When Revolution Is Made, How Will Things Change?
Imperialism Means War, Armies of Occupation and the Needless Horrific Slaughter of Millions—
But What Would the New Socialist Republic in North America Do Differently?
Everything.
| revcom.us
Starting with the very purpose of the state. The preamble to the Constitution for the New Socialist Republic in North America, authored by Bob Avakian, states right up top that the goal of this Republic is “uprooting and finally eliminating all oppressive and exploitative relations among human beings and the destructive antagonistic conflicts to which these relations give rise.”
It goes on to say:
This is a process and goal which, fundamentally and in the final analysis, can only be achieved on a global scale, with the advance to communism throughout the world. The orientation and principles of this state, as embodied in this Constitution, are internationalist: While giving due emphasis to meeting the material, intellectual and cultural needs of the people within this state, on a continually expanding basis, and to promoting the further transformation of this society to continue uprooting social inequalities and remaining aspects of exploitation and oppression, the socialist state must give fundamental priority to the advance of the revolutionary struggle, and the final goal of communism, throughout the world, and must adopt and carry out policies and actions which are in accordance with and give concrete effect to this internationalist orientation.
Pause on that last part. Did you think about what it said? The new socialist state must give fundamental priority to the advance of the revolutionary struggle, and the final goal of communism, throughout the world. And this new state must adopt and carry out policies and actions which “are in accordance with and give concrete effect to this internationalist orientation.”
So what do those policies and actions “look like”? Let’s walk through the section on International Relations, Article I, Section 2, point E.
1. The development of the United States of America as a powerful capitalist-imperialist state was, for centuries, marked by and based on expansion through slavery, conquest, domination and plunder, with genocidal dimensions to all this—spreading by this means its system of exploitation throughout much of North America and large parts of the world, with devastating consequences for those who directly fell victim to its juggernaut of oppression, and for humanity as a whole. The defeat and dismantling of the imperialist state of the USA, its far-reaching tentacles of suffocating exploitation and its massive machinery of death and destruction, will have struck a tremendous blow for the liberation of people everywhere in the world and greatly strengthened the basis for making further advances and leaps in the revolutionary struggle throughout the world toward the final goal of communism. Still, much more remains to be done to win further victories, as well as to defend what has already been won, and the New Socialist Republic in North America must meet this challenge and shoulder this responsibility.
So right from the start, this is a state that—unlike the ones we have now—is going to tell the truth about the real history and nature of this country and the system that has run it. Right from the start it will dedicate itself to overcoming that legacy. It makes the point: taking down this beast that rides the backs of the world’s people, when conditions emerge to do that, will be a huge step in its own right for people everywhere in winning their liberation.
The Constitution goes on to give a sense of what it will mean to carry further that responsibility.
2. In its international relations, the New Socialist Republic in North America will give priority to overcoming the terrible legacy of exploitation and depredation by the imperialist USA and to contributing all it can to the advance to a world in which all conquest, plunder, and domination, and all exploitation, have been finally ended. It will approach relations in the international arena, including those with the other states, in accordance with these principles and priorities. The New Socialist Republic in North America must, most fundamentally, be a base area and source of support and inspiration for the world revolution. (In this connection, and in regard to what follows here, see also part C above in this Article and Article IV.) This will find expression, first and foremost, in support for revolutionary forces, movements and struggles throughout the world, with the aim of advancing to a communist world as the fundamental guiding principle.
So, as opposed to the way that the U.S. imperialist regime, whether headed by Republican or Democrat, uses its terrible repressive power to beat people down and keep them chained to a life of grinding and brutal exploitation, including 160 million small children in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America, this state—the New Socialist Republic in North America—will support people everywhere in their struggle to free themselves from those chains.
But what will the New Socialist Republic do about the fact that the revolution won’t come all at once everywhere, and there will still be imperialist powers in the world—powers that will threaten the new socialist state? It will maintain relations—but on its terms.
3. Relations with remaining imperialist and other reactionary states at any given time must not be in fundamental conflict with, and must be subordinated to, the development and transformation of the New Socialist Republic in North America itself along the road of socialism, and above all the advance of the revolutionary struggle throughout the world, toward the goal of communism. Treaties and agreements regarding trade and other aspects of relations between states must be in accordance with this orientation and these principles. (As set forth in Section 1 of this Article, all treaties and similar agreements entered into by the government of the New Socialist Republic in North America must be approved by the central Legislature, by a simple majority vote, and when so approved they have the effect and force of law.)
At the same time, as point 4 says, “With other socialist states that may exist, or come into being, the orientation of the New Socialist Republic in North America shall be to develop relations of mutual aid and support, and mutual efforts in assisting the revolutionary struggle throughout the world.”
That’s a big thing for the people who have not gotten free to have at their back, drawing inspiration and strength from: a world community of socialist republics, all striving to get to a world free of exploitation and oppression, and supporting that struggle everywhere.
Finally, in regard to the nationalities and regions that have been held down within what had been the United States, the policy will again be diametrically different than the way the current system operates. Some of this last point we’ll get into in future articles.
5. With regard to inequalities between nationalities and regions (as well as other inequalities) within the New Socialist Republic in North America which resulted from the historical development and functioning of the imperialist United States of America, the New Socialist Republic in North America shall give important priority, in the development of the economy, the structure and functioning of the government, and in other ways, to overcoming this inequality, as a crucial part of developing this new socialist state in accordance with the principles and objectives set forth here and elsewhere in this Constitution.
So how would it be different? Not a state power that wreaks havoc all over the world, plundering the people and despoiling the environment, raining down terror on them when they dare rise up or even when the petty gangsters who rule them resist the big gangster in America... No. This is a state power oriented to bringing in a whole new world, dedicated to the emancipation of humanity and to the final ending of antagonistic social conflicts altogether. A world community of human beings.
So what difference would revolutionary state power make in the arena of international relations?
The difference between night and day.
From New Year’s Statement by Bob Avakian:
A New Year, The Urgent Need For
A Radically New World—
For The Emancipation Of All Humanity
It is a fact that, nowhere else, in any actual or proposed founding or guiding document of any government, is there anything like not only the protection but the provision for dissent and intellectual and cultural ferment that is embodied in this Constitution, while this has, as its solid core, a grounding in the socialist transformation of the economy, with the goal of abolishing all exploitation, and the corresponding transformation of the social relations and political institutions, to uproot all oppression, and the promotion, through the educational system and in society as a whole, of an approach that will “enable people to pursue the truth wherever it leads, with a spirit of critical thinking and scientific curiosity, and in this way to continually learn about the world and be better able to contribute to changing it in accordance with the fundamental interests of humanity.” All this will unchain and unleash a tremendous productive and social force of human beings enabled and inspired to work and struggle together to meet the fundamental needs of the people—transforming society in a fundamental way and supporting and aiding revolutionary struggle throughout the world—aiming for the final goal of a communist world, free from all exploitation and oppression, while at the same time addressing the truly existential environmental and ecological crisis, in a meaningful and comprehensive way, which is impossible under the system of capitalism-imperialism.
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