THE SECOND World War must be understood as a combination of five different conflicts: United States. attempt to colonise the country and destroy the achievements of the 1917 revolution. develop into a socialist revolution.
4. A just war of Asian colonial peoples against the various military powers and for national liberation and sovereignty, which in some cases (eg Indochina) spilled over into socialist revolution. cupied countries of Europe, which grew into socialist revolutions (Yugoslavia and Albania) or open civil war (Greece and north Italy).
In the European East the old order collapsed under the pressure of popular aspirations and Soviet military-bureaucratic action. In the West and South bourgeois order was restored. the masses — by Western allied troops. • This analysis is set out in Ernest Mandel's short book The Meaning of the Second World War (Verso) 1. An inter-imperialist war, fought for world hegemony and won by the 2. A just war of self defence by the Soviet Union against an imperialist 3. A just war of the Chinese people against imperialism. which would 5. A just war of national liberation fought by the populations of the oc- often against the wishes of (Bomber) Harris - the butcher responsible for this carnage.
The war was an explosion in the race for colonies and economic exploitation by the imperialists.
Seeing communism as the sworn enemy of fascism, Hitler tore up his cynical pact with the USSR and in 1941 launched his attack to demolish the communist state, thus embroiling the Soviet Union in the war. It joined the Allies - only later to become the implacable enemy.
The entire globe was in the grip of colonial rule, with Britain's share almost one third. The imperialists could trade colonies with one another; just as Britain offered Somaliland after Mussolini's invasion of Abyssinia. He rejected it.
British profiteers made hay under the preferential rates of trading with the colonies, and drew immense manpower from India and Africa as
SOCIALIST OUTLOOK No. 83, May 13 1995, Page 9