Quito, July 2001

Declaration of the 5th International Seminar, Problems of the Revolution in Latin America

The Seizure of Power and the Forms of Struggle

The discussion regarding the Seizure of Power and the Forms of Struggle has brought together – in Quito, Ecuador – various revolutionary organizations of Latin America and Europe in the 5th International Seminar, Problems of the Revolution in Latin America. The discussion was frank, open and fraternal.

We reject all the assertions of the imperialist powers and the bourgeoisie regarding the consolidation of capitalism as a system, and the acceptance of its political hegemony as an inevitable necessity for the development of the dependent countries and the welfare of the peoples. Reality shows that an aggravation of the world crisis of the capitalist system is under way that is striking our countries harshly. At the same time, the violence, repression and militarization of the State are increasing. The only definitive and valid response to overcome it is in the revolution of social and national liberation.

The workers and the peoples, in all regions, are growing stronger in battles confronting the counter-revolutionary offensive of imperialism and monopoly capital on a world scale. In Latin America we have the recent experience of struggles of the workers, peasants, indigenous peoples and students, of popular uprisings led by thousands of men and women of our peoples, the experience of insurgency and popular rebellions as in Argentina and Bolivia, which have even overthrown reactionary governments as in Ecuador. In Colombia the insurgent action of the guerrilla movements is continuing to develop, accompanied by a reactivation of the movement of the masses. We find ourselves in a period of revival of the struggle of the workers and the peoples that, evidently, expresses itself in a different way in each region and country.

This reality propels the revolutionaries to the discussion and taking up of measures and actions of struggle that allow them to direct the discontent and the fight of the workers and the peoples toward the seizure of Power.

The revolutionary parties define the character of the revolution in accordance with their analysis of the type of socio-economic formation of each country. In accordance with this, they define the tactic of the revolutionary and social struggle at a concrete moment and they link it with the strategy, with the central objective of the revolution which is the seizure of power. They also formulate the characteristic which the revolutionary armed struggle takes on in each country. The existence of general laws of society and of the revolution unifies our battle and they determine the existence of necessary and common elements to be taken into account for the triumph of the processes of social transformation.

Our struggle places at the center the seizure of power because, without this, it is impossible to carry forward the social, political and economic transformations necessary to put an end to capitalism, to imperialist oppression and to build socialist society.

Our organizations and parties should arrange our forces to develop simultaneously the economic and the political struggle, at a time that the ideological confrontation for the new world is rising.

All the forms of struggle that serve to undermine the foundation of the ruling state, to develop the consciousness of the workers and the peoples and to accumulate forces for the revolution should contribute to this goal; such as the struggle for wages, factory strikes, land seizures, territorial control, street fighting, participation in elections, armed action.

The utilization of various forms of struggle is determined by objective and subjective factors, they should correspond to the concrete moment that each country is passing through as well as to the degree of development of the revolutionary forces and of the political consciousness of the masses.

We revolutionaries have an obligation to study the historic experience of the struggle of the masses and to synthesize it; to innovate, master and participate in the various forms of struggle and to develop the ability to combine them correctly in view of the specific conditions and of the needs of the movement.

We are convinced that only the revolutionary armed struggle leads to power, so that the various forms of struggle should aim at the sharpening of class confrontation, toward the final battles which would mean the violent overthrow of the domination of imperialism and the capitalists and the local ruling classes.

"Violence is the midwife of history." To the violence of imperialism and the ruling classes who seek to maintain their system there is opposed revolutionary violence. Historic experience has shown us that there is no certain road for the triumph of the revolution other than the armed action of the masses.

The masses of workers of the cities and the countryside, the peoples, are the protagonists of the revolution. Power must be seized and exercised by those masses led by the vanguard party.

We, the organizations which have signed below, commit ourselves to this line and assume the responsibility to work for it, to fulfill honorably the commitment that we have made to the working class of each of our countries and to the working class and peoples on an international scale.

From this International Seminar we recognize and salute the heroic struggle that the peoples of the world are developing, and in particular we are in solidarity with the battles that the peoples of Colombia, Argentina, Ecuador, Peru and of the Philippines and Nepal in Asia, Burkina Faso in Africa, are waging; we raise our banners to salute the heroic struggle of the Palestinian people to achieve their national liberation against Zionist-imperialist domination. We oppose the blockade imposed by Yankee imperialism against Cuba as well as the genocidal embargo and frequent bombardments against Iraq. We affirm the principle of sovereignty and the right to self-determination of the peoples.

Our struggle continues and we will return to meet again at the 6th International Seminar, to advance the development of the social revolution.

Endorsed by:

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