70 " Mo rxism- Len in ism-Mqois m" New Document from RCP,USA The Second Centrol Committee o{ is not possible to defeat revisionism, confuse the notion of new era wilh the Revolutionory Communist Pori-y, imperialism and reaction in new stoge in the development of the USA, o porticipoiing porty in the general."l science. While there is no new era Revolutionory I nternotinolist Move- At the time of the formation of we are not in a new historical ment, held its Eighth Plenum meet- the Revolutionary Internationalist epoch- there have been qualitative ing eorlier in 1988. This meetinq Movement, our party changed our developments- in the science made firiolised ond opproved the followl formulation of the science from by Mao Tsetung of such importance ing document, first drofied by the Marxism-Leninism, Mao Tsetung that we can say there is a new and RCP,USA leodership in the outumn Thought to Marxism-Leninism- higher stage in the science. Thus we of 1987 ond subsequently circulot- Mao Tsetung Thought. We did this call our science Marxism-Leninism- ed throughoui ihe porty for o peri- to be in conformity with the Decla- Maoism. od of internol discussion ond ration, but more importantly be- By this formulation we mean the debote. lt olso possed the occom- cause we thought this more same thing as Marxism- Leninism- ponying resolution. They oppeored correctly described the science. Mao Tsetung Thought. Why, then, in the Revolutionory Worker, While this may have seemed a mere make the change? Because, N August 29 1988 - AWTW. technical punctuation point (putting whatever the intentions, to use Mao a hyphen instead of a comma), it Tsetung Thought does not give a\a was in fact making certain that the proper weight to the contributions o\ Introduction contributions of Mao Tsetung were of Mao; it can suggest that these not being relegated to a lesser role, contributions are less important e The science of revolution of our as an appendage to Leninism. At than the contributions of Marx and class, the international proletariat, the time we discussed the reasons Lenin. We want to make clear that o= has been strengthened and deve- for this change within our party. the contributions of Mao are on the h loped as it has been wielded as a Today we feel it is even more cor- level, of the same magnitude, as a{ weapon in the class struggle. Specif- rect to name the science Marxism- those of the other great revolution- c ically we have pointed to the neces- Leninism-Maoism. ary leaders and theoreticians, Marx o sity of upholding Mao's qualitative In making this change we believe and Lenin. Secondarily, and as an contributions to that science as a we are bringing the name in correct expression of the principal reason, = basic touchstone and dividing line relationship to the science as it has it is easier and better to popularise in the international communist been developed by its practitioners the science as Marxism-Leninism- movement, in opposition to revi- and theoreticians since the time of Maoism. It is important, however, sionists of various kinds who have Marx. The theoretical basis for this to stress that in making this change betrayed Marxism and revised its change is the fact that there have we do not have differences with the basic tenets. In the Decloration of been three milestones in the de- characterisation of the meaning of the Revolutionary Internationslist velopment of this theory. Marx the revolutionary science and its de- Movement it is stated: "The prin- founded the science and laid out the velopment by Marx, Lenin, and ciple involved is nothing less than basic precepts; Lenin developed it to Mao which is found in the Decla- whether or not to uphold and build another level; and Mao took it again ration. upon the decisive contributions to to another level. Previously, in op- the proletarian revolution and the position to a Lin Piaoist conception Marxism-Leninism-Maoism science of Marxism-Leninism made that we had entered a new era, by Mao Tsetung. It is therefore which Mao Tsetung Thought was In For a Harvest of Dragons nothing less than a question of equated with, we were careful to Chairman Avakian explains the whether or not to uphold Marxism- point out that there is not a new era. process of the development of this Leninism itself.... Without uphold- It remains the case that this is the science: ing and building on Marxism- era of imperialism and proletarian "This does not mean, however, Leninism-Mao Tsetung Thought it revolution. However, we tended to that Mao Tsetung Thought is some 7t RCP, USA greetings and firm political sup- port to the Committee of the Resolution Hoiling Revolutionary Internationalist Movement for its important on- going work and for the fund- the Revolutionory amentally correct direction it has persevered in, on the basis of the Declorotion. lnternotionolist The Central Committee resolves anew that the Revolu- tionary Communist Party, USA, Movement will carry out our own revolu- tionary tasks in the U.S., guid- ed by the spirit of doing our part for the world revolution. On the occasion of our 8th ranks. We express our firm sup- Long Live Proletarian Inter- Plenum meeting, the Central port for the RIM, its Declora- nationalism! Committee of the Revolutionary tion, and for the advances Strengthen the Ranks of the Communist Party, USA, warmly achieved by its parties and or- Revolutionary Internationalist hails the Revolutionary Interna- ganisations in our common Movement! tionalist Movement and the par- cause. In this same spirit, our Workers and Oppressed Peo- ties and organisations in its Central Committee sends its ple of the World Unite! addition to Marxism-Leninism that a synthesis of the development, and tween opposites is ceaseless and ab- is relevant (only) to the 'third especially the qualitative break- solute, and this gives rise to radical world,'nor still less that it is throughs, that communist theory ruptures and revolutionary leaps. Marxism-Leninism' 'Chinese as at has achieved since its founding by All ideas of permanent equilibrium, E least some of the Chinese revi- Marx up to the present time. It is for permanent stability, and permanent o sionists have been known to allege. this reason and sense as preordained in this that, order, of or everlasting F- As pointed out earlier, the greatest Lenin said about Marxism, it is om- things all such ideas are wrong tr of all Mao's contributions is the the- nipotent because it is true."2 and ultimately- reactionary. This ap- ory of continuing the revolution un- Understanding our revolutionary plies to human society and its de- o der the dictatorship of the science as a synthesis, and using velopment as well as to the rest of s proletariat, whose basic analysis of Marxism-Leninism-Maoism to give material reality. Dialectical materi- z the transition to communism, as the most correct expression to this alism also recognises that practice is \o well as the basic methodology guid- synthesis, we can identify the fol- both the ultimate source and the fi 6 ing this analysis, has universal ap- lowing as its main, essential nal criterion of truth, and it places q plication, despite the reversal ofthe features. most emphasis on revolutionary N revolution in China - and indeed practice. As Marx so powerfully ex- in order to understand and act upon 1. pressed this, "The philosophers the profound lessons of this set- have only interpreted the world in back. And overall Mao Tsetung The philosophical foundation of various ways; the point is to chonge Thought represents a qualitative de- Marxism-Leninism-Maoism is di- it. "3 velopment of Marxism-Leninism. alectical materialism. Dialectical As applied specifically to human Marxism-Leninism, Mao Tsetung materialism recognises that all real- society and its development, dialec- Thought, then, is an integral ity is material reality, that all reali- tical materialism stresses both the philosophy and political theory at ty consists of matter in motion, and fundamental role of production and the same time as it is a living, criti- ideas have their origin in this the contradictory and dynamic cal and continuously developing material reality. Further, all reality character of production itself and of science. It is not the quantitative ad- exists as the unity of opposites: The its interrelationship with the politi- dition of the ideas of Marx, Lenin basic law of nature, society, and cal and ideological superstructure of and Mao (nor is it the case that ev- thought and their development is society. Social life begins with and ery particular idea or policy or tac- the law of contradiction, of the uni- is sustained by the process of social tic adopted or advocated by them ty and struggle of opposites. The production. And, as Marx put it, has been without error); Marxism- unity and identity of all things is "The mode of production of Leninism, Mao Tsetung Thought is temporary and relative; struggle be- material life conditions the social, 72 political and intellectual life process struggle necessarily leads to lhe dic- conditions within particular coun- in general."a But the productive tatorship of the proletoriat; (3) that tries, but it means that even in ap- forces of society can only be deve- this dictatorship itself only consti- proaching that you proceed from loped by people entering into cer- tutes the transition to the abolition the point of view of the world are- tain production relations. Within of all classes and to a classless na as most decisive and the overall these production relations new society."s interests of the world proletariat as productive forces develop.