Nikita S. Khrushchev
REPORT TO THE TWENTIETH PARTY CONGRESS (1956)
(Perry 454-56)After World War II, the Korean War, and the
escalation of the nuclear arms race into the deployment of hydrogen
bombs, the Soviets perceived themselves to be in a worldwide
struggle with the Western capitalists- In the Soviet view, the
socialist system was advancing, whereas the capitalist. system was
in decline; the Cold War represented a desperate effort to preserve
capitalism. Communists especially attacked the American desire to
deal with the socialist countries from a position of superior
strength.
Soviet international policy gave special attention to the
aspirations of "the people of the East" the Asians and Africans
emerging from colonial rule. Soviets described American aid to
developing countries as new form of imperial-ism, whereas Soviet aid
was pictured as humanitarian assistance in the struggle against
colonialism.
Nikita Khrushchev (1894—1971) summed up the Soviet perspective on
world affairs for the benefit of a new generation of Soviet
citizens. As first secretary of the Communist party, he delivered a
report to the 'Twentieth Party Congress in February 1956, on the eve
of his famous denunciation of the crimes of the Stalin era. He
sounded an optimistic but militant note. Alarmed by the progress of
the arms race, Khrushchev gave vigorous support to an old Soviet
plea for the peaceful coexistence of the two competing
sociopolitical systems coexistence in which victory would inevitably
go to communism.
Soon alter the Second World War ended, the influence of reactionary
and militarist groups began to be increasingly evident in the policy
of the United States of America, Britain and France. Their desire to
enforce their will on other countries by economic and political
pressure, threats and military provocation prevailed This became
known as the "positions of strength" policy. It reflects the
aspiration of the most aggressive sections of present-day
imperialism to win world supremacy, to suppress the working class
and the democratic and national-liberation movements, it reflects
their plans for military adventures against the socialist camp.
The international atmosphere was poisoned by war hysteria The antis
race began to assume more and more monstrous dimensions- Many big
U.S. military bases designed for use against the U.S.S.R. and the
People's Democracies Mast European countries under Soviet control]
were built in countries thousands of miles from the borders of the
United States. "Cold war was begun against the socialist camp.
International distrust was artificially kindled, and nations set
against one another. A bloody war
was launched in Korea; the war in Indo-China dragged on for years.
The inspires of the "cold war" began to
es-
tablish military blocs, and many countries found themselves, against
the will of their people, involved in restricted aggressive aligned
enrs—the North Atlantic bloc, Western European Union, SEATO
(military bloc for South-East Asia) and the Baghdad pact.
The organizers of military blocs allege that they have united for
defence, for protection against the "communist threat" Bur that is
sheer hypocrisy. We know from history that when planning redivision
of the world, the imperialist powers have always hoed up military
blocs. Today the "anti-communism" sloganup the claims of one power
for world domination. The new thing here is that the United States
wants, by means of all kinds of blocs and pacts, to secure a
dominant position in the capitalise world for itself, and to reduce
all its part nets in the blocs to the status of obedient executors
of its will....
The winning of political freedom by the peoples of the former
colours and semi-colonies is the first and most important
prerequisite of their full independence:, that is, of the
achievement of economic independence The liberated Asian countries
are pursuing a policy of building up their own industry, training
their own technicians, raising the living standards of the people,
and regenerating and developing their age-old national culture
History-making prospects for a better future are opening up before
the countries which have embarked upon the path of independent
development ...
The colonial powers... have recourse to new forms of colonial
enslavement under the guise of so-called "aid' to underdeveloped
countries which brings colossal profits to the colonialists. Let us
take the United States as an example. The United Stars renders such
"aid" above all in the form of deliveries of American weapons to the
underdeveloped countries. This enables the American monopolies o
load up their industry with arms orders.... States receiving such in
the form of weapons, inevitably fall into dependence....
Naturally, 'aid' to underdeveloped countries is granted on definite
political terms, terms providing for their integration into
aggressive military blocs, the conclusion of joint military pacts,
and support for American foreign ¬policy aimed at world domination,
or "world leadership," as the American imperialists themselves call
it....
[In contrast], the exceptionally warm and friendly welcome accorded
the representatives
of the great Soviet people has strikingly demonstrated the
deep-rooted confidence and love the broad masses in the Eastern
countries have for the Soviet Union. Analyzing the sources of this
confidence, the Egyptian Al Akbbar justly wrote: "Russia does not
try to buy the mitt science of the peoples, their rights and
liberty. Russia has extended a hand to the peoples and said that
they themselves should decide their destiny, that she recognizes
their rights and aspirations and does not demand their adherence to
military pacts or blocs.' Millions of men and women ardently acclaim
our country for its uncompromising struggle against colonial-ism,
for its policy of equality and friendship among all nations and for
its consistent peaceful foreign policy. (Stormy, prolonged
applause.)
. The Leninist principle of peaceful coexistence of states with
different social systems has always been and remains the general
line of our country's foreign policy.... To this day the enemies of
peace allege that the Soviet Union is out to overthrow capitalism in
other countries by "exporting" revolution. It goes without saying
that among us Communists there are no supporters of capitalism. But
this dues not mean Mar we have interfered or plan to interfere in
the internal affairs of countries where capitalism still exists....
It is ridiculous to think that revolutions are made to order. We
often hear representatives of bourgeois countries reasoning thus:
The Soviet leaders claim that they are for peaceful co-existence
between the two systems. At the same time they declare that they are
fighting for communism, and say that communism is bound to win in
all countries. Now if the Soviet Union is fighting for communism,
how can there he any peaceful co-existence with it.. .
When we say that the socialist system will win in the competition
between the two systems—the capitalist and the socialist this by no
means signifies that its victory will be achieved through armed
interference by the socialist countries in the internal affairs of
the capitalist countries. Our certainty of the victory of communism
is based on the fact that the socialist mode of production possesses
decisive advantages over the capitalist mode of production.
Precisely because of this, die ideas of Marxism-Leninism are more
and more capturing the minds of the broad masses of the working
people in the capitalist countries, just as they have captured the
minds of millions of
and women in our country and the People's Democracies. (Prolonged
applause). We believe that all working men in the world, once they
have become convinced of the advantages communism brings, will
sooner or later take the road of struggle for the construction of
socialist society.
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