October Revolution

SIGNIFICANCE OF OCTOBER REVOLUTION
By V.J.K. NAIR
(Text of the speech delivered on Nov 7, 2009 at Bangalore – the text further edited by the author himself)

As we observe the ninety second anniversary of Great October Revolution, let us reiterate the fact that the significance of Great October Revolution is Glorious as it was nine decades back when it took place.
Even those who celebrated the `death of socialism’ with the dismantling of USSR way back in 1990 and created a new world order in the last decade of twentieth century, saw their bubble bursting last year during September. Their bubble created in the neo globalisation process did not last even two decades, whereas the USSR created by the Great October Revolution last for seven decades. It not only shook the world as John Reed put it then in his celebrated work: Ten Days that Shook the World. It created a new civilisation as portrayed by Beatrice Web, the praise of which was sung by great Poets all over from Rabindranath Tagore, Vallathol , Kuvempu and so on.

Both as a result of First World War and established beating back all interventionist forces, and shaped the world by utmost sacrifice during the Second World War. Thus it not only conducted a ditched battle to save the world from Fascism and in this very process had rivalled the Capitalist World in all achievements. It had created a socialist camp in the post second world war era, but could not maintain it for so long.
The poets eulogised it as the PARADISE OF CHILDREN, the true base of a planned society, the universal education, heath care, housing for all, total elimination of unemployment and hunger. The technological achievements like development of the first Tractor, the new non-exploitative production system, developments in production and distribution of electricity, world’s longest railways, aviation, taming of the rivers and establishment of inland water navigation, SPUTNIK, Gagarin and not to forget that their military equipments like Kalashnikov Rifles, the rocket launchers going by the pet name Stalin’s Organ, the MIG fighters and nose to nose condition during the cold war, these were no mean achievements by the Soviet People for the World as a whole.
The Socialism as practiced by Soviet Union cannot be the only model for the non-exploitative system that should finally end the exploitative capitalist system. There can be numerous forms of socialist system, just as there are numerous variations in capitalist development. However the common thread in all socialist systems is ending exploitation of man by man and in the Capitalist System it is just the reverse, the perpetuation and accentuation of the exploitation of man by man.
It is in this aspect that the Triumph of Socialism over Capitalism is certain, just as the day break is certain after a night is. Socialism is based on the goodness of human beings and is opposed to the greed of capitalists.

THE CONTINUING SIGNIFICANCE OF THE GREAT OCTOBER REVOLUTION LIES IN THIS HISTORY WHICH IS INERRASABLE.

Even the Capitalists are searching for answers to their problems in THE CAPITAL of Karl Marx. Even if they succeed in finding some solution it will only help them to sustain their system for some more time and not perpetuate capitalism for ever. Let us not rely on the capitalists to reform their system even if it is by way of their studying MARX whom they tried to ignore and reject all along.
Let us rely on the WORKING CLASS. They alone are placed in a historic position to understand, interpret and develop Marxism and carry out their historic role of emancipating the society from the exploitative system.

This exactly what was done by Lenin when he started the series of struggles following 1890 by following the revolutionary traditions of MAY DAY starting at Kharkov and continuously working upto 1905 and then after the February Revolution of 1917 and ultimately the GREAT OCTOBER REVOLUTION OF 1917.

Just as the COMMUNIST LEAGUE founded by émigré German Labor in London became the organisation whose Manifesto was produced by Marx and Engels in 1848, it was THE LEAGUE FOR STRUGGLE FOR THE EMANCIPATION OF THE WORKING CLASS founded by Lenin in Petrograd in the year 1895 which laid the basis of the development of the ideology of working class as applicable to the concrete condition that existed in Tsarist Russia and LENINISM its flowering and bring into fruitition and therefore it was nothing but the development of MARXISM to the Concrete conditions of 20TH century.

LENIN’S THEORIES OF REVOLUTION IN ONE COUNTRY, as against World Revolution, so far expected by Marxists, Dictatorship of Proletariat which in its specific application was based on worker-peasant alliance, the theory of peaceful co-existence and so on laid the basis of not only Soviet Union, but for a new world order. Lenin’s Colonial Thesis, on National Question, National Liberation Movements, his fundamental works on all the three component parts of Marxism, Philosophy, Historical Materialism and Political Economy as also his fundamental works like IMPERIALISM, the highest state of capitalism, State and Revolution, to the Rural Poor, What is to be done, Materialism and Empereocritism and so on enriched Marxism and its application throughout the World.

Although Lenin lived only for seven years after the Great October Revolution the CPSU he founded continued under the able leadership of Joseph V. Stalin. Stalin helped not only to build socialism in one country, but when the Soviet Union was invaded by Fascists, to regroup and beat back their offensive ultimately making the Red Flag to be raised over Reichstag on May Day 1945.

Soviet Red Army could not only liberate the World from fascism, but successfully organised People’s Democracies throughout the territories overran earlier by Hitler. Thus was born the Socialist Camp. Formation of People’s Republic of China on Oct 1, 1949, had simultaneously succeeded in Korea. Cuba accomplished its own revolution in 1958. Barring Cuba the entire People’s Democracies of Western Europe, the New Democracy in China, the formation of North Korea were all product of the Second World War. Just as October Revolution took place in 1917 in the midst of first world war and Soviet Union got formed soon liberating the Nationalities held in the weakest link of Imperialist Powers, the Tsarist Aristocracy and defeating the interventionists which delayed the formation of USSR till about the end of Lenin, the conflict in Indo-China where the Vietnamese defeated at first the Japanese, then the French at Dien Bien Fu only to find the Americans occupying Indo-China, backing up several puppet regimes and finally taking up the task of killing the Vietnamese on themselves only to result in the defeat of the most powerful military on earth by Vietnamese Communist Party and re-unification of Vietnam happening on May Day 1975. By this time the not only the formation of Soviet Camp was fulfilled but the seeds of disarray which was sown in 1957 itself when the world communist parties held a conference on the 40th Anniversary of the Great October Revolution ultimately led to the disarray in the camp.
Although the 1957 Declaration had analysed the principal contradictions in the World, it went off the tangent by distorting Lenin’s understanding about peaceful co-existence and developed it further to such unrealistic theories like peaceful competition, and peaceful transitions etc.

This has not only led to the Great Debate between CPSU and CPC but also vertically divided several CPs throughout the world, including ours. The line of collaboration propounded by revisionists had their base in the wrong tenets of 1057 declaration. Although an effort was made to restate the correct position in 1960 in the form of a Statement at an International Conference of the CPs, the dice was cast and controversies raged.

Sectarian view points propounded in the name of CPC, which they have abandoned ultimately, and the revisionist theories ultimately developing what was popularly known as EURO-COMMUNISM and so on weakened CPs all along.

Even as the march of Socialism got into a Marshy Land, the non-exploitative character of socialism itself suffered under sectarian and deviationist lines, Capitalism stole the march by extending and intensifying the exploitation of the People all over the world. Capitalism succeeded in achieving `scientific and technological’ revolution. And today’s IT communications and other revolutions overwhelmed whatever scientific and technological edge socialism had held.

Together with failure to develop a civic society without which the democratic aspirations of the people could not be met, new theories of GLASNOST AND PERISTROIKA developed by Gorbachev finally did the blow of DISMANTLING SOVIET UNION preceded by the People’s Democracies themselves.

CHINA WHICH DOVE TAILED THEIR ECONOMIES TO THE WORLD MARKET IS BUILDING THE SOCILISM WITH CHINESE CHARACTERISTICS.
In this they have ensured that the forces of production develop fast ensuring work for the people and further ensuring that the relations of production even though not socialist yet work to the advantage of the working people. Similar efforts are being made by Vietnam. Cuba has its own variety of socialism and declared socialism or death as their slogan. Latin America is developing their own varieties of socialism and democracy and many of them have succeeded in changing their character from being banana republics.

` IT IS FACT THAT THE CONTRADICTION OF CAPITAL AND LABOR ALL OVER THE WORLD IS YET TO MATURE TO A STAGE WHERE A FINAL SHOW DOWN IS POSSIBLE.

But there are numerous signs in this direction. Concrete analysis of the concrete situation at present will show that most of the old tenets are in dire need of updating to the latest concrete condition. The monopolies who Lenin presented was killing competition, has developed a system of their own various units in one or more country competing among themselves. They thus help the process of making the continued existence of one or more of their production unit precarious, They can survive as a unit and attract new investment and development only if they succeed in extracting more and more surplus. This creates a concrete condition for Proletariat of these monopolies themselves, the industry/industries, the region and global unity of the working people. This alone can beat back the offensive of World Capital grinding the world population to poverty, under nourishment, un education, un employment and `un’s of the World. There are signs of unified understanding on role of finance capital, on development, ecology and so on. However the fighting force to be ready globally there is a dire need for THEORISATION and practical application of a line suitable to develop the working class movement in the true spirit of PROLETARIAN INTERNATIONALISM.
As Lenin put it a century ago defining PROLETARIAN INTERNATIONALISM that the working people of every nation in alliance with other segments of the exploited people in their nation will have to fight their ruling classes, and there is a duty on every such working class parties and movements to support such and only such fights every where else. This alone can guarantee PROLETARIAN INTERNATIONALISM which alone is the answer to CAPITALIST NEO-LEBERAL GLOBALISATION.

IN THE FORMER IT IS THE NONEXPLOITATIVESNESS WHICH UNITES INTERNATIONALLY THE WORKING PEOPLE AND GUARANTEE THE UNITY OF EVERY PEOPLE AND IN THE LATTER IT IS THE PERPETUATION OF EXPLOITATION WHICH IS AT THE BASE OF NEO-LIBERAL GLOBALISATION.

THE REAL INTERESTS OF PEOPLE CAN BE SECURE ONLY UNDER PROLETARIAN INTERNATIONALISM AND NOT UNDER NEO-LIBERAL IMPERIALISATION!

THE GREAT OCTOBER REVOLUTION NO DOUBT IS GLORIOUS and is a shining example in this direction of a not too distant WORLD REVOLUTION, in whatever form it may break asunder NEGATING THE NEGATION OF PEOPLE and thus ending the exploitative society and establishing the only basis of a NEW CIVILISATION THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. IT SHALL BE ACHIEVED.

V.J.K. NAIR