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p The principles of communist morality have become firmly established in the life of most Soviet people as a result of the triumph of socialism and the extensive educational work conducted by the Communist Party. However, survivals of capitalism still exist in the minds of a section of the people—idlers who avoid socially useful work, moneygrubbers, egoists, bureaucrats who ignore social interests and hold their own interests above all else, embezzlers and other criminals, and violators of labour discipline.

p The existence of anti-social views and actions is usually explained by the fact that socialism emerges from capitalism, which carries over its traditions and customs into the new society; inasmuch as consciousness usually lags behind life, old traditions and customs naturally rule the minds and actions of people of the new society for a long time. Reference is also made to the impact of bourgeois ideology, which energetically seeks to influence the minds of Soviet people and revive bourgeois customs and prejudices and inject philistine, utilitarian views of life, and the standards prevailing in the bourgeois world.

p This is, of course, quite correct. But one cannot accept the view that the influence of bourgeois ideology is responsible for amoral phenomena in society. Explanations of this sort willynilly disarm people in the struggle against anti-social phenomena. Therefore, when we analyse antisocial views and actions we must thoroughly study all the 317 reasons for their existence, for this is the only way we can find effective means of surmounting them.

p There is no doubt that along with survivals of capitalist mentality, there are, as the author G. Medinsky so truly noted, “our own survivals”, whose roots lie in the certain immaturity of socialist economy, in distortions and violations of the laws of social development, in shortcomings in the organisation of people’s work, recreation and daily life, and so forth. Does not, for instance, a relaxation of control over the measure of labour and consumption lead to misdemeanour or even crime? Sometimes the fault lies with shortcomings in the education of the rising generation, particularly in the family and at school. One still comes across cases when violations of Soviet laws and moral standards are not condemned by the broad public. Without such condemnation it is impossible to combat backward views and behaviour successfully.

p Survivals of capitalism seriously hinder communist construction. Individuals infected by these survivals impede the normal work and recreation of Soviet people, infringe upon public property and the property of individual citizens, bring discord into family life, and so on. Besides, survivals of the past are tenacious. They do not die of themselves and prevail over the minds of people for a long time after the disappearance of the social factors engendering them. That explains why the Communist Party regards the struggle against survivals of the past, manifestations of bourgeois morals and survivals of the proprietorship mentality as part and parcel of communist education.

p A resolution adopted by the 23rd Congress of the C.P.S.U. states: “A consistent struggle must be waged against indifference to politics, survivals of the proprietorship mentality, philistine sentiments and nihilistic attitudes to the ideals and gains of socialism.”

p Compulsion is sometimes necessary, especially in the case of persistent breakers or violators of law and order, but measures of compulsion alone do not solve the problem. Here the main thing is to analyse what causes the various negative phenomena, to eliminate these causes and conduct purposeful and systematic educational work. Creative work, active participation of all citizens in the building of communism, persevering study and the steadfast promotion 318 of the general educational and cultural level are the decisive means for surmounting survivals of the past.

p To a large extent success in surmounting these survivals depends on Party, Komsomol and trade union organisations and on every Soviet citizen individually. Public opinion, criticism and self-criticism and the condemnation of anti-social behaviour gradually become the principal means for uprooting bourgeois views, morals and manners.

Human relations are extremely complex and diversified. Although in socialist society these are mainly relations of unity, this unity does not rule out contradictions. Relations between people sometimes take a dramatic and even tragic turn and are caused by quite tangible factors: material difficulties, love and hate, indifference and crassness, personal grief, trouble and, sometimes, even the consciousness of one’s own failings. Communist education therefore takes the complexity of human relations and the diversity of human characters and destinies into account, relentlessly uproots all that has become obsolete and prevents man from improving, developing and moving forward, that prevents people from working creatively and showing initiative, fighting for truth and justice, combating dishonesty and evil, and finding the goodness in man and the way to his heart.