The economic dead-end of capitalism and the inescapable historical alternative Proletarian Revolution or Generalized Imperialist War dictate more and more directly the course of events, exposing capitalism’s contradictions and its limits. The latest expressions of these are the British referendum setting the stage for the United Kingdom exit from the European Union and the violent repression of the working class demonstrations in France, up to their ban (!). It is the countries of the historical core of capitalism which are directly hit – Western Europe – while the mystification of a relief by ’new’, ’emerging’ countries, like China or Brazil, has collapsed. For capital, if the international proletariat lets it continue and does not destroy it before, the outcome of this infernal spiral is well known: a 3rd Imperialist World War.

For the Next Generalized Imperialist War, Great Britain has once and for all chosen the USA against Europe

The Brexit, the exit of Great Britain from the EU, expresses above all the choice, no doubt final, of the English bourgeoisie to side with the United States in the imperialist rivalries against continental Europe gathered around Germany. The explosion and the pressure of the contradictions oblige today the players of the capitalist world, here the English ruling class, whether they want it or not, to make painful and clear-cut choices. Cornered by the crisis and the war, the happy medium, one foot in Europe, one outside, is no more possible. ’Every time I have to choose between Europe and the open ocean, I will choose the open ocean! Every time I have to choose between you and Roosevelt, I will choose Roosevelt’ Churchill told De Gaulle in 1944. This time, due to the acute contradictions of capitalism, they had to choose. This tells a lot about the reality and the seriousness of the historical stakes today.

The Brexit is both a product and an aggravating factor of capitalism’s contradictions. It obliges the countries gathered around Germany to react and to reinforce the unity of the historical ’hard core’ of the EU, as well as its rapprochement with Russia, and to set up a genuine ’European defence’ independent from NATO. It further worsens the economic war, especially the currency competition, and finally, by provoking the fall of the stock exchanges, it risks creating a new world financial crisis.

Is it necessary to say that the British workers will get nothing good of this Brexit? And that it goes the same for the workers of the continent?

The French Bourgeoisie at the Vanguard of the Capitalist Class War against the International Proletariat

After four months of massive mobilization against the new attack on the ’Labor Rights’ of the whole working class and of violent confrontations with the anti-riot police, faced with generalization of the mobilization throughout the country, the French ruling class was constrained to follow its logic of state violence by banning the Paris demonstration of June 23rd; then, faced with the risk of a massive illegal and uncontrollable demonstration, it came to an arrangement with the unions for a reduced march turning around the Place of... Bastille (symbol!). There has not been such a ban since the Algerian war! Far from representing a strength of the French state, this massive utilization of violence and repression expresses its political and ideological weakness. There too, capitalism’s contradictions explode and force the bourgeoisie to jeopardize its democratic mask. The risk for the capitalist class is that the so-called “radical” Left political forces – which guarantee a more or less efficient political control of the working class struggles, what the unions have not been able to do – would be reduced to nothing. The ’citizen’ and ’republican’ ideology that the setting up of ’nuit debout’ [stand up all night] aimed to put forward, under the initiative of Left and leftist personalities and political groups from the CP to the Trotskyists and Anarchists with the huge support of the media all along April, has quickly become out of fashion after the repression and the confrontation with the State that each street demonstration was imposing.

There too, there is no more place for a ’happy medium’ and the violent and class character of the state is forced to be shown. The French Patriot Act, actually the European, set up after the bloody attacks of 2015 in Paris is called to last. Its purpose is to harshly and bloodily repress the working class and popular revolts which are germinating.

The Historical Weakness of the International Bourgeoisie

Contrary to appearances, the Brexit and the massive repression in France do not express the strength of the international ruling class but its historical weakness. Crisis and imperialist war arise at the same time and directly affect the conditions of life, becoming factors of reflection and extension of the class consciousness within the workers’ ranks. This does not mean that the struggle is and will be easy, but rather that the bourgeoisie, historically weakened, will defend itself, and already is defending itself, by utilizing all the means at its disposal. The inescapable and necessary massive confrontations between the classes which have begun, are going to be of unmatched violence in history. No illusion on bourgeois democracy; the danger is mortal.

Today, by increasingly confronting the state, its political and union forces, its police and its justice system, that is by assuming the political dimension of their struggles, important minorities of proletarians begin to reflect and to become conscious of the need to destroy this society and to build up another one. The perspective of a society without misery and without war, without social classes, without exploitation, without capital, nor commodities, nor currency, becomes again a political stake of consciousness between the classes and a fight which affects the most advanced proletarians well beyond the revolutionary minorities. To struggle against the effects of the crisis and to oppose the imperialist war consequently and efficiently requires the destruction of capitalism. No doubt there is the reflection which is spreading to various working class fractions. But this mass consciousness will not be enough. It must go further.

It is the perspective of the proletarian revolution and communism (which has nothing to do with the Stalinist state capitalism that ruled in Russia and China), that is the slogans of proletarian insurrection, of dictatorship of proletariat, of the workers councils, which enables the struggle against the cause of misery and wars, including today, to become really efficient. Because only these ’historical’ slogans provide the method and the means for a powerful class fight against capitalism starting today. This is why the communist groups are indispensable and why it will matter to build up the international and internationalist communist party as soon as possible; the very one which will be the main bearer of the communist perspective.

That is also why, beyond the development and the animation of the class fight against the attacks, the most militant and conscious proletarians must regroup and organize, in struggle committee for instance, and also attempt to gather, to discuss and to struggle alongside the communist groups.

The contradictions of capitalism explode in broad daylight.

Let’s blow up capitalism!

The International Group of the Communist Left (Revolution or War), June 24th 2016.