Conversation I.V. Stalin on political economy. Recorded February 22, 1950.

 A source: Historical archive 2012 №4 pp. 13-14

Archive: ARAN. F. 1705. He. 1.D. 166.L. 29-30. Typescript

There are two versions of the political economy textbook layout. However, there are no fundamental differences between the two options in the approach to issues of political economy and in the interpretation of these issues. Therefore, there is no basis for two options. There is Leontyev's option and this option should be taken as a basis.

The textbook should provide specific criticism of contemporary theories of American imperialism. Articles on this issue were published in Bolshevik and in Voprosy Economiki.

Economically illiterate people do not distinguish between the People's Republic of China and the people's democracies of the countries of Central and Southeastern Europe, for example. Polish People's Democratic Republic. Meanwhile, these are different things.

What does popular democracy mean? It includes at least the following signs: 1) political power in the hands of the proletariat, 2) nationalization of industry, 3) the leading role of communist and workers' parties, 4) building socialism not only in the city, but also in the countryside. In China, there is no need to talk about building socialism either in the city or in the countryside. Some enterprises have been nationalized, but this is a drop in the ocean. The bulk of industrial goods for the population are produced by artisans. There are about 30 mil. Artisans in China. There are serious differences between the countries of people's democracies and the People's Republic of China: 1) there is a democratic dictatorship of the proletariat and peasantry in China, roughly what the Bolsheviks talked about in 1904-1905, 2) there was the oppression of the foreign bourgeoisie in China, therefore the national Chinese bourgeoisie is partly revolutionary; in view of this, a coalition with the national bourgeoisie is permissible; in China, the communists have a bloc with the bourgeoisie. This is not unnatural, Marx also had a bloc with the bourgeoisie in 1848 when he edited the Novaya Rhine Gazeta, but that was not long, 3) China still faces the task of dealing with feudal relations; in this respect, the Chinese revolution resembles the French bourgeois revolution of 1789, 4) the peculiarity of the Chinese revolution is that the communist party is at the head of the state. 3) in China, the task is still to deal with feudal relations; in this respect, the Chinese revolution resembles the French bourgeois revolution of 1789, 4) the peculiarity of the Chinese revolution is that the communist party is at the head of the state. 3) in China, the task is still to deal with feudal relations; in this respect, the Chinese revolution resembles the French bourgeois revolution of 1789, 4) the peculiarity of the Chinese revolution is that the communist party is at the head of the state.

Therefore, we can say that China has a people's democratic republic, which is still at the first stage of its development.

The confusion in this matter is due to the fact that our cadres do not have a deep economic education.

A decision is made to entrust a commission consisting of comrades. Malenkov, Leontyev, Ostrovityanov and Yudin, within a month, to revise the layout of the textbook.