Basic Directions

“The Communists disdain to conceal their views and aims. They openly declare that their ends can be attained only by the forcible overthrow of all existing social conditions”.

(K. Marx – F. Engels, Manifesto of the Communist Party)

 

The publication of the “International Communist Review” expresses the necessity of cooperation among theoretical and political journals of Communist Parties that have common positions on a series of fundamental theoretical and ideological issues. This necessity has matured through the assessment of the period of retreat of the international communist movement, following the victory of the counterrevolution in the USSR and the East and Central European countries, as well as through the issues set before the communist movement by the development of modern class struggle.

The steps taken in the past period towards the cooperation and coordination of the Communist and Workers’ Parties were important and necessary. We believe that they consist substantial achievements, which we support and will support. A certain level of discussion, exchange of information and coordination, of common positions and action on several issues has been achieved.

However, we still need to achieve a basic goal, that is, the ideological-political unity of the communist movement on the basis of Marxism Leninism, the defence of the achievements for the world working class of the first attempt in history to build socialism, as well as of the common view on the character of the overthrows and their causes, which is a precondition for overcoming the deep crisis of the communist movement, in order to revive its strategic goal - socialism.

This is why we assess that parallel to the continuation of the cooperation and coordination of Communist and Workers’ Parties, such as their yearly international meeting, it is necessary to enforce the cooperation among the theoretical Marxist Leninist journals on a theoretical level. We do not forget that the main condition for the formation of a revolutionary party is the mastery of the revolutionary theory, which was the focus of the III Leninist Communist International, whose 90th anniversary we celebrate this year. Already from the first issue of its theoretical journal “The communist international” Comintern outlined its organisational principles and its theoretical positions.

The “International Communist Review” continuing the traditions of Lenin is a publication with a clear ideological-political character. It is a journal with a point of view and does not merely record theses of the Communist Parties, besides, the latter process is served by other corresponding publications, such as the Information Bulletin of the international meetings of Communist and Workers’ parties, as well as other parties’ publications. Our goal is to contribute to the popularisation and development of the Marxist Leninist theory through the ideological analysis and political positioning on modern developments in capitalism and the issues of class struggle. We believe that the enforcement of the Marxist Leninist orientation within the international communist and labour movement is a precondition for its necessary reorganisation.

The theoretical and political journals of the CPs that cooperate for the publication of the “International Communist Review” came together based on our common view on major issues of the international communist movement, the defence of the principles of Marxism-Leninism, of proletarian internationalism, of the necessity of a socialist revolution, of the dictatorship of proletariat and of the construction of a socialist society.

We rally our forces to contribute to the theoretical and ideological reorganisation of the international communist movement on a stable Marxist-Leninist basis, despite our different approaches to tactical and strategic issues.

To expressly highlight the vanguard role of the working class in the revolutionary process, in conditions when a series of forces dispute the Marxist-Leninist criteria of belonging to the working class, consequently, its leading position in the struggle for social progress and in the revolutionary transition from capitalism to socialism as well.

To defend the Leninist principles on the party, in conditions of rising pressure on the communist parties for incorporation into the capitalist system.

To show the necessity of struggle against the imperialist unions, such as the IMF, NATO, the EU etc.

To defend the historical experience of the international communist movement, surely, without rejecting the necessary critique and the scientific conclusions that will help the modern international communist movement to take a step further. We think it is necessary to follow the path of the revolutionary traditions of the Paris Commune, of the October socialist revolution, of the Communist International and the socialist experience of the USSR and of the other countries.

The theoretical and ideological reorganisation of the international communist movement cannot be fulfilled without firm confrontation against the currents that act within the labour movement such as social-democracy, all types of opportunism within the communist movement itself, revisionism, reformism, nationalism, cosmopolitism of the capital and liberalism.

Thus, we openly expose our position, our view and our critique of the existing retreat and distortion of Marxism to the whole international communist movement and contribute to the initiation of a substantial discussion within its ranks for its theoretical and ideological orientation. We address all the theoretical journals of the CPs that support the above principles and wish to contribute to this effort.

(From the Editorial of the 1st Issue of the ICR)

 

Updated Founding Declaration of the International Communist Review (excerpts)

The review should express a specific, clear-cut, ideological-political position, defending the principles of Marxism-Leninism, the need for a socialist revolution and the construction of the communist society. The framework of this review embraces the following principles:

  1. Working with a strict reference to Marxism-Leninism and proletarian internationalism.
  2. Accepting the leading role of the working class in the revolutionary process.
  3. Defending the Leninist party principles.
  4. Struggling against the international and regional imperialist institutions, i.e. NATO, the EU, the IMF etc., as well as imperialist wars, such as the one that broke out in Ukraine in 2022 between the USA-NATO-EU and capitalist Russia for the control of the markets, raw materials, and transport networks of the country. We refuse to support any side in this and similar conflicts and wars, without in any way diminishing our determination to struggle against US imperialism and NATO. Our Parties consider that imperialism cannot be reduced to the practice of an aggressive foreign policy, that it is the most reactionary and final stage of capitalism in which monopolies prevail.
  5. Approaching in a friendly manner, without excluding criticism, the historical experiences of the international communist movement, starting from Paris Commune followed by the October Revolution, the Third International and the socialist experience in the USSR and in other countries. We stress that socialism is governed by principles and scientific laws, i.e. workers’ power, the socialization of the means of production, and central scientific planning. The Communist Party, under the particular conditions each time, assumes the responsibility to educate and equip the working class to tackle difficulties, delays or temporary setbacks in the construction of the new society, taking the necessary measures to consolidate and expand the socialist relations of production. Based on this, positions such as that a market socialism can be built by maintaining capitalist enterprises and mechanisms, by maintaining wage labour by owners of means of production and land, by treating labour power as a commodity and by capital’s exploitation of wage labour are rejected. 
  6. Struggling for socialism as the only alternative against capitalism, in a revolutionary way.
  7. Rejecting participation in bourgeois governments as well as entering into cooperation and alliances with bourgeois parties. We defend the political and ideological independence of the working class.
  8. Fighting against the tendencies inside the working class movement such as social democracy, any kind of opportunism, reformism, nationalism, cosmopolitanism and liberalism.
  9. Struggling against fascism and its causes, against racism and xenophobia, by the side of refugees and immigrants that are uprooted by imperialist wars and the poverty caused by the capitalist system. We reject the false “anti-fascism” and the various “anti-fascist fronts” used by bourgeois and opportunist political forces to entrap workers’–people’s forces into bourgeois management, detaching fascism from the capitalist system that gives rise to it and uses it when needed.