Translated "Avante!" article by Albano Nunes, Member of the Secretariat of the CC
The 25th April Revolution was a world-wide astonishment. Who was to say that in that small country, under-developed, submitted to an old dictatorship, under NATO’s protection, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean and Franco’s Spain, the first European post-war revolution ( the unique one, up to the present) was to emerge, a deep social revolution, involving, together with freedom achievement and the ending of the colonial wars, the state monopolist capitalism destruction, along with the monopolies and estates which, ( in alliance with imperialism) supported Fascism, placing Portugal in the path towards socialism?
Meanwhile, what was surprising for the whole world, did not come as so for the Portuguese communists who, although having never wanted to anticipate the moment nor the real form of revolutionary uprising, for which they relentlessly struggled for, were well acquainted with the country’s reality, held a scientific analysis on the contradictions and the class forces arrangement, knew that the external framework was favourable to the revolution and held a Programme - the Democratic and National Revolution Programme - which, concerning its basic guide-lines, were to be confirmed in practise.
At the time when the Portuguese people and the whole progressive humanity celebrate the April Revolution‘s 40th anniversary, it is timely to call upon attention to, just as it then happened in Portugal, numerous unknown struggles are in progress and social change processes mature, and at any moment, ought to achieve the media headlines and, just as in April 1974, surprise those who are not attentive to the revolutionary magma, nurtured by capitalism’s own nature. Socialism defeats signified a brutal change in the force correlation in favour of the capital. History suffered an unexpected drawback. But the “ History ending” did not take place, nor did the working class , nor the “ death of Communism”, nor even class struggle. At world level, one is living revolutionary back drafts hard moments, of resistance and force accumulation. But workers’ and peoples’ liberating struggle proceeds world-wide.
Class struggle, beginning by the struggle between labour and capital, and commonly presented as deformed and obscured by national, ethnic, racial and religious nature elements, which imperialism adroitly nurtures and exploits. And, by presenting a huge manoeuvre capacity and adaptation, imperialism has frequently been able to deviate from its course and exploit genuine demonstrations of popular protest and liberating desire, as in Tunisia, Egypt and recently in Ukraine. And with the indispensable support of social-democracy, well patent in France’s case, discontent towards anti-popular and national oppression policies in result of the European Union supra-national impositions, are developing populist, racist, far -right wing forces. And delays and debilities subsist, within the revolutionary forces field.
But nothing of this annuls class contradictions nor denies capitalism structural crisis deepening. And against the violent exploiter and re-colonizing offensive, with which the great capital seeks to oppose the decrease of tax interest tendency, workers and peoples answer, in a million manners, with their resistance and struggle, a reality which dominant media hinders and carefully corrupts, that communists ought to be aware and valorise. Because, as in Portugal 40 years ago, numerous progressive and revolutionary change processes are in progress, which sooner or later, will astonish the world. At the time of imperialism, which Lenine, so brilliantly described as “ imperialism, as capitalism’s supreme stage”, that is inevitable.
