The IX joint Plenum of the Central Committee of the CPRF and the Central Control and Auditing Commission of the CPRF held on May 25, 2024 wasdevoted to the question of uniting anti-fascist forces in the struggle against imperialism, reaction and the military threat in light of the developments in the world with special emphasis on international solidarity and pooling of efforts of all the progressive forces in the struggle against resurgent fascism, that veritable ‘plague of the 20th century.”
The keynote speech “On the Tasks of the CPRF in Uniting Anti-Fascist Forces in the Struggle Against Imperialism, Reaction and the Military Threat” was delivered by the Chairman of the CC CPRF Gennady Zyuganov.
In his speech he revealed the origins of modern fascism, the essence of its ideology and its link with international imperialism.
Below are excerpts from the speech:
It has long been noticed that the periods of world historic events seem to speed up the progress of time. What in other periods stretched over years, occurs within weeks and days under turning-point, revolutionary conditions. The gilding falls off the statues previously held sacred. The world is changing fast.
Humankind is on the threshold of cardinal changes.
Without an awareness of their causes, dynamics and consequences one may well fall victim to circumstances and even to the darkest and most evil of forces. The task of our party is to provide the working people with clear-cut orientations, to answer the complex questions and offer solutions in order to unite forces in the struggle against reaction, fascism and the military threat. In the struggle for socialism!
Our ideas and our movement are alive. The secret of the endurance of our ideas is not far to seek. It is the fact that capitalism, with its exploitation, inequality, poverty and disfranchisement has not gone away. As before, the masses want to see this injustice redressed.
Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, exposing the avaricious nature of capitalism, showed that the underlying contradictions of that system inevitably lead to crises.
V.I.Lenin proved that imperialism is the highest and last stage of the bourgeois epoch. He argued that the inherent contradictions of capitalism tend to grow sharper, the process of “inner decay” reaches its peak and the end is inevitable.
In the last century inter-imperialist contradictions have led to two world wars and gave birth to the monster of fascism. Is humanity guaranteed against a repeat of this scenario? Of course not! You have only to look around you.
Capitalism in the 2020s is as fraught with fascism as it was in the 1920s. There are sprouts of inhumanity everywhere.This is evident in the international policies of the leading powers and in their internal life.Ultra-right movements are gaining strength. The ideology of neo-Nazismis again enjoyingsupport in the highest echelons of power.
Like a century ago, only the masses of working people led by the communists are capable of stopping fascism. An effective strategy of defeating the absolute evil of Nazism is of paramount importance today. First and foremost, it is necessary to have a clear idea of what fascism is, where its sources lie, what is the environment in which it thrives and how to put an end to it.
We communists will never agree with those who ignore the key fact that fascism has been engendered by big capital and expresses its interests. It is our duty to resolutely expose any attempts to disguise the causes that give rise to the evil of Nazism. In the opinion of the CPRF, solidarity on this issue is a key precondition for the forging of any alliances and coalitions with the communists.
Nationalism, totalitarian control over society, cult of the leader and other features of fascist dictatorships are merely derivatives, a superstructure over the basis. In reality, fascism is a logical result of the development of the Western capitalist society.
An objective analysis of fascism is impossible without recognizing its genetic link with capitalism. The current situation increasingly favors the resurgence of Nazism. It paves the way for the growth of ultra-right organizations and their bid to seize power. The reason is that capitalism has entered its worst crisis in the last 100 years. This is the result of two main factors.
First, the undermining of the Euro-Atlantic hegemony. The West is fast losing its position of the sole capitalist “center” that can dictate its will to the rest of the world. As Lenin wrote, “the unevenness of economic and political development is an indisputable law of capitalism.” The economies of some non-Western countries are growing steadily. The share of BRICS in the world GDP according to purchasing power parity has reached 35% to exceed that of the Big Seven. Its share in global production has grown by 37%.
China’s economy has outstripped that of the USA according to PPP and may become the world’s biggest power according to “ordinary GDP” within the next ten years. The yuan continues to grow stronger.
The situation is changing. More and more countries refuse to bow to the dictate of Western capital. African countries are “catching up” with the peoples of Latin America and Asia in their quest for genuine independence. The USA and the European Union, notably France, got a slap in the face in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger. These countries chased out pro-Western regimes and “gave the marching orders” to foreign military contingents.
Millions of people reject imperialism and its bloody crimes. Protests are spreading against Israel’s genocide of the Palestinian people. Countries demand a lifting of the blockade of Cuba and affirm the principle of “one China.” The West has failed to knock together a global front against Russia. The peoples of the world do not want to be pawns in others’ games and sacrifice their interests.
The global demand for change is obvious. Humanity is not prepared to reconcile itself to a world system which dooms it to stagnation and degradation and threatens nuclear war. Meanwhile global capitalism is taking steps to consolidate its power and prevent its demise.
The 15th Congress of the CPRF gave its assessment of how the bourgeoisie reacts to the crisis. The imperialists are increasing the concentration of economic and political power in the hands of the big financial-economic groups. The might of big monopolies and their influence on the IMF, the World Bank, the WTO, NATO and other supra-national structures is growing. The interests of the globalists are being promoted by the Davos forum, the Tripartite Commission, the Bilderberg Club and other such centers. Capital increasingly merges with the power institutions. The big companies have at their disposal the growing repressive machines of the biggest states. Imperialism is stepping up its policy of neo-colonialism.
Time has vindicated the analysis given by our party’s congress. Capital counters the decline of the profit rate by stepping up exploitation, increased speculation and military adventures. The world predators would not stop at unleashing a world military conflict. The West has engineered a government coup in Ukraine and provoked a bloody conflict in Donbas. There are growing tensions in the Asia Pacific region. The situation in the Middle East has worsened. Multiple hot spots are appearing on the African continent. Capital increasingly encourages neo-fascist methods in the external and internal politics of bourgeois states.
In his speech the Chairman of the CC CPRF stressed the role of the international communist and workers’ movement in the struggle against the international system of imperialist exploitation and the active involvement in this process of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation which has always been an active participant in the world revolutionary movement which unites the progressive left and anti-fascist forces.
Excerpt from the speech:
The international communist movement is becoming an active anti-imperialist force today. Being the core of anti-imperialist struggle of the working people and the cementing element of all the progressive left-wing forces, it can effectively resist the resurgent man-hating nationalistic ideology and bring people the truth about its bloodthirsty essence and untold woes that it carries with it.
The communists and the masses of working people rallied around them are the only consistent and effective forces which can oppose reaction and stop the fascist monster. The 20th century has proved it. The 21st century continues to prove it.
We see more and more examples of successful struggle against reaction. In Brazil, the masses haveremoved from power the right-wing government of Bolsonaro. In Argentine, the left is spearheading the struggle against anti-people reforms of president Milei. Indian communists are in the front ranks of resistance to Hindutva. The Turkish communist Party is exposing Erdogan’s neo-Ottoman aspirations and his links with the pro-fascist “Grey Wolves.” Left-wing forces are actively resisting the “brown wave” in Europe. The communists of China, Vietnam, Cuba, the DPRK and Laos continue to be examples of loyalty to the socialist cause.
In the meantime in the capitalist world the deepening crisis spurs the growth of reactionary trends, curtailment of democratic norms and the onslaught against the rights of the working class.Global capital, led by the US ruling circles, in its struggle for re-carving the world political map, seeks the support of neo-fascists and radical nationalists. In a number of countries heroization of Nazism is being elevated to the level of government policy. In its struggle against the working people the bourgeoisie increasingly uses the political right. The history of the Second World War is being rewritten. The crimes of fascists are being hushed down. Their rehabilitation is taking place. Monuments to anti-fascists are being dismantled. The results of the Nuremberg trial of Nazi criminals are ignored.
It has to be understood that the significance of the struggle against imperialism, neo-fascism and the threat of a world war will only grow. This work is being done every day. International meetings of communist and workers’ parties make an important contribution to the cause of uniting the left-wing forces.
The meeting of these parties held in Izmir (Turkey) in October of 2023 passed a resolution “Stop the Spread of Fascism, Prevent a New Tragedy of Humanity.” It read in part: “In the 20th century the Soviet Union, led by the Communist Party, defeated fascism… In the 21st century fascism, the sworn enemy of the working class, again reared its head and gained access to the levers of power… Fascism is becoming one of the main weapons in the hands of the world bourgeoisie in its struggle against the working class.”
The participants in the International Meeting called for unity in the struggle against reaction, neo-Nazism and militarism. It drew this conclusion: “The new era of trials again calls for coordinated actions in the framework of a broad anti-fascist front of progressive forces.”
This chimes with the conclusions of the International Anti-Fascist Forum called in Minsk on April 22, 2023 on the initiative of the CPRF and the UCP-CPSU, in which representatives of 50 countries took part. It adopted a Manifesto for Unity of the Peoples of the World which makes a profoundly argued case for the urgent need for the anti-fascist forces to unite.
The Manifesto reads in part: “The red flag over the Reichstag in May 1945 is not only a special fact of the past. The meaning and significance of the Great Victory over Fascism are addressed to the future. They sound like a tocsin appealing to the hearts of new generations. Like in the 1930s, the black smoke of war conflagrations is spreading over our planet. It looms ever more ominously on the horizon. People of good will need to show unity and courage in their principled struggle.
The situation is extremely worrisome. Neo-colonialism reminds of itself in Africa and America. Imperialists are stoking up tensions in Asia. Blood is being spilled in Europe and other parts of the planet to the roar of cannons. The misery and suffering of people are increasing… The Nazi beast has licked up its old wounds and is fast gaining strength. It has become bold enough to creep out of its wolf den in search of new prey.
World evil is back in a neo-liberal guise. It has created a global system of plundering entire countries and peoples. It has smeared itself with aggression against Yugoslavia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya and Syria. Attempts have been made to topple legitimate governments in Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Byelorussia. Sanctions pressure has been brought to bear on the peoples of Russia and China, Cuba and the DPRK. Military threats and political blackmail are being used. On the eve of the Second World War financial capital directed Hitler’s storm troops. In the 21st century it is directing latter-day Nazis.”
The Minsk Anti-Fascist Forum stated: “Direct support of the USA and its NATO allies has elevated Nazism to the state level in Ukraine. For years now Bandera ghouls have been having a bloody ball in Kiev abusing the popular masses. They have turned Ukraine into a concentration camp for dissenters, shut down the media outlets they do not like, banned opposition activities and launched a victimization campaign against communists. All those who preserved the ideals of the brotherhood of peoples and loyalty to the Great Victory over Fascism have become victims of repression. The Nazis burned alive people in Odessa, staged explosions and shot people from behind the corner. Year after year the Azov thugs with wolf hooks on their chevrons terrorized Donbas.
Today we reaffirm our total solidarity with the conclusion of the Minsk forum: “The flaming years of the Second World War saw the emergence of a great fighting alliance of the opponents of fascist barbarism – the union of communists and patriots, fighters against tyranny and democrats. It was created in spite of social and ideological divergences, the difference of political and religious views. Such was the bidding of the time.
The new era of trials calls for united actions of all the people of good will. Let us close ranks in the struggle against neo-Nazism, reaction and militarism!
Long live the united front of progressive forces! Long live solidarity of the working peoples and nations in the fight against Fascism!
Together with our comrades from the UCP-CPSU we are prepared to initiate the Second International Anti-Fascist Forum. I am sure that the participants in the Plenum will all support this idea.
The concluding part of Gennady Zyugnov’s speech:
Dear comrades,
We have always been united by love of our country, pride of the Soviet era, hatred of Fascism and war which capitalism inevitably breeds. Readiness to devote our lives to the cause of restructuring society along socialist lines is a distinct feature of a true communist.
In the name of the right of the peoples to follow the path of socialism our party will continue to work to unite all the people of good will who come out for a just life, honest work and social progress!
We are marching forward with profound faith in our rightness, in the cause of Marx-Lenin-Stalin, we know that socialism will triumph!
Let us be firm in our choice!
I wish you new great triumphs in the struggle for the interests of the working people!