Socialism and the Current Crisis of Capitalism
Speech given on the 56th Anniversary of the death of Stalin: 1953-2009
By Domenico Savio
General Secretary of the PCI-ML (Marxist-Leninist Italian Communist Party)
Comrades and workers of Italy and of all countries of Earth, welcome to this special live TV coverage of Italian Marxist-Leninist Communist Party for the 56th anniversary of the death of Comrade Stalin.
His name Josef Vissarionovich Dzugashvili, known as Stalin, was born in Gori, in Georgia on December 21, 1879 and died, unfortunately, in not too advanced age in Moscow on March 5,1953. Stalin died in an important moment in the former Soviet Union when there was by achieving still a long way in the building of the socialist society in order to make concrete then the passage to the building of that communist one.
After that Marx, Engels and Lenin had built the philosophic, theoretic building of communist doctrine and also with the contribution of enrichment of Comrade Lenin, Stalin has been the first builder of Socialism in the history of humanity. For the first seven years Soviet Union after the glorious October Revolution of November 7, 1917 was able to make use of the great guide work of comrade Lenin who unfortunately died in 1924 and was up just to comrade Stalin to continue in building of the socialist society. Therefore Lenin and Stalin have been the first persons to start a process of building of the socialist society that replaced the former capitalist society of Russia.
The communist society that is built after having built that socialist one, is born and advances through the class struggle in the proletariat of single countries and of whole world. Marx says about the class struggle:”the existence of classes is only bound to certain stages of historical development of production, the class struggle necessarily leads to the dictatorship of the proletariat, this same dictatorship constitutes only the transition to the abolition of all classes and to a classless society. In fact, in communist society where there are not more differences of class, the classes are extinguished, no longer exist.
So we can say that the social classes as they are born at a particular time of productive development of the society, in this way will die.
The Socialism made in Soviet Union and throughout the former socialist world is not bankrupt, as deceptively try to make understanding the opponents of class, namely the bourgeoisie, the power of information and of formation of the public opinion, the capitalist power through the media, Socialism has not failed just as has not failed the communist doctrine.
The construction of Socialism and then the building of Communism pass through a long and hard class struggle in the construction of socialist society, the class struggle continues and at times must be even more determined to defeat the attempts of the defeated bourgeois class to appropriate itself again the power and to establish again the exploitation of man over man.
So in the former Soviet Union and in the former socialist world, unfortunately, the class struggle of the proletariat in the process of completing the construction of socialist society has been, this fight, unfortunately defeated. But this does not mean that the class struggle does not continue today and that there are not, as soon as possible, of course, in historical necessary time, new and more powerful proletarian revolutions, where the proletariat recaptures the power and restarts, and this time is the wish of all us especially in this 56th anniversary of the death of Comrade Stalin, this time the victory of Socialism over capitalism, over the bourgeoisie is definitive.
The socialist society is the only one capable of providing an alternative to social infamies, to the social differences of the capitalist system, and we saw how in Soviet Union and other socialist countries had been defeated the barbaric system of exploitation of man over man, all citizens when they saw the light of the world, when were born had guaranteed by the society, by the community on the whole, the right to the highest health care, the right to study and then the right to work, to housing, the right to free time in order to live a dignified existence, worthy to be lived, not as happens today in the capitalist society where the man, the worker is desperate by the system of master domain, by the redundancy, unemployment, misery, by lack of a safe wage or salary .
The only socialist society which has abolished the exploitation of man over man, where the master class doesn’t rules longer is possible to have a life worthy of this name. Soviet Union under the leadership of the great revolutionary Stalin was also the hard but heroic, glorious task to defeat Nazi-fascism in Europe, decisive was the contribution of Soviet Union, of its glorious Red Army, the people of Soviet, one hundred people, a hundred ethnic peoples, those heroic people lost 20 million of their children in the struggle to defeat Nazi-fascism.
And we want just, here, in this moment of terrible crisis of the capitalist system, just in this moment we wanted to highlight the achievements of socialist society, the crisis that the peoples of the Earth, the proletariat of all countries in particular, are experiencing dramatically in these days and in these months, dear comrades, dear workers, is the crisis of the capitalist system, the Socialism made in the twentieth century has not never been in crisis, but rather reaches a level of social, technological, scientific development that was not afraid to compete in the capitalist Western world, in United States, Soviet Union was the first country to send humans into space, and the capitalist system based on the exploitation of man over man, on the centralization of socially produced wealth in the hands of a few people to go periodically into crisis, we can say that the capitalist system is always in crisis as more and less and the working class pays all the possible consequences.
Today, the Italian or European capitalist families of all countries on Earth have immense wealth, in real estate, bank deposits, stock, immense wealth because the crisis produced by them for achieving ever more profit and wealth pay, rather make paying the charge to workers, to popular masses through the bourgeois, political power which legislates to favour always the bourgeois and capitalist class against the interests of the working world.
This is capitalism, dear comrades, dear workers is capitalism of the crisis, is the capitalism that is starving the people, it is capitalism that leads the masses just because of the lack of a safe job, a secure wage and salary induces the popular masses to live desperately their lives.
The system of capitalism is a murderer social system, and the term is not exaggerated, this murderer, social system can be buried, defeated, dear workers, it is enough that you, we want this, it is enough that we realize that if divided the workers are easy capture of master exploitation.
But if they join, if they form a single front, if they create their great Party, the true Communist Party described by Marx, Engels, Lenin and Stalin, this Party can bring the proletariat to its liberation from the exploitation of man over the man, to the liberation from misery, from existential despair.
Dear workers, you must know that the working class without his class-union, not as the bourgeois unions that exist today in Italy and that make the interests of the master class, not those ones of the working world.
Workers without own class and revolutionary Party cannot achieve any social emancipation, can not to hope for the release from their daily suffering, for which the construction of a great Communist Party is key in the capitalist society, and it is still most important today that we suffer worse evils with a terrible crisis, a fearful social and economical crisis of this system.
But unfortunately we communists that are realist, that must always look directly at the reality, the possibilities to organize, to lead the class struggle, unfortunately, today we see that the worst evil of the working class is the terrible decadence of class consciousness in individual workers of the whole proletariat. Yes, decadence of class consciousness, that is, the workers do not become aware, despite the crisis of the capitalist system, despite the economic and social violence of the capitalist system, workers do not become aware that is possible to organize themselves differently, to militate in a real Communist Party , to create a great deal of class and revolutionary struggle to reach the appropriate historical moment to the conquest of the political power and therefore the starting of construction of the new socialist society.
With sadness we note that Italian and not only Italian working class today does not understand this its historic task, his opportunity to rid once and forever from the chains of master exploitation and domination. We note in exploited, abused workers a dismay of their classmates.
Within the working class, unfortunately dominate the not-committalism, individualism, division, lack of will to unite to be strong to face and win the enemy of class, the ownership.
Unfortunately, as Marx said, today the working class is still class in itself, which is incapable of its political class and revolutionary function, unable to work socially for his release.
It is on this working class in itself that the ownership pours and continues all his violence of labor exploitation and brutalization of existence of the workers. Therefore a working class that is still not class for itself, that is committed daily in its initiatives of fight to build a new social perspective.
And we see this thing from the passwords that are pronounced by the workers during strikes called by bourgeois trade-unions, strikes that do not bring to a concrete, consistent result, for the improvement of living conditions of workers. We see it also in bourgeois, union comparison of workers, we notice it on TV, we read also on press in the attitude towards political power, even in television a working class is incapable of a class analysis and therefore of a perpective of class; a working class which, unfortunately, at any time ends to make the interests of the master class.
And there is this working class victim of bourgeois unions, of false Communist Parties which of communist usurping falsify only the word, and remain yet this working class within the wider capitalist political Left. Employees who fail to realize that everything in today’s Italian left, whether reformist, bourgeois, capitalist, falsely communist, in all this false political Left there is nothing of communism, of class struggle, of prospect of liberation of the working world from the master slavery.
The workers do not realize that this is an undeniable truth and from all points of view.
And more, this working class that ignores the socialist system, the benefits of the socialist system, the elevation of the human personality, of human existence of the socialist system, are workers that, unfortunately even here, slaves of master system and of bourgeois culture of exploitation that capitalism spreads daily plentifully through the press, its television stations.
So a working class that fails to see its path of liberation and dignity of life.
Therefore tonight I want to appeal to Italian and not only Italian working class: workers, study you the texts of Socialism, study you the thought and work of the great Masters of the international proletariat, Marx, Engels, Lenin and Stalin, workers, leave you the bourgeois and clerical culture which you are still slaves, find the strength to break the chains of this bourgeois and clerical culture that keep you clamped, which does not allow you to get rid, break you these chains of intellectual, bourgeois and clerical slavery because starts from there, from this capacity the moment of liberation, redemption, the ability to look ahead towards the construction of a new social order for you and your children.
In Italy, says a statistic, 41% of young people is without prospect, 41% of young people do not have a secured job, don’t have a secured future, for these young people there is only the prospect of despair, if they lived in a socialist system would have guaranteed, as I said before, the health care, the study, the house, to get married, leisure, the freedom to live truly a dignified existence.
And in this tragic situation we see, unfortunately, still young people which with the mind and thought wander among school trends and suicidal movementism, that is the commitment, the protest of the movement vision of the social and political struggle, this is a suicidal fight without prospect because at its base does not have content and values of class.
We have seen how is end all student-movement of 2008 who has been baptized with the name of the ‘Wave’, a not-committal movement, without any possibility of impacting in the dramatic social situation in which these young students and unemployed workers live.
Here, this student, youth movement, have the serious limitation of not realizing that without class struggle, without fighting the capitalist system, without killing it at the right time, for them there is no possibility of redemption, of liberation, to raise really the head.
This type of movement struggle naturally fails before starting, and we have seen how this movementism of ‘wave’ is miserably finished, failed, have made the play of bourgeois and capitalist government that has continued to pursue its anti-popular choices.
And we also heard on television in recent days, a woman saying: “I want a future for my son, for my children, almost as if the future different from that dramatic one that we live today falls from the sky and cannot be only the result of a new social commitment of struggle. Therefore this lady talks, and all those like her, talks in vain because his lament without being materialized by a different and social commitment of struggle, cannot achieve any results. And when the working class withdraws, that master one advances.
And we see this situation also in these months. We have seen how in the last 30 years with the inglorious end of former Italian Communist Party, with the transformation of compromise, of conciliation also of CGIL in Italy, the working movement is backward while the master class with his political power have advanced and are recovering, if they have not already taken, all the one who the working class in Italy had won before the end of the 70 years.
Meanwhile we see the fascist and reactionary right to raise their heads and reorganize, especially in these days we have noted with greater worry this problem of fascist and reactionary right that in our country after nearly 60 years from the end of fascism raises its head, that master one advances in social and political terms.
And we note that advances the right of government, Italy is now
And here’s because is correct the definition: ‘when the working class withdraws ruled by a center-right government, but when it was ruled by a government of center-left, the situation was the same for the Italian working class, similarly exploited and abused by political, economic and capitalist power.
So we now have a center-right government and with the advance of the political power of right advances also the fascist and violent right. Just Saturday afternoon, Saturday, February 28, we have seen in Bergamo, city of North Italy, the organization, one of the organizations of extreme right Forza Nuova (New Force), armed with sticks goes down the streets to the cry of “Executioner who releases”, the notorious fascist expression ”Executioner who releases’.
At this time these fascists who feel reborn, who feel supported by a political, reactionary power of right, are free to praise and exalt fascism and are free to trample the bourgeois Constitution which condemn fascism, the fascist culture, organizations of fascist kind.
Unfortunately, the false Italian left have brought us again, have brought back us that bourgeois culture that by now of left has not any element, that have tried to create a parallel between the deaths of anti-fascist Resistance and the deaths of petty Salo Republic.
The moment is difficult; the same anti-fascist nature of our Republic, of our social life is not safe. And we have already said that movementism and extremism are not useful to the struggle for Socialism, nor even less to improve our conditions of daily life.
Just as the extremism of the social centers like the movementism are not useful, indeed, are negative and not educating.
Also Saturday, February 28, we saw the social centers to take to the streets in Bergamo as opposition to the demonstration of Forza Nuova. We say that the protest organized in this way, with political, cultural, movement and extremist elements, does not bring to actual convincing results, does not bring to increase really in Italy the anti-fascist movement.
These social centers are doing these actions since 50 years, since 50 years they get organized, protest, spend energy also important, but it is the wrong way, what is the use to put on a hood before the military power of the State of the masters?
What is of use also to risk everything to take truncheons when then the initiative as a whole has no political perspective, has no prospect in the direction of building a large class and revolutionary Communist Party? Because it is the only one who can make withdrawing the advance of fascist and reactionary right in our country.
Unfortunately for the working class and particularly for young people are dark moments, and as we have said before but repeating with force that only make growing a big Communist, Marxist-Leninist Party who works since this moment without waiting other times to build the perspective of socialist revolution, the conquest of political power in our country by the proletariat to be able to start the building of the new socialist society.
This is the only road, perspective, I want to tell the comrades of the social centers: there is no alternative to this perspective, your demonstrations do not bring anything good and practical to this perspective; extremism, said Lenin, is the childhood disease of communism, as well as the movementism does not nothing in common with the communist doctrine, with the strategy of the working masses to gain and build a new society.
Marx, Engels, Lenin, Stalin these great masters of the international proletariat today must be our guide in the class struggle, there are not other teachers, only their thought, their work, their teaching may serve us for a political and social commitment that could lead us outside the infamous capitalist social system.
And on this 56th anniversary of the Stalin’s death, which falls today and in which Italian Marxist-Leninist Communist Party have wanted to dedicate this live broadcast, just in this circumstance we must take example from the revolutionary existence, by the commitment of political and class struggle of comrade Stalin, a life entirely dedicated to the liberation struggle of the proletariat in each country and throughout the world.
Only Italian Marxist-Communist Party which I have the honour to represent, that today in Italy is the only true Marxist-Leninist, Communist Party who works for the prospect of Socialism, only a Party of such nature, as Lenin would have said and yet Stalin, could feel today the power even the need to remember the great political work of Stalin, first builder of a socialist society in the history of humanity, first guide for many, dozens of people who worked in building the new society, the socialist society. That’s because I address an invitation to the Italian working class, to the intellectuals of vanguard that are few, as we know, however, exist, I address them an invitation to resume the journey along the path traced by Marx, Engels, Lenin and Stalin along the path of Communist doctrine, the socialist revolution, the construction of Socialism.
In this day of 56th anniversary of the death of Comrade Stalin, we pay tribute to his memory, resuming and making green again its high passion of revolutionary struggle, a comrade jailed several times, repeatedly fled from czarist prisons, a comrade who was a lighting guide together with that one of Lenin during the glorious October Revolution. We must take example by him, Stalin lived as he was born: poor, all the one who he had in the mind and the arms put with passion, with total abnegation at disposal of the class struggle for the liberation of the proletariat of all world from the chains of master exploitation, of the capitalist social slavery.
And in particular way the old persons remember how in front of Stalin trembled the capitalism, trembled the imperialism, imperialism and capitalism which today as yesterday are afraid of the experience of glorious life of Stalin, of his teaching.
And it is for this reason that through their press, their televisions, their scribblers which churn out to order books to throw mud, to slander the Communist leaders, especially Stalin, to indicate him as a demon, like a massacre so that the name of Stalin is away from the popular consciousness because capitalism and imperialism are afraid of Stalin’s teaching, if the working masses will make own, and we hope as soon as possible, the teaching of life of Stalin, capitalism and imperialism will resume to tremble and will approach the days of socialist revolution, the day of redemption, the day of recovery in the construction of Socialism not only in individual countries but worldwide.
Therefore we defend, it is our duty, Stalin from the calumnies of the bourgeoisie, not only of the bourgeoisie but also of the revisionists, the false communists present today also in Italy and in particular the falsely Communist Parties, the revisionists as Rifondazione Comunista (Communist Refoundation), the ‘Partito dei Comunisti Italiani’ (Italian Communists Party) or other groups that are coming in these months, they are declared anticommunist that although continue to use the sickle and hammer and the name ‘communist’, only deceive the working masses because their activity serve only to the capitalist system to continue their lives.
Therefore with Stalin for Socialism today and even or rather now, dear comrades, dear workers the fight for socialist revolution, for the conquest of power by the working class must start immediately, let abandon you the bourgeois trade-unions, let abandon you the false communist Parties, let enter you to militate in the true class, revolutionary Marxist-Leninist communist Party, which is the Italian Marxist-Leninist Communist Party.
Therefore honor and glory to the great Stalin, the great Georgian.
With Marx, Engels, Lenin and Stalin dear comrades, dear workers we can win and we will win if we will work together, if we will set off together on the path that leads us to the socialist revolution, the conquest of political power by the working class, the construction of the new Socialist company.
To do this today in Italy the only way is to enter to militate and to struggle politically within the still small but already glorious Italian Marxist-Leninist Communist Party that I have the honor to represent; glorious just because plays the thought and work of the great masters of the international proletariat Marx, Engels, Lenin and Stalin and it is in the name of these masters that we will continue our revolutionary fight of communists in order to give particularly to the Italian proletariat at the right time the opportunity to get rid and to gain their social dignity.
Onwards to Socialism! Onwards to Communism! Dear workers, just is enough to believe in the possibility of building a new society in which man is truly free, in which man can to assert himself worthily if we believe in that, if we will believe in that, we can build this future, but we can to build it as soon as possible inasmuch as the Italian proletariat will do the most right choice, that is, to give force to Italian Marxist-Leninist Communist Party. GLORY TO STALIN!