Assault on Paradise: Perspectives on Globalization and Class Struggles

Chapter Nine: Class Struggles against Capitalist Imperialism

265 Chapter Nine Class Struggles against Capitalist Imperialism Overview The global working class is the motor force of social development and that its historic mission is the abolition of private ownership of the means of production, the exploitation of man by man in the direction for the full eradication of the classes. There is no other social force which can fulfil this role. The reality today of the capitalist economic crisis, which has manifested itself in a synchronized way in many capitalist countries, demonstrates that capitalism finds itself in the highest imperialist stage of its development, tortures millions of workers all across the world, gives birth to poverty and unemployment, suffers from incurable contradictions which are manifested in the cyclical crises as well as the in the wars for the expansion of the business activity of the monopolies, the division of the markets, the control of the sources of wealth. The crisis of capitalism demonstrates the historical limits of the system while the working class, which does not have the means of production at its disposal, is the “grave-digger” of the capitalist mode of production. This historic revolutionary role of the working class has its precondition that it will be organized as a class for itself. The formation and strengthening of the revolutionary party is necessary for the working class to become conscious of its mission, to shape a revolutionary strategic lead for the implacable class struggle against capital. The working class cannot have success with line of “social consensus”, and social “peace”, as is claimed by reformist and opportunist forces. The many years of negative experience demonstrate that this line led to the assimilation of the trade union movement, with social democracy and opportunist forces having the main responsibility for this. Today, it is a necessity for capitalism to overturn even the most basic gains that were won in previous decades as a result of the class struggle at a national and international level. Nor can the working class struggle for the prevention of the anti-people measures, for economic and social demands and gains in conditions of capitalism can be separated with a “Chinese wall” from the struggle for the socialist-communist society. The 266 struggle for economic, social and political demands, based on the contemporary needs of the people and working class, with the goal of rallying, concentrating and preparing working class forces for tough confrontations with the exploitative system, is not limited to the acquisition of some gains, but is linked to the goal for the overthrow of capitalist barbarity. Introduction Given the oppressive and criminal role of capitalist imperialism in the world today, it is no compliment to call Western ‘democracies’ the cradles of civilization. It is true that they are the cradles of the infectious class struggles against those same imperialist ruling classes. To understand the heroism shown by the workers, one has to know that they are combating not only the national bankers and capitalists but their more powerful co-criminals around the world. The banks in these imperialist powers—along with the big capitalists and bankers in the West itself—are using ruling classes to squeeze money out of the workers that their governments owe these banks as interest payments on loans. Hence, the raging struggles against this system of mindless graft and oppression by territorial expansion and encroachment. The Stage Set By The New World Order A global economic system and a supranational ruling class need institutions of global rule. New institutions are being created such as the World Trade Organization (WTO) and existing ones such as the U.N., the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the World Bank are being reformed to facilitate the dismantling of national barriers to trade and investment. These new structures and their various multilateral agreements are eroding the traditional prerogatives and power of the nation-state. This has, predictably, provoked widespread reaction across the political spectrum. There are still many forces, in both the public and private sector, tied to national organization and they are struggling to maintain the rights of sovereignty. For instance, at the First Ministerial Conference of the WTO in Singapore last year, a variety of ‘developing’ nations protested the Multilateral Agreement on Investment being pushed by 267 the WTO because it abrogates the nation’s decision making powers concerning its own economic life. The solutions proposed by this array of forces range from fighting to...