Soviet achievements
gain for all mankind

(1) A UA

(Excerpts from an address delivered in Toronto on Nov. 8 by William Kashan, general secretary
of the Communist Party of Canada, on the 53rd anniversary of the October Revolution.)

Together with millions of working
people throughout the world we salute
the 53rd anniversary of the Great Octo-

, ber Socialist Revolution.

All of us are pleased that the Chinese
Peoples’ Republic sent a message of
greetings to the Soviet Union on this
occasion, a message that said while
there are ideological differences that
still divide them, they want to normal-
ize relations with the USSR.

Imperialism had hoped that the ideo-
logical differences between the Soviet
Union and China, would reach a point
where they would come to blows. And
for a short time some collisions took
place on the frontier. But undoubtedly
second thoughts have now entered the
minds of the leaders of the Chinese
Peoples’ Republic to the effect that
what is necessary is not to resolve ide-
ological differences by war but instead
to work out those differences, we hope,
through debate, through discussion,
while normalizing relations in such a
way which could be of benefit, not
only to China, not only to the Soviet
Union, not only to the socialist coun-
tries, but for peace, for the good of
mankind, and for the world advance to
socialism.

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Every year that passes emphasizes
the profound effect the October Social-
ist Revolution has had upen mankind.
This was true when it was born, and
this is particularly true today after 53
years of existence of the Soviet Union.
Lenin, after the civil war, said that the
USSR would exercise its main influence
on the international revolution through
its economic policy, i.e., by showing
through its efforts that socialism is
superior to capitalism and thereby in-
fluence the course of events on a world
scale for revolution, for socialism.

There were opinions in the Commu-
nist Party of the Soviet Union which
questioned this point of view, taking
the position that once it had achieved
power the USSR should undertake to
export its revolution to other countries.
This view was held by Trotsky and his
followers. That view, if it had won the
day, could have led to the destruction
of the Soviet state. Lenin’s policy of
strengthening socialism at its base and
making it a living example to mankind
has proven to be the correct way not
only for the Soviet Union but for all
mankind.

Of recent date similar views have
been advanced by some leaders of the
Communist Party of China. Mao Tse
Tung practically repeated the position
taken by Trotsky in his day—for the
export of the revolution, to speed up
the revolution in other countries—
which is to embark on a policy ora set
of policies which could have been
disastrous for the socialist system, and
would have been disastrous for the
cause of peace, democracy and advance
on a world scale.

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Imperialism, faced with the policy
pursued by the Soviet Union from its
very beginning, tried in every way
to put roadblocks in the way of
the economic development of the USSR.
We recall the economic blockade that
was undertaken against the Soviet
Union, to hinder its socialist develop-
ment, to slow it down, to prevent it
from becoming a living example to the
‘working class of the world.

That economic blockade was smash-
ed. But imperialism never gave up its

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aims of weakening socialism at its very
heart, the Soviet Union, trying in every
way to war against the USSR in order
to close a chapter which it had opened
up, showing mankind there is a way
forward for man other than the capi-
talist system, other than imperialism.

The Second World War was also
part and parcel of the imperialist stra-
tegy of weakening socialism, under-
mining it, and if possible trying to de-
stroy it. The Soviet people at great
cost to themselves were able to smash
Hitler fascism. They were able to re-
build their system of society, and again
with great sacrifice to build it at a pace
that the world had not seen before.

Having failed there, imperialism un-
dertook its cold war against the Soviet
Union, likewise directed to slow down
the pace of socialist development, weak-
en it, and to isolate the ideas of social-
ism that were spreading throughout the
world.

We know the consequence of that
policy. Who has failed? The Soviet
Union broke the cold war, the people
of the world have begun to break the
cold war. It is not Dulles who has won,

~ but the forces of the people on a world

scalé who have won, the correct for-
eign policy of the Soviet Union that has
won.

It is clear that had the. USSR not
been faced with these problems and
difficulties, with the economic block-
after that war, the Soviet Union today
would have been much further ahead
in economic development. Even at that
one has only to look at the course and
the pace of economic development of
the USSR to see the extent to which
socialism shows its superiority to capi-
talism in every way.

In the 1960’s, after having rebuilt
from the destruction of the Second
World War, the industrial. output of the
Soviet Union more than doubled, and
agriculture output increased by one-
third. The real income of the people of
the Soviet Union increased by 43%—
without inflation. (So it is possible to
increase the incomes of the people
while avoiding inflation—it is obvious-
ly possible if you have a socialist poli-
cy, in which the profit motive and mon-
opoly don’t operate.) :

And significantly, in this period, the
Soviet Union has narrowed down its
position relative to the United States
itself. In 1960 Soviet industrial output
equalled 53% of the U.S., but in 1968

it reached 70% of the United States ©

level,

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 1970—PAGE 6 .

Who can deny that given peace on a
world scale, the prevention of war for
which imperialism is still hankering
and moving, the Soviet Union in the
next decade or so will not only reach
the industrial output of the United
States but will surpass it. And what a
profound effect that will have on man-
kind.

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Due in great part to the exertions of
the Soviet Union and the defeat of im-
peralism’s Hitler fascism in the Second
World War, a world socialist system
came into existence. This has further
strengthened the influence of socialism
on a world scale.

This too can be seen in the economic
development and advance of the whole
world socialist system, which today
now produces one-third of the total
production of the world. This is ex-
pressed in the fact that one-third of the
machines, of the equipment presently
in the whole economy of the world, is
produced in the socialist system of
states.

The national income in the world so-
cialist system has increased by 93%
in the last 10 years as against the in-
crease in income of 63% in the ad-
vanced capitalist countries. Who can
deny this vibrant. economic develop-
ment which gives strength and power
to the ability of the USSR and social-
ist countries to influence world events.

This dynamic development is further
influencing the whole course of world
development.

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In this period the Soviet Union, mak-
ing use of the scientific and technolo-
gical revolution, has undertaken a his-
toric competition with capitalism. This
competition, has already shown itself
in the fact that the Soviet Union
was the first to use nuclear energy in
the service of peace, and the first to
emerge into outer space. The more re-

cent expression of this scientific break- ~

through on the :part of the USSR was
that it sent a machine to the moon to
be able to pick up mechanically pieces
of the moon, to bring it back to earth
without endangering human life, and
to use this to further understand outer
space and to use this scientific develop-
ment for the raising of the living stand-
ards of the people.

Lenin’s idea that socialism will beat
capitalism through its economic policy,

by the ability of socialism to show its

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superiority, has proved to be valid, has
proved to be true.

This is not to deny that the Soviet
Union still has many problems to over-
come or that mistakes have not been
made in the course of building a new
system of society. These are mistakes
made in the process of growth and de--
velopment, not mistakes of decay and
decline such as are expressed in condi-
tions that are maturing in the capital-
ist world today.
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. The very growth and development
of the Soviet Union, its power based on
economic strength, on its mastery of
science, and on the development of its
defense capacity to show imperialism
that it dare not attack socialism on 4
world scale today, in turn has had a
significant influence on development
throughout the world. Who can sepa-
rate the growth of socialism embodied
in the Soviet Union from the develop-
ments that are today shaping up in
various continents of the world?

Latin America is today on the march,
forces are being unleashed that are
seeking to break the chains of imperial-
ist bondage. This is to be seen in Peru,
in Bolivia, and in its newest form in
Chile, the emergence of a united front
majority and the election of Senator
Allende as the first Marxist president
in Latin Amerca. These are not only
the victories of the people of Chile them-
selves, or of the peoples in Latin Ame-
rica—these victories are being made
possible by the growing strength of
socialism on a world scale, which de-
ters imperalism from intervening in the
way it was able to intervene before,
when imperialism was the sole system
of society, dominating the world and
determining what could or could not
be.

Who can deny, for example, the pro-
gressive developments in the Middle