Democratic Palestine : 3 (ص 49)
غرض
- عنوان
- Democratic Palestine : 3 (ص 49)
- المحتوى
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relied on the huge oil revenues, especially after the price of
crude oil quadrupled in 1973. This rapidly enriched certain
strata of the middle and petit bourgeoisie, which were con-
nected with the ruling strata by political relationships and/or
clan and regional loyalties. Furthermore, it led to these strata
becoming a parasitic and bureaucratic bourgeoisie engaged in
marginal (non-productive) fields of the economy, as middle-
men between the state institutions and the international
monopolies, in exchange for huge commissions or bribes. This
money is then divided among big state officials, ministers,
directors and government economic administrators.
Meanwhile, the great majority of the petit bourgeoisie
(merchants, employees, small workshops owners, etc.) and
the urban workers experienced more economic and social
deprivation. Their share in the national income decreased,
while the gap separating them from the richer strata in the soc-
iety increased.
The same thing occured in agriculture. There was mass
migration from the rural areas to the city, motivated by the
needs of industrial growth and of enlarging the consumptive
sector of the economy that depended on oil revenues. Agricul-
ture and animal husbandry declined sharply. The countryside
could no longer supply the growing food needs. The middle
and rich farmers began to flourish at the expense of the small
peasants and rural proletariat. Gradually capitalist agriculture
became predominant in accordance with the bourgeoisie’s
policy of renouncing agricultural reform.
The social origins of the forces and parties that led and still
lead the Arab liberation movement in these countries, is urban
and rural sectors of the middle and petit bourgeoisie. However,
the socioeconomic changes implemented by this leadership
played a major role in the growth of the parasitic, bureaucratic
and big bourgeoisie, which are linked to the world capitalist
market. With some exceptions, this leadership and the ruling
parties basically represent the interests of the wealthy strata of
the bourgeoisie.
This distorted path of capitalist development followed by
these countries in the framework of subordination to the
imperialist, neocolonial economy, has had long range effects
on social conditions. Broad strata of the bourgeoisie were led
into organic linkage with the capitalist market; they were subor-
dinated not only economically, but politically and ideologically
as well. Thus, these strata definitively lost their nationalist, anti-
imperialist sentiment. This was embodied in the economic
trend declared by Sadat, known as the opendoor policy, which
emerged in other countries under different banners, such as
the policy of using western technology as a method for rapid,
explosive development, and consequently neglecting and
abandoning state projects in favor of the private capitalist sec-
tor, as happened in Egypt and Iraq, etc. This is also evident in
the sharp increase in imports, mainly consumer goods from the
imperialist countries, depending on the huge financial
resources provided by Arab oil production and price increases.
This involves not only the oil-producing countries, but other
Arab countries as well.
Despite the ruling bourgeoisie’s demagogy about democ-
racy, human rights and what is called the «state of institu-
tions», the fascist, dictatorial tendencies of bourgeois rule
have been reinforced by revoking more of the political and
>
Workers share in the development of the country
. oe - هو جزء من
- Democratic Palestine : 3
- تاريخ
- مايو ١٩٨٤
- المنشئ
- الجبهة الشعبية لتحرير فلسطين
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