NSC Editorial Comment
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| Ray Stevenson |
News of the death of Stalin flashed across the world fifty years ago this month. He was 74 years of age and from 1924, following the death of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin was Secretary General of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (B) during the most deadly, tumultuous periods of the world shaking formative years of the Bolshevik and working class revolution…the world’s first experiment with Marxist-Leninist Socialism. Throughout his lifetime of leadership in the revolutionary Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, his people, party and the Soviet Socialist State was confronted by ongoing wars and endless attacks, all with the purpose of bringing the Soviet state and people to destruction. The never- ending attacks came both from external, Imperialist sources and internally continuously from hostile remnants of former Czarist-capitalist and landlord (kulak) forces. Some of these remained in the revolutionary new state, but many fled to the eager and wholesale embrace of their Imperial mentors in Europe, North America or elsewhere. During Stalin’s life the counter-revolutionary efforts were defeated again and again by the immense powers and fighting capacities united and organized under the leadership of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. The united Soviet peoples were led and guided first of all by the Georgian Joseph Vissarionovich Djugashvili, known as Stalin… the man of "steel".
The Soviet Union was built by the immense labour of the Soviet people in their fifteen Federated Republics from the feudally impoverished and impossible conditions that had been created by centuries old Czarist colonial rule of untrammeled oppression and violence against the people. By the time of Stalin’s death his figure towered amongst the Soviet people like a giant and friendly colossus of the successful Socialist development. The USSR had not only been the central power that destroyed the bestial Nazi monopoly capitalist regime of Germany and literally "liberated" all humanity from the deadly menace and threat. With Great Britain and the USA they were signatory to the terms of "unconditional surrender"…and were as well a major force in establishing the United Nations Organization. Stalin was at the helm.
WWII brought the Soviets unprecedented destruction of people (more than 25 millions perished), infrastructure, productive capacities and land. Throughout all this, Stalin remained immoveable as their "Commander in Chief". His role was of such magnitude it overshadowed all other World War II leaders, including Churchill and Roosevelt. In part this was the result of the sheer size of the Eastern Front battles lasting from June 1941 to May 1945 and that stretched only 2000 miles, engaging and smashing more than 250 Nazi divisions. By comparison the deliberately belated Western Second Front across the English Channel, of June 1944 was stretched under 150 miles with less that fifty Nazi Divisions in front of it. In fact, the entire democratic world owed the Soviets, under Stalin’s leadership an un-repayable debt. Contrary to post-war wildly exaggerated "demonizing" outpourings of anti-Communist Cold War hysteria, history confirms beyond any possible doubt the primacy of the Soviet war effort and the brilliant, unyielding leadership of J. V. Stalin and his Communist Party. Again, without question, victory over Fascism and Nazism in WW II was the main watershed in human and world history during the 20th Century. More than any other factor it is this that totally refutes Imperialism’s Cold War "Big Lies".
But much more can be attributed to Stalin and his leadership that also gives the "lie" to the uninhibited "Big Lies" of monopoly capitalism. The distinguished and internationally acclaimed philosopher, Professor Emeritus of English at New York University (among many other widely acclaimed achievements) Kenneth Neill Cameron, writes in the preface to his 1987 book "Stalin, Man of Contradictions" that:
"…Stalin, more than any other individual built the first socialist society and built it on the wreck left by Imperialist intervention and civil war…(He) more than any other single individual; was responsible for ending Nazi Imperialism; in doing so he not only preserved socialism, but extended its foundations to Eastern Europe. These are immense accomplishments that place Stalin among the foremost historical figures of our century (These are) accomplishments in the interest of humanity as a whole and that run counter to the plans of world reaction…" (emphasis added) – Page 7.
While we fully agree with this historical estimation of Stalin, the central core of monopolies hatred and "demonization" of him is much more than his perceived "anti-monopoly crime" of building and defending socialism. That can be found most clearly in his economic and social theories and practices. In 1952, a year before his death he produced "Economic Problems of Socialism", a work reviled by the anti-Soviet Cold War forces. In fact it was a carefully reasoned Marxist analyses of strengths and weaknesses of socialism in the USSR as well as exposing very sharply, ongoing contradictory elements that had grown in the Soviet Socialist system. Such were the results primarily of the war economy and effort and development of incorrect, hostile economic theory and practices. In the work he referred to Socialist economy and transition to Communism. As Stalin saw it, revised tendencies to Marxist-Leninist theory and activity were fraught with dangers for further development of Soviet socialism and the planned advance to a Communist society. The growing emphasis and on the practices of "commodity production" was unacceptable in his view. Taking to task "Comrades Sanina and Venzher", he said…" we Marxists adhere to the Marxist view that the transition from socialism to communism and the principle of the distribution of products according to needs, preclude all commodity exchange… they evidently think that transition is possible even with commodity circulation…that is a profound error" he said. (emphasis added)
Stalin’s Marxist economic theory holds that by enhancement and building of the capacity for production under socialism, and thus the gradual displacement of commodity production and exchange to the point where all human "needs" can be fulfilled freely, without value or money exchange, thus by attaining such a high stage of economic development and production. Based on a sufficiently developed technology and productive organization, this would for the first time open the door to the historic stage of Communism. Stalin set no timetable to achieve such fundamental "revolutionary" change, but that was the pathway forward for the Soviet people under the Marxist-Leninist-Stalinist leadership. Obviously this was absolutely unacceptable to exploitative monopoly capitalists anywhere. Towards those ends in his work Stalin said it would be necessary in stages to accomplish the following: (In the course of which human behavior would also be "revolutionized" through a growth processes…)
"To ensure a cultural development of society that will ensure for all members of society the all-round development of their physical and mental abilities, and receive an education sufficient to enable them to be active agents of social development, to freely choose their occupations, and not be tied all their lives, owing to the existing division of labour, to some one occupation.
"…For this it is necessary to shorten the working day to six and subsequently to five hours…to introduce universal, compulsory polytechnical education… that housing conditions should be radically improved…and that real wages of workers and employees should be at least doubled, if not more…and by systematic reduction of all prices for consumer goods…" (emphasis added).
Such were the views and officially projected theories, plans and practical projections of this Marxist-Leninist leader who only seven years earlier had played a key role that brought new vistas of peace and freedom to the Soviet people…and indeed, to the world. The barrier of Imperial German Nazism had been smashed. The cost to the Soviets in human lives and destruction was incalculable. In projecting the proposals above, Stalin was in conflict with hang over reactions and imbedded primitiveness of past history within the USSR from Czarism. Such was even shown by some functionaries within the Communist Party that he was leading. Such retrograde notions were the mortal enemy and rejection of working class Marxism-Leninism.
By 1956, and the 20th Congress of the CPSU that was now growing rapidly with a cancerous influx of self-seeking opportunist elements that allied themselves with some hidden saboteurs in the CPSU (B), the "de-Stalinization" program by both domestic and foreign enemies of the USSR was launched in full and without restraint. Khrushchev's "secret" report in 1956 was carefully concealed from the Soviet people and without prior party discussion, but it was handed in secret to the US "New York Times". The criminalization, "demonization" and vilification of Lenin’s best defender and follower…the leader who stood with the Soviet people through victory after victory as they "boot-strapped" themselves forward under Soviet Socialism. All the victories came coupled with international hostility spawned by monopoly capitalism. That became the main threat designed to destroy their highly developed working class-peasant unity and power. The Khrushchev program to reverse and destroy the Soviet Socialist economy that had been developed under the leadership of Lenin and Stalin was in full flight. The interim somewhat muddled intervention by Brezhnev and with Khrushchev's removal in 1964 and subsequent actions by other leaderships did not stem the flood of growing bureaucracy and failed Marxism-Leninism that led to the alienation of the working class in the "mighty land" Gorbachev – Shevernadze – Yeltsin – Yakovlev treachery followed naturally and led directly to the temporary demise of the USSR. No leadership in the USSR that followed Khrushchev fully returned to the Marxist-Leninist concept of working class leadership united with the peasantry. No greater assistance to monopoly Cold War and the growth of our current "Unipolar World" has existed than the foul de-Stalinization" program by Khrushchev in 1956. No greater injury could have been inflicted on the Soviets and the international working class, the Marxist-Leninist parties and people than the excrescences of that foul program.
The results merit no comment as we also experience in our "unipolar", TNC world the ascending monopoly wars, mass impoverishment, miseries and terrorizing of the word’s people…first of all in the former USSR. The proportions of the "Big Lies", so capably and diligently concocted and "sourced" by l’eminance grise "Yakovlev the Rasputin", cohort and pro-monopoly design chief to Gorbachev, are so gigantic they cannot be treated with here for reasons of space. We can only suggest here that had Stalin been responsible for one tenth the fantastic numbers he is alleged to have slain, there would not have been enough Soviet citizens to fight even one tenth of the battles they fought to save the world. On another note, we herby issue our demand for an objective, impartial review of the Stalin years of leadership of the USSR.
We are absolutely confident that given the complexity and immensity of the struggle for the truth during that time, vindication of the terribly tattered history that has resulted from the "Big Lies" spread by enemies of Soviet Socialism. The working class and people of the world will be able and eager to set new goals for fundamental change.
Past, current, and above all, future history demands no less. There is a World to Win… the prerequisite of that as repeatedly proclaimed by Stalin and the Marxists-Leninist pioneers and builders is that - Workers of the World Unite… Tribute is paid to Stalin and all Marxists-Leninists who carried that banner aloft…
Below we reprint a youthful poem "To the Moon" based on the tale of Prometheus and as published in the Kenneth Neill Cameron’s book referred to above.
"Move on, tireless one-
Never bowing your head,
Disperse the misty clouds,
Great is the providence of the Almighty.
Smile tenderly upon the world
Which lies outspread before you,
Sing a lullaby to Mkhinvari,
Which hangs from the sky.
Know well that those who once
Fell to the oppressors
Shall rise again and soar,
Winged with hope above the holy mountain."
* The poet was Joseph Vissarionovich Djugashvili (Stalin) as a youthful student in a seminary in his native Georgia: an expression of youth seeking for a revolutionary path against the injustices endured. The mythology of Prometheus at the time in Georgia was that Mount Mkhinvari was the mountain to which Prometheus was chained.
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