“… for a revolution to take place it is essential that the exploiters should not be able to live and rule in the old way.”
– VI Lenin (Left-Wing Communism: an Infantile Disorder)
In the month of October there have been massive protests in many European countries. These protests are an expression of anger against the degrading economic and political scenario. The same issues persist in India in a more severe form as economically India lies eons behind, where even the basic tasks of democratic revolution are incomplete. Even the bourgeois democratic rights are unavailable to the broad masses in terms of expressing dissent against the government. Whatever minimal rights of engaging in universal franchise were left have been arbitrarily taken away through the Special Intensive Revision leading to the recent protests.
Whatever be the particularities, all these countries are tied into the world imperialist structure dominated by the US. Thus, these rising protests must be seen in the context of the intensifying crisis of US imperialism, the retreat of the US from NATO and the Ukraine War, and their setback in the Iran war.
Spark Behind the Prairie Fire:
France: In September, thousands of students and teachers across France spontaneously protested demanding better school infrastructure, adequate teacher recruitment, and against overcrowded classrooms. The protests spread like wildfire bringing in general masses against the spiraling economic and political crisis. The protesters torched cars, destroyed government buildings, and clashed with the police leading to thousands of arrests.
Spain: Protests target housing rents and rising homelessness, particularly for the younger generations. The trigger was the eviction of an 87-year old woman from her home in Madrid. She died a few weeks later. The government led by social-democrats has now announced re-elections.
Portugal: Rising costs of living and housing expenses are the reasons. Encampments were put up by protesters in the city centres. People have marched on the streets demanding higher wages, pensions, and better public services.
Albania: Protesters have raised issues of rampant corruption, lack of jobs, and poor education. The trigger came from the handover of a coastal region to Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, for the development of a luxury resort. The protests turned militant with the people having lost faith in the social-democratic Socialist Party in power.
Italy: Public anger over rising energy costs, high rents, rising education costs, and declining public services have led to the protests. The government led by the fascist Giorgia Meloni has increased security protocols, monetary penalties, and prison terms against the rising protests.
Belgium: High cost of living, rising college fees, and austerity measures are driving people onto the streets. Protesters clashed with the police in Brussels.
Greece: Rising fuel prices, degrading education, high cost of living, and stagnant wages are the chief reasons here. The government is led by a rightist party with a market orientation.
Redivision of the World:
“For the first time the world is completely divided up, so that in the future only redivision is possible, i.e., territories can only pass from one ‘owner’ to another, instead of passing as ownerless territory to an owner.”
– VI Lenin (Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism)
After the 1917 socialist revolution, the USSR became the first country in the world to provide universal healthcare, education, etc. The European capitalist powers had to adopt these measures to counter the rising wave of socialism. The measures continued to some extent even after the fall of the socialist bloc in the 90s and neoliberal structural adjustments brought forth by the Liberalisation, Privatisation, and Globalisation (LPG) policies of US imperialism. In the recent past, with increasing economic dominance of China and Russia over the world market and weakening of the US hegemony, it is gradually shifting from the LPG policies to protectionism. Just last year, the US imposed 15% tariffs on all European Union (EU) exports.
With continued wars on the Russia-Ukraine front and in West Asia, the energy crisis has also become a regular feature in Europe.
As long as imperialism exists, redivision of the world market through wars is bound to continue. After World War II, the US and its allies formed the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation in 1949 to counter the Soviet Red Resistance. Today it is used to counter the growing influence of Russia and China. The Russia-Ukraine war must be seen in context of NATO expansionism with Ukraine becoming one of the prospective members. In the initial stage, Ukraine received billions of dollars from the US. With the election of Donald Trump, the US has increasingly retreated from NATO and the Ukraine war, forcing the EU NATO countries to ramp up military spending. A direct consequence is the cost of living crisis as EU governments pump money towards rearmament while imposing austerity measures on the people. Fascists like Donald Trump have taken this chance to push for the rise of far-right EU groups and blame the immigrants for the protests. Dockworkers globally have chosen October 30th as a general strike day against wars led by the US, NATO, and EU.
Tasks Before a Revolutionary:
Many have seen the reflections of the Paris Commune (1871) and May ‘68 in the ongoing uprisings in Europe. The revolutionary situation is ripening with the 1) ruling classes embroiled in crisis, 2) acute suffering of the masses, and 3) surge in mass political activities. These objective changes must be accompanied by subjective changes i.e. a revolutionary communist party that can take the class struggle to a new height by smashing the existing bourgeois state, bringing democracy for the majority. Popular uprisings lead to the replacement of a fascist government by a social-democratic one within the imperialist framework, in the absence of communist leadership. The same is also visible in the election of anti-fascist forces in Brazil and Serbia. Revolutionaries fighting for communism should only stop at the replacement of fascists by communists, nothing less.
