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p That capitalist development is a road of suffering is becoming eyer clearer tQ the working masses of the newly liberated countries, and they are beginning to realise that only socialism can bring them freedom and happiness. Socialism is the only socio-political system that can put an end to the age-old backwardness of these countries, ensure a rapid upswing of their economy and culture, satisfy the people’s material and spiritual requirements and for ever eradicate exploitation, poverty, starvation and the threat of another world war.

p With the spread of the revolution, the bourgeoisie, which advocates the capitalist road, becomes more and more unfit to head the struggle against imperialism, for social progress, while in some countries it has proved to be unable to preserve political independence. In the sphere of social and economic reforms the bourgeoisie has displayed its complete incapacity. An exploiting class, it is afraid to lose its property and privileges and fears the revolutionary people. It opposes nationalisation and is reluctant to take determined steps to solve the agrarian problem, make a clean break with the colonial pattern of economy and social life and effect sweeping democratic reforms. This breeds disappointment and distrust, and stirs the masses to resolute action not only against foreign imperialism but also against their own bourgeoisie.

p In the resolutions adopted by the 23rd Congress of the C.P.S.U. it was noted that in countries liberated from colonialism a new life is bursting forth in grim clashes with the perfidious imperialist enemy and internal reaction which, with the support of imperialism, are striving to direct the new states towards the capitalist road. However, the new nations are growing more and more intent on linking up the complete triumph of the national liberation movement, the 133 abolition of their long-standing backwardness and the attainment of a higher standard of living with non-capitalist development.

p Expressing the will of the people, their gravitation towards socialism, their aspiration to build a new, happy life, the leaders of some liberated countries—Algeria, Burma, Guinea, Congo (Brazzaville), Mali, the United Arab Republic—have proclaimed the intention of their nations to follow the non-capitalist road of development. Reforms of an anti-capitalist, socialist nature are being carried out in these countries. A state sector is being established as a result of nationalisation and the planning of economic development has been instituted. They are ousting foreign capital from their economy, restricting exploitation, narrowing down the economic potential of the local bourgeoisie, depriving the exploiting classes of influence over political life, building up a national economy through industrialisation, carrying out agrarian reforms (in particular, setting up peasant co-operatives), pursuing an independent, antiimperialist foreign policy, establishing friendly relations and co-operation with socialist countries, and so on.

p Much attention is given to raising the people’s standard of living and cultural level, promoting education and public health and training technical and scientific cadres.

p The building up of a national economy, particularly industry, gives rise to the material prerequisites of socialism—a modern material and technical basis. The creation of these material prerequisites is accompanied by the maturing of the social prerequisites of socialism: the working class grows numerically side by side with industrial expansion, with the result that its role in society is enhanced; moreover, its alliance with the non-proletarian strata, especially with the peasants, takes shape and grows stronger.

p The fact that the working class begins to play a bigger role does not imply that it is the leading force of society everywhere and at all stages of non-capitalist progress. In most of the developing countries the working class is numerically small, organisationally and ideologically weak or only just entering the arena of active politics, and for that reason non-capitalist development, especially at its initial stage, may be guided by revolutionary-democratic forces.

p In the new countries the choice of the road of 134 development is linked up with a sharp ideological struggle, which finds expression, in particular, in the fact that the various classes have a different picture of socialism and of the ways and means of achieving it. Sometimes these views are far removed from scientific socialism or serve as a screen to hide the efforts of the bourgeoisie to channel development along capitalist lines. However, this by no means implies that Communists brush non-Marxist notions about socialism completely aside. These notions contain a progressive aspiration to put an end to capitalism and exploitation and build a society founded on collective ownership. Communists unconditionally support this progressive content, this anti-imperialist, anti-colonial orientation of various socialist theories. At the same time, they do not become dissolved in various social forces championing socialism but strive to inject the theory and practice of genuinely scientific socialism into all socialist movements.

p It must be noted that in the course of the national liberation revolution, the socialist views of the leaders of some developing countries underwent perceptible changes. At the initial stage these views were, as a rule, a curious mixture of elements of scientific socialism and Utopian, religious notions, but today these leaders are gradually going over to scientific, Marxist-Leninist socialism.

p This evolution towards Marxism-Leninism is a natural process dictated by the course of the national liberation revolution, by the objective requirements of the developing countries. A genuinely popular revolution, whose purpose is to bring a country independence and prosperity, and freedom and happiness to the people, can triumph only on the basis of Marxism-Leninism, of scientific socialism. “Our revolution,” said Fidel Castro, national hero and head of the Government of Cuba, “has made Marxism-Leninism its banner. Nobody forced us and nobody guided us from some other continent. Life showed us the road and we took that road without hesitation or fear. Every genuine revolution must inexorably march towards Marxism-Leninism as the only unadulterated revolutionary truth which rejects colonial slavery, imperialist vassalage and exploitation of man by man.”

It would be vulgar simplification to assert that in all countries and under all conditions revolutionary democrats, 135 the national-democratic intelligentsia in particular, will necessarily and inevitably go over to Marxism-Leninism. There is only the possibility that this will happen, and this possibility becomes reality only when the balance of forces in the country concerned favours the forces of progress, when the proletariat plays a progressively more prominent role in the revolution, when the revolutionary democrats consistently champion the interests of the masses. Besides, there are many contradictions and difficulties in the very process of transition. It would be naive to expect that the foremost section of the revolutionary democrats in power should suddenly and at once master Marxism-Leninism. They first master only individual aspects of Marxism and the process involves difficulties, retreats and vacillation. These difficulties are successfully overcome when the revolutionary process grows in depth and breadth, when its objective logic has placed a certain section of the revolutionary democrats in power and when this objective development of the revolution is correctly assessed by these revolutionary democrats.