National Democratic Revolution

The general term for the revolutions of colonial and semi-colonial peoples against imperialism, hegemonism, colonialism and feudalism in pursuit of national independence, national freedom and national liberation since modern times. The national democratic revolutions took place chiefly in various countries and regions in Asia, Africa, and Latin America that suffered from the aggression and destruction of imperialism and colonialism.

In modern times, due to the uneven economic and cultural development of various nations, there is also an actual inequality among nations. And various countries and regions in Asia, Africa, and Latin America are relatively backward in terms of economic and social development, and therefore, driven by economic globalization, they have gradually been reduced to exploited and oppressed nations. In the imperialist period, the national question was closely connected with the colonial question. After the invasion of imperialism and colonialism, most of these countries and regions became semi-colonial and semi-feudal societies. Politically, they had no equal rights; economically, they were exploited and plundered; culturally, they were not given due respect and were infiltrated and controlled culturally and ideologically. The fundamental contradiction of society was between the colonial and semi-colonial people and imperialism, and between the masses and feudalism, of which the contradiction between the colonial and semi-colonial people and imperialism was the principal contradiction. Along with the deepening of national oppression, the wave of national resistance and struggle was surging up. To ensure international peace, all avoidable national friction must first be done away with, each people must be independent and master in their own house. Oppressed nations overthrew the colonial rule of imperialism through revolution and fought for national independence; internally, they overthrew the feudal absolute rule of the landlord class and fought for the fundamental interests of the peasantry. The nature of this revolution was national democratic revolution. Due to the different time of revolution, different leading classes and different objectives and tasks, national democratic revolutions are divided into bourgeois democratic revolution and democratic revolutions led by the proletariat. For a considerable period of time, the proletarian revolutionary movement in the capitalist countries united with the national liberation movement of the colonial peoples into an anti-imperialist united front. Because the final outcome of the revolution objectively cleared the path for the development of capitalism, it belonged to the category of bourgeois democratic revolution. After the victory of the October Socialist Revolution, on the other hand, the national democratic revolution of the colonial and semi-colonial peoples underwent a fundamental transformation. In terms of the class forces participating in the revolution and the direction of its development, there are two fundamentally different types of revolution: one is the new-democratic revolution led by the proletariat with the aim of establishing a new-democratic society under the joint dictatorship of the revolutionary classes under the leadership of the proletariat. Mao Zedong pointed out that “this New Democratic Revolution is part of the world proletarian-socialist revolution, which is resolutely opposes imperialism, i.e., international capitalism.” “Although such a revolution in a colonial and semi-colonial country is still fundamentally bourgeois-democratic in its social character during its first stage or first step, … it is no longer a revolution of the old type led by the bourgeoisie with the aim of establishing a capitalist society and a state under bourgeois dictatorship. It belongs to the new type of revolution led by the proletariat with the aim, in the first stage, of establishing a new-democratic society and a state under the joint dictatorship of all the revolutionary classes.” With the victory of the new-democratic revolution, these nations gained their independence and liberation. The other is the national democratic revolution led chiefly by the national bourgeoisie with the aim of establishing a capitalist society under the dictatorship of the bourgeoisie. Even though this kind of revolution achieved a phased victory and established a national independent state, the main tasks of the revolution have not yet been fundamentally solved. Under the new historical conditions, although peace and development are the two major themes in the world today, hegemonism and power politics have always existed, and there is a tendency for local nation-state conflicts to intensify. Therefore, the national democratic revolution of the oppressed nations will have a long process ahead.

Due to the different national conditions and strengths, the paths of national democratic revolutions are not the same, and their approaches and methods are also diverse. A nation that wants to conquer its independence cannot restrict itself to the ordinary methods of warfare. Mass uprising, revolutionary war, guerilla detachments everywhere — that is the only means by which a small nation can overcome a large one, by which a less strong army can be put in a position to resist a stronger and better organize one.

Since modern times, China has been gradually reduced to a semi-colonial and semi-feudal country. From the Opium War to the May Fourth Movement, Chinese pioneers and various classes of Chinese society actively explored the path to national independence and a wealthy and strong country. From the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Uprising to the Boxer Rebellion to the 1911 Xinhai Revolution, China’s modern national democratic revolutions brought about a certain degree of social progress, but due to historical constraints and the defects of the peasants and the bourgeoisie themselves, they failed to accomplish the fundamental tasks of the revolution. Mao Zedong pointed out, “If there is to be revolution, there must be a revolutionary party. Without a revolutionary party, without a party built on the Marxist-Leninist revolutionary theory and in the Marxist-Leninist revolutionary style, it is impossible to lead the working class and the broad masses of the people in defeating imperialism and its running dogs.” It was against this background that the Chinese proletariat complied with the trend of the epoch, and has entered the arena of history, and under the leadership of the Communist Party of China finally achieved national independence and national liberation after 28 years of bloody struggle.