Encyclopedia of Anti-Revisionism On-Line

Jacques Grippa

“Theory” and Practice of the Modern Revisionists

A speech delivered at the Higher Party School of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, June 10, 1964


ESSENCE OF MODERN REVISIONISM

It is impossible to carry on an effective struggle against imperialism without denouncing and defeating reformism and revisionist neo-reformism.

Lenin once pointed out that revisionism is “vague, indistinct, and imperceptible”. We are familiar with the nebulous and confused talk of the revisionists, their high-sounding phrases devoid of sense, their distortion of facts, their lies and their slanders against us. But we must uncover the content of their “theory” and practice.

The essence of modern revisionism is the same as that of reformism and classical revisionism: that is, it is the theory and practice of class collaboration.

One of its characteristic aspects, an important one in its present-day manifestations, is to be seen in the domestic and foreign policies of the revisionist Khrushchov group.

To Khrushchov, everything must be arranged around a monstrous edifice based on class collaboration. One of the mainstays of this edifice is big-power chauvinism in regard to the socialist countries and the revolutionary peoples and classes the world over. The other mainstay is ”all-round co-operation” with U.S. imperialism, the biggest international exploiter and principal force of aggression and war.

And the keystone of that edifice is nuclear blackmail.

Like all political conceptions based on the doctrine of class collaboration, modern revisionism opposes the historical development of human society. Therefore, it must deny the facts and objective reality.

While dialectical materialism is, for us Marxist-Leninists, our world outlook and our method of study and cognition, the revisionists use subjective idealism and eclecticism. They practise pragmatism and are characterized by their complete changes of front.

Thus it is bad luck for those who follow the baton. By attempting at all costs to justify the pirouettes and disavowals of their ringleader, they discredit themselves in the eyes of the masses.

In 1963, the Moscow tripartite treaty concerning nuclear monopoly was glorified as a great victory for peace, but only a few weeks ago, this U.S.-British scheme was deservedly denounced.

U.S. imperialism is increasing the number of its underground tests and constantly reinforcing its nuclear arsenal.

But when China and other threatened socialist countries wish to have their own means of defence, that is a crime!

On many occasions, especially at the end of 1961, the Berlin question had to be settled at all costs in a matter of weeks. But since then, it seems there is no hurry. . . .

The Khrushchov group installed missiles in Cuba – Marxist-Leninists did not ask them to do so. Then they removed these missiles – Marxist-Leninists did not oppose that. But for the revisionists, this is a great feat and the wish to impose a violation of the sovereignty of Cuba and to change Cuba into a second Congo is a great victory!

For many years, they claimed that their ideas of “genius” in the field of agriculture would produce miracles. Today in the face of the agricultural disasters they have caused in the countries which suffered under these policies, the revisionists are commending – U.S. methods of capitalist exploitation of the countryside!

Back in 1960, Khrushchov signed the Statement of the 81 Communist and Workers’ Parties unanimously condemning Yugoslav revisionism in the following terms:

The Communist Parties have unanimously condemned the Yugoslav variety of international opportunism, a variety of modern revisionist “theories” in concentrated form. After betraying Marxism-Leninism, which they termed obsolete, the leaders of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia opposed their anti-Leninist revisionist programme to the Declaration of 1957; they set the L.C.Y. against the international communist movement as a whole, severed their country from the socialist camp, made it dependent on so-called “aid” from U.S. and other imperialists, and thereby exposed the Yugoslav people to the danger of losing the revolutionary gains achieved through a heroic struggle. The Yugoslav revisionists carry on subversive work against the socialist camp and the world communist movement. Under the pretext of an extra-bloc policy they engage in activities which prejudice the unity of all the peace-loving forces and countries. Further exposure of the leaders of Yugoslav revisionists and active struggle to safeguard the communist movement and the working-class movement from the anti-Leninist ideas of the Yugoslav revisionists, remains an essential task of the Marxist-Leninist Parties.

Since then, the Yugoslav revisionists have persisted and have gone further and further along the road of betrayal. Meanwhile Khrushchov and those who follow him are openly adopting the positions of the Tito group. They side with them and sing their praises, but those Marxist-Leninists who persist in considering as “an essential task” the “further exposure of the leaders of Yugoslav revisionists” are accused by them of violating the Statement of the 81 Parties.