The Continuing Progress of the National Economy and the Internal Situation in the U.S.S.R.

Foundation and Concerning Questions of Leninism 

REPORT TO THE SEVENTEENTH PARTY CONGRESS ON THE WORK OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THE C.P.S.U.(B.),
 January 26, 1934

The Continuing Progress of the National Economy and the Internal Situation in the U.S.S.R.

I pass to the question of the internal situation in the U.S.S.R.

From the point of view of the internal situation in the U.S.S.R. the period under review presents a picture of ever increasing progress, both in the sphere of the national economy and in the sphere of culture.

This progress has not been merely a simple quantitative accumulation of strength. This progress is remarkable in that it has introduced fundamental changes into the structure of the U.S.S.R., and has radically changed the face of the country.

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The Progress of Agriculture

Foundation and Concerning Questions of Leninism 

REPORT TO THE SEVENTEENTH PARTY CONGRESS ON THE WORK OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THE C.P.S.U.(B.), January 26, 1934

2. The Progress of Agriculture

Development in the sphere of agriculture has proceeded somewhat differently. In the period under review progress in the main branches of agriculture proceeded many times more slowly than in industry, but nevertheless more rapidly than in the period when individual farming predominated. In live stock farming, however, there was even a reverse process—a decline in the number of livestock, and it was only in 1933, and then only in pig breeding, that signs of progress were observed.

Evidently, the enormous difficulties of uniting the scattered small peasant farms into collective farms, the difficult task of creating a large number of big grain and livestock farms, starting almost from nothing, and, in general, the period of reorganisation, when individual agriculture was being remodelled and transferred to the new, collective-farm basis, which required much time and considerable outlay—all these factors inevitably predetermined both the slow rate of progress of agriculture, and the relatively long period of decline in the number of livestock.

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The Rise in the Material and Cultural Standard of the Working People

Foundation and Concerning Questions of Leninism 

REPORT TO THE SEVENTEENTH PARTY CONGRESS ON THE WORK OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THE C.P.S.U.(B.), 

January 26, 1934

3. The Rise in the Material and Cultural Standard of the Working People

We have thus depicted the situation of our industry and agriculture, their development during the period under review and their state at the present moment.

To sum up, we have:

a) A mighty advance in production both in industry and in the main branches of agriculture.

b) The final victory, on the basis of this advance, of the socialist system of economy over the capitalist system both in industry and in agriculture; the socialist system has become the sole system in the whole of the national economy, and the capitalist elements have been ousted from all spheres of the national economy.

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The Relations Between the U.S.S.R. and the Capitalist States

Foundation and Concerning Questions of Leninism 

REPORT TO THE SEVENTEENTH PARTY CONGRESS ON THE WORK OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THE C.P.S.U.(B.),
January 26, 1934

3. The Relations Between the U.S.S.R. and the Capitalist States

It is easy to understand how difficult it has been for the U.S.S.R. to pursue its peace policy in this atmosphere poisoned with the miasma of war schemes.

In the midst of this eve-of-war frenzy which has affected a number of countries, the U.S.S.R. during these years has stood firmly and unshakably by its position of peace: fighting against the menace of war; fighting to preserve peace; meeting half-way those countries which in one way or another stand for the preservation of peace; exposing and tearing the masks from those who are preparing for and provoking war.

What did the U.S.S.R. rely on in this difficult and complicated struggle for peace?

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Report to the Seventeenth Party Congress on the Work of the Central Committee of the C.P.S.U.(B.)

Foundation and Concerning Questions of Leninism 

January 26, 1934
Works, Vol. 13

The Continuing Crisis of World Capitalism and the External Situation of the Soviet Union

Comrades, more than three years have passed since the Sixteenth Congress. That is not a very long period. But it has been fuller in content than any other period. I do not think that any period in the last decade has been so rich in events as this one.

In the economic sphere these years have been years of continuing world economic crisis. The crisis has affected not only industry, but also agriculture as a whole. The crisis has raged not only in the sphere of production and trade; it has also extended to the sphere of credit and money circulation, and has completely upset the established credit and currency relations among countries. While formerly people here and there still disputed whether there was a world economic crisis or not, now they no longer do so, for the existence of the crisis and its devastating effects are only too obvious. Now the controversy centres around another question: Is there a way out of the crisis or not; and if there is, then what is to be done?

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Speech Delivered at the Frist All-Union Congress of Collective Farm Shock Brigadiers

Foundation and Concerning Questions of Leninism 

February 19, 1933

Works, Vol. 13

Comrade collective farmers, men and women! I did not intend to speak at your congress. I did not intend to because the previous speakers have said all that had to be said—and have said it well and to the point. Is it worth while to speak after that? But as you insist, and the power is in your hands (prolonged applause), I must submit.

I shall say a few words on various questions.

The Collective-Farm Path is the Only Right Path

First question. Is the path which the collective-farm peasantry has taken the right path, is the path of collective farming the right one?

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WORK IN THE COUNTRYSIDE

Foundation and Concerning Questions of Leninism 

Speech Delivered at the Joint Plenum of the Central

Committee and the Central Control Commission

of the C.P.S.U.(B.)

January 11, 1933

From J. V. Stalin, Problems of Leninism

Comrades, I think that the previous speakers have correctly described the state of Party work in the countryside, its defects and its merits -- particularly its defects. Nevertheless, it seems to me that they have failed to mention the most important thing about the defects of our work in the countryside; they have not disclosed the roots of these defects. And yet this aspect is of the greatest interest to us. Permit me, therefore, to express my opinion on the defects of our work in the countryside, to express it with all the straightforwardness characteristic of the Bolsheviks.

What was the main defect in our work in the countryside during the past year, 1932?

The main defect was that our grain procurements in 1932 were accompanied by greater difficulties than in the previous year, in 1931.

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The Results of the First Five-Year Plan

Foundation and Concerning Questions of Leninism 

Joint Plenum of the C.C. and C.C.C., C.P.S.U.(B.)
Report Delivered on January 7, 1933
Works, Vol. 13

The International Significance of the Five-Year Plan

Comrades, when the five-year plan was published, people hardly anticipated that it could be of tremendous international significance. On the contrary, many thought that the five-year plan was a private affair of the Soviet Union—an important and serious affair, but nevertheless a private, national affair of the Soviet Union.

History has shown, however, that the international significance of the five-year plan is immeasurable. History has shown that the five-year plan is not the private affair of the Soviet Union, but the concern of the whole international proletariat.

Long before the five-year plan appeared on the scene, in the period when we were finishing our struggle against the interventionists and were going over to the work of economic construction—even in that period Lenin said that our economic construction was of profound international significance; that every step forward taken by the Soviet Government along the path of economic construction was finding a powerful response among the most varied strata in capitalist countries and dividing people into two camps—the camp of the supporters of the proletarian revolution and the camp of its opponents. Lenin said at that time:

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New Conditions - New Tasks in Economic Construction

Foundation and Concerning Questions of Leninism 

Speech Delivered at a Conference of Business Executives
June 23, 1931

Works, Vol. 13

Comrades, the materials presented to this conference show that as regards the fulfilment of the plan our industry presents a rather motley picture. There are branches of industry that have increased their output during the past five months 40 to 50 per cent compared with last year. Other branches have increased their output not more than 20 to 30 per cent. Lastly, there are certain branches that show a very small increase, some 6 to 10 per cent and sometimes even less. Among the latter we must include coal mining and the iron and steel industry. The picture, as you see, is a motley one.

How is this diversity to be explained? Why are certain branches of industry lagging behind? Why is it that certain branches of industry show an increase of only 20 to 25 per cent, while coal mining and the iron and steel industry show an even smaller increase and are trailing behind other branches?

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The Tasks of Business Executives

Foundation and Concerning Questions of Leninism 

Speech Delivered at the First All-Union Conference of Leading Personnel of Socialist Industry
February 4, 1931

Works, Vol. 13,

Comrades, the deliberations of your conference are drawing to a close. You are now about to adopt resolutions. I have no doubt that they will be adopted unanimously. In these resolutions — I am somewhat familiar with them — you approve the control figures of industry for 1931 and pledge yourselves to fulfil them.

A Bolshevik's word is his bond. Bolsheviks are in the habit of fulfilling promises made by them. But what does the pledge to fulfil the control figures for 1931 mean? It means ensuring a total increase of industrial output by 45 per cent. And that is a very big task. More than that. Such a pledge means that you not only pledge yourselves to fulfil our five-year plan in four years — that matter has already been settled, and no more resolutions on it are needed — it means that you promise to fulfil it in three years in all the basic, decisive branches of industry.

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REPLY TO COLLECTIVE-FARM COMRADES

Foundation and Concerning Questions of Leninism 

Pravda, No. 92,
April 3, 1930

From J. V. Stalin, Problems of Leninism,

It is evident from the press that Stalin's article, "Dizzy with Success," and the well-known decision adopted by the Central Committee on "The Fight Against Distortions of the Party Line in the Collective-Farm Movement" have evoked numerous comments among practical workers in the collective-farm movement. In this connection, I have received lately a number of letters from collective-farm comrades asking for replies to questions raised in them. It was my duty to reply to these letters in private correspondence. But this proved impossible, because more than half the letters contained no indication of the addresses of their writers (they had forgotten to give them). Yet the questions touched upon in the letters are of immense political interest for all our comrades. Moreover, I could not, of course, leave unanswered those comrades who forgot to give their addresses. I am therefore obliged to reply to the letters of the collective-farm comrades publicly, that is, through the press, extracting from them all the questions requiring to be dealt with. I do this all the more readily as I have a direct decision of the Central Committee on this subject.

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Concerning the Policy of Eliminating of the Kulaks as a Class

Foundation and Concerning Questions of Leninism 

Itrasnaya Zveda, No. 18, January 21, 1930;

Stalin, Works, Volume 12, 

The article, "The Elimination of the Kulaks as Class," in No. 16 of Krasnaya Zvezda1 is undeniably correct in the main, but it contains two inaccuracies of formulation. It seems to me that these inaccuracies must be corrected.

1. The article says:

"In the restoration period, we conducted a policy of restricting the capitalist elements of town and country. With the inauguration of the reconstruction period, we passed from the policy restricting to the policy of ousting them."

This statement is incorrect. The policy of restrict ing the capitalist elements and the policy of ousting them are not two different policies. They are one and the same policy. Ousting the capitalist elements in the countryside is an inevitable result and component part of the policy of restricting the capitalist elements, the policy of restricting the kulaks' exploiting tendencies. Ousting the capitalist elements in the countryside must not be regarded as equivalent to ousting the kulaks as a class. Ousting the capitalist elements in the countryside means ousting and overcoming individual sections of the kulaks, those unable to bear the burden of taxation and the Soviet government's system of restrictive measures.

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Dizzy with Success

Foundation and Concerning Questions of Leninism 

Concerning Questions of the Collective-Farm Movement

Pravda, No. 60, March 2, 1930

Stalin, Works, Vol. 12, pp. 197-205, Foreign Languages 

The Soviet government’s successes in the sphere of the collective-farm movement are now being spoken of by everyone. Even our enemies are forced to admit that the successes are substantial. And they really are very great.

It is a fact that by February 20 of this year 50 per cent of the peasant farms throughout the U.S.S.R. had been collectivised. That means that by February 20, 1930, we had overfulfilled the five-year plan of collectivisation by more than 100 per cent.

It is a fact that on February 28 of this year the collective farms had already succeeded in stocking upwards of 36,000,000 centners, i.e., about 220,000,000 poods, of seed for the spring sowing, which is more than 90 per cent of the plan. It must be admitted that the accumulation of 220,000,000 poods of seed by the collective farms alone — after the successful fulfilment of the grain-procurement plan — is a tremendous achievement.

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Concerning Questions of Agrarian Policy in the U.S.S.R.

Foundation and Concerning Questions of Leninism 

Speech Delivered at a Conference of Marxist Students of Agrarian Questions

December 27, 1929

Works, Vol. 12

Pravda, No. 309, December 29, 1929

Comrades, the main fact of our social and economic life at the present time, a fact which is attracting universal attention, is the tremendous growth of the collective-farm movement.

The characteristic feature of the present collective-farm movement is that not only are the collective farms being joined by individual groups of poor peasants, as has been the case hitherto, but that they are being joined by the mass of the middle peasants as well. This means that the collective-farm movement has been transformed from a movement of individual groups and sections of the labouring peasants into a movement of millions and millions of the main mass of the peasantry. This, by the way, explains the tremendously important fact that the collective-farm movement, which has assumed the character of a mighty and growing anti-kulak avalanche, is sweeping the resistance of the kulak from its path, is shattering the kulak class and paving the way for extensive socialist construction in the countryside.

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A Year of Great Change

Foundation and Concerning Questions of Leninism 

On the Occasion of the Twelfth Anniversary of the October Revolution

Works, Vol. 12,

Pravda, No. 259, November 7, 1929

The past year was a year of great change on all the fronts of socialist construction. The keynote of this change has been, and continues to be, a determined offensive of socialism against the capitalist elements in town and country. The characteristic feature of this offensive is that it has already brought us a number of decisive successes in the principal spheres of the socialist reconstruction of our national economy.

We may, therefore, conclude that our Party succeeded in making good use of our retreat during the first stages of the New Economic Policy in order, in the subsequent stages, to organise the change and to launch a successful offensive against the capitalist elements.

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Questions of Party Leadership

Foundation and Concerning Questions of Leninism 

THE RIGHT DEVIATION IN THE C.P.S.U.(B.).

Questions of Party Leadership

Thus we have reviewed all the principal questions relating to our disagreements in the sphere of theory as well as in the sphere of the policy of the Comintern and the internal policy of our Party. From what has been said it is apparent that Rykov’s statement about the existence of a single line does not correspond to the real state of affairs. From what has been said it is apparent that we have in fact two lines. One line is the general line of the Party, the revolutionary Leninist line of our Party. The other line is the line of Bukharin’s group. This second line has not quite crystallised yet, partly because of the incredible confusion of views within the ranks of Bukharin’s group, and partly because this second line, being of little importance in the Party, tries to disguise itself in one way or another. Nevertheless, as you have seen, this line exists, and it exists as a line which is distinct from the Party line, as a line opposed to the general Party line on almost all questions of our policy. This second line is that of the Right deviation.

Let us pass now to questions of Party leadership.

a) The Factionalism of Bukharin’s Group

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ON THE GRAIN FRONT

Foundation and Concerning Questions of Leninism 

From a Talk to

Students of the Institute of Red Professors, the Communist Academy and the Sverdlov University

May 28, 1928

Pravda, No. 127,

June 2, 1928 

Question : What should be considered as the basic cause of our difficulties in the matter of the grain supply? What is the way out of these difficulties? What, in connection with these difficulties, are the conclusions that must be drawn as regards the rate of development of our industry, particularly from the point of view of the relation between the light and heavy industries?

Answer : At first sight it may appear that our grain difficulties are an accident, the result merely of faulty planning, the result merely of a number of mistakes committed in the sphere of economic co-ordination.

But it may appear so only at first sight. Actually the causes of the difficulties lie much deeper. That faulty planning and mistakes in economic co-ordination have played a considerable part -- of that there cannot be any doubt. But to attribute

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THE INTERNATIONAL CHARACTER OF THE OCTOBER REVOLUTION

Foundation and Concerning Questions of Leninism 

On the Occasion of the Tenth Anniversary

of the October RevolutionFrom J. V. Stalin, Problems of Leninism,

The October Revolution cannot be regarded merely as a revolution "within national bounds." It is, primarily, a revolution of an international, world order, for it signifies a radical turn in the world history of mankind, a turn from the old, capitalist world to the new, socialist world.

Revolutions in the past usually ended by one group of exploiters at the helm of government being replaced by another group of exploiters. The exploiters changed, exploitation remained. Such was the case during the liberation movements of the slaves. Such was the case during the period of the uprisings of the serfs. Such was the case during the period of the well-known "great" revolutions in England, France and Germany. I am not speaking of the Paris Commune, which was the first glorious, heroic, yet unsuccessful attempt on the part of the proletariat to turn history against capitalism.

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THE SLOGAN OF THE DICTATORSHIP OF THE PROLETARIAT

Foundation and Concerning Questions of Leninism 

THE SLOGAN OF THE DICTATORSHIP OF THE PROLETARIAT AND POOR PEASANTRY IN THE PERIOD OF PREPARATION FOR OCTOBER

Reply to S. Pokrovsky

I think that your letter of May 2 of this year provides neither occasion nor grounds for a reply in detail, point by point, so to speak.

As a matter of fact, it offers nothing particularly new as compared with Yan-sky's letter.

If, nevertheless, I am replying to your letter it is because it contains certain elements of a direct revival of Kamenev's ideas of the period of April-May 1917. It is only in order to expose these elements of a revival of Kamenev's ideas that I consider it necessary to reply briefly to your letter.

1) You say in your letter that "in fact, in the period from February to October we had the slogan of alliance with the whole of the peasantry," that "in the period from February to October the Party upheld and defended its old slogan inrelation to the peasantry -- Alliance with the whole peasantry."

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THE PROLETARIAN REVOLUTION AND THE DICTATORSHIP OF THE PROLETARIAT

Foundation and Concerning Questions of Leninism 

IV. THE PROLETARIAN REVOLUTION AND THE DICTATORSHIP OF THE PROLETARIAT

What are the characteristic features of the proletarian revolution as distinct from the bourgeois revolution?

The distinction between the proletarian revolution and the bourgeois revolution may be reduced to five main points.

1) The bourgeois revolution usually begins when there already exist more or less ready-made forms belonging to the capitalist order, forms which have grown and matured within the womb of feudal society prior to the open revolution, whereas the proletarian revolution begins when ready made forms belonging to the socialist order are either absent, or almost absent.

2) The main task of the bourgeois revolution consists in seizing power and making it conform to the already existing bourgeois economy, whereas the main task of the proletarian revolution consists, after seizing power, in building a new, socialist economy.

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