Movements In Asia Research Articles

Marxism, Nationalism, and Russia

The XIXth-century founders of contemporary Marxism willed a surprisingly slim written legacy to their followers on what role, if any, nationalism would play in paving road to socialism. Perhaps it was their preoccupation with economics, but fact remains that neither Marx nor Engels took time to lay down in black and white a cohesive national program for their disciples of yesterday and today to follow. Nevertheless, their comments on nationalism, scattered up and down their voluminous writings, had a significant effect on revolutionary strategy of Lenin and development of Bolshevik nationality policy. Their literary outpourings have assumed an even greater importance today in face of growing national movements in Asia and Africa. The conflict between nationalism and proletarian internationalism has sharpened in last generation and posed a difficult question for Marxists concerning independence movements in colonial and semi-colonial nations; namely, where do loyalties of industrial proletariat lie in freedom movements led by national bourgeoisie? The dilemma is not readily resolved by turning to works of two Socialist prophets. Unfortunately, Marx and Engels displayed an ambivalent attitude toward problems of nationalism, national selfdetermination, and national struggles in backward areas of world. On one hand, for example, they viewed nationalism as a fading phenomenon, while on other they urged proletariat to establish itself as the nation. Marx and Engels openly supported principle of national self-determination of historical peoples for Poles, Hungarians, Italians, and Irish, but bitterly denounced same aspirations of Ukrainians, Croats, Czechs, and other small ethnic groups of multi-national Russian, Prussian, and Austrian empires. Despite over-all internationalist import of their revolutionary ideology, Marx and Engels exhibited unmistakable taint of German chauvinism through their call for unification of Germany at expense of Danish self-determination in Schleswig province. The workers of different nations had too much in common to be drawn into fratricidal wars among capitalist states, Marx said; but this did not discourage Engels from urging German workers to fight to last

Political Involvement of India's Trade Unions: A Case Study of the Anatomy of the Political Labor Movement in Asia.

Political Involvement of India's Trade Unions: A Case Study of the Anatomy of the Political Labor Movement in Asia.

Traditional Role Performance and the Development of Modern Political Parties: The Indian Case

T HE INEFFECTIVENESS OF political parties has been an important factor in the collapse of many parliamentary regimes in the developing areas. In the immediate post-colonial era, nationalist movements in Asia and Africa were converted into political parties. Only in a few of these countries have parties proved capable of running relatively stable and effective governments in a competitive environment. More often, stability and order have been maintained at the price of eliminating competition; either one-party authoritarian states have been created or the governing party has been displaced by military rule. In still other countries, the failure of parties to maintain central authority has resulted in the near disintegration of the nation-state through civil war. Thus in the age-old attempt to balance stable authority and competitive politics, some countries such as Ghana and Guinea have moved toward stable authority without competitive politics or, as in the Congo, competitive politics without stable authority. Relatively few countries-Nigeria, India, Malaysia and the Philippines come to mind-have been able to provide both. An effective political party in a developing nation is not essential for the management of a government which can carry out the wide range and volume of decisions associated with the use of state power for maintaining national integration or stimulating economic development. But surely the existence of some cohesive national leadership with public support and coercive authority to carry out these self-imposed tasks is essential. A party organization is simply one means by which a leadership organizes itself for the dual purpose of controlling government and creating popular support. A successful party may perform many other important functions for a political system including recruiting personnel for government, political socialization, defining political issues, managing societal conflicts and

Communism and the West in Asian Countries

The most important movement in the world to day, from the standpoint of history, is the movement in Asia, Africa, and Latin America of the majority of the human race to improve its living conditions, material and spiritual. The East-West ideological conflict and the power struggle are im portant, but only negatively. The economic revolution sought by the depressed majority of mankind has, in the past, been made unaided, but only with great suffering and effort. Foreign aid from richer, developed countries can bring about the revolu tion faster and with less suffering. Whichever of the two power blocs is eventually invited to give the most help will incident ally be the winner in the power competition between the two blocs. The underdeveloped peoples do not care whether Russia or the West wins. The question to them is: Which of the two competing ways of life—liberal democratic or Communistic— can be more useful to the majority of the human race? Democ racies, even established ones, seem generally to feel a lack of the right kind of citizen; the dire famine of effective citizens in the underdeveloped world makes the problem of democratic leadership especially acute there. An authoritarian regime requires fewer effective citizens to operate efficiently. Yet, liberal democracy has been the first choice of emerging coun tries, and interim regimes similar to the recent Pakistan ex periment in so-called basic democracy may suggest a possible course for teaching self-government to politically and econom ically backward people.—Ed.

Recent Soviet views on Asia

That the U.S.S.R. has felt the necessity of watching Asian events even more closely since the emergence of a Communist regime in Peking in October, 1949, is not surprising. What may, however, cause an observer from the Australian angle to raise his eyebrows is the revelation that official Soviet academicians not been awake to the movement of Eastern events. The war in Korea first reinforced the need for a fresh conspectus. Now further evidence of a requirement for deeper diagnosis of movements in Asia is to be found in the new journal Soviet Oriental Studies (Sovetskoe Vostokovcdenie), first published in Moscow in 1955. Six issues appear per annum. These issues together with two for 1956 been received by the Australian Institute of International Affairs. The journal is the official organ of the Oriental Institute of the Academy of Sciences of the U.S.S.R. In the first issue for 1956 there is an opening article dealing with the Tasks of the Study of the Contemporary East. Intermingled with much Marxist-Leninist terminology one finds a reference to the remark of Deputy-Premier A. I. Mikoyan (already quoted in the June issue of the Australian Outlook) calling on the Soviet Institute of Oriental Studies to wake up and rise to the requirements of our time (1,1956, p. 6). Soviet Oriental economists (it is said) have principally studied the activity of foreign capital in the business life of Eastern lands (p. 7). Inadequate attention has been paid to internal processes and to native capitalistic development. For instance, such countries as Indonesia and Saudi Arabia, although not freed from the economic power of imperialism are now exercising an independent policy {ibid). The probability of the clash of the native with foreign finance capital or with local landowners is emphasised. The writer of what in effect is a leading article does not think Soviet Orientalists realised that the national bourgeoisie in India, Burma, Indonesia and Egypt is a matter of great significance. Soviet scholars should not exclude an acknowledgment of the evident positive role of Gandhi in the history of the struggle of the Indian people. Similar errors in the evaluation of bourgeois parties and their leaders are declared to been made by Soviet thinkers in the case of Turkey, the Arab States, Burma and Indonesia. It might be pertinent here to note that in Pravda of 12 Sept. last appeared a full account of the visit to the Soviet of President Soekarno

Manchuria in World Politics

Review| August 01 1932 Manchuria in World Politics Tyler Dennett* Tyler Dennett* *Dr. Dennett has joined the Board of Current History Associates as successor to Professor Harold S. Quigley, who, owing to pressure of other work, finds himself unable to continue as our regular contributor on Far Eastern affairs. Dr. Dennett, a graduate of Williams College and Johns Hopkins University, was connected with the Department of State as Chief of the Division of Publications and as Historical Adviser for nearly ten years until his appointment to his present position of Professor of International Relations at Princeton University. His books include The Democratic Movement in Asia (1918), Americans in Eastern Asia (1923). Roosevelt and the Russo-Japanese War (1924), a life of John Hay which will be published shortly, and a selection of Hay’s letters and diaries which is now being edited. Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar Current History (1932) 36 (5): 623–627. https://doi.org/10.1525/curh.1932.36.5.623 Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Share Icon Share Twitter LinkedIn Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Cite Icon Cite Search Site Citation Tyler Dennett*; Manchuria in World Politics. Current History 1 August 1932; 36 (5): 623–627. doi: https://doi.org/10.1525/curh.1932.36.5.623 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentCurrent History Search This content is only available via PDF. © 1932 by The Regents of the University of California1932 Article PDF first page preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this content.