Fundamentals of Marxism-Leninism: A Soviet Textbook by Otto Wille Kuusinen of the Soviet Politburo:
Chapter 17, Section 2: “COSMOPOLITANISM, NOT PATRIOTISM, IS THE IDEOLOGY OF THE IMPERIALIST BOURGEOISIE.”
The fact that the proletariat defends the freedom of the nations, their independence and national traditions, is an expression of the patriotism of the working class, which is the direct opposite of both the chauvinist and cosmopolitan ideology of the bourgeoisie.
The patriotism of the working class springs primarily from the feeling of pride in the contributions they have made to the struggle of the oppressed and exploited masses for their liberation from exploitation and oppression.
The patriotism of the working class is therefore profoundly progressive and revolutionary.
Bourgeois propaganda tries to represent the capitalist class as the bearer of patriotic feelings.They want to slur over the fact that the patriotism of the bourgeoisie is always subordinate to its selfish, narrow class interests, and to disparage the patriotism of the working class and Communists.
In this connection, bourgeois propagandists sometimes refer to the passage in the Communist Manifesto which says that 'the working men have no country'.
It is perfectly clear, however, that it is not a question of repudiating the fatherland, but of the fact that in a society ruled by capitalists the fatherland is actually usurped by exploiters and is not a good father but a vicious stepfather to the workers.
By overthrowing the rule of the exploiting classes the working class creates the conditions for the fullest possible manifestation of its patriotism, for it itself is the true bearer of patriotism in our time.
Developing the Marxist point of view regarding the fatherland, Lenin wrote in 1908: 'The fatherland, i.e., the given political, cultural and social environment, is the most powerful factor in the class struggle of the proletariat...
The proletariat cannot be indifferent to and unconcerned about the political, social and cultural conditions of its struggle and, consequently, cannot remain indifferent to the fate of its country.
Bourgeois ideologists allege that by combating cosmopolitanism Marxists disavow the international character of their doctrine and become nationalists. But the authors of such falsifications perpetrate a double forgery.
Allowing the city liberals to dominate the intellectual conversation that the rejection of liberalism in the cities is nationalistic only grants us the opportunity to allege that these social parasites are merely projecting. They are the ultra-nationalists; we attempt to produce our form of proletariat internationalism that will look and feel nationalist in appearance but unifying and will never engage in segregation or chauvinism as progressives, or bourgeois conservative nationalists have materialized.
For example, look at Chinese patriotism. The American media project the Chinese are a super-patriotic state, laying out such an accusation even Leftists agree with, without substantively recognizing that their country is dominated by the Communist Party of China, which materially and wholeheartedly is the ideological-political vanguard of the Chinese working class. Capital doesn’t control their livelihood; the people do. So, of course, they look nationalist! They are sincere patriots of the success and distinct national characteristics they carry. And we must not prevent ourselves from holding back our love for this country and the vision we seek to institute; An American People’s Republic!
Firstly, they put a sign of equality between the cosmopolitanism of the bourgeoisie and the internationalism of the working class, and, secondly, they ascribe to Marxists the nationalist views which are characteristic precisely of bourgeois ideology.
The internationalism of the working class is, as already stated, an expression of the community of interests of the workers of all countries in their struggle against their common enemy - capitalism, of the unity of their aim, the abolition of exploitation of man by man…
... and the unity of their ideology - the ideology of friendship and fraternity of the peoples. In this sense all workers belong to the same 'nation' - the world 'nation' of working people oppressed and exploited in all bourgeois countries by the same force - capital.
This does not in any way mean, however, that while belonging to the single international army of working people, the worker ceases to be a Frenchman, Englishman, etc. Quite the contrary. True and not sham patriotism springs naturally from proletarian internationalism.
To be a patriot and internationalist does not prevent identifying ourselves independently from our geopolitical, cultural, historical, and actual material differences. Still, it produces genuine pride in what it means to be distinct yet unified in our campaign against the capitalist order.
Yes, we are all universal materially in form comprised of hundreds of trillions of atoms that simultaneously work together to form our cells and organs and provide bodily functions to reproduce our livelihoods; however, we all separate in content in our different superficial phenotypical attributes but also in our material experiences in which we live in definite separate spaces within definite environmental characteristics.
In point of fact, does not faithfulness to the ultimate ideal of the working class imbue the workers with a fervent desire to see their own people free, prosperous, and achieving social progress? Seeking liberation from all forms of oppression and exploitation…
... The working class wants this not only for itself, but also for all the working people, for the whole nation. Only the achievement of the ultimate aims of the working class, i.e., the overthrow of the power of the exploiters, who impede the progress of the nation...
... and the building of socialism, can bring every nation real freedom, independence and national greatness. It follows that the most internationalist class - the working class - is at the same time the most patriotic class.
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