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Memoirs of a revolutionary (A. Stinas, Greece): Nationalism and antifascism

The extracts were !u"lishin# from the "oo$ "y A Stinas, a revolutionary communist from

Greece (%), are an attac$ on the antifascist &esistance durin# the Second 'orld 'ar. They

thus contain a !itiless denunciation of the fusion of three mystifications which are !articularly

murderous for the !roletariat: the defence of the SS&, nationalism and democratic

antifascism.

The ex!losion of nationalisms in what used to "e the SS& and its em!ire in eastern uro!e,

li$e the develo!ment of hu#e antifascist ideolo#ical cam!ai#ns, in the countries of western

uro!e in !articular, ma$e these extracts, written at the end of the *+s, as relevant as ever ().

Today it is "ecomin# harder and harder for the esta"lished order to -ustify its rule. The

disaster that its laws have led to !revent it. ut faced with the only force ca!a"le of

overthrowin# it and "uildin# another $ind of society, faced with the !roletariat, the rulin#

class still has at its dis!osal ideolo#ical wea!ons that can divide its enemy and $ee! it

su"-ected to national factions of ca!ital. Today nationalism and anti/fascism are at the

forefront of the "our#eoisies counterrevolutionary arsenal.

A. Stinas ta$es u! the marxist analysis of &osa 0uxem"ur# on the national 1uestion, recallin#

that once ca!italism reaches its im!erialist !hase, 2... the nation has accom!lished its historic

mission. 'ars of national li"eration arid "our#eois democratic revolutions are henceforth void

of meanin#2. 3n this "asis he denounces and destroys the ar#uments of all those who called

for !artici!ation in the antifascist &esistance durin# the second world war, on the !retext that

its !o!ular and antifascist dynamic could lead to the revolution.

Stinas and the 45 (nion 4ommuniste 5nternationaliste) were !art of that handful of

revolutionaries who, durin# the second world war, were a"le to swim a#ainst the tide of all

the nationalisms, refusin# to su!!ort democracy a#ainst fascism, to a"andon internationalism

in the name of the defence of the SS&(6).

Since they are almost un$nown, even in the revolutionary milieu, !artly "ecause their wor$

only existed in the Gree$ lan#ua#e, it is worth #ivin# some elements on their history.

Stinas "elon#ed to that #eneration of communists who went throu#h the #reat international

revolutionary wave which !ut an end to the 7irst 'orld 'ar. All his life he remained faithful

to the #reat ho!es raised "y &ed 3cto"er in %8%9 and "y the German revolution of %8%8. A

mem"er of the Gree$ 4ommunist arty (in a !eriod in which the 4ommunist arties had not

yet !assed into the "our#eois cam!) until his ex!ulsion in %86%, he was then a mem"er of the

0eninist 3!!osition, which !u"lished the wee$ly ;ra!eau du 4ommunisme and which

referred to Trots$y, the international sym"ol of resistance to Stalinism.

5n %866, the 7ourth 5nternational wasnt created

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until %86?.

7rom %869 on, the 45 re-ected a fundamental slo#an of the 7ourth 5nternational: the defence

of the SS&. Stinas and his comrades didnt reach this !osition throu#h a de"ate on the social

nature of the SS&, "ut throu#h a critical examination of the !olicies and slo#ans to "e

ado!ted in the face of an imminent world war. The 45 aimed to eliminate from its

 !ro#ramme any as!ect which could allow the infiltration of social !atriotism, under the cover

of the defence of the SS&.

;urin# the Second 'orld 'ar, Stinas, as an intransi#ent internationalist, remained loyal to the

 !rinci!les of revolutionary marxism, such as 0enin and &osa 0uxem"ur# had formulated and

 !ractically a!!lied durin# the first world war.

Since %86* the 45 had "een the only section of the Trots$yist current in Greece. ;urin# all

the years of war and occu!ation, isolated from other countries, this #rou! was convinced that

the Trots$yists were fi#htin# alon# the same lines, for the same ideas, and a#ainst the stream.

The first news they #ot a"out the real !ositions of the Trots$yist 5nternational left Stinas andhis comrades o!en/mouthed. &eadin# the 7rench !am!hlet 0es trots$ystes dans la lutte

contre les na@is !rovided !roof that the Trots$yists had fou#ht a#ainst the Na@is li$e all the

other #ood !atriots. They then learned a"out the shameful attitude of 4annon and the Socialist

'or$ers arty in the SA.

5n the war, i.e. in conditions which !ut the or#anisations of the wor$in# class to the test, the

7ourth 5nternational had crum"led to dust. 5ts sections, some o!enly throu#h the defence of

the fatherland, others under the cover of the defence of the SS&, had !assed to the service

of their res!ective "our#eoisies and had in their own way contri"uted to the massacre.

5n autumn %8*9, the 45 "ro$e all !olitical and or#anisational lin$s with the 7ourth

5nternational. 5n the years that followed, the worst !eriod of counter/revolution at the !oliticallevel, when revolutionary #rou!s were reduced to tiny minorities and when most of those who

remained faithful to the "asic !rinci!les of !roletarian internationalism and the 3cto"er

revolution were com!letely isolated, Stinas "ecame the main re!resentative in Greece of the

Socialisme ou ar"arie current. This current, which never mana#ed to clarify the com!letely

ca!italist nature of the social relations in the SS&, develo!ed the theory of a $ind of third

system of ex!loitation, "ased on a new division "etween order/#ivers and order/ta$ers. 5t

moved further and further away from marxism and finally fell a!art in the %8+s. At the end

of his life, Stinas didnt really have any or#anised !olitical activity.