Nationalism and Internationalism by Harry Turner

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NATIONALISM AND INTERNATIONALISM

By Harry Turner

Part One: Theory and Practice

http://marxists.org/history/etol/newspape/vanguard-newsletter/V1-N2-Jul-1969-Vanguard-Newsletter.pdf

Vanguard Newsletter Vol. 1 No. 2 July 1969

!he more overt enemies of "eninism on the left# self-identified $arxists# attempt to sever "enin%s&ontinuity to $arxist theory in atta&'ing his &ontri(utions on wor'ing &lass vanguard party and thetheory of imperialism. !he )*) la(or &ommittee# whi&h has these attri(utes in &ommon with right- wing so&ial demo&rats# in an out of the so&ialist party# has had little to say on the national +uestion assu&h. ,owever# its own pe&uliar (lend of reformism and radi&al posture# its unresolved &onglomeratenature ex-"%ers# ex-!rots'yist# ex-New "eft0 students# and desire for &osy theoreti&al mur'iness#has led it to attempt to &arry water on (oth shoulders# to oppose the (la&' separatist movement ingeneral# while# at the same time# ma'ing pra&ti&al0 adaptations to se&tions of it# e.g.# the ueens

3ollege )445 students."enin%s more insidious enemies see' to transform "enin into a harmless i&on# who &an (e used tosan&tify their opportunist pra&ti&es. (eisan&e to theory# whi&h is violated in pra&ti&e is nowhere moreevident than in the treatment of the national +uestion (y the so-&alled "eninists of the 3# )7#7or'ers 7orld 77 and its youth arm# 8outh gainst 7ar and as&ism 87# the rogressive"a(or arty "# the ;ndependent )o&ialist 3lu(s ;)3# and the multifarious fa&tions of theneo-"eninist0 students for a *emo&rati& )o&iety )*).

!he 3 and the ;)3 epigones of "enin see' little theoreti&al <ustifi&ation for their positions on theNegro +uestion. !he 3 simply attempts to utili=e (la&' nationalism# tieing into0 the popularity thatthe term self-determinism has...not...the $arxist meaning0 oliti&al ffairs# pril 1969# to putpressure on the ruling &lass for reforms and &on&essions within the &ontext of its >re=hnevite0program of pea&eful &oexisten&e0 and pea&eful transition to so&ialism0. ;n the wa'e of the

radi&ali=ation of the &au&uses and ghettos# the 3 now finds that a more militant ver(iage isne&essary in pursuit of its reformist and &ounter-revolutionary line.

!he ;)3 see's a pra&ti&al0 path to the so&ialist revolution# and ad<usts its program to empiri&allyviewed reality# ergo its involvement in &lassless anti-war um(rella a&tivities# support for studentadventures# and for (la&' nationalist demands. ;ts program for the ea&e and reedom arty isa masterpie&e of reformism. ;n its desire for (road0 support# the ;)3%s adopted a left-li(eralissues-oriented program# whi&h studiously avoided raising either the issue of so&ialism# or even of anindependent0 la(or party# in addition to its support for (la&' separatists demands.

!he )7# 77 and New "eft0 formations# also in a de fa&to (lo& with the 3 in anti-war# ghetto andstudent arenas# assert that the right of nations to self-determination0# "enin%s di&tum# is fullyappli&a(le to the Negro struggle. n the (asis of this formula they <ustify support and en&ouragementfor (la&' separatists demands# in&luding so-&alled &ommunity &ontrol of ghetto s&hools# and

autonomous departments of >la&' )tudies in universities# in whi&h (la&' students will (e taught (y(la&' instru&tors in segregated fa&ilities.

!he Negro +uestion in the ?)# superfi&ially la(elled a national +uestion# is me&hani&ally lin'ed withthe upsurge of nationalism in the industrially (a&'ward se&tors of the world# in &onsonan&e with theimpressionisti& and empiri&ist methodology of opportunism.

!he !hird 7orld0# a &ategory whi&h presently in&ludes (la&' and )panish-spea'ing minorities in the?)# is viewed (y the opportunists as a su(stitute for the passive0 wor'ing &lasses in the advan&ed&apitalist &ountries.

!he 7or'ers "eague 7"# attempting to &om(at the division of wor'ers on ra&ial lines# and theopportunist a&&ommodation to (la&' nnationalism (y so-&alled "eninists# denies that the slogan# theright to self-determination0 is appli&a(le to the (la&' people of the ?)# a finding with whi&h we are in

a&&ord. long with its &o-thin'ers in the ;nternational 3ommittee ;3 of the ourth ;nternational# whose leading se&tion is the )o&ialist "a(our "eague )"" of 4ngland# it also relates the upsurge in

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the Negro struggle to the rise in nationalism# (ut in the advan&ed &apitalist &ountries# rather than inthe industrially (a&'ward# as do the revisionists.

4mphasising the international nature of wor'ing &lass struggles# it# however# ignores the revolutionaryimpli&ation of the in&reasingly militant Negro struggle.

Form and Content

!he 7"%s !im 7ohlforth atta&'s "%s &ontention that the Negro struggle is national in form and wor'ing &lass in &ontent0# as a metaphysi&al distin&tion0# and &ounters it with his own stati&ally&on&ept that form and &ontent are a unity in the (la&' struggle0. n this (asis# 7ohlforth finds that" o(<e&ts not the form of the (la&' struggle @its separateness @(ut to its &ontent @its (la&'nationalist program.0 !he New Nationalism and the Negro )truggle# p 1A.

*espite 7ohlforth%s emphasis on $arxist method# on diale&ti&s# his approa&h is essentiallymetaphysi&al. ,e &onfuses the form and the &ontent of the Negro struggle# mista'es its &urrentappearan&e for its essen&e# and identifies an aspe&t of the form# (la&' nationalist program0@separatism0 is merely another expression for the same manifestation @ as the &ontent of thestruggle. ,e then must &ondemn the real &ontent of the Negro struggle @whi&h is dire&ted against thespe&ial oppression of >la&' people and the super-exploitation of >la&' wor'ers# engendered andperpetuation (y meri&a &apitalism @ (e&ause mu&h of its leadership# &onfused (y (la&' nationalist

ideology# has su&&eeded in diverting it into self-defeating# sterile and/or rea&tionary &hannels.

7ohlforth is logi&ally &ompelled to deny that this spe&ial oppression and super-exploitation exists#(e&ause of his ina(ility to &omprehend that form and &ontent are not fixed metaphysi&al entities# (ydynami& and intera&ting relationships.

"enin in his ta&ti&al treatise on the infantile disease0# "eft-7ing 3ommunism# dire&ted againstBerman ultra-lefts refusing to wor' in histori&ally o(solete0 parliaments and rea&tionary0 unions#demonstrates how a diale&ti&al materialist handles +uestions of form and &ontent:

Cight do&trinarism persisted in re&ogni=ing only the old forms# and (e&ame utterly (an'rupt#for it did not noti&e the new &ontent. "eft do&trinarism persists in the un&onditional repudiationof &ertain old forms# failing to see that the new &ontent is for&ing its way through all andsundry forms# that it is our duty as $arxists to master all forms# to learn how# with the

maximum rapidity to supplement one form with another# to su(stitute one for another and toadapt our ta&ti&s to any su&h &hange that does not &ome from our &lass or our efforts.0

7e will dis&uss the +uestion of spe&ial oppression and its (asi& expression# super-exploitation# atgreater length# in a separate se&tion of the series on Nationalism and ;nternationalism0# withparti&ular emphasis on the 7"%s positions. 7e &on&entrate on its positions# as mu&h (e&ause of ouragreement with mu&h of its program# as with our disagreements on the Negro +uestion# and (e&ause we (elieve that their position on this vital +uestion# to the extent that it is a&&epted (y revolutionaryso&ialists# pla&es in <eopardy the goal whi&h we (oth see'# the &onstru&tion of a "eninist party &apa(leof leading to wor'ers to power.

;n addition# the 7" is the only organi=ation on the left whi&h openly denies the existen&e of spe&ialoppression of Negroes in the form of super-exploitation. 7e (elieve that polemi&s with the 7" will notonly (est define and verify the existen&e of this relationship# (ut will also serve to delineate our

program as well# and show its theoreti&al &onsisten&y.

!he leadership of the )parta&ist "eague )"# in the pro&ess of for&ing us out of that organi=ation#also repudiated the histori& &ommunist position# that (la&' wor'ers are super-exploited.*o&umented in Sartaci!t Lea"ue S#it

?nfortunately for the )"# shortly after our ouster# every organi=ation on the left# with the ex&eption ofthe 7"# (egan to trumpet its dis&overy of super-exploitation to the heavens. ;n a gross exhi(ition ofunalloyed opportunism# the )"# in a re&ently issued leaflet# $i'e 5lons'y and >rother )talin0#una(ashedly referred to >la&' and other super-exploited minorities.0 ;ts elasti& politi&al line and itslight minded pu(lishing s&hedule# effe&tively remove it from &onsideration as a serious politi&alopponent. 7e will# therefore# only dis&uss its positions in passing# or when lessons from the )"fa&tional struggle &an (e utili=ed to give greater &larity to oiur ideas.

Lenin and Mar$i!t Method

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lthough "eninism is a&'nowledged in words to (e a &ontinuation and extension of $arxist theory#"enin%s ideas are usually set forth in a metaphysi&al and dis&ontinuous manner# as issuing from agodhead# whose wisdom# li'e thena from the forehead of Deus# emerged full-grown.

ormulas are ripped from their &ontext and pro&laimed as supra-histori&al dogma# after having (eenprudently trimmed to eliminate any potentially em(arrassing appendant ideas. !his is the tendentiousmethod of the revisionists of "enin and !rots'y.

Judging from 7ohlforth%s !he New Nationalism and the Negro uestion0# it is also the method of the7". 7ohlforth inveighs ma<esti&ally against the opportunists who apply "enin%s position on the rightof nations to self-determination... as an a(stra&t# s&hemati& formula0# p.1# and then goes on to +uote"enin against "uxem(urg:

!he &ategori&al re+uirement of $arxist theory in investigating any so&ial +uestion is that it (eexamined within definite histori&al limits# and if it refers to a parti&ular &ountry e.g.# thenational +uestion for a parti&ular &ountry# that a&&ount (e ta'en of the spe&ifi& featuresdistinguishing that &ountry from others in the same histori&al epo&h.0 uestions of Nationaloli&y and roletarian ;nternationalism. p.E1.

4x&ellentF 7e shall examine in our next issue the &orresponden&e (etween 7ohlforth%s understandingof these words to his own approa&h to the national +uestion# (etween his understanding and "enin%s#

and (etween the &on&lusions drawn (y the 7" and a "eninist position.

Part T%o: Lenin &er!u! 'oh#(orth on the Nationa# )ue!tion

Vanguard Newsletter# Vol. 1 No. A ugust 1969

,ardly had the 7or'ers% "eague%s !im 7ohlforth ended his homily against the revisionists of "enin#on the need to understand reality in all its &on&reteness...within its proper histori&al evolution0 !heNew Nationalism and the Negro )truggle# p.1# when he emerged with a new supra-histori&al law# whi&h he# in the exa&t same manner as the revisionists# foists onto "enin. "enin it seems:

emphasi=ed throughout his writings that the ne&essity for raising this demand for self-determination is always asso&iated in a &ountry in a state of (a&'wardness whi&h has either

not passed through the (ourgeois demo&rati& revolution or where this revolution has only(een partially su&&essful0.emphasis added.

"enin0# &ontinues 7ohlforth# therefore# saw no validity whatsoever to the right of nations to self-determination0 in %advan&ed &apitalist &ountries%0# and &urrent nationalist and semi-nationalistmovements in >elgium# 4ngland# 3anada and the ?nited )tates0 are so &ompletely rea&tionary (e&ause the (ourgeois revolution has long (een &ompleted0 in these &ountries.

7ohlforth triumphantly holds aloft the warrant for his position# point 6 of !heses on the )o&ialistCevolution and the Cight of Nations to )elf-*etermination0# in whi&h "enin analyses in this &onne&tionthree main types of &ountries.

;n addition to the pros&ription of the right of nations to self-determination in 7estern 4urope and the?)# "enin# it seems# also set forth two other &ategories where the slogan0 was appli&a(le# the&olonial and semi-&olonial &ountries# and those &ountries where the (ourgeois demo&rati& revolutionhad only partially su&&eeded in &reating multi-national states0 su&h as %4astern 4urope# ustria# the>al'ans and parti&ularly Cussia.%0 !he New Nationalism...# p.A# emphasis added.

;t is o(vious nonsense to attri(ute to "enin the opinion that the (ourgeois demo&rati& revolution hadpartially su&&eeded0 in Cussia prior to 191G# let alone that its partial su&&ess0 had &reated theCussian multi-national state.

;t would also seem that 7ohlforth is not aware# even after having read "enin on the national +uestion#that (ourgeois demo&ra&y is# at (est# limited and in&omplete in every area# in&luding the national.

;f# as 7ohlforth avers# "enin had ruled out the appli&a(ility of the right to self-determination for nations whi&h had &ompleted their (ourgeois demo&rati& revolutions# then how &ould he have pointed to theexample of the se&ession of Norway from )weden as an instan&e of its valid useH ;n what essential way in regard to the national +uestion did the Norwegians (efore 19IE differ from the present-day

7elsh or )&ots in Breat >ritain# lemings in >elgium# ren&h in 3anada# or >retons in ran&e# et&.Herhaps 3omrade 7ohlforth will (e good enough to enlighten us.

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&&ording to "enin:

?ntil 19IE autonomous Norway# as a part of )weden# en<oyed the widest autonomy# (ut she was not )weden%s e+ual. nly (y her free se&ession was her e+uality manifested in pra&ti&eand proved...s long as Norway was merely autonomous# the )wedish aristo&ra&y had oneadditional privilege...0 !he *is&ussion of )elf-*etermination )ummed ?p. "enin%s emphasis.

;f (a&'wardness0 is the &riterion# for the right to self-determination to (e supporta(le# how then does7ohlforth explain the fa&t that the >olshevi's supported the right of inland to se&ede# after the&to(er CevolutionH 7hy did they insist upon that right for peoples in )oviet Cussia# no longer theprison-house of nations0H

The Ri"ht o( Nation! to Se#(*Determination

!he o(<e&tive (asis for national +uestion was stated (y "enin as follows:

*eveloping &apitalism 'nows two histori&al tenden&ies in the national +uestion. !he first isthe awa'ening of...national movements# the struggle against all national oppression# and the&reation of national states. !he se&ond is... the (rea'down of all national (arriers# the &reationof international unity of &apital...0 uestions of National oli&y and roletarian;nternationalism# p. 2I.

s a &onsistent diale&ti&al materialist# "enin understood that the wor'ing &lass# arising in the nationalenvironment# &ould only (e made &ons&ious of its international &hara&ter# not (y attempting to ignorethe nation# as did Cosa "uxem(urg# (ut (y trans&ending it.

"enin fought for the adoption of his position upholding the right of nations to self-determination# i.e.#the right to se&ede# as a &orre&t understanding of the diale&ti&al unity of national and international# whi&h would ena(le the $arxists to lead the wor'ing &lasses of (oth the oppressed and oppressornations to proletarian internationalism.

"enin never gave the national +uestion...support0 as 7ohlforth%s diffuse language has it# (utunremittingly and intelligently opposed every manifestation of (ourgeois nationalism. ;n order to do so#he was re+uired to wage a struggle against opportunist and se&tarian the opportunism of a differentsort poli&ies in the so&ialist movement @against those from the oppressed nations and oppressedminorities# who spo'e from the viewpoint of petty-(ourgeois nationalism# and those who in the name

of internationalism# either (ehaved li'e annexationists from the oppressor nations# or played into thehands of real annexationists from the oppressed nations.

;t is only from an appre&iation of "enin%s unyielding struggle against metaphysi&al and opportunistapproa&hes on the national +uestion# that we &an understand his theses# whi&h represented# not onlya summation (ut also# an enlargement of his position on the national +uestion.

Needless to say# "enin ela(orated no supra-histori&al dogmas# (ut on the &ontrary# indi&ated in theshape of a program# from whi&h he edu&ated# and whi&h he a(ly defended# the duties andresponsi(ilities that devolve upon the $arxists in the histori&ally prepared &on&rete situation# in whi&hthey are re+uired to fun&tion.

Tye! o( Countrie!

7hat "enin did say a(out the three main types of &ountries was the following:

;n the first type# the advan&ed &apitalist &ountries of 7estern 4urope and the ?nited )tates0#(ourgeois nationalist movements did not existF ;n answer to "uxem(urg# "enin replied that point 9 ofthe program &overs all instan&es of (ourgeois-demo&rati& national movements...(utK it is ridi&ulous toexpe&t and answer to non-existent +uestions in the programmes of 7estern 4urope.0 L"enin%semphasis.

!he se&ond type referred to the &ountries of:

M4astern 4urope: ustria# the >al'ans and parti&ularly Cussia whereK the twentieth &enturyparti&ularly developed the (ourgeois-demo&rati& national movements and intensified thenational struggle.M

;n the third type:



;n the semi-&olonial &ountries...so&ialists must...demand the un&onditional and immediateli(eration of the &olonies without &ompensation# andK support...the more revolutionaryelements in the (ourgeois-demo&rati& movements...0 !heses# point 6.

!he sheer nonsense uttered (y 7ohlforth in "enin%s name# does not result from over-hastyformulations or generali=ations# (ut dire&tly from 7ohlforth%s method. No matter how many times he&apitali=ses# not only the first# (ut every letter in the word as he did in his review of "una&hars'y%sOCevolutionary )ilhouettes%# he &annot transform his method into the method of $arxism.

7ohlforth wishes to provide a theoreti&al <ustifi&ation for the positions of the )o&ialist "a(our "eague)""# whi&h does not uphold the right of the )&ots or ren&h 3anadians to self-determination# whilealso posing a theoreti&al (asis for opposing the (la&' struggle in the ?). ,e# therefore# approa&hesthe national +uestion tendentiously# and develops his position through an e&le&ti& and me&hani&alreading of "enin.

or the same reason# 7ohlforth tends to de-emphasi=e the stress "enin pla&es on the differingedu&ational approa&hes to the wor'ers of oppressor and oppressed nations# i.e.:

;n the oppressor &ountries# emphasis must (e laid on their the wor'ersK advo&ating freedomfor the oppressed &ountries to se&ede and their fighting for it. 7ithout this there &an (e nointernationalism...!his is an a(solute demand# even where the &han&e of se&ession (eing

possi(le and pra&ti&a(le0 (efore the introdu&tion of so&ialism is only one in a thousand. ;t isour duty to tea&h wor'ers to (e indifferent0 to national distin&tions...>ut it must not (e theindifferen&e of annexationists.

n the other hand# a so&ial demo&rat from a small nation must emphasi=e ...the se&ond wordof our general formula: Ovoluntary integration% of nations.0 uestions of National oli&y# p 1E1#"enin%s emphasis.

7e as' the &omrades of the 7" and )" @to the degree that (ourgeois national movements havearisen# whi&h involve masses of wor'ers in the demo&rati&0 &apitalist &ountries# as a result of theartifi&ial prolongation of the life of &apitalism (y )o&ial *emo&ra&y and )talinism and under the impa&tof the developing world &risis @would not "enin%s on self-determination (e a far more logi&al andeffe&tive# not to spea' of valid# method of &om(ating the influen&e of (ourgeois nationalism on the wor'ing &lasses of (oth oppressor and oppressed nations# than the neo-"uxem(urgist position whi&h

you have adoptedH

"uxem(urg%s mista'e was mitigated (y the fa&t that she &ame from an oppressed nation. >ut the )""&omrades in 4ngland# who uphold the state (orders of the 3ommonwealth0 against the )&ots# the7elsh and ren&h 3anadians# do not have here ex&useF

Part Three: Trot!+y on the Ne"ro )ue!tion ,The S'P and the 'or+er!- Lea"ue

Vanguard Newsletter Vol. 1 No. E &to(er 1969

!he 3u(an revolution mar'ed the point of +ualitative transformation of the )7 from revolutionary$arxism to revisionism. or a num(er of years# it had attempted to mas' its ina(ility to &reativelydevelop $arxism in the fa&e of post-7orld 7ar 2 developments# (y the in&antation of orthodox!rots'yist formuli. ;t was a(le to sustain itself in this manner in the fa&e of the expansion of )talinisminto 4astern 4urope and 3hina# and the politi&al +uies&en&e of the wor'ing &lass in the advan&ed&apitalist &ountries# following the (etrayals of the )talinists# and during the long post-war e&onomi&upsurge.

!he vi&tory of the 3u(an revolution# from a peasant (ase# with an essentially passive wor'ing &lass#and under a left wing se&tion of the (ourgeois rthodoxo party# and its su(se+uent development e.g.#expropriation of ?) imperialist holdings# domesti& &apitalist industry and latifundia# planning#&onvin&ed the )7 leaderhip that short-&uts to the so&ialist revolution were at hand. ;n a period whenthe revolutionary epi&entre0 would seem to have shifted to the third world0# it would only have (eenne&essary to hold onto the &oat-tails of a 3astro or $al&olm P# and the arduous tas' of (uilding a"eninist party in an as-yet ina&tive wor'ing &lass in the advan&ed &apitalist &ountries &ould (e&ir&umvented. ;ndeed# why not postpone this unrewarding tas' to the Bree' 5alends until the third

world0 had su&&eeded in giving a revolutionary impulse to the advan&ed industrial &ountries and more

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favoura(le &ir&umstan&es ensuedH 7hy not follow (ehind these new leaders# who were inevita(lydeveloping into revolutionary so&ialists0H

s an even faintly &riti&al word might result in an a(rupt severan&e from the &oat-tails# it wouldnaturally (e ne&essary# not only to avoid ma'ing su&h faux pas# (ut also to ensure against it (yproviding &omplete support and applause for every word pronoun&ed and deed performed (y theseleaders in their inevita(le transformation.

Theoretica# .Ad/u!tment!0

!he &apitulation to (la&' nationalism (y the )7 followed on the heels of the 3u(an revolution# withthe ne&essary attendant theoreti&al @ad<ustments0.

!rots'y%s views on the Negro +uestion were a(stra&ted from his all-em(ra&ing revolutionary outloo'#and the possi(ility he foresaw of a national development for the >la&' people was distorted into atheoreti&al s&reen to &over the )7%s present opportunist adaptation.

!hus# the 19Q )7 &onvention resolution adopted in 19EI# Negro "i(eration through Cevolutionary)o&ialism0# whi&h appeared in *o&uments on the Negro )truggle# pu(lished in 1962# was omittedfrom the re-edition in 196G# entitled "eon !rots'y on >la&' Nationalism and )elf *etermination. !he19EG resolution# !he 3lass )truggle Coad to Negro 4+uality0# is also ignored.

7hile still pro<e&ting the possi(ility and supporting the right of >la&' people to form a separate nation#and although the latter already displays &onfused and &on&iliatory attitudes toward petty (ourgeois>la&' leadership and third world0 &on&eptions# (oth do&uments were written from a c#a!! viewpoint#and as a result# &ontain formulations whi&h today &onstitute an em(arrassment to the )7.

!he former resolution# for example# states the following &on&erning the utili=ation of the >la&' struggle(y the ?) ruling &lass to promote separatism0.

*espite all appearan&es meri&an &apitalism &onstantly in&reases and intensifies its Jim3row system...!he more powerfully the Negroes organi=e and protest# the more &apital is&ompelled to (ri(e them with spe&ial Negro s&hools...hospitals...&olleges...playgrounds...newsfilms...appointments...0

!his paragraph today (e&omes a suffi&iently a&id &ommentary on the )7%s support for (la&'

separatist demands# for (la&' studies# for (la&' students in all-(la&' dormitories and taught (y (la&'tea&hers.

B#ac+ chau&ini!m

;n dis&ussing (la&' &hauvinism and its impli&ations for the &lass struggle in the ?)# the 19Qresolution stated the following:

7hile it would (e a serious error to ignore the reality of ra&ial hatreds whi&h have (eenin<e&ted into the histori&al development of the meri&an people# not the slightest &on&essionmust (e made to ideas whi&h do not pla&e upon &apitalism the &omplete responsi(ility#deli(erate and &ons&ious# for the existing situation of Negroes# the spread of ra&ial pre<udi&esin all areas of the ?nited )tates today...;n the Negro movement in parti&ular and often in thela(or movement the party will meet Negro &hauvinism. 7hile ma'ing no prin&ipled&on&essions to it# the party treats it with great &aution and ma'es a sharp distin&tion (etweenthe &hauvinism of the oppressor and the &hauvinism of the oppressed...!his &hauvinism ofthe Negroes &ontains possi(ilities of (eing exploited under &ertain &ir&umstan&es (y the&apitalists and turned into a terri(le danger to the organi=ed la(or movement.0

pplied the )7%s role in the N83%s tea&hers% stri'e last year# these words (e&ome a s&athingindi&tment. ?nder the (anner of &ommunity &ontrol0 of ghetto s&hools# (la&' &ultural nationalists#su(sidi=ed (y the ort oundation# and in (ehalf of the N83 3ity and )tate governments# attemptedto destroy the ?nited ederation of !ea&hers ?!. !his atta&'# representing a (low at all 3ity and)tate wor'ers# was laun&hed shortly after the !aylor "aw# whi&h prohi(its pu(li& servi&e wor'ers fromstri'ing was passed. tta&'ing the stri'e &alled to re-instate sa&'ed tea&hers as ra&ist0# and with ?!(ureau&rats helping to provide them with ammunition for this atta&'# the )7 <oined the 3 and amotley &rew of so&ial opportunists in s&a((ing on the tea&hers.

Se#(*Determination

6



!he 19EG resolution presented the )7%s position on the >la&' struggle and the right to self-determination as follows:

)in&e minority peoples have the demo&rati& right to exer&ise self-determination# so&ialists would (e o(ligated to support su&h separatist demands of they should refle&t the mass will.8et even under these &ir&umstan&es so&ialists would &ontinue to advo&ate integration ratherthan separation as the (est solution of the ra&e +uestion for Negro and white wor'ers ali'e.7hile upholding the right of self-determination# they would &ontinue to urge and allian&e of theNegro people and the wor'ing &lass to (ring a(out a so&ialist solution to the &ivil rightspro(lem within the existing national framewor'...usion of these independent politi&al &urrentsshould (e advo&ated through a la(or-Negro allian&e to form an independent la(or party (asedon the unions...;f the right for &omplete e+uality is to (e won# the Negro wor'ers must ta'e theleadership out of the hands of the middle &lass elements. !hat tas' re+uires the (uilding of aleft wing founded on &lass-struggle perspe&tives...(ove all we have stressed the need for&lass politi&al &ons&iousness among wor'er militants# &olored and white# as the 'ey to vi&toryfor (oth movements.0

!oday# and also in the name of !rots'y# the )7 not only gives its (lessing to every (la&' nationalistdemand# (ut has even su(stituted# in effe&t# its proposal for an independent0 >la&' politi&al party forthe demand for a la(or party.

The 'or+er! Lea"ue and Trot!+y

!he 7"%s !im 7ohlforth# in his !he New Nationalism and the Negro )truggle0# in exa&tly the samemanner as the )7# a(stra&ts the national aspe&ts from !rots'y%s dis&ussions in 19A9. ;n so doing#he aids the )7%s de&eption from the left0F

,aving treated !rots'y%s views on the Negro +uestion in metaphysi&al fashion# 7ohlforth &an onlyunderstand them as an a(erration. ,e informs us that# !rots'y was wrong in proposing the possi(ilityof the Negro (e&oming a nation0: that !rots'y%s error0 resulted from his failure to ma'e a serious&on&rete analysis of the a&tual development of the Negro people within meri&an &apitalismR that hehad (een &onfused (y a &ertain O3arlos%0 and (y 3ommunist arty >la&' >elt notions0.

)t. John informs us that !rots'y appears to (e relying on a totally su(<e&tive and psy&hologi&al (asisof analysis0R that his statements were far from definitive...and often &ontradi&tory0R that !rots'y%s

&on&lusions appear to (e (ased solely on the need for the )7 to turn to the Negro masses without a&lear analysis of the histori&al# politi&al and so&ial role of the Negro in the ?)0.

7ohlforth# una(le to respond to Joseph ,ansen%s thrust !he ,ealyites >egin to ?nravel theirO!rots'yism%0 that !rots'y%s method on the Negro +uestion &annot (e separated from that used toela(orate the !ransitional rogram# &ounter-atta&'s (y &harging ,ansen with a la&' of understandingof the $arxist method# and (y a general dis&ussion of the !ransitional rogram.

,owever# 7ohlforth &learly agrees with ,ansen%s &ontention that# on the Negro +uestion# not only7ohlforth# (ut the leaders of the )""0 (elieve that !rots'y was no diale&ti&ian (ut only a (ungler anda dogmatist.0 nd in fa&t# the review of "una&hars'y%s Cevolutionary )ilhouettes0 (y 7ohlforth# hasfor its main purpose the positing of !rots'y%s individualisti&0 (ehaviour# in order to esta(lish thepriority0 of "enin over !rots'y in respe&t to $arxist method0# i.e.# to &ounterpose "enin to !rots'y# toa&&ount for his su(<e&tive and psy&hologi&al approa&hes0 to the Negro +uestion. Bulletin# $ay E#

1969

7e (elieve and intend to demonstrate that# not only was !rots'y%s essential position on the Negro+uestion# although in&ompletely formulated# arrived at (y the use of the diale&ti&al method# that hisapproa&hes on this +uestion are not only in ex&ellent agreement with "enin%s on the national +uestion#(ut are# furthermore# insepara(le from his approa&hes to the !ransitional rogram as a wholeR that while (oth the 7" and )7# ea&h in its own way have a(andoned the diale&ti& for empiri&ism# forsymmetri&al and opposite opportunist adaptations to the (la&' nationalistSwhite &hauvinist polarity#!rots'y understood and fought for a synthesis that would unite (la&' and white wor'ers against theseopposite refle&tions of (ourgeois ideology.

!he 7"# despite its desire to pose itself as the revolutionary alternative to the )7# to present itselfas the organi=ational &ontinuity of revolutionary $arxism to the )7%s revisionism# (e&ause of itsina(ility to understand the most fundamental of +uestions relative to the meri&an revolution# theNegro +uestion# has su&&eeded only in (e&oming its mirror-image# with all signs reversed# as a resultof its one-sidedness and its tenden&y to fun&tion as me&hanisti& materialists.

G



Part Four: Trot!+y on the Ne"ro )ue!tion: The .B#ac+ Be#t0

Vanguard Newsletter Vol. 1 No. 6 Novem(er 1969

7as !rots'y wrong0 in posing the possi(ility of the Negro (e&oming a nation0# as !im 7ohlforthavers !he New Nationalism and the Negro )truggleH ;f so# he &an only perform a servi&e for$arxism# for !rots'yism# (y proving his &ontention.

;t is# in fa&t# the duty of $arxists to explore errors# point out their roots# indi&ate why a position# on&e&orre&t# is so not longer# there(y 'eeping $arxism vital# in &onta&t with &urrent reality.

$arxism was su&&in&tly defined (y "enin as a summing up of experien&e illuminated (y a profoundphilosophi&al &on&eption of the world# and a ri&h 'nowledge of history0. s a world outloo' &on&erned with human development# with more transitory phenomena than the exa&t s&ien&es# $arxism &anin&orporate errors.

;n &riti&i=ing strategi& and ta&ti&al positions assumed (y the &reative $arxists# however# it isne&essary to examine the situation o(taining at that time# if one studies $arxism in order to learn fromit# and not with the aim of refuting it.

!he intrepid warrior against empiri&ism# 7ohlforth# informs us in what appears to (e an histori&alanalysis of the Negro +uestion# (ut is# in "enin%s polemi&al phrase# a mo&'ery of the histori&ally&on&rete presentation of the +uestion0# that# the further development of the Negro sin&e 19A9# ratherthan &onfirming his !rots'yK position# has done the opposite0.

n this (asis# every a&ademi& wise-a&re &an point to similar errors0 of the great $arxists. $arx and4ngels &onsidered the 3roats and 3=e&hs to (e outposts of Cussian despotism in 1QQ# and opposedtheir national aspirations. 7ere they wrongH

!rots'y# in his dis&ussion on the unions in 19A9 stated that# the overall &urve of &apitalist e&onomi&development is toward de&line0. >ut the &urve of &apitalist development sin&e the se&ond 7orld 7arhas (een upwardF 7asn%t !rots'y wrongH

ny possi(ility of a Negro nation died# says 7ohlforth# with the destru&tion of re&onstru&tion# theattrition of the plantation e&onomy# and the migration of the Negro from the O>la&' >elt%0. ,owever#

even had these developments not ta'en pla&e# it would seem that 7ohlforth and the 7or'ers "eague7" would have opposed the right of self-determination for the >la&' people# &ontrary to "enin# (ut in"enin%s name# (e&ause the meri&an 3ivil 7ar mar'ed the &ompletion of the meri&an (ourgeoisdemo&rati& revolution0. )ee our dis&ussion on this +uestion in the ugust issue art !wo a(ove ed.K

7ohlforth%s fa&ile summary (ears little resem(lan&e to a serious analysis of the Negro +uestion. !heaspe&ts of the +uestion so lightly tou&hed upon (y him &over a &entury of development. !rots'y morethan on&e emphasi=ed the ne&essity of 'nowing# not only the dire&tion# (ut also the speed of adevelopment at a parti&ular histori&al <un&ture.

;n this &onne&tion# the rate of migration from the >la&' >elt0 in 19A9# would seem of parti&ularmoment. 7ohlforth avoids in+uiring into the &on&rete situation at the time that a &ertain 3arlos0 madethe assertion that the tenden&y to migrate from the >la&' >elt0 &ould no longer operate# however#(e&ause he would# perhaps# have (een for&ed to re&ognise that the method (y whi&h !rots'y arrivedat his position on the Negro +uestion is insepara(le from that used to formulate the entire !ransitionalrogram.

!hroughout his life# !rots'y fought for the method of $arxism as indispensi(le armament for $arxistrevolutionists. ,e &ould ma'e immense &ontri(utions to $arxism only (e&ause of his thoroughunderstanding of the materialist diale&ti&.

!he diale&ti& does not# of &ourse# ensure against mista'es. ;n dealing with any many-sidedphenomenon# all aspe&ts of whi&h are in motion# &onstantly a&ting# rea&ting# and intera&ting# internallyand externally# errors# (oth ma<or and minor# on one +uestion or another# in one degree or another#are not only possi(le# (ut inevita(le. !he method of $arxism has demonstrated its validity# however#(y providing a s&ientifi& understanding of the &omplex and antagonisti& motion of matter# parti&ularlyin the so&ial sphere.

The O1/ecti&e Situation

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;n examining the o(<e&tive situation o(taining# on a world s&ale and in the ?)# !rots'y had &on&ludedthat the inter and intra-&apitalist &ontradi&tions had rea&hed a stage whi&h threatened all man'ind with&atastrophe# with a return to (ar(arism# unless a new revolutionary leadership was forgedR that anypossi(ilities for reformist solutions within the &apitalist framewor' had (een exhaustedR that the &urveof e&onomi& development presaged further e&onomi& stagnation and de&line# and that therefore# arevolutionary situation was developing whi&h would result in either the vi&tory of the wor'ing &lass

under the leadership of the ourth ;nternational or further de&ay# fas&ism and war.

!hat the )talinists ena(led &apitalism to extend its lease on life for another period# does not invalidatethe ta&ti&s developed in and for the pre&eding histori&al period. s &apitalism%s &ontradi&tionsintensify# the validity of these ta&ti&s is again demonstrated.

!he situation of the Negro in the ?)# and in the >la&' >elt0# spe&ifi&ally# also has to (e understood inthat histori&al &ontext. &&ording to the ?) 3ensus >ureau statisti&s# at the turn of the &entury# E.9Tof >la&' people still lived in the >la&' >elt0# southern &ounties where they &onstituted a ma<ority. >y19I# a little more than a fifth# 2I.ET# still resided there. ,owever# during the I year interval# therates of migration had varied mar'edly# depending on &hanges in the o(<e&tive situation. >efore theBreat *epression0 in 1929# the rate was high. fter# and until the out(rea' of the se&ond 7orld 7ar#it was low.

7hereas the per&entage of the total >la&' population remaining in the >la&' >elt0 de&reased E.9T (y191I# Q.9T (y 192I# and Q.1T (y 192I# it had fallen only (y 2.ET (etween 19AI and 19I. sstatisti&s are only availa(le in 1I year intervals# one &an only postulate the li'elihood that with theonset of the depression in 1929# followed (y the re&ession0 in 19AG# migration (efore 19A9 hadvirtually halted# and that mu&h of the limited migration reported (etween 19AI and 19I resulted fromthe stimulus of war produ&tion whi&h (egan in 19A9.

7hen !rots'y posed the possi(ility in 19A9 therefore# that the >la&' people# although not a nation#might develop into one# he too' into a&&ount the +uite material (asis for nationhood when then stillexisted# a &ommon territory# as well as the other o(<e&tive &onditions whi&h promised to further notmigration from# (ut the sta(ility of the >la&' >elt0. ne &an see# therefore# the groundlessness of the&harge (y "u&y )t. John that !rots'y was relying on totally su(<e&tive and psy&hologi&alanalysis...%their feelings and impulses% rather than on an o(<e&tive analysis0 of the Negro +uestion.!he Negro# Nation and $arxist !heory# >ulletin0# *e&. 16# 196Q.

!he ignoran&e shown (y relative new&omers to !rots'yism is# perhaps# understanda(le. !hedisloyalty of self-styled if not orthodox0 !rots'yists# who were evidently not &on&erned to evaluate allaspe&ts of their differen&e with !rots'y (efore rushing into print to atta&' him# is another matter.

,owever# the +uestion is (y no means exhausted. 7hile the material (asis for the evolution of aseparate Negro nation existed then# &ould !rots'y have (een wrong0 in politi&al supporting su&h apossi(le developmentH $oreover# &ould !rots'y have &orre&tly ta'en a position supporting the right of>la&' people to nationhood if the >la&' >elt0 had not then existedH nd what position should!rots'yists ta'e on this +uestion today# now that the >la&' >elt0 has &eased to existH

Se#(*Determination

!rots'y stood on the same ground as "enin on the right to self-determination. !o the extent that the wor'ers of an oppressed nation# or of a national minority whi&h may ta'e the path of nationhood# are

&onvin&ed that the wor'ers of the oppressor nation are their &lass (rothers# who fight for their rights#in&luding their right to se&ede# who do not stand with their own0 (ourgeoisie in defending the state(oundaries of the oppressor nation# to that extent they may de&ide not to see' separation. !he"eninist position has proven to (e the only (asis on whi&h the wor'ing &lasses of the oppressed andoppressor nations &an (e united# )t. John to the &ontrary# notwithstanding. ,er assertion that# ;n theperiod 19A9K as well as today# it meant dividing the ?)K wor'ing &lass0# is not only and e&ho of"uxem(urg# (ut also represents a &on&ession to the white &hauvinism in that period0# as in this.

urther# !rots'y# viewing the matter of an international perspe&tive# understood that the ?)#industrially the strongest &ountry in the world in the epo&h of imperialist de&ay# would play anin&reasingly &ounter-revolutionary role in the world. !o the extent that the >la&' people struggled fornational freedom against the ?)# they administered hammer (lows to meri&an &apitalism and to the world imperialist system.

!oday# as in 19A9# revolutionary so&ialists would have nothing in &ommon with those who &onsiderthe state (oundaries of the ?) to (e sa&rosan&t.

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)hould the mass of the >la&' people# the vast ma<ority of whi&h is wor'ing &lass# de&ide onnationhood# rea&h the &on&lusion that they &an no longer reside in the same nation state with whites#and demand a separate se&tion of the ?) for a separate state# we should support their demand# in thespirit of the 19EG )o&ialist 7or'ers arty &onvention resolution# !he 3lass )truggle Coad to Negro4+uality0 see our &to(er ;ssue part A a(ove @ edK.

7e would still attempt to &onvin&e the >la&' wor'ers that the (est solution to the ra&e +uestion forNegro and white wor'ers ali'e0 was unity in the struggle for the overthrow of &apitalism. 7e wouldhope to &onvin&e them (y forging this unity in the struggle against the spe&ial oppression of >la&'people. 7e would hope to unite (la&' and white wor'ers (y edu&ating the white wor'ers to theunderstanding that the struggle against the spe&ial oppression of >la&' people is in their immediateand fundamental &lass interests.

Su1/ecti&e and O1/ecti&e

!he metaphysi&ians of the 7" might &onsider that we# li'e !rots'y# are relying on totally su(<e&tiveand psy&hologi&al analyses0. !hey will merely &ontinue to demonstrate that they have not understood!rots'y# "enin or $arx# that their method is fundamentally empiri&ist# even when presented as $arxistmethod0# that they &annot understand that there are no immuta(le &ategories in the real world# thatopposites su&h as o(<e&tive and su(<e&tive are transformed into one another# and that the su(<e&tive will of the individuals (e&omes an o(<e&tive for&e for revolutionists# to the degree that it ta'es on amass &hara&ter# and to the extent that revolutionists do not have suffi&ient roots among those massesto provide them with leadership.

Part Fi&e: Trot!+y on the Ne"ro )ue!tion , Conc#u!ion2

Vanguard Newsletter Vol. 1 No. G *e&em(er 1969

!he !rots'yist0 opportunists and se&tarians have a &ommon (ond. >oth su(stitute e&le&ti&s fordiale&ti&s in the pro&ess of falsifying $arxism.

3ontri(utions of the &reative $arxists whi&h do not fit their politi&al outloo' are ignored or deli(erately

distorted. >oth# therefore# operate as opportunists in theory and pra&ti&e.ne variety dis&ards the revolutionary essen&e of $arxism# the other# ne&essary strategy and ta&ti&sthat do not a&&ord with its pre&on&eptions and pre<udi&es. ?na(le to &riti&ally examine &ertain (asi&postulates# the se&tarian sometimes attempts to for&e su&&ess through organi=ational manipulation.long with a metaphysi&al rigidity on sele&ted theoreti&al +uestions# therefore# the se&tarian &an oftenoutdo his diale&ti&al opposite in opportunist organi=ational fun&tion.

*espite pious o(eisan&e to $arxist $4!,*0# (oth opportunist and se&tarian are pra&titioners ofempiri&ism. !he former# (y sa&rifi&ing prin&iple# for a pra&ti&al0 road to su&&ess0# the latter# (y asimplisti& representation of the motion of so&ial phenomena# and through the magnifi&ation of someaspe&ts at the expense of others.

Nowhere are these manifestations more evident than on the Negro +uestion# the most sensitive and&riti&al +uestion for the meri&an revolution.

VNB?C* N47)"4!!4C# in &ontradistin&tion to (oth opportunists and se&tarians# has presentedan integral and revolutionary position on the Negro +uestion. 7e pro&eed from the fundamentalunderstanding that the $arxist outloo' is s&ientifi&# that the (ody of 'nowledge a&+uired through thediale&ti&al method is an essentially &orre&t representation of &onstantly &hanging reality# and that thepresent &annot (e understood without an appre&iation of the hard-won lessons of the past.

ur position on the Negro +uestion is a synthesis# therefore# of the &ontri(utions of !rots'y#parti&ularly on the Negro +uestion and the !ransitional rogram# of "enin on the national +uestion# as well as our experien&e in wor'ing &lass and &ivil rights struggles.

7e have understood the radi&ali=ation of the >la&' masses as an opportunity to (uild the "eninistvanguard party in the most oppressed layer of the wor'ing &lass. 7e have re&ognised that thedisorienting# rea&tionary and utopian (la&' nationalist ideology &ould (e over&ome# and that the >la&'

wor'ers &ould (e won to a &lass viewpoint only (y an un&ompromising struggle (y white wor'ersagainst all aspe&ts of >la&' spe&ial oppression# in&luding super-exploitation in the wor'pla&eR that the

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white wor'ers# now in motion on the e&onomi& front as a result of the sharpening of the &ontradi&tionsof ?) and world &apitalism# would only (e won to so&ialist &ons&iousness (y a struggle whi&h would&onvin&e them that white &hauvinism only served their &lass enemy# and that the student radi&al would finally adhere to those revolutionists who showed themselves &apa(le of winning a (ase in the wor'ing &lassR that (i-ra&ial &au&uses# (asing themselves on a program of transitional demands# &ould(e lin'ed in a transitional organi=ation whi&h &ould# in turn# aid their transformation into fa&tory

&ommittees and wor'ers &oun&ils# into the organs of dual power and wor'ing &lass rule# in therevolutionary period.

7e (elieve that only a program that in&orporates these &on&epts &an lay the foundations for a "eninistparty in the ?) &apa(le of leading the (la&' and white wor'ers in the so&ialist revolution.

4N*

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Nationalism and Internationalism by Harry Turner

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