Introduction
In the development of revolutionary theory, continual effort to disseminate
our revolutionary theory is required. This principle maintains validity with
every existing theory found within Marxism.
Within our present epoch in the development of human society, the most
advanced theory of revolutionary communism and Marxism is
Marxism–Leninism-Stalinism (MLS), or more simply known as
Stalinism. However, this revolutionary ideology is one
which is relatively nascent among the Marxist movement.
There exist a plethora of misconceptions and falsehoods regarding the matter
of what Stalinism truly is
— the term is taken by bourgeois and reactionary propagandists as a means
to slander the legacy and advancements of Josef Stalin, without clear
meaning, and is also denigrated by followers of modern revisionism (most
of whom are self-declared "Marxist-Leninists" who in truth reject Stalin's
contributions to Marxism in favor of their own revisionary "theorists")
as being a "non-existent" product of "Trotskyist propaganda", and thus, to
them, Stalinism has never existed as an ideology.
However, none of these differing views on this matter are valid. In summation,
Stalinism exists, but more particularly, it was and is:
-
An ideology which was not developed by Stalin himself, for he was a
Marxist-Leninist, an ideology whose theories he excelled at masterfully
applying. Stalinism, or Marxism-Leninism-Stalinism, was developed into a
coherent revolutionary theory by the later anti-revisionist followers of
Stalin in the era of revisionism and defacement of the Stalin's
ideological and practical achievements by, firstly, the Khrushchevites and
other revisionists.
-
An ideology which is not merely a loose aggregation of Stalin's historical
policies, but an ideology which is founded off coherent, universal
theories and other advancements of which were not solely developed by
Stalin, but his later followers.
- An ideology which theoretically succeeds, but does not omit, Leninism — while Leninism was the Marxist theory developed for the time of expanding imperialism and impending proletarian revolution, Stalinism is the Marxist theory for the time of declining imperialism and developed socialism.
- An ideology which is distinct from the mere epithet used by bourgeois and Trotskyite ideologists; Marxism-Leninism-Stalinism is not of the same meaning as the term "Stalinism" as used by exponents of capitalism.
Development of Stalinist ideology
The five fundamental thinkers whose contributions would lead to the
synthesis of MLS were Karl Marx, Fredrick Engels, Vladimir Lenin, Josef
Stalin, and Enver Hoxha (who advanced Marxism-Leninism to MLS in a manner
which shall be later elaborated upon). Each of these great theorists and
revolutionaries experienced differing times of societal development.
The founding of scientific socialism: Marx and Engels
The contributions provided by Marx and Engels, despite the vast amount of
time
which has transpired since their mortality, remains truly immortal in the class struggle within our society to this day.
which has transpired since their mortality, remains truly immortal in the class struggle within our society to this day.
Thus we can conclude that in our first metaphoric steps to acquiring the
foundations of our modern revolutionary ideology, that the theory of Marx
and Engels — Marxism — holds a
fundamental place. By implication of this fact, the further development of
Marxism into Marxism-Leninism and presently Marxism-Leninism-Stalinism do
not nullify or replace any aspect of the theory of Marx and Engels, but are
in truth augmentations of Marx-Engels to better adapt their theory to
relevant developments.
Development of Bolshevism and Leninism: Vladimir Lenin
Of those further developers of Marx and Engels's theory was Vladimir Lenin.
Lenin, living within the time of inter-imperialist world war, proletarian
revolution, and imperialism, successfully developed and articulated the
concept of imperialism, most particularly in his work
Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism created in 1917. Lenin
made many other such contributions to the arsenal of revolutionary
communism. Among which including an expanded concept of the Dictatorship of
the Proletariat, the revolutionary vanguard party, and so forth. These vast
contributions — of which would create Bolshevism and Leninism — proved
yielding to the international proletarian movement.
Lenin stood firmly against the many revisionist and opportunist trends
present at his time. Those who sought the weakening of the proletarian
vanguard party and the broader trend towards socialist revolution — the
economists, liquidators, Mensheviks, the social-chauvinists of the Second
International, etc., etc., were
firmly unmasked for their degradation of the revolutionary movement if not collaboration with the bourgeoisie and imperialists. Thus, as was the case with Marx and Engels (of which they fought against many anti-proletarian "socialist" trends), Lenin stood as an early exemplar of anti-revisionist stances, from which his later followers, such as Enver Hoxha, would greatly expand upon.
firmly unmasked for their degradation of the revolutionary movement if not collaboration with the bourgeoisie and imperialists. Thus, as was the case with Marx and Engels (of which they fought against many anti-proletarian "socialist" trends), Lenin stood as an early exemplar of anti-revisionist stances, from which his later followers, such as Enver Hoxha, would greatly expand upon.
These developments in theory by Lenin and other Bolsheviks proved
successful. In 1917, from the semi-feudal, oppressive, and despotic rump of
the Russian Czardom came Bolshevik revolution. From this, the Union of
Soviet Socialist Republics was born. The Soviet Union represented among the
first ever socialist states to exist. From this new creation and founding of
socialism for the first time, arrived a new epoch of world history.
Application of Leninist theory and development of Marxism-Leninism: Josef Stalin
Within the immediate years following the constitution of the Union of
Soviet Socialist Republics, Vladimir Lenin, the founder of Bolshevism and
the Soviet Union, had met an untimely mortality in the year 1924.
Thus initiated an internal party conflict over who would head the
Bolshevik revolution into the future. Within the Soviet communist party was the proper and stalwart Leninist line represented
by Josef Stalin and comrades, rivaled by the revisionary, opportunist line
embodied in figures of the likes of Leon Trotsky and Nikolai Bukharin.
In ultimacy, the proper Bolshevist line represented by Stalin held its
place while the factionalist Trotskyist and Bukharinist elements were
excised from the party. Hence, from the potential thermidorian reaction
which may have been invoked at the hands of revisionists and
deviationists, the Soviet Union was able to construct socialism unfettered
and led by the masterful and gallant leadership of Stalin and
comrades.
While Lenin was unable to bear witness to the construction of socialism in
the Soviet Union, Stalin was able to take hold of his theories and
creatively apply them to the economic and social realities found in the
Soviet Union.
In this theme of developing socialism, Stalin augmented Leninist theory to
adapt to the evolving circumstances as the era of Soviet revolutionary
"retreat" (as seen in the New Economic Policy of the early 1920s which
provisionally allowed private-ownership) was brought down with with the
might of the Five-Year Plans and central planning.
With this Stalin synthesized Leninism into Marxism-Leninism, an ideology
which employed Lenin's masterful tactics and theory regarding the
Bolshevik revolution and brought it into a universal form — while Leninism
was at first merely to be employed as a revolutionary theory within the
moribund Russian Czardom, Marxism-Leninism was an ideology whose expanse
was to be for the whole of the international proletariat.
In addition, Stalin developed and applied the
theories of socialism in one country and
aggravation of the class struggle under socialism as the internal
petite-bourgeois the imperialists' intrigues developed.
While it was anticipated that proletarian revolution would be concurrent
and global in scope, the revolutions of the early 1920s proved otherwise.
From the chaos following the First World War, the Soviet Union was left as
the only socialist country present, and one which was faced with constant
encirclement from Anglo-American and European imperialists.
Thus socialism was required to be constructed in a single country such as
in the Soviet Union in order to first expand socialism. As this process of
developing socialism gained more potency, reaction from the
petite-bourgeois exploiter classes in the Soviet Union against socialism
intensified ten-fold. With this, the socialist state of the Soviet Union
was strengthed to combat both internal and external reaction and
counter-revolution.
After the proto-typical Five-Year Plans in the Soviet Union were completed
with massive success and the war against the German fascists was won in
1945, socialism, in its primary form, was developed in the Soviet Union,
and proletarian dictatorships now existed in many other liberated lands as
well.
However, the bright future of communism and defeat of the Western
imperialists which should have come was not to be. For as socialism was
developed, revisionism would soon take hold of the Soviet Union and slowly
destroy even the most humble sign of socialism within a matter of years.
Rise of revisionism and social-imperialism, development of Stalinism in ideology
The correct line held by Stalin and other revolutionaries was, despite
decades of persistent efforts to repulse deviationism and revisionism,
tragically neglected and then denounced at the hands of
revisionists.
Early in the year 1953, Stalin died under suspicious circumstances and
the leadership of the party was once again left uncertain. However,
soon, a revisionist faction led by Nikita Khrushchev seized power over
the party and government in the following months of Stalin's
death.
While the correct Soviet policy under Stalin largely remained until
1956, the Khrushchevite revisionist clique soon engulfed themselves in
an effort to destroy all Stalin built in the decades past under the
banner of so-called "de-Stalinization", which was first announced
following a "secret speech" (that is, a "speech" which was hidden from
the Soviet people but enjoyed by the Western imperialists) which
provided nothing but slander to Stalin's legacy and efforts. From the
dictatorship of the proletariat came the "dictatorship of the whole
people", from class struggle came "peaceful co-existence", from
revolutionism came "peace transition", from socialist internationalism
came social-imperialism and hegemonism.
The proletarian dictatorship which was once labored so hard to attain
was lost, and in the Soviet Union and People's Democracies of Eastern
Europe came the dictatorship of the new bourgeoisie. Capitalism was
restored, and attacks on socialist economic relations came about
militantly from the revisionist clique of the Soviet Union.
However, not all of the newly-created socialist states in Eastern Europe
were
servile to the rise of Khrushchevite revisionism and "de-Stalinization".
In the People's Republic of Albania (later known as the People's
Socialist Republic of Albania), the ruling communist party, the Party of
Labor, maintained a correct and firm anti-revisionist stance, for not
only was the leader of the Party of Labor of Albania, Enver Hoxha a firm
supporter of Stalin and his glorious building of socialism, Socialist
Albania itself quickly became a target for Soviet revisionist
social-imperialism.
The Party of Labor of Albania, headed by Enver Hoxha, would soon embark
on a mission to defend the life and work of the classics of Marxism
against all revisionist trends present then. While Marxism was under
attack from revisionism from all sides — from Titoist, Khrushevite,
Brezhnevite, and other revisionist trends — Enver Hoxha unmasked the
revisionists and social-imperialists in a hasteful manner.
While Socialist Albania would be briefly allied with the People's
Republic of China under Mao Zedong, it would soon become clear that
Chinese revisionism itself was present, represented in ideologies such
as "Mao Zedong Thought". Soon, the anti-revisionists of Albania and
elsewhere would split from the Maoist revisionists by the time of the
1970s.
Enver Hoxha, like all other Marxist theorists and revolutionaries
preceding him, resided in new and unexplored circumstances of
socioeconomic development. Not merely due to the national peculiarities
of Albania, but also due to the rise of revisionism and
social-imperialism.
Socialist Albania suffered from the following encumbrances and issues in
the nascent time of its socialist construction:
- Total encirclement from both imperialist (represented by the Western European and American imperialists) and social-imperialist (represented by the Khrushchevite-Brezhnevite and Maoist-Dengist social-imperialists) powers.
- The presence of reactionary theistic and clerical structures in the nation which ablated social progress and stagnated cultural development to a feudalistic level.
- The nearly omnipresent specter of subversion from external revisionists and imperialists and the need to combat revisionism within the party.
From this context, Socialist Albania, led by Hoxha, developed Marxist theory to a greater extent and further articulated existing theory developed by people such as Stalin.
Hoxha, in developing socialism and creatively applying Marxist theory,
developed additional theories which possess universality, these
include the concepts of
the cultural and ideological revolution, socialist economic
self-reliance, and a greater concept of anti-revisionism. In addition, Socialist Albania would become the first workers' state ever to adopt state-atheism, indicating the extent of the proletarian victory in the Albanian class struggle, with reactionary clericalism be understood to be in contradiction with the progressive development of socialism and communism.
However, Hoxha did not exclusively concoct new theory, but made the theory of Stalin universal to all revolutionary movements. Under siege from revisionism and social-imperialism, often manifesting in a rejection of Stalin's theory as done by Khrushchevite and Maoist revisionists, the requirements to expand the theory of Stalin greatly increased.
Thus, within this anti-revisionist struggle, Enver Hoxha declared:
"[...] Bolshevism is always alive in the Soviet Union and the
Soviet Bolshevik revolutionaries will not be defeated in the face of
the tragedy which the land of the Soviets is living, but they will
restore the great traditions of October Revolution, of the heroic
times of Lenin and Stalin. And the only road to this is the
[creation] of the Marxist-Leninist-Stalinist revolutionary
party, that must take in its hands the banner of the struggle for
the overthrow of [revisionism] and the [installment] of the
dictatorship of the proletariat" [Emphasis is mine]
From this, it must be concluded that the true followers of Marx, Engels, Lenin, and Stalin had begun to distinguish themselves as Marxist-Leninist-Stalinists over the so-called "Marxist-Leninists" who were in truth modern revisionists.
Marxism-Leninism-Stalinism was not merely developed by Hoxha, but by other stalwart followers of Stalin, such as Lazar Kaganovich.
While Socialist Albania fell in 1990 (although de-facto persisted under revisionist leadership until 1991), the cause of the struggle to defend the life and legacy of Stalin and develop and apply his correct theories remains to this day, as it shall forevermore. With concern to Enver Hoxha, his struggle against revisionism and developments in theory shall likewise provide inspiration for us all.
The theory and aspects of Stalinist ideology
Marxism-Leninism-Stalinism, from its decades of development against
revisionism, capitalism, imperialism, and so forth, may be said to
possess the following aspects which have developed to augment its
basis in Marxism and Leninism:
- Priority for the development and consolidation of the proletarian dictatorship and the monolithic role of the people's vanguard party in socialist society against counter-revolutionism and external imperialism.
- The consistent heeding of the theories of the classics of Marxism against deviationism. Engagement in anti-revisionist struggle both internally and externally.
- The usage of ideological and cultural revolution as a means of liberating society from social reactionism and instilling socialistic culture among the people.
- The recognition of the contradiction between organized clericalism and theism with the ambitions of constructing socialism and communism; the adoption of state-atheism and scientific rationalism to the level of the communist party.
- Socialist states to rely on themselves for economic development as much as may be possible. The building of socialism in one country.
-
A developed understanding of the nature of social-imperialism and
extended understanding of revisionism.
- The massive corpus of pre-existing theories and concepts conceived by past classics of Marxism; Marxian economics, dialectical and historical materialism, Bolshevist vanguardism, the theory of imperialism, and so forth.
There are of course many other aspects which may be included.
However, once more, a simple mention of important aspects such as
this may be of great use.
Hence, from the ideological and political struggles waged in the
past century to the present, Marxism-Leninism-Stalinism represents
the most liberating theory to presently exist.
Within the present condition of society, Marxism-Leninism-Stalinism represents the most sophisticated development of Marxism and revolutionary communism. For our
revolutionary theory represents
decades of struggle against all examples of imperialism, with the
inclusion of social-imperialism, revisionism, reactionism, and so
forth.
Thus, the duty and commitment of Stalinists in the present is the
building of a revolutionary movement and vanguard party for
revolution, the creative application of MLS to one's national and
local conditions, and the further circulation of MLS to both the
current revolutionary communist movement and largely to the people.
Stalinists' relation to contemporary "Marxist-Leninists"
Marxism-Leninism-Stalinism does not represent a rejection or
replacement of Marxism-Leninism, but rather, an augmentation of it
as stated before. We are Marxist-Leninists of the present epoch,
with us Stalinists persisting in our firm devotion to the works of
the classics of Marxism preceding Stalin and Hoxha.
However, many "comrades" within the revolutionary communist movement
reject Stalinism, and deem themselves to be "Marxist-Leninists"
in the spirit of Lenin. However, it is common that these so-called
"Marxist-Leninists" are often times revisionists who are stalwarts
to modern social-imperialism.
To those who remain Marxist-Leninists yet are not revisionary,
it is our goal to advance MLS to them in order to assist in the
building of our movements, however, to the "Marxist-Leninists" who
are revisionists and social-chauvinists in favor of the
Russo-Chinese or Euro-American bourgeoisie, we must unmask them as
the deviationists from Lenin and Stalin which they are.
We thus must adopt Marxism-Leninism-Stalinism further as a means to
indicate who is truly revolutionary and separate us from modern
revisionists.
For the followers of the classics of Marxism in the present era, we
shall, with conviction, adopt MLS as a guiding theory in this age of
class struggle.