In his last years, president Kim Il Sung developed a tumor
This was not to be showed to the North Korean public and
few people inside the Stalinist monarchy would have known about it!
A picture that North Koreans were not to see
Eternal president Kim Il Sung was a cruel dictator, who ruled the ''Democratic'' People's Republic of Korea from 1948 till his death in 1994. As a classic Stalinist dictator he created a cult of personality around him. This cult is still alive in today's North Korea, although Kim Il Sung is no longer the only god. He maybe eternal president but his son Kim Jong Il, has been promoted to godhood after his own death in December 2011. Now both father and son are the center of the North Korean religion, which idolized these two criminals. In his last years however, Kim Il Sung grew a tumor ( calcium deposit ). Not a dangerous tumor but it grew just behind his neck. North Korean photographers were forbidden to take a picture with his tumor present. This proofed to be difficult in the last years before Kim Il Sung's death, as his tumor grew into the size of a tennis ball.
North Korea on the internet
The ''Democratic'' People's Republic of Korea is one of the worst nations on the planet. A totalitarian monarchy led by a 30 year old leader, who is fat and enjoys luxury and wealth. Meanwhile 8 million North Koreans do not have enough food and suffer hunger. The DPRK is the last classic Stalinist state on the planet. A nation in which time has been slow. Most means of production are outdated and many factories run on machines that were build before 1990. But what makes North Korea such a terrible place? It is its totalitarian cult of personalities. Two death leaders are worshipped like gods. This state enforced religion has turned the people of the DPRK into slaves, brainwashed and backward.
You would think that the DPRK would not have anything related to the internet. Because the internet stands in complete opposition to the nature of the North Korea state and society. Internet means freedom of information and this is not liked by the ruling caste. So internet access is very limited, only a few elite members of the ''Workers'' Party of Korea have access to the global internet. North Korea does have an intranet called Kwangmyong for schools and universities. Because only a small number of government-authorized persons are allowed to use the global Internet, Kwangmyong is the only computer network available to common people. It is a free service for public use!
On the global internet the DPRK is surprisingly active. The government of this Stalinist monarchy has build many websites and even created accounts on You-tube and Google+. Here we show you some websites that are created by the DPRK:
These websites contain mostly propaganda videos. They try to show the world a false picture about a ''socialist paradise under kimilsungism-kimjongilism''. Like many Stalinist dictatorships you see parades and pseudo-happy people, who all seem to support their party and supreme leader. But we revolutionary socialists know better. We know about the hunger, the outdated means of production, extreme militarism mixed with Korean nationalism, chauvinism and monarchism. That is the true picture of the ''Democratic'' People's Republic of Korea. A picture they don't want you to see, that is why their social media pages on the internet are only there for one thing: to spread propaganda and lies. This is why Revolutionary Socialist Media stands in opposition to the North Korean government, party and Kim family. We know the true nature of their state and we oppose the ''Workers'' Party of Korea and its leader Kim Jong Un. We oppose the single party state and the isolationist ideologies of Juche and Songun. Their lies can be spread throughout the internet, but so can our propaganda. This is why the North Koreans are not allowed access to the internet. Because that would mean the end of the lies spread by Kim Jong Un and his criminal family!
You would think that the DPRK would not have anything related to the internet. Because the internet stands in complete opposition to the nature of the North Korea state and society. Internet means freedom of information and this is not liked by the ruling caste. So internet access is very limited, only a few elite members of the ''Workers'' Party of Korea have access to the global internet. North Korea does have an intranet called Kwangmyong for schools and universities. Because only a small number of government-authorized persons are allowed to use the global Internet, Kwangmyong is the only computer network available to common people. It is a free service for public use!
On the global internet the DPRK is surprisingly active. The government of this Stalinist monarchy has build many websites and even created accounts on You-tube and Google+. Here we show you some websites that are created by the DPRK:
DPRK channel on Google+
Not viewable for 99,9% of all North Koreans
Five years of betrayal
Barack Obama is president of the USA since 2008. When he was elected for his first therm he promised changes. Most Americans had enough of conservative rule and wanted dramatic changes. Obama and his Democratic Party promised ''Change'' and unfortunate many Americans believed them. Revolutionary socialists however knew that Obama and the Democratic Party would not change the capitalist system or the nature of US imperialism. After five years we were proven right, but millions of Obama supporters have to face the fact, that their icon is just another capitalist president!
But the right-wing of the USA was in total panic when Obama promised changes. It was the Tea Party that started the massive anti-Obama propaganda-machine. Conservatives, Christian fundamentalists, big capitalists and anticommunists joined forces to combat the Democratic Party, who they called a ''Socialist-Communist-Fascist Party''. Sometimes the Tea Party put up billboards were Obama is pictured next to Adolf Hitler and Vladimir Lenin. As if Lenin shared anything remote with Obama and Hitler. They claim that Obama is a leftist and like Hitler and Lenin a ''danger'' to America!
The radical right-wing Tea Party was original not anti-socialist, racist or ultra conservative. It was founded by people who were worried about the US government and the way it worked. They created the Tea Party movement to protest against the government. But the big capitalists and their racist allies, hijacked the movement and turned it into a right-wing propaganda machine that opposes everything that conservatives do not like. It is no secret that the Tea Party is supported by wealthy capitalists like the Koch brothers and Glenn Beck ( a former Fox News host ).
Obama was also attacked on his birth certificate. Tea Party radicals and the Birther Movement claimed that Obama was born in Kenya and that he was an illegal president. The Brither Movement got airtime on Fox News, were they attacked Obama and claimed he was a secret Kenyan. Also because his father was a supporter of African-socialism, the Birthers said he must be a ''secret Marxist too''.
But Obama could have changed the nation. Yet he choose the path many liberal democrats choose, the path of compromises. Obama tried to deal with the Republican Party, who acted very childish and refused to work with the president. As the USA faced a massive economic crisis in 2008, the government choose to aid the ruling class. While millions of workers lost their jobs, the government of Barack Obama gave billions to big enterprises. Because of this the ( hypocrite ) Republicans called Obama a ''socialist'' because he gave money to big businesses. In reality the Republican Party was serving capitalism even more then the Democratic Party. Since Ronald Reagan's presidency ( 1980-1989 ), the ''Grand Old Party'' has become the voice of the rich and the wealthy. Republicans are paid millions by capitalists and rich people to spread right-wing politics!
In December 2008, more then 30.000 extra soldiers were send to aid the 70.000 US soldiers who were stationed in Afghanistan, to keep the unpopular Hamid Karzai government in power. Since 2001, the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan is a puppet state of the USA. Like Iraq, the nation is very unstable. Taliban forces have regained strength because the government of Hamid Karzai is corrupt and pro-capitalist. Workers and poor peasants have nothing, while a tiny elite in the capital are enjoying the fruits of ''democracy''. Obama believed that more troops would keep the Karzai government save. In reality it only caused more hatred against the Americans!
Most American workers soon realized that Obama was not delivering changes. During the elections for the US congress, the Democratic Party lost its majority. Now the right-wing Republican Party was able to dominate the congress. This forced Obama into making more compromises with the GOP who would put up any fight to oppose Obama. Because the USA lacks a genuine workers party, many workers looked to the Tea Party for alternatives. Others choose to follow radical libertarians. This is a danger because all these anti-Obama groups are mostly right-wing and do not oppose the capitalist system. Libertarians love the absolute free market and their alternatives would mean a total plutocracy in the USA!
But the biggest blow to the credit of Barack Obama was the NSA spying scandal. When Edward Snowden revealed the true nature of the NSA/CIA, they US government wanted him behind bars. Snowden knew this and fled to Hong-Kong. There he revealed to the world, how the NSA was spying on the American people with support from social media groups like Microsoft, Google and Facebook. The NSA could also read e-mails and hack into your private pages on the web. But the NSA did more. They also spied on allied nations, friends of the US government. Thanks to Edwards Snowden we know that the US government of Barack Obama used KGB methods to spy on the world. With these revelations, it became clear the Obama was just another president in the service of US imperialism!
Revolutionary socialists see that there is also deepening anger at both parties and the dysfunctional nature of the US government. Polls show around 60% of Americans disapprove of the job done by Democrats in Congress, while more than 67% disapprove of the job done by Republicans. Both the Democratic Party and the Republican Party are losing support among the people. The only reason why they are still powerful is because of the plutocratic election system. Both parties have millions of dollars they use on commercial propaganda. The media of the USA is asking big money for political propaganda on their networks. So political parties need millions to spread their message. Also because of anti-socialist brainwashing 2/3 of all Americans are still supporters of capitalism, although this is dropping as more workers realize that their politicians favour the capitalist class!
After more then five years under Barack Obama, only his most dogmatic supporters remain loyal to the idea of ''Change''. But many Americans have realized that the Obama government is just like the government of George W Bush. Obama also did not closed the only US concentration-camp in Cuba. Guantanamo Bay is still operating, although Obama promised to close it. Revolutionary socialists told the true in 2008, but few wanted to listen. Even in Europe many social democrats and progressives believed that Obama would change the USA for good. But since Obama is a Democrat and his party serves capitalism, he cannot change the nature of the US capitalist state!
But the right-wing of the USA was in total panic when Obama promised changes. It was the Tea Party that started the massive anti-Obama propaganda-machine. Conservatives, Christian fundamentalists, big capitalists and anticommunists joined forces to combat the Democratic Party, who they called a ''Socialist-Communist-Fascist Party''. Sometimes the Tea Party put up billboards were Obama is pictured next to Adolf Hitler and Vladimir Lenin. As if Lenin shared anything remote with Obama and Hitler. They claim that Obama is a leftist and like Hitler and Lenin a ''danger'' to America!
The radical right-wing Tea Party was original not anti-socialist, racist or ultra conservative. It was founded by people who were worried about the US government and the way it worked. They created the Tea Party movement to protest against the government. But the big capitalists and their racist allies, hijacked the movement and turned it into a right-wing propaganda machine that opposes everything that conservatives do not like. It is no secret that the Tea Party is supported by wealthy capitalists like the Koch brothers and Glenn Beck ( a former Fox News host ).
Obama was also attacked on his birth certificate. Tea Party radicals and the Birther Movement claimed that Obama was born in Kenya and that he was an illegal president. The Brither Movement got airtime on Fox News, were they attacked Obama and claimed he was a secret Kenyan. Also because his father was a supporter of African-socialism, the Birthers said he must be a ''secret Marxist too''.
But Obama could have changed the nation. Yet he choose the path many liberal democrats choose, the path of compromises. Obama tried to deal with the Republican Party, who acted very childish and refused to work with the president. As the USA faced a massive economic crisis in 2008, the government choose to aid the ruling class. While millions of workers lost their jobs, the government of Barack Obama gave billions to big enterprises. Because of this the ( hypocrite ) Republicans called Obama a ''socialist'' because he gave money to big businesses. In reality the Republican Party was serving capitalism even more then the Democratic Party. Since Ronald Reagan's presidency ( 1980-1989 ), the ''Grand Old Party'' has become the voice of the rich and the wealthy. Republicans are paid millions by capitalists and rich people to spread right-wing politics!
In December 2008, more then 30.000 extra soldiers were send to aid the 70.000 US soldiers who were stationed in Afghanistan, to keep the unpopular Hamid Karzai government in power. Since 2001, the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan is a puppet state of the USA. Like Iraq, the nation is very unstable. Taliban forces have regained strength because the government of Hamid Karzai is corrupt and pro-capitalist. Workers and poor peasants have nothing, while a tiny elite in the capital are enjoying the fruits of ''democracy''. Obama believed that more troops would keep the Karzai government save. In reality it only caused more hatred against the Americans!
Most American workers soon realized that Obama was not delivering changes. During the elections for the US congress, the Democratic Party lost its majority. Now the right-wing Republican Party was able to dominate the congress. This forced Obama into making more compromises with the GOP who would put up any fight to oppose Obama. Because the USA lacks a genuine workers party, many workers looked to the Tea Party for alternatives. Others choose to follow radical libertarians. This is a danger because all these anti-Obama groups are mostly right-wing and do not oppose the capitalist system. Libertarians love the absolute free market and their alternatives would mean a total plutocracy in the USA!
But the biggest blow to the credit of Barack Obama was the NSA spying scandal. When Edward Snowden revealed the true nature of the NSA/CIA, they US government wanted him behind bars. Snowden knew this and fled to Hong-Kong. There he revealed to the world, how the NSA was spying on the American people with support from social media groups like Microsoft, Google and Facebook. The NSA could also read e-mails and hack into your private pages on the web. But the NSA did more. They also spied on allied nations, friends of the US government. Thanks to Edwards Snowden we know that the US government of Barack Obama used KGB methods to spy on the world. With these revelations, it became clear the Obama was just another president in the service of US imperialism!
Revolutionary socialists see that there is also deepening anger at both parties and the dysfunctional nature of the US government. Polls show around 60% of Americans disapprove of the job done by Democrats in Congress, while more than 67% disapprove of the job done by Republicans. Both the Democratic Party and the Republican Party are losing support among the people. The only reason why they are still powerful is because of the plutocratic election system. Both parties have millions of dollars they use on commercial propaganda. The media of the USA is asking big money for political propaganda on their networks. So political parties need millions to spread their message. Also because of anti-socialist brainwashing 2/3 of all Americans are still supporters of capitalism, although this is dropping as more workers realize that their politicians favour the capitalist class!
After more then five years under Barack Obama, only his most dogmatic supporters remain loyal to the idea of ''Change''. But many Americans have realized that the Obama government is just like the government of George W Bush. Obama also did not closed the only US concentration-camp in Cuba. Guantanamo Bay is still operating, although Obama promised to close it. Revolutionary socialists told the true in 2008, but few wanted to listen. Even in Europe many social democrats and progressives believed that Obama would change the USA for good. But since Obama is a Democrat and his party serves capitalism, he cannot change the nature of the US capitalist state!
A funny comic about the paranoia of anti-socialism among
conservatives!
Blackface in the Netherlands
''Get out of our nation if you don't like him'' he was told. ''This nigger needs to become a slave again'' another person said. No, this is not the south of the USA, this the Netherlands a supposed liberal and tolerant nation. The reality is different, many Dutch are intolerant to those people who denounce a very popular figure. This figure was created around 1850 and is a servant of a Catholic bishop. His name is Black Pete ( Zwarte Piet ), mostly played by white Dutch who paint their faces black in order to portray this character during the Saint Nicolas festival!
Sinterklaas or Saint Nicolas is a hero for children under the age of 7 in the Netherlands. A very popular man who visits the nation around November to celebrate his birthday. On 5 December, Saint Nicolas is giving children gifts if they behaved nice during this year. Since 1850, Saint Nicolas is aided by a black painted person called Black Pete. This character is acting as a servant of Saint Nicolas. Black Pete is based on a racist stereotype representation of a black person, which was common around 1850. But the Dutch don't see it as racist. Like the white Americans who performed ''Blackface'' comedy, they claim it has nothing to do with racism!
The Netherlands was a major slave trader before slavery was banned around 1877. Dutch white imperialists traded many slaves from Africa to Latin America. There the Dutch owned a nation today called Suriname. In the colony of Suriname, black workers were forced to work on farms producing huge profits for the Dutch ruling class. Live on these farms was hard and few white farmers choose to be nice to their slaves. Because black slaves were deemed subhuman, lower humans created by the Christian God because they were inferior to the white race. This was the racist propaganda spread by Protestant Churches in the Netherlands for hundreds of years!
Thanks to slavery the Netherlands became a very wealthy nation. Although the wealth was mostly concentrated in the white ruling class who owned the means of production. One of the early capitalist enterprises of the world was the Dutch United East India Trading Company. The VoC founded in 1602, were the masters of Dutch trade imperialism. They made a fortune by buying and selling of spices. The VoC was working on routes to Indonesia and did little in the slave trade. Only 0,3 percent of all slaves traded between 1519 and 1870 went to Indonesia. The VoC went bankrupt around 1800, because of the rise in competition from other Dutch capitalist enterprises!
It was the West India Trading Company that did the slave work for the Dutch. Between 1519 and 1870 they traded 2% of all slaves, which is still not much in compare to the Portuguese who shipped 38% of all black slaves. But still the Dutch did a fine work for a tiny nation. Unlike the British Empire that ruled over 1/3 of the world, the Dutch were able to make good money on black slaves and they were respected by almost all major European imperialists!
The Dutch festival of Saint Nicolas is very old. It pre-dates Santa Claus in the USA and is likely the prototype of the American Santa. In the Netherlands he is called Sinterklaas and his birthday on 5 December is a day of joy for little children. On that night they receive gifts from their parents who claim that Saint Nicolas delivered them. While the Saint is waiting on the roof of houses, Black Pete is travelling by the chimney into a home. The Dutch claim that Black Pete is black because he delivers gifts through the chimney. But this is a strange explanation because you don't get red lips or black curled hair by climbing down a chimney. Also it does not explain why Black Pete is wearing typical ''negro'' earrings and behaves sometimes like an ''idiot''.
This is a reflection of ''Blackface'' comedy. Were a white men is imitating a black person in a racist stereotype way. The position of blacks in the Netherlands has improved greatly since 1877, but Black Pete has not changed at all since he was created. This is because many Dutch are dogmatic about this character who plays a large role in the Saint Nicolas fantasy. Because of the harsh reactions by white Dutch, many black Dutch have chosen not to criticize this character who is based on ''Blackface'' comedy. Until 2012 few people spoke out against Black Pete and the way he is portrayed. It was Quinsy Gario who started to protest against this dogma and he would find out that Dutch society grew very intolerant. Both the media and police forces would attack him for his opinion!
Quinsy Gario is a Dutch artist. Born to black parents he started to fight the character of Black Pete when his mother faced racism on work. She was called the ''little Black Pete of the company'' by the people she worked with. As a strong mother she did not made too much of it. But her son Quinsy realized that too many Dutch think that Black Pete is not racist and he choose to tell the true about this ''child loving character''. In 2012 he started the website zwartepietisracisme.tumblr.com in which he attacked Black Pete. The Dutch were furious at him for doing this. He soon faced the hatred of many and even the Dutch police would arrest him during the arrival of Saint Nicolas!
Saint Nicolas visits the Netherlands each year by boat. One big show for little children as it is all played by actors. Saint Nicolas is played by Stefan de Walle who took over the role from Bram van der Vlugt, who played Saint Nicolas for almost 25 years. The Black Pete's are played by various people, all are painted with black faces and red lips. They wear black curled hair and typical ''nigger'' earrings. Children think it is all for good and many Dutch play along. But they were not happy when Quinsy Gario said in public that Black Pete was a racist stereotype display of blacks.
The Dutch police told him that he was not allowed to demonstrate against Saint Nicolas. During the Saint Nicolas festival no criticism was allowed. So Quinsy Gario choose only to wear a sweater with the words; Black Pete is racist. Again this was not allowed and the police officers told him to leave. Quinsy Gario refused saying he had the right to oppose Black Pete. This angered the police and with three officers they forced him on the ground and removed him by force. For opposing Black Pete he spend a night in a cold cell!
But this was not the end. The Dutch reaction was not supportive. Many whites used racist remarks against Quinsy Gario. Some said he must leave the nation if he opposes Black Pete. Others said that he should be a slave again. Finally there were those who think that Gario as a black person was insane, stupid, not-Dutch and anti-tradition. These racist remarks shows how intolerant ( some ) Dutch are in their defence of Black Pete. Quinsy Gario does not want Black Pete to be removed, neither does he wants to end the Saint Nicolas festival for children. He only wants to end the racist elements in Black Pete like the fully black face, the red lips and black curled hair. But this not unacceptable for most Dutch as Black Pete is ''theirs''. They hate it when people call out the true because they don't want to see the true. For them Black Pete is not racist because he acts very friendly to all children. This is true, but that does not hide the fact that Black Pete was created out of a 1850's racist stereotype representation of black people!
Sinterklaas or Saint Nicolas is a hero for children under the age of 7 in the Netherlands. A very popular man who visits the nation around November to celebrate his birthday. On 5 December, Saint Nicolas is giving children gifts if they behaved nice during this year. Since 1850, Saint Nicolas is aided by a black painted person called Black Pete. This character is acting as a servant of Saint Nicolas. Black Pete is based on a racist stereotype representation of a black person, which was common around 1850. But the Dutch don't see it as racist. Like the white Americans who performed ''Blackface'' comedy, they claim it has nothing to do with racism!
The Netherlands was a major slave trader before slavery was banned around 1877. Dutch white imperialists traded many slaves from Africa to Latin America. There the Dutch owned a nation today called Suriname. In the colony of Suriname, black workers were forced to work on farms producing huge profits for the Dutch ruling class. Live on these farms was hard and few white farmers choose to be nice to their slaves. Because black slaves were deemed subhuman, lower humans created by the Christian God because they were inferior to the white race. This was the racist propaganda spread by Protestant Churches in the Netherlands for hundreds of years!
Thanks to slavery the Netherlands became a very wealthy nation. Although the wealth was mostly concentrated in the white ruling class who owned the means of production. One of the early capitalist enterprises of the world was the Dutch United East India Trading Company. The VoC founded in 1602, were the masters of Dutch trade imperialism. They made a fortune by buying and selling of spices. The VoC was working on routes to Indonesia and did little in the slave trade. Only 0,3 percent of all slaves traded between 1519 and 1870 went to Indonesia. The VoC went bankrupt around 1800, because of the rise in competition from other Dutch capitalist enterprises!
It was the West India Trading Company that did the slave work for the Dutch. Between 1519 and 1870 they traded 2% of all slaves, which is still not much in compare to the Portuguese who shipped 38% of all black slaves. But still the Dutch did a fine work for a tiny nation. Unlike the British Empire that ruled over 1/3 of the world, the Dutch were able to make good money on black slaves and they were respected by almost all major European imperialists!
The Dutch festival of Saint Nicolas is very old. It pre-dates Santa Claus in the USA and is likely the prototype of the American Santa. In the Netherlands he is called Sinterklaas and his birthday on 5 December is a day of joy for little children. On that night they receive gifts from their parents who claim that Saint Nicolas delivered them. While the Saint is waiting on the roof of houses, Black Pete is travelling by the chimney into a home. The Dutch claim that Black Pete is black because he delivers gifts through the chimney. But this is a strange explanation because you don't get red lips or black curled hair by climbing down a chimney. Also it does not explain why Black Pete is wearing typical ''negro'' earrings and behaves sometimes like an ''idiot''.
This is a reflection of ''Blackface'' comedy. Were a white men is imitating a black person in a racist stereotype way. The position of blacks in the Netherlands has improved greatly since 1877, but Black Pete has not changed at all since he was created. This is because many Dutch are dogmatic about this character who plays a large role in the Saint Nicolas fantasy. Because of the harsh reactions by white Dutch, many black Dutch have chosen not to criticize this character who is based on ''Blackface'' comedy. Until 2012 few people spoke out against Black Pete and the way he is portrayed. It was Quinsy Gario who started to protest against this dogma and he would find out that Dutch society grew very intolerant. Both the media and police forces would attack him for his opinion!
Quinsy Gario is a Dutch artist. Born to black parents he started to fight the character of Black Pete when his mother faced racism on work. She was called the ''little Black Pete of the company'' by the people she worked with. As a strong mother she did not made too much of it. But her son Quinsy realized that too many Dutch think that Black Pete is not racist and he choose to tell the true about this ''child loving character''. In 2012 he started the website zwartepietisracisme.tumblr.com in which he attacked Black Pete. The Dutch were furious at him for doing this. He soon faced the hatred of many and even the Dutch police would arrest him during the arrival of Saint Nicolas!
Saint Nicolas visits the Netherlands each year by boat. One big show for little children as it is all played by actors. Saint Nicolas is played by Stefan de Walle who took over the role from Bram van der Vlugt, who played Saint Nicolas for almost 25 years. The Black Pete's are played by various people, all are painted with black faces and red lips. They wear black curled hair and typical ''nigger'' earrings. Children think it is all for good and many Dutch play along. But they were not happy when Quinsy Gario said in public that Black Pete was a racist stereotype display of blacks.
The Dutch police told him that he was not allowed to demonstrate against Saint Nicolas. During the Saint Nicolas festival no criticism was allowed. So Quinsy Gario choose only to wear a sweater with the words; Black Pete is racist. Again this was not allowed and the police officers told him to leave. Quinsy Gario refused saying he had the right to oppose Black Pete. This angered the police and with three officers they forced him on the ground and removed him by force. For opposing Black Pete he spend a night in a cold cell!
But this was not the end. The Dutch reaction was not supportive. Many whites used racist remarks against Quinsy Gario. Some said he must leave the nation if he opposes Black Pete. Others said that he should be a slave again. Finally there were those who think that Gario as a black person was insane, stupid, not-Dutch and anti-tradition. These racist remarks shows how intolerant ( some ) Dutch are in their defence of Black Pete. Quinsy Gario does not want Black Pete to be removed, neither does he wants to end the Saint Nicolas festival for children. He only wants to end the racist elements in Black Pete like the fully black face, the red lips and black curled hair. But this not unacceptable for most Dutch as Black Pete is ''theirs''. They hate it when people call out the true because they don't want to see the true. For them Black Pete is not racist because he acts very friendly to all children. This is true, but that does not hide the fact that Black Pete was created out of a 1850's racist stereotype representation of black people!
Quinsy Gario hated by many Dutch!
The struggle for socialism in today's Africa
Most African nations between 1960 and 1990 called themselves socialist. Some based themselves on African socialism, others on Marxist socialism. Unfortunate no African nation was genuine democratic socialist. African leaders favoured socialism from above and total government control over the lives of workers and peasants. Brutal civil wars between revolutionary governments and counter-revolutionary rebels, led to poverty and destruction of the infrastructure. When the Cold War came to an end, most revolutionary liberation movements renounced Marxist socialism and adopted social democracy ( capitalism ) as their main ideology. Today many African nations are still govern by the same liberation parties of the 60/70's, but all have embraced the market economy and the laws of capitalism!
Genuine socialists stood between two sides during the revolutionary uprisings. They supported the anti-colonialist struggle of Africans against western colonialism. But revolutionary socialists could not give support to the totalitarian single party states that were created by Stalinist nationalists. Because of our opposition to a single party state, we were hunted down and called ''counter-revolutionary''. When the same Stalinist nationalists renounced socialism around 1990, they kept calling us ''traitors''.
Africans fought a proxy war for the two major superpowers. One the one side the national liberation movements against colonialism and capitalism. On the other side those Africans who opposed Marxist socialism and were supportive of the USA and capitalism. Almost 30 years did those two sides collide with each other. Many innocent Africans were killed in the brutal civil wars that were fought. With the collapse of Apartheid in South Africa, came also an end to the last white ruled African nation. Nelson Mandela and his African National Congress won the first none-racist elections. But like most national liberation movements after 1990, the ANC had renounced Marxist socialism in order to appeal to the white ruling class of South Africa!
African-socialism was like Arab socialism an attempt by leftist nationalists to unite socialism with traditions. African-socialists wanted to keep African culture of tribalism intact but under a socialist system of planning. Julius Nyerere was the first president of an independent Tanzania and also a founding father of African-socialism. He nationalized the economy, but gave no power to the working class. His top-down African style ''socialism'' led to huge mismanagement and corruption. This was because the government acted very authoritarian and did not tolerate political dissident. People who protested against the bureaucracy were called ''enemies'' and jailed. Julius Nyerere destroyed Tanzania in the name of socialism!
On 5 November 1985, Julius Nyerere left office. He left Tanzania as one of the poorest, least developed and most foreign aid-dependent countries in the world, although much progress in services such as health and education had nevertheless been achieved. His successors soon started with privatisations and market reforms. This did not changed much as Tanzania remains very poor and underdeveloped under capitalism!
Nations like Angola and Mozambique did not followed African socialism, they followed Marxist socialism. But like African-socialism their socialism was based on top down management. No democratic elected workers councils and no freedom for workers and peasants to participate in the planning and running of the economy. Both the People's Republic of Angola and the People's Republic of Mozambique fought a brutal civil war against anti-leftist nationalists supported by the USA, racist South Africa and other anticommunist nations!
The collapse of stalinism had a major impact on national liberation movements. All former anti-capitalists African government shifted allegiance to the supposed winner of the ideological conflict, which was capitalism according to the media of the western world. When the African National Congress in South Africa won the elections, the ruling class was told that Nelson Mandela would not be a danger to their status and wealth. Indeed, the ANC kept capitalism alive and betrayed its socialist principals!
Many African nations became multi party state, allowing opposition to the ruling national liberation parties. Although more democratic then during the Cold War, many African states are still using authoritarian methods to silence trade unionists and revolutionary socialists who stand up to government corruption and capitalist exploitation. We see this in today's South Africa, were the ANC in alliance with the trade unions and the South African Communist Party rule since 1994. But the nation is not socialist, the white ruling class is still in power although it is now mixed with some wealthy blacks. Most poor workers however still belong to the black race and live a life in poverty thanks to the capitalist ANC, who is still supported by the trade unions and the South African Communist Party!
Between August and September 2012, a mine strike hit South Africa. Mineworkers in Marikana went on strike for better wages. On the 16th of August, 34 mineworkers were killed and an additional 78 other workers injured when police opened fire on thousands of striking miners who had occupied a hilltop near Nkaneng shack settlement in Marikana. In what has been dubbed the Marikana Massacre, academic and journalist investigations have found that strikers may have been killed 'execution style' with, according to independent police investigations, at least 16 mineworkers were shot by the police in the back!!
The killing of 34 mineworkers let to outrage. Mineworkers no longer trusted the official National Union of Mineworkers who did not opposed the police attacking the striking mineworkers. Its already well-paid secretary, Baleni, was awarded a salary increase of more than 40% last year and his total salary package is just more than 105.000 South African Rand ( 7.000 Euro ) a month. Trade union leaders have refused to get out of police armoured vehicles to address workers during the mine strike in Marikana. This led to an exodus of mineworkers from the National Union of Mineworkers to the rival Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union. The official National Union of Mineworkers used to have 300.000 members before the Marikana killings. It is said that only 150.000 mineworkers remained in the National Union of Mineworkers.
In response to the killings the Democratic Socialist Movement and representatives from the mineworkers created a new political party. The Workers and Socialist Party ( WASP ) was born out of the struggle between mineworkers and the pro-capitalist ANC government. Revolutionary socialists support the WASP and call all South African workers to join this new party for the working class!
Unfortunate not all African nations are tolerant of socialist groups. The black supremacist regime of Robert Mugabe is actively arresting revolutionary socialists. This became clear when members of the International Socialist Organisation in Zimbabwe, were arrested and tortured. Police forces in the Republic of Zimbabwe, have a history of brutality and torture. Paid by the criminal racist; Zimbabwe African National Union - Patriotic Front, police officers engage in torture of all opponents of Mugabe and his ZANU-PF!
ZANU used to be a liberation movement against white supremacy in the former Republic of Rhodesia. It came to power in 1980, but soon turned dictatorial. President Robert Mugabe ( age 89 as of 2013 ) has become paranoid and sees enemies everywhere. His dictatorial regime started after the birth of the Republic of Zimbabwe, when his military killed 20.000 supporters of the Zimbabwe African People's Union. ZAPU was a rival of ZANU and was forced to fuse with Mugabe's party in 1987 creating ZANU-PF. But this did not stop the dictatorial regime. When the economy of Zimbabwe started to collapse due to mismanagement and bureaucratism, Mugabe ordered the printing of more money. This led to huge inflation and destroyed the currency of the nation. Because of Mugabe's disastrous economic politics, Zimbabwe is one of the poorest nations of Africa!
The International Socialist Organisation in Zimbabwe has faced government repression and arrests. Although or enemies call Mugabe a ''Marxist dictator'' he is not. Mugabe is a black supremacist, a Zimbabwean nationalist and a state-capitalist dictator. Because after 1990 the government started with privatizations, economic property was giving to ZANU-PF capitalists who were now becoming owners of businesses. But because few had business expertise, they mismanaged many privatized enterprises. White farmers were also attacked by the black supremacists of ZANU-PF. White farmers were assaulted and forced to sell their farms to ZANU-PF members. But since these new owners had little farming experience, most farms are now unproductive and in bad condition!
Most African nations are still ruled by former revolutionary liberation parties. Like the Revolutionary Party of Tanzania, the Popular Liberation Movement of Angola or the Front for the Liberation of Mozambique. But most national liberation parties have abandon Marxist socialism. Today they work on nationalism and their history as liberators. Because they own the state and most of the media, they rule as a dominate party over their nation. Genuine workers parties are absent and this is why most workers rather vote for the old liberation parties then the capitalist opposition!
Revolutionary socialists say that African workers cannot trust the old national liberation parties. They have betrayed their socialist ideology when they capitulated before the IMF and world capitalism. The Workers and Socialist Party in South Africa is the first genuine attempt to build a workers party in opposition to the African National Congress. If this becomes a success it cam become a beacon for many African workers who struggle against poverty and corruption, which are all elements of the capitalist system!
Genuine socialists stood between two sides during the revolutionary uprisings. They supported the anti-colonialist struggle of Africans against western colonialism. But revolutionary socialists could not give support to the totalitarian single party states that were created by Stalinist nationalists. Because of our opposition to a single party state, we were hunted down and called ''counter-revolutionary''. When the same Stalinist nationalists renounced socialism around 1990, they kept calling us ''traitors''.
Africans fought a proxy war for the two major superpowers. One the one side the national liberation movements against colonialism and capitalism. On the other side those Africans who opposed Marxist socialism and were supportive of the USA and capitalism. Almost 30 years did those two sides collide with each other. Many innocent Africans were killed in the brutal civil wars that were fought. With the collapse of Apartheid in South Africa, came also an end to the last white ruled African nation. Nelson Mandela and his African National Congress won the first none-racist elections. But like most national liberation movements after 1990, the ANC had renounced Marxist socialism in order to appeal to the white ruling class of South Africa!
African-socialism was like Arab socialism an attempt by leftist nationalists to unite socialism with traditions. African-socialists wanted to keep African culture of tribalism intact but under a socialist system of planning. Julius Nyerere was the first president of an independent Tanzania and also a founding father of African-socialism. He nationalized the economy, but gave no power to the working class. His top-down African style ''socialism'' led to huge mismanagement and corruption. This was because the government acted very authoritarian and did not tolerate political dissident. People who protested against the bureaucracy were called ''enemies'' and jailed. Julius Nyerere destroyed Tanzania in the name of socialism!
On 5 November 1985, Julius Nyerere left office. He left Tanzania as one of the poorest, least developed and most foreign aid-dependent countries in the world, although much progress in services such as health and education had nevertheless been achieved. His successors soon started with privatisations and market reforms. This did not changed much as Tanzania remains very poor and underdeveloped under capitalism!
Nations like Angola and Mozambique did not followed African socialism, they followed Marxist socialism. But like African-socialism their socialism was based on top down management. No democratic elected workers councils and no freedom for workers and peasants to participate in the planning and running of the economy. Both the People's Republic of Angola and the People's Republic of Mozambique fought a brutal civil war against anti-leftist nationalists supported by the USA, racist South Africa and other anticommunist nations!
The collapse of stalinism had a major impact on national liberation movements. All former anti-capitalists African government shifted allegiance to the supposed winner of the ideological conflict, which was capitalism according to the media of the western world. When the African National Congress in South Africa won the elections, the ruling class was told that Nelson Mandela would not be a danger to their status and wealth. Indeed, the ANC kept capitalism alive and betrayed its socialist principals!
Many African nations became multi party state, allowing opposition to the ruling national liberation parties. Although more democratic then during the Cold War, many African states are still using authoritarian methods to silence trade unionists and revolutionary socialists who stand up to government corruption and capitalist exploitation. We see this in today's South Africa, were the ANC in alliance with the trade unions and the South African Communist Party rule since 1994. But the nation is not socialist, the white ruling class is still in power although it is now mixed with some wealthy blacks. Most poor workers however still belong to the black race and live a life in poverty thanks to the capitalist ANC, who is still supported by the trade unions and the South African Communist Party!
Between August and September 2012, a mine strike hit South Africa. Mineworkers in Marikana went on strike for better wages. On the 16th of August, 34 mineworkers were killed and an additional 78 other workers injured when police opened fire on thousands of striking miners who had occupied a hilltop near Nkaneng shack settlement in Marikana. In what has been dubbed the Marikana Massacre, academic and journalist investigations have found that strikers may have been killed 'execution style' with, according to independent police investigations, at least 16 mineworkers were shot by the police in the back!!
The killing of 34 mineworkers let to outrage. Mineworkers no longer trusted the official National Union of Mineworkers who did not opposed the police attacking the striking mineworkers. Its already well-paid secretary, Baleni, was awarded a salary increase of more than 40% last year and his total salary package is just more than 105.000 South African Rand ( 7.000 Euro ) a month. Trade union leaders have refused to get out of police armoured vehicles to address workers during the mine strike in Marikana. This led to an exodus of mineworkers from the National Union of Mineworkers to the rival Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union. The official National Union of Mineworkers used to have 300.000 members before the Marikana killings. It is said that only 150.000 mineworkers remained in the National Union of Mineworkers.
In response to the killings the Democratic Socialist Movement and representatives from the mineworkers created a new political party. The Workers and Socialist Party ( WASP ) was born out of the struggle between mineworkers and the pro-capitalist ANC government. Revolutionary socialists support the WASP and call all South African workers to join this new party for the working class!
Unfortunate not all African nations are tolerant of socialist groups. The black supremacist regime of Robert Mugabe is actively arresting revolutionary socialists. This became clear when members of the International Socialist Organisation in Zimbabwe, were arrested and tortured. Police forces in the Republic of Zimbabwe, have a history of brutality and torture. Paid by the criminal racist; Zimbabwe African National Union - Patriotic Front, police officers engage in torture of all opponents of Mugabe and his ZANU-PF!
ZANU used to be a liberation movement against white supremacy in the former Republic of Rhodesia. It came to power in 1980, but soon turned dictatorial. President Robert Mugabe ( age 89 as of 2013 ) has become paranoid and sees enemies everywhere. His dictatorial regime started after the birth of the Republic of Zimbabwe, when his military killed 20.000 supporters of the Zimbabwe African People's Union. ZAPU was a rival of ZANU and was forced to fuse with Mugabe's party in 1987 creating ZANU-PF. But this did not stop the dictatorial regime. When the economy of Zimbabwe started to collapse due to mismanagement and bureaucratism, Mugabe ordered the printing of more money. This led to huge inflation and destroyed the currency of the nation. Because of Mugabe's disastrous economic politics, Zimbabwe is one of the poorest nations of Africa!
The International Socialist Organisation in Zimbabwe has faced government repression and arrests. Although or enemies call Mugabe a ''Marxist dictator'' he is not. Mugabe is a black supremacist, a Zimbabwean nationalist and a state-capitalist dictator. Because after 1990 the government started with privatizations, economic property was giving to ZANU-PF capitalists who were now becoming owners of businesses. But because few had business expertise, they mismanaged many privatized enterprises. White farmers were also attacked by the black supremacists of ZANU-PF. White farmers were assaulted and forced to sell their farms to ZANU-PF members. But since these new owners had little farming experience, most farms are now unproductive and in bad condition!
Most African nations are still ruled by former revolutionary liberation parties. Like the Revolutionary Party of Tanzania, the Popular Liberation Movement of Angola or the Front for the Liberation of Mozambique. But most national liberation parties have abandon Marxist socialism. Today they work on nationalism and their history as liberators. Because they own the state and most of the media, they rule as a dominate party over their nation. Genuine workers parties are absent and this is why most workers rather vote for the old liberation parties then the capitalist opposition!
Revolutionary socialists say that African workers cannot trust the old national liberation parties. They have betrayed their socialist ideology when they capitulated before the IMF and world capitalism. The Workers and Socialist Party in South Africa is the first genuine attempt to build a workers party in opposition to the African National Congress. If this becomes a success it cam become a beacon for many African workers who struggle against poverty and corruption, which are all elements of the capitalist system!
Mametlwe Sebei and Liv Shange are founding members
of the Workers and Socialist Party in South Africa!
Post-Soviet nationalist dictatorships
In Asia the collapse of the Soviet-Union did not led to democracy. As the ruling class of the western world celebrated the downfall of ''communism'' many people would not see liberty. Today the former Asian Soviet republics remain dictatorships, pseudo-democracies that violate human-rights and international law. But western imperialism does not care about that. Western leaders love these right-wing nationalist dictators who rule the nations; Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan!
Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan are led by the same persons who used to be the leaders of their local communist party. After the banning of the Communist Party of the Soviet-Union in August 1991, these party leaders changed their political viewpoints. From dogmatic stalinists they became pragmatic nationalists with a pro-capitalist economic plan. Islom Abdug‘aniyevich Karimov and Nursultan Äbishuly Nazarbaye are now old men in their 70's, but they have ruled their nations since 1989. For 23 years they faked elections to remain president. People who opposed them are jailed and demonstrators are shot at!
Western imperialism however loves these nationalist dictators. Barack Obama and his US government, are on good therms with both the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Republic of Kazakhstan. This is because both nations have something the US government wants. Uzbekistan is close to Afghanistan and US imperialist forces are using an air force base in Uzbekistan to fly missions against the Taliban. This is why the Americans are friendly to dictator Karimov, they need his air force base to bomb Afghanistan!
Nazarbaye is loved by western imperialism for his oil. Also the Republic of Kazakhstan is the biggest former Soviet republic. Nursultan Äbishuly Nazarbaye is an opportunistic dictator, during the Stalinist era he played the role of a typical party bureaucrat. Serving the needs of the Moscow bureaucracy he became leader of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan in 1990. Unlike other Asian Soviet republics, Nazarbaye choose to support Boris Yeltsin in August 1991, when the hard-liners of the CPSU tried a coup against Soviet president Michael Gorbachev!
After the end of the USSR, the Republic of Kazakhstan remained a close ally of the Russian Federation. Also Nazarbaye is on good therms with Vladimir Putin and with former British prime minister; Tony Blair who worked for the dictator as his advisor. Nazarbaye paid Blair almost 13 million British pounds for this job!
Democracy and liberty are only propaganda values spread by the dictators of the former Soviet republics. Opposition parties are allowed but face intimidations, harassment and receive little attention in the media. Most media outlets in these former Stalinist Soviet republics are controlled by the government who favours a positive image of their presidents ( dictators ). Western imperialism has done nothing to aid the people of these dictatorships. This why because western imperialism is supportive of these dictatorships because they are capitalist. Many politicians in the western world think that capitalism would lead to democracy. A foolish idea since China has turned massive capitalist yet remains a single party state!
The Republic of Tajikistan is the poorest former Soviet republic. The nation was created by the Soviet-Union in a backward and dogmatic Islamic part of the world. Central Asia was very medieval and backward in the early 20th century. Russian Imperialism conquered the region in the late 19th century and made it part of the Russian Empire. Many Muslims hated the Russians who forced Orthodox Christianity on them. Around 1916 when the Russian Empire was weaken by world war 1, a popular Islamic rebellion started. The Russian Revolution of 1917 ended the Russian monarchy, but the Islamic rebels did not supported the new Soviets ( workers councils ). The Muslims wanted an Islamic state and a dogmatic interpretation of Sharia law. Moscow could not allow this to happen since the Islamic rebels would not tolerate the rule of the Soviets!
It would take many years before the Islamic uprising was crushed. Joseph Stalin created the Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic in 1929. But many Muslims hated the atheist nature of the Stalinist state and deep inside them there was always hate. When the USSR collapsed, Islamic fundamentalists rose up against the secular leadership of the Republic of Tajikistan. The civil war started around the same time the Republic of Afghanistan collapsed. Islamic forces destroyed this secular republic with weapons they got from British and American imperialism!
With Afghanistan now in chaos and anarchy, the Islamic movement choose to oppose the new nationalist government of Tajikistan. But not only the islamists stood in opposition to the secular government. Liberal democrats also opposed the new regime, as it was not democratic in nature. Emomalii Rahmon soon became the face many hated. He was the speaker of the Supreme Soviet and elected himself as president in 1994 during the civil war. Emomalii Rahmon is a classic post-Soviet president. A bureaucrat who rose to power by working for the Stalinist bureaucracy. Rahmon was supported by Boris Yeltsin who also fought against Islamic fundamentalists in the south of Russia. His government is typical for that region; undemocratic and corrupt to the core!
The civil war would costs 100.000 lives and left Tajikistan wrecked and poor. In 1997 the war ended with a peace treaty. But this did not ended the secular nationalist dictatorship of Emomalii Rahmon who is still president of the nation as of 2013. During the war the United Opposition was created by the liberal democrats and the islamists. An uneasy alliance since the islamists fought under the banner of the Taliban and Al-Qaeda. Today we see the same thing in Syria were a nationalist secular government is facing a rebel alliance made up of liberal democrats and islamists!
While Tajikistan fell into civil war and chaos, the Republic of Turkmenistan did not changed at all. In October 1991, Stalinist leader Saparmurat Atayevich Niyazov ended the Turkmen Socialist Soviet Republic and created his personal nationalist dictatorship. Niyazov was elected first secretary of the Communist Party of Turkmenistan in 1985. He was ruler of the nation until he saw the end of stalinism approaching. So he changed his political views from Marxism Leninism to Turkmen nationalism.
Under Niyazov, the Republic of Turkmenistan was established as a single party nationalist state. The Communist Party of Turkmenistan was renamed into the Democratic Party of Turkmenistan but its structure did not changed. Vladimir Lenin's face was replaced by that of Saparmurat Atayevich Niyazov who created a cult of personality around himself. Unlike other nationalist dictators, Niyazov went very far in his cult. Turkmenistan became a North Korean style state were all people were forced to worship Niyazov as the ''father of the nation''. He also owned more then 3 billion dollars, stored at the Foreign Exchange Reserve Fund of the Deutsche Bank!
''Dear president'' Saparmurat Atayevich Niyazov died in 2006. He is succeeded by Gurbanguly Mälikgulyýewiç Berdimuhamedow who was ''elected'' by the people. His election was more a formality since all opposition in Turkmenistan is banned. However in August 2013, the new president left the Democratic Party of Turkmenistan and is now an independent. Since Turkmenistan is a presidential republic, most power remains in the hands of Gurbanguly Mälikgulyýewiç Berdimuhamedow!
In 2013, the first political party next to the Democratic Party of Turkmenistan was created. A pro-capitalist party called the Party of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs was allowed to register. However the opposition claims that this party is a tool of the ruling DPT. This is true since the Communist Party of Turkmenistan ( created after 1991 ), the Republican Party and the Turkmen Union of Democratic Forces remain banned!
Democracy is still not established in the former Asian Soviet republics. Western imperialism and Russian imperialism are to blame for this. Western leaders think that a capitalist economy will lead to democracy. They think that a wealthy middle class will demand freedom and rise up. This shows how little the western world care about the workers of these nations. Russian imperialism does not care about any social classes. The Russian Federation needs these dictatorships as buffer nations against the western world and the growing People's Republic of China. Moscow is using the old dictators to dominate the central Asian republics!
Most of these dictators are now in their 70's, Karimov and Nazarbaye are now ruling for 23 years. They are the oldest nationalist dictators with Berdimuhamedow as the youngest. Revolutionary socialists call for an uprising against these old men. We cannot trust their pseudo-elections, since state repression is common. Workers and poor people must take action for themselves and overthrow the nationalist capitalist dictatorships in central Asia. This can then lead to a genuine socialist federation in which the wealth does not belong to dictators or capitalists, but to the working class of central Asia!
Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan are led by the same persons who used to be the leaders of their local communist party. After the banning of the Communist Party of the Soviet-Union in August 1991, these party leaders changed their political viewpoints. From dogmatic stalinists they became pragmatic nationalists with a pro-capitalist economic plan. Islom Abdug‘aniyevich Karimov and Nursultan Äbishuly Nazarbaye are now old men in their 70's, but they have ruled their nations since 1989. For 23 years they faked elections to remain president. People who opposed them are jailed and demonstrators are shot at!
Western imperialism however loves these nationalist dictators. Barack Obama and his US government, are on good therms with both the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Republic of Kazakhstan. This is because both nations have something the US government wants. Uzbekistan is close to Afghanistan and US imperialist forces are using an air force base in Uzbekistan to fly missions against the Taliban. This is why the Americans are friendly to dictator Karimov, they need his air force base to bomb Afghanistan!
Nazarbaye is loved by western imperialism for his oil. Also the Republic of Kazakhstan is the biggest former Soviet republic. Nursultan Äbishuly Nazarbaye is an opportunistic dictator, during the Stalinist era he played the role of a typical party bureaucrat. Serving the needs of the Moscow bureaucracy he became leader of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan in 1990. Unlike other Asian Soviet republics, Nazarbaye choose to support Boris Yeltsin in August 1991, when the hard-liners of the CPSU tried a coup against Soviet president Michael Gorbachev!
After the end of the USSR, the Republic of Kazakhstan remained a close ally of the Russian Federation. Also Nazarbaye is on good therms with Vladimir Putin and with former British prime minister; Tony Blair who worked for the dictator as his advisor. Nazarbaye paid Blair almost 13 million British pounds for this job!
Democracy and liberty are only propaganda values spread by the dictators of the former Soviet republics. Opposition parties are allowed but face intimidations, harassment and receive little attention in the media. Most media outlets in these former Stalinist Soviet republics are controlled by the government who favours a positive image of their presidents ( dictators ). Western imperialism has done nothing to aid the people of these dictatorships. This why because western imperialism is supportive of these dictatorships because they are capitalist. Many politicians in the western world think that capitalism would lead to democracy. A foolish idea since China has turned massive capitalist yet remains a single party state!
The Republic of Tajikistan is the poorest former Soviet republic. The nation was created by the Soviet-Union in a backward and dogmatic Islamic part of the world. Central Asia was very medieval and backward in the early 20th century. Russian Imperialism conquered the region in the late 19th century and made it part of the Russian Empire. Many Muslims hated the Russians who forced Orthodox Christianity on them. Around 1916 when the Russian Empire was weaken by world war 1, a popular Islamic rebellion started. The Russian Revolution of 1917 ended the Russian monarchy, but the Islamic rebels did not supported the new Soviets ( workers councils ). The Muslims wanted an Islamic state and a dogmatic interpretation of Sharia law. Moscow could not allow this to happen since the Islamic rebels would not tolerate the rule of the Soviets!
It would take many years before the Islamic uprising was crushed. Joseph Stalin created the Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic in 1929. But many Muslims hated the atheist nature of the Stalinist state and deep inside them there was always hate. When the USSR collapsed, Islamic fundamentalists rose up against the secular leadership of the Republic of Tajikistan. The civil war started around the same time the Republic of Afghanistan collapsed. Islamic forces destroyed this secular republic with weapons they got from British and American imperialism!
With Afghanistan now in chaos and anarchy, the Islamic movement choose to oppose the new nationalist government of Tajikistan. But not only the islamists stood in opposition to the secular government. Liberal democrats also opposed the new regime, as it was not democratic in nature. Emomalii Rahmon soon became the face many hated. He was the speaker of the Supreme Soviet and elected himself as president in 1994 during the civil war. Emomalii Rahmon is a classic post-Soviet president. A bureaucrat who rose to power by working for the Stalinist bureaucracy. Rahmon was supported by Boris Yeltsin who also fought against Islamic fundamentalists in the south of Russia. His government is typical for that region; undemocratic and corrupt to the core!
The civil war would costs 100.000 lives and left Tajikistan wrecked and poor. In 1997 the war ended with a peace treaty. But this did not ended the secular nationalist dictatorship of Emomalii Rahmon who is still president of the nation as of 2013. During the war the United Opposition was created by the liberal democrats and the islamists. An uneasy alliance since the islamists fought under the banner of the Taliban and Al-Qaeda. Today we see the same thing in Syria were a nationalist secular government is facing a rebel alliance made up of liberal democrats and islamists!
While Tajikistan fell into civil war and chaos, the Republic of Turkmenistan did not changed at all. In October 1991, Stalinist leader Saparmurat Atayevich Niyazov ended the Turkmen Socialist Soviet Republic and created his personal nationalist dictatorship. Niyazov was elected first secretary of the Communist Party of Turkmenistan in 1985. He was ruler of the nation until he saw the end of stalinism approaching. So he changed his political views from Marxism Leninism to Turkmen nationalism.
Under Niyazov, the Republic of Turkmenistan was established as a single party nationalist state. The Communist Party of Turkmenistan was renamed into the Democratic Party of Turkmenistan but its structure did not changed. Vladimir Lenin's face was replaced by that of Saparmurat Atayevich Niyazov who created a cult of personality around himself. Unlike other nationalist dictators, Niyazov went very far in his cult. Turkmenistan became a North Korean style state were all people were forced to worship Niyazov as the ''father of the nation''. He also owned more then 3 billion dollars, stored at the Foreign Exchange Reserve Fund of the Deutsche Bank!
''Dear president'' Saparmurat Atayevich Niyazov died in 2006. He is succeeded by Gurbanguly Mälikgulyýewiç Berdimuhamedow who was ''elected'' by the people. His election was more a formality since all opposition in Turkmenistan is banned. However in August 2013, the new president left the Democratic Party of Turkmenistan and is now an independent. Since Turkmenistan is a presidential republic, most power remains in the hands of Gurbanguly Mälikgulyýewiç Berdimuhamedow!
In 2013, the first political party next to the Democratic Party of Turkmenistan was created. A pro-capitalist party called the Party of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs was allowed to register. However the opposition claims that this party is a tool of the ruling DPT. This is true since the Communist Party of Turkmenistan ( created after 1991 ), the Republican Party and the Turkmen Union of Democratic Forces remain banned!
Democracy is still not established in the former Asian Soviet republics. Western imperialism and Russian imperialism are to blame for this. Western leaders think that a capitalist economy will lead to democracy. They think that a wealthy middle class will demand freedom and rise up. This shows how little the western world care about the workers of these nations. Russian imperialism does not care about any social classes. The Russian Federation needs these dictatorships as buffer nations against the western world and the growing People's Republic of China. Moscow is using the old dictators to dominate the central Asian republics!
Most of these dictators are now in their 70's, Karimov and Nazarbaye are now ruling for 23 years. They are the oldest nationalist dictators with Berdimuhamedow as the youngest. Revolutionary socialists call for an uprising against these old men. We cannot trust their pseudo-elections, since state repression is common. Workers and poor people must take action for themselves and overthrow the nationalist capitalist dictatorships in central Asia. This can then lead to a genuine socialist federation in which the wealth does not belong to dictators or capitalists, but to the working class of central Asia!
Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev
with some central Asian presidents!
The flags of Turkmenistan and Tajikistan are
next to the Russian flag in the background!
Unknown nations
There are nations who few people know. These countries are either very small or play a very minor rule in world politics. Many of these unknown nations do not belong to the wealth group of countries. In this socialist document we look at nations who are unknown to most people of the world. Like the Gabonese Republic, the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe, the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and the Republic of Vanuatu!
The Gabonese Republic or Gabon is a nation in Africa. It used to be a French colony until it declared independence in August 1960. The nation became a single party state under the leadership of the Garbon Democratic Party, but opposition parties were legalized after the end of the Cold War. Today the Gabonese Republic is still ruled by the Garbon Democratic Party, who is the dominate political party in the nation. Gabon's oil revenues have given it a strong per capita GDP of $8,600, extremely high for the region. However the income distribution is skewed and social indicators show poor values. The richest 20% of the population receive over 90% of the income while about a third of the Gabonese population lives in poverty!
The Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe is made up of two small islands close to the west African coast. The two islands were Portuguese colonies until July 1975, when the conservative dictatorship in Portugal was replaced by a democracy. São Tomé and Príncipe have a population of 183.000 people and have functioned under a multi-party system since 1990. The president of the republic is elected to a five-year term by direct universal suffrage and a secret ballot, and must gain an outright majority to be elected!
Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is a republic made up of two Latin American islands close to Venezuela. About 1,3 million people live on the two islands and speak English. This is because the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago used to be British colonies until 1976 when the two islands united to become a republic. Thanks to tourism the nation has a relative high income compared to other Latin American states!
The Republic of Vanuatu is an nation made up of many small islands in the Pacific close to French New Caledonia. The islands were colonies of both the United Kingdom and France until they were giving independence in 1980. This makes the Republic of Vanuatu a young nation of only 33 years old. The four mainstays of the economy are agriculture, tourism, offshore financial services, and raising cattle. There is substantial fishing activity, although this industry does not bring in much foreign exchange. Exports include copra, kava, beef, cocoa, and timber, and imports include machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, and fuels
The irony of one picture
After the collapse of the Great ''Socialist'' People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya in October 2011, the new State of Libya is still suffering from chaos. After 42 years of living under a crazy dictatorship, the Libyans are still wondering how to govern their nation. Until 2011, the Gaddafi family and tribe ruled with an iron fist. The Jamahiriya was only a propaganda ideology and many Libyans feared the ''Revolutionary Committees'' as Gaddafi called his enforcers. These RC's would control the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya and could arrest anybody who opposed the ''revolution'' of Muammar Gaddafi.
The State of Libya replaced the Jamahiriya after the Battle of Sirte and the murder of Muammar Gaddafi. This new state is still in the process of building itself, because the Jamahiriya left no clear government. Gaddafi turned Libya into one huge bureaucratic apparatus were nobody knew who was in control. By creating confusion about the nature of the state, Gaddafi and his family were able to rule for almost 42 years!
Gaddafi himself used to be an Arab-nationalist. A support of the Egyptian president Nasser. When Nasser died in 1970, Gaddafi age 28 saw himself as the next Arab leader. But the other Arab nations did not liked the idea of submitting to the young Libyan leader. Relations with Egypt deteriorated as president Sadat, made peace talks with Israel. By 1977, Libya left the Federation of Arab Republic's and became known as the ''Socialist'' People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya. Muammar Gaddafi tried to invade Egypt, but his army were crushed by the mighty Egyptian Army. The other Arab nations had to ask Sadat not to remove Gaddafi from power, although the Egyptians had made plans to invade Libya!
In November 1977, the flag of the Federation of Arab Republics was replaced by a green flag. This green flag would remain the Libyan banner until October 2011, when the Jamahiriya was overthrown and Gaddafi murdered. Ironically Gaddafi would leave a green legacy. In 1999, he and other African nations created the African Union. Its first flag was broad green horizontal stripe at the top followed by a narrow band of gold. Below is a broad white stripe bearing the then emblem of the African Union at its center followed by a narrow gold band and broad green stripe at the bottom. When Muammar Gaddafi became chairman of the African Union for one year, he changed the flag. This was done in February 2010, one year before the Libyan revolution in Benghazi started!
The new flag of the African Union is a dark green map of the African continent on a white sun, surrounded by a circle of 53 5-pointed gold (yellow) stars, on a dark green field. This flag became almost the second flag of the Great ''Socialist'' People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya as it flew mostly next to the Libyan green banner. It was also the flag that Gaddafi would use when he gave interviews!
With the Jamahiriya now gone, the State of Libya is taking its place in the African Union. There the new Libyan government is faced with a flag that was designed by their former adversary. Also many African nations keep a positive image of the late Gaddafi, because he was among the few who aided African nations against western imperialism during the Cold War. One picture shows the irony of things. Here we see the flag of the former Kingdom of Libya, now used by the State of Libya next to the flag of the African Union created fully by Muammar Gaddafi!
The State of Libya replaced the Jamahiriya after the Battle of Sirte and the murder of Muammar Gaddafi. This new state is still in the process of building itself, because the Jamahiriya left no clear government. Gaddafi turned Libya into one huge bureaucratic apparatus were nobody knew who was in control. By creating confusion about the nature of the state, Gaddafi and his family were able to rule for almost 42 years!
Gaddafi himself used to be an Arab-nationalist. A support of the Egyptian president Nasser. When Nasser died in 1970, Gaddafi age 28 saw himself as the next Arab leader. But the other Arab nations did not liked the idea of submitting to the young Libyan leader. Relations with Egypt deteriorated as president Sadat, made peace talks with Israel. By 1977, Libya left the Federation of Arab Republic's and became known as the ''Socialist'' People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya. Muammar Gaddafi tried to invade Egypt, but his army were crushed by the mighty Egyptian Army. The other Arab nations had to ask Sadat not to remove Gaddafi from power, although the Egyptians had made plans to invade Libya!
In November 1977, the flag of the Federation of Arab Republics was replaced by a green flag. This green flag would remain the Libyan banner until October 2011, when the Jamahiriya was overthrown and Gaddafi murdered. Ironically Gaddafi would leave a green legacy. In 1999, he and other African nations created the African Union. Its first flag was broad green horizontal stripe at the top followed by a narrow band of gold. Below is a broad white stripe bearing the then emblem of the African Union at its center followed by a narrow gold band and broad green stripe at the bottom. When Muammar Gaddafi became chairman of the African Union for one year, he changed the flag. This was done in February 2010, one year before the Libyan revolution in Benghazi started!
The new flag of the African Union is a dark green map of the African continent on a white sun, surrounded by a circle of 53 5-pointed gold (yellow) stars, on a dark green field. This flag became almost the second flag of the Great ''Socialist'' People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya as it flew mostly next to the Libyan green banner. It was also the flag that Gaddafi would use when he gave interviews!
With the Jamahiriya now gone, the State of Libya is taking its place in the African Union. There the new Libyan government is faced with a flag that was designed by their former adversary. Also many African nations keep a positive image of the late Gaddafi, because he was among the few who aided African nations against western imperialism during the Cold War. One picture shows the irony of things. Here we see the flag of the former Kingdom of Libya, now used by the State of Libya next to the flag of the African Union created fully by Muammar Gaddafi!
The green flag of the African Union
next to the flag of the State of Libya!
The first Red Scare 1919-1921
The Russian Revolution of November 1917 put fear into the minds of the capitalists worldwide. For the first time the workers of Russia took power and destroyed the ruling class of a nation. Fearful by strikes of workers in the USA, the American government and the media started a witch-hunt against socialists and early communists. At its peak the ruling class ordered the arrest of five democratic elected socialists from the New York assemble. When the police arrested these five representatives it became clear why we revolutionary socialists had ( and still have ) no thrust in the ''democracy'' of the western world. The first Red Scare was a massive wave of paranoia and fear about a workers rebellion that would bring a ´´Bolshevik´´ dictatorship into power as the ruling class claimed!
Alexander Mitchell Palmer was a key player in the first Red Scare. He was a member of the Democratic Party and like McCarthy 30 years later, would use fear of communism as a tool to violate the constitutional rights of socialists and communists. Between November 1919 and January 1920, the US federal police arrested thousands of anarchists, socialists and early communists. They arrested these people based on their membership of what the ruling class ´´dangerous radical parties´´. The raids of the federal police became known as the Palmer Raids. Jailing people for their political believes was a clear violation of freedom of speech. But this meant nothing for Alexander Palmer who hated socialism!
The ruling class was fearful because many American workers developed a clear class conscious. One massive strike of workers was the Seattle General Strike of February 1919. More then 65.000 union workers went on strike. The capitalist media called it a ´´Bolshevik´´ coup and denounced the workers as ´´dangerous´´ and ´´Un-American´´. Mayor Hanson of Seattle took drastic actions and ordered the army to the city to oppose the workers. After five days he was able to defeat the strike this was thanks to his harsh anti-socialism and his support from both the Democratic Party and the Republican Party who too feared a socialist revolution. The workers of Seattle were facing a huge propaganda machine and the might of the 2.100 police officers. After the strike ended the police jailed 39 strike leaders!
Mayor Ole Hanson took credit for ending the strike and was hailed by the capitalist media. He resigned a few months later and toured the country giving lectures on the dangers of "domestic Bolshevism." He earned $38,000 in seven months, five times his annual salary as mayor. He agreed that the general strike was a revolutionary event!
Coal workers went on strike in November 1919, this fueled the Red Scare as hated of socialism and communism were now very common in almost all major capitalist newspapers. The capitalist propaganda was lying about almost everything socialism stands for. Claiming that socialists were ''dirty Jews who wanted world power'' was used by antisemitic newspapers. We must remember that antisemitism was used both in the USA as in Russia against the working class. In Russia, the anticommunist White Armies would murder 150.000 Jews in Ukraine. Those White Armies were supported and supplied by the USA and Great Britain!
Race riots also stated in 1919 as black workers rose up for the first time against the racist US government. The USA was still as very racist nation in 1919, slavery was abolished in 1863 but the hated for blacks was still common in many US states. Also a system of race separation was installed, which later became known by the Dutch word; Apartheid. Black workers did not enjoy the fruits of their work as some white workers did. As the American working class radicalized the black workers started to demand equality. But the federal police acted brutal and attacked black workers violently. Also racist gangs of white men would get aid from the police to search and assault blacks who stood up against the racist system!
The capitalist media blamed the race riots on the socialists and communists. The Times said that ''Reds are calling negro's to rebel'' they also wrote that Lenin and Trotsky called for terrorism and violence against ''democracy'' in the USA. All lies as Soviet Russia was in a brutal civil war and had little time to spread the socialist revolution elsewhere. As the fear of socialism and communism grew, members of the Socialist Party of America were facing a difficult choice. Should they remain loyal to the US capitalist democracy or support the Soviet model. The debates led to a split which created two communist parties in the USA. This was not liked by the Communist International, who demanded one communist party to represent the American working class!
Soon the two communist parties fused and created the Communist Party USA. But the US federal government did not stand still and started to arrest many members of the party. Mostly because of anarchist terrorist attempts. This gave the ruling class a perfect reason to ban the communist party and to jail its members. As the communist party was forced underground the Socialist Party of America decided to remain loyal to the US Constitution. However this would not stop the anti-socialist witch hunt. In 1920 the ruling class ordered the arrest of five democratic elected socialist representatives of the New York assemble. Police forces arrested the five socialists and showed to the world, the true face of American ''democracy''!
Thanks to the first Red Scare the Socialist Party of America ( SPA ) lost many members. Paranoia, lies and fear turned the working class away from socialism. It was the beginning of the major anti-leftist brainwashing that remains a part of American society. Also the first Red Scare would lay seeds for the second Red Scare that started after 1945. This second Red Scare would last through out the 1950's. Because of the first Red Scare, the SPA lost more then 90.000 members. In 1919 more then 100.000 workers had joined the Socialist Party of America. But thanks to the Red Scare and the party's internal struggle, only 14.000 remained after 1921!
Today the socialist movement in the USA is very weak. The SPA split into three parties in the 70's, the biggest of them are the Democratic Socialists of America. The Democratic Socialists of America support the Democratic Party and are offering no genuine socialist alternatives. Another party that came out of the split were the Social Democrats USA, the right-wing of the SPA who were social democratic and not socialist in nature. Finally the left-wing of the old SPA became the Socialist Party USA!
The Communist Party USA regrouped as the Workers Party of America. At the end of the 1920's it reemerged as the Communist Party of the United States of America, now a Stalinist party and fully supportive of Moscow and Joseph Stalin. Many party members were hated and intimidated during the second Red Scare, by the anticommunist media and US government. During the progressive years in the 1970's, the party was able to attract some young Americans who were blinded by idealism and their opposition to US imperialism. 25.000 members made up the CPUSA in the 70's, but most would abandon the communist movement after the Soviet-Union collapsed. Today only 2.000 people remain CPUSA member!
Three years of Red Scare turned many Americans into die-hard antisocialists and anticommunists. Thanks to paranoia, racial hatred and brainwashing by right-wing politicians, most Americans stated to hate socialism and communism. Calling it ''un-American'' and ''dangerous''. The ruling class were very happy with the results. The Socialist Party of America was reduced to 14.000 members and the radical trade union movement was cursed by massive police forces. Democratic rights meant nothing for those who owned the means of production. Like in Russia, the capitalists used their politicians to arrest radical leftists. Police brutality against workers is not uncommon in the USA. The Occupy Movement in our modern era, also faced police brutality like the striking workers in 1919!
This is why workers must oppose capitalism and the US government. It does not matter if the White House is occupied by a Democrat or a Republican. Both parties are tools of the ruling class, they were that in 1919 and remained that in 2013. A new Red Scare can happen again, as the ruling class uses fear and paranoia to turn people into anti-leftists. Barack Obama faced faced anti-socialist hatred as members of the conservative; Tea Party movement called him a socialist and a communist. Calling a person a socialist or a communist is still done to portray somebody negatively in the USA!
Still we revolutionary socialists salute the brave workers who rose up in 1919. We salute those socialists and communists who stood up for black workers as they were discriminated against by the white ruling class. They were the good guys and not the police. During the Red Scare the anticommunist Democratic Party and Republican Party were the bad guys, by arresting workers and jailing five elected socialists in New York. This shows the true face of capitalist parties. Democracy means nothing for them and they will use the police and army to keep their wealth and power save. This is why workers have nothing to gain, they have a world to win!
Alexander Mitchell Palmer was a key player in the first Red Scare. He was a member of the Democratic Party and like McCarthy 30 years later, would use fear of communism as a tool to violate the constitutional rights of socialists and communists. Between November 1919 and January 1920, the US federal police arrested thousands of anarchists, socialists and early communists. They arrested these people based on their membership of what the ruling class ´´dangerous radical parties´´. The raids of the federal police became known as the Palmer Raids. Jailing people for their political believes was a clear violation of freedom of speech. But this meant nothing for Alexander Palmer who hated socialism!
The ruling class was fearful because many American workers developed a clear class conscious. One massive strike of workers was the Seattle General Strike of February 1919. More then 65.000 union workers went on strike. The capitalist media called it a ´´Bolshevik´´ coup and denounced the workers as ´´dangerous´´ and ´´Un-American´´. Mayor Hanson of Seattle took drastic actions and ordered the army to the city to oppose the workers. After five days he was able to defeat the strike this was thanks to his harsh anti-socialism and his support from both the Democratic Party and the Republican Party who too feared a socialist revolution. The workers of Seattle were facing a huge propaganda machine and the might of the 2.100 police officers. After the strike ended the police jailed 39 strike leaders!
Mayor Ole Hanson took credit for ending the strike and was hailed by the capitalist media. He resigned a few months later and toured the country giving lectures on the dangers of "domestic Bolshevism." He earned $38,000 in seven months, five times his annual salary as mayor. He agreed that the general strike was a revolutionary event!
Coal workers went on strike in November 1919, this fueled the Red Scare as hated of socialism and communism were now very common in almost all major capitalist newspapers. The capitalist propaganda was lying about almost everything socialism stands for. Claiming that socialists were ''dirty Jews who wanted world power'' was used by antisemitic newspapers. We must remember that antisemitism was used both in the USA as in Russia against the working class. In Russia, the anticommunist White Armies would murder 150.000 Jews in Ukraine. Those White Armies were supported and supplied by the USA and Great Britain!
Race riots also stated in 1919 as black workers rose up for the first time against the racist US government. The USA was still as very racist nation in 1919, slavery was abolished in 1863 but the hated for blacks was still common in many US states. Also a system of race separation was installed, which later became known by the Dutch word; Apartheid. Black workers did not enjoy the fruits of their work as some white workers did. As the American working class radicalized the black workers started to demand equality. But the federal police acted brutal and attacked black workers violently. Also racist gangs of white men would get aid from the police to search and assault blacks who stood up against the racist system!
The capitalist media blamed the race riots on the socialists and communists. The Times said that ''Reds are calling negro's to rebel'' they also wrote that Lenin and Trotsky called for terrorism and violence against ''democracy'' in the USA. All lies as Soviet Russia was in a brutal civil war and had little time to spread the socialist revolution elsewhere. As the fear of socialism and communism grew, members of the Socialist Party of America were facing a difficult choice. Should they remain loyal to the US capitalist democracy or support the Soviet model. The debates led to a split which created two communist parties in the USA. This was not liked by the Communist International, who demanded one communist party to represent the American working class!
Soon the two communist parties fused and created the Communist Party USA. But the US federal government did not stand still and started to arrest many members of the party. Mostly because of anarchist terrorist attempts. This gave the ruling class a perfect reason to ban the communist party and to jail its members. As the communist party was forced underground the Socialist Party of America decided to remain loyal to the US Constitution. However this would not stop the anti-socialist witch hunt. In 1920 the ruling class ordered the arrest of five democratic elected socialist representatives of the New York assemble. Police forces arrested the five socialists and showed to the world, the true face of American ''democracy''!
Thanks to the first Red Scare the Socialist Party of America ( SPA ) lost many members. Paranoia, lies and fear turned the working class away from socialism. It was the beginning of the major anti-leftist brainwashing that remains a part of American society. Also the first Red Scare would lay seeds for the second Red Scare that started after 1945. This second Red Scare would last through out the 1950's. Because of the first Red Scare, the SPA lost more then 90.000 members. In 1919 more then 100.000 workers had joined the Socialist Party of America. But thanks to the Red Scare and the party's internal struggle, only 14.000 remained after 1921!
Today the socialist movement in the USA is very weak. The SPA split into three parties in the 70's, the biggest of them are the Democratic Socialists of America. The Democratic Socialists of America support the Democratic Party and are offering no genuine socialist alternatives. Another party that came out of the split were the Social Democrats USA, the right-wing of the SPA who were social democratic and not socialist in nature. Finally the left-wing of the old SPA became the Socialist Party USA!
The Communist Party USA regrouped as the Workers Party of America. At the end of the 1920's it reemerged as the Communist Party of the United States of America, now a Stalinist party and fully supportive of Moscow and Joseph Stalin. Many party members were hated and intimidated during the second Red Scare, by the anticommunist media and US government. During the progressive years in the 1970's, the party was able to attract some young Americans who were blinded by idealism and their opposition to US imperialism. 25.000 members made up the CPUSA in the 70's, but most would abandon the communist movement after the Soviet-Union collapsed. Today only 2.000 people remain CPUSA member!
Three years of Red Scare turned many Americans into die-hard antisocialists and anticommunists. Thanks to paranoia, racial hatred and brainwashing by right-wing politicians, most Americans stated to hate socialism and communism. Calling it ''un-American'' and ''dangerous''. The ruling class were very happy with the results. The Socialist Party of America was reduced to 14.000 members and the radical trade union movement was cursed by massive police forces. Democratic rights meant nothing for those who owned the means of production. Like in Russia, the capitalists used their politicians to arrest radical leftists. Police brutality against workers is not uncommon in the USA. The Occupy Movement in our modern era, also faced police brutality like the striking workers in 1919!
This is why workers must oppose capitalism and the US government. It does not matter if the White House is occupied by a Democrat or a Republican. Both parties are tools of the ruling class, they were that in 1919 and remained that in 2013. A new Red Scare can happen again, as the ruling class uses fear and paranoia to turn people into anti-leftists. Barack Obama faced faced anti-socialist hatred as members of the conservative; Tea Party movement called him a socialist and a communist. Calling a person a socialist or a communist is still done to portray somebody negatively in the USA!
Still we revolutionary socialists salute the brave workers who rose up in 1919. We salute those socialists and communists who stood up for black workers as they were discriminated against by the white ruling class. They were the good guys and not the police. During the Red Scare the anticommunist Democratic Party and Republican Party were the bad guys, by arresting workers and jailing five elected socialists in New York. This shows the true face of capitalist parties. Democracy means nothing for them and they will use the police and army to keep their wealth and power save. This is why workers have nothing to gain, they have a world to win!
The strikes of 1919 started the first Red Scare
In the end the workers were defeated!
Bureaucratic pseudo-socialism fails in Venezuela
Many socialists and communists will not like it, but the Venezuelan revolution of Hugo Chavez is dying. Good news for the supporters of capitalism in Venezuela. After the death of Chavez himself in March of this year, his successor is left with an economy that is failing to meet the demands of workers and poor people. President Maduro is blaming capitalists and the USA for the failing economy, but in reality it is his bureaucratic state planning that is causing the economy harm. Venezuela has a mixture of a planned and market economy. Some sector's are planned while others are not. Planning in Venezuela is done by the state and in a bureaucratic matter with no participation from workers and consumers. This leads to shortage of many products like toilet paper!
Revolutionary socialists gave critical support to Hugo Chavez when he came to power in 1999. He promoted a leftist alternative to the parties of capitalism. But after 14 years, the old guards of big money have rebuild their strength. Under the charismatic; Henrique Capriles Radonski, the capitalist opposition has been able to win many voters back. This is not because socialism does not work, it is because Hugo Chavez never created socialism!
The first three years of Chavez were moderate and not very radical. It was only after the failed 2002 coup ( supported by the Bush administration in the USA ) that Hugo Chavez started to turn more radical in his propaganda. Yet his economic politics were rather social democratic and not socialist in his first years. This changed after 2006, when he and the western world started to collide. Western imperialism supported the undemocratic 2002 coup against Chavez and kept calling him a ''dictator'' although he won every election. Only the state media was positive about him, while the private media were all negative!
With the founding of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela in 2007, revolutionary socialists hoped that Hugo Chavez would turn socialist and give power to the working class. The government indeed nationalized some businesses, but the economy remained based on the capitalist system. Also workers found out they had nothing to say in state owned enterprises. Capitalist owners were replaced by state managers who acted just the same as their old bosses!
Many workers faced the might of the state bureaucracy as they went on strike to oppose low wages and stressful workload in state owned enterprises. Instead of supporting workers, the supposed ''socialist'' government attacked the workers and broke up many strikes. Some trade unionist leaders were arrested and jailed for supporting workers strikes. Ruben Gonzalez was one trade unionist who was jailed for leading an ''illegal'' strike. He was sentenced by the government to spend seven years in jail. But thanks to workers, revolutionary socialists and trade unionists he was freed. But his case is not the only one, many workers in state owned businesses face intimidations, if they criticize today's Maduro government!
Revolutionary socialists say that voting on the United Socialist Party of Venezuela will not bring socialism. After 14 years it is clear that the Chavez camp is not planning on brining the working class to power. Many workers have already switched sides and are now supportive of Henrique Capriles. We think this is not good, since the capitalist opposition does not serve the needs of workers. However because of the bureaucratic and sometimes authoritarian rule of Maduro, many feel that Henrique Capriles is a better alternative. This is also because the capitalist opposition is now using leftist rhetoric to beat the United Socialist Party of Venezuela. Henrique Capriles is not talking about privatisations and deregulation of markets. No, he talks about keeping the social programs active and that he will make sure that capitalism will be fair and balanced!
What Venezuela needs is a true workers party. A party based on genuine Marxist socialism, that can led the workers and the poor against the capitalist opposition and the Maduro government. Workers have nothing to gain by supporting either Henrique Capriles or Nicolas Maduro. As a result of his losing popularity, president Maduro is turning more paranoid. Claiming that the USA are behind the death of Hugo Chavez and the failing economy. Blaming others for the failures of your own bureaucratic government is typical for people who are afraid of losing power. We saw it in Libya were Gaddafi blamed Al-Qaeda for the 2011 revolution. In Syria, dictator Bashar Al-Assad says the same thing. Blaming others for their own failures!
Revolutionary socialists gave critical support to Hugo Chavez when he came to power in 1999. He promoted a leftist alternative to the parties of capitalism. But after 14 years, the old guards of big money have rebuild their strength. Under the charismatic; Henrique Capriles Radonski, the capitalist opposition has been able to win many voters back. This is not because socialism does not work, it is because Hugo Chavez never created socialism!
The first three years of Chavez were moderate and not very radical. It was only after the failed 2002 coup ( supported by the Bush administration in the USA ) that Hugo Chavez started to turn more radical in his propaganda. Yet his economic politics were rather social democratic and not socialist in his first years. This changed after 2006, when he and the western world started to collide. Western imperialism supported the undemocratic 2002 coup against Chavez and kept calling him a ''dictator'' although he won every election. Only the state media was positive about him, while the private media were all negative!
With the founding of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela in 2007, revolutionary socialists hoped that Hugo Chavez would turn socialist and give power to the working class. The government indeed nationalized some businesses, but the economy remained based on the capitalist system. Also workers found out they had nothing to say in state owned enterprises. Capitalist owners were replaced by state managers who acted just the same as their old bosses!
Many workers faced the might of the state bureaucracy as they went on strike to oppose low wages and stressful workload in state owned enterprises. Instead of supporting workers, the supposed ''socialist'' government attacked the workers and broke up many strikes. Some trade unionist leaders were arrested and jailed for supporting workers strikes. Ruben Gonzalez was one trade unionist who was jailed for leading an ''illegal'' strike. He was sentenced by the government to spend seven years in jail. But thanks to workers, revolutionary socialists and trade unionists he was freed. But his case is not the only one, many workers in state owned businesses face intimidations, if they criticize today's Maduro government!
Revolutionary socialists say that voting on the United Socialist Party of Venezuela will not bring socialism. After 14 years it is clear that the Chavez camp is not planning on brining the working class to power. Many workers have already switched sides and are now supportive of Henrique Capriles. We think this is not good, since the capitalist opposition does not serve the needs of workers. However because of the bureaucratic and sometimes authoritarian rule of Maduro, many feel that Henrique Capriles is a better alternative. This is also because the capitalist opposition is now using leftist rhetoric to beat the United Socialist Party of Venezuela. Henrique Capriles is not talking about privatisations and deregulation of markets. No, he talks about keeping the social programs active and that he will make sure that capitalism will be fair and balanced!
What Venezuela needs is a true workers party. A party based on genuine Marxist socialism, that can led the workers and the poor against the capitalist opposition and the Maduro government. Workers have nothing to gain by supporting either Henrique Capriles or Nicolas Maduro. As a result of his losing popularity, president Maduro is turning more paranoid. Claiming that the USA are behind the death of Hugo Chavez and the failing economy. Blaming others for the failures of your own bureaucratic government is typical for people who are afraid of losing power. We saw it in Libya were Gaddafi blamed Al-Qaeda for the 2011 revolution. In Syria, dictator Bashar Al-Assad says the same thing. Blaming others for their own failures!
The Chavez cult of personality
will not aid Nicolas Maduro!
Stalinist traitors
Stalinism is not communism. This is hard to explain to people, because the anticommunist media has portrayed socialism and communism with dictatorships and terror. Anticommunists and most communist parties claim that the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and Eastern Europe were ''socialist'' in nature. In reality these regimes were not socialist, but deformed states. They had a planned economy but lacked workers democracy and freedom of speech. Today Stalinist communist parties are still out there. Still claiming to uphold Marxist socialism. Some remain in power, but most have mixed their Stalinist ideology with local nationalism and partly with capitalism!
КОММУНИСТИЧЕСКАЯ ПАРТИЯ РОССИЙСКОЙ ФЕДЕРАЦИИ
КОМУНІСТИЧНА ПАРТІЯ УКРАЇНИ
Đảng Cộng sản Việt Nam
PARTIDUL COMUNIŞTILOR DIN REPUBLICA MOLDOVA
조선로동당
КОММУНИСТИЧЕСКАЯ ПАРТИЯ РОССИЙСКОЙ ФЕДЕРАЦИИ
The Communist Party of the Russian Federation was created two years after the Communist Party of the Soviet-Union was banned by the Supreme Soviet in August 1991. It would not be until 1993 when out of its remnants a new communist party was founded This party is different then the old CPSU on many issues. First it abandon atheism and has a good working relationship with the Russian Orthodox Church. Second it is Russian nationalist and chooses the side of Russia in conflicts with the western world!
Also the CPRF is more Stalinist then the CPSU was. They celebrate the birthday of Joseph Stalin and his legacy. You can see Stalin's face on many billboards set up by the CPRF. Although the party opposes capitalism, it has accepted the market economy and seems to be more classic social democratic then revolutionary socialist. Unlike other revolutionary leftist parties in modern Russia, the CPRF is accepted by the Kremlin as an opposition party!
КОМУНІСТИЧНА ПАРТІЯ УКРАЇНИ
The Communist Party of Ukraine remains the oldest party in the nation. Founded as a revolutionary communist party in 1918, it degenerated into a Stalinist party and remains this until this day. The collapse of the USSR did not ended the party's life and it is still popular among the elderly, who do not benefit from capitalism like most Ukrainians. In 2010 the party joined the capitalist Azarov cabinet and remains in the government until this date.
Like many Stalinist communist parties, the Communist Party of Ukraine favours Russia over the western world. As a conservative party it opposes homosexuality and LGBT rights. Although the party says it opposes capitalism, it is part of the current Ukrainian government led by the pro-Russian conservatives. For revolutionary socialists this party is just another party of Stalinist conservatives who are nostalgic about the USSR!
КАМУНІСТЫ́ЧНАЯ ПА́РТЫЯ
БЕЛАРУ́СІ
The Communist Party of Belarus is founded in 1996, after the Party of Belarusian Communists choose to oppose president Alexander Lukashenko. Stalinist supporters of the authoritarian president, left the Party of Belarusian Communists and created the CPB. Today the Communist Party of Belarus is the only political party in the nation with parliamentary representation. This is because the party supports Lukashenko!
Like the communist parties of Russia and Ukraine, the CPB is conservative Stalinist. It glorifies the Soviet-Union and is in favor of a political union with Russia. Most members of the party are elderly people. The party has little support among workers and youth, since it is seen as a tool of the authoritarian president!
中国共产党
Traitor party nr 1 for revolutionary socialists. The Chinese Communist Party, founded as a Marxist socialist party in 1921, it is today a Chinese nationalist party with more then 75 billionaires in it. The CCP first degenerated into a Stalinist party after 1927 and then into a Maoist one after Mao Zedong took over in 1935. He purged the party from those who opposed his peasant revolution!
After the Chinese civil war ended, the CCP became the only political party allowed. Today the CCP remains in control of the People's Republic of China. But it has changed it economic ideology. State-capitalism replaced Marxist socialism as party leaders allowed foreign capitalists to exploit their workers. The party bureaucrats are now getting support from a new Chinese ruling class, who emerged after Deng Xiaoping became leader. His capitalist reforms brought huge wealth, unfortunate only 120 million Chinese benefit from that!
Đảng Cộng sản Việt Nam
Like the Chinese Communist Party, the Communist Party of Vietnam abandon Marxist socialism in favour of state regulated capitalism. The Vietnamese stalinists created their party after the breakup of the Indochinese Communist Party. Ho Chi Minh led the Workers Party of Vietnam until his death in 1969. After the collapse of South Vietnam, the WPV changed its name back to Communist Party of Vietnam!
Today the CPV is a state-capitalist party and very Vietnamese nationalist. The party is boosting nationalism to hide the fact, that capitalism is their true ideology. Many Vietnamese workers feel no affection for the communist party. Only militarists, nationalists and state-bureaucrats support the party today. Between the CPV and the workers movement lies a river of betrayal and blood!
PHAK PASASON PATIVAT LAO
( In Latin Alphabet )
The Lao People's Revolutionary Party is more a copy of the Communist Party of Vietnam. It is the only party allowed in the Lao People's Democratic Republic. The party is Laotian nationalist and state-capitalist. Like Vietnam it embraced capitalism and market politics after 1986. Today the LPRP is led by 77 year old; Choummaly Sayasone an old army general. He represents the true force behind the party which is the Laotian People's Army!
Most leaders of Laos are old men, former revolutionary nationalists who have embraced pragmatism in order to gain support from western nations. Workers in Laos have little rights as the trade unions are all controlled by the government!
PARTIDUL COMUNIŞTILOR DIN REPUBLICA MOLDOVA
After the collapse of the Moldavian Socialist Soviet Republic, the communist party remained popular with the Moldavian people. Although they won every election, the party never build socialism. The Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova remained loyal to capitalist principals. In the end the party was just another capitalist party in the nation. After the 2009 riots the capitalist opposition came to power, banning communist symbols in their attempt to fuel anticommunism!
The PCRM is not a revolutionary party but a social democratic one, that supports the European Union and the capitalist; Republic of Moldova. As it is said in its name, it is the party of communists of the Republic of Moldova and not the Communist Party of Moldova. A party with the name Communist Party of Moldova was founded in 2012, in opposition to the PCRM!
조선로동당
The Workers Party of Korea is among the few ruling Stalinist parties, that renounced Marxist socialism during the Cold War. In 1972, the party replaced Marxism-Leninism ( Stalinism ) with Juche, the personal ideology of Kim Il Sung. After his death in 1994, his son Kim Jong Il added Songun to the party's ideology. The Workers Party of Korea claims today, they are a party based on Kimilsungism–Kimjongilism!
As of 2013, the WPK is still ruling the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, but the true masters of the nation are not in the party's politburo. True power lies in the hands of the Korean People's Army led by Kim Jong Un, the youngest son of Kim Jong Il. He is first secretary of the National Defence Commission, as his death father remains eternal chairman. The WPK has degenerated from stalinism into a mixture of Korean nationalism, chauvinism and Monarchistic conservatism!
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