The National Democratic Movement and The Political Activist - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

The National Democratic Movement and The Political Activist

Objectives 1. To learn what is national democracy and the origins of the nd movement 2. To learn what the role of the political activist is 3. to learn how to explain what nd is to other people

What is National Democracy? INtroduction “It is a vigorous movement of human and material forces challenging the old Establishment… born of the historical struggle of our people against Spanish colonialism and U.S. imperialism.” “The term national democracy sums up the people’s view of their interests and aspirations, particularly at this stage of our history when as a people we suffer from the dictates of U.S. imperialism and the persistence of feudalism.”

What does it mean to be a patriot? INtroduction “The true patriot is a militant.” “His militance goes by the interests of his entire people… he can never be validly described as an extremist so long as he is fighting the local tyranny of the compradors, landlords and corrupt bureaucrats.”

INtroduction What is the ND struggle? & The “...we are still short of organized men and women Development conscious of the necessity of national democratic of National struggle and… we run short of the necessary Democracy organized strength to overcome imperialism and feudalism.” “The national democratic movement arouses the people to mobilize them in order not only to remove the root causes of national exploitation but also to develop the mass strength to engage in nation-building.”

The The rise of the Filipino nation Development of National “The Filipino nation as a political entity is a recent Democracy historical development. It was born out of struggle.” “The Philippine revolution became the ultimate process by which the Filipino nation took shape. It developed as a climax of all the sporadic struggles made by our people in scattered places and at separated times through the more than 350 years that Spanish colonial power succeeded”

The Folly of the Filipino People The Development of National What allowed the domination of the Filipino people? Democracy 1) The lack of national consciousness (according to Dr. Jose Rizal) 2) The selfishness of the old native ruling class, the rajahs and datus, and their compromising attitude towards the foreign rulers. 3) Suppression and coercion of the conquistadors, and, “the suasive approach of the ostensibly humble and kind missionaries”

The Role of the first nd The Development Activists of National After numerous sporadic armed rebellions against Democracy armed oppression, “Ultimately, the revolutionary imagination of an entire people was inflamed against a common enemy and against the entire system.” “It became the role of the first national democratic activists to lead and clarify the situation for people. They were the ones who led the people to fight-and the people easily joined the Philippine revolution because of its patriotic and democratic content.”

Shit the united states like: The imperialism development of national When the United States snatched away the democracy freedom of the new-born Philippines, the Filipino people were faced with a threat from a nation that had a military-industrial capacity which was far superior to Spain’s. The U.S. used liberal language to deceive the ilustrado who gained class leadership of the revolution. The U.S.’s method of imperialism was sophisticated in its approach and meticulous in its application.

The U.S. Imperialism con’t development of national Stability in the Philippines exists only on the democracy uppermost level of power, however unrest among the masses is apparent (as evidenced by the constant protesting and conflicts in the country) The ND movement never was truly destroyed by U.S. imperialism as history affirms that in every decade since colonization, there has been serious opposition from the movement.

The Yet even more U.S. Imperialism development of national U.S. imperialism targeted the bourgeois class of democracy the Philippines to assure their hold on the country. By “educating,” them and allowing “self-government” of the country under the U.S. educated bourgeois politicians, the U.S. government affirmed its influence over the Philippines

The Effects of U.S. attempts of development filling government seats of national democracy 1) The newly formed Philippine government became assimilated to a neo-colonialist mentality which allowed for concessions to be made with the U.S. rather than demands for immediate independence 2) Led to labor unrest in the early 20’s, causing the brutal suppression of the Sakdalistas and the Communist Party

The The U.S. during WWII development of national The United States was hailed as the saviors of democracy the Philippines, regardless of the success the Filipino armed elements during the U.S. absence MacArthur’s return to the Philippines was considered to have been the saving grace of the conflict in the country

Independence In Name, U.S. Military Power in the Semi-Colony In Content Philippines Bell Trade Act → Act passed by the U.S. Congress prior to the ● Philippines’ “Independence” from the United States. Also known as the Philippine Trade Act, its passing effectively tethered the Philippine economy to the U.S. economy--with the former being subordinated to the latter. ● Parity Amendment → Legally allowed for the exploitation of natural resources of the Philippines by both U.S. citizens and Filipino citizens. In practice, this leads to the expansion of U.S. Imperialist control over Philippine natural resources and the super-exploitation of these natural resources and peasant labor by the Filipino ruling class. ● The return of U.S. military presence to the Philippines meant also the return--and indeed, EXPANSION--of U.S. military hegemony over the country in the form of the military bases.

U.S. Military Independence In Name, Power in the Semi-Colony In Content Philippines “The imposition of the Parity Amendment and the Bell Trade Act...has meant the re-established internal control of our economy and the perpetuation of a colonial form of economy which provides raw materials to the United States and other capitalist countries and which serves as the dumping ground of finished products from abroad.”

U.S. Military WHY? (IMPERIALISM) Power in the Philippines Why do imperialists in general, and the U.S. in particular want to “protect,” the Philippines via its military bases? $$$ The insatiable Capitalist-Imperialist desire for profit (read: economic exploitation,) is what fuels the U.S. Imperialists to culturally, politically, and militarily exploit the FIlipino people.

The meaning WHY? (NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC of national REVOLUTION) democracy “National Democracy is necessary in the struggle of our people for social justice, whereby the freedom of the entire nation is first secured so that the nation-state that has been secured would allow within its framework the masses of the Filipino people to enjoy the democratic rights to achieve their social emancipation.”

The meaning TWO MAIN TASKS OF THE ND of national MOVEMENT: democracy 1) “To assert our national sovereignty against imperialist power(s) in all fields” 2) “To effect basic agrarian reform as the main content of our democratic struggle at the present stage”

Knowledge of WHO ARE “THE PEOPLE?” the objective forces “It is easy to say that for the national democratic movement to succeed there should be the support of the people. But, there is the need to clarify what we meant by the term people.” “Let us, therefore, clarify what are the popular forces of national democracy…”

Grasp the WHAT FORCES OPERATE IN THE balance of PHILIPPINES? forces “It is a matter of strategy for the activist of national democracy to know the basic forces to be aligned and concentrated against the rightist forces.” Progressive and Conservative and Revolutionary Reactionary “In order for the left wing to triumph politically, it is necessary for it to win over most of the middle forces. The same rule applies to the right wing. If the left wing wins over the middle wing, it results into the isolation of the right wing.”

The correct WHAT IS TO BE DONE? approach “In the long run, the national democratic movement will be strong if the masses are conscious of the anti-imperialist and anti-feudal struggle, pursue their democratic ends militantly both in urban and rural areas, and are highly organized. The activist must be able to observe carefully the vacillations and zig-zags of the middle forces. He/she must ensure that the adoption and implementation of the anti-imperialist and anti-feudal policy by the middle forces are converted into advantage for the main force of the movement. If the middle-middle wing or the right middle wing should betray the Philippine revolution, it is not surprising, and the activist must never be caught by surprise because , after all, he/she has prepared the masses well for a protracted struggle, with its tactical ups and downs.”

WHO SERVES THE PEOPLE? It is up to the political activist within the National Democratic Movement to Arouse, Organize, and Mobilize the broad Masses of the People towards National Democracy for the downfall of Imperialism, Feudalism, and Bureaucrat-Capitalism!