FIGHT FOR COMMUNISM!
	International Communist Workers Party
ICWP@Anonymousspeech.com

Brazil’s politicians are putting on a spectacle even bigger than the upcoming Olympics. 
Some corrupt congressmen tied to US imperialism have impeached President Dilma Rousseff, Lula da Silva’s hand-picked successor.  Her vice-president, Michel Temer, is acting President.  He is not eligible to run for office because he was caught violating election laws.  His new cabinet includes no women and no Afro-Brazilians.  It does, however, include the guy who headed the central bank during Lula’s presidency.
Red Flag does not usually waste time on the ins and outs of capitalist politics.  We mainly want our readers to understand how communism will work, not how capitalism doesn’t work. 
But understanding the situation in Brazil helps us fight the cynical view that “power corrupts.”   Communism can end corruption because corruption is rooted in capitalism, not in “human nature.”
First, though, let’s note that inter-imperialist rivalry is driving Brazilian politics. This rivalry was at the core of the deep divisions within Rousseff’s “center-left” government.  Many even call Rousseff’s impeachment a US-sponsored “coup” (see box). 
Lula and Rousseff were once tremendously popular.  Brazil’s rapid economic growth from 2003-2010 was largely driven by exports to China.  It allowed the Workers’ Party to enact social reforms that reduced poverty, unemployment and economic inequality. 
But when the Chinese economy slowed, Rousseff could no longer make good on her promises.  Declining oil prices deepened the crisis. Her policies were driven by the needs of global capitalism:  austerity, higher interest rates, and less public investment.
In June 2013, over a million Brazilians marched to protest their declining standard of living. Many understand that things will worsen as Temer complies with International Monetary Fund demands.
In communist society, in contrast, everything will be driven by the needs of the masses.  We will determine these needs through mass investigation and discussion.  Local Party collectives open to everyone will be linked worldwide.  “Think globally” will not be just a slogan but a way of life.  We are beginning to learn to make decisions this way as the International Communist Workers’ Party grows around the world.

Workers Need Communism, Not Democracy

These signs condemn the coup as capitalist and patriarchal and Temer as a coward, traitor and sell-out who does not respect the vote of the people.

 “Every side has its hands dirty,” commented a Brazilian teacher.  “But I still have some faith about democracy.”  He added that “every day I’m fighting the mass media, cultural institutions.  It’s very hard.  I think that as a teacher I am losing.”
In communist society, education, culture and the media will foster values like collectivity, respect and unselfishness.  They will help us learn to serve the masses in a society without bosses, borders or money. 
Communist society will not work like the democracies or fascist dictatorships of capitalism.  “Politics” won’t mean voting for a few people to run things.  Instead the masses of working people will organize ourselves to be in charge.  We’ll try to get everybody to take leadership in small ways and large, as we do today.
Communist society will end corruption.  There will be no excuse for anyone to live better than anyone else.  There will be no money for bribes.  The masses will criticize anyone who tries to use their position for personal advantage.  We will try to get them to understand why such behavior is unacceptable. 
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) led masses in this struggle during the 1950s and 1960s.  Books like William Hinton’s Fanshen and Shenfan give us a very good idea of how it could work – and why it often didn’t. 
Some top CCP leaders fought for private plots and individual incentives.  They intentionally sabotaged communist principles. Their Maoist opponents promoted socialist slogans like “from each according to work.”  These maintained the material basis for selfishness and corruption even amidst political campaigns to fight them. 
Still, grassroots communists – perhaps millions– fought for communist social relations.   Now, fifty years after the Cultural Revolution began, the capitalist press is pushing the lie that it was all horrible.  Don’t believe it!  They made errors – some fatal – but there is much in their struggle to inspire us.

Communists Must Speak Truth to the Masses
Rousseff is charged with manipulating finances to make Brazil’s economy look stronger than it was.  All capitalist governments do that!  Even Chinese and Russian socialist accounting methods created incentives for leaders to lie.  They would exaggerate yields to make themselves look good, or make low-ball predictions to avoid selling grain to the state.   
Relying on the masses means trusting them with the truth.  In communist society, honesty will be the norm.
Today, our party does not exaggerate the size of our events or the distribution of our literature.  If they are disappointing, we look self-critically at our work.  We try to figure out what to do differently.  We ask you to join.

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