Part 27

Refers to disguised mass organizations, which are used by the Communist Party to spread or transmit communism to the masses of people. “It is impossible to effect the dictatorship without having a number of ‘transmission belts’ from the vanguard to the masses of the advanced class, and from the latter to the masses of the toilers.” (_Lenin_)

UNITED FRONT:

A revolutionary tactic designed to secure the support of noncommunists for Party objectives. This generally involves Party manipulation of noncommunist groups, usually on some current issue such as “peace” or “civil rights,” whereby the Party, while maintaining its independent role, cooperates with others to work for certain goals. To noncommunists the goal is advancement of the good of society; to communists, the revolution.

VANGUARD OF THE PROLETARIAT:

Term applied to the role of the Communist Party as the leader or teacher of the proletariat. Communists often talk of the Party as the “general staff” of the revolution.

WAR:

1. Communists talk much about peace but feverishly prepare for war. In Soviet Russia communist preparation takes the form of military strength—the army, navy, air force; in the United States, the organization of an active above-ground and underground apparatus designed to wage “war” against noncommunist society.

2. Communists believe that “war is a continuation of politics by other means.” Marxism-Leninism divides wars into two major categories, unjust and just. “Unjust” wars, according to the communists, are wars started by the capitalists for purposes of exploitation (“reactionary wars of conquest”). These wars, they say, inevitably grow out of the “predatory” character of the capitalist system. “Just” wars, on the other hand, are wars of “national liberation”; that is, they promote the interests of the proletariat and hinder the capitalists. In other words, a war is just (moral) if the communists stand to gain; otherwise, it is unjust (immoral). The communists classify, for example, Russia’s invasion of Finland (1939) and entering World War II after Germany’s invasion of Russia as just wars; World War II before Russia’s involvement and the United Nations’ action in Korea (1950) as unjust.

3. In the final analysis, Marxism-Leninism teaches that war is absolutely necessary to bring about world-wide communism wherever the advances of communism are resisted. This makes Marxism-Leninism such a brutal concept. Lenin, in a letter to American workers, wrote: “... history demands that the greatest problems of humanity be solved by struggle and war.”

_Bibliography of Major Communist “Classics”_

The theory and practice of Marxism-Leninism have been developed by communist writers over a period of more than a century. The works of Marx, Engels, Lenin, and Stalin, in the Party’s eyes, are regarded as communist “classics.” “These books are Communist classics. They contain the fundamental principles and program of Communism. These are universal in their scope and they are accepted by all Communist Parties, including our own.” (_William Z. Foster_)

These writings, it must be remembered, are propaganda for the communist movement. Written by highly partisan and prejudiced minds, they are not based on scientific truth and accurate historical research; nor are they attempts to determine truth as we in a free society understand truth. These writers are trying to hammer out the principles of violent revolution and, in the later writings of Lenin and those of Stalin, to justify communism in state power and to teach communists in other countries how to follow the Bolshevik example. These listed works, although not intended to be all-inclusive, are prime examples of how prejudice, thrown into the stream of world opinion, has warped the minds and personalities of so many millions of human beings.

KARL MARX:

_Das Kapital_ (_Capital_) is undoubtedly Marx’s best-known and most important writing. It forms, in a literal sense, the cornerstone of modern-day communism. The work is in three volumes: _Capitalist Production_ (1867), _Capitalist Circulation_ (1885), _Capitalist Production as a Whole_ (1894). The final two volumes were completed by Engels after Marx’s death. In this massive work Marx attempted, using many statistics compiled from nineteenth-century England, to prove that capitalism was doomed. To communists, _Das Kapital_ is “scientific” proof of the inevitability of communist revolution. Time after time history has proved the errors, fallacious logic, and unscientific premises of the major thoughts contained in _Das Kapital_; yet to communists the book is an infallible guide to Party thought and action.

Another important work of Marx is _The Civil War in France_. This work (which actually consists of three statements drafted by Marx for the First International) was written in connection with the Paris Commune, a revolutionary government set up in Paris after the defeat of France by Prussia in 1870-71. Although lasting only a few weeks, the Commune is regarded by communists as the first working-class government in history. This “classic” sets forth Marx’s view toward the existing state apparatus of a “bourgeois” state: that is, the working class cannot confine itself merely to taking over the state machinery; but the “bourgeois” state must be utterly destroyed and replaced by the dictatorship of the proletariat.

_The Poverty of Philosophy_ (1847) represents one of Marx’s earliest works on economics, while _The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte_ (1852) discusses, among other things, the character of the “bourgeois” revolution. The latter work was written concerning the activities of Louis Bonaparte, President of the Second French Republic, who was later to become Emperor of France. It must be noted that Marx (and also Engels and Lenin) were acute observers of contemporary political, social, and economic affairs; and their writings abound with references to current events and personalities. Other works of Marx include: _Critique of Political Economy_ (1859), _Value, Price and Profit_ (1865), and _Critique of the Gotha Programme_ (1875). In the latter, Marx develops his idea of the dictatorship of the proletariat and the “withering away” of the state.

Marx was a prolific letter-writer, corresponding with many revolutionaries in England and abroad. The _Selected Correspondence of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels_ (1846-1895) shows how the intimate collaboration of these two perverted minds gave birth to the communist conspiracy.

FRIEDRICH ENGELS:

Engels, like Marx, was a voluminous writer. Some of his better-known works are _The Peasant War in Germany_ (1850), _Germany: Revolution and Counter-Revolution_ (1851-52), _The Housing Question_ (1872), and _Anti-Dühring_ (1877-78). The latter work was written in reply to Eugen Dühring, a German professor who had published what, in Engels’ opinion, were erroneous ideas concerning materialism and socialism. Engels not only attacks Dühring’s views but goes on to sketch the communist world outlook, discussing dialectical and historical materialism, philosophy, and political economy.

In _The Origin of the Family, Private Property, and the State_ (1884), Engels endeavors to show the relationship of the family, modes of production, and society. One of Engels’ latest writings on materialism is _Ludwig Feuerbach and the Outcome of Classical German Philosophy_ (1886). His _Dialectics of Nature_, published posthumously in 1927, is an attempt to discuss science from a Marxist viewpoint.

JOINT AUTHORSHIP OF MARX AND ENGELS:

As is well known, Marx and Engels often cooperated in writing, and sometimes it is difficult to determine exactly who wrote what. The best-known product of their collaboration, of course, is the _Communist Manifesto_. Engels, for example, wrote articles under Marx’s name for the latter to send to the New York _Tribune_. On the other hand, Engels, speaking of _Anti-Dühring_, said he read the whole manuscript to Marx and that Marx himself contributed a chapter.

VLADIMIR I. LENIN:

From roughly 1900 to his death, Lenin poured out pamphlet after pamphlet justifying violent revolution and giving instructions to his followers.

In _What Is To Be Done?_ (1902), Lenin outlines the principles which should determine the formation of a Leninist-type Party. This was during the period of debate among Russian communists on the type of Party organization, with Lenin favoring a restricted, disciplined membership. In 1904, in _One Step Forward, Two Steps Back_, Lenin continues his demand for a disciplined Party. In this pamphlet he attacks his opponents, the Mensheviks. This attack was continued in _Two Tactics of Social-Democracy in the Democratic Revolution_ (1905). _Materialism and Empirio-Criticism_ (1909), a philosophical treatise, represents one of Lenin’s major works.

In the years that followed, Lenin continued studying and writing. In 1917 _Imperialism: The Highest Stage of Capitalism_ appeared, in which Lenin develops the thesis that imperialism is the final state of monopoly capitalism. He characterized World War I as imperialistic on both sides. This work was destined to leave a lasting imprint on communist thinking. The term “imperialistic” is today one of the communists’ favorite terms of attack against the free world.

_State and Revolution_ (1918), in which Lenin studies the relationship of revolutionary theory to the state, is probably his clearest blueprint for violent revolution. It has been extensively used by communists in the United States.

Another major work of Lenin, published in 1920 after the Bolshevik revolution, is _“Left-Wing” Communism, an Infantile Disorder_. Lenin here is writing from the viewpoint of communism in state power and giving advice to revolutionary movements outside Russia. He is telling other communists how “he did it in Russia,” especially warning them to be careful about ineffective left-wing tendencies. This work did much to consolidate the world communist movement and the Third International.

Of special interest to the United States is Lenin’s _A Letter to American Workers_ (1918). In this letter Lenin reports to “the American worker” about the Russian revolution. Communists in this country have always considered this communication a symbol of the Russian dictator’s interest in the American proletariat. In truth, the letter reveals how, in communist hands, America’s history and struggle for freedom would be distorted by Marxist manipulation.

JOSEPH V. STALIN:

Stalin was not as prodigious a writer as Marx, Engels, and Lenin. Included in his outstanding works are _Foundations of Leninism_ (1924) and _Marxism and the National Question_ (1913), a study of communism in relation to nationality groups. In the former, Stalin attempted to show that Lenin did not merely rediscover and reapply Marxism to his day but also developed it further. Given as a series of lectures at Sverdlov University, Moscow, this work discusses basic communist concepts, such as the dictatorship of the proletariat, the peasant problem, strategy and tactics, and the Party.

In addition, Stalin has claimed to be the genius behind the _History of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (Bolsheviks)_ (1938). In _Joseph Stalin, A Political Biography_ (issued by the Marx-Engels-Lenin Institute), it is stated that the _History_ was written by Stalin and approved by a commission of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. This book was a “short-course” history of the Bolshevik movement in which the various phases of Party development were stressed. It was widely distributed in Russia and also used by the Communist Party, USA.

Very interestingly, Nikita Khrushchev made mention of this work in his famous denunciation of Stalin at the Twentieth Party Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. Khrushchev told how originally the book was described as written by a commission of the Party’s Central Committee “under the direction of Comrade Stalin and with his most active personal participation....” This, however, according to Khrushchev, did not satisfy Stalin, so the wording was changed to read “written by Comrade Stalin and approved by a commission of the Central Committee....” “As you see,” Khrushchev said, “a surprising metamorphosis changed the work created by a group into a book written by Stalin. It is not necessary to state how and why this metamorphosis took place.”

APPENDICES

_Appendices_

I

Key Dates in Lives of Communist “Big Four”

=KARL MARX=

1818 May 5: Born in Treves (Trier), in the Rhine province of Prussia (Germany). 1842 Met Friedrich Engels for first time in Cologne, Germany. 1843 Married Jenny von Westphalen. 1844 Began lifelong friendship and collaboration with Engels. 1847 Marx, along with Engels, joined the Communist League. 1848 The _Communist Manifesto_ published. 1848-49 Editor-in-chief, _Neue Rheinische Zeitung_, in Cologne. 1849 Banished from Germany and went to Paris, from which he was also banished. 1849-83 Lived in exile in London. 1852-61 Foreign correspondent for the New York _Tribune_. 1864 Helped in setting up International Workingmen’s Association (First International) in London. 1867 Volume I of _Das Kapital (Capital)_ published in Hamburg, Germany. 1872 Russian translation of _Das Kapital_, Volume I, published. 1883 March 14: Died in London.

=FRIEDRICH ENGELS=

1820 November 28: Born in Barmen in the Rhine province of Prussia (Germany). 1842 Settled in Manchester, England. 1870 Moved to London to work with Marx. 1885 Volume II of Marx’s _Das Kapital_ published as edited by Engels. 1888 Visited United States and Canada. 1894 Volume III of Marx’s _Das Kapital_ published as edited by Engels. 1895 August 5: Died in London.

=VLADIMIR I. LENIN=

1870 April 22: Born in Simbirsk (now Ulyanovsk), Russia. 1887 May: Brother, Alexander, hanged for plotting to assassinate Czar Alexander III. 1893 Joined underground Social Democratic circle called “Elders.” 1897 May: Exiled to Siberia following a prison term. 1900-05 Traveled, wrote, and conducted work of Russian Social Democratic Labor Party (forerunner of Communist Party of Soviet Union) in Germany, England, Switzerland, Belgium. Returned to Russia in November, 1905. 1905 December: Lenin and Stalin met for first time at Bolshevik Conference, Tammerfors (Tampere), Finland. 1907 Went abroad and did not return to live in Russia until 1917. 1917 April 16: Returned to Russia and arrived in capital, Petrograd (now Leningrad) from Switzerland. 1917 November 7: Directed Bolshevik uprising. 1917-24 Dictator of Soviet Russia. 1924 January 21: Died.

=JOSEPH STALIN=

1879 December 21: Born in Gori, Georgia, the Caucasus (Russia). 1899 Expelled from theological seminary at Tiflis. 1905 December: Delegate to Bolshevik Conference in Finland and met Lenin for first time. 1906 Participated in Fourth Congress of Russian Social Democratic Labor Party in Stockholm, Sweden. 1902-17 Engaged in revolutionary activities in Russia; arrested and exiled number of times. 1917 Participated in October Revolution of Bolsheviks. 1917-23 People’s Commissar for the Affairs of the Nationalities. 1922 Became General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Russian Communist Party. 1922-29 Consolidation of personal power, leading in 1929 to expulsion of Trotsky from Russia. 1929-53 Supreme dictator of Soviet Russia. 1953 March 5: Died in the Kremlin, Moscow. 1956 Denounced at Twentieth Congress of Communist Party of the Soviet Union.

II

International Communist Organizations and Publications

=COMMUNIST LEAGUE=

1847 Communist League organized under Marx’s influence from League of the Just. 1852 Communist League dissolved at Marx’s proposal.

=FIRST INTERNATIONAL=

1864 The First International, or International Workingmen’s Association, founded in London. 1872 First International voted to move headquarters to New York on Engels’ proposal. Split over the proposal caused eventual dissolution. 1876 July 15: First International dissolved in congress at Philadelphia.

=SECOND INTERNATIONAL (SOCIALIST)=

1889 July 14: The Second International formed at Paris. 1914-18 Effective work of Second International, to all intents and purposes, ended during World War I. Violently attacked by Lenin as “bourgeois.”

=THIRD (COMMUNIST) INTERNATIONAL Also Known As COMINTERN=

1919 March 2-6: Formed in Moscow. 1920 July-August: Second Congress of Comintern in Moscow, which adopted the “twenty-one points” of admission. 1935 July 25-August 20: Seventh Congress of Comintern in Moscow, at which United Front program instituted. 1943 June 10: Comintern dissolved.

=COMMUNIST INFORMATION BUREAU Also Known As COMINFORM=

1947 Formed in Poland, with headquarters to be in Belgrade, Yugoslavia. 1948 Cominform denounced Tito and threatened expulsion of Tito and his top aides for “hateful” policy toward Russia. Denunciation prepared at meeting of Cominform in Roumania. Yugoslav Communist Party defied charges. 1948 July: Headquarters of Cominform moved to Bucharest, Roumania. 1956 April: Cominform dissolved.

=YOUNG COMMUNIST INTERNATIONAL=

1919 Young Communist International formed in Berlin. 1943 Dissolved.

=INTERNATIONAL COMMUNIST PUBLICATIONS=

1919 May: First issue of _The Communist International_, organ of the Executive Committee of the Communist International. 1943 July 5: Last issue of _The Communist International_, after dissolution of Comintern. 1947 November 10: _For a Lasting Peace, for a People’s Democracy!_ published in Belgrade, characterizing itself as “Organ of the Information Bureau of the Communist Parties in Belgrade” (published in Bucharest, Roumania after Cominform attack on Tito). 1956 April: _For a Lasting Peace, for a People’s Democracy!_ ceased publication.

III

Communism in Russia

1883 Group for the Emancipation of Labor, first Russian Marxist group, formed in Geneva, Switzerland. 1903 Bolshevik (majority) and Menshevik (minority) factions resulted from split in Second Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labor Party, held in Brussels and London. 1905 December: Bolshevik Conference in Tammerfors (Tampere), Finland. 1914 Start of World War I. 1917 March: Provisional government formed in Russia. Czar Nicholas II abdicated. 1917 July 20: New revolutionary government formed with Kerensky as Prime Minister. 1917 October 23: Bolshevik Central Committee approved Lenin’s proposal for armed insurrection. 1917 November 7: “Red Guards” and revolutionary troops occupied Petrograd (Russian capital) and overthrew government (called October Revolution). 1917 December: Soviet government signed armistice with Germany and Austria at Brest-Litovsk to end hostilities. 1918 March 3: Russia signed Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, abandoning Poland, Lithuania, the Ukraine, the Baltic provinces, Finland, and Transcaucasia. 1918 March: Soviet government and Party headquarters moved to Moscow. 1921 March: Kronstadt sailors’ unsuccessful revolt against Lenin. 1921 March: Tenth Party Congress adopted Lenin’s New Economic Policy. 1922 March 27-April 2: Eleventh Party Congress elected Stalin General Secretary of the Russian Communist Party (Bolsheviks). 1925 December: Fourteenth Party Congress changed name to Communist Party of the Soviet Union (Bolsheviks) or CPSU (B). 1927 December: Fifteenth Party Congress of CPSU (B) instructed preparation of first Five-Year Plan. 1929 Trotsky arrived in Turkey as exile from U.S.S.R. 1932-33 The Stalin Famine due, in part, to excesses of agrarian policy. Victims estimated from 4,000,000 to 10,000,000 dead. 1933 November 17: Soviet Russia recognized diplomatically by the United States. 1934 September 18: U.S.S.R. formally became member of League of Nations. 1934-38 Purges of Communist Party members and government and military officials as “counter-revolutionaries.” 1936 New constitution approved and adopted by the Eighth Extraordinary Congress of Soviets. 1939 August: Soviet-German Nonaggression Pact ratified. 1939 September 17: Soviet Russia invaded Poland. 1939 November 30: Soviet Russia invaded Finland. 1940 March: Soviet Russia and Finland signed peace terms. 1941 June 22: German armies invaded Russia. 1945 May 9: Stalin announced end of war to Russian people. 1953 March 5: Stalin died. 1953 December 23: Beria executed as “enemy of the people.” 1956 February: Twentieth Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union at which Stalin was denounced. 1957 June: Vyacheslav Molotov, Georgi Malenkov, Lazar Kaganovich, and Dmitri Shepilov denounced as “enemies of the Party.” 1957 October: Marshal Georgi Zhukov, Red Army hero, ousted as Soviet Defense Minister.

IV

Communism in the United States