https://johnriddell.com/2014/06/05/national-struggles-by-oppressed-peoples-are-generally-progressive/ MARXIST ESSAYS AND COMMENTARY Thu, 02 Mar 2017 22:30:13 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.1.10 https://johnriddell.com/2014/06/05/national-struggles-by-oppressed-peoples-are-generally-progressive/#comment-3596 Fri, 06 Jun 2014 11:02:47 +0000 http://johnriddell.com/?p=1871#comment-3596 One comment. The question arises on who speaks for an oppressed nation. In Ireland Republicans supported full independence and in parallel were wedded to armed force (usually in conjunction with a power in conflict with Britain) and the Home Rule party were for autonomy within the empire. But you could add to this that Republicans represented what the Irish people actually wanted and the Home Rulers what they figured they could get. Most people are pragmatic and have a good idea of what is possible.
My guess would be that a few other oppressed nations in the Tsarist empire wanted full independence but were willing to accept what was “possible”. Reasons for this would be a huge doubt that they could win independence and in the case of say Armenia, fear of Turkish domination and the experience of what happened to Armenians across the border.
Historically in Ireland supporters of full independence were always a minority as such. But it is easy to exaggerate the “wall” or “gap” which separated them from autonomists or Home Rulers.

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