On the emergence of the new-imperialist countries

For the discussion on the 100th Anniversary of the Russian October Revolution, the MLPD presents its newly published “Blue Supplement” „On the emergence of the new-imperialist countries“ to the international revolutionary and working-class movement. It will soon be published as „Blue Supplement“ in the Rote Fahne (Red Flag, Magazine of MLPD) and then as a brochure and is currently being translated.

On the emergence of the new-imperialist countries

Preface

The analysis of the emergence and development of a number of new-imperialist countries became necessary because this new phenomenon dramatically calls into question the present fabric of the imperialist world system.

On the firm foundation of the analysis of imperialism, starting from Lenin, since 1969 the MLPD has fundamentally and concretely analyzed new manifestations and essential changes using the dialectical-materialist method: state-monopoly capitalism in the Federal Republic of Germany, the restoration of capitalism in the Soviet Union and in China, the emergence of neocolonialism, the reorganization of international production and the development of the environmental crisis. This “Blue Supplement” builds upon this ideological-political line, worked out in programmatic documents and the system of MLPD’s theoretical organ Revolutionärer Weg, and develops it further.

The book Dawn of the International Socialist Revolution advanced the thesis of the emergence and development of new-imperialist countries for the first time in 2011. The present analysis provides scientific proof of this well-founded thesis.

This analysis is a contribution to a consciousness-raising discussion among the masses of workers, women and youth. In addition, it sets out the position of the MLPD vis-à-vis the international revolutionary and working-class movement for the discussion on the 100th Anniversary of the Russian October Revolution.

July 2017, Stefan Engel

Introduction

The world is swept by great unrest, dramatic conflicts, fierce mass struggles and unexpected turns. Many people are gravely concerned about the future: concerned about US President Trump, the establishment of a fascist dictatorship in Turkey, the unending war in Syria, the armed conflict in Ukraine, the provocations of the USA and China in the South China Sea, or the dramatic exacerbation of the contradictions on the Korean peninsula, where the USA and North Korea openly raise the threat of nuclear war. And people are concerned because the international monopolies willfully and irresponsibly accelerate the destruction of the unity of humanity and nature in order to increase their maximum profits.

Under pressure from the crisis of their bourgeois refugee policy since 2015, more and more governments in Europe manifestly have shifted or are shifting to the right. That goes for the Merkel/Gabriel government in Germany too. They justify this with a supposed “fight against terrorism.” On this basis, as never before since the Second World War openly reactionary, racist, nationalist to proto-fascist movements and parties have gained strength or are becoming stronger everywhere.

At the same time we witness the beginning of a progressive change of mood among the working class and broad masses. Even now this movement far surpasses the worldwide anti-Vietnam War protests of the 1970s in scope, diversity and content. A new youth movement, critical of society and transcending national boundaries, encompasses hundreds of thousands of people. It heralds a new upsurge of the international revolutionary and working-class movement. How come all this is happening? And how is it to be assessed?

The chief causes of social changes and upheavals are not to be found in the minds or programs of the ruling politicians or in the advent of new ideas or philosophies – dialectical and historical materialism proves as much. They have their material basis instead in the economic base of society, in the contradictory development of the mode of production. In this regard the emergence of a number of new-imperialist countries is a central question today. It is important to comprehend this fact along with its deeper causes and effects. Otherwise it is impossible to understand the current changes in the world situation and to draw the right conclusions for the class struggle and for the future of humankind.

In its analysis the Marxist-Leninist Party of Germany (MLPD) identifies mainly a group of 14 countries as new-imperialist; they differ in size, are in different stages of development, and have different socioeconomic structures and histories: the BRICS countries Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa; the MIST countries Mexico, Indonesia, South Korea and Turkey, as well as Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Iran. These countries developed their new-imperialist character in a certain period and in connection with the most recent social developments. 3.7 billion people, more than half the world population, live in these 14 countries. The process of the formation of new-imperialist countries already is in evidence in a number of other countries. However, that is irrelevant for this analysis.