=|
3

ee WENT Y-EIGHT years

ago, the October Rev-

olution took place in
the former empire of the
Russian Tsars. It abolished
the old rotten system with
its feudal survivals, brought
forward new forces in adminis-
tration’. of the state and
wrought radical changes in the
political, economic, and cultur-
al aspects of the country. As
a result of the October Revolu-
tion, ,Russia,g has become the
most democratic country in the
world. :

All organs of state authority
in the Soviet Union are elected
on the basis of universal and
direct suffrage by secret bal-
lot. All Soviets from the Su-
preme Soviet of the USSR,!
which is the union parliament,
to town and village soviets are
elective, representative, popu-
lar government bodies.

The Soviet electoral system
recognizes no restrictions of
electoral rights. All citizens of
both sexes, irrespective of na-
tionality, race, creed, social or-
igin, property status, national-
ity, education, residence or
past activity have the right to

vote and be elected to all or- '

gans of state authority. Ex-
ception is made only for the
insane and for persons sen-
tenced by. court of law and
whose sentence includes depri-
vation of electoral rights for a
Specified term.

Electoral rights provided for
in the constitution are actually
exercised by nearly all citizens.
In the elections to the Supreme
Soviet of the USSR held De-
cember, 1937, ninety-one wmil-
lion. voters out of ninety-four
million or ninety-six point
eight percent of all elegible
voters took part. In the elec-
tions to the republic and local
government organs, ninety-
nine percent of all voters took
part. Over one million four
hundred thousand deputies in
all were elected by the people
to representative government
bodies.

The Constitution accords all
citizens political rights and lib-
erties. Freedom of speech,
press, assembly, public meet-
ings and demonstrations, free-
dom of association, inviolabil-
ity of the person and home,
privacy of correspondence are
guaranteed.

HERE are some facts showing

how widely citizens of the
USSR actually use their poli-
tical liberties, how much politi-
cal and social activity goes on
in the country. Trade unions
have a _ total membership of
nearly twenty-seven million
workers and office employees.
Ninety seven percent of ail
peasant families are united in
agricultural producers’ cooper-
atives (collective farms). The
membership of Youth, cultural,
educational, scientific, defence,
sports and other public organ-
izations runs into scores of
millions.

In Tsarist Russia, non-Rus-
sian nationalities were subject-
ed to cruel oppression. The
Tsarist government regarded
them as “inferior races’, and
deprived them of elementary
human rights: It fomented
strife among nationalities, in-
cited people against - people.
The October Revolution put an
end to oppression of national-
ities. It proclaimed equality of

The Soviet Union- Great

Democratic Power = v. kemini,.

all peoples and the right of
each nation to self determina-
tion, even going so far as ces-
sion and the formation of an
independent state. :

PEOPLE liberated by the Oc-
tober Revolution formed the
Federation of Soviet Republics,

based on most democratic prin-
ciples. Each Republic joined
the Soviet Union on a volun-
tary and equal footing with
the others. Each Republic with
members of the Federation and
taking part in the formation of
federal organs of state auth-
ority is at the same time a sov-
ereign state. It has all sover-

V. I. LENIN

eign rights of state including
the right to maintain its own
military formations,_ and . the
right of direct relations with

foreign states. The highest
expression of the sovereign
rights of a Union Republic

is its right to withdraw from
the Federation.

This multinational state or-
ganization in which the exis-
tence of powerful federal or-
gans is combined with broad
and thoroughly consistent de-
mocracy is the foundation of
imseverable friendship among
Soviet peoples, and one of the
principal sources of the Soviet
Union’s strength.

RUSSIA used to be one of the

most backward’ countriex
economically. The Soviet Union
had become an advanced indus-
trial power even before the
second world war. By 1940 the
industrial output in the USSR
had increased nearly thirteen-
fold in comparison with its out-
put under the Tsar.

The peasantry, ‘formerly
atomized into millions of small
farms, have joined their forces
to form collective farms. Two
hundred and thirty six thous-
and large collective farms, into
which are united nearly all
peasant households, are |sup-
plied with tractors, combine
harvesters, and other modern
agricultural machines. Farm-
ing in the USSR today, which
is overwhelmingly collective, is
based on the use of modern ma-
chines and technique, and is
run on the largest seale in the
world. Itvis the highly develop-
ed economy on the Soviet Union
that constitutes the foundation
of its military might.

" number of univers: |

[X respect of cul:

ment, the empir, |
was also one of ¢:f
ward countries. ,
all schools was
fifty-eight per ¢
population. © In =
parts of the empiz |
lower than that. ] 4
for example, it +
thousand. The wh Jf
try had a total. §
universities and , |

In the Soviet 4
all can read and
number of ‘pupils
reached two hund::
and of population

leges. exceeded Ses]
and fifty with a. if
of over fifty-six i
the same year the. éf
of university and |}
dents in four of a4
countries in Euro jj
to only two hundr; |;
seven thousand. :
The greatest <°
been made in the |}
republics. In Uzt iF
for instance, schoo |
inereased from fouj +f
dred and eighty ; A
of population, and '
of schools from : &
and sixty to forty i |
The Uzbek Republi ff
nine establishment (ff
learning (there we a
fore) and its own °#
demy of Science.

i

C) é
THE October Socii |}
tion in 1917 in: |#
great and beneficiz |
the life of the peopl
changes that made-
Union the most ac
democratic state an ~
that explained why &
Union is-the most [f
and consistent ene §
scism, why the & ©
proved to be such if
force in the war i?
coalition of fascist i
why the Soviet Uni iE
displayed such self-\'! E

in the defence of t)
and their great ac

Cooperation - -

ONIGHT we are to dis-

cuss the “‘basis for a
peace settlement be-
tween the Western Powers
and the Soviet ‘Union.’’

There can be only one an-
swer to that question by
democratic men and women in
Canada, and that is—coopera-
tion based on the Potsdam and
preceeding agreements, inter-
preted in the light of the At-
lantic .Charter. Here and now
I want to say that this’is the
only approach to the question
consistent. with the victory of
the United Nations over the
Axis.

Long strides have been made
towards lasting friendship be-
tween the Soviet Union and
the Western Powers; a friend-
ship based on an historic alli-
ance which saved the world
from a new Dark Ages of fa-
scist tyranny. Tonight, with
the war behind us, the killing,
bombing and destruction ended
at last, when we have set our-
selves to the task of feeding
the hungry and clothing the
naked, when our men and wo-
men are returning from over-

PAGE 12 — PACIFIC ADVOCATE

A Broadcast Delivered

seas, can there be any question
in any mind guided by human-~
ity or intelligence, that friend-
ship between the Soviet Union
and the Western Powers,
Canadian-Soviet friendship, is
one of the great victories of
the war?

I say that this friendship is
the only normal relationship
which should exist between our
countries, and if we have to do
any fighting, let us fight to
preserve that friendship from
those who would seek to weaken
or destroy it. No matter what
reasons they may advance to
cover up their sabotage of the
very basis on which peace rests
today, anyone who is not
moved by a desire to preserve
that friéndship is not only the
enemy of the Soviet Union, but
an enemy of the people of the
United States and Great Bri-
tain, and Canada as, well— An
enemy of every home, an enemy
of all our children who would
reap the whirlwind that they
would sow.

But to speak. of. cooperation
and not to recognize that
friction exists today between

‘ arises precisely where

'
he Basis For Pe|

On Town Meeting Of The Air

Russia and the Western Powers
would be unrealistic. Friction
there
has been a departure from the
basis of the world agreements.
At the very heart of those
agreements lies the principle
of the right of all nations to
decide their own destinies, free
from interference. The Soviet
Union is standing by the agreé-
ments reached between the
great powers, when she de-
fends the right of the peoples’
governments of Europe to gov-
ern without interference from
the outside and to proceed with
the task of Sweeping away the
last remnants of fascism with
the clean broom of the peoples’
wrath. To the peoples’ govern-
ments of Europe, the Potsdam
and preceeding agreements
stated, in unmistakeable terms,
their right to punish their fas-
cist traitors; their right to dis-
possess the corrupt landlord
class and to give the land to
the people.

Freedom-loving men and -wo- ;

men throughout the world re-
joice in their advance. But Mr.
Bevin, and Mr. Byrnes, and
Canada’s Mr. King, while quite
prepared to tolerate fascist

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER

tyranny in. Spain =)
are harshly critic
peoples’ government ee
viet policy. It is not ¢
See whose interests. 4
protecting. For ex:
Western Powers, w.
ated King Carol an |
Guard, are now maki A
hue and ery about
in Romania. It must
that they are irying §
democracy from find) —
expression; for a £ §&
eracy in Romania is ig
to restore the oil well fi
Duteh Shell. i &
e ;

I HAVE said that th

the people to deten
own destiny lies at [%*
heart of the world a; 7
The Western Power
present moment are (.
that policy in the mo i
less way in their dea. .
the colonial peoples. #
people of India. Th
tion of Indonesia—sev
lion strong—took the
charter seriously and
ing independence; 4
people of Indo-China
colonial territories. Tt