Friday, November 16, 2018

100 years KKE: Moments from a century-old internationalist activity

This year, the KKE completes a century of struggles and sacrifices, remaining the only truly new party in Greece society because it is the only one that struggles for the abolition of the exploitation of man by man. Founded in 1918, in an era when the flame of the October Socialist Revolution of 1917 lent impetus to the revolutionary workers' movement, the KKE has a rich history of struggles, sacrificies and internationalist activity.

Below, we present some important moments from the century-old internationalist activity of the Communist Party of Greece:

The Campaign in Crimea

From the very first moment of its foundation in 1918, the KKE stood unwaveringly as an advocate and defender of the Soviet Union, it opposed the Greek bourgeois class which along with others on an international level, tried to supress the October revolution at its birth. 14 capitalist states participated in the imperialist intervention against the Soviet Union, with capitalist Greece being among them. The KKE called upon the Greek people to condemn and to not participate in the imperialist intervention. From its founding Congress, it addressed a protest resolution for the intervention of the imperialists against the young soviet power. The Greek communists of Odessa distributed proclamations to the population and the Greek troops, which called upon the workers not to turn their guns against their class brothers but against the real enemy, the imperialists.

The Asia Minor Campaign

Greeks cramned at the Port of Smyrna.
The final act of Asia Minor Catastrophe
The Asia Minor campaign (1919-1922) in Turkey is the result of the participation of the ruling class of Greece in the imperialist plans in the wider region of the Near East, in order to promote in practice the theory of the “Megali Idea”(“Great Idea”) through this participation, meaning the land annexation to Greece and thus, satisfy the interests of the Greek capitalists, which were entangled with those of the imperialist powers of that time, especially England. The campaign ended with the crush of the Greek army and the displacement of 1,500,000 Greeks of Asia Minor who were forced to come as refugees in Greece, leaving behind more than 600,000 dead, victims of the policy of the capital. The KKE, from the beginning of the Asia Minor campaign, with the landing of the army in Smyrna, uncovered its character and was the only party that opposed the unjust and adventurist war. It warned the people for its consequences and fought, with all its strength, to prevent it, defying the countless persecutions, which it suffered for its persistent stance towards the working class and the people of Greece. It developed a strong anti-war propaganda and activity in Greece as well as at the fronts of the war conflicts. 

International Brigades in the Spanish Civil War

Greek soldiers of the International Brigades,
during the Spanish Civil War
The International Brigades were one of the brightest examples of proletarian internationalism in the history of the communist-workers’ movement. Millions of workers mobilized from every corner of the earth in favor of the struggle of the Spanish people, the fighters of the International Brigades originated from 53 countries. The KKE, despite the unprecedented conditions of illegality and repression of the time, which it encountered with the imposition of Metaxa’s dictatorship, it responded to its internationalist duty. In total, it is calculated that in the international brigades, approximately 500 Greek volunteers-fighters participated. The contribution of Greek shipping workers was exceptional, who with great self-sacrifice and heroism manned Spanish ships, transferring munitions, often with the gun at hand. Many dockers lost their lives or ended up as prisoners. In many cases, with the initiative of communist shipping workers, the crew of the ships which had as a destination ports that were controlled by fascists, went on strike or revolted transferring their cargoes to Democratic Spain.  

Defending the USSR

The historical front page of Rizospastis,
during the days of the counter-revolution in the USSR:
“The hope is in the struggle of the peoples”
The KKE, throughout its course, defended the construction of socialism in the USSR, the unprecedented achievements that it gave to the peoples. It fights against anti-communism and the distortion of the history of socialism, while at the same time it scientifically studies in a Marxist- Leninist way, the mistakes and weaknesses of the socialist construction that led to the counter-revolutionary overthrows. The KKE defends the conquests and achievements of the Soviet Union against all those who celebrate for the counter-revolutionary overthrows of the years 1989-1991 and they have been exposed irreparably, they have contributed to the erosion of the workers’ movement, the dominant climate of fatalism and compromise. It is proud that at the critical moment, the day which the Red flag was being brought down from the Kremlin, it had the strength to address the communists through Rizospastis with the call “Comrades, hold the flag high”.

Vanguard activity against imperialist wars

On the basis that was formed by the counter-revolutionary overthrows of 1989-91, imperialism celebrated, and declared falsely about a “peaceful world” and the “end of history”: In these conditions the KKE spoke about the dangerous imperialist plans concerning the control of the markets and natural resources, for the danger of new wars. These assessments were quickly confirmed by the wars that the USA/ NATO/EU started in Yugoslavia (1999), Afghanistan (2001), Iraq (2003), Libya and Syria From the very first day of the bombings, the KKE noted that the only way is the opposition to the imperialist plans and it called upon the people to uprise, it dove into action in every way, so that the people can put obstacles to the attack. The rallies which were organized by the KKE and other vehicles of the anti-imperialist movement were daily, during all the course of the barbaric bombings and highlighted the greatness of the peoples’ self-action and initiative. Especially during the period of the attack in Yugoslavia, the blockades of militants in Thessaloniki and Northern Greece became well-known, because they blocked with their bodies the road of the NATO convoys of death, trains and truck phalanxes that reached the ships at the port of Thessaloniki. The solidarity was also expressed by the sending of delegations of the Party and PAME on the spot, at the warzones, at Nis and Belgrade.

The contribution of the KKE to the international movement today

Front page of the International
Communist Review.
The KKE today, is at the forefront of the effort for the revolutionary regroupment of the International Communist Movement, the effort of creating a Marxist-Leninist pole in the international movement. The KKE is aware that the communist movement internationally is at crisis and retreat. In these conditions, the KKE took important initiatives in order to rally the communist powers from all over the world, to organize the International Meetings of Communist and Workers’ Parties that began from Athens. In order to develop a joint action and to strengthen the revolutionary struggle. Such important initiatives are the “International Communist Review”, the formation of the “European Communist Initiative”, the realization of regional meetings of Communist and Workers’ Parties, the effort to maintain communist characteristics at the International Meetings of the CPs etc.

Source: Odigitis International Edition, September 2018.