1/ Today Karl Marx died. I'm the last person to idealize Marx, but I found more interesting to look at:
How did Marx treat Ukraine and Russia? What was his positions on peace negotiation and "compromises"?
And lets see, how different "Tankies" are from Marx
2/ In 1853 Russia started a war against the Ottomans Marx is angry on passivity of Western forces, and under such dissatisfaction writes about how "Western powers" "Answers to the acts of the [Russian] Autocrat are not cannons, but notes". The full quote is in the next tweet.
3/ "What are the Western powers about? They counsel, that is, compel, the Sultan to consider the war as peace. Their answers to the acts of the Autocrat are not cannons, but notes. The Emperor is assailed, not by the two fleets, but by no less than four projects of negotiation"
4/ "To the arrogance of the Autocrat they have replied with symptoms of cowardice. They have encouraged the very assumptions they have deprecated, just as poltroons always encourage bullies to be overbearing"
5/ Russia demanded a protectorate over "oppressed Christians" in the Ottoman Empire. To Which Marx jokingly replies: "Nicholas, more moderate, "only" demands the exclusive Protectorate of Turkey!"
6/ "Mankind will not forget that Russia was the "protector" of Poland, the "protector" of the Crimea, the "protector" of Courland, the "protector" of Georgia, Mingrelia, the Circassian and Caucasian tribes. And now Russia, the protector of Turkey!"
7/ "That in all essential points Russia has steadily, one after another, gained her ends, thanks to the ignorance, dullness and consequent inconsistency and cowardice of Western governments"(...)
8/ The Western powers, on the other hand, inconsistent, pusillanimous, suspecting each other, commence by encouraging the Sultan to resist the Tsar, from fear of the encroachments of Russia, (...) all they aim at is to maintain the status quo
9/ "The revolutionary party can only congratulate itself on this state of things. The humiliation of the reactionary Western governments, and their manifest impotency to guard the interests of European civilisation against Russian encroachment"
10/ Engels was writing at that time along the same lines: "One annexation leads to another, so there is no doubt that the conquest of Turkey by Russia would be only a prelude to the annexation of Hungary, Prussia, Galicia"
11/ "Not the harsh glory of the Norman era, but the bloody swamp of slavery was the cradle of Muscovy" - was writing Marx.
12/ "What extraordinary efforts Muscovy has made, just as modern RU, to destroy states with people's rule. Novgorod first. Its traditions, policies & aspirations were so opposite to RU's that RU could only survive on its ruins.
Then Cossack Republic (Ukraine), & finally Poland"
13/ Marx writes: "Each reign of counter-revolution in Europe is accompanied by Russia's success in the East"
14/ The strengthened positions of the Russians on the Vistula threaten Germany more than all the French fortresses put together, especially from the time when the national resistance of Poland ceases to exist"
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"People of Ukraine!
With your strength, will, and word, the Free People's Republic of Ukraine came to be on earth. The old dream of your parents, fighters for the freedom and rights of workers, came true" — 4th Universal of Ukrainian Central Rada, 22th Jan 1918.
"We, the Ukrainian Central Rada, did everything to prevent this fratricidal war between two neighboring nations, but the Petrograd Government continues to wage a bloody struggle against our People and the Republic..."
"We, the Ukrainian Central Rada, elected by congresses of peasants, workers and soldiers of Ukraine, cannot stand for that in any way, we will not support any wars, because the Ukrainian people want peace, and democratic peace must be as soon as possible..."
Revolution 1917 was full of history of enslaved nations fighting for their freedom. That is Zeki Velidi Togan, a Bashkir socialist-revolutionary. For short time, joined bolsheviks, but then experiencing their imperialism, fought them, was one of the organizer of Basmachi movement
In 1920s he participated in conference of Revolutionary-Socialist parties together with german socialist Liebknecht, Russian-jewish left socialist-revolutionary Isaac Steinberg & UA Socialist-Revolutionary Mykyta Shapoval. Together they formed a faction in Vienna International
1/ OTD the last leader of #UPA, Vasyl Kuk was born. Kuk led the reformist democratic wing of #OUN
He was:
☑️ Supporter of Free, democratic, inclusive #UA
☑️ Of strong minority rights
☑️ Anti-fascist
☑️ Firm believer in "workers ownership of means of production" via stocks
2/ In 1944, as the reaction to conservatism of totalitarian wing of OUN and Volyn massacre — one of the most horrible act done by Ukrainians — created People's Liberational Revolutionary organization — organization to fight for classless, inclusive Ukraine.
3/ ➡️He thought that UPA should align with some Soviet partisans to better fight the Third Reich
➡️Others thought that better tactic would be to align German groups to hinder the advance of Soviet army and give Ukraine more time to prepare.
1/ November 7th 1917 in Petrograd violent coup brought to power one of the worst regimes of XX century — established first totalitarian dictatorship. What followed — colonization, mass repressions against workers & peasants & complete destruction of democratic & left mov. in RU
2/ Bolshevism & Leninism brought to world "totalitarian socialism" as a new mainstream in left-wing movement. Internationally, it found its main enemy not in fascist, anti-democratic or capitalist forces, but in democratic socialists. It became first inquisition against Left-wing
3/ Internally, Bolshevism immediately after revolution started the quest for colonial conquest of "One and indivisible", including war against Ukraine, later, against Georgia. As a strategy it choose to lie to population about its goals, to gather support for dictatroship
1/ Today is 170 anniversary of Mykhailo Pavlyk — Ukrainian writer, feminist activist, democratic socialist and co-founder of first UA political party — Radical Party.
He was advocate of humane socialism, separation of state & religion, women's liberation & later, UA independence
2/ Mykhailo Pavlyk most famous in spreading legacy of Ukrainian democratic socialist & federalist (Drahomanov's philosophy in some regard was very similiar to confederalist Murray Bookchin now) Mykhailo Drahomanov. Drahomanov brought to UA left idea of...
3/ Constitutionalism, parliamentarianism, self-governance, Communal cooperation, national liberation and many more. The approach of Drahomanov was strictly based on human rights, and was very critical of Marxism and scientific socialism, as he thought of it as sectarian.
1/ "...And the Ukrainian people do not want peace, but want a fight against the rapists and killers. The Ukrainian people do not believe in the illusions of peace with Soviet Russia that the peoples of Europe have, who did not experience Bolshevik rule...
2/ The government of the Ukrainian People's Republic and the heroic Ukrainian army are fighting against the Bolsheviks, being isolated from the whole world, not recognized by states and peoples, without any help..."
3/ «Ukrainian people fight not against Muscovites, but against Soviet and White imperialism, and Ukrainian government is sure that sovereign Ukrainian people could find a common language with brotherly nation of Russians, with the real Russian democracy»