exist! The multi billionaires, the bourgeoisie, will continue to exist! They will not resign themselves to their fate! They will make every effort to ‘’restore their paradise lost’’! They will resort to every lie, deception, deceit, subterfuge, in an attempt to return to power! Just as they managed, in the Soviet Union, China and Albania! They are not to be under estimated! They will even pretend to be Communists, true Scientific Socialists, in order to infiltrate the Communist Party, insert their revisionist ideology, and mount a coup!
Lenin covers this supremely well, in his excellent article, Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism.
Now to return to the ‘’Flamingo Revolution’’, currently taking place in Albania. The working people of Albania have a great deal of experience, in fighting the capitalists. As I write this, there is a video, on the internet, showing the protesters ‘’vandalizing’’ the construction site. In fact, they are completely smashing it! Bravo, Albanians! It is a true Revolution, in the finest sense of the word. It merely lacks focus. The people taking part in that Revolution, have to be made aware that the capitalists have managed to return to power, and must be overthrown.
It is the duty of Scientific Socialists, true Communists, to bring that awareness to the working people. For the most part, that means middle class intellectuals. No doubt, there are a few such people within Albania.
Now for the benefit of those countless members of the working class, who are just now becoming politically active, as a result of the revolutionary movement, I should mention that the word Soviet is Russian, and means Council. It remains to be seen whether the word Soviet or the word Council will become common place in North America. Either way, these Councils almost always take shape, as a result of the revolutionary movement.
Also, those of us who are students of Marx and Lenin, tend to refer to ourselves as ‘’Scientific Socialists’’, or ‘’Communists’’, as a means of distinguishing ourselves from the utopian socialists, those who tend to think that socialism is merely a good idea.
Further, among the utopian socialists, we have to distinguish between those who are honest, merely misinformed, as opposed to those who are social chauvinists, revisionists, determined to distort and revise the revolutionary theories of Marx and Lenin. The revisionists are the bitter enemies of the Scientific Socialists. They are determined to take over the existing state apparatus, at the time of the revolution, and set themselves up, as the new rulers.
I mention this in the spirit of true international, proletarian cooperation. Or as Marx stated,
Workers of the World, Unite!
Scientific Socialism!
Soviet Power!
Dictatorship of the Proletariat!
Gerald McIsaac Science Project 