Two Studies of Imperialism

[p006] Two Studies 1. What is Imperialism ? IN popular works and academic studies a continuous stream of criticism pours forth purporting to demolish all or part of Marxist theory; in fact, of course, the continuing necessity for this criticism testifies to the vitality of Marxism. It is not sur- prising that of late the theory of imperialism has come in for special attention. Under pressure from the national liberation movement the old colonial empires have been transformed in an attempt to conserve and extend the economic stranglehold of advanced capitalism. This process has resulted in a body of apologetic writing, sensitive to the stigma of exploitation attached to the term ‘imperialism’. The idea has been sedulously propagated that the Marxist-Leninist theory of imperialism means exclusively the political control of backward areas by means of policies strictly subordinate to economic interests. With greater or less deliberation reference is made, usually mistakenly, to the alleged economic connection between the necessities of advanced capitalism and the acquisition and control of colonies, Necessarily, these authors prove to their own satisfaction, and that of readers who share their presuppositions, that if there was anything in what they have depicted as the Marxist-Leninist view it has no relevance to the world of the past half- century: ‘imperialism’ has long since ended, or is now only characteristic of the USSR. This comforting picture presented by the ad- herents of ‘liberal’ capitalism, the Western Alliance and the H-bomb finds innumerab'e variants and embellishments, historical confirmations in learned books, and even statistical verification.! To confuse matters still further, the term ‘imperialism’ itself is frequently rejected as being too full of ambiguities or too charged with emotive content to warrant scientific use. Attention is drawn to the varied definitions which have been made of it. In short, everything has been done to becloud the issue by showing that imperialism never existed, or, if it had a past, has no present and no future. Lefts, even self-styled Marxists, impressed by the weight of pretentious learning directed to show the beneficent workings of capitalism, have added a note of scepticism and retreat to the general chorus. The Stalinists, having uttered parrot-like for decades the pregnant formulae of Lenin garbled with the stale dogma of Stalin, have stumbled into a theoretical void of their own making: unable to enrich the Marxist heritage they have become convenient targets for those want ng to discredit it. 1. I have spared the reader a lengthy bibliography of these writings. THE MARXIST APPROACH Yet the Marxist-Leninist theory of imperialism exists, coherent and comprehensive, if not com- plete: an instrument unparalleled for dissecting the complex processes of contemporary social develop- ment when tempered and manipulated with the requisite skill. It forms part of a complex, developing and inter- locking whole—neither dogma nor merely method

[p007] 85 of Imperialism