On November 8-10, 1996 the first international conference on 'Class Approach in the Contemporary Communist Movement' was held in Moscow. The conference was organised by the International Centre for the Development of the Contemporary Communist Doctrine.
Representatives of 32 Russian organisations of Communist orientation as well as the Communists from Byelorussia, Georgia, Uzbekistan, Ukraine participated in the discussion on the issues of the Marxist theory of Classes and Class Struggle. Also attending were the Communists from Germany, India, Italy, Spain, Kurdistan, Turkey, Yugoslavia and South Korea.
The academics from the Russian Scientists of the Socialist Orientation, from the Federation of Scholars of the Communist Orientation of the Universities and Research Institutes, from the School of Logic and History, Fetisov's Group, Tchertaev's Group and others also attended.
The Communists and Communist organisations from Brazil, Canada, New Zealand and the Philippines sent papers to the Conference. All in all 40 papers were presented to the Conference and 15 participants spoke at the plenary meetings.
Participants of the Conference were greeted by a member of the Russian Parliament, the Chairman of the Executive Committee of the 'Labour's Russia' movement, member of the Central Committee of the Russian Communist Worker's Party Cde. Vladimir Grigoriev. They were also greeted by the representatives of Georgia, Uzbekistan, the Ukraine, Northern Ossetia, Germany, India, Italy, Kurdistan, Turkey, Yugoslavia and others.
Messages of greetings were sent by the Deputy of the State Duma (the Parliament) of the Russian Federation, member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation Cde. Teymuras Avaliany, by Communist Parties of Britain, Belgium, Canada, Norway, New Zealand, the Philippines, Japan, by individual members of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation from various regions of Russia.
The majority of the participants in the Conference spoke of the importance of class approach as a method of scientific analysis of public phenomena and historic events in the struggle for the creation of the classless Communist society, They condemned the revisionist essence of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in the post-Stalinist period which abandoned the class positions and thereby contributed to the defeat of nearly all Communist Parties by the Right-wing opportunists and social-reformists. This caused major damage to the world Communist Movement.
The participants in the Conference affirmed their commitment to the Marxist-Leninist teaching that the class struggle of the exploited masses against the exploiters serves as the mechanism of development of class society into a classless society while the contemporary working class armed with Marxist-Leninist theory should play the vanguard role. Many speakers called for the intensification of the ideological struggle against the revision of the revolutionary essence of Marxism, against the concepts of class co-operation and class harmony advanced by the bourgeois, reformist and opportunist parties. The participants spoke of the need to form a united Communist party of the Bolshevik type based on the Marxist-Leninist platform.
The Conference adopted the attached resolution as well as the appeals in support of political prisoners held in jails by the repressive regimes of Turkey, Latvia and Lithuania.
Resolution of the International Conference 'Class Approach in the Contemporary Communist Movement'
November, 1996
Moscow
We, the participants of the International Conference 'Class Approach in the Contemporary Communist Movement', representatives of social associations, unwaveringly upholding the basic principles of Marxism-Leninism, having discussed questions of the theory of class struggle, have reached a general opinion, that the method of class approach, that is the analysis of social events, historical events, behaviour and activities of people from a class position, is decisive for social associations which call themselves communist.
The attempts to refute this method from the side of the rightist forces and socio-reformist currents inside the communist movement have done enormous harm to the general forward movement for the establishment of communist relations and must receive the determined ideological rebuff from communists.
Revision of Marxism in this matter, ignoring the method of class evaluation of social events always has led and leads to the deformation of social consciousness, the appearance of cosmopolitanism, chauvinism, nationalism and open fascism, or leads to a dead-end for the enormous masses of people who are deceived by anti-Communist propaganda.
The participants of the Conference confirm their adherence to the understanding of Marxist science that the mechanism for the forward development of class-divided society is class struggle, in which the role of the moving and directing force is played by the contemporary working class armed with the Marxist-Leninist ideology.
The participants of the Conference recognise the necessity of struggle against concepts of class collaboration and agreement between exploiters and exploited, systematically disseminated by bourgeois, reformist and opportunist parties.
The participants of the Conference ardently confirm their adherence to the principles of Marxism listed below and only on their basis see the possibility of uniting genuine revolutionary in essence communist movement:
- Unreservedly recognising Marxism-Leninism as the truly scientific teaching on the ways of construction of new communist civilisation, unwavering defence of it from revisionism and opportunism and at the same time developing it by taking into account the objectively changing conditions.
- Unbiased evaluation and defending from attacks the heritage of Marx, Engels, Lenin, Stalin and their successors.
- Sharp struggle against deviations from the revolutionary essence of Marxism.
- Recognition of the objective inevitability of the revolutionary dictatorship of the proletariat in the transition from capitalism to communism.
- Full and unconditional recognition of the right of nations to self-determination up to the point of secession on the understanding of Marx, Lenin and Stalin.
- Fully reject and determinedly struggle against discrimination on the grounds of gender, race and nationality.
- Necessity of disseminating dialectical materialism, political economy and historical materialism as well as the revolutionary practice of Marxism in the working class in opposition to philosophically-idealist conceptions.
- We reiterate the necessity of the abolition of classes under socialism in the process of communist construction along with the abolition of commodity production and exchange.
Workers of the world unite
Resolution on Turkey
The fascist regime of the Turkish ruling classes in the service of the US and Western European imperialists has been waging an undeclared war against the workers and peoples of Turkey and Northern Kurdistan for years. Forceful evacuation of more than 2,000 villages, transformation of Kurdish cities and workers, extra-judicial killings and summary executions of communist and revolutionary militants, of Kurdish guerrillas, widespread disappearances, beating and killing of revolutionary political prisoners and systematic torture and massacres directed against all revolutionary and progressive sections of the population are the ugly features of Turkish reaction. Kurdish and Turkish workers and peoples, however, do not surrender in the face of this fascist and militarist onslaught. On the contrary, they are fighting bravely against the white terror of the regime on all fronts, and are dealing heavy blows at it.
The International Conference on 'Class Analysis in The Modern Communist Movement' condemns the atrocities of the Turkish fascist regime and its imperialist masters against Kurdish and Turkish workers and toilers in general and thousands of communist, anti-fascist and national liberation captives in particular. It calls on workers and peoples the world over to protest against this regime of butchers, torturers and hangmen and to support the struggles of communist, revolutionary and national liberation forces for democracy, national liberation, revolution and socialism.
Resolution on Ending the Political Persecution In Lithuania
We, participants in the International Conference 'The Class Approach in the Contemporary Communist Movement' express our deep concern on the political trial of the leaders of the Communist Party of Lithuania (CPL) which starts on November 12 in Vilnius - the capital of Lithuania. The 6 persons standing trial including the 1st Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPL, Cde. M. Burokjavitchjus are accused of their role in the events on January, 13, 1991 in Vilnius. But they were acting fully within the laws of the USSR of which Lithuania was part until September, 1991. They were also acting on the instructions on the then USSR President M. Gorbachov who bears full responsibility for the developments in 1991. Therefore this trial should be regarded as a clear example of an attempt by Lithuanian authorities to harass and suppress political opposition. Mr. V. Landsbergis, the leader of the Right forces which have won the recent Parliamentary elections in Lithuania has already called them criminals. This kind of political atmosphere is not conducive to an impartial, objective and fair trial. Cde. M. Burokjavitchjus as well as his co-trialist Cde. Ermalavitchjus were kidnapped from a neighbouring country in January, 1994 and held in detention without court trial for nearly three years in violation of Lithuanian and international laws.
They are accused of state treason which by Lithuanian laws might lead to the death penalty. We believe that this case should become the subject of investigation by the international human rights organisations. We resolutely condemn the persecution of political opponents by the present Lithuanian regime. We appeal to the UN Human Rights Commission, to the Council of Europe, to the Commission on Human Rights of the Organisation on Security and Cooperation in Europe, to the UNESCO Committee on Conventions and Recommendations and other international and national governmental organisations and NGOs to start monitoring the above mentioned trial because there are serious reasons to believe that the court will act under strong political pressure and will not be able to act objectively.
We are calling on the parties and organisations which have representatives in their respective Parliaments to raise this issue with them and through them with the Parliament of the Republic of Lithuania.
We are confirming that we shall join the broad international solidarity with Cde. M. Burokjavitchjus and other political trialists in Lithuania.
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