The League for a Revolutionary Communist International

Ukraine socialists seek to join LRCI!

Declaration of fraternal relations between MRM and LRCI

At a meeting in Prague on 21-23 January 2000 representatives of the “Molodiye Revolutsioniye Marksisty” (Young Revolutionary Marxists - MRM) from Ukraine and of the “League for a Revolutionary Communist International” (LRCI) agreed the following decleration.

1. The MRM was founded in 1992 as the Ukrainian working class emerged from its domination by Stalinism inside the USSR. Originating as a circle of independent revolutionary Marxists the MRM discovered by their own efforts and research the vitality of Leon Trotsky’s revolutionary critique of Stalin’s counterrevolution in the USSR and its legacy in a degenerated workers’ state.

Through its experience in the workers’ and student movement in the Ukraine they saw the hopeless parliamentary cretinism and opportunist entryism of the Committee for a Workers International as well as the grotesque pro-Stalinism of the Spartacists (ICL) and its offshoots in the International Bolshevik Tendency. Because of this experience the MRM is determined to break with national isolation and to particpate in the active building of a revolutionary Leninist-Trotskyist International. Since the autumn 1999 the MRM has been in contact with the LRCI and has begun to study its program me – the Trotskyist Manifesto (TM) - and other publications.

2. The LRCI was founded in 1989 and has sections in Britain, Ireland, Germany, France, Sweden, Austria, Czech Republic, Australia and New Zealand. It has re-elaborated the revolutionary programme and fights for the building of an authetic, orthodox Trotskyist International.

It sees Eastern Europe as a strategic region in the coming period of intensifying class struggle and will therefore support the building of revolutionary organisations in these countries. It also sees its work in Eastern Europe as an opportunity to assimilate the important experiences of the new workers’ movement and to help the international workers’ movement to learn from them.

3. MRM and LRCI are convinced that the struggle for a new revolutionary International is the most urgent task for the international working class. Therefore MRM and LRCI will make it a priority to undertake a serious study of each others’ positions, to initiate privileged and confidential discussion and practical co-operation with the aim of reaching a principled programmatic agreement as soon as possible and to fuse their organisations into a united International based on the principles of Marx, Lenin and Trotsky.

4. To reach this goal and to clarify programmatic agreement a systematic and serious discussion from both sides will be necessary. The LRCI will discuss MRM publications and positions. All members of MRM will read and discuss the Trotskyist Manifesto and, if possible, other Russian language publications of the LRCI. MRM will send the LRCI its opinion of the Trotskyist Manifesto.

It will also discuss Chapter 5 of TM and organise the translation of selected LRCI material for its members. MRM and LRCI will exchange letters where we comment on each other’s positions. The letters and a selected set of publications will be made available to all members and supporters of MRM and LRCI. The two organisations will also discuss a common declaration on the coming class struggles in Ukraine – particularly on the coming referendum and Ukraine president Kuchmas’ attempted plebiscite putsch. MRM will write an article on the state of capitalist restoration in Ukarine and its political analysis for the publication in LRCI journals and papers. The LRCI will give MRM its advice on the draft of a revolutionary Action Programme for the Ukraine.

5. The discussion already undertaken reveals several areas of agreement:

• we agree on the revolutionary strategy and tactics in the war in Chechnya;
  
• that only a socialist revolution of the armed working class – and not a parliamentary and peaceful reform – can overthrow capitalism and Stalinism. Only revolution can lead to the power of the working class which takes the form of a workers’ self-government based on workers’ councils;
  
• that the struggle for workers’ control in the enterprises plays an important role in revolutionary strategy.
  
• that revolutionary organisations can only be built on the basis of democratic centralism and as part of an international tendency;
  
• that Marxists have to participate in elections for bourgeois parlaments and – if they are too weak to stand their own candidates – to employ the tactic of critical support for bourgeois workers’ parties – traditional left parties of Stalinist and social democratic colouration – which is a form of the united front with reformist and centrist forces;
• that reformism – Stalinism and social democracy – is a conterrevolutionary force which has and will always betray the working class and therefore revolutionaries have to warn workers against the betrayel but at the same time put demands on these leaders;
  
• that it can be legitimate as a tactic to build revolutionary fractions inside reformist parties which fight against the party bureaucracy on an open revolutinary programme and which try to break workers from this leadership;
  
• that Marxists had to oppose the Yanaev coup in Russia iin August 1991 and had to critically support those forces who fought against it – even if they were under the reactionary leadership of Boris Yeltsin;
  
• that the working class must fight against the bureacuracy in the unions and build revolutionary fractions and a rank and file movement inside the unions. The goal of revolutionaries is to win workers and the unions to a revolutionary action programme.
  
  6. The discussion in the coming months should test if there exist any serious disagreements between the two organisations. In particular, we will study and discuss our understanding of the national question – in principal, and as applied to the Ukraine past and present. We will also discuss the present day character of the Ukraine economy, the situation of women in Ukraine and strategies to fight against women’s oppression, and the concrete class character of Stalinist parties in Ukraine.
  
  7. Concerning the tasks of revolutionaries faced with the 16 April 2000 referendum in Ukraine initiated by President Kuchma, the MRM and LRCI agree on the following.
  
  The referendum has the following goals:
  i) to destroy the power of parliament and eventually to dissolve it so as to engineer the election of a pro-Kuchma parliament;
  ii) to change the constitution so as to concentrate more power in the hands of the President which would represent a strengthening of his bonapartist role;
  iii) to fullfil the dictats of the IMF and to accelerate capitalist restoration, as it is already set out in the constitution;
  iv) the reduction of the political, economic and social rights of Ukraine citizens;
  
  A victory for Kuchma at the referendum would mark an important step from the present day bourgeois democratic system to an open bourgeois bonapartist dictatorship which would be an enormous setback for the All-Ukraine working class.
  
  Given this the tasks of revolutionaries are:
  i) The organisation of a mass movement against Kuchma’s referendum. We call for the organisationof self-defence squads to protect the parliament from dispersal or closure;
  ii) To demand from the mass reformist parties, the official and independent trade unions and workers, strike comitees to organise an All-Ukraine mass protest strike;
  iii) to vote No in the referendum;
  iv) to fight for the election of a Constitutional Assembly. Militant workers should fight for the adoption of new constitution based on the principles of working class power;
  v) to fight for the workers’ self-government in the factories, plants, entreprises and the organs of state power.
  vi) to fight for a government which is elected by delegates of workers’ councils.
  vii) to fight for the socialist revolution
  
  8. Concerning the agrarian question in Ukraine and Kuchma’s attack on collective land ownership we agree on the following:
  In April 2000 the privatisation of agricultural collectives (Kolhoz) and agricultural state enterprises (sovhoz) will begin as a result of a decree by Kuchma which is in turn dictated by the IMF. Kolhoz and Sovhoz will be sold together with the land held by them – mainly to multinational enterprises.
  The privatisation of land marks an important step in the final establishment of capitalist property relations in Ukraine. If the kovhoz and sovhoz are privatised the majority of its members would either become unemployed or will be forced to work for a minimum wage for the new bourgeois class.
  Therefore:
  i) we vehemently oppose the privatisation of land;
  ii) we call on all workers parties and organisation plus the Peasant Party of Alexandre Tkachenko to organise mass protest actions against the privatisation of land and the IMF decrees. They must also oppose unambigously Kuchma’s decree in parliament and vote for a bill against this decree.
  iii) Similarly, we call on all workers’ parties and organisations to stop the privatisation of the large, strategic state owned enterprises – mainly by mass actions but also by legislation or the enforcing of a referendum. We agree to participate in the organising committee set up by the left parties which will try to organise an alternative referendum calling for the abolition of the Presidency, halt to land privatisation and privatisation of the state owned enterprises, and for the convening of a constituent assembly.
  
  9. To accelerate the discussion between the MRM and the LRCI, the latter will send a delegation to Kiev this spring. This will give the LRCI the opportunity to meet the members and supporters of MRM and also some militant workers’ leaders with whom MRM is in contact. We also agree to collaborate in practical fields – in particular in the campaign against the IMF which will culminate in common protest actions in September 2000. The MRM will try to rally support for this campaign in the Ukraine workers’ movement and to organise actions in Kiev and – if possible – other cities on the same day as the anti-IMF demonstration in Praha. MRM and SOP – the Czech section of the LRCI – will issue a common declaration against the racist super-exploitation and harassement by the Czech state of Ukraine immigrants and consider concrete activities in this field. MRM will also inform the LRCI about practical needs of the new independent workers’ movement in Ukraine and for which purpose it is most useful to call on the Western workers’ movement for donations. The LRCI will assist MRM in organising literature from Leon Trotsky in the Russian language. The LRCI will call in Europe for donations for MRM to assist the purchase the necessary equipment for the establishment of a revolutionary publication in Ukraine.
  
  10. As a result of the fruitful discussions and convinced of the need and actual possibility of a fusion, we declare here with this declaration the establishment of fraternal relations between MRM and LRCI. The representatives of MRM will propose to its membership to change the name of the group to Workers Power (MRM).
  
  Long live the struggle for the proletarian revolution in Ukraine!
  Long live the international struggle for World Revolution!
  Forward together in the building of a revolutionary party in Ukraine and the Leninist-Trotskyist International!
  
  Prague, 24.1.2000
  
  NB Subsequent to this declaration the MRM changed their name to Robitnychya Vlad (MRM)
  
  
  
  

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