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organisations about Ukranie's war, also if does not have the same
positions, for developing debate and actions in all countries.
PCN(Maoist-Revolutionary)
The inter-imperialist
contradiction and Ukraine
– Indra Mohan Sigdel
Introduction
There has been a fierce war
after the Russian Army invaded an independent and sovereign state,
Ukraine, on February 24, 2022. The main cities, including Kyiv,
Kharkiv, and Mariupol, have been devastated. There are reports of
large-scale military, civilian and physical damages to both sides.
Not only military structures and also public structures like schools,
hospitals, and theater halls have been targets of Russian missiles.
It is estimated that around 10 million Ukrainians have fled to
neighboring countries as refugees.
At first glance, Russia's
military invasion of Ukraine is unjust. There is no dispute about
this. However, unilateral opposition to Russia without understanding
the root cause of the Russian invasion of Ukraine cannot reach the
depth of the problem and so leads to a subjective conclusion. On the
surface, the current war is between Russia and Ukraine, but its crux
is rather different. Without understanding the role of US
imperialism, one cannot reach a correct conclusion on this war. In
essence, it is the result of the conflict between Russian and US
imperialism. This article will focus on this topic.
Founding of the Soviet
Union
To understand the relationship
that exists between Russia, Ukraine, and the United States, one needs
to go back to the second decade of the 20th century. Following the
success of the Russian October Socialist Revolution in 1917,
proletarian revolutions advanced in several countries in Eastern
Europe and Asia bordering Russia. One of them was Ukraine. The
working-class people, led by the Communist Party of Ukraine,
established the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic in Ukraine. In
the meantime, Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic was established in
Belarus as well. On December 30, 1922, Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, and
Transcaucasian Republics founded the Soviet Union. Later on, many
other nations which were parts of the Russian empire joined it. In
total, there were 15 nations in the Soviet Union, which comprised
Russia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan,
Armenia, Belarus, Tajikistan, Latvia, Moldova, Estonia, Ukraine,
Lithuania, and Georgia. It was a voluntary unification of
nations with the right to secede, a practical manifestation of the
right of nations to self-determination.
The Second World War
With the advance of socialism
in the Soviet Union and the severe economic crisis that emerged in
the capitalist countries in the 1930s, the contradiction between the
socialist and capitalist countries, on the one hand, and between the
various imperialist countries, on the other, escalated. In that
situation, fascist rulers such as Mussolini and Hitler launched
military attacks in Europe and Africa aimed at destroying Socialist
Russia and establishing fascist rule the world over. In the meantime,
Japan also was carrying out military offenses to expand its empire in
China and other East Asian countries. The United States, which was
not initially involved in the war, was drawn into it after Japan
carried out a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. In that situation,
Russia, Britain, and the United States formed an anti-fascist united
front and the war later turned into World War II. Italian, German and
Japanese fascists got defeated in the war that lasted from 1939 to
1945. Stalin's role was vital in the context of World War II.
After the fascists got defeated
in World War II, not only did the Soviet Union defend itself but it
also expanded its influence globally. It resulted in the
establishment of socialism in about a dozen countries in Eastern
Europe. Japan's defeat in World War II helped bring the victory of
the Chinese New Democratic Revolution closer. The wave of the
national liberation movement spread the world over, the colonies
became independent, and the era of direct colonialism came to an end.
It was a significant achievement for the communist revolutionaries.
Consequently, the communists became offensive and the capitalists
turned defensive.
Cold war period
Scared of the Russian victory
in World War II and the attraction towards socialism the world over,
the imperialists rushed to Washington aimed at forming an
international military alliance to contain Russia. Accordingly, on
April 4, 1949, the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Belgium,
France, Norway, Italy, Netherlands, Denmark, Luxembourg, Iceland, and
Portugal founded a military alliance called the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization (NATO). Later, Turkey and Greece joined the alliance in
1952, West Germany in 1955, and Spain in 1982. The process of joining
NATO continues even to this day.