Fight against Russian capitalism and imperialism at home and abroad!

 

Provisional Platform of the Revolutionary Communists (Russian Federation), September 2019, https://vk.com/rcit1917

 

 

 

We are the Revolutionary Communists in the Russian Federation fighting for building a vanguard party of the working class and oppressed to achieve liberation in Russia and internationally. We are fighting together with our sisters and brothers in the Revolutionary Communist International Tendency (RCIT) for the foundation of a Revolutionary World Party (which will be the 5^th International).

 

Our struggle for the liberation of working-class and oppressed in Russia is organically connected with the class struggle around the globe. Revolutionary Communists are basing their principles not on a 'national-centered' perspective as various Stalinists and centrists do, but from the perspective of the whole global capitalist system and its inner contradictions.

 

Revolutionary Communists are characterizing the current period of capitalism as decaying, reactionary, and dangerous for the survival of the human race. Modern imperialism is characterized by the domination of a handful of global powers like the U.S., China, Japan, Russia, and E.U. All of them are striving for the worldwide domination and the oppression of the working class of all nations. None of them is 'progressive' or represents the struggle for the development of productive forces. Contrary, they are advocating chauvinist and sectarian hatred to spark a rivalry among oppressed masses to achieve their goals. Thus, Revolutionary Communists unconditionally stand for revolutionary defeatism, this mean that we call to transform imperialist conflicts into class war against the ruling class and combine such a perspective with the struggle for the establishment of a global socialist federation of workers and peasant states.

 

The Russian Federation is an economically relatively weak imperialist power with an active military and huge monopolistic state sector in the economy. After the collapse of the USSR, the bureaucracy transformed themselves into a bourgeoisie and a layer of managers with income comparable to middle or high strata of capitalists as a result of the profound degeneration of Stalinists. The resulted process significantly destroyed productive forces and produced an unprecedented concentration of wealth in the hands of oligarchs in combination with high level of poverty. Approximately 94% of Russians have an income of less than 10,000$ while the global mean is around 70%. The top 1% of Russians, represented by oligarchs, are controlling approximately one-third of the economy. At the same time the top 10% of middle capitalists, layer of workers aristocracy, the highest strata of petty bourgeoisie and the highest strata of state employees controls 90% of Russian national income. The RCIT Russia is calling for the radical redistribution of wealth via the expropriation of all commanding heights of the economy into the hands of a workers’ government. Revolutionary Communists are also calling for the provision of cheap loans to organize cooperatives in agriculture and other sectors dominated by small enterprises and firms.

 

The state is playing a significant role not only in stabilizing the domestic political situation by propaganda and police force, but also in economics by various protectionist measures, financial diplomacy, aid, and other measures. According to multiple estimates between 30% and 70% of the economy are controlled by the state with an employment of about at least 20 million persons, which is approximately 30-30% of all working population. The small number of the wealthy middle class is concentrated mostly in large cities, among them is a large number of state employees with significant pension and social benefits for military, police and other members of the state apparatus. The Bonapartist regime in Russia has an apparatus of the President and the bureaucracy with massive executive power which are residing “above the class struggle”. The Bonapartist policies are also evident in the corrupted political culture where significant sectors of the "opposition" are bribed via state financial aid for parties like Just Russia, the Stalinist KPRF, and the LDPR. These parties might criticize this or that aspect of domestic policy but support the government completely in its foreign policy. As a result, a high level of corruption and nepotism is dominating Russia’s economy and politics. We are calling to abandon all such corrupt practices. The wages of public servants (including deputies) must not be above those of skilled workers. The police should be replaced with worker's militia. Elected deputies as well as other public officeholders should be elected by their constituencies with the right to recall them.

 

Presidential bonapartism in Russia is continuously reducing democracy and limits the possibility for party and trade union building with imposing severe censorship of internet and mass media. The RCIT Russia calls to fight such developments by applying the united front tactic to fight for democracy and against bourgeoisie state repressions.

 

We are also fighting against conservative and chauvinist propaganda waged by the Russian Orthodox Church, which is a de facto mouthpiece of Russian reaction. The church is mostly focused on making profits and supporting various semi-fascists Cossacks or openly fascist forces like Sorok Sorokov. It is also introducing new subjects into school courses to spread religious propaganda. At the same time, other religious organization are either repressed and prohibited like Jehovah's Witness or chauvinistically misrepresented and oppressed like Islam. The RCIT Russia is calling for the complete separation of state and religion. Revolutionary Communists oppose any repression of religious groups. Revolutionary Communists are calling to abandon any chauvinistic and sectarian propaganda by the regime as well as for the abolition of any repressive laws.

 

One-fifth of population of the Russian Federation is non-Russian. The majority of them experience imperialist and colonial chauvinism like the prohibition to change alphabet by Tatars or the denial of the right of national self-determination for oppressed peoples like those in the Caucasus. It is a result of Russian long-standing imperial legacy based on the continuation of a centuries-long oppressive polices. The RCIT Russia stands for the unconditional support for national liberation. We are also demanding to abolish state language and grant possibility for any person to receive documentation and education in their mother language.

 

Migrant Tajiks, Uzbeks, Ukrainians, and Moldavians workers are playing an essential role in the Russian economy. However, they are not only nationally oppressed, but they also have to pay significant fees for “the right” to work in Russia. We stand against any chauvinist propaganda and for the abolition of the reactionary patent system. We oppose immigration control by the reactionary Russian state and call for open borders. Almost all CIS countries are either victims of Russian policies like Ukraine or they are experiencing the constant threat of a Great Power which possesses about 15,000 tanks, hundreds of bombers and fighters as well as the Iron Rain from rocket artillery systems. In addition, the regime can put pressure on these countries with the possibility of price terror in the energy sector.

 

Russian imperialism is militaristic, chauvinistic and ultimately reactionary. Russia is a policeman of the Middle East and Africa and supporter of dictators like Assad, Hiftar, Sisi, the totalitarian theocratic monarchy in Saudi Arabia as well as the Iranian regime. Russian imperialism is supporting the reactionary oppression of the Uyghurs in China. Russia is also a central partner of Modi and his reactionary policies against the people in Kashmir and the whole of India. The Russian state is not 'progressive' and openly makes deals with Israel, the regime in Iraq, and is sending arms to Saudi Arabia to preserve the current status quo for its own benefits.

 

Russia is an instrumental imperialist actor in crushing the Great Arabian Intifada and a major player in the New Scramble for Africa. China and Russia are both powers which are seeking to exploit the national wealth of the peoples in Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East. Only open social-chauvinistic Stalinists and centrists can describe their policies as "progressive". The RCIT Russia advocates the intransigent fight against Russian, Chinese, U.S. and E.U. imperialism and the unconditional support for the revolutionary struggles of the peoples of the South. Revolutionary Communists are also against reactionary protectionist policies of Russia. We are calling to transform the Imperialist Trade War in the Anti-Imperialist Class War to combat the threat of global imperialist war before it erupts into the disaster for the whole humanity.

 

The Revolutionary Communists fight for:

 

1. Against imperialism! Against Russian imperialist policies! For revolutionary defeatism against all imperialist powers with the unconditional support of national liberation struggles of oppressed peoples!

 

2. For the right for self-determination including separation for oppressed peoples! Abolition of state language!

 

3. Against any chauvinism! Equal pay for equal work! Abolition of the patent system for migrants! For open borders policies!

 

4. Abolition of all reactionary, anti-democratic laws! Fight for democracy! Against the law to impose a state of emergency! For imposing strict limitation for elected deputies income!

 

5. For the expropriation of large enterprises and the commanding heights in hand of a workers government! For the establishment of a monopoly on foreign trade!

 

6. Fight against women’s oppression! Equal rights, equal pay! For a popular campaign to stop violence against women!

 

7. Stop religious repressions! For a secular state with the right to practice any religion without any aid or interference from the state!

 

8. Support revolutionary struggles around the globe! Boycott trade with Israel and arms shipments for Saudi Arabia, Sisi, Hiftar and Asad! No support for the military junta in Sudan! No support to reactionary policies of Modi in Kashmir!

 

9. No to Trade War! Oppose any sanctions on oppressed nations! No to reactionary imperialist protectionism!

 

10. For radical infrastructure program to improve and build roads, schools, hospitals! For national broad planning program for rubbish recycling with the gradual abolition of landfills! For organizing people committees to produce and control urbanistic planning with the right to call independent specialists!

 

11. For a workers government based on councils and militias!

 

12. For worker's state control on finance with the introduction of flexible policies for the development of cooperatives in agriculture and sectors dominated with small size enterprises!

 

13. Join RCIT to fight for the building of a Revolutionary World Party around the globe!