NATIONAL LIBERATION IN THE OPRESSED COUNTRIES BY EARLY CAPITALIST COLONIALISM

Regarding the second moment, the struggle for national self-determination shifted to the countries under political dominance of the colonial powers as a direct result of the unequal economic development at international level. In reality, the development of colonial capitalism is quite prior to the imperialist stage. It emerges by effect of the expansion of industry in the capitalist metropolitan countries and the consequent increase in the demand for raw materials. In chapter VI of Book III, Marx demonstrates that as accumulation and productive forces of labour progress, greater is the processing of raw materials by time unit and greater, therefore, the importance of this component of the operating capital in the structure of costs and in the value of the global product. Therefore, the struggle for the dominance or control of the access to raw materials in the overseas territories, was the consequence of the struggle between the different fractions of global capital based in the metropolis for the dominance of manufacturing industry. This struggle was what determined the need of direct political and military dominance by the different capitalist powers over their colonies, a situation that was extended in many periferical regions of the planet until well into the imperialistic stage of capitalism. According to Marxist tradition, the struggle of the peoples politically oppressed in the colonies, also includes naturally the development of war for "the defence of the fatherland":

<<The war against the imperialist powers, that is, oppressors, it is on the part of the oppressed (for example, of the peoples of the colonies) a truly national war. This war is possible also today. The "defense of the fatherland" by the oppressed country against the oppressive country is not a deceit, and the socialists are not against in any way to the "defense of the fatherland" in that war.

Countries` self-determination is the same as the struggle for complete national liberation, for the complete independence, against the annexations, and the socialists cannot renounce this struggle - any be its form, even insurrection or war - without stopping being socialists>> (Ibíd)

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