AChina-donatedstatueofKarlMarxwasunveiledonMay5inhisbirthtownofTrier,GermanyMaythisyearmarkedthe200thanniversaryofthebirthofKarlMarx(May5,1818-March14,1883).ThePrussian-bornpoliticaleconomist,philosopherandrevolutionaryisthefounderofthecommunism,andhisideasarestillregardedasthebasisformanypoliticalsystemsacrosstheworld.
Marx’sworkconsistedessentiallyinlayingbarethelawsinthedevelopmentofsociety,especiallycapitalistsociety,whichhepraisedforitsmonumentalachievementsintechnologydevelopment,butwhoseexistentialcontradictionsunderlineitstransitionalnatureinsociety’strajectory.
However,afterthedissolutionoftheformerUnionofSovietSocialistRepublics(USSR)intheearly1990s,thefirstproletarianstatefoundedontheauthorityofMarxistSocialistscientifictheory,MarxisminEurope,AmericaandeventhecontinentsofAfrica,AsiaandLatinAmericahasbeenhavinglesspoliticalappeal.But,thecontemporarywreckageofdeepeningcapitalistcrisis,especiallywithitsbacklashoftheriseofright-wingextremistpopulismintheindustrialWestanddeepeningmiseryinAfrica,hasrekindledinterestinthestudyofMarxismandthescientifictheoryofsocialism.
Existentialreality
InAfrica,theabsenceoftheoreticalrigor,andsocialandhistoricalcontextualization,whicharedispassionatetoolsofscientificinterrogationoffacts,hasunderminedpolicyoutlines,renderingthemhollowandinappropriatefortheurgentneedsoftransformationandmodernizationofsocioeconomicandpoliticalframeworkoftheregion.TheessentialcontentsofcontemporarypolicyoutlinesinAfricaarearegrettabledeficitinthegraspoftheexistentialreality.AmilcarCabral,Africa’smostrigoroustheoretician,characterizedthisas“theexpressionoftheinternalcontradictionsintheeconomic,socialandhistoricalrealityofeachofourcountries,”andstressedhisconviction“thatanynationalorsocialprojectofchange,whichisnotfoundedonadequateknowledgeofthisreality,runsgraverisksofpoorresultsorofbeingdoomedtofailure.”
ThetragictrajectoriesinAfricaofpoverty,conflictsandpoliticalexclusionsareessentiallyderivedfromthetheoreticallethargyofacutedeficitinpoliticalandeconomicimaginations.
Scientificsocialism,originallycontributedbyMarxandFriedrichEngels,isevenakeyvictimofthecascadingwavesofanti-intellectualismincontemporaryAfricanofficialpoliticalestablishments,wherethestraitjacketofreceivedwisdomofpolicypackages,sometimeshandeddownfromoutside,iscanonizedastruegospelofredemption.
Itisthemisunderstandingthatsocialismwas,firstandforemost,apoliticalideologyandatotalitarianoneforthatmatter,aregimetypeandevenastrategyforclasswarfarethatfeedsthepopularmisconceptionthatithasfailedinitsbirthplaceoftheformerUSSRand,therefore,allegedlyisunsuitableandevenunmentionableinthecurrentdiscourseaboutthefutureofAfrica.
Universalvalues
ManypeopleclaimedthatMarxenvisagedsocialisminmoreadvancedcapitalistcountriesoftheWestthanthebackwardRussia,whereitactuallyoccurredin1917.However,whatMarxenvisagedisactuallylessimportantthanwhathediscoveredasthelawsgoverningtheprogressionofsociety,unhinderedorunaffectedbythewishesandpreferenceofanyone,includinghimself.
Thescientifictheoryofsocialismextrapolatesmanypoliticalconclusions;butitsvalueistherigorofitsscientificinterrogationofsocialrealities,derivedfromgeneralprinciples.ThecredibilityofMarxismanditseternaluniversalvalueislayingoutthecriticaltheoreticalinfrastructurewhichilluminatestheroadmapthatconstantlysearchesforquestions-callingintoquestionwhereothersonlyseeready-madeanswersandvulgarevidence.WritingintheforwardofthefirstvolumeofDasKapital,ProfessorErnestMandelpointedoutthatMarx’sprincipalaimwastolaybarethelawsofmotion,whichgoverntheorigins,therise,thedevelopment,thedeclineandthedisappearanceofagivensocialformofeconomicorganization,butnottoseekuniversallawsoforganization.Andinfact,theessentialthesisofDasKapitalisthatnosuchlawsexist.
Marxismisnotapoliticalprojectoreconomicorganizationofanyparticularplaceandtime,butbasicallyascientifictheorytounmaskandinterrogatesocialformsinanyparticularstateofhistoricaldevelopment.Theconclusionofeachparticularstageisnotvalidforalltimesandallcircumstances.TheprofoundtheoreticaluniversalinsightofMarxism-Leninismbearsfruitineconomicandsocialorganization,whenquestionedaboutthespecificconditionofhistoricalcontextandexistingsituations.TheCommunistPartyofChina(CPC)hasbeenparticularlyadroitinthissynthesisandhasproducedunequivocaleconomicsuccessandsocialprogress.
Ideologicalresource
TheCPChasconsistentlyaffirmeditsabidingfaithinthescientificandeternalvalueofMarxism-Leninismasitspracticalguide.BuildingsocialismwithChinesecharacteristicsistheadvanceddevelopmentofMarxism-LeninismintheparticularcontextofChina’sexistentialreality.TheCPCvowsthatwithoutMarxism-Leninism,itwouldneverhavefoundthepathtoadvanceontheroadofitscorenationalpriorityofmodernizationandinclusivedevelopment.
Atagrandgatheringtomarkthe200thanniversaryofthebirthofKarlMarxonMay4,XiJinping,GeneralSecretaryoftheCPCCentralCommittee,notedthatMarxismnotonlyprofoundlychangedtheworld,butalsoprofoundlychangedChina,addingthatasafaithfulbelieverandsteadfastpractitionerofMarxism,theCPCismakingpersistenteffortstoupholdanddevelopMarxism.
“Likeaspectacularsunrise,thetheoryilluminatedthepathofhumanity’sexplorationofthelawofhistory,andhumanity’ssearchfortheirownliberation,”Xisaid.“Marxismisthetheoryofpeople,thetheoryofpractice,andistheopentheoreticalsystem.”
Atthe19thCPCNationalCongressheldinOctoberlastyear,XireaffirmedthattheCPCmustupholdtheFourCardinalPrinciples-keepingtothepathofsocialism,upholdingthepeople’sdemocraticdictatorship,upholdingtheleadershipoftheCPC,andupholdingMarxism-LeninismandMaoZedongThought.WithChina’snationalaggregateoutputreachingunprecedentedheights,Xireportedtothehistoriccongressthat“Chinachampionsthedevelopmentofacommunitywithsharedfutureformankindandhasencouragedtheevolutionofamoreinclusiveglobalgovernancesystem.”
China’sconfidenceinpromotinginclusiveglobalizationcomesagainstthebackdropoftheretreatoftheU.S.shouting“Americafirst.”
TheMarxisttheoryofscientificsocialismisavastideologicalresource,opentoinnovation,constantdevelopmentandenrichment.Theintellectualdepth,rigoranddisciplinenecessarytounderstandandinterrogateMarxismandevenappreciateitstheoreticalandscientificramificationsismoreextensiveandcanunravelthemythofAfrica’seconomiclethargyandpoliticalparalysis.
TheauthoristhedirectoroftheCenterforChinaStudies,Abuja,Nigeria
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