Miloš Karavezic | League of Communist Youth of Yugoslavia (SKOJ, Serbia)
Introduction:
The young people of today live, work and struggle in the era of rapid decline of capitalism and its highest form, imperialism. Unlike the 2010s, when the crisis of capitalism was only quantitative (and mostly felt by the working class through privatization of individual public services, rising costs of education and healthcare, inflation and decreasing living standards), the crisis of capitalism in the 2020s is rapidly entering the point where not only the working class, but also the capitalist oligarchs, are running out of solutions and cannot continue their affairs without big qualitative changes.
Both the historical experience, as well as the application of the dialectical method to the current developments, suggests that the period of relative peace (both between the nations as well as between the classes) that was experienced after the temporary fall of socialism in Eastern Europe is over and that the world is once again entering the period of global wars and revolutions. With the escalation of the war in Ukraine in 2022, the Israeli genocide in Gaza in 2023, the U.S. aggressions against Venezuela and Iran in 2026, as well as the potential opening of a new war theater in Taiwan and Korea, it is evident that World War III has already become a reality. The growing resistance of the Anti-imperialist camp deepens the inherent contradictions of capitalism, leaving both the working class and the capitalists with only two possible scenarios—either victory of the working class and oppressed peoples over imperialism, leading to the socialist revolution and the final overthrow of capitalism, or the continuation of imperialist wars, coupled with the rise of fascism and other forms of right-wing extremism throughout the countries of the Imperialist camp. The young communist forces must understand that the defeat of imperialism and capitalism is not immediately guaranteed by the deepening of the crisis—on the contrary, the bourgeoisie resistance is becoming much stronger in this period, which demands higher levels of mobilization, as well as more comprehensive theoretical knowledge among the working class, and especially among the communist youth as its vanguard. Therefore, the exchange of experiences and views during the 2026 Anti-Imperialist Youth Camp is a vital step towards building an organized, disciplined and monolithic youth movement capable of defeating imperialism and capitalism.
Economic, Social, and Political Reality of Youth in Serbia:
The young working people of Serbia find themselves in a difficult situation.
Firstly, they experience a steady decline of achievements of socialism that outlived its temporary fall and managed to provide some forms of security for the working class in the past two and a half decades. With the adoption of the Bologna Declaration, as well as the spread of private universities, the quality of education is declining and it is becoming more and more inaccessible to the working youth. Another important achievement of socialism, housing, has now become a commodity and, although 90% of the Serbian population lives in their own houses and apartments, it is of little use to the youth which, due to the high concentration of capital, is forced to move to big cities where they either pay high rents or, if they manage to buy their own apartment, are tied to paying high loans for up to 30 years. Therefore, a big portion of young people’s income is spent just to enable life and work in a bigger city, with the prospect of building a sustainable future, something that was considered normal for their parents and grandparents, becoming an unattainable dream.
Secondly, the struggle of the working youth of Serbia has been severely weakened by the process of deindustrialization and privatization of big companies built during socialism. The modern economy of Serbia is largely service-based, with the majority of workers being employed by small- and medium-sized, mostly private, companies. The larger factories are more often than not owned by foreign big capital and are focused not on producing final products, but on half-products used in further production elsewhere. The majority of workers in these factories are employed by employment agencies for a limited amount of time. These conditions, as well as the very restrictive Labor Law, prevent the foundation and growth of trade unions capable of leading a meaningful struggle for the rights of workers. The majority of young people have never been a member of a trade union, and they usually do not have the consciousness about their significance.
Thirdly, Serbia, as the only country in the Balkans that is not a member or protectorate of the EU and NATO, faces strong pressure from the Imperialist camp to completely align its foreign and domestic policies with the interests of the West. The anti-popular, bourgeois government of Serbia, led by the Serbian Progressive Party, is committed to EU integration and cooperates with both NATO, as well as genocidal Israel. However, the overlords in Washington and Brussels continue to pressure our country over the fact that Serbia did not impose sanctions on Russia and maintains good relations with socialist China. The situation in Serbia is additionally complicated by the fact that our southern province, Kosovo and Metohija, is under the occupation of NATO. The Serbian people, although pro-Russian and anti-Western in their sentiment, are economically and culturally tied to the West (especially the EU countries), which poses a significant strength for imperialists. In recent years, the young people have been especially targeted by Western propaganda which, on the one hand, praises the “democracy” and the “rule of law” in EU countries, while on the other hand comparing the unpopular government of Aleksandar Vuči큓 with “dictatorships” such as Russia, China or the DPRK.
The general weakness of the working class, combined with strong propaganda from the West and its subordinate media, is creating a significant confusion among the working youth. Due to the lack of class consciousness, the people of Serbia tend to dismiss their class or national interests, but rather engage in tribal-like divisions. These conditions, fueled by the justified dissatisfaction of the working youth, can explain the so-called “student protests” that have been the number one political issue since November 2024. Instead of fighting for their own class interests, the young people of Serbia are seduced into choosing between two pro-imperialist, anti-popular options.
The Tasks of the Young Communists in Serbia:
Given the conditions described above, the young communists in Serbia face difficulties in their work. These difficulties are not, for now, the result of repression (which is low compared with other countries), but rather the confusion, lack of consciousness and fighting spirit among the young workers. However, as a vanguard of the youth, the duty of SKOJ is to find creative solutions in order to organize the young working class for the struggle not just for their interests, but for the broader struggle against imperialism as well.
Unlike some leftist groups that, in the previous period, became nothing more than the followers of either spontaneous movements or the protests organized by the pro-Western liberal parties’ NGOs, SKOJ is trying to organize and conduct the struggle for the real class interests of the working people. The young working class can ally with different organizations and movements during this struggle, but they need to constantly maintain an independent policy and do not compromise the political line set by the Party. Despite the lack of “transmission belts” such as trade unions, SKOJ finds its way to the youth either through its own organizations (like the Students’ Front), or through concrete actions and struggles for the interests of the youth.
One of the important tasks of SKOJ is the struggle against fascism, as well as anti-communist propaganda. The fascist groups, funded both by the West as well as by some members of our ruling party, have increased their activity. Although they are not as strong as in Ukraine, Germany or Italy, SKOJ is closely monitoring them and tries to subvert their actions. SKOJ is also one of the few voices against anti-communist propaganda and historical revisionism that is present both in the media and the schooling system, which is a direct consequence of aligning narratives about the past with those of the EU.
The most important task of SKOJ, however, is the struggle against imperialist influence in Serbia. In this struggle, SKOJ is gathering various leftist, patriotic and anti-imperialist groups and individuals. The importance of this task lies not only in the fact that a sovereign Serbia, not occupied by imperialists, is a precondition for the socialist revolution and applying communist policies, but also in helping and supporting the anti-imperialist struggle worldwide. Every decision Serbia, under the pressure of the anti-imperialist movement, makes against the interests of imperialism is a victory not just for SKOJ, but for the whole Anti-Imperialist Camp.
The Current Status and Future Path of the International Youth Movement:
The current status of the International Youth Movement is way behind the tasks that the current historical moment puts in front of us. There is a lack of proper coordination between youth organizations of different countries. Large number of youth organizations are not mobilized and prepared for a proper struggle against imperialism and domestic bourgeoisie. The ones that are truly revolutionary are more often than not disconnected and, in lot of cases, unknown to the International Youth Movement. The exchange of both theoretical and practical experience, as well as the material support between different youth organizations is on very low level.
One of the biggest issues that plagues the youth movement today is the theoretical confusion. There is a lack of proper Marxist-Leninist analysis of the contemporary situation, the one that can give answers how to overthrow the imperialists and capitalists in the 21st century. Due to lack of developed Marxist-Leninist theory, many organizations are stuck in the previous century, unable to apply the theoretical contributions and practical experiences of socialist revolutions from 1917 until today.
If the International Youth Movement wishes to fulfill its goals, namely the destruction of imperialism as a precondition for socialist revolution, it has to undergo tectonic changes. The comrades, members of the youth organizations, must understand that the period of relative peace is over, and that the defeat of imperialism has become the question of life and death. The youth organizations have to become mobilized like armies, ready to take proactive actions against imperialist crimes. The youth organizations must not only relay to the socialist and anti-imperialist countries like Russia, China, DPRK and Iran—instead, they should understand the importance of their active role in the defeat of imperialism “from inside” as well as “from outside”.
In order to secure its success, the international youth communist movement needs to establish and maintain a centralized organization that can direct, coordinate, mobilize and help organizations around the world. The imperialist bourgeoisie maintain a high level of coordination for their actions—therefore, the disunited communist youth movement is an easy target for all the enemies of the working people. One of the most important tasks of the centralized international youth organization is to develop the theoretical knowledge of its member organizations and, at the same time, to fight against all revisionist and opportunist theories that only serve to disorganize and confuse the young communists.
Ideological Warfare Against Revisionism and Opportunism Within the International Youth Movement:
In order to subvert and weaken the communist movement, the imperialists do not employ only pure violence. Rather, through second half of 20th and the beginning of 21st century they have funded numerous “leftist”, and sometimes even “communist” organizations who maintain revolutionary rhetoric, but are in practice not more than the opportunistic servants of imperialism. These groups simultaneously bring ideological confusion and practical disorganization to the communist movement, both nationwide and internationally. More often than not, these opportunistic groups maintain revolutionary rhetoric which attracts genuine young and fighting revolutionaries. However, due to lack of proper theoretical knowledge (which they will not receive inside these organizations) they are unable to recognize and fight against pro-imperialist actions of their organizations. Many of the sincere comrades eventually realize the true nature of their organizations’ opportunistic leadership but, since they are not aware of the proper revolutionary alternative, they become disappointed and eventually leave the movement.
The most prominent opportunistic theory of the 20th century was Eurocommunism. It openly discarded the revolutionary struggle and instead embraced the notion that communism can be achieved through the work inside EU institutions. The only result of Eurocommunism, however, was the decline of important communist parties, namely the ones in France and Italy, the weakening of the working class and the strengthening of propaganda against Soviet Union and other socialist countries. In the 21st century, the most influential opportunistic theory, one that nowadays causes great confusion especially among communists in Europe, is the Imperialist Pyramid Theory. The proponents of this theory want to completely dismiss the struggle against imperialism and for national liberation. Instead, the communism for them represents some promised paradise that will eventually come. However, they never provide an answer how to achieve this “paradise”.
From the short analysis above it can easily be concluded that the opportunists always twist their theories in such way that the most important struggles of the particular historic period are neglected and deemed secondary. This poses more damage to the communist movement than even the non communist groups that lack complete understanding of historical processes, but are able to recognize the main contradictions and can therefore be the potential allies. In order to root out the confusion that currently plagues the communist movement, the true revolutionary forces have a duty not only to debunk false theories, but also to provide and develop the correct and up to date theoretical knowledge that can direct the struggle in correct way. The task of fighting the opportunists, as well as the understanding and developing correct theoretical knowledge falls on the revolutionary youth—therefore, it should put great emphasis on education of its every cadre.
The Role of the Youth Platform as the Vanguard of the Youth:
The World Anti-Imperialist Platform was founded in Paris in 2022, as a direct response to the escalation of the war between NATO and Russia in Ukraine. The founders of the Platform realized that in the conditions of WWIII, there is a great need for mobilization and coordination of the genuine revolutionary organizations and movements. They particularly emphasized the need for an ideological struggle against opportunist “theories” that have been plaguing, and therefore weakening, the communist movement for decades.
The Youth Platform was established in Athens in 2023, with the goal of mobilizing the young comrades around the world and educating them both on theoretical and practical level. The Youth Platform is not founded to replace or weaken the already established institutions like WFDY, but rather to strengthen revolutionary organizations within them and therefore to strengthen these institutions as well.
Young people of today are facing with challenges unparalleled to the ones faced by the previous generations. Imperialism has entered a stage in which it not only does not care for individual human lives, but is ready to destroy the entire populations without even hiding their genocidal intentions. The irrationality of capitalist system and its hunger for profit is now, unlike any previous historical period, is capable and willing to even destroy the entire ecosystems and is now threatening the life on Earth itself. Therefore, all fighting comrades, those who represent the vanguard of the youth, should understand that the defeat of imperialism means life, while its victory means literal death—not just of individuals, but potentially of an entire humanity.
The imperialist forces are aware that the youth will be the vanguard of Revolution. They are aware that the youth do not longer trust capitalist system, its institutions and the lies about good life under capitalism. This is why they especially target the youth—not to win their support, but to mislead them into “useful idiots” that will work for imperialist interests while thinking that they are fighting for their own future. The so-called “Gen Z revolutions” are as dangerous as Maidan in Ukraine or Al-Qaeda takeover of Syria. Therefore, the conscious members of the youth, namely the young communists gathered around the Youth Platform, need to be prepared, to educate not only themselves but their friends, colleagues, acquaintances as well. The fate of the world lies in our hand—we are the one who can and must lead the youth not towards yet again failed revolution or rebellion, but to the final victory of Anti-imperialist forces and the subsequent establishment of socialism!