60 SOCIAL SCIENTIST
Organizations came and went, leaders emerged and faded away; splits and internal disruptions manifested themselves for a while and then disappeared^ but the national cause moved from strength to strength. Yet, in spite of African development towards national integration and nationalist unity, the ongoing process did not, and could not, eliminate internal contradictions totally; it was simply that, in the interests of the national cause, all other contradictions temporarily became subordinate' considerations. At this st^ge of emerging national liberation, the main contradiction is that between the masses of African people and the white ruling class supported by Anglo-American imperialism.
rationalist Profile
Although Africans are divided into several nationalist movements, they remain united in their main objectives of equal rights, end of racial discrimination, and independence from colonial and settler domination. Each liberation movement is a united front in terms of the ideological tendencies and class interests it represents, with petty-bourgeois intellectuals dominating the leadership. No matter how militant it is, the ideological outlook of the petty-bourgeoisie by its very nature is capitalist and at best social-democratic. It is not dissimilar to the nationalist leadership of most of the ex-colonial world which replaced capitalist and racist colonial administrations with capitalist, multi-racial, native-dominated administrations. This is why at the Geneva Conference on Rhodesia the main issue for a big part of it, was the ^date of independence'9 and not the content of it. Such a conference can only mean the African nationalists inheriting the pre-independence government structure.
The Zimbabwe nationalist organizations do differ from time to time on points of emphasis and methods. Their international allies are often bitter enemies whose interests impinge even on the running of the Zimbabwe struggle. Personality clashes also play a dominant role. In spite of all these problems, the struggle goes on.
The socialist element is present in all the various nationalist movements in Zimbabwe, among the rank and file membership and the cadres. The harder and longer the struggle against colonialism, the stronger the socialist element becomes. The tactical approach of socialists is to ^unite with all those who can be united against the main enemy and isolate your enemies one by one." While operating on a minimum programme, and accepting that the national cause is paramount during the period of national liberation, the socialists are the only political element who are generally free and welcome among the masses of the people to state publicly what they believe. The masses are more responsive to progressive ideas. The socialists consistently point out that after national liberation and independence have been achieved, the primary struggle will be the class struggle in the period of capitalism and