Poverty and Exploitation: The Need for Class Awakening

Published: 2026-10-24

Afghanistan today is trapped in a deepening crisis of widespread poverty, unemployment, social deprivation and restricted opportunities for progress. Millions of working people struggle to meet their most basic needs; young people face an uncertain future, while women remain deprived of a substantial part of their fundamental educational, economic and social rights. This situation cannot be explained merely as a collection of individual misfortunes or personal failures. Its roots must be sought in economic relations, structures of power and the historical conditions of society.

From the perspective of historical materialism, poverty and inequality cannot be separated from the economic structure and social relations of a society. When wealth and resources become concentrated in the hands of a small minority, while the majority are denied access to decent employment, education, healthcare and equal opportunities, social crisis becomes an inseparable part of everyday life.

Yet shared suffering does not automatically create shared consciousness. Millions may experience poverty and injustice without fully understanding the structural causes of their conditions or organising their collective strength to transform them. The transition from scattered discontent to social consciousness, and from consciousness to organised action, is one of the fundamental requirements of every movement seeking social transformation.

In Marxist-Leninist thought, class consciousness, political organisation and firm links with the working masses occupy a fundamental position. Workers, peasants, progressive intellectuals, women and disadvantaged young people can play an effective role in social transformation when they recognise their common interests, build solidarity in defence of their rights and mobilise their collective, conscious strength against exploitation, discrimination and oppression.

Afghanistan needs, more than ever, the expansion of social consciousness, stronger solidarity among working people and the development of political forces that are accountable, disciplined and firmly rooted among the people. Conscious organisation, political education, the defence of workers’ and peasants’ rights, the struggle for the education of women and girls, and efforts to achieve social justice must become interconnected elements of a democratic and progressive programme.

Nevertheless, no lasting social transformation is possible without understanding reality, critically evaluating past experiences and addressing mistakes responsibly. A movement that seeks the liberation of society must defend the interests of working people in practice, respect the conscious participation of the population and establish a meaningful connection between political slogans and the real needs of society.

Afghanistan’s future must not remain imprisoned by poverty, imposed ignorance and the deprivation of the social majority. The road to progress lies in understanding the roots of injustice, awakening social consciousness, strengthening solidarity among progressive forces and pursuing an organised struggle for freedom, equality, social justice and human dignity.

History teaches us that no society is transformed by good intentions alone. Transformation requires a scientific understanding of reality, collective determination and conscious organisation. This is the historic necessity confronting Afghanistan’s progressive and justice-seeking forces today.