Ideological Warfare tactics of capitalists against socialism through concepts and theories- Part 2
Ideological Warfare tactics of capitalists against socialism through concepts and theories
Part 2 - Socialism in
One Country-The strategic thesis
Internet is full of - actually
over 8 million - writings about "Socialism in One Country "
being a theory put forth by Joseph Stalin, " being a
betrayal of Leninist theory," etc. This is not a coincidence but an
inevitable result of ideological struggle between the bourgeoisie, their
servile petty bourgeois and Marxism-Leninism as the ideology of the laboring
masses. It is one of the cheap falsifications of history, distortion of
facts, simply: cheap propaganda directed at ordinary people and
petty bourgeois intellectuals in return, which makes it possible for the
petty bourgeois and the reaction to hide behind a "leftist" mask and
gives them the opportunity to attack Socialist theories as
"critics from the left" without appearing as reactionary.
Their master, Trotsky, who
supplied a vast amount of material to imperialists and anti-communists to fight against
communism, also supplied the tactics for it. According to Trotsky, the pioneer
of this lie:
"Lenin
was only referring to the establishment of a ‘proletarian
dictatorship’ in a single country". Trotsky, The Third
International
And the same
Trotsky said :
""I
remember very well how during the first period, in the Smolny, Lenin
repeated time and time again in the Council of People’s Commissars:
half a year from now we’ll have socialism and we’ll be the
most powerful state on earth… He believed what he said. " Trotsky,
On Lenin
According to Trotsky, Lenin believed in "Socialism in One Country"; then it was not a "betrayal to Leninism" on Stalin's part, but it was the continuation of Lenin's belief, and Stalin interpreted Lenin’s views correctly.
Let's go back to the history of the
theory where "Socialism in one country" has become the theory and
practical solution for an isolated revolutionary state.
Lenin’s theory of
"socialism in one country" goes back to 1915, when, contrary to the distorted view, Lenin was not "merely referring to
socialist revolution in one country," * but also, contrary to the views of scholars such as Carr, Lenin was referring to the possibility
of constructing a socialist economy in a single country. *Carr,
A History, and some others,
Lenin, in his article ' On the
slogan for a US of Europe, clearly states his view, which is
ignored stubbornly in all discussions. Lenin says:
"After
expropriating the capitalists and organizing their own socialist
production, the victorious proletariat of that country will arise
against the rest of the world—the capitalist world—attracting to its cause the
oppressed classes of other countries, stirring uprisings in those countries
against the capitalists, and in case of need using even armed force against
the exploiting classes and their states." Lenin, On the Slogan
for a US of Europe,
Lenin clearly stating that
for an isolated revolutionary state, it would be feasible to build a socialist
economy.
Lenin’s referenced article
debating the slogan, published in Sotsial-Demokrat No. 44, August 23,
1915. Lenin was stating that:
"It might lead to an
incorrect interpretation concerning the impossibility of the victory of
socialism in one country and concerning the relationship of such a
country with the others. The unevenness of economic and political
development is an unconditional law of capitalism. It follows from
this that the victory of socialism initially in several or even in one,
separately taken capitalist country is possible. Having expropriated
the capitalists and having organised socialist production at home, the
victorious proletariat of this country would rise against the remaining
capitalist world… in case of need even coming out with military force against
the exploiting classes and their states… The free unification of
nations in socialism is impossible without a more or less prolonged, stubborn
struggle of socialist republics against the backward states. Lenin,
"‘On the slogan of the United States of Europe
Through this article, Lenin was
suggesting that before engaging in a revolutionary world war, the victorious
proletariat, the proletarian dictatorship, would have to build
a socialist economy at home. This suggestion of Lenin clearly
derives from the belief that the victory of socialism in one country is
possible.
Regarding the same issue, Engels
was telling Kautsky in his 12 September 1882 dated letter:
"One thing
alone is certain: the victorious proletariat can force no
blessings of any kind upon any foreign nation without undermining
its own victory by so doing. Which of course by no means
excludes defensive wars of various kinds. "
Lenin, in his article dated
September 1916, ' The Military Programme of the Proletarian Revolution ',
referring to Engels, was stating :
""the
victory of socialism in one country does not at one stroke eliminate
all wars in general. On the contrary, it presupposes wars. The development of
capitalism proceeds extremely unevenly in different countries. It cannot be
otherwise under commodity production. From this it follows irrefutably
that socialism cannot achieve victory simultaneously in all countries.
It will achieve victory first in one or several countries, while
the others will for some time remain bourgeois or pre-bourgeois. This is bound
to create not only friction, but a direct attempt on the part of the
bourgeoisie of other countries to crush the socialist state’s
victorious proletariat. In such cases, a war on our part would be a
legitimate and just war. It would be a war for socialism, for the liberation of
other nations from the bourgeoisie. Engels was perfectly right when, in
his letter to Kautsky of September 12, 1882, he clearly stated that it was
possible for already victorious socialism to wage “defensive wars”. What
he had in mind was defense of the victorious proletariat
against the bourgeoisie of other countries. " ‘The Military
Programme of the Proletarian Revolution
He continued saying :
‘Only after
we will have overthrown, finally vanquished and expropriated the
bourgeoisie in the whole world, and not only in one country, wars will
become impossible. ‘The Military Programme of the Proletarian
Revolution
In another article dated November
1916, Lenin says :
"Wars are
possible between one country in which socialism has been
victorious and other, bourgeois or reactionary, countries.’” The
“Disarmament” Slogan
In July 1916, Lenin said:
"An economic
revolution will be a stimulus to all peoples to strive for socialism;
but at the same time (counter) revolutions—against the
socialist state—and wars are possible." Lenin, The Discussion
On Self-Determination Summed Up
As it is indisputably shown
from the above quotations, the concept of "socialism in one
country" is not a theory put forward by Stalin, but it is
a Leninist theory.
It is the falsification and cheap
propaganda of permanent counter-revolutionaries who choose
to wait indefinitely for an "international
revolution" to come, yet at the same time attack those who fight
for revolution.
In 1918, Lenin was mentioning
this type of bourgeois servility:
“…when we are
told that the victory of socialism is possible only on a world scale,
we regard this merely as an attempt, a particularly hopeless
attempt, on the part of the bourgeoisie and its voluntary and
involuntary supporters to distort the irrefutable truth.” Lenin,
“Speech to the Third All-Russia Congress of Soviets”
And the same year He mentions
the permanent-revolution-waiters:
“I know that
there are, of course, sages who think they are very clever and even
call themselves Socialists, who assert that power should not have been
seized until the revolution had broken out in all countries. They
do not suspect that by speaking in this way they are deserting the
revolution and going over to the side of the bourgeoisie. To wait
until the toiling classes bring about a revolution on an
international scale means that everybody should stand stock-still in
expectation. That is nonsense.” Lenin, “Speech delivered at
a joint meeting of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee and the Moscow
Soviet
As the facts come out and
their lies are confronted, they choose new tactics, new lies
and they create new confusions. They extract quotes for the
"impossibility of socialism in one country by confusing socialism-
first phase- and communism - second phase, to one of
which Lenin responds:
""when
a learned professor, followed by the philistine..., talks of wild utopias, of
the demagogic promises of the Bolsheviks, of the impossibility of
“introducing” socialism, it is the higher stage, or phase, of
communism he has in mind, which no one has ever promised or even
thought to “introduce”, because, generally speaking, it cannot be
“introduced”.
What is usually called socialism
was termed by Marx the “first”, or lower, phase of communist society.
Insofar as the means of production becomes common property, the word
“communism” is also applicable here, provided we do
not forget that this is not complete communism." -higher
stage. Lenin State and revolution
Lenin in his speech was
confirming both what socialism is and the existence of socialism in Russia, in
one country.
"Socialism
is the first stage of communism: but it is not worth while arguing
about words.....We must save the workers even if they are unable to work. If we
keep them alive for the next few years we shall save the country, save
society and socialism." Lenin, First All-Russia Congress
on Adult Education
January 1918, at the Third
All-Union Congress of Soviets, Lenin said that the Soviet republic is a
socialist republic:
“We never had
any illusions on that score, and we know how difficult is the road that
leads from capitalism to socialism. But it is our duty to say that our
Soviet Republic is a socialist republic because we have taken this
road, and our words will not be empty words..” Lenin, Third
All-Russia Congress Of Soviets Of Workers’, Soldiers’ And Peasants’ Deputies
And a year later in 1919
repeats that :
“We have
achieved this objective in one country, and this confronts us with a
second task. Since Soviet power has been established, since the
bourgeoisie has been overthrown in one country, the second task is to wage
the struggle on a world scale, on a different plane, the struggle of
the proletarian state surrounded by capitalist states." Lenin,
“The Achievements and Difficulties of the Soviet Government”
In 1922 Lenin says:
“Socialism is
no longer a matter of the distant future, or an abstract picture, or
an icon. We still retain our old bad opinion of icons. We have dragged
socialism into everyday life, and here we must find our way. ” Lenin,
Speech At A Plenary Session Of The Moscow Soviet
In 1923, Lenin responds to the
critiques:
You say that civilization is
necessary for the building of socialism. Very good. But why could we
not first create such prerequisites of civilization in our country by the
expulsion of the landowners and the Russian capitalists, and then start moving
toward socialism? Where, in what books, have you read that such
variations of the customary historical sequence of events are impermissible or
impossible?” Lenin, “Our Revolution”
" Socialism in one
country " has been Lenin’s thinking since 1915.
As the truth comes out, some
bourgeois revisionists accept the fact that it was Lenin's theory and
adapt themselves to it, and come up with new claims, one of which
is that Lenin’s views lack coherence, that he contradicts himself by
rejecting in one writing and then accepting in another. Aside from being a
blatant ignorance of Marxist Dialectics on their part, the claim is related
to their tactics in confusing the scientific meaning of socialism and
communism, where they take the "terms" used by Lenin or Stalin out
of context and without any regard to the "two phases of
transition" - Lower and higher phases.
Lenin clearly explains the
reason for the use of the term " Communism": “Insofar
as the means of production become common property,” Lenin says, “the
word ‘communism’ is also applicable here," but Lenin warns:
" provided we do not forget that this is not
complete communism.” Lenin, State and Revolution, Presentation of
the Question by Marx
Another related lie is
presented in various forms - of Lenin's belief that there
is no possibility of long-term peaceful coexistence between the single
socialist state and the capitalist world, but "Stalin
believed that the isolated socialist state could in principle
coexist indefinitely with the capitalist states."
Since they never read Stalin,
they discourage people from reading Stalin and encourage them to believe in
their lies; we should note what Stalin said on the subject with the quote from
Lenin:
This is what Lenin says on this
score :
"We are
living not merely in a State but in a system of States, and it is
inconceivable that the Soviet Republic should continue to coexist for a long
period side by side with imperialist States. Ultimately one or other must
conquer. Meanwhile, a number of terrible clashes between the Soviet Republic
and the bourgeois States is inevitable. This means that if the proletariat, as
the ruling class, wants to and will rule, it must prove this also by military
organization." Lenin, speech to
the Eighth All-Russian Conference of the Russian Communist Party
And further :
"We are
surrounded by people, classes and governments which openly express their hatred
for us. We must remember that we are at all times but a hair's breadth
from invasion." Lenin, Report on
the Internal and External Policy of the Republic
Indeed, it
would be ridiculous and stupid to close our eyes to the capitalist
encirclement and to think that our external enemies, the fascists, for
example, will not, if the opportunity arises, make an attempt at a military
attack upon the U.S.S.R. Only blind braggarts or masked
enemies who desire to lull the vigilance of our people can
think like that.
No less
ridiculous would it be to deny that in the event of the slightest success of
military intervention, the interventionists would try to destroy the
Soviet system in the districts they occupied and restore the bourgeois
system.` Stalin, On the Final Victory of Socialism in the U.S.S.R.
Struggle against capitalism at
the same time is an ideological struggle. That is why it is
expected that those who own the means of production, owning at the same time
the means of mental production, will do anything in their power, use every means
and method in this ideological war. They will bury the facts under
millions of garbage on the internet, on the shelves of libraries; they will prepare
a list of `reactionary` data disguised in left phrases for the university
students for their thesis in related subjects; they will pay and award those
academicians who can "rewrite the history" and "falsify,
revise " the theories serving best to their interests. The truth
is stubborn.. Stalin had said:
"I know
that after my death a pile of rubbish will be heaped on my grave,
but the wind of History will sooner or later sweep it away without
mercy." Quoted in Felix Chuev, Molotov Remembers