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CPSU replies ¢

By SAM RUSSELL

MOSCOW

The Soviet Communist party has declared its deter-
mination to ensure full-scale democracy within the party
itself and throughout the Soviet state with full guaran-
tees against any recurrence of what happened under

Stalin.

10,000-word resolution
the central committee analyses
what happened during the last
years of Stalin’s life and why

it happened.

It answers questions that
have been asked by Commu-

4

nists inside and outside the
Soviet Union and declares that

despite the violations commit-
ted by Stalin, the Soviet Union
"was, and remains, a genuinely
democratic system with full
power in the hands of the
people.

And it calls on Soviet Com-
munists te see that the prin-
ciples ef Soviet socialist de-
mocracy laid down in the
constitution of 1936 are fully
restered and that violations
of Soviet law are completely
corrected.

It points out that in the
period of capitalist encircle-
ment which existed before the
war, intensified by the advent
of fascism in Germany, the
Soviet Union “had to accept
some limitations of democracy
-.. but even at that time the
party and the people regarded
these limitations as tempor-

rv)
Le |
“4

resolution charges
enemies of socialism abroad —
particularly in the United
States — with trying to use
exposure of the Stalin cult to
undermine the great decisions
of the 20th congress of the
Soviet Communist party.
With complete franknéss it
r details of
ts of Stalin’s

The

1g questions:

How was it possible for the
Stalin cult with all its terrible
consequences to appear at all

under the conditions of a Sov-

And why did not the present
leadership of the Soviet Com-
munist party come out openly
against Stalin at the time and

parties to

and workers’
enemies of socialism, the re-

solution netes that “some of
our friends abroad are still not
quite clear on the cult of the
individual and its consequen-
ces and are sometimes giving
incorrect interpretations on
some points.”

It declares its disagreement
with the statement ef Palmiro
Togliatti, general secretary of
the Italian Communist party,
when he raised the question
of whether Soviet society had
not neared “degeneration.”

“There are no grounds for

un

raising such a question,” says
the resolution, “and this i
even less understandable in
view of the fact that elsewhere
Togliatti quite correctly says:

n

“It is necessary to draw the
conclusion that the essence of
the socialist system was not
lost, just as not a single one of
the previous gains and above
all the support of the system
by the masses of the workers,
peasants and intellectuals who
form Soviet society was not
lost.

“This very support shows
that, notwithstanding every-

thing, this society has pre-
served its basic democratic na-
ture.’

“Why are the enemies of
socialism and communism
making most of their attacks
on the shortcomings about
which the central committee of
party told the 20th con-
gress?” the resolution asks.

“To divert the attention of
the working people and its
parties from the main issues
which were raised at the
20th party congress and
which were meant to clear
the way to further progress
being made in the cause of
peace and socialism and
working class unity.”

The resolution points out!
that in the three years since
the death of Stalin, the Sov-

iet Communist party fought
consistently to eliminate the
results of the-Stalin cult and
it was only-natural that this
should have been discussed at
the 20th congress.

The central committee did
this because the Stalin cult
“contradicted the very essence
of the socialist system and was
becoming a brake on the pro-
gress of Soviet democracy
and the advance of Soviet so-
siety toward communism.”

In speaking out, “the central
committee realised that the
frank admission of the errors
made would give rise to cer-
tain negative features and ex-
cesses which could be used by
enemies.

“The bold and ruthless self-
criticism in matters arising
from the cult of the individual
has been fresh evidence of the
strength and vitality of our
party and of the Soviet. so-
cialist system.

“Tt can be said with con-
fidence that none of the rul-
ing classes in capitalist coun-
tries would ever have vent-
ured to do anything like this.
On the contrary, they would
have tried to pass over in

our

silence-and to hide from the
people facts as unpleasant
as these.

“But the Soviet Communist
party has spoken the whole
truth, however bitter it might
have been.

“The party took this. step
on its own initiative, being
guided by considerations of
principle, for it believed that
even if its action against the
Stalin cult caused some tem-
porary difficulties, it would
be of enormous value in the
long run from the point of
view of the basic interests and
ultimate aims of the working
class.

“Sure guarantees are there-
by created against things like
the cult of the individual re-
appearing in our party or in
our country ever again.”

The resolution declared the
party’s determination to pro-
vide “the best possible con-
ditions for the development of
party and Soviet democracy in
the interests of the successful
building of communism in this
country.”

The central committee noted
that the discussions that had
taken place at party meetings
and general meetings of work-
ing people had approved and
welcomed the line of the cen-
tral committee. ~

The facts made. public had
naturally caused a feeling of
bitterness and deep regret.

“But the Soviet people re-
alise that the condemnation of
the cult of the individual was
indispensable for the building
of communism, in which they
are all playing their full part.”

The resolution then goes on
to examine how the Stalin
cult came about. The question
had to be examined against
the background of the historic-
al conditions under which so-
cialism was built in the USSR
as well as the subjective fac-
tors arising from Stalin’s char-
acter.

Since 1917 large numbers. of
wreckers had been sent into
the Soviet Union.

The threat against the Soviet
Union increased particularly
after the advent of fascism in
Germany in 1933 and after the
threat of a new war became
greater.

In this situation iron dis-
cipline and vigilance was called
for, and this inevitably had an
adverse effect on the develop-
ment of democracy.

“In bitter struggle against
the whole world of imperialism
our country had to accept some
limitations of democracy which
‘were justified by our people’s
struggle for socialism in con-
ditions of. capitalist encircle-_
ment.

“But even at that time the
party and people regarded
these limitations as temporary,
to be removed as the strength
of the Soviet state grew and

‘

- dered undoubted

criticis

the forces of democracy #nd
peace developed throughout
the world.”

Examining Stalin’s per-
sonal position, the resolution
points out that he held the
post of general secretary for
a long time and gained great
authority and popularity jin
the fight against the Trotz-
kyites and for the consoli-
dation of Soviet power.

The resolutien quotes Len-
in’s letter in 1922 which point-
ed to the defect in Stalin’s
character, letters which have
now been published for the
first time in the theoretical
journal Communist.

While Stalin took notice of
Lenin’s critical remarkg at the
beginning, later on he “came
to believe in his own infalli-
bility.”

The resolution then criticises
Stalin’s theory , according to
which the class struggle would
grow sharper with the ad-
vancement of the Soviet Union
to socialism, and says that
this incorrect theory was used
to justify gross violations of
socialist law and mass repres-
sion.

A special status was created
for the security organs, which
enjoyed tremendous confid-
ence “because they had ren-
services to
the people and the country de-
fending the gains of the re-
volution.”

The situation changed after
their control by the party and

the government was gradually _

substituted by Stalin’s person-
al control “and the usual ex-
ercise of judicial standards
was not infrequently replaced
by his individual decision.

““Serious violations of Soviet
law were committed and mass
repressions carried out, many
honest Communists: and non-
party people were slandered

and suffered, although com-
pletely innocent.”

The resolution then declar-
ed that it would be wrong to
assume that nothing was done
to try and halt the disastrous
consequences of Stalin’s act-
ions.

“There were definite per-
iods during the war, for ex-
ample,” it says, “when Sta-
lin’s individual actions were
sharply restricted, when the
negative consequences of the
lawlessness, arbitrary act-
ion, etc., were substantially
reduced. 2

“Members of the central
committee, as well as out-
standing Soviet military lead-
ers,* took control of definite
sectors of activity in the rear
and at the front, took indepen-
dent decisions, and by their
organisational, political, eco-
nomic and military work, to-
gether with local party and
government organisations, sec-
ured the victory of the Soviet
people in the war.”

July 13, 1956 — PACIFIC TRIBUNE ~

Tarren

The resolution then]
question: “Why did
people come out}
against Stalin and rem
from leadership?”

“In the prevailing, cd
this could not be dol
resolution declares. 7

And it explains thal
impossible because wil
lin was guilty of many
ful acts, the Soviet
knew Stalin as a malt
acting in defense of thi
Union. 4

Any opposition to hil
these circumstances wo
have been understood’
people. It was not
matter of lack of
courage.

“It is clear that any &
in these circumstances
have come up against
would have got no
from the people.

“What is more, stl
position would hay
considered in those @
stances as being aga
cause of building s0
and as an extremely d
ous threat to the unity!
party and the wholé
in the conditions of
ist encirclement.” F

The resolution also 4
that many of the fact
Stalin’s unlawful actid
became known after hk
in connection with thé
ure of Beria, former
of ,the interior, and ~
complices.

It would be a great #
to consider that the St@
was something inhere®™
nature of he Soviet s
tem or that the socia
had in some way cha

cause of the Stalin cult. i

“No cult of the ind
could -change the ni /
the socialist state w#
based on social owt
of the means of prodl
the alliance of the Ww
class and the peasant!

friendship betwee?

peoples,” though t
did cause serious ha@itor
the development of Ss d
democracy and the P*, of
tion of the creative im it «
of millions of peoples mo
“Our enemies alle :
the cult of Stalin’s per ijry
was brought about not Mtr
finite historical conditiO™s
have now lapsed into U™% £
but by the Soviet systeMin,
by (in their opinion) "¢e
democratic nature, etc.
“Such slanderous ase at
are refuted by the en e
ory of the development? ;
Soviet state.” le
The resolution then ali
to explain the vario na

of democracy in the

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