From La Forge
Organ of the Communist Party of the Workers of France
December 1995
Since the world system of imperialism is sinking deeper into crisis every day, sharpening all the contradictions and provoking social explosions which directly pose the question of the alternative to this society, the Marxist-Leninist forces are working fiercely to unite themselves on an international plane.
It is within that effort that it is necessary to place the holding of the 2nd International Conference of Marxist-Leninist parties and organizations which brought together organizations from 15 countries, representing 4 continents (Africa, Latin America, Europe and Asia).
Convinced that socialism (as a society of transition towards communism) is the only alternative to the present mode of production, these forces are working, each in their own country and together on an international level, to give over to this objective all their capacity for mobilization. To do this, they are defending the history of the world workers and communist movement -- which is their history -- and its achievements, which are so much points of support. They recognize the failures and try to analyze them to understand and to learn.
They are engaged, each one in their own country, in the class struggle and to try to open up a concrete road to the revolution and the seizure of power by the proletariat and its allies.
Knowing that the interests of the working class and of the peoples are the same beyond the borders, this [pole] works to make a reality of the slogan of Marx and Engels, "Workers of the World, Unite!"
This is why those who pose the question of the revolutionary alternative are following with interest the efforts of the unity of the communists and are interested in knowing the results of this 2nd conference as our Party analyzes them.
This 2nd Conference continued a process begun in 1994 at Quito (Ecuador). The Quito Conference was itself the fruit of the work waged by our parties, including ours, for several years for the unity of the international communist movement (see La Forge - September 1994). The Paris conference is a step forward in the work to reunify and reorganize the movement. It is the consolidation of this new step which was begun at Quito.
This consolidation is manifested by:
the importance of participation: 15 delegations, with new participants;
the preparation: agenda fixed in advance, the outcome of the coordination committee for the tasks fixed at Quito, numerous contributions of the parties. Several delegations came with a written contribution to the points submitted for discussion;
the session: agenda respected, despite differences; a very strong will to work together and to affirm the existence of a Marxist-Leninist pole. A very great maturity of all the organizations, which permitted them to surmount the obstacles and to find the means to pursue the work in common.
Charged by the Conference with, as its name indicates, "coordinating," the coordination committee presented a summary of the work done since Quito, on the basis of information which had been provided to them.
The declaration adopted at Quito has been signed and reproduced by numerous parties, including many who had not participated at Quito.
The review Unity and Struggle has seen several editions in different countries and has been published in French, Spanish, English and Turkish. If its circulation has had an unequal breadth in each country, its echoes have been heard beyond the ranks of our parties. On can thus verify the importance of the fact that the Conference has an organ of expression which permits one to affirm the existence of a Marxist-Leninist pole in the face of the various revisionist currents.
The campaigns of solidarity with F. CARABALLO and H. HAMAMMI have had positive repercussions, even if the participation of the different organizations has been unequal and often short of the possibilities.
The committee has also made a self-critical summary of the tasks which had been assigned to it at Quito. This summary, which bore a positive appreciation, has been enriched by the intervention of several parties and very largely shared by all the participants.
The discussion on the summary of the experience of the USSR and the reasons of its failure also been initiated at Quito. It should have been pursued on the basis of a text presented by our party. But it was not possible for this text to be translated and communicated to all the participants before the Conference. Our party therefore explained at the Conference the essential content of its contribution. Taking account the concrete conditions, this explanation was followed by those of different organizations and could not lead to [?] a true discussion,
This point of the agenda revealed several things:
a very unequal level in the study and reflection on this question and, in fact, very different, even contradictory, points of view;
a non-negligible number of organizations saw the importance of studying these questions and are themselves engaged in that work;
it is possible today to attack complicated and delicate questions since the idea [fait son chemin, has taken hold?] that Marxism-Leninism must be enriched and that it is up to the Marxist-Leninist parties to do this individually and collectively, basing themselves on dialectical materialism and in direct link with revolutionary practice.
The process of discussions and exchanges which took place should find the means to pursue to arrive at a unity on the fundamental questions of the strategy of the communists.
A means to succeed is, besides being favored by all the means of bilateral and multilateral exchanges between the parties, that the Marxist-Leninist forces who participated at the Conference worked together on more limited questions, where we were able to arrive at agreement without great difficulties. In thus working on more modest but not less important objectives for our parties, we created the conditions to reinforce unity and carry it further.
It is having at the head this analysis that, by common agreement, the participants at the Conference have set new tasks. Certain of these are the pursuit of those engaged at Quito, for example:
pursuit of the circulation of the communist Proclamation;
pursuit of the journal Unity and Struggle, with two issues a year;
pursuit of the campaign of solidarity;
contact and discussion with organizations who call themselves Marxist-Leninist and are interested in participating in the Conference.
As to other news, there is the case in particular of the work on elaborating a tactical platform for the workers and popular movement.
All the forces who participated in the conference are taking part in that work, charged by the coordinating committee with finding the forms, taking account the concrete conditions, that would permit a truly collective work.
This tactical platform will be the principal point on the agenda for the next Conference. And there will be discussed a text of synthesis, presented by the coordination committee.
This commitment to work together on the elaboration of a text which, if it is adopted, would be a text of the Conference, is a new important element.
Our party is aware that this work for the ideological, political and organizational unity of the Marxist-Leninist forces on a world level is difficult, very long and filled with pitfalls. But the pole which will give birth to a reorganized Communist Movement exists. It is represented by these Conferences and demands from each great efforts, at the measure of stakes. Our party, in unison with the forces which participated at these Conferences, wishes that they play the role of a pole of attraction for the revolutionary forces who call themselves Marxist-Leninist.
This opening wish is conforming to the situation; the delimitation of the camps can not be other than the issue of an intense ideological and political struggle.
Last September there was held in Paris the International Conference of Marxist-Leninist Parties and Organizations (see list below).
This Conference proceeded with the summary of the tasks fixed from the previous Conference which was held in 1994 at Quito, Ecuador, notably the circulation of the journal Unity and Struggle, the campaigns f solidarity with the imprisoned comrades, Hamma Hammami of the Communist Party of the Workers of Tunisia and Francisco Caraballo, first secretary of the Communist Party of Colombia (Marxist-Leninist), etc.
It proceeded as well with an exchange of points of view on the summary of the experience of the construction of socialism in the USSR and on the causes of its failure.
The discussion was as well directed towards the necessity of elaborating a tactical platform of Marxist-Leninists for the popular and workers movement. This is one of the principal tasks fixed for the next Conference. The coordination Committee named at this Conference is charged with seeing to their accomplishment.
Paris, September 1995
The International Conference of Marxist-Leninist Parties and Organizations
List of parties and organizations that participated at the Paris Conference:
Communist Party of Germany
Revolutionary Communist Party of Great Britain (Marxist-Leninist)
Communist Party of Colombia (Marxist-Leninist)
Revolutionary Communist Party of the Ivory Coast
Communist Party of Labor of the Dominican Republic
Communist Party Marxist-Leninist of Ecuador
Communist Organization "October" of Spain
Communist Party of the Workers of France
Organization for the United Communist Party of Greece
Party of Labor of Iran
Organization for the Communist Party of the Proletariat of Italy
Communist Party of the Workers of Tunisia
Revolutionary Communist Party of Turkey
Red Flag Party of Venezuela
Revolutionary Communist Party of Volta
Messages of support have been sent by:
Communist Party of Japan (Left)
Chilean Communist Party (Proletarian Action)
Click here to return to International Index