-li-   .
powerful native economic groups, independence movements tend to be
conservative, for they want to conserve the oligarchic order and to
recover or replace the financial control by a political control.  In
this way financial oligarchy is replaced by political oligarchy.
The movements often ally themselves with the former masters in a pseudo-
intellectualistic guidance of philosophies that oppose any radical
change within the nation. The slogan of "law and order" becomes the
banner of such movements, as they plead with the masses to remain quiet
and peaceful despite their continual sufference.
This kind of conservatism often gives way to "liberalism" which
leads society into the acceptance of incoming ideologies, nost of which
are inimical to the progress of the country.  Yet some circles praise
~~ this sort-of_liberalism as condusive to democracy and stability.
In countries where the imperial powers have completely stripped
the society of its political tradition, and where no native privileged
group, an economic elite, exists, the radical inpulse becones nore
irresistable, since no single group is appreciative of the capitalistic
order which prevails in colonized countries.  Moreover freedon, for
the radicals, does not solely mean a home rule and the defense of the
false thesis of ethicael values thiit preserve feudalisms and oligarchies;
it appears as a way for individual creativity which makes a given
society excel others at producing all sorts of goods.  Freedon does
not nean, for the radicals, rationing or bargaining the existing wealth,
as some people night pretend; rather, it means opportunity for creating
or producing more, which requires the adoption of a better economic
systen, elimination of foreign exploitation and revamping of social
structures.
Another characteristic of radicalisn is the direct participation
of the masses in the struggle, without which there can be no real
revolution.  For a "palace" or political revolution you only need a
snail clique, whereas a socio-political revolution entails a thorough
reconstruction of the socio-political institutions, which cannot possibly
be carried out by such a small group.  Radicalisn and radical movements
usually appear when the value position of the masses is at its lowest
point, when the ruling regime and its supporters offer no forma.listic
possibility for changes in the power structure as well as in socioeconomic distribution. Further radicalism rises when there is a high
degree of political awareness canong the masses and consciousness of
- their power potentialities.
As to whether radicalism is preferable to conservatism in the       '
energing nations, it will be the subject of our following article.
Joao Nhambiu
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