[introduction.]
p During the building of socialism society already achieves important successes in educating the new man. At the same time, however, survivals of capitalism which retard the advance of society persist in the minds and behaviour of people. Their abolition and the further development of the new spiritual and moral qualities engendered by socialism constitute the essence of the process by which communist man is moulded.
p This is a great and complex task but it is within the power of the society which is building communism.
p The point is that "human nature”, which bourgeois theorists declare eternal and immutable, is in reality the product of social relations. Hence, when social conditions change, people’s minds and morals also change. In the course of the transition to communism all the working people become more and more imbued with the ideas and moral principles of this new society. "Joint planned labour by the members of society,” states the Programme of the C.P.S.U., "their daily participation in the management of state and public affairs, and the development of communist relations of comradely co- 679 operation and mutual support, recast the minds of people in a spirit of collectivism, love of labour, and humanism.”^^417^^
Of course, the way of life, and labour and social relations, play a decisive part in developing people’s social consciousness and high moral qualities. But it would be incorrect to make everything depend on objective factors alone. Communist education of the working people is an incessant concern of the Party, the state, mass organisations, and collectives. An important part is played here by the press, radio, cinema, television, literature, theatre, and graphic arts. Skilful use of all these media can greatly accelerate the law-governed process of the development of communist consciousness and morality, and therefore the transition to communism.
Rise of Education and Culture
p The communist education of the working people involves raising the whole of public education to a new level.
p Education is the basis of man’s development, of his vocational, cultural and political growth. A higher level of education is required in view of the scientific and technological revolution that is taking place in our time, and in view also of the tasks involved in abolishing the differences between workers by hand and brain.
p The actual paths of development of public education may differ in different countries. They depend on the level of education already reached under socialism, the needs of the national economy, the coun try’s material potentialities, and other factors. But certain general tasks confronting all countries can be established on the basis of the experience of the Soviet Union and the laws of the transition to communism revealed by Marxist-Leninist science.
p One of these tasks is to ensure that all citizens without exception receive a secondary education, which will become compulsory. In the Soviet Union, during the decade 1961-70 compulsory secondary general and poly technical 11-year education is to be introduced for all children of school age and 8-year education for young people engaged in the national economy. In the subsequent decade (1971-80) it is planned that everyone shall have the possibility of receiving a complete secondary education. At the same time the aim is set of raising the quality of education. It has to be reconstructed in such a way that the rising generation during their instruction obtain a solid knowledge of the fundamentals of science, master the principles of the communist world outlook, acquire a labour and polytechnical training, and also receive a moral, aesthetic and physical education.
p Another task arising in the sphere of education is to strengthen social principles in the upbringing of children of pre-school and school age, the means for which include the setting up of the appropriate 680 pro-school institutions and boarding-schools, which children can enter at the desire of the parents. In this way the influence of the family on children is brought into ever greater harmony with their public upbringing. At the same time, all children, irrespective of their family or other circumstances, have a real opportunity of obtaining a secondary education.
p Further, the rapid progress of science and technology confronts society with the task of further developing higher and secondary specialised education for training highly-skilled specialists. There will be a steady, rapid increase in the proportion of such specialists among the personnel in all branches of the economy, administration and culture.
p In the socialist countries, people say: "Our whole nation is studying.” In actual fact, study is becoming not only the right but the lofty duty of every member of society. This is still more true in the period of full-scale communist construction, when all forms of instruction—general, specialised, industrial and vocational—embrace a vast and continually growing section of the population.
p In this connection yet another important task—the combination of instruction with participation of the mass of the citizens in material production—becomes particularly urgent. Rational ways of accomplishing this task have already been found. One of them consists in organising secondary education in such a way that the pupils not only receive vocational training but also take part in sociallyuseful labour to the extent of their physical capacity. Another consists in the development of a wide network of evening schools, higher and secondary specialised educational institutions for evening and correspondence courses, people’s universities, etc., providing an education in off-work hours. This will provide everyone who desires to study with the opportunity to receive any kind of education, particularly in view of the favourable conditions for study in off-work hours due to the reduction of the working day, the considerable rise in the standard of living, and the system of special privileges for those studying by correspondence.
p Besides a rise in the level of education, the Programme of the G.P.S.U. envisages an intensive development of the cultural life of society.
p A general rise in culture during the transition to communism is of decisive importance in many fields. On it depends to a very great extent the development of the productive forces, the advance of technique and of the organisation of production, increased social activities of the working people, and a communist re-shaping of daily life. At the same time the rise in culture leads to a rapid, all-round development of the individual, making the life of every person more meaningful, richer and more vital.
p All this requires in the first place a further extension of the material basis of culture—the development of book publishing, 681 enlargement of the network of libraries, theatres, clubs, cinemas, houses of culture, improvement of the radio diffusion network and the construction of television centres, the organisation of an extensive system of generally accessible scientific and technical laboratories, and of art and cinema studios for the use of all who desire it, and the wide development of amateur cultural organisations of the most varied kinds.
p Necessary too is the creative development of literature and art, those two great educators of the new man. They must attain new heights of ideological content and artistic mastery by strengthening their links with the life of the nation, basing themselves on socialist realism, devotion to the people and partisanship.
p A characteristic feature of the cultural life of the society that is building communism is the combination of mass amateur activities in all spheres of spiritual life with professional art, literature and science. This combination promotes the development and enrichment of the artistic treasures of society, and also the cultural development of all its members and the formation of fine artistic tastes and cultural habits.
Communist culture is profoundly international. Jience it includes the development of cultural ties with the socialist countries and other countries for the purpose of exchanging scientific and cultural achievements and bringing about mutual understanding and friendship among the peoples.
Learn How to Live and Work in the Communist Way
p To build communism means to work well, to work ever more productively. For this it is necessary not only steadily to raise the professional knowledge of the workers, peasants, and intelligentsia, but also to develop in people the communist attitude to labour. The Party makes the development of a highly conscious attitude to labour the pivot of its educational work, striving that labour as the creator of all material and cultural values should become life’s prime want for all people. "Labour for the benefit of society is the sacred duty of everyone,” the Programme of the C.P.S.U. states. "Any labour for society, whether physical or mental, is honourable and commands respect.”^^418^^
p The communist attitude to labour means above all a willingness and a desire to work well not because someone is driving the worker and not only because earnings depend upon it, but also owing to a high degree of social consciousness and a sense of moral duty. It is, moreover, a dynamic, creative, pioneering attitude to work, a constant search for ways to raise labour productivity, improve quality, and reduce production costs.
p As society draws nearer to communism not only front-rankers in production, but also the main mass of the working people will 682 become imbued with a conscious, truly communist attitude to labour. This, of course, does not mean that material stimuli can simply be abolished and replaced by moral ones. Material incentive has been, and remains, an important motive force in raising labour productivity. But during the transition to communism it will be increasingly supplemented by moral stimuli until the latter begin to predominate.
p Many measures of socialist society are designed to create the conditions necessary for this. Some of them are aimed at eliminating the last remaining reasons that prevent people from liking work. They include the gradual transfer to machines of all physically arduous, unpleasant and, even more so, harmful jobs, reduction oE the length of the working day and the working week, etc. Other measures are designed to raise still higher the glory of the working men, to educate all working people through the finest examples. Such measures include, in particular, the award of Orders, medals and certificates of merit to the best factory workers, collective farmers and office employees, their election to central and local government bodies and leading posts in public organisations, and, lastly, the attention paid every day to the people of labour by the press, radio, publications and,art.
p Especially characteristic is the concern shown by the working people themselves to ensure that more and more people work in a communist way. Evidence of this is seen, in particular, in the movement of teams and shock workers of communist labour in the Soviet Union, who set themselves precisely this task.
p This movement undertakes another task as well: to teach people to live in a communist way! To live in such a way that relations in the family and in everyday contacts with other people are in accord with the lofty demands of communist morality! This slogan finds its expression in the concern of the members of society themselves for the most rapid development of the communist way of life.
p The Programme of the C.P.S.U. defines as follows the moral principles contained in the moral code of the builders of communism:
p devotion to the communist cause; love of the socialist motherland and other socialist countries;
p conscientious labour for the good of society—he who does not work, neither shall he eat;
p concern on the part of everyone for the preservation and growth of public wealth;
p a high sense of public duty; intolerance of actions harmful to the public interest;
p collectivism and comradely mutual assistance’, one for all and all for one;
p humane relations and mutual respect between individuals—man is to man a friend, comrade and brother;
p honesty and truthfulness, moral purity, modesty, and unpretentiousness in social and private life;
683p mutual respect in the family, and concern for the upbringing of children;
p an uncompromising attitude to injustice, parasitism, dishonesty, careerism and money-grubbing;
p friendship and brotherhood among all peoples of the U.S.S.R.; intolerance of national and racial hatred;
p an uncompromising attitude to the enemies of communism, peace and the freedom of nations;
p fraternal solidarity with the working people of all countries, and with all peoples. *^^19^^
p The moral principles of communism include therefore also the fundamental norms of human morality which the masses of the people have evolved in the course of thousands of years of struggle against social oppression and vice. Communism makes these norms, which were distorted or shamelessly flouted under the rule of the exploiters, inviolable, vital rules for relations between people. The revolutionary morality of the working class is, naturally, of particular importance to the moral advancement of society. It includes such norms as collectivism and comradely mutual aid in struggle and labour; fraternal solidarity with all peoples; intolerance of oppressors, social injustice and parasitism; and a lofty sense of social duty.
p Communist morality comes into being in the struggle against the survivals of capitalism in people’s daily life, minds and morals. Such survivals persist long after the social system which gave rise to them. But the period of the transition from socialism to communism must become a period of the complete elimination of the survivals of the past in the minds and behaviour of people.
p This is the task that is set by the Programme of the C.P.S.U., which considers that the struggle against manifestations of bourgeois ideology and morality, against remnants of private-owner psychology, superstitions and prejudices is an integral part of its communist educational work.
p It is clear, for example, that educating the working people in the spirit of friendship and brotherhood of peoples, proletarian internationalism and socialist patriotism is unthinkable without a persistent struggle against the ideology of reactionary bourgeois nationalism, racism and cosmopolitism. Educating people in the communist attitude to labour, collectivism, scrupulous care for public property, and consciousness of social duty, can proceed successfully only on condition of eliminating individualism, privateowner psychology and the desire to live at the expense of society. Religious prejudices must be overcome by teaching the masses the scientific materialist world outlook. This involves painstaking explanatory work, which has to be carried out without offending the feelings of religious believers.
p The most serious survivals of the past, particularly leading to 684 crime and infringements of legality, require also administrative measures. But the chief influence will be increasingly that of the general public, public opinion, and the development of criticism and self-criticism. The power of example in public affairs and in private life, in the performance of public duty, acquires immense educational significance.
p As society advances towards communism, it will make increasing demands on its citizens as regards their attitude in production, in public, in the family, and in daily life. But, as already mentioned, these demands will be increasingly based on methods of moral influence and persuasion, and not on administrative measures. That is why the part played by moral principles as the basis of conscious self-discipline leading to the consolidation and further development of the fundamental rules of the communist way of life steadily increases during the transition to communism.
p The chief part in communist education will more and more pass directly to the collectives. The social practice of the socialist countries has already shown that the most effective means of struggle against egotistic individualism, which is the main opponent of communist rnorality, lies in counterposing active collectivism to it. Collectivism, like humanism, most of all accords with communist ideals. For as the highest standard of behaviour it affirms service to the benefit of society. At the same time it is most of all in accord with the interests of the individual, inculcating in him the loftiest human qualities.
That is why during the transition to communism the Communist Party attaches decisive importance to educational work in the primary Party and trade-union organisations, and—in the case of the rising generation—the Young Communist League and Pioneer organisations, as well as the production collectives that are the immediate scene of people’s activities. The socialist collective exerts a tremendous influence capable in case of need of re-educating and turning into useful members of society even the most apparently incorrigible persons.
Enhancement of Communist Ideology
p Communist ideas by taking possession of the masses, become a mighty force in socialist society. But the transition to communism requires that communist ideology—this inexhaustible source of revolutionary energy—should be raised still higher.
p Communist ideology has nothing in common with unthinking faith. To be devoted to the ideas of communism means to be profoundly convinced of their correctness, and such conviction is based on knowledge. What is required from the builders of communism, and still more from members of communist society, is not mere compliance with established regulations, but initiative, creative activity and the ability not only to work intelligently at one’s place of 685 work, but also to take part in deciding matters of state and public affairs.
p The scientific world outlook of Marxisrn-Leninisrn is the indispensable basis of knowledge of the surrounding world. Hence in the period of transition to communism the Party sets the task of makilng its scientific world outlook the possession not only of the vanguard, the foremost section of the workers, peasants and intelligentsia, but of the whole people. The achievement of this task leads the nation as a whole to the integral Marxist-Leninist world outlook, which in turn makes possible the further union of workers, collective farmers and intellectuals, their gradual merging into a single collective of working members of communist society.
p The acquisition of theoretical and political knowledge by the working people is an important but by no means the only aspect of tho work connected with enhancing the communist ideology of the masses. As stressed in the Programme of theC. P. S. U., "communist ideas should be harmoniously combined with communist deeds in the behaviour of every person and in the activities of all collectives and organisations".^^42^^" The consolidation of communist ideology takes place primarily during the practical building of communism, which is the best school of communist ideology.
p Educational work is not conducted in a vacuum, but is a struggle in which the Party is faced with serious opponents. This refers, above all, to bourgeois ideology. It must be remembered that the socialist countries aro not separated from the capitalist world by an impenetrable wall. Bourgeois ideas, views and customs, decadent sentiments that permeate the culture of contemporary capitalism, penetrate from the capitalist world by the most diverse channels.
The fact that the socialist states stand for peaceful coexistence with capitalism does not warrant the conclusion that it is possible to declare a “truce” in the struggle of the proletarian world outlook against the bourgeois world outlook. On the contrary, this struggle frequently becomes ever sharper, because the imperialist bourgeoisie, unwilling to reconcile itself to the loss of its political and ideological positions, intensifies the ideological offensive against the socialist countries.
Notes