--- On Sat, 5/9/09, Carrol Cox <cbcox at ilstu.edu> wrote: <<If your web sources are confusing, probably you should blame the Mao's Theory of the Three Worlds which was pretty confusing to begin with. Anyhow, until the USSR is defeated by a world United *Front, that is the primary contradiction, and the contradiction between the third world and imperailism (the u.s.) is seconday. (I forget where the contradiction between the working class and capitalism came in.) But we are post-60s now, and all this throws some retrospective light on the '60s but is not directly relevant.>>
What aspect of it was confusing? When I was in the Communist Workers Party/Workers Viewpoint Organization, we touted the Three Worlds Theory heavily. Unite to defeat imperialism. This meant supporting third world countries when they stood up against imperialism. Support even second world countries when they stood up against the first world (United States and Soviet Union). It lead to some pretty weird justifications, such as when China recognized Chile after the overthrow of Allende. Not all maoist groups were on board with the Theory of 3 Worlds. RCP was not, if I recall correctly. I think Klonsky's group was though. Of course, my group the Workers Viewpoint Organiation was very supportive of it.
Thomas Seay