Innovative application of Marxism

The International Department of the Central Committee of Communist Party of China recently organised a workshop on 'Theoretical Innovations and Localization of Marxism'. Such a dialogue between the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the South Asian left-wing parties is destined to play a vital role in the communist movement in the region.

Marxism is a social science. Creativity of Marxism depends on the concrete condition of the respective society and world order. Correct analysis of Marxism and on the basis of Marxist organizational principles Comrade Lenin led the October Revolution that culminated in the birth of the Soviet Union in 1917.

Marxism has no specific design or algebraic formula through which we would be able to accomplish the Social Revolution. Marxism always develops in practice. Planned economy, along with five-year plan economic order, was an innovation of Marxism in the Soviet Union. This represented a fundamental departure from the Western model of capitalism. Localisation of Marxism transformed the Soviet Union into an economically strong country within a very short span of time. The former Soviet path delivered the message that every country should apply Marxism in the context of its own stage of economic, social and cultural development and in accordance with its own national needs and conditions. It also demonstrated that the socialist system and governments with strong ideological base are capable of contesting imperialist powers.

The collapse of the Soviet Union did not reflect the failure of Marxism. What happened is that, the former Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) was not able to formulate creative policies based on Marxism in the changing scenario of globalised world.

CPSU failed to take into the cognizance the development of  neoliberal economy and consumerism of capitalism. Besides, it deviated from the basic principles of Marxism. The collapse of the Soviet Union showed the imperative of localized innovation of Marxism.

Application of Marxism depends on the concrete analysis of the concrete situation of the respective countries. Comrade Mao Ze Dong analyzed that the Chinese society was semi-feudal and semi-colonial. So he developed the Marxism in the context of the Chinese society for the new democratic revolution rather than socialist revolution.

After the foundation of the People's Republic of China, the Chinese Communist Party concentrated its effort for modernization of the productive forces. On this basis, China followed a path that differed from the development model advocated by capitalist countries and also that of the former Soviet Union. This innovative idea of Marxism in the context of China has been the strongest driving force behind China's modernization. This path has enabled the Chinese nation to proudly reassert itself among the nations of the world.

For development as well as achieving the goal of socialism, the Chinese Communist Party (CPC) accepted, strategically and tactically, the theory of transformations and reformation. Thus evolved the theory and practice of socialist market economy in the place of planned economy.

China is now advancing through the road of peaceful development. In some cases, the Chinese government applies more modern and sophisticated technology. China accepts the overseas technology, but never accepts any overseas politics which does not match with China's political culture.

The ruling CPC and the government under its leadership are advancing with the programme of development matching wtih co-existence and peaceful economic revolution - and all these are done on the basis of traditional Marxism.

While some fear that China, under the influence of transformation and reformation, is gradually walking towards capitalism, some others are afraid that the trend of transformation and reformation may drag China into revisionism.

But, the Communist Party of Bangladesh (M-L) strongly rejects all these misnomers. CPB (M-L) considers transformation and reformation as neither capitalism nor revisionism, rather it is an innovation of Marxism in the concrete condition of China. It may be treated as the result of innovation in localization of Marxism in the practical field.

The CPB (ML) thinks China's mixed economic structure, private ownership, urbanization, joint venture, special industrial zone, everything is under public domination. As a result of urbanization, the number of poor population is increasing in a capitalist country. But it is impossible in the  case of China. The CPC wants to reduce disparity in all spheres of life. They are trying to eradicate poverty by decreasing disparity between the rich and the poor. But without decreasing disparity many backward countries of the world have been operating an imperialist programme in the name of poverty reduction.

The method of application of Marxism has been changing gradually. Marx during the day of free competition of capitalism made a forecast that the revolution for socialism would materialise either throughout the world or in developed countries. Comrade Lenin showed that revolution may be possible in backward countries through the principles based on Marxism and socialism while upholding the spirit of national liberation tactics. In the era of imperialism, while Comrade Lenin accepted the tactics of democratic revolution in Russia, Comrade Mao-Ze Dong followed the tactics of new democratic revolution in China at the time of neocolonialism. It shows that the strategy and tactics may change from time to time according to the world situation as well as internal situation in respective countries.

The target of CPC is to achieve comprehensive development in all sectors of life. To reach that goal, the CPC has taken the suitable political and economic programme. The party has given emphasis on the development of soft power, that means economic development. China has been trying to develop its economy and, simultaneously, to spread international market since the inception of revolution. The One Belt, One Road intitiative is very much relevent in this respect.

Vietnam, North Korea and Cuba came out victorious against feudalism and imperialism using the forces of national liberation struggle for achieving socialism through innovative Marxism in localised form. These countries also have been following the Chinese model of reformation and transformation. Both Vietnam and Cuba have accepted the Chinese thought of peaceful development since 1991. China's Transformation and reformation is by no means a method of Chinese development alone. It also helps in developing neighbouring countries, the region and the rest of the world.

In Latin America, the leftist forces are also implementing Marxism in the objective situation of their respective countries. They are innovating Marxism for achieving socialism. South Asia, including Bangladesh, has a long history of heroic struggle and sacrifices for establishing socialism. But the South Asian people in general and Bangaladesh in particular are still far away from the final victory on the basis of innovation of Marxism. 

The CPB (M-L) believes that a day will surely come when China will be the largest economy in the world on the basis of further innovation of Marxism.

In the innovative way of Marxism, Comrade Xi Jinping has correctly propounded new ideas regarding ideology, party building and strategy of governance in the context of present Chinese society and contemporary world order. If Comrade Xi Jinping formulates these ideas in an innovative way in the 19th Congress (October 18-24, 2017) of the CPC, it may pave the way toward building socialism with Chinese characteristics.

The article is based on a speech the writer, the general secretary of Bangladesher Samyabadi Dal (M-L), delivered at a seminar on "Theoretical Innovations and Localisation of Marxism"  held on September 11, 2017  at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Beijing.

[email protected]