Third Worldism

[Orcris]

What is Third Worldism? I have noticed that it's disliked around here, but judging by the Wikipedia article on it, it is the idea that revolutions are more likely in developing countries than in developed countries. That idea makes sense to me and seems to agree with Lenin's idea that revolution must happen at the weakest links of capitalism. What is Third Worldism?

[Fourth Internationalist]

The major problem with third worldism is that its view of the world is the first world vs the third world rather than the working class vs the capitalist class. Many third worldists believe the interests of the first world worker are that of imperialism, and that is why it is up to the third world to produce socialism aka complete non-sense. While you could reasonably argue as a non-third worldist that it is more likely that third world revolutions will be the way to socialism and communism, the reason that third worldists think that is the main problem I have with them.

[Brandon's Impotent Rage]

Third Worldism is a great example of how good intentions can have bad consequences. It starts from a common and correct concern: The way that third world nations are constantly and ruthlessly victimized and exploited by capitalists for cheap labor, cheap resources and local military support. Any decent, moral person would be literally sick with rage at how these people are treated.

But then it veers off in the wrong direction: instead of the Great Conflict being about workers vs. capital, it becomes about 'decadent westerners' vs. the patriotic liberators of the nation. It does the exact same thing that the reactionaries try to do by dividing up workers against themselves, putting all blame on The West instead of the bourgeoisie among them.

All workers' struggles are equal in their importance, because capitalism is a global system. All workers are under its yoke, regardless of their current location and means.

[Prof. Oblivion]

The major problem with third worldism is that its view of the world is the first world vs the third world rather than the working class vs the capitalist class. Many third worldists believe the interests of the first world worker are that of imperialism, and that is why it is up to the third world to produce socialism aka complete non-sense. While you could reasonably argue as a non-third worldist that it is more likely that third world revolutions will be the way to socialism and communism, the reason that third worldists think that is the main problem I have with them.

To expand on this even further, even if we took such a narrative at face value, it's been outdated by a couple of years. Economic and political developments in the past few years have brought the "third world" countries into much closer integration and collaboration with "first world" powers that the entire premise is essentially meaningless. Third worldists fail to understand that economic/political integration has rendered their world view obsolete and that these governments work so closely together that there really isn't such a thing as "anti-imperialist third worldism". This has never been more obvious than it is today when it's quite clear that these governments openly collaborate and are so integrated that any analysis not based on fundamental class premises is just wrong. I would even extend such a critique to groups that focus so much on imperialism like FRSO and whatnot.

[Djoko]

Socialist revolutions have to happen in most developed capitalist countries first

[TheEmancipator]

Socialist revolutions have to happen in most developed capitalist countries first

Umm... Why?

Many Third World countries are still closer to a feudal system than the capitalist one, certainly before communist revolutions changed them. If anything it is they who need revolutions more than the capitalist developed West. I certainly believe third world proletarians are more exploited than Western proletariat groups. They've pretty much replaced most of the productive classes in Europe for example. We are reliant on them.

It is therefore vital that the Third World proletariat joins forces in eradicating bourgeois governments around the World.

[Sotionov]

One of the main reasons for my radical impossibilism, of not fighting wanting to fight for better condition of the workers, is because I think that one of the main reasons the workers in the "first world" got their better standard of living is the bourgeoisie outsourcing exploitation to the "third world". But I still don't support "third world" national liberation movements unless they're libertarian socialist.

[Akshay!]

But I still don't support "third world" national liberation movements unless they're libertarian socialist.

which means, in practice,


I don't support "third world" national liberation movements.

[Sotionov]

I support the Kurds and the Zapatistas.