To the Communist and Labour parties.
MEMO OF THE SITUATION AND RECENT HISTORY OF THE FINNISH COMMUNIST MOVEMENT.
1. Situation in Finnish communist and leftist movement today
The communists established new communist organisation to Finland at September 2002, which was registered as Communist League. In the Finland there are today three communists organisations: (1) Communist League, (2) Communist Workers Party (KTP), in which the most of the members of the Communist League belonged before the disintegration happened February 2002 and 3) Communist Party of Finland (SKP), which took itself the name of the old communist party of Finland. The starting-point and traditions of all these organisations are in the old communist party of Finland. In addition there are at Finland Left Alliance (party), which was born in connection with the fragmentation of Soviet Union, when Communist Party of Finland (SKP) and democratic front party Democratic League for the Finnish People (SKDL) stopped their activity at 1989 and established the Left Alliance. Left Alliance gave up all class-struggle traditions of the working class and do not accepts the Marxists traditions. Left Alliance inherits however the role of SKDL and SKP on the social politics and at parliament. Such as elsewhere in the world, fragmentation process at the Soviet Union led also in Finland to the change of the line of the communist party. At the same time was born small communist organisations, which search the solutions to the problems of the world at present day. By what kind process it took place and what are view points of our organisation are of the main questions of the present-day? These questions we are informing on that memo.
2. Founding and earlier history of the Finnish Communist Party
Communist Party of the Finland (SKP) was established soon after the class war of Finland at 1918 in Moscow. To the end of autumn 1944 SKP was an underground party, until the victory of the Soviet Union in the Second World War gives the right to public activity also to SKP. The party become immediately after legislation significant social power. At Finland was established by the support of the communist’s large democratic popular front, Democratic Union of Finnish People (SKDL), in which SKP also worked at the parliament. Yet at the beginning of the 1960’s SKP and SKDL were significant power against Finnish bourgeoisie (25 % support), but at 1965-1968 part of the communist and party neighbouring power started the extensive attack against to SKP’s class struggle line based on the thoughts of Marx, Engels and Lenin. It was demanded, that SKP and SKDL had to be connected to the one general leftist party. Thoughts that the class struggle between the workers and capitalists was ended took place also at Finland. At 1964 bourgeoisie and right social democrats prepared the plan for integrating the SKP and SKDL to the bourgeois society. As a result of that SKDL and also SKP, was pulled to the bourgeois government cooperation. As the result of that policy, the 15th meeting of delegates of SKP was ended to disintegration. SKP divided in the two parts. It was formed (1) traditional Marxist-Leninist line which supported class-struggle politics and (2) opportunistic line which supported giving up the class-struggle politics. Opportunists had in their possession all party press and because of that Marxist-Leninists established the own newspaper, TIEDONANTAJA.
At 1970 was organized, with the support of Soviet Union Communist Party, the 15th additional meeting of delegates of SKP. As a result of that meeting was achieved formal uniformity of the party but inside the party continued the Marxist-Leninist and opportunistic line which had separated activities. Communists who supported class-struggle line accepted this decision, because they saw that by developing politics based on workers benefits and ideological clarification work on the long run will be achieved the real ideological uniformity. On the 15th additional meeting of delegates was decided unanimously also of the main line of the SKP as follows: "As the main line of SKP is to build democratic popular front for the fight against monopolies and the political reaction and fight for extending of the working people democratic rights, strengthen of the peace and for creating of the prerequisites of socialism". We in the Communist League see also today, despite the crisis development of the communist movement, that the main line, which was modified then were right, and in the world have not been taken place anything, which would change this assessment.
3. Anti- imperialistic youth people strengthened communists
At the end of 60’s was born different parts of the world anti-imperialistic youth and student movements to oppose exploitation of the developing countries practised by the large capitalist countries and to oppose war politics practiced by imperialist . Also in Finland youth movement became radicalized. Thanks to clear line of the communist’s newspaper TIEDONANTAJA, youth movement became part of the communist and progressive movement. This movement grew very powerful in Finland, because (1) we were so near Soviet Union, (2) we had still powerful communist movement and (3) to the Finnish language was translated plenty of the Marxist literature. This youth movement grouped very visibly around the newspaper TIEDONANTAJA and strengthened decidedly the Marxist-Leninist part of the SKP. There were starting to speak TIEDONANTAJA movement.
Such boom of the rising of the communist movement was a little over 10 year. In the beginning the decisions, made in the 15th additional meeting of delegates, for the integration of the party also produced good results. The government politics in which opportunistic part of the SKP took part and which was harmful to the working class, was came to an end. TIEDONANTAJA newspaper collected around them extensive support. Despite strengthening of the Marxist-Leninist part of the SKP view points of the SKP’s opportunistic part did not be able to destabilize. The opportunistic part of the SKP had small majority on the party executive (because of the decision the 15th additional meeting of delegates) and with the decisions of the majority it had the ability to keep power in the party for themselves. It happens in spite of that, that large majority of the party members supported Marxist-Leninist line. In 1975 burghers and right social democrats created the tactics, whereby SKP – SKDL, by decision of the majority, were again pulled to the governmental politics which was harmful to working class. After this development SKP started to decline and Marxist-Leninists grounds on the SKP’s party executive started to decrease with the voting decisions.
Beginning of the 80’s was already known, that SKP is unable to integrate for the Marxist-Leninist class-struggle party. At the same time was seen that class-struggle tactics of the Communist and Labour parties leaded by Soviet Union did not functioned any more. Socialism did not be able to progress in the same way than before. In the Soviet Union began so said “stagnation time” in the ideology and economy and that reflected also to the international labour movement. The new-liberalist politics of the capitalism took over new grounds. This caused depression on the Marxist-Leninist youth movement and in addition older people. In this situation some people on the Marxist-Leninist youth and student movement started to appear powerful wish to the theoretical reassessment. It was made assessments that dialectical and historical materialism and Marxist economics do not have ability to give answers to the basic problems of our time or that working class is not any more the basic power of the revolution. When the highlights of the fight for the unity of the SKP were based on Marxist-Leninist ideology, now this "third line" started work merely on behalf of technical uniformity without any ideologue of the working class.
6. Third Line tendency won in the Marxist-Leninist part of the SKP.
The Marxist-Leninist part of the SKP (executives of the TIEDONANTAJA movement) did not ever dared to fight off “third line attitude” theoretically from the Marxist base, despite of the demands of the party members. Many communists adapted to the situation. Final "deal" to the win of the “third line” in the Marxist-Leninist part of the SKP was Gorbatshov's election to the General Secretary of Communist Party of Soviet Union. The main “third line’s opponents" were called to Soviet Union and when returning from there they had adapted to the prevailing situation. Likewise the newspaper of the Marxist-Leninist part of the SKP, TIEDONANTAJA started to direct support the “third line" and the thoughts of Gorbatshev.
The people of the “third line” had discussions with opportunistic part of SKP at 80’s and they tried with the different admission politics get opportunistic part of SKP to agree continuing the activity the SKP. This has not been in the plan of opportunistic part of SKP and 20th meeting of delegates of SKP gave to the centre committee of the SKP right to separate from the SKP these district organisation which demands to continue SKP’s activity. At spring 1989 was held “left forum” in Finland, whereby participated representatives of (1) opportunistic part of SKP, (2) “third line”, (3) left socialists and (4) various general leftists people. There was decided to establish Left Alliance, which would replace Communist Party. Activity of SKP was stopped in the 22nd meeting of delegates of the SKP at 1990. Same year was established Left Alliance, which gave up from the working class ideology and did not present any type of class ground to its work.
Destiny of the SKP was however sealed already long before 22nd meeting of delegates. In the middle of 80’s started Marxist-Leninist field people demand establishing of the new communist party. As a result of that was called together convention of SKP organisations by the executives of TIEDONANTAJA movement at spring 1986. But so far views of the Marxist-Leninist part of the SKP points had directed to the viewpoint of the “third line” and thinking of the Gorbatshev, and this meeting was not able to make right assessment of the situation. There were decided to continue activity basis from “third line” as the internal parallel organization for SKP. That organisation were named later to SKP(y) (y=yhtenäisyys=unity). Line of the SKP(y) was (1) the powerful commitment to Left Alliance until it was thrown out from there, and (2) powerful commitment to Gorbatshev and Soviet Union until to its final fragmentation. Later at 90’s SKP(y) managed to got itself rights take name of the Finnish Communist Party (SKP). Current "new SKP" does not lean in its programs to Marxist-Leninist social science but it has replaced their theoretical base some kind of leftist university sociology. In its documents emphasized SKP’s commitment to the popular movements. When traditionally Marxist-Leninist parties supports developing of popular front against big capital, sees the SKP that they are frame of this kind of popular front, whereby the different movements are clinging.
After 1986 had been assured, that the Marxist-Leninist part of the SKP does not able to make any type of solution even, when stopping of the activity of the SKP and SKDL was reality. After misguiding the ideological course of the Communist Party of Soviet Union executives of TIEDONANTAJA movement could not yet able to see situation clearly just followed line of Communist Party of Soviet Union and Gorbatshev until the end. As this consequence class viewed communists established in the spring 1988 Communist Workers Party (KTP), when had realized clearly, that establishing of the own party is only method to continue work of the Marxist-Leninist communist party in our country.
KTP was defined at the beginning for the party of the working class, which defends the working class and its allies. For the ideological base of the KTP was defined scientific Marxism-Leninism, founded by Marx, Engels and Lenin. The main actor of the social development was still seen to be class-struggle between working class and capitalist class. In the programmable documents of KTP were resolved quite clearly necessity of the ally politics and principles how from the democratic renewals of the society can be moved to the socialistic development. About the fight against EU was estimated in the KTP that EU is synonym for the monetarist and new liberalist politics. Accordingly to that policy, the EU opponents have to be as the core of the popular front which opposes the new liberalist politics. Programmable documents of KTP were indications that on the KTP were examined Marxist-Leninist assessment of the social development of our time.
However, also KTP divided to the line disagreements in 2002. As the main reason for the KTP’s fragmentation was, that in the situation, in which to the KTP was opened possibility to make democratic popular front politics and collect together power against EU, majority of the Central Council of the KTP did not dare to put into effect the most important tactical task which was mentioned in the programmable documents: building the democratic popular front against big capital. Disagreements on developing of the tactical target of communists, the popular front against monopolies led at March 2002 to firing of the chief-editor of party newspapers, TYÖKANSAN SANOMAT and General Secretary of the KTP from their tasks. Later almost half previously members of KTP’s Central Council were forced to leave their place. During these events KTP lost its possibility to seize it task, which belongs historically to the communist. Negative decision of the developing of the popular front politics stopped the development of the KTP. It comes clear, that at KTP is not able to make initiative to open discuss of the ally politics against monopolies.
12. Problems of KTP and SKP
There must answer to the question, why SKP and KTP do not have today ability to assess problems of the class-struggle in the current world with the help Marxist sociology? From the part of the SKP, matter came already clarified: fragmentation process of the communist and labour movement bore in the Marxist-Leninist part of the “old” SKP “third line” tendency, which found its power from the ideology of Gorbatshev, and because of that SKP gave up Marxist-Leninist analysis. What was the background of KTP’s problems, because it was however able to develop right assessments? When KTP was found, to the party was joined members who were gravitated to Marxist-Leninists analysis of the society, but party was joined also left-wing extremist part of members, which bargained until to the end the external principles of the communist movement and characters. They did not even know always Marxist-Leninist contents of these characters and principles otherwise as on the basis of subjective images. In KTP was possibility to develop right Marxist-Leninist line by Marxist-Leninist membership. Prepared documents were accepted, because in the opinion of the all these showed good as the printed to the paper. When it came time and possibility, with the questions of EU and its destructive influence by its newliberal policy on the large majority of Finnish people, to execute together accepted main line for use, revealed, that part of the members of KTP did not understood principles of the tactics of the communist movement and KTP’s own documents. In that context executives of the KTP and SKP have same problem, Marxism-Leninism is replaced instinctual “theory”.
Founding of the Communist League took place when there was not choice, because there were not place for Marxist-Leninist line among the Finnish parties. At the statement given at the founding meeting was said: "New organisation criticizes SKP because party gave ups at 80's the Marxism-Leninism. KTP will criticize on its clearly noticeable separation from the main part of working class. KTP agrees cooperation only organizations with ideologically same opinions". So far Communist League has accepted the own party program. The program has translated also in English and it is readable in internet: http://kommunistienliitto.tk/. Communist League is soon publishing also two more documents: "90 years activity of the communists in Finland” and “Reasons of the difficulties of the Socialism and Communist movement". Communists League is centred its activity to (1) defend powerfully to develop popular front against of the big capital and to (2) integration of the communist movement on the basis of Marxism-Leninism. On the popular front is said in our documents following: "The most important task of the democratic front politics is to defend livelihood and life assurance of the working people and to remove Finland from the new liberal economic policy of EU. This kind of popular front cannot be built without strong communist party, which is able to do scientific analysis of the society on the basis on Marxism-Leninism and which have the ability to function as a motor of the extensive popular front and which is able to do cooperation with all organizations, which see that apposing of the power and domination of the big capital is also their benefit". Of the cooperation between the communists is said: "Developing of the cooperation between SKP, KTP, Communist Youth League and Communists League is necessary for the organizing of the united Marxist-Leninist party to our country.
In Communist League we have noticed that development of the communist and labour movement in Finland reflects development elsewhere in the world. We in Finland must, as the national level, develop Marxist-Leninist party and internationally communist and labour parties have to have aim to develop new class-struggle tactics against capitalism- and imperialism. In this work we want cooperation all with organizations, which also see necessity of that task.
At Helsinki 23rd September 2005
On behalf of Communists League
Kalevi Wahrman Esko Koivisto
Chairman Vice-chairman