Learning from history – workers’ collective action decisive in defeat of imperialist powers

Written by: Ned K. on 10 March 2025

 

(Above: background image sourced from iai.tv)

Since the election of Trump as US President, the two global powers, USA and China are intensifying their rivalry. The USA, an imperialist power in decline, is fighting to hold off the rising imperialist power of China. At the moment, the main arena of struggle is trade with threat and counter threat since Trump first announced an intended 25% tariff on goods and services imported from China.

This has alarmed some close allies of US imperialism, including Australia. When Trump included Australia on his list of countries regarding tariffs on their imported goods and services to the USA, Prime Minister Albanese was on the phone to Trump pleading for an exemption for Australia and the Defence Minister Marles followed up with a trip to the USA to seek assurance about US imperialism's commitment to nuclear -powered submarines.

At the same time Prime Minster Albanese has stated the importance of Australia's relationship with the rising imperialist power China, especially on the trade front.

Albanese though is locked into loyalty to the declining US imperialism when it comes to the crunch, while Dutton, the so-called " Leader of the Opposition", is an even stronger supporter of US imperialism in its rivalry with rising China. 

Neither the Albanese government nor the "Opposition" led by Dutton have a vision of an Australian independence economically, militarily and politically. 

The Black Armada

The only class that has the power to lead decisive action in the interests of the Australian people on a consistent basis is the working class.

The difference between the working class and parliamentary party leaders when it comes to decisive action against imperialist powers was demonstrated during and just after the end of the Second World War.

The declining Dutch imperialist power was losing its grip on its East Indies empire due to the rising tide of struggle by Indonesians for a Republic of Indonesia.
In the mid-1940s the Labor government allowed extensive use of Australian ports by the Royal Netherlands Navy and the setting up of a Netherlands Indies Government In Exile The government in exile tried to muster enough support while based in Australia to overthrow the new Republic in Indonesia.

The Labor Curtin Government under Chifley did not know which way to turn with pressure from British imperialism to support the continued Dutch East Indies. 
The decisive blow to the declining Dutch East empire over-turning the new Indonesian Republic was the power of the Australian and Indonesian working class.
Indonesian maritime workers went on strike, refused to carry Dutch troops or munitions and were joined by seamen from India, China and Malaya. 

Australian maritime workers put black bans on the movement of 36 Dutch merchant ships, passenger liners, troop ships, two tankers and 35 other oil industry craft.

There also black bans on the movement of aircraft and submarines and two vessels of the Royal Netherlands Navy that were built to track down submarines.

The black bans were so extensive and lasted for over 6 months. The workers were able to have such effect because the Dutch empire in the East Indies had become so dependent on Australian ports.

As Rupert Lockwood in his book, Black Armada, explained,

"All delays are dangerous in wars...The first blow for the Republic of Indonesia against the Royal Netherlands armed forces, delivered at Australian wharves, warehouses, military camps, airports, naval depots and shipyards, was one from which the Dutch could not recover."

In 1946, the Communist-led Waterside Workers Federation of Australia commissioned Dutch Communist film-maker Joris Ivens to direct a film of the struggle.  The 23-minute Indonesia Calling can be seen on Youtube here (Indonesia Calling ) 

The decisive collective action of Australian workers saw the defeat of the declining Dutch empire in this part of the world. It occurred as British and French control in South East Asia, India and China was also in decline.

The decisive action by the Australian workers was so strong that Prime Minister Chifley decided the days of the declining Dutch empire to the north of Australia and in Australia had to come to an end if his desire to maintain British and American interests in the region was to be achieved. 

However, his support for workers was short-lived, as in the interests of British and US imperialism in Australia in 1949, he turned on the coal miners.

In the coming increased struggle between the declining US imperialism and Chinese imperialism, the current Australian government and previous governments have allowed more than "governments in exile" to operate from Australia. They now allow and support US troops and bases in Australia and US domination of most aspects of the economy, following in the footsteps of Prime Minister Menzies who waved the flag for white Anglo-American "protection" for white Australia from the "yellow hordes " from Asia!

Certainly, the ruling class constantly reviews its tactics in relation to class struggle. Black bans and sympathy strikes were on their hit list, but the great 1969 struggle to defeat the penal powers of the industrial laws, led by our Party vice-Chair and Secretary of the Victorian Tramways Union, Clarrie O’Shea left the employers powerless for more than a decade. They then decided to legislate to make unions the same, legally, as persons and used the civil law of tort to begin prosecutions of unions in disputes like Mudginberri Abattoirs (1984-5) and Dollar Sweets (1985). The Trade Practices Act outlawed secondary boycotts making black bans and sympathy strikes illegal.

The Australian working class, remembering their Black Armada actions of the 1940s against the declining Dutch empire, and determined to restore their democratic right to strike, will be up to the challenge of freeing Australia from the clutches of the declining US imperialism and any of its rivals.  

 

 

Print Version - new window Email article

-----

Go back