26.05.

2020 Imper al sm and the Growth of Fasc sm:

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Imper al sm and the Growth of Fasc sm:

A Case Study of Ind a
Commun st Party of Ind a (Marx st-Len n st) Red Flag

The growth of fasc sm s a common feature today at global level. As the general cr s s of mper al st system deepens th s
threat s ntens fy ng. What s attempted below s a study on the grow ng threat of fasc sm n general w th spec al reference to
developments n Ind a.

The quest on of grow ng threat of fasc sm was w dely d scussed dur ng 1970 tself n Ind a. The beg nn ng of th s decade was
marked by two s gn f cant factors. One, the vert cal spl t n Congress reduc ng Ind a Gandh government to m nor ty supported
one. Two, emergence of the Naxalbar movement wh ch launched countryw de ant -feudal struggles by tak ng up arms. To
face these challenges, Ind ra Gandh government manoevour ng a major ty n the Lok Sabha by manag ng the support of
soc al democrat c forces and the rev s on st sect ons nclud ng CPI(M), CPI, and by s gn ng a m l tary treaty w th Sov et Un on
wh ch had already abandoned soc al st path and degenerated to soc al mper al st pos t ons, adopted a two-pronged
offens ve. On the one hand, ut l s ng the sch sm then develop ng n the East Bengal of then un ted Pak stan, t resorted to
large scale m l tar sat on and declarat on of external emergency. Nat onal j ngo st slogans were propagated. Soon Ind an army
entered East Bengal, defeated and arrested the Pak army cont ngents there, helped the format on of Bangladesh w th Sov et
help. From RSS to rev s on sts, all jo ned hands to support th s.

On the other hand ut l s ng th s atmosphere the state forces and h red hoodlums n large numbers were let loose to resort to
large scale massacre and suppress on of CPI(ML). Even the CPI(M) cadres n Bengal were select vely tortured and
suppressed. Elect on to Bengal assembly n 1971 was r gged ensur ng Congress (I) v ctory. The sweep ng v ctory of
Congress (I) n 1971 Lok Sabha elect ons emboldened Ind ra Gandh reg me to resort to more autocrat c, d ctator al measure.
Wh le the revolut onary left and most of the democrat c forces called t a fasc st offens ve, the CPI(M) leadersh p called t
sem -fasc st.

As the econom c cr s s gr pp ng the mper al st system from early 1970s had started gravely affect ng Ind an economy and
pol ty also, n sp te of mass ve major ty n Lok Sabha and the brutal crush ng of the revolut onary forces, Ind a Gandh reg me
had to confront people's revolts n Gujarat, B har and elsewhere soon. Work ng class and peasantry also came forward
though var ous str ke struggles and mass movements. Faced w th unprecedented challenges from these grow ng oppos t on,
Ind a Gandh reg me resorted to large scale attacks on these movements and then declared nternal emergency n 1975. All
the c v l r ghts were den ed and large scale suppress on started. Except Congress (I) and ts collaborators, and the r Sov et
backers, all popular forces dep cted th s as a he nous fasc st offens ve. But w th n the rul ng classes and n the Imper al st
camp, espec ally between the then two superpowers, there were sharp d fferences on these developments. The
contrad ct ons got reflected n later Ind an developments, w th the defeat of Congress(I) n 1977, elect ons. The emergency
was revoked and many fasc st measures of the emergency per od were revoked. But later, as all soc al contrad ct ons went
on sharpen ng g v ng r se to numerous convuls ons of d ffer ng character, once aga n var ous governments resorted to
numerous measures mak ng the state apparatus more and more ant -people and autocrat c.

Present S tuat on

It s n th s background the present develop-ments n Ind a should be analysed, espec ally after com ng to power of Sangh
Par var through the BJP-led government.

As far as the trad t onal left part es led by CPI(M) and CPI who have degenerated to soc al democrat c pos t ons are
concerned, they analyse the emergence of Sangh Par var forces and the grow ng fasc st threat t poses only as the r se of
communal fasc sm. They refuse to l nk the growth of fasc st threat w th ntens fy ng neocolon sat on of the country. So they are
project ng a s ngle po nt formula of br ng ng down BJP-led government. They have abandoned all efforts to analyse the
reasons for the emergence of fasc st threat and ts character st cs n Ind a-l ke s tuat on.

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26.05.2020 Imper al sm and the Growth of Fasc sm:
As they refuse to see the relat on between growth of fasc sm w th ntens fy ng mper al st plunder and ts consequences, they
fa l to recogn se why the ant -brahm n cal oppos t on towards BJP by backward and dal t leadersh ps, and ant -communal
stand of reg onal part es get corroded under commerc al sat on and l beral sat on. These part es do not f nd much d ff culty n
jo n ng the BJP-led forces. What happened to old brands of soc al democrats l ke George Fernandes also expla ns th s.

In short, CPI(M) and CPI are reject ng the relat on between emergence of fasc sm w th the econom c factors, and reduc ng
fasc sm to mere communal fasc sm, that s as fasc st threat posed only by communal forces.

H story Does Not Repeat Itself Mechan cally

On the other hand there are streams of left forces who deny the poss b l ty of emergence of fasc sm n countr es l ke present
day Ind a, wh ch s character sed as 'sem -colon al, sem feudal'. For them, fasc sm can emerge only n cond t ons s m lar to
those of Europe n the 1920s and 1930s. Th s s a mechan cal understand ng.

D m trov analysed: "fasc sm s most feroc ous attack by cap tal on the mass of the work ng people; fasc sm s unbr dled
chauv n sm and predatory war; fasc sm s rab d react on and counter-revolut on; fasc sm s the most v sc ous enemy of the
work ng class and of all work ng people". In the then concrete cond t ons Execut ve Comm ttee of the CI analysed fasc sm as
the "open terror st d ctatorsh p of the most react onary, most chauv n st c and most mper al st elements of f nance cap tal,"
and that "w th the development of the very deep econom c cr s s, w th the general cr s s of cap tal sm becom ng sharply
accentuated and the mass of work ng people gett ng revolut on sed, fasc sm has embarked upon a w de offens ve". The then
rul ng bourgeo s e sought salvat on more and more n fasc sm. The S xth Congress of the CI earl er (1928) had po nted out
that "fasc st tendenc es and the germs of a fasc st movement are to be found almost everywhere". Alongw th the developed
cap tal st- mper al st countr es n Western Europe and n Italy, they emerged n Spa n, Portugal and central Europe, as well as
n many dependent countr es of Lat n Amer ca. Th s analys s of D m trov, and S xth and Seventh Congress of Commun st
Internat onal do not help these advocates of 'sem feudal sm' to reject the poss b l ty of emergence of fasc st tendenc es and
grow ng fasc st threats n the large number of countr es under new form of mper al st dom nat on l ke Ind a, alongw th the
mper al st countr es, n th s per od of acute general cr s s of the mper al st system. Only the sect ons suffer ng from extreme
deolog cal backwardness shall dare to (m s)quote D m trov to mechan cally reject the grow ng threats of fasc sm n countr es
l ke Ind a.

Grow ng Fasc st Threats n

Cap tal st-Imper al st Countr es

W th the beg nn ng of the general cr s s n the mper al st countr es from early 1970s var ous fasc st forces started emerg ng n
the cap tal st mper al st countr es and they have reached dangerous levels at the turn of the new century. Its prom nent
advocate n Br ta n, Enoch Powell em ts h s venomous rac al hatred ut l sed by the fasc sts n these countr es n follow ng
words: "Sk n colour s a permanent and nvoluntary un form wh ch performs. …. The funct ons of a un form n warfare,
d st ngu sh ng one s de from the other, fr end and foe, mak ng t poss ble to see at a glance where to render ass stance and
where to attack". The capac ty of rac sm has ntens f ed w th Thacher's demol t on of welfare state pol c es wh ch Tony Bla r of
(New) Labour Party s perpetuat ng through h s enterpr se culture. Though the market s propagated as a great equal ser by
the mper al sts t has only alarm ngly w dened the gap between the earn ngs of the top of the cap tal st ncome pyram d and
the vast masses. Cause of th s dest tut on s expla ned as due to ncreas ng number of other 'races'. Rac al hatred s ut l sed
as the deolog cal base for spread ng fasc st tendenc es.

Europe's b ggest naz Party, France's Nat onal Front (NF) popular sed a rac st vocabulary w th references to 'levels of
tolerance', ' nvas on of mm grants', 'no se and smell' of fore gners etc. wh ch are now nternal sed by the French rul ng
classes and ts top most leaders. The deas and language of NF s be ng g ven respectab l ty. Th s emboldened NF leader Le
Pen to just fy H tler te genoc de as a 'deta l' of h story. Now he has called on h s fasc st thugs: "Cr s s s a great m dw fe of
h story. When s tuat on are blocked, t s generally the dr ve of human nature wh ch forces a breakthrough nto new t mes ….
Now t s certa n that only the NF can lead th s country from decadence …. There s t me when all that w ll end and that w ll be
revolut on. The extreme left s prepar ng for t … So I bel eve that you too should prepare yourselves, because at certa n po nt
the worm-eaten structures of our system are go ng to collapse".

Under sk nheads n Germany, and var ous fasc st groups n US and elsewhere rac sm s gather ng speed. Compared to all
these forces, the emergence and growth of Ha dar's 'Freedom Party' n Austr a to share power there w th open fasc st slogans
and ant - mm grant deolog cal base, reflect how fast these forces are com ng up w th the ntens f cat on of mper al st cr s s. In
all these countr es the market forces have mass vely marg nal sed ethn c m nor t es, and rac sm s serv ng as deolog cal base
for spread of fasc st movements. As the general cr s s of mper al st system s ntens fy ng these tendenc es are encouraged
by the rul ng classes. In US to be black dr ver s to nv te pol ce scrut ny, as thousands are da ly s ngled out for groundless
pull-overs, 'pretext' stops, and subjected to ntrus ve, warrantless searches and abus ve treatment by pol ce. Worse s the
cond t on n ghettos. Everywhere the work ng class as a whole are depr ved of democrat c and TU r ghts. State s becom ng
more fasc st c w th many c v l r ghts be ng taken away. The fasc sts are prepar ng for tak ng over the state a s bourgeo s
democrat c nst tut ons cannot cope up w th ncreas ng people's resentment. Fasc st tendenc es are spread ng as the
spearhead of nternat onal counter-revolut on and as the ch ef nst gator of mper al st war. The mpos t on of global sat on
pol c es and aggress on aga nst Iraq and Yugoslav a extempl fy these developments.

In the Neocolon es
The structural Adjustment Pol c es (SAPs) mposed everywhere under the neo-l beral or monetar st New Econom c Pol c es
(NEPs) through the d ctates of the mper al st agenc es and the global sat on have transferred a major part of the burden of

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the current general cr s s of mper al sm to the neocolon es. As a result, all these countr es are caught n the vortex of
ntens fy ng cr s s. The tyranny of mper al st global sat on and market economy w th the mper al st d rected exchanges have
brought about s gn f cant changes n the world s tuat on. Not only the cr s s n the econom c f eld s global sed as a result. The
cr s s n the rul ng system n the mper al st countr es alongw th ts ncreas ng fasc c sat on s also global sed. Bes des rac sm,
rel g ous fundamental sm, ethn c ty etc are ut l sed as the deolog cal bas s for spread ng the fasc c sat on. Ind a s a very good
example n th s case.

As po nted out n the beg nn ng tself, the honeymoon of the popul st rule w th soc al st pretens ons was over w th the end of
Nehruv an rule and Ind a's rul ng class started exh b t ng ncreas ng author tar an urges from the beg nn ng of Ind ra Gandh
reg me n order to perpetuate the rule of the comprador classes and to suppress var ous people's movements.

From the early 1970s the man festat on of the beg nn ng of the cr s s n the mper al st system was felt n Ind a also. To be
more prec se, the Ind a reg me started n M d-1960s w th a heavy dose of devaluat on of rupee and allow ng entry of
mper al st cap tal. The changes n agrar an sector led to emergence and growth of r ch peasants or cap tal st farmers or
agr cultural bourgeo s e n var ous parts of the country, and to the entry of mper al st cap tal and MNCs. Alongw th the b g
bourgeo s e and bureaucrat c bourgeo s e, these agr cultural bourgeo s e and b g landlords, all of whom are comprador n
character and are happy to operate hands- n-glove w th the mper al st system, const tute the rul ng classes n Ind a. As the
years passed, l ke n the cap tal st- mper al st countr es, n Ind a l ke countr es also fasc st tendenc es started gett ng
strengthened alongw th grow ng econom c cr s s.

In 1970s Congress (I), the then ma n pol t cal representat ve of these rul ng classes tr ed to prov de the deolog cal base for
th s fasc c sat on w th nat onal j ngo sm. In th s context t w ll be useful to quote D m trov. He sa d: "The development of
fasc sm, and the fasc st d ctatorsh p tself, assume d fferent forms n d fferent countr es, accord ng to h stor cal, soc al and
econom c cond t ons and to the nat onal pecul ar t es, and the nternat onal pos t on of the g ven country. In certa n countr es,
pr nc pally those n wh ch fasc sm has no broad mass bases and n wh ch the struggle of var ous groups w th n the camp of
the fasc st bourgeo s e tself s rather acute, fasc sm does not mmed ately venture to abol sh parl ament, but allow the other
bourgeo s part es as well as the soc al democrat c part es to reta n a mod cum of legal ty. In other countr es, where the rul ng
bourgeo s e fears an early outbreak of revolut on, fasc sm establ shes ts unrestr cted pol t cal monopoly, e ther mmed ately or
ntens fy ng ts re gn of terror aga nst and prosecut on of all r val part es and groups. Th s does not prevent fasc sm, when ts
pos t on becomes part cularly acute, from try ng to extend ts base and w thout alter ng ts class nature, try ng to comb ne
open terror st d ctatorsh p w th a crude sham of parl amentar sm."

He cont nued to state that the access on to power of fasc sm s not an ord nary success on of one bourgeo s government by
another, but a subst tut on of one state form of class dom nat on of the bourgeo s e -- bourgeo s democracy by another form-
open terror st d ctatorsh p. It would be ser ous m stake to gnore th s d st nct on, a m stake l able to prevent the revolut onary
proletar at from mob l s ng the w dest strata of the work ng people for the struggle aga nst the menace of the se zure of power
by fasc sts. It w ll also prevent tak ng advantage of the contrad ct ons wh ch ex st n the camp of the bourgeo s e. S m larly, t
w ll be m stake to underrate the react onary measures of the bourgeo s e ncreas ng n bourgeo s-democrat c countr es,
measures wh ch suppress the democrat c l bert es of the work ng people, fals fy and curta l the r ghts of parl ament and
ntens fy the repress on of the revolut onary movement. Whoever does not f ght the react onary measures of the bourgeo s e
and the growth of fasc sm at these prel m nary stages s not n a pos t on to prevent the v ctory of fasc sm, but on the contrary
fac l tates that v ctory."

In 1970s CPI(M) and CPI forces due to the r degenerat on to class-collaborat on st, soc al democrat c pos t ons, and the
CPI(ML) forces due to sectar an l ne could not play lead ng role n mob l s ng the work ng masses under proletar an leadersh p
aga nst the fasc st tendenc es exh b ted by the Ind ra reg me. St ll Congress (I) could not go ahead on th s l ne much due to
acute contrad ct ons w th n the bourgeo s e, l nked w th the then acute contrad ct on between the two super powers at
nternat onal level.

But th s p cture started chang ng from the 1980s. The H ndutua forces have come forward pursu ng ts pol t cal a ms by
adapt ng ts h therto shr ll and narrow pet t-bourgeo s deology to the present requ rement of the rul ng classes and the
mper al st forces. It s deploy ng the deology of H ndu Rashtra, the language of cultural nat onal sm to serve the comprador
rul ng class nterests. L ke the just f cat on of the aggress on on Iraq and Yugoslav a by US mper al sts as defence of
'Amer can way of l fe', the H ndutua forces ut l se the resources of 'trad t on' to defend pr v leges for the r ght to rule. Internal
d ssent s managed by suppress ng t as al en, d ssentors termed 'enem es w th n'.

Alongw th new econom es strateg es pursued under l beral sat on-global sat on by the state, the fasc st tendenc es rang ng
from the aggress on of the local el tes and pol ce forces aga nst all oppressed sect on to the H ndutua offens ve as an
organ sed author tar an opt on are on the r se. The rul ng classes have started back ng H ndutua as ts most resolute domest c
face, w th the eros on of the Congress hegemony. And the Sangh Par var has started mak ng ts brand of cultural nat onal sm
dent fy ng the nat on w th the dom nant dent ty, the cause of the 'H ndu' bourgeo s e w th n t, and by formulat ng all threats to
t as threats to the nat on, def ned as or g nat ng from the demon sed m nor t es. As ment oned earl er, as n the case of
European countr es through pers stent propaganda and assert on the rel g ous fundamental st th nk ng that relat on and the
cultural nat onal se t spreads must be part of any acceptable humane and tolerant pol ty s made acceptable to more by
challeng ng the secular concept, theoret cally and pract cally. Contrary to what s be ng put forward by the pseudo left forces
l ke by CPI(M) and CPI, the challenge posed by Sangh Par var cannot be overthrown merely by replac ng Vajpayee
government w th non BJP government. The challenge s more ser ous and fundamental.

Immed ate Tasks

The f rst card nal po nt s to correctly understand that n the present concrete s tuat on, fasc c sat on can take place and s
tak ng place n the mper al st countr es as well as n the former colon es sem -colon es wh ch are transformed to neocolon es
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n the post-War s tuat on, and wh ch have come under ntens fy ng global sat on process. In these neocolon es ncreas ng
sect ons of pett -bourgeo s e and the comprador classes, who are gett ng more and more ntegrated w th nternat onal market
system, prov de the class-bas s for th s fasc c sat on. The fasc st force ut l se communal, ethn c, chauv n st and feudal values
to entrench themselves. But refus ng to see the role of mper al sm and ts neocolon sat on-global sat on pol c es n
encourag ng the growth of fasc st forces w ll lead to erroneous pos t ons.

The second po nt s to recogn se the process of development of fasc c sat on. Those who equate r se and fall of fasc sm w th
the ascendance to power or fall of a BJP led government, as n the case of Ind a, or merely to the threats posed by Sangh
Par var, are m ss ng or reject ng the card nal po nts. Poss b l t es for r se and spread of fasc st tendenc es ex st under the
rul ng system n present soc al econom c pol t cal s tuat on. So, to declare that fasc sm has come to power w th the BJP-led
government com ng to power and mak ng all sorts of comprom ses w th react onary party l ke Congress (I) n the name of
f ght ng fasc sm as the CPI(M) and CPI leadersh ps are do ng amounts to l qu dat ng the ant fasc st struggle.

The th rd s gn f cant po nt s that nstead of neglect ng the fasc st danger, or over react ng the grow ng threat of fasc sm n
Ind an pol ty, and ts relat on w th the ntens f cat on of neocolon sat on wh ch ntens f es all soc al contrad ct ons should be
seen. As D m trov po nted out fa lure to recogn se and start combat ng the growth of fasc st tendenc es from the prel m nary
stages tself w ll only lead to fac l tat ng the v ctory of fasc sm.

H story has repeatedly proved n var ous countr es that ne ther the rul ng class part es nor the soc al democrat c forces shall
come forward to f ght aga nst fasc sm. On the contrary, at the cr t cal junctures they have only comprom sed or gone over to
the s de of fasc st forces. Bes des the growth of fasc st tendenc es are ntegrally l nked to ntens fy ng neocolon sat on and
mper al st general cr s s. Only the Commun st Party can g ve effect ve leadersh p to t.

What s requ red today n the neocolon es l ke Ind a s the bu ld ng up of a people's alternat ve under the leadersh p of
Commun st Party w th ant - mper al st democrat c programme to f ght aga nst both global sat on pol c es and grow ng fasc st
threats.

Contr but on to the Internat onal Commun st Sem nar

"Imper al sm, Fasc sat on and Fasc sm"
Brussels, 2-4 May 2000

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