Duncan B.
It is essential that Marxist-Leninists have an understanding of dialectical materialism, and in particular the question of contradiction. Mao Zedong analysed the question of contradiction in detail in his article On Contradiction, written in 1937. He wrote: “The law of contradiction in things, that is, the law of the unity of opposites, is the basic law of materialist dialectics.”He determined that contradiction exists in the process of development of all things and that a movement of opposites exists in the process of development of each thing from beginning to end. Mao called this the “universality of contradiction.”
Thus, “the fundamental cause of the development of a thing lies in the contradictoriness within the thing. This internal contradiction exists in every single thing, hence its motion and development. Contradictoriness within a thing is the fundamental cause of its development, while its interrelations and interactions with other things are secondary causes.”
Mao pointed out that every form of motion contains within itself its own particular contradiction that distinguishes it from other forms, calling this the “particularity of contradiction.”
Contradiction is not only found in the natural world; it also features in human societies: “Changes in class society are due chiefly to the development of the internal contradictions in society, that is, the contradiction between the productive forces and the relations of production, the contradiction between classes and the contradiction between the old and the new, it is the development of these contradictions that pushes society forward and gives the impetus for the supercession of the old society by the new.”
The principal contradiction
In a complex process, there can be many contradictions. The principal contradiction determines and influences the existence and development of the other contradictions. If we did not identify the principal contradiction in any complex situation involving several contradictions, not only would we fail to identify our real enemies, we could not take advantage of the contradictions between various classes in Australian society to further the revolutionary cause.
Having identified the principal contradiction, the revolutionary forces can make use of the other contradictions to isolate US imperialism and hasten its defeat. Once this occurs, a new principal contradiction will come to the fore. It is essential that we do not confuse the various contradictions in a complex situation. To do so leads us to confuse the stages in the revolutionary process and commit ‘left’ or ‘right’ errors.
The principal aspect of a contradiction
The principal aspect of a contradiction is the one playing the leading role in the contradiction. The nature of a thing is determined mainly by the principal aspect of a contradiction, the aspect that has gained the dominant position. However the situation is not static, the principal and non-principal aspects can transform themselves into each other and the nature of the thing changes accordingly. This change is determined by the extent of the increase or decrease in the force of each aspect in its struggle against the other.
The identity and struggle of the aspects of a contradiction
The identity of the aspects of a contradiction means first; that the existence of each of the two aspects of a contradiction in the process of the development of a thing presupposes the existence of the other aspect, and both aspects coexist in a single entity; second, in given conditions, each of the two contradictory aspects transforms itself into its opposite. While focussing mainly on the principal aspect, it is still important to consider the secondary aspect. This takes into account both unity and division; it unveils the nature of the process of change and the trend of change.
The struggle between the aspects of a contradiction permeates a process from beginning to end and makes one process transform itself into another. An example of this is that the by means of revolution the proletariat is transformed from the ruled into the ruling class, and vice versa for the bourgeoisie.
In considering the relation between the identity and struggle of the aspects of a contradiction Mao quoted Lenin; “the unity (coincidence, identity, equal action) of opposites is conditional, temporary, transitory, relative. The struggle of mutually exclusive opposites is absolute, just as development and motion are absolute.”
The place of antagonism in contradiction
Antagonism is one form, but not the only form, of the struggle of opposites. As Mao stated, “Contradiction and struggle are universal and absolute, but the methods of resolving contradictions, that is, the form of struggle, differ according to the differences in the nature of the contradictions. Some contradictions are characterised by open antagonism, others are not. In accordance with the concrete development of things, some contradictions which were originally non-antagonistic develop into antagonistic ones, while others which were originally antagonistic develop into non-antagonistic ones.”
An example of the first type is the contradiction between the exploiting and exploited classes. The two coexist in class society and struggle against each other for a long period of time until the contradiction between them reaches a certain stage. The contradiction becomes openly antagonistic and develops into revolution.
An example of the second type is the contradiction between town and country. Under capitalism this contradiction is extremely antagonistic as the capitalists of the town exploit the countryside. Under socialism, this contradiction still exists, but becomes non-antagonistic as the working class in power supports and unites with the people of the countryside.
The Communist Party must not confuse the methods of resolving antagonistic and non-antagonistic contradictions. Non-antagonistic contradictions must only be resolved by peaceful means such as debate, education and ideological struggle.
In an article of this nature we can only touch on the key points of On Contradiction in a limited way. We urge readers to obtain a copy of this essential work of Marxism-Leninism and study it in detail in order to understand the role played by contradiction in shaping the course of revolutionary struggle.
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