**Marxism-Leninism is the science of the future**
(Reprinted from the August 22, 1998 issue of the People's
Weekly World. May be reprinted or reposted with PWW credit.
For subscription information see below)
By Gus Hall, national chair of the Communist Party USA
The true value of any science is constantly weighed and
tested as to whether it is a living, growing, expanding and
deepening body of thought. Does it continue to be a true
reflection and expression of the ever-changing essence of
reality?
In the deepest sense, the revolutionary science to which
Karl Marx gave birth, that Frederick Engels enlarged and
Vladimir Lenin so creatively extended and developed, meets
the most critical test of a science for our times and for
the future.
In the process of his exhaustive studies, Marx created a
new way of studying, a new approach to probing
developments, a new method of observing things.
He showed why it was always necessary to penetrate, to get
beneath the surface or veneer, and not to accept the
appearance of a thing as the real thing.
Why know the laws?
In order to get at the essence, the essential core of
developments, it is necessary to know the objective laws of
social, economic and human development. To know these inner
laws is to know the present.
But even more important, we can gain knowledge of what is
coming by knowing the laws that bring about all change.
This enables us to predict scientifically, not by
premonition, superstition or guessing.
Understanding of the laws of capitalist development is a
powerful factor in the struggle against capitalism. It
gives the working class the ability to synchronize its
actions with the objective processes taking place in life,
in objective reality.
It provides the revolutionary movement with guidelines on
how to take advantage of weaknesses in the ranks of the
class enemy.
It is a necessary foundation for solving such tactical
questions as timing, disposition of forces, nature of
alliances, etc. It is an absolute necessity for a mass
approach to struggles.
Only by use of this science is it possible for the class-
conscious sector of the working class movement to determine
when the objective processes and the subjective factors are
ready for a new stage of struggle.
Tactics and timing are, therefore, closely related to a
scientific, ongoing assessment of objective reality.
Everyone sees objective reality, the processes and stages
in society, from a class viewpoint. The ruling, capitalist
class denies the existence of such laws because these laws
expose the greedy, exploitive, anti-human, predatory nature
of capitalism and show that just as capitalism grew out of
feudalism, capitalism is now on its way off the stage of
history to make way for a more advanced socioeconomic
system - socialism.
Analyzing & predicting
In the Communist Manifesto, Marx asserted that the
capitalist system, during its rule of scarce one hundred
years, had created more massive and more colossal
productive forces than had all preceding generations
together.
In a sense, it is precisely because of the big monopolies
and the vast expansion of the productive forces under
capitalism, that it has outgrown itself.
Capitalism, because of its inherent contradictions, because
of private ownership and lack of planning in production,
has now become an obstacle to the further development and
progress of society.
Capitalism was an advance over slavery and feudalism. It
was able to use the technology of its day. But now,
capitalism is increasingly out of step with modern times.
Knowledge of and application of the laws of society also
enable us to analyze more recent capitalist developments
like monopolization, conglomerization, globalization and
privatization, all processes in the overall development and
processes of capitalism.
These new processes mean huge layoffs, the end of any job
security and, as Marx said, the increasing "pauperization"
of the working class.
We understand and analyze these new trends and developments
by examining all the processes and changes in capitalism as
it develops from one stage to another. We do it by tracing
the changes in the production process and the class forces
in relation to that process.
The reality of life is many-faceted, many processes are
taking place in a particular stage of development. Each of
these processes influences the others and together they
influence the total process, the overall direction of
developments.
Today, based on the inner laws of monopolies and
imperialism, we know how U.S. capitalism must operate, must
fall into and out of constant crises, must maximize profits
and must ultimately be replaced by socialism.
In other words, in order to keep maximizing profits, the
monopolies eat up smaller, weaker companies. Today, they
merge with or take over huge corporations and thus become
conglomerates, huge global monopolies. They keep downsizing
to save money on labor, the source of all their profits,
while forcing the remaining workers to work harder for less
wages. They drive to privatize for their private profits
all the public services, systems and institutions like
hospitals, schools, sanitation, transportation, public
lands and property.
Laws applied to life
Corporate profits come only from one source, from the
exploitation of workers. The more exploitation, the more
profits. Speedup means squeezing more production for less
pay. Wages have been declining for over 20 years.
The lower wages of part-time workers means "double-time"
corporate profits. Downsizing means mass layoffs, more
profits.
Racism means more profits. Discrimination resulting in
lower wage scales means increased profits for monopoly
capital.
The ideology of racism is based on the economics of
profits. Racism was designed by the ruling class to justify
inequality in jobs, wages and hiring.
The inequality of women is profitable. The lower wages for
women workers means corporations reap more surplus value
(profits).
High technology is more profitable. But under capitalism it
means lower wages and loss of jobs.
Thus, the gap between the haves and have-nots in our
country is one of the widest in the world. Two-thirds of
all the wealth of our land is owned by 10 percent of the
very rich.
Over six decades of fierce and bitter class struggles by
workers and their unions, an economic safety net of
government programs was won - Social Security, unemployment
insurance, welfare, disability and food stamps.
Today the most reactionary sector of the ruling class,
represented by the ultra-right Republicans in Congress like
Newt Gingrich and his "Contract on America," are pushing to
gut all the programs that have served as an economic safety
net for the laid-off, the very poor, the sick, disabled and
elderly.
Their assault on food stamps, welfare, education, has
created misery, starvation and permanent poverty for new
millions.
State-monopoly capitalism is moving in a rightward,
reactionary, in some areas even a fascist-like direction.
It is increasingly anti-working class, anti-trade union,
anti-democratic and anti-people.
Basic flaws
However, from the very beginning capitalism had very
serious basic flaws because by its very nature the system
favors a small minority, the ruling class of corporate
America and Wall Street. It is a system in which the rich
get richer, the poor get poorer. The richer, the more
economic and political power.
The biggest inherent flaw, and the most basic contradiction
of capitalism, is between the social nature of production
(that more and more workers collectively produce all the
wealth) and the increasingly private ownership of that
wealth, the means of production (factories, tools, machines
and mines), including natural resources, land and public
property.
Buying and selling distributes profits. This process does
not make profits. Only workers' labor power makes profits.
The class struggle is the very essence of the struggle
between the workers and the corporations. It is a struggle
over the value that the working class produces.
Today, more than ever, workers are locked in the battle
with corporate America for a bigger share of what workers
produce. The power and organs of government (the state),
and most laws that are passed, are weapons in this
struggle.
Every process has a general direction it is moving in. For
capitalism, the processes are now mainly negative.
Capitalism goes in and out of crises. But the general
direction is off the stage of history to make way for
socialism.
What's happening today
What is the general direction of social and economic
developments today, especially in relation to the class
struggle?
The ruling class - corporate America - is moving in the
direction of accelerating mergers, forming ever larger,
giant global conglomerates, using the processes of
downsizing, conglomerization, globalization and
privatization to extend and expand its reach and power.
The working class is being victimized by ever higher rates
of exploitation, by mass layoffs, a lower standard of
living and quality of life. On the other hand, it is also
moving in the direction of greater militancy, class
struggle trade unionism and radicalization.
In the last two years, the number of workers joining unions
has increased. There are more workers on strike and the
strikes are bigger and last longer.
Ideologically, the working class is moving in the general
direction of class consciousness and some are moving
towards "Bill of Rights" socialism.
The middle class is increasing in size. The number of
professionals remain constant. The number of scientific
workers replacing industrial workers is increasing. The
number of basic industrial workers is declining. The number
of women workers is growing.
The number of nationally and racially oppressed peoples is
increasing, especially the African-American, Mexican-
American, Latino, Asian and American Indian peoples are
growing.
The number of African-American and Mexican-American workers
is increasing. However, when compared to general wage
scales, their wages are declining.
The number of children working, mostly in sweatshops, is
increasing.
And, we now have what can be called "technological
unemployment," machines replacing labor. It is estimated
that, in the next ten years, for every 3,000 jobs high tech
industries create 50,000 jobs will be lost.
The ever-new advances in science and technology have become
entangled in the monopolies' single-minded determination to
milk all the benefits of production for their private
profits.
The number of overall jobless is increasing. The number of
part-time workers is increasing.
The number living in poverty is growing. The number of
homeless is increasing. The number of people in prison,
especially African Americans and Latinos, keeps growing.
Because of takeovers by agribusiness, the number of family
farmers is dwindling.
The number of people on drugs and afflicted with AIDS keeps
increasing.
There are more unpaid mortgages and bank loans than ever
before, more people going bankrupt and driven into poverty.
Taxes on workers keep going up, while taxes on the rich are
going down.
Health care keeps declining and the costs keep climbing.
The number of workers without health insurance is growing.
All entitlements, but especially Social Security, welfare
and public education, are under attack.
Thus, for the working class and poor people the quality of
life under capitalism is on a steady decline.
Radicalization, militancy and working class unity - Black,
Brown and white - are on the rise.
The overall, long-term development of all societies is in
the direction of socialism. Whatever is positive in
capitalism, socialism will adopt. That is the basis for the
concept, "Bill of Rights Socialism."
It is clear, when you put all these processes together,
that capitalism is on the declining side of history,
including in countries like Japan and Russia, which are
sinking ever deeper into debt and crisis.
The crisis in the Asian countries and Japan are beginning
to impact negatively on the U.S. economy. The extreme
volatility and instability of the stock market indicates
that capitalism is in long term trouble.
Laws ... & class struggle
The laws of socioeconomic systems and, specifically, the
laws of capitalist development are of great political
significance today, because when we become aware of these
laws we come to understand the pivotal role of the class
struggle in an exploitive society.
When we are conscious of the economic laws, we then
inevitably conclude that the working class is the only
truly revolutionary class.
Then we come to see that the laws of capitalist
exploitation mold and compel the working class to be, as
the Communist Manifesto says, "the main gravediggers of
capitalism."
By the law-governed processes, the working class has become
the main force for social change.
Not to see the leading role of the working class is not to
see the direction of history, the direction of progress and
social change.
... & revolution
However, the class struggle can only be resolved when the
working class decides that living under capitalism has
become intolerable, that capitalism can no longer meet the
basic needs of the majority of people, especially the
racially and nationally oppressed.
This contradiction can only be resolved by a revolutionary
transformation of power and wealth from the capitalist
class to the working class, from capitalism to socialism.
The ruling class rejects and fears all concepts of laws
because the objective laws are proof that they are the
force holding back social progress, that history is leaving
them behind, that capitalism is the old and socialism is
replacing it with the new - including a whole new set of
social and economic laws.
The Communist Party USA, the party of the working class and
its science, Marxism-Leninism, in its very essence
represents the unity of revolutionary theory and
revolutionary practice.
Marxism-Leninism is the main fountainhead for introduction
and development of this science in our land. There are no
other Marxist-Leninist parties in the United States.
The role of the Communist Party has added a new quality to
all phases of American life. It plays an important role in
influencing the course of events.
The CPUSA gives the working class a scientific basis of
struggle. It gives the class struggle a direction - a
revolutionary direction.
As it continues to grow in size and influence, the
Communist Party plants many seeds of socialism among the
American working class.
The significance of this contribution will grow as the
struggles of the working class move toward the historic
point of a revolutionary transformation from capitalism to
socialism.
(
geocities.com/CapitolHill)