From Roter Morgen
Organ of the Communist Party of Germany
September 1, 1994
As long as the exploitation of people by people exists and capitalism destroys human existence in the world, there will be struggle against it!
As long as the imperialists and the bourgeoisie oppress the weak nations and defenseless people, there will be struggle against it!
As long as the workers and the peoples of the world desire to change the present society, according to their needs, and to win or to die for this, there will be struggle for it!
"The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles." (Communist Manifesto)
In contrast to the preachings of class collaboration by the capitalists, in which the workers and the owners of the means of production have the same interests, we underline once again the Marxist thesis that the class struggle in class society is the motive force of history.
The class struggle will not end until the lofty and fundamental goals of the workers and peoples are achieved: the establishment of socialism and communism on the ruins of capitalism.
In the preceding decades the communist and workers' movements suffered severe damage. The process of capitalist restoration, that spread after the 20th Party Congress of the CPSU, and gave rise to such events as in East Europe, the ex-USSR, the betrayal in Albania, etc., is part of the actions of imperialism and all reactionary, revisionist and pro-capitalist forces. The historic limitations, lack of experience, the lack of development of theory, the underestimation of the contradictions in socialist society, bureaucracy and isolation of the communist parties from the workers and the peoples were causes, through which the communists, the workers and peoples could not defend their achievements and could not prevent capitalist restoration. In the same way we could not prevent the seizure of power by a new bourgeois class which, under a "socialist" mask, seized power and destroyed socialism.
After the latest and fundamental attack of imperialism and capitalism, which intended to wipe out Marxism-Leninism, scientific socialism, communism, the proletarian revolution and anti-imperialism, we establish ourselves renewed on all continents. Communists are reborn in every workers' strike, in every people's action, in all struggles of the working class and peoples for freedom and democracy, in every revolt of the youth, in every guerrilla group. We are reorganizing ourselves, joining together, drawing lessons from what has happened and striding onwards again.
We will not cease our efforts until we have fulfilled our historic mission.
We are the millions of people in struggle. We, the workers, are still the chief producers of all wealth, everywhere and under different conditions, whatever the development of the means of production may be. Nothing fundamental will change, as long as others live off our sweat and as long as we have not achieved the transformation of this society into a higher one.
What inventions, what type of scientific-technical revolution can replace the present society as the main axis? All scientific and technical progress and discoveries do not change in any way the character of the proletariat, just as they in no way change the fact that the means of production are in the hands of the capitalists. The wealth that is created by our labor was and is the material basis for all scientific and technological developments.
The class struggle can not be abolished, nor will it disappear, as long as private ownership of the means of production exists. Naturally we must bear in mind these scientific and technical developments, and learn to master them and to use them for the benefit of the people and of the revolution.
"The proletarians have nothing of their own to secure, they have to destroy all previous private securities and private insurances.
"...The proletarian movement is the independent movement of the immense majority in the interest of the immense majority." (Communist Manifesto)
No other social class can achieve these goals today. That is the task of the proletariat. The proletariat is the most revolutionary class in society with the greatest practical abilities, able to unite itself and to lead other exploited classes and strata in struggle against capital.
We are there and active in the present epoch. We, the working class and the people, have not deleted a comma from our goals. In the epoch, as Lenin defined it, nothing fundamental has changed. It is still the epoch of imperialism and of the proletarian revolution. All events since the October Revolution of 1917, the Second World War, the defeat of fascism, the liberation from colonialism, the Chinese, Vietnamese and other revolutions, the progress in the construction of socialism, the latest imperialist attack and the situation of the current struggle of the peoples prove the Leninist thesis about the epoch in which we live. The fundamental contradictions of this epoch exist now as before!
The imperialists and the bourgeoisie wildly attack Marxism-Leninism and claim that it has failed. We ask: if this theory is useless, why is it attacked so unrestrainedly? Simply because they know that this theory is relevant to our time and solid. Marxism-Leninism is based on the continual development of scientific thought, of the experiences of social development and of progressive human ideas; it is a theory with a revolutionary character, which represents the historical interests of the proletariat and of all mankind; it strides dialectically forward; it breaks through walls and brings forth the new. We, the Marxist-Leninists are conscious of our weaknesses in the understanding, the application and the development of Marxism-Leninism. This is a question of our own limitations, which we will overcome. Historical experience has proven the living force of Marxism-Leninism. If there are phased out and out-of-date theories, which belong to the past, they are those of the bourgeoisie. Marxism-Leninism is the now and the future!
"Does it require deep intuition to comprehend that man's ideas, views and conceptions, in one word, man's consciousness, changes with every change in the condition of his material existence, in his social relations and in his social life?"
...
"When people speak of ideas that revolutionize society, they do but express the fact, that within the old society, the elements of a new one have been created, and that the dissolution of the old ideas keeps even pace with the dissolution of the old conditions of existence." (Communist Manifesto)
Corresponding to their class interests the revisionists and opportunists of all kinds have distorted these statements of the Communist Manifesto and brought forth anti-communist conclusions. They want to maintain their positions as "great leaders," their privileges. They want to steer the workers' movement, in order to prevent the workers from taking their fate into their own hands. In this way they serve the bourgeoisie and cause great damage to the working class. In contrast to this the communists struggle against these deviations, push these servants of the bourgeoisie to the side and help the working class to rely on its own forces and to stride forward.
Revisionism is a danger to the revolutionary process, to the communist parties and to the construction of socialism. Revisionists and opportunists of all shades are further a danger against which the struggle can neither be halted or weakened.
To discuss these questions, to take up positions, to do what is now necessary, is the irrefutable, necessary and urgent ideological struggle in the sphere of the revolution, as well as also in the sphere of the revolutionary ideological offensive, in order to beat back the attack of reaction. No communist, no vanguard party of the revolution, can be afraid of this confrontation of ideas and concepts. Let us open up the debate, let us contrast the ideas, analyses, experiences, teachings and justifications, so that we can draw conclusions which will permit us to stride forward. Facts are stubborn things, said Lenin, and the stubbornness of facts demands that we be Leninists.
We have created our parties in the heat of struggle, in the course of blows against revisionism and opportunism. It is their ideological degeneration and political betrayal which bear chief responsibility for the damages that has been caused to the international communist and workers' movement.
Communist parties are irreplaceable instruments for the organization of the revolution in all our countries. We as a whole are the international conference of Marxist-Leninist parties and organizations, the real alternative for the working class and for the peoples. The flame of proletarian revolution and the hopes of the peoples still lie in the hands of the communists!
"They (the communists) fight for the attainment of the immediate aims and interests of the working class; but in the movement of the present, they also represent the future of the movement." (Communist Manifesto)
We say that the popular masses are the front-rank fighters of history and this should be so always and everywhere. Only when the communist parties have degenerated bureaucratically and ideologically, when they have lost their revolutionary vanguard character of service to the working class and for the people, do the masses reject them. Communists, workers and people should never tear the ties that bind them to thousands.
We communists, together with the working class and the peoples, struggle for their interests, with them we can and will win power, with them we must construct the popular democratic forms of the dictatorship of the working class, build the socialist state and socialism and march forwards.
Imperialism has been and will always be a source of aggression and wars of robbery. In the most recent times Iran, Somalia, Panama, Yemen, Rwanda, the former Yugoslavia, the former USSR, Haiti, etc. have been scenes of aggressive, racist and reactionary wars. We expose the true character of these wars; it is necessary to organize and support popular movements against this imperialist war policy. We, the workers, the peoples, the communists, should stand at the head of these struggles.
The revolution demands unity and activity of the working class and the peoples. We communists must create this unity, which is coherent in its conception and practice. Alliances are necessary. In order to create them, we must first of all count on our own forces, join together with other forces and combine unity with the setting of revolutionary goals. Then we can carry out actions that do not lead us into concessions on our principles. These alliances and actions let us never forget, that the class struggle must be carried through to the end with force.
We struggle for the revolution. We defend as correct the revolutionary force of the people for the conquest of power. That demands from us that we learn to apply all forms of struggle.
We emphasize our determination to raise high the banner of Marxism-Leninism, to struggle for its application, in order to transform our parties and organizations into a political, social and organizational alternative on a national as well as an international scale. Our parties and organizations renew their oath to fight on the side of the working class and the peoples, together with democrats, patriots and progressive people, and to oppose the capitalist and imperialist domination in the struggle for the proletarian revolution, for the independence and the sovereignty of the peoples.
We keep alive the spirit of the Paris Commune, the October Revolution and all revolutionary processes and experiences, which are based on the principles worked out by Marx, Engels, Lenin and Stalin.
"The Communists disdain to conceal their views and aims. They openly declare that their ends can be attained only by the forcible overthrow of all existing social conditions. Let the ruling classes tremble at a Communistic revolution. The proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains. They have a world to win." (Communist Manifesto)
Proletarians and people of the world: the struggle continues. In expectation of the new revolutionary wave of struggle that is coming, we, the communists, workers and peoples, must be front-rank fighters.
Let us make transform the historical words of Marx and Engels into reality:
Quito, Ecuador, August 1994
* Communist Party of Germany (KPD)
* Revolutionary Communist Party of Britain (Marxist-Leninist)
* Communist Party of Columbia (Marxist-Leninist)
* Communist Party of Chile "Proletarian Action"
* Communist Party Marxist-Leninist of Ecuador
* Communist Organization October of Spain
* Communist Workers Party of France
* Communist Marxist-Leninist Party of Ireland
* Organization for the Construction of the Proletarian Party of Italy
* Communist Party of Mexico (Marxist-Leninist)
* Communist Party of Labor of the Dominican Republic
* Revolutionary Communist Party of Turkey
* "Red Flag" Party of Venezuela
* Revolutionary Communist Party of Volta
The proclamation of Quito is open for signature by parties and organizations which support it.
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