National Liberation Movement

Lenin’s analysis and position in respect to the movement of the exploited and oppressed nations of the world fighting for independence and liberation in the era of imperialism.

Firstly, Lenin classified the nations in the era of imperialism as the oppressed and oppressor nations. He pointed out that in the imperialist era, the oppressed nations were under oppression, which were bound to begin a struggle against the oppressor nations. “All national oppression calls forth the resistance of the broad masses of the people; and the resistance of a nationally oppressed population always tends to national revolt.” The national uprisings against any national oppression, striving for the independence of the people and for national autonomy are progressive movements which will certainly be transformed into a revolutionary movement against capitalism and imperialism in the future; “the impending decisive battles in the world revolution, the movement of the majority of the population of the globe, which at first is directed towards national liberation, will turn against capitalism and imperialism, and will perhaps, play a much more revolutionary part than we expect.” National liberation movements and the wars of liberation are revolutionary.

National liberation movements in the colonies are the constituent part of the world proletarian revolution. The political oppression, economic exploitation and cultural aggression of imperialism in the colonies would inevitably arouse the resistance of the nationalities of the colonies. In the era of imperialism, the struggle of the colonial peoples against capitalism was often directed against the international bourgeoisie, which is consistent with the socialist movement in respect to the targets of the struggle, and the revolutionary proletariat should link the revolutionary struggle for socialism with the revolutionary program on the national question. Final victory over capitalism can only be guaranteed through the mutual proximity and cooperation of the national liberation movements in the colonies and the socialist revolution, and the goal of national liberation can only be truly achieved through the victory of the socialist revolution. “The socialist revolution can only take place in an era when the civil wars of the proletariat of the advanced countries against their bourgeoisie is united with a series of democratic revolutionary movements (which include national liberation movements) set in motion by the underdeveloped, backward and oppressed nations.” The cause of the Russian people will not only be consolidated by the proletariat of Britain, France or Germany, but also with the assistance of the oppressed and colonial masses of the working masses, first of all, the assistance of the toiling masses of all nationalities in the East, otherwise victory cannot be achieved. National liberation movement is a positive factor in overthrowing international imperialism, on the other hand the international proletariat is the most reliable ally of the national liberation movements.

The proletarian political parties of the colonies should support and lead the national liberation movements in their countries. Lenin pointed out that any national movement could only be bourgeois-democratic in nature, because the main part of the population of the backward countries are the peasants, who are the representatives of bourgeois-capitalist relations. For a proletarian party in these backward countries it would be sheer fantasy (generally speaking, such thinking can emerge in such countries), to implement and achieve communist tactics and policies without establishing certain relations with the peasant movement and without supporting it in practice. For leading the peasant movement, the proletariat must both unite with the bourgeoisie, which supports the national liberation movement, and oppose its wavering compromising attitude. As long as the bourgeoisie of an oppressed nation struggles with the oppressor nation, the proletarian political party should resolutely support it; when the bourgeoisie of an oppressed nation embraces its own narrow bourgeois nationalism, it should resolutely oppose it.

Proletarian political parties should oppose the privileges and violence of the oppressed nations, while never ignore the possible tendency of the oppressed nations demanding privileges. Socialist countries must assist the liberation movement of oppressed nations, which is the principled requirement of proletarian internationalism. Lenin pointed out: proletarian internationalism demands, first, that the interests of the proletarian struggle in any one country should be subordinated to the interests of that struggle on a world-wide scale, and, second, that a nation which is achieving victory over the bourgeoisie should be able and willing to make the greatest national sacrifices for the overthrow of international capital. According to Lenin, “Socialists must not only demand the unconditional and immediate liberation of the colonies without compensation—and this demand in its political expression signifies nothing more nor less than the recognition of the right to self-determination—but must render determined support to the more revolutionary elements in the bourgeois-democratic movements for national liberation in these countries and assist their rebellion—and if need be, their revolutionary war—against the imperialist powers that oppress them.”