Within the past two years a major dispute has opened up in the international communist movement over the alignment of international political forces. This debate is of tremendous significance and will govern our work for a long time to come.
The dispute rages over Chairman Mao Tse-tung’s theory of the differentiation of the three worlds – a theory put forward by Chairman Mao in a statement he made to a third world leader in 1974 and elaborated by the present Vice Chairman of the Communist Party of China, Teng Hsiao Ping in a speech to the UN General Assembly in April of 1974.
Basically Chairman Mao’s theory divides world political forces into three parts. In the first part or world, are US imperialism and Soviet social imperialism, the two biggest international exploiters and oppressors. In the third world Chairman Mao grouped the oppressed nations of Asia, Africa, Latin America and elsewhere. They are the countries and people which suffer the deepest exploitation and the worst oppression at the hands of the world’s imperialist powers, and which, therefore, put up the strongest resistance. In addition, the socialist countries, which are in the forefront of the struggle against imperialism, are also part of the third world. In between, Chairman Mao grouped the countries of Japan, Canada and Europe, which he called a middle section or second world. These countries have a dual character in international political struggle. On the one hand they have historically been and continue to be countries which exploit and oppress the nations of the third world. On the other hand, in recent years they have themselves fallen subject to bullying, interference and control by the two superpowers, the US and the USSR. As a result, their situation is extremely complex.
The attack on the theory of the three worlds claims that this theory is an opportunist theory which denies the character of the era of imperialism and proletarian revolution, ignores the fundamental contradictions of the present era, neglects class analysis and repudiates the historical mission of the proletariat. We reject this analysis.
The WORKERS CONGRESS (Marxist-Leninist) holds that Mao Tsetung’s theory of the differentiation of three worlds is a major contribution to Marxism-Leninism, thoroughly consistent with the lessons of Marx, Engels, Lenin and Stalin on international class struggle. Far from denying the character of the epoch, it makes a concrete summing up of all the major contradictions of the era of imperialism and proletarian revolution and shows their actual operation in the world today, giving specific guidance to our struggle. Without a doubt Chairman Mao’s theory rests on a penetrating analysis of class forces in countries and nations throughout the world. Because this theory conforms to the strategic requirements of the contemporary struggle of the international proletariat and oppressed peoples and nations of the world, it promotes to the fullest extent the historical mission of the proletariat to bury the capitalist system.
By contrast, those who have taken up the attack on Chairman Mao’s theory have done so at the expense of the dialectical method and at the expense of a comprehensive and concrete analysis of world political facts in order to snatch one-sidedly at only this or that aspect of the international situation in this or that part of the world. In particular, the attack shows a tendency to compromise with the positions of modern revisionism – for example: (1) by dividing third world countries into progressive and reactionary, it attacks the unity of the third world in the struggle against superpower hegemonism; (2) by attacking European unification it calls for the Balkanization of Europe in the face of an aggressive Soviet military buildup; (3) by calling into question the specific danger posed by Soviet war policies, which are the most dangerous source of war, it makes it impossible to prepare adequately for new imperialist war.
What is correct develops in struggle with what is incorrect, and Marxism-Leninism advances in struggle with opportunism. We welcome the opportunity to purge our ranks of every tendency towards opportunism in international struggle.
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NOTE: In the text which follows, PEKING REVIEW is abbreviated as PR. The Chinese document CHAIRMAN MAO’S THEORY OF THE DIFFERENTIATION OF THE THREE WORLDS IS A MAJOR CONTRIBUTION TO MARXISM-LENINISM is referred to as PR#45.