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p The dictatorship of the proletariat emerges as the result of a successful socialist revolution, which smashes the bourgeois state machine. It is a qualitatively new type of state, fundamentally differing from all former states by its class character, the forms of political organisation and the role it is called upon to play.

p All former types of states were weapons of the exploiting classes, weapons for the suppression of the working people, and their purpose was to consolidate the exploiting system and perpetuate the division of society into oppressors and the oppressed. The proletarian dictatorship signifies the power of the working class, which together with all other working people, destroys capitalism and builds a new society, a society without hostile classes and without exploitation.

p What are the basic tasks of this dictatorship?

p The class struggle does not cease during the period of transition. Deprived of political supremacy, the exploiting classes, primarily the bourgeoisie, cannot reconcile themselves to their defeat, to the loss of power and privileges, and therefore savagely resist the new power. The dictatorship of the proletariat is needed chiefly to smash the resistance of the deposed exploiting classes, transfer the means of production to the people and defend and consolidate the revolutionary gains against encroachment by internal and external enemies.

p This is the task of the proletarian dictatorship linked up with violence with regard to the exploiters.

p But, for the proletariat, the suppression of the bourgeoisie is not an end in itself. The principal task is to build a socialist society and, mainly, a socialist economy. Here the difficulty is that when the socialist revolution begins there is no ready-made pattern of the socialist way of life. The 154 proletarian dictatorship is therefore called upon to direct economic development and create a new type of economy—a socialist economy founded on social ownership—build up a new type of social relations and educate the people in the spirit of socialism. In addition, it has to administer the new society according to a plan and defend its achievements against reactionary elements within the country and, in particular, against international imperialism.

p Such is the creative, administrative function of the proletarian dictatorship.

p Along with these, so to speak, national functions, the proletarian dictatorship carries out an important internationalist function: it does its utmost, mainly by the example of successful economic development, to facilitate the revolutionary struggle of the working people of the capitalist countries, rendering them political, material and moral support. Thereby it helps to further the world revolutionary process, destroy capitalism and firmly establish socialism throughout the world.

p The dictatorship of the proletariat is a qualitatively new and higher type of democracy. In other words, it brings democracy to the overwhelming majority of the people and denies it to exploiters and oppressors. Under this dictatorship, the qualitatively new type of democracy issues from the very nature of the proletarian state, from its objectives and tasks. The proletariat can break the resistance of the exploiting classes, retain power, build socialism and thereby bring a happy life to the whole people only on the basis of a firm alliance with all working people, with all democratic forces. The alliance between the working class and the semi-proletarian sections of town and country, mainly the peasants, with the proletariat playing the leading role in this alliance, is thus the foundation of the proletarian dictatorship and most fully and accurately mirrors the genuinely democratic nature of the proletarian state.

p The proletarian dictatorship consists of a system of state and non-state (Party and mass) organisations. The pivot of this system is the Communist Party, which directs the building of socialism. Resting on its knowledge of the laws of social development and acting through state and mass organisations, the Party heads the struggle of the people 155 against the exploiting classes during the period of transition and carries out socialist reforms. The Party’s links with the masses, formed during the struggle against capitalism, develop into unity between it and the people. This unity is the main earnest of success in the building of socialist society.

p The establishment of the proletarian dictatorship and the leading role played by the Marxist party in the administration of the state are, as we have just shown, the key law of the transition from capitalism to socialism. However, the form of this dictatorship depends upon the concrete situation obtaining in the different countries. In the Soviet Union it took the form of Soviets of Working People’s Deputies, and in other countries the form of a People’s Democracy. As distinct from the one-party system in the Soviet Union, the political system in the People’s Democracies consists of several parties, which co-operate with the ruling, Communist Party in the building of socialism. In the Soviet Union the factors giving rise to the one-party system were the difficulties accruing from the existence of a proletarian dictatorship in only one country in the world, the hostile capitalist encirclement and the refusal of the pettybourgeois parties (the Menshevik and Socialist-Revolutionary parties) to co-operate with the Communists in building the new society and their defection to the counter-revolutionary forces.

p These distinctions between the Soviets and the People’s Democracy do not alter the substance of the political power, inasmuch as in both cases the power is in the hands of the working class. In future the transition period will unquestionably take other forms. The ways and means of establishing the proletarian dictatorship may likewise be different, i.e., they may be peaceful or non-peaceful. In the Soviet Union it was instituted in a non-peaceful manner. A civil war had to be fought because the deposed bourgeoisie, physically aided by the foreign imperialists, took up arms against the new government. In this situation the working people had no alternative but to fight in order to uphold the Revolution.

p A different situation obtained in the European socialist countries. The main counter-revolutionary forces (the fascists and elements allied with them) were smashed 156 during the Second World War and that left the deposed bourgeoisie without the machinery to put up serious armed resistance to the new power. The foreign imperialists were deferred from armed intervention by the powerful Soviet Army. That made it possible to install the proletarian dictatorship without civil war.

p A unique form of the proletarian dictatorship arose in Cuba. No general elections, in the usual meaning of the word, have yet taken place in that country and there are no elective organs of state power such as Soviets of Working People’s Deputies or organs of a People’s Democracy. Socialist reforms are carried out by the revolutionary government headed by the Communist Party. This system of state power was fashioned under the influence of the situation in which the Cuban revolution developed, a situation where the country had to be defended against U.S. aggression.

p In the Republic of Cuba basic laws and political decisions are passed after nation-wide discussions and, frequently, voting by the people at mass rallies. The President, Prime Minister and Ministers keep in constant touch with the people and all more or less important issues are discussed in the press and over the radio and TV networks.

The example of Cuba convincingly shows that there are no hard and fast patterns for revolution.