What Yugoslavia’s leaders forget

By GEORGIU DEJ

"TEE present leaders of Yugo-
slavia have forgotten about
the concrete conditions under
which the countries of eastern
Europe, including Yugoslavia,
became independent and took the
path of a people’s democracy.

In his report to the conference
of the Communist Parties in Po-
land, Edward Kardelj (vice-prem-
ier of Yugoslavia), enumerating

the factors which, in his opinion,
determined the victory of the na-

tional liberation struggle of the
peoples of Yugoslavia, forgot to
mention one such fact, namely
that the victory of the democratic
popular forces of Yugoslavia
would have been impossible with-
out the direct assistamce of the
Soviet Army.

At a critical period for the, na-
tional liberation struggle in Yugo-
slavia, the Soviet Army liberated
Belgrade, drove the armies of
German imperialism out of Yugo-
slavia and afterwards completely
routed them, thus making Anglo-
American imperialist intervention
impossible in Yugoslavia, In this
way the USSR, for the first time
in history, created the conditions
for the existence and development
of an independent, democratic
and people’s Yugoslavia, and con-
tinues to give wholehearted sup-
Port to the just demands of Yugo-
slavia on the international arena.

The Soviet Union played the
same historical liberating role to-
ward the other peoples of eastern
Europe and won their warm love

and gratitude.

The fact that the Soviet Army
which has won the love and re-
spect of the working people even
in the vanquished countries it has
liberated, has been treated with
hostility by the present leadership
of the Communist Party of Yugo-

slavia, much to the indignation of ©

working-class and democratic pub-
lic opinion of the world, can be
explained only by the petty bour-
geois arrogance and nationalist
conceit of the present leaders of
Yugoslavia.

The present leaders of Yugo-
slavia are hypocritically endeav-
oring te represent the unwavering
loyalty and love of the peoples of
Yugoslavia for the Soviet Union
as the result of their “educational
work’. Fortunately, the senti-

ments of the peoples of Yugosla-
via toward the USSR are much

stronger than the present leaders
of Yugoslavia care to see.

Even Dijilas, (head of Yugosiav
informaticn services), who has
more than once slandered: the land
of socialism, was compelled last
year to recognize the deep roots of
these sentiments. “Our fore-
fathers,” said Dijlas, “rose up. in

“of the independence and freedom

them, without the support of the

T#= peoples of the new de-

mocracies, with great enthu-
siasm, are building a genuinely
free life for the first time in
their history. They are devoting
their labor and creative initiative
to the cause of strengthening
the peoples democracy by ex-
tending and consolidating its
eccnomic and political founda-
tions.

The conomic and political suc-
cess of the new democracies,
achieved under the leadership of
the Communist and Workers’
parties—the true and tried van-
guard of the working people. —
were nét easily come by. Social-
ist construction is developing in
conditions of bitter class strug-
gle, which finds expression in
different forms. The develop-
ment toward socialism does not
proceed smoothly, without strug-
gle, without difficulties and mis-
takes,

Self-criticism is the keen wea-
pon that helps to lay bare and
eliminate shortcomings and mis-
_ “Criticism’ and self - criticism
make it easiey to combat the ene-
mies cf the working class and
socialism, to expose their mach-
inations, help to secure timely
elimination of shortcomings, and
thus pave the way for new suc-

Lenin and Stalin show that it

is precisely when a revolution-

ary Marxist party has come to
power that self-criticism is ur-
gently needed, because members

_ of the government party, carried
away by success may become
conceited, fail to see their weak-
nesses and thereby facilitate the
work of their enemies.

Hence the vital significance of
criticism and_ self-criticism: in’
the struggle for the steady de-
velopment of the national econ-
omy in the new democracies, for,
improving the quality of all ideo-

._party activity,

logical, political and organiza-
tional werk and raising it to
higher levels.

e

Self-criticism is not: just a
passing phenomenon. In the ar-
senal of the Marxist parties,
criticism and self-criticism are
an ever active weapon which is
indissolubly connected with the
revolutionary spirit of the great
teachings of Marx-Engels-Lenin-
Stalin. Self-criticism is a law of
a Marxist party’s development,
is a specific method of training
the working class and the entire
people in the spirit of revolu-
tionary development,

There can be no genuine
realization of the organiza-
tional principles of a Marxist

of the people, no correct Marx-
ist-Leninist education of party
members without criticism and
self-criticism in the party or-
ganizations.

The right to criticize any party
official at party meetings is part
of the principles of inner party
democracy; frédom of criticism
and self-criticism makes it eas-
ier for the membership to-exer-
cise control over leading party
officials. :

Bolsheviks cannot but know,
Stalin, that the slogan of
self-criticism is the basis of our
the means of
strengthening the _ proletarian
dictatorship, the spirit of the
Bolshevik method of training
cadres. :
These words by Stalin clearly
and thoroughly determine the
role and place of self-criticism in
inner party life as a constantly
operating method of work in
party organizations.
There can be no talk of inner
party democracy, and still less

the mountains and, pointing to the r)
East, told their

grandchildren: that is where Rus-

children and
Party,
wia is. The day will arrive when
the Russians will come here and
liberate us.” And it was also Dij-
las who had to admit that this

prophecy has come true.

The present leaders of Yugo-
slavia are trying in vain to pre-
pare the Communist Party arfa
the _people to betray the united

front of the countries of the peo-

Here, Georgiu Dej, general secre-
tary of the Rumanian Workers’
takes sharp
leaders of the Yugoslav Commun-
‘ist Party on the central ,question
of their relations with the Soviet
Union and the New Democracies..
The point he discusses, condensed
from a recent article in the organ
of the Communist
Bureau, was part of the indict-
‘ment of the Yugoslav Communist
Party made by the Bureau in its
statement last month.

issue with

Information

|
i

ple’s democracy and the USSR. In
spite of them, the Communists
and working people of Yugoslavia
will realize that an independent
Yugoslavia cannot exist outside
of this united front, that such a
pclicy is tantamount to betrayal

international labor movement or
against it, as the present leaders

- a stand means placing the country
in bondage of capitalist loans,
such as the Marshall Plan, means

of Yugoslavia. leading it along the path of cap-

. and national independence ...
In, order to conceal their betray-

al of the international solidarity
of the working people, the leaders
of Yugoslavia are distorting the
Marxist-Leninist doctrine of the
possibility of building Socialism in
one country alone. _ '

Who can be so naive as to be-
lieve that a country like Yugo-
slavia can take the “middle-of-the-
road” position, can resist imperial-
ist expansion alone in the epoch
when a struggle is being waged
on, the~ international arena be-

Socialism cannot be built in one pie taro scamipa®

or several countries without the
support of the USSR, or against
it, without the support of the
people’s democracies or against

Tito, Kardelj, Djilas, Rankovic
and others are preparing for the
People’s Republic of Yugoslavia
the same fate that has overtaken

sures to rectify these mistakes
strengthens a Marxist party,
educates cadres in the spirit
of a self critical approach to
their work, sharpens their
%igilance ,and infuses life and
vigor into inner party work as
a whole.

In this respect, it must be said
that the leaders of the Commun-
ist parties of Frances and Italy
proved equal to the occasion, ©

At the Information Confer-
ence of the nine Communist
Parties, held in Poland last Sep-

moving weaknesses and mis- tember, they recognized their
takes. That is why the masses Mistakes and, in the manner of
of the workers, the laboring Marxists, accepted the severe
peasantry and progressive criticism to which these mis-
intelligentsia shculd be en- (takes were subjected.
couraged in making criticism In their reports which were
and in exercising control from , published in the press, Jacques
below, i Duclos, secretary of the French
A non-Marxist attitude to- Communist Party, and Luigi
wards criticism and self-criticism %0ng0, Italian Communist Par-
ism, is often the outcome of con- ty, deserihed these ‘mistakes. in
ceit and at times of a non-under- great detail. After criticising
standing of the role of self-critic- their shortcomings before their
‘ism as a vital method of party >roed memberships, the Com-
work, the desire to restrict crit- munist parties of France and
icism, to stifle it, to take mea- Italy took the necessary mea-
sures against those who make sures to rectify these mistakes
serious critical remarks. * and in doing so strengthened
: their ranks and made a valu-
e ae able contribution to the proper
An incorrect attitude to critic- education of party personnel in
ism is expressed in’ the fact that the spirit of revolutionary Marx-
instead of admitting and cor- ism. . - :
recting mistakes, criticism is “All revolutionary parties
taken subjectively, as an affront which perished hitherto,” stated
to prestige, an insult to the am-, Lenin, “did so because they be-
bitions and reputation of one or came conceited, failed to see
another official, leader of an or-
ganization, and so on. This atti-
tude by no means strengthens
the party organizations. Nor
does it promote the proper edu-
cation of cadres. On the contrary,
it is extremely dangerous to the
life and development of the
party. ;
An honest and frank recog-
nition of mistakes on the oth-
er hand, and the taking of mea-

of criticism and self-criticism
in party organizations where
there is no election of leading
committees but only _appoint- -
ments from above; in such or-
ganizations party members are
reluctant to express their opin-
ion, and avoid eriticizing the ex-
isting order for fear of reprisals.
There can be no advance to
ward socialism without pro-
moting criticism and self-critic-
ism without drawing the broad
masses of working people into
the work of disclosing and re-

nesses.” This important state-
ment by Lenin is forgotten and

in refusing to recognize his mis-
takes and who in the fog of
eulogy and exaggerated  self-
praise fails to see serious short-
comings in the work.
Selt-criticism is a _ sign of
strength and not weakness of the

of Yugoslavia seem to think. Such '

italism, of betrayal of socialism:

the Benelux countries which have
been subordinated to American
imperialism, the fate of the coun-
tries seized and dismembered by

the imperialists,

There can be no “neutrality”
between the two camps that now
divide the world. Whoever breaks
away from the tamp of democra-
cy and socialism, inevitably op-_
poses this camp and upholds cap-
italism, upholds subordination to
the imperialist ‘West. ‘

It is obvious that any under-
estimation of the role of the So-
viet Union and the people’s democ-
racies in Hastern Europe is @
dangerous nationalist phenome-
non and inevitably leads to the
departure from the position of
Marxism to that of capitalism.

Self-Criticism -- weapon of a Marxist party —

wherein lay their strength, and-
feared to speak of their weak- .

violated by anyone who persists |

Marxist party, for only a strong
party which has its roots in life
and is advancing towards vic-
tory, does not fear ruthless crit-
icism of its own shortcomings
on the part of the party member-
ship and the people as a whole.
“Only parties that are living
in the past and doomed to ob-
livion tear the light and critic-
ism. We are not afraid of the
one or the other because we are
a party on the ascent, a party
advancing to victory. That is
why criticism ... is a sign of
great strength and not weak-
ness of our party, a means of
strengthening it and not its dis-
integration,” Stalin wrote.

Only bougeois parties which
conceal the truth, cover up
their shortcomings by pretend-
ing ail is well, only parties
that are historically doomed,
fear the light of day and critic-
ism. Why, if the Bu urgeoisie
were to indulge in but the
slightest serious self-criticism,
were to indulge in the least bit
of free criticism of their short-.
comings—not a stone would be
left of the capitalist order.

The Marxist parties see “in
the encouragement of efficient,
fundamental criticism and self-
criticism by the masses of the |
people, in the ability to listen to
their@voices, a powerful weapon
for still further strengthening
their contacts with the working
class, the laboring peasantry and
the people as a whole.

By extensively developing crit-
icism and self-criticism on the
basis of principle, by educating
their members on the mistakes
and generalising the positive ex-
perience of work, the Marxist
parties will in this way still fur-
ther strengthen their ranks and
cally around themselves the
working people in the struggle
for new victories of the people’s
democracy and socialism. en