U.S. Imperialism Can Definitely Be Defeated

 Peng Zhen

Speech at the Aliarcham Academy of Social Sciences in Indonesia

U.S. imperialism is the most ferocious enemy confronting the people of the world. Since the war, it has made use of its economic strength, which was inflated during the war, to build up an unprecedented and colossal war machine, brandishing its nuclear weapons and carrying out frantic aggression everywhere in its attempt to dominate the whole world.

How one regards and assesses the strength of U.S. imperialism, whether or not one has confidence in winning the struggle against U.S. imperialism and whether or not one dares to wage resolute struggle against it are major questions in the revolutionary struggle of the people of the world.

U.S. imperialism is strong in appearance but weak in essence. Postwar developments have proved that neither its dollars nor its armed forces can prevent the final victory of the people’s revolution of the world. Similarly, the nuclear weapons in the hands of U.S. imperialism cannot possibly save it from its doom or prevent the progress of human history.

Let us leave aside what happened in the past and take a look at events which are attracting worldwide attention today!

In Viet Nam, U.S. imperialism is being badly battered by the 14 million south Vietnamese people, despite the fact that this huge monster has been engaged in its aggression for more than ten years, in the course of which it has expended thousands of millions of U.S. dollars, sent in tens of thousands of troops and employed new weapons of all kinds except nuclear weapons. In the face of the organized armed people, the U.S. aggressors find themselves besieged and attacked from all sides, so that they take the very rustle of a leaf and the very shadow of a tree for an enemy. As the American press has put it, “The war in south Viet Nam is largely a war against an unseen enemy. The enemy is everywhere and nowhere at the same time.” U.S. imperialism is doomed to defeat in Viet Nam. Like a buffalo rushing into a fiery maze, it will certainly be burnt to death.

In the Congo (Leopoldville), U.S. imperialism has not been able to strangle the national liberation struggle, whether by armed intervention in the name of the United Nations or by direct armed intervention. The grass cannot be burnt out by a prairie fire but grows again with the spring breeze. The people of the Congo (Leopoldville) have regrouped their forces and, arms in hand, renewed their victorious struggle.

In the Dominican Republic, an island country with a population of 3 million at the very gate of the United States, the people’s armed uprising has thrown U.S. imperialism into confusion. It has dispatched more than 30,000 invading troops to engage in suppression. This fully shows that U.S. imperialism is in a grave predicament.

The path U.S. imperialism is taking now is the same path Hitler took in his day. Its aggressive ambition far surpasses Hitler’s, but it is weaker than Hitler, the disparity between strength and ambition being greater. Today it finds itself in an ever worsening strategic position.

Like a mad dog dashing everywhere, U.S. imperialism is frantically pursuing its policies of aggression and war, committing aggression everywhere and riding roughshod over the world, thereby arousing the people’s universal resistance and its allies’ opposition and completely isolating itself.

U.S. imperialism has over-reached itself. It has deployed its armed forces in every continent and ocean of the world; it has committed aggression and tried to suppress the people’s revolution everywhere. With its shortage of troops, its far-flung battle fronts, its remote rear and the dispersion of its forces, it is keeping up its strength in one place at the expense of others, and is unable to attend to everything at once Its position is becoming very passive and strategically it is already receiving blows on all sides.

In the meantime, with new changes in the balance of forces among the imperialist countries, the dominant position of U.S. imperialism in the capitalist world has become precarious. The imperialist camp is disintegrating.

As the last and largest bulwark of imperialism, U.S. imperialism is trying to save the incurably sick imperialist system, but in vain-the result can only be like drinking poison to quench one’s thirst. It is trying to dam the world current of the people’s revolution, only to make it more tempestuous. Everywhere it is creating its own gravediggers in increasing numbers to dig its grave for it.

The people of the world can definitely defeat this ferocious enemy provided that they clearly recognize U.S. imperialism as their chief enemy, unite with all the forces that can be united, and form the broadest possible united front against U.S. imperialism and its lackeys.

The Khrushchov revisionists are spreading pessimistic and defeatist views everywhere in order to intimidate the people of the world and sabotage their revolutionary struggle against U.S. imperialism and its lackeys.

In contrast to the Marxist-Leninists, the Khrushchov revisionists have no faith at all in the strength of the people and in victory in the struggle against U.S. imperialism. They are exponents of the theory that weapons, and in particular nuclear weapons, decide everything. They play up and exaggerate the horrors of war, asserting that with the emergence of nuclear weapons it is no longer possible to wage anti-imperialist struggles or to make revolution. They dare not touch U.S. imperialism themselves and, what is more, they forbid others to struggle against it. They have no confidence in victory themselves, and try to shake and sap the confidence and will to fight of other people. They do not want revolution themselves and forbid others to make revolution. They capitulate themselves, and want to drag others along with them in their capitulation, or force others to capitulate.

Whether or not one dares to fight and dares to win victory when confronted by powerful and vicious class enemies internally or externally has always been the dividing line between Marxist-Leninists and opportunists, between revolutionaries and capitulationists. The outcome of the struggle is invariably victory for the Marxist-Leninists, the revolutionaries and the people, and the consignment of the opportunists and the capitulationists to the garbage heap of history along with the collapse of the class enemy.

History shows that the newborn revolutionary forces are invariably weak to begin with, but that they always keep on growing, developing from small and weak to large and strong forces, and eventually defeat the seemingly strong forces of counter-revolution. To begin with, the newborn revolutionary forces have no arms at all or are only poorly equipped, but they always defeat the forces of counter-revolution which are well-equipped and armed to the teeth. In the final analysis, it is men and not things, the masses of the people and not weapons, that are the basic factor deciding victory or defeat.

In Lenin’s famous words, “Do you want a revolution? Then you must be strong”4 Why? The revolutionaries represent the new emerging forces of society and believe in and rely on the strength of the people, which is invincible, and that is why they should be strong and will inevitably be strong. The reactionaries cannot but be weak, and inevitably so, because they divorce themselves from the people and are opposed by the people. They will fail in the end however strong they are outwardly for a time.

After World War II, Comrade Mao Tse-tung advanced the celebrated thesis that imperialism and all reactionaries are paper tigers. Basing himself on the objective laws governing social development, he had faith in the inevitable triumph of the new emerging social forces over the decadent social forces and of the people’s forces over the antipopular forces. Comrade Mao Tse-tung made a profound analysis of the changes in the postwar international balance of class forces and pointed out: “The strength of the world anti-imperialist camp has surpassed that of the imperialist camp. It is we, not the enemy, who are in the superior position.” 5 He added, “All views that overestimate the strength of the enemy and underestimate the strength of the people are wrong.” 6 The development of the world situation has since testified to the correctness of Comrade Mao Tse-tung’s thesis.

The people’s revolutionary struggle is surging forward and winning constant victories, while imperialism is being battered everywhere and nearing its doom. The Marxist-Leninists and all revolutionaries are fighting together with the masses of the people with full confidence, dealing hard blows at imperialism and propelling it to its grave. All pessimism is utterly groundless. Whoever spreads pessimistic and defeatist views will be punished by history.

4. V. I. Lenin, “Ho Falsehood! Our Strength Lies in Stating the Truth!”, Collected Works, Eng. ed., FLPH, Moscow, 1962, Vol. IX, p. 299.

5. Mao Tse-tung, “The Present Situation and Our Tasks”, Selected Works, Eng. ed., FLP, Peking, 1961, Vol. IV, p. 172.

6. Ibid., p. 173.