We have to discuss nationalism. This phenomenon has led to the most horrific acts known in human history, but so many people view it positively. Why is that, and what does Nationalism do to the working class? Nationalism itself is the division of the world population by way of nation or ethnicity. The Foundation of modern countries is built on this idea, that’s why the current level of statehood our society is centered around is the Nation State. The idea of a Nation State is that the entire ethnicity, or nation, is contained in a single geo-political entity.
Bordiga, in his article The Factors of Race and Nation in Marxist Theory, laid out plainly that Marx and Lenin both viewed Nationalism with contempt, but also understood its value in certain contexts. Within a Feudal, or otherwise precapitalist struggle, national liberation can be used to accelerate the processes of a bourgeois revolution. This can be a great thing in these precapitalist struggles, as the hierarchy forms in precapitalist societies are more rigid and oppressive than bourgeois societies.
That being said, Marx, Lenin, and Bordiga all contend that the nationalism used to free the oppressed nations of pre-capitalist societies must be stopped completely to enter socialism. Lenin, in his criticisms of the Polish communists, made the argument that the bourgeois attachment to nationalism, and self determination in particular, is a ploy to go rogue. This would be disastrous to the socialist society, and emblematic of reactionary thought.
While it’s true that ethnicity is technically an identity everyone has, to the Marxist, this identity shouldn’t matter at all to the modern worker. Nationalism only separates the working class, since it limits the community a worker cares about to their immediate countrymen. While that might seem desirable, We as Marxists must ensure that the working class is united against the Bourgeois classes, or else they may fall to factionalism. Nationalism only serves the Bourgeois class, since it divides the working class, which then cannot unite as a singular force to overthrow the international class order.
Workers have identities that may separate them, but one thing they all have in common is that they work to live. The worker’s identity that matters is that of a wage earner, since that’s what unifies the class. Let’s take this further and combine it with our previous analyses of the bourgeoisie from our Guide to the Bourgeoisie. The bourgeoisie can be either national or international, but the working class is inherently international. Think of it this way, if the bourgeoisie control the countries of the world, and they only care about the interests of the bourgeoisie, then those countries are bourgeois countries. Why would a worker identify with a country that doesn’t have their interests in mind?
Instead, Marxists should strive to both liberate oppressed nations, as well as smash nationalism once those oppressed nations are freed. The goal of a Marxist isn’t to mindlessly force society into a utopia. There are a lot of theory texts and real world studies that go into how Communism is a natural progression. While a communist society requires an intentional revolution to bring it about, if the right conditions aren’t present, then that effort could be wasted completely. Instead, Marxists should focus on organizing based on their societal system. For example, if your society is made up mostly of peasants, then it would make no sense to completely ignore the peasant class.
It cannot be stressed enough that Marxists are against nationalism. There may be reasons to support national liberation, but nationalism as a concept only serves the bourgeoisie. While it may be in the interests of marxists to see all peoples free, nationalist states are not a viable option to obtain this end. Marxists must remember that the nation should be relegated only to culture and linguistics. If it were to expand, then reactionism might take place.