Ludo Martens
Encyclopedia
Ludo Martens was a Belgian
historian noted for his work on francophone
Africa
and the Soviet Union
. Martens wrote on the political history of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
, where he has lived and travelled extensively.
In 1968 he founded the group "Alle macht aan de arbeiders" (All Power to the Workers), which in 1979 became the Workers' Party of Belgium. He has also been the chairman of the Workers' Party of Belgium.
Martens was the last foreigner to meet North Korea
n President
Kim Il Sung prior to his death on 8 July 1994.
According to a press release by the Workers' Party of Belgium Martens died on the morning of June 5, 2011, after a long illness.
that challenges in particular the dominant view of collectivisation in the USSR
and the Great Purge
. He explained his motivation for writing the book in the introduction:
Martens writes primarily in French
; however, his books, especially Another View of Stalin, have been translated into Dutch
, English
, and numerous other languages.
In Another View of Stalin, Martens regards as the main factor behind the Ukrain famine (Holodomor
) to be bad conditions and the class enemy. With regard to Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
's research Gulag Archipelago, Martens stated:
n, and pro-Cuba
n. In addition there are "independents." Martens has put forward that while at a certain time these separations were important and based on principle, they can now be overcome and the movement can be united on the basis of Marxism-Leninism. In order to develop this unification process, the Workers Party of Belgium hosts the International Communist Seminar in Brussels
, which is attended by 150 organizations around the world. According to Martens:
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
historian noted for his work on francophone
Francophone
The adjective francophone means French-speaking, typically as primary language, whether referring to individuals, groups, or places. Often, the word is used as a noun to describe a natively French-speaking person....
Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
and the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. Martens wrote on the political history of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...
, where he has lived and travelled extensively.
In 1968 he founded the group "Alle macht aan de arbeiders" (All Power to the Workers), which in 1979 became the Workers' Party of Belgium. He has also been the chairman of the Workers' Party of Belgium.
Martens was the last foreigner to meet North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
n President
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
Kim Il Sung prior to his death on 8 July 1994.
According to a press release by the Workers' Party of Belgium Martens died on the morning of June 5, 2011, after a long illness.
Another View of Stalin
In 1994, Martens published Another View of Stalin, a history of the Soviet Union under StalinJoseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
that challenges in particular the dominant view of collectivisation in the USSR
Collectivisation in the USSR
Collectivization in the Soviet Union was a policy pursued under Stalin between 1928 and 1940. The goal of this policy was to consolidate individual land and labour into collective farms...
and the Great Purge
Great Purge
The Great Purge was a series of campaigns of political repression and persecution in the Soviet Union orchestrated by Joseph Stalin from 1936 to 1938...
. He explained his motivation for writing the book in the introduction:
Defending Stalin's work, essentially defending Marxism-LeninismMarxism-LeninismMarxism–Leninism is a communist ideology, officially based upon the theories of Marxism and Vladimir Lenin, that promotes the development and creation of a international communist society through the leadership of a vanguard party over a revolutionary socialist state that represents a dictatorship...
, is an important, urgent task in preparing ourselves for class struggle under the New World Order.
Martens writes primarily in French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
; however, his books, especially Another View of Stalin, have been translated into Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
, English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, and numerous other languages.
In Another View of Stalin, Martens regards as the main factor behind the Ukrain famine (Holodomor
Holodomor
The Holodomor was a man-made famine in the Ukrainian SSR between 1932 and 1933. During the famine, which is also known as the "terror-famine in Ukraine" and "famine-genocide in Ukraine", millions of Ukrainians died of starvation in a peacetime catastrophe unprecedented in the history of...
) to be bad conditions and the class enemy. With regard to Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
Aleksandr Isayevich Solzhenitsyn was aRussian and Soviet novelist, dramatist, and historian. Through his often-suppressed writings, he helped to raise global awareness of the Gulag, the Soviet Union's forced labor camp system – particularly in The Gulag Archipelago and One Day in the Life of...
's research Gulag Archipelago, Martens stated:
This man became the official voice for the five per cent of Tsarists, bourgeois, speculators, kulaks, pimps, maffiosi and VlasovitesAndrey VlasovAndrey Andreyevich Vlasov or Wlassow was a Russian Red Army general who collaborated with Nazi Germany during World War II.-Early career:...
, all justifiably repressed by the socialist state.
International Communist Seminar (Brussels)
Within the International Communist Movement, he is noted for having proposed the unification of the four main tendencies of the Marxist-Leninist movement. These are the pro-Soviet groups, the pro-Chinese, the pro-AlbaniaAlbania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
n, and pro-Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
n. In addition there are "independents." Martens has put forward that while at a certain time these separations were important and based on principle, they can now be overcome and the movement can be united on the basis of Marxism-Leninism. In order to develop this unification process, the Workers Party of Belgium hosts the International Communist Seminar in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
, which is attended by 150 organizations around the world. According to Martens:
Today, as a result of the restoration of capitalism under Gorbachov, the "pro-Soviet" tendency crumbled into innumerable tendencies. In the sixties, a "pro-Chinese" tendency emerged but split into various tendencies after Mao's death. There has been a "pro-Albanian" tendency, which also split after the collapse of socialism in Albania, and a so-called "pro-Cuban" tendency, mainly in Latin America. Some parties, finally, maintained an "independent" position vis-a-vis the tendencies mentioned. Whatever one's opinion about the correctness or the necessity of these splits at a certain point in history may be, it is nowadays possible to overcome these divisions and to unite the Marxist-Leninist parties, which are divided in different currents.
Books authored by Ludo Martens
- Pierre Mulele, ou, La seconde vie de Patrice Lumumba (Antwerp: Éditions EPO, 1985).
- SankaraThomas SankaraThomas Isidore Noël Sankara was a Burkinabé military captain, Marxist revolutionary, Pan-Africanist theorist, and President of Burkina Faso from 1983 to 1987...
, CompaoréBlaise CompaoréBlaise Compaoré has been the President of Burkina Faso since 1987 following a coup d'état that ousted then-President Thomas Sankara. In 2011, a mutiny by soldiers over unpaid housing allowances forced him to flee the capital for his hometown...
, et la révolution burkinabé (EPO, 1989). ISBN 2872620338. - Abo: une femme du Congo (EPO, 1992). ISBN 2872621032.
- L'U.R.S.S. et la contre-révolution de velours (EPO, 1991). ISBN 2872620575.
- Un autre regard sur Staline (EPO, 1994). ISBN 2872620818.
- Kabila et la révolution congolaise: panafricanismePan-AfricanismPan-Africanism is a movement that seeks to unify African people or people living in Africa, into a "one African community". Differing types of Pan-Africanism seek different levels of economic, racial, social, or political unity...
ou néocolonialismeNeocolonialismNeocolonialism is the practice of using capitalism, globalization, and cultural forces to control a country in lieu of direct military or political control...
? (EPO, 2002). ISBN 2872621911.
Selected Articles by Ludo Martens
- Balance of the Collapse of the Soviet Union: On the causes of a betrayal and the tasks ahead for communists
- Breznjev and the National Democratic Revolution
- On Certain Aspects of the Struggle Against Revisionism (.doc)
- Counter-Revolution and Revolution in the XXIst Century
- Proposals for the Unification of the International Communist Movement
- The Road of the World Revolution in XXIst Century
External links
- Another View of Stalin. Complete and free PDF-download of the text of the book in English.
- Review of Another View of Stalin at The Marxist-Leninist.