According to revolutionary black internationalism, although economic exploitation under capitalism initially occurred on class lines, this exploitation maintains itself on a racial basis, with the European working class benefiting from the super-profits extracted from the colonial world (Asia, Africa and Latin America).[4] Accordingly, all of European society constitutes a "European overclass", while all of the colonial world is considered a "black underclass",[5] including the black bourgeoisie and black petty-bourgeoisie.[4] Revolutionary black internationalism uses the term "black" to refer to all non-white people in the world, as outlined by RAM's former national chairmain Max Stanford:[1]
Black people of the world (darker races, black, yellow, brown, red, oppressed peoples) are all enslaved by the same forces.
As a result of this relationship, the European overclass (consisting of all of European and Euro-American society) is the oppressor class, while the black underclass (consisting of all non-white people) is the oppressed class. This theory considered the United States to be the leader of this European overclass, as outlined in their 1966 document World Black Revolution:[4]
The United States is leader of this counter-revolutionary alliance of: Britain, France, Germany, Soviet Union, Portugal, Belgium and the European countries. Though on the surface they appear dis-united, underground, behind closed doors, in secret conferences, the pact of their “White Holy Alliance” is “never let the Black Revolution succeed.”
Furthermore, this theory proposes that there exists two international nations: the white nation, consisting of the European overclass, and the black nation, consisting of the black underclass.[4]
Revolutionary black internationalism advocates for a "world black revolution", in which the black underclass would destroy Western civilisation to end the exploitation of man by man.[5] To coordinate this world black revolution, RAM advocated for the creation of a People's Liberation Army on a worldwide scale.[5] In World Black Revolution (1966), RAM states "In order for the World Black Revolution to be successful, all non-white peoples must unite to destroy the existing white powers."[4]
