A Documentary History of Communism in Russia

A Documentary

History of

Communism

in Russia -

From Lenin to Gorbachev

Edited by \

Robert V. Daniels

A Documentary History of

Communism in Russia

A Documentary

History of

Communism

in Russia

From Lenin to Gorbachev

Edited, with introduction, notes,

and original translations by

Robert V. Daniels

University of Vermont Press

Burlington, Vermont

Published by University Press of New England

Hanover and London

UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT PRESS

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ISBN-13: 987-0-87451-616-6

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Contents

Preface (i96 0 Edition) xiii

Preface (Revised Edition) xv

Preface (1993 Edition) xvii

Introduction: The Evolution of the Communist Mind

—In Russia xix

CHAPTER ONE: Leninism and the Bolshevik Party, to 1917 3

Lenin as a Marxist: What the "Friends of the People" Are and How They Fight the

Social-Democrats (1894) 3

The Foundation of the Russian Marxist Party: Manifesto of the Russian Social￾Democratic Workers' Party (1898) 4

Lenin's Theory of the Party: What Is to Be Done? (1902) 6

Lenin on the Party Split: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back (May, 1904) 11

Marxist Reactions to Lenin—Rosa Luxemburg: Leninism or Marxism (1904) 14

Marxist Reactions to Lenin—Leon Trotsky: Our Political Tasks (1904) 16

Organization of the Bolshevik Faction: Resolution of the Twenty-Two (August,

1904) 17

Lenin on the Revolution of 1905: Two Tactics of Social-Democraq^ in the

Democratic Revolution (July, 1905) 19

Trotsky on "Permanent Revolution": Results and Prospects (1906) 23

Lenin on Democratic Centralism: Freedom of Criticism and Unity of Action (June,

1906) 25

Bogdanov's Philosophical Revision of Marxism: Empiriomonism (1905-6) 26

Lenin's Philosophical Orthodoxy: Materialism and Empiriocriticism (1908) ^°

The Purge of the Bolshevik Left Wing (June, 1909) 32

a) Communique on the Conference ^^

b) Resolution on Otzovism and Ultimatism ^

The Ultra-Left on Lenin's Compromises: Declarations of the "Forward" Group

(i9 I Q ) 34

a) Bogdanov, "Letter to All Comrades" 34

b) "Letter to Our Bolshevik Comrades" 3 5

Stalin on National Self-Determination: Marxism and the National Question (1913) 36

Lenin on the Uneven Prospects of Revolution: The United States of Europe Slogan

(August, 1915) 38

Bukharin on the Imperialist State: On the Theory of the Imperialist State (1916) 38

vi Contents

CHAPTER TWO: The Bolshevik Revolution, 1917-1921 42

Lenin's Return to Russia: On the Tasks of the Proletariat in the Present Revolution

(April 7 [20], 1917) 42

Lenin on the Soviets: On the Dual Power (April 9 [22] 1917) 44

Lenin's Vision of the Revolutionary State: The State and Revolution

(August-September, 1917) 47

Lenin's Call for an Uprising: Marxism and Insurrection (September 13-14

[26-27], 1917) 52

The Declaration of Revolutionary Intent—Trotsky: Declaration of the Bolshevik

Fraction (October 7 [20], 1917) 54

The Decision to Seize Power: Resolution of the Central Committee, On the Armed

Uprising (October 10 [23], 1917) 55

Bolshevik Opposition to the Insurrection: Statement by Zinoviev and Kamenev

(October 11 [24], 1917) 56

The Military-Revolutionary Committee 57

Triggering the Uprising 59

a) Circular of the Military-Revolutionary Committee (October 24 [November

6], 1917) 59

b) Minutes of the Bolshevik Central Committee (October 24 [November 6],

1917) 60

The October Revolution: Proclamation of the Military-Revolutionary Committee

(October 25 [November 7], 1917) 62

The Soviet Government: Decree on the Formation of a Workers' and Peasants'

Government (October 26 [November 8], 1917) 62

Bolshevik Revolutionary Legislation 63

a) Decree on the Land (October 26 [November 8], 1917) 63

b) Decree on Suppression of Hostile Newspapers (October 27 [November 9],

1917) 65

c) Declaration of the Rights of the Peoples of Russia (November 2 [15], 1917) 66

Coalition or One-Party Government 67

a) Resolution of the Central Committee on the Opposition (November 2 [15],

1917) 67

b) Bolshevik Statements of Resignation (November 4 [ 17], 1917) 68

Industrial Democracy: Decree on Workers' Control (November 14 [27], 1917) 69

The Secret Police: Decree on Establishment of the Extraordinary Commission to

Fight Counter-Revolution (December 7 [20], 1917) 70

The Dissolution of the Constituent Assembly: Lenin, Draft Decree on the

Dissolution of the Constituent Assembly (January 6 [ 19], 1918) 71

Trotsky on the Red Army: Labor, Discipline, Order (March 27, 1918) 72

Lenin on Economic Expediency: The Immediate Tasks of the Soviet Government

(April, 1918) 74

The Left Communists on a Proletarian Economic Policy: Theses on the Present

Moment (April, 1918) 77

One-Party Dictatorship: Decree on the Expulsion of the Right Socialist Parties from

the Soviets (June 14, 1918) 80

Contents vii

Red Terror: Lenin on the Kulaks (August 11,1918) 81

War Communism: Decree on Nationalization of Large-Scale Industry (June 28,

1918) 81

Western Radicals on the Communists: Rosa Luxemburg, The Russian Revolution

(1918) 82

The Party Program of 1919 85

Centralization of the Communist Party: Resolution of the Eighth Party Congress,

On the Organizational Question (March, 1919) 89

The Civil War: Lenin, All Out for the Fight Against Denikin (July, 1919) 91

Bukharin's Apology for War Communism: The Economics of the Transformation

Period (1920) 92

Trotsky on Terror and Militarization: Terrorism and Communism (1920) 95

The "Democratic Centralists" in Opposition to Centralization: Osinsky, Minority

Report on Building the Economy, Ninth Party Congress (March, 1920) 97

Lenin on Revolutionary Purism: "Left-Wing" Communism: An Infantile Disorder

(April, 1920) 99

The Reaction against Bureaucracy: Resolution of the Ninth Party Conference, On

the Coming Tasks of Building the Party (September, 1920) I o 1

The Communist Ideal in Family Life: Alexandra Kollontai, Communism and the

Family (1920) 102

The Trade Union Controversy and the Workers' Opposition: Kollontai, The

Workers' Opposition (1921) 104

The Kronstadt Revolt: What We Are Fighting For (March 8, 1921) 107

Institution of the Monolithic Party 109

a) Resolution of the Tenth Party Congress, On Party Unity (March, 1921) 109

b) Resolution of the Tenth Party Congress, On the Syndicalist and Anarchist

Deviation in Our Party (March, 1921) 110

The New Economic Policy: Lenin, The Tax in Kind (April, 1921) 112

CHAPTER THREE: Soviet Communism: The Era of Controversy,

1922-1929 114

Protests against the New Economic Policy 114

a) The Declaration of the Twenty-Two (February, 1922) 114

b) Appeal of the "Workers' Truth" Group (1922) 115

Lenin's "Testament": Continuation of Notes (December 24, 1922) 117

Lenin on Nationality Policy: On the Question of the Nationalities or of

"Autonomization" (December 30-31, 1922) 118

Lenin on the Prerequisites for Socialism: Our Revolution (January, 1923) 120

Lenin on Administrative Reform: Better Fewer, But Better (March, 1923) 121

Trotsky on Industrialization: Theses on Industry (March, 1923) 124

Formation of the Trotskyist Opposition 125

a) Trotsky Protests Bureaucratization (October 8, 1923) 125

b) Declaration of the Forty-Six (October 15, 1923) 127

viii Contents

The "New Course" Controversy of December, 1923: Trotsky, The New Course

(December 8, 1923) 129

The Condemnation of the Trotskyist Opposition: Resolution of the Thirteenth Party

Conference, On the Results of the Controversy and on the Petty-Bourgeois

Deviation in the Party ( January, 1924) 130

The Formation of the USSR Constitution of the USSR (January, 1924) 131

Stalin on Leninism and the Party: The Foundations of Leninism (April, 1924) 133

Stalin on Socialism in One Country: The October Revolution and the Tactics of the

Russian Communists (December, 1924) 136

Preobrazhensky on the Economics of Industrialization: The New Economy (1926) 139

Soviet Cultural Policy—The Liberal Period: Resolution of the Central Committee,

On the Policy of the Party in the Field of Literature (July 1,1925) 141

Soviet Educational Policy—The Revolutionary Period: Pinkevich, Outlines of

Pedagogy(1927) 142

The Zinoviev-Kamenev Opposition 144

a) Zinoviev on State Capitalism (December, 1925) 144

b) Kamenev on Stalin (December, 1925) 145

The United Opposition: Declaration of the Thirteen (July, 1926) 147

Bukharin on the Opposition: The Party and the Opposition Bloc (July, 1926) 151

The Theoretical Debate on Socialism in One Country 153

a) Kamenev's Criticism of Stalin (November, 1926) 153

b) Stalin's Reply to Kamenev (November, 1926) 156

Stalin on the Expulsion of the Left Opposition: Report of the Central Committee to

the Fifteenth Party Congress (December, 1927) 158

Stalin on the Grain Crisis: On the Grain Front (May, 1928) 159

The Right Opposition 162

a) Bukharin on Peasant Policy ( July 10, 1928) 162

b) Bukharin on the Menace of Stalin (July 11, 1928) 163

Kuibyshev on Industrialization: The Economic Situation of the Soviet Union

(September 19, 1928) 164

Bukharin on Equilibrium: Notes of an Economist (September 30, 1928) 166

CHAPTER FOUR: The Transformation Under Stalin, 1929-1953 170

Stalin's Revolution: Stalin, The Right Deviation in the CPSU(B) (April, 1929) 170

Disciplining the Intellectuals: Resolution of the Second Ail-Union Conference of

Marxist-Leninist Scientific Research Institutions, On Contemporary Problems of

the Philosophy of Marxism-Leninism (April, 1929) 173

Rakovsky on Bureaucracy 175

a) Letter on the Causes of the Degeneration of the Party and Governmental

Apparatus (August 2, 1928) 175

b) Circular of the Bolshevik-Leninist Opposition (April, 1930) 176

Stalin on the Liquidation of the Kulaks: Problems of Agrarian Policy in the USSR

(December, 1929) 177

Contents ix

The Socialized Economy and Revolutionary Law: Pashukanis, The Soviet State and

the Revolution in Law (1930) 179

Stalin on the Ends and Means of Industrialization 180

a) The Tasks of Business Executives (February, 193 1) 181

b) New Conditions—New Tasks in Economic Construction (June, 193 1) 183

Stalin on the Sanctity of Leninism: Some Questions Concerning the History of

Bolshevism (1931) 185

The New Educational Policy: Decision of the Central Committee on the Primary

and Secondary School (September 5, 193 1) 187

The Famine of 1932-33 188

a) The Ukrainian Politburo on Grain Collections (November 27, 1932) 188

b) The Kiev Regional Bureau on Famine Relief (February 22, 1933) 189

Stalin's Social Ideal: Report of the Central Committee to the Seventeenth Party

Congress (January, 1934) 190

The New History: Decree of the Council of People's Commissars and the Central

Committee, On the Teaching of Civic History (May, 1934) 193

The New Nationalism: For the Fatherland! (Pravda, June 9, 1934) 193

Socialist Realism: Gorky, Soviet Literature (August, 1934) 195

The New Family Ideal: Discussion of the Law on Abolition of Legal Abortion

(Pravda, May 28 and June 9, 1936) 197

The Kirov Affair: Letter of an Old Bolshevik (1936) 198

Trotsky on the New Soviet Society: The Revolution Betrayed (1937) 201

The Great Purge: Stalin, On Inadequacies of Party Work and Measures for

Liquidating Trotskyist and Other Double-Dealers (March, 1927) 205

The Gulag: Trotskyists at Vorkuta 208

The Moscow Trials: The Case of the Anti-Soviet Bloc of Rights and Trotskyites

(1938) 212

The Purges and Torture: Stalin, Telegram of January 20, 1939) 216

Stalin as a Philosopher: Dialectical and Historical Materialism (1938) 217

Vyshinsky on the New Law: The Law of the Soviet State (193 8) 218

Stalin on the State and Intelligentsia: Report of the Central Committee to the

Eighteenth Party Congress (March, 1939) 220

The Second World War 223

a) Directive on Mobilization (June 29, 1941) 223

b) Voznesensky, The Economy of the USSR during World War II (1947) 225

Stalin and the Orthodox Church: Statements of the Patriarchate of Moscow

(September, 1943) 228

Wartime Defections: The Vlasov Movement (1944) 229

Stalin on the Great-Russians: Speech at Reception for Red Army Commanders (May

24, 1945) 232

Stalin's Analysis of Victory: Pre-Election Speech of February 9, 1946 232

The Zhdanov Movement: Zhdanov, Report to the Union of Soviet Writers (August,

1946) 235

x Contents

Party Control of Science—Genetics: Resolution of the Presidium of the Academy of

Sciences of the USSR, On the Question of the Status and Problems of Biological

Science (August 26, 1948) 238

The Campaign against "Cosmopolitanism": Voprosy Istorii on the Tasks of Soviet

Historians (July, 1949) 239

Stalin on Language and Society: Marxism and Linguistics (1950) 242

The Limits of Stalinism—Malenkov on Imperfections in the Party: Report of the

Central Committee to the Nineteenth Party Congress (October, 1952) 244

CHAPTER FIVE: The Interval of Reform, 1953-1964 246

The Death of Stalin and Collective Leadership: L. Slepov, Collectivity Is the Highest

Principle of Party Leadership (April, 1953) 246

The Purge of Beria 247

a) The Central Committee's Indictment (July 7, 1953) 248

b) The Supreme Court's Verdict (December 24, 1953) 249

The Rise of Khrushchev: The Virgin Lands Program (February, 1954) 250

The Fall of Malenkov: Malenkov's Statement of Resignation (February 8, 1955) 253

"De-Stalinization": Khrushchev, Secret Speech at the Twentieth Party Congress

(February, 1956) 254

The "Thaw" in Cultural Life: Voprosy Filosofti on the Theater, (October, 1956) 258

The "Anti-Party Group": Resolution of the Central Committee (June 29, 1957) 263

The Promise of a Communist Future: Program of the Communist Party of the

Soviet Union (November, 1961) 265

"Harebrained Schemes"—Khrushchev's Division of the Party Apparatus: Resolution

of the Central Committee of the CPSU, On the Development of the USSR

Economy and Reorganization of Party Guidance of the National Economy

(November 23, 1962) 273

The Fall of Khrushchev (October 6, 1964) 275

a) Suslov's Secret Speech 275

b) Communique of the Central Committee (October 14, 1964) 279

CHAPTER SIX: The "Era of Stagnation" 280

The Promise of the Brezhnev Era: Report of the Central Committee to the

Twenty-Third Party Congress (March, 1966) 280

The End of the Thaw—The Sinyavsky-Daniel Trial: D. Yeremin, "Turncoats"

(January, 1966) 284

The Attempt at Economic Reform 286

a) Liberman's Proposal (September, 1962) 286

b) The 1965 Reform (1967) 288

Currents of Dissent 290

a) Liberal Dissent—Sakharov 291

b) Conservative Dissent—Solzhenitsyn 293

c) Marxist Dissent—Medvedev 297

d) Suppression of Dissent—Andropov (November 15, 1976) 301

Contents xi

Soviet Consumerism: Kosygin, Report on the Directives of the Twenty-Fourth Party

Congress for the Five-Year Plan, 1971— 1975 (April, 1971) 302

The Scientific-Technical Revolution: Directives of the Twenty-Fourth Party Congress

on the Five-Year Plan (April 1971) 304

Soviet Jews and the Emigration Issue 307

a) Samizdat on Discrimination and Assimilation 307

b) The Emigration Tax 311

Brezhnev's Constitution: Brezhnev, Report on the Draft Constitution (June, 1977) 313

The Theory of "Developed Socialism": Brezhnev, A Historic Stage on the Road to

Communism (1977) 314

Population and the Birthrate: D. Valentei and A. Kvasha, Population Problems and

Demographic Policy (19 81) 316

The Limits of Centralism: Trapeznikov, Management and Scientific and Technical

Progress (May, 1982) 318

The Impasse in Agriculture: V. Miloserdov, New Stage in the Management of the

Agro-Industrial Complex (August, 1982) 321

Absorption of the National Minorities: "We are the Soviet People" (1982) 323

The Andropov Succession 325

a) Andropov on the Economy 325

b) Andropov on Marx and the Laws of Socialism 326

The Gathering Crisis: The "Novosibirsk Report" (August, 1983) 33 1

The Chernenko Interlude: Chernenko's Speech to the Central Committee (February,

I98

4) 334

CHAPTER SEVEN: Perestroika and the End of Communism,

1985-1991 337

Gorbachev and Reform 337

a) Restructuring—Gorbachev's Speech to the Central Committee (April, 1985) 337

b) Glasnost—Gorbachev and the Writers (June, 1986) 339

c) Challenging the Party—Gorbachev at the Central Committee, January 1987 341

d) Reopening the Past—Gorbachev's Anniversary Speech (November, 1987) 347

Conservative Reaction: The Andreyeva Letter (March 13, 1988) 352

Democratization 354

a) The September Revolution (1988) 354

b) The Congress of People's Deputies (May, 1989) 356

c) "Democratic Platform" (January, 1990) 361

d) The Presidency and the End of the Communist Monopoly (March,

1990) 362

e) Yeltsin and the Russian Republic 364

Marxism Rejected: Tsipko, "The Roots of Stalinism" (1988-89) 366

Economic Crisis: The "500 Days" Plan (August, 1990) 371

Cracks in the Union 373

a) Declarations of Sovereignty (March-June, 1990) 374

b) The Union Treaty (March ,1991) 375

xii Contents

The Communist Party of the Russian Republic (June, 1990) 377

The Last Party Program (July, 1991) 379

The August Putsch (1991) 383

a) The Committee on the State of Emergency 383

b) Yeltsin's Defiance 386

c) Gorbachev's Return to Power 387

d) Gorbachev's Resignation as General Secretary 388

e) Suppression of the CPSU 388

The End of the Soviet Union (December, 1991) 389

a) The Commonwealth of Independent States 389

b) Gorbachev's Resignation as President 390

Preface (i960 Edition)

It would naturally be impossible in one volume of documentary mate￾rials to cover a subject as broad and complex as Communism from every point of

view. The careful description of political institutions, events and everyday life as

they have proceeded over the years under Communism would require whole shelves

of source materials. The present work has been deliberately focused on the subject

of Communist thought and doctrine, for reason of its commanding importance, its

relative uniformity within the Communist scheme of things, and the appropriate￾ness of the documentary approach to its elucidation. We will be primarily con￾cerned with the evolution of top-level guiding ideas, policies and intentions among

the Communists. Statements of deviators of all sorts are included along with the

official line of those in power—we may regard anyone who claims descent from

Lenin as equally meriting the label "Communist." Through the pronouncements of

its leading figures, both those who have ruled and those who have fallen from

grace, we may arrive at a reasonably approximate picture of what Communism ac￾tually is, historically considered.

The problems of selecting materials for a purpose such as this never permit a

fully satisfactory solution. I have attempted a fair digest and representative choice

of statements expressing all the main concepts and currents in Communism. Many

readers, however, will find that their areas of interest are underrepresented. This

failing is the price that must be paid in an effort to survey the entire Communist

movement in one documentary volume, and meet the needs of the student, the

general reader, and the scholar who is not a specialist in this field.

The present work would never have materialized without the assistance of many

people who helped in its preparation or who paved the way with their own studies.

I am indebted to the many publishers who kindly permitted me to reprint selec￾tions of previously translated material (individually acknowledged under each

item). Certain documentary collections which have been particularly helpful de￾serve special mention—the pioneering Documentary History of Chinese Communism,

by Conrad Brandt, Benjamin Schwartz and John K. Fairbank (Harvard University

Press, 1952); the Materials for the Study of the Soviet System, by James H. Meisel and

Edward S. Kozera (The George Wahr Publishing Co., Ann Arbor, Michigan,

1950), which brings together a wide selection of previously translated Soviet doc￾uments; the documentary compilations prepared by the Legislative Reference Ser￾vice of the Library of Congress; the various collections of Soviet documents

published by the Stanford University Press; and the English editions of the selected

works of Lenin and Stalin, published by the Foreign Languages Publishing House

in Moscow. The Harvard University Library has kindly permitted me to include my

translations from a number of hitherto unpublished documents in the Trotsky Ar￾chive. For their suggestions regarding documents on Far Eastern Communism I am