In the last issue of Red Flag, we discussed what dialectical contradictions are and why they are important in the fight for communism. In this issue we discuss how contradictions affect the practical work of the party.
Dialectical contradictions between capitalist powers are causing big economic and military changes everywhere. The network of dialectical contradictions between these powers that are competing for the planet’s resources is now the main cause of changes in the world’s economy and politics.
These big conflicts filter down to cause conflicts in specific regions. Syria, for example, is a battleground between the Russian and US capitalists. The US-Russian contradiction is the main factor that determines what happens there, but other contradictions matter, too.
The victory of communism will end the contradiction between the working class and the capitalist class by destroying the capitalist class. This is typical of how contradictions end: one side defeats the other or even destroys it.
Ending a contradiction always leads to new contradictions, and the defeated side always leaves behind traces of itself. After capitalism is destroyed, some of its ideology and habits such as racism, sexism, and individualism will remain temporarily, causing more contradictions. Our party will lead the masses to struggle against these things as long as it takes to wipe them out forever.
A contradiction moves toward its end when the conflict between the two sides becomes stronger. The masses move toward ending their contradiction with the capitalists by becoming more united around communist politics and better prepared for an eventual armed struggle.
Contradictions inside a political party can become so strong that they prevent it from doing anything significant—or even cause a split.
Contradictions within party collectives are mainly disagreements about political policies and actions. They should be seen as contradictions between right and wrong ideas, not as contradictions between the people who have these ideas. Ending these contradictions means sharpening the internal debate over what the line should be and how it should be carried out.
It is mainly the party’s own internal conditions, especially its internal contradictions, that mainly hold us back from growing faster.
We need to use the experience of the working class and our revolutionary theory to decide on our priorities and follow them. Less important priorities, hesitations and fears can conflict with doing the main things we need to do.
The party’s main day-to-day work now is to create and distribute Red Flag newspaper and pamphlets, to bring communist ideas into the specific struggles of the masses, and to recruit new members to strengthen the fight for communism. New members are recruited to the Party mainly by creating and sustaining communist political relationships, which include friendships and struggling together against the bosses.
The positive political struggle that can convince our friends to join depends on creating relationships where they feel comfortable telling us their disagreements and working them out together.
Since the internal is primary, our ability to carry out this work depends on how well we struggle to find the right policies, carry them out consistently, and evaluate our successes and failures objectively. This includes learning how to overcome internal contradictions that hold us back.
Dialectical materialism is an indispensable weapon in the working class’s fight for communism. We use it to understand reality and explain how capitalism and communism work. It allows us to overcome our weaknesses so we can take advantage of the openings that the contradictions of capitalism provide.
ICWP is committed to liberate this communist philosophy from textbooks and classrooms and arm the working class with it. Learn dialectical materialism and use it in the fight! Join ICWP!
