Continuing Significance of October Revolution

Harkishan Singh Surjeet

NOVEMBER 7 this year marks the 85th anniversary of Great October Revolution --- an event of great significance which inspired millions upon millions of people around the world. Taking place in Russia in October 1917 (according to the old Russian calendar), the revolution was a truly earth-shaking event, one that literally “shook the world.” It inspired the working class movement internationally and acted as a catalyst for the struggles of the peoples in colonies and semi-colonies for independence and freedom from colonial yoke. The emergence of the first socialist state and the formation of the USSR liberated the various suppressed and oppressed nationalities that inhabited "the prison house" of the Czar.

REVOLUTION’S INSPIRATION

During the seven and a half decades of its existence, the Soviet Union was able to provide its citizens with hitherto unheard of rights and guarantees. The guaranteed rights to work, education, health, shelter and innumerable other rights and privileges that the people of the first socialist state enjoyed, had a profound impact on the struggling masses in other countries. Simultaneously, the inspiration the revolution provided to the toiling masses all over the world, and the fillip it gave to their struggles, compelled the capitalists in the other countries to give some concessions to their own underprivileged, under the concept of the so-called "welfare state." It needs to be emphasised that the USSR was carrying out its pro-people measures even while it was facing continued hostility from and encirclement by the capitalist countries.

The role the USSR played in shaping the contemporary history has been acknowledged even by its adversaries. The victory over fascism, the inspiration and help provided to the liberation struggles and the assistance provided to the newly liberated countries to industrially develop and break away from their dependence on imperialism are some of the notable achievements through which the Soviet Union shaped the international developments.

At a time the imperialist countries were unable to withstand the fascist hordes and stop the unhindered march of Hitler’s war machine, it was the Soviet Union which saved the world from the fascist menace. It paid a very high price for this, however. Twenty million people of the Soviet Union sacrificed their lives, apart from the colossal destruction of its industrial and agricultural wealth. This victory over fascism radically altered the correlation of class forces on the world plane. The liberation of the countries of East Europe by the Soviet Red Army saw the emergence of socialist states.

BULWARK AGAINST IMPERIALISM

In the period immediately following the war, apart from the success of the glorious Chinese revolution, many countries in Asia and Africa achieved independence. India was one of them. The existence of the Soviet Union acted as a bulwark against imperialist depredations and conspiracies against these newly liberated countries. If the world saw relative peace after the defeat of fascism, it was thanks to the Soviet Union that all along stood as a bulwark against imperialism and championed world peace.  With the collapse of the Soviet Union, a unipolar world has come into being, temporarily, and American imperialism is trying to establish its hegemony worldwide. The US would have not dared to display such brazenness had the Soviet Union been in existence. 

The Soviet Union also foiled imperialist attempts to maintain their stranglehold over the economies of their former colonies. The former came to the aid of these countries and rendered immense help in their industrialisation.

Though the entity called the Soviet Union has ceased to exist, the contributions it made will remain etched in memory.

CAUSES OF SETBACK

The events that led to restoration of capitalism in the former socialist countries of East Europe, as well as the disintegration of the Soviet Union, were a consequence of certain distortions and deviations that had crept in, in the process of applying Marxism-Leninism to the conditions prevailing at the time. Then, serious errors and mistakes were also committed in the process of socialist construction. Erroneous understandings crept in and realities on the ground were ignored.

While rightly paying attention to achieving parity in weaponry to meet any imperialist challenge, equal emphasis on industrial development was lagging. Adequate consideration was not given to the immense advances being made in the fields of science and technology.

While issues in the realm of economy were ignored, an undemocratic stance was witnessed in the matter of people’s participation in decision-making bodies so as to make the latter truly representative in character. No distinction was drawn between the party and the state. The principles of democratic centralism were increasingly violated, with more emphasis on centralism. The party came to be replaced by the leadership, and the leadership by a coterie. These shortcomings, errors and mistakes proved to be grievous and contributed to the setbacks and reverses that followed.

Thus, despite tremendous achievements to its credit, the negative factors in the construction of socialism finally led to the disintegration of the Soviet Union and the socialist regimes in East European countries. It may be noted that while capitalism had over 300 years of experience, socialism was a totally new and untried concept.

Faced with hunger, poverty and destitution that form the quintessence of any system of exploitation, the reality of capitalism stares the peoples of these countries in the face; today they are beginning to understand what they have lost. Consequently, the people have begun to fight back both in the countries of East Europe and in the various republics that formed the Soviet Union. Today the regimes in these countries are facing increasing resistance. Parties that had prostrated in face of the concerted imperialist onslaught are regrouping to take on the new challenges. People are once again reposing faith in communist parties. In Russia, the Communist Party of Russian Federation (CPRF) is the biggest organised force today.

REFORMS IN SOCIALIST COUNTRIES

As for the existing socialist countries like China, Cuba, Vietnam, Laos and DPR Korea, they have drawn lessons from the past mistakes and from the socialist regimes that fell in Europe. In response, their ruling parties have made, and are making, such changes as they deemed to be appropriate in view of their respective objective conditions. It is now universally recognised that there can be no one single model for building socialism. Taking into consideration its own objective conditions, the level of development of its productive forces and the correlation of class forces existing there, each country has to choose its own path.

Countries which continue to pursue the socialist path are undertaking reforms to develop their productive forces and for economic advance. The aim is to develop the productive forces in relatively backward economies, based on the concrete situation existing there. It was for this very aim that even Lenin had, in his time, initiated the New Economic Policy (NEP). At a time when the infant Soviet state was facing imperialist encirclement and civil war, this was the only course open before it. With regard to apprehensions that the Soviet Union was restoring capitalism, Lenin had indeed admitted: "It means that, to a certain extent, we are re-creating capitalism. We are doing this quite openly. It is state capitalism. But state capitalism in a society where power belongs to capital, and state capitalism in a proletarian state, are two different concepts. In a capitalist state, state capitalism means that it is recognised by the state and controlled by it for the benefit of the bourgeoisie, and to the detriment of the proletariat. In the proletarian state, the same thing is done for the benefit of the working class, for the purpose of withstanding the as yet strong bourgeoisie, and of fighting it. It goes without saying that we must grant concessions to the foreign bourgeoisie, to foreign capital. Without the slightest denationalisation, we shall lease mines, forests and oilfields to foreign capitalists, and receive in exchange manufactured goods, machinery etc., and thus restore our own industry." Socialist countries currently undertaking reforms are conscious of the risks involved, but are also at the same time confident of overcoming them.

The Chinese example has made an additional contribution --- of socialist construction in a less developed country. While adhering to the fundamental principles, the Chinese are stressing on developing the productive forces. Reform and opening up are central to this process. To suit the local conditions, the Chinese pursue the Mao Zedong Thought-Deng Xiaoping Theory; while the Koreans have the Juche idea and the Vietnamese refer to Ho Chi Minh. The others communist parties have with their own models for their concrete conditions.

CAPITALISM IS NO ANSWER

The massive propaganda blitz that accompanied the cataclysmic events of 1991, proclaiming the demise of socialism and the death of communism, no longer cuts any ice. People in the republics of the erstwhile Soviet Union and the countries of Eastern Europe, are realising that capitalism is no answer to the basic problems facing mankind.

However, the imperialist dream of subverting the socialist system in other countries did not succeed. One fourth of humanity continues to live in the existing socialist countries. Once these were among the most backward economies. Lying just 90 miles off the US coast, Cuba is defiantly and valiantly defeating all attempts at destabilisation. The imperialist-enforced blockade has imposed great difficulties upon the tiny Cuba’s people and their socialist state during the last four decades. But despite difficulties, the Cuban people have rendered enormous help to various liberation movements; their influence has spread not only to the whole of Latin America and the Caribbean but also to many parts of African continent.

However ferocious the attacks by anti-communists and reactionaries may be, if they think they will be able to invalidate the continuing importance and significance of the path-breaking Great October Revolution and the establishment of the first socialist state, they will continue to fail. The beacon light shown by the October Revolution will continue to inspire and guide the revolutionary forces throughout the world.