COVID-19 is ravaging the world’s capitalist economy, triggering its worst crisis since 1929. It has upended many aspects of capitalist society, thrown the rulers into disarray, and put masses worldwide in motion. It hasn’t, however, changed the course of history. It has only accelerated it.
Intensifying the contradiction between our class and the rulers, billions of workers worldwide can’t live in the old way. Many, questioning capitalism, are looking for revolutionary solutions. This opens the door to communist revolution on a global scale.
At the same time, it has intensified the contradictions among the world’s capitalists-imperialists, accelerating their drive toward fascism and World War III.
For example, the struggle between China and the US for world supremacy had been sharpening for years. The pandemic has intensified this.
Their blame game about the origins of COVID-19 should be seen in this light. Both powers are using it to foster rabid racism and fanatical patriotism to mobilize their working class to fight and die for their profits and empires.
Imperialist Wars and Communist Revolution
War became an indispensable part of society ever since the rise of private property divided humanity into classes. Modern imperialism – the highest and last stage of capitalism – has made it a worldwide scourge.
Understanding this can steel our class and Party. It can prepare us to call for and organize armed insurrections under war conditions. It makes more urgent our need to vigorously organize in the rulers’ militaries to win soldiers and sailors to joins us.
We also need this understanding to win the masses to fight for communism as the only way to end wars for profits. Worldwide communism will end all wars. It will eventually end the need for weapons of any kind.
Comrades in Los Angeles talked to Guard members about the need for communist revolution
Struggle Among Capitalists Is Primarily Destructive
Like all processes, the capitalist class is based on the unity and struggle of opposites.
They are united in preserving their system of wage slavery. Their power, privileged lifestyle and very existence depend on this.
Struggle among them is based on competition for maximum profits. They fight for markets, natural resources, and the cheapest labor power possible.
Their struggle, like all processes, is dialectical. It is destructive and constructive.
On one hand, capitalist competition kills many capitalists as those unable to compete are plowed under. On the other, it creates millions of small “capitalists”: unemployed workers and others forced to setup little “businesses” in order to survive.
Capitalist war is also destructive and creative – creative for the capitalist only. To deal with the crisis of overproduction, the capitalists must destroy the means of production – factories, machinery, tools, including tens of millions of workers.
This destruction, however, especially on a global scale, rejuvenates capitalism. Capital can now be invested profitably in rebuilding. The rate of profit is thus reestablished at a “healthy” level. Our exploitation and misery continue unabated.
Struggle Among Workers is Primarily Constructive
Our class is also based on unity and struggle. Our primary goal is to maximize our collectivity to better survive and advance our species. Class society prevents us from doing this.
Our struggle is also dialectical. It is constructive and destructive.
The struggle within our class is mainly ideological. To build our communist consciousness we must destroy the capitalist ideas in us which weaken, divide, and keep us enslaved. Since worldwide our interests are the same, our struggle is mainly constructive. It advances our unity to a higher level to better fight for our class.
Unity based on communist ideological commitment fortifies family and friendship ties. It better positions us to advance the struggle for communism: organize study-action groups, distribute more literature, build more Party collectives, etc. It expands the Party’s influence among the masses. It advances the revolutionary process.
Only Our Class Can Change the Course of History
Capitalism can survive pandemics, economic crises and depressions. War rejuvenates capitalism to continue to exploit and inflict unending misery and horrors on our class.
Only communist revolution can change this by destroying capitalism and building a classless world where we workers collectively make all decisions affecting our lives.
Only a communist Party can forge the ideological unity to transform our class into that powerful agent of change. The most urgent task before us today is to build a massive International Communist Workers’ Party worldwide capable of doing that.
Join us and help bring forth this historical change! It is up to our class to bring out of the destruction of imperialist war the construction of a communist society.
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