Marxist theory is the bedrock upon which our
political ideas, perspectives, and methods are built upon. It is our guide to action
in an often confusing and chaotic world. Through the correct application of the
ideas of Marx, Engels, Lenin, and Trotsky to the current world situation, we can more
effectively anticipate the most likely course of events and plan our work
accordingly. Marxism is the collective, generalized experience of the world working
class. By studying the past, we are able to learn from the innovations, mistakes,
victories, and defeats of the working class as a whole. By studying theory, history, and
the processes unfolding around us, we can, through a series of
successive approximations, come to an ever-better understanding of the world and most
importantly, we can change it.
This FAQ is intended as an introduction to
some of the basic ideas and positions of the Workers International League. In
general, we have provided short, concise answers, with plenty of suggestions for further
reading, although in some cases we have provided a longer explanation. We also invite our
readers to become acquainted with the more basic ideas of Marxism by going through the
Marxism FAQ at www.newyouth.com. However, reading
the classics of Marxism is the
best way to understand these ideas. At first it may seem difficult, but every worker
and young person knows that things worth having are worth working hard for! Patient
and persistent study, discussion, and ultimately, the day to day application of these
ideas over a lifetime are the key.
Trotsky gave some very good advice in his
short article Don't
Spread Yourself Too Thin. We recommend everyone interested in studying the ideas
of Marxism start by reading it. We also suggest reading If America Should
Go Communist by Leon Trotsky, The Principles of
Communism by Frederick Engels, and Workshop Talks by
James Connolly. We also offer a Marxist Education Plan which will help focus your studies of Marxist theory. Check out in particular the ABC of Communism by Nikolai Bukharin and Evgenii
Preobrazhensky for an excellent overview of many of the basic concepts
of Marxism and a look at some of the progress made during the early
years of the Soviet Union.
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Much has changed since this document was first produced, and we
have continually refined and updated our perspectives and analysis in subsequent books and
articles. However, the historical value of this document, especially those parts
concerning the history of the internationals, the rise of proletarian Bonapartism, and the
post-WWII period retain their full force and value.
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The
following text is a very brief outline of the history of our tendency, in answer to
questions we have received from different people around the world.
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In order to conduct an effective struggle against war, it is first necessary to
understand the causes of war, and this is only possible if we grasp the class interests
behind wars.
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One of the most important points in the WIL program is the need for the
working class and its unions to break with the capitalist Democratic Party. The
Democratic Party will always defend the interests of big business before it does
anything to help the working class.
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The United States is the richest and most powerful country on the planet. Yet despite
this, the poison of racism remains an integral part of America.
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Many on the left today use the word Fascist very loosely. It has become more a term of
general abuse against reactionaries in general, without taking into consideration the
historical circumstances that brought fascism into being. Such an approach can only lead
to a lowering of the understanding of what fascism really is, and thus can lead to
mistakes in how to fight it.
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When the mass of the workers enter the arena of struggle to change
society, they inevitably gravitate, in the first instance, to the traditional mass
organisations (trade unions, the labor, socialist, and
communist parties where they exist). The reason for this phenomenon is not difficult to
see.
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A party is not just an organizational form, a name, a banner, a collection
of individuals, or an apparatus. A revolutionary party, for a Marxist, is in the first
place program, methods, ideas and traditions and only in the second place, an organization
and an apparatus (important as these undoubtedly are) in order to carry these ideas to the
broadest layers of the working people.
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Marx explained that the executive branch of
the modern state is but a committee for managing the affairs of the ruling class. In other
words, the modern state is a tool of the ruling class, which it uses to defend its
interests as against the interests of the vast majority of society.
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The national question is crucial to the
Middle East, above all the Palestinian question. After decades of national oppression at
the hands of the Israeli imperialists, the Palestinian masses have a burning sense of
injustice, expressed in the desire for their own homeland. That is their inalienable
right, which Marxists will uphold and fight for. However, the experience of the last
thirty years should provide us with some necessary lessons.
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Anarchist
thought is rooted in the formulas of the pre-Marxist utopian socialists. In the era of the bourgeois-democratic revolutions, egalitarianism
was a fervently held principle of the most intelligent philosophers and the most
passionate revolutionaries. However, since capitalism was too young to have yet created large-scale
industry, the class balance of forces was still in favor of the petty-bourgeoisie (rich
peasants, intellectuals, small business owners) - not the working class. As a result of
the individualism, subjectivism, and economic naivete this set of circumstances
engendered, these people approached the question of achieving equality in an unscientific
way.
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Marxists must energetically take up the cause of women,
fighting against inequality and all manifestations of oppression, discrimination and
injustice. But we must always do this from a class point of view. While fighting
consistently for each and every reform that represents a real advance for women, we must
explain that the only way to really achieve the full emancipation of women--and all other
oppressed layers of society--is through the abolition of the capitalist system.
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It is a fundamental stance for socialists to oppose the subjugation of
women in any form. We oppose their being viewed socially, politically, and economically as
lesser than their male counter-parts. One basic precept of this attitude is the
unconditional right to reproductive services, whatever they be, including abortion.
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In his work Imperialism: the Highest Stage of Capitalism, Lenin explained that in the modern epoch, there is a merging of finance and industrial capital - with finance capital assuming a greater predominance. The rise of colossal monopolies and the interconnections between the owners and leaders of the banking sector and the industrial sector become more and more absolute. There is also an almost total fusion of the magnates of capital with the bourgeois state machine. |
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