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p By ensuring freedom of the individual and creating all the conditions for his all-round development, communism implements proletarian humanism in practice.

p Proletarian, socialist humanism profoundly differs from bourgeois humanism. The latter’s ideal is abstract man, 336 man in general, but when this man is closely studied lie turns out to be a bourgeois. Naturally, in a society founded on private ownership and exploitation, which this man represents, the interests of the majority are shamelessly infringed upon, while freedom and the all-round development of the individual, which pre-Marxian humanists had preached, remain nothing more than good intentions.

p Scientific communism rejects the cult of the abstract man and places humanism on a practical foundation. While showing that social conditions play the decisive role in the moulding of man, scientific communism has demonstrated how to bring man real freedom, namely, by the revolutionary abolition of private ownership and exploitation and the building of the new, socialist and then communist society. The substance of socialist humanism lies in the revolutionary establishment of socialism with the purpose of en suring the freedom and all-round development of the individual.

p Proletarian, socialist humanism proclaims concern, trust and respect for the toiler. It upholds human dignity and genuinely human social relations. Socialism embodies these requirements of proletarian humanism in practice, making these requirements the norm of life. Humanism is thus inseparable from socialism, and this makes it the most humane social system.

p Socialism abolishes the exploitation of man by man. unemployment and poverty and ensures a steady rise of the standard of living. Socialist production serves the purpose of satisfying man’s material and spiritual requirements. Socialist relations of production rest on co-operation and mutual assistance between people. Socialism elevates labour more than any other society, making it the factor determining man’s dignity and place in society. Socialism places the achievements of spiritual culture in the service of man and gives him broad social rights. For the first time in history the all-round development of the individual becomes the concern of society because being the result of people’s conscious creative work this development is more successful and faster when the people themselves improve and become more politically conscious.

p True, to some extent the establishment of socialism is linked up with compulsion and force, sometimes armed 337 force, with regard to exploiters. The adversaries of socialism take this as an argument that socialism is incompatible with humanism. Yet it will be readily seen that revolutionary violence and compulsion when applied against those who themselves are accustomed to resorting to brute force, namely, the exploiters, are the greatest of humane acts, for they liberate the toiler and give rise to conditions enabling him to live a truly human life and to develop and improve. Socialist humanism combines love and respect for the toiler with hate for exploitation and exploiters, for everything that prevents the working people from displaying their individuality.

p The further humanisation of socialist society and of the social relations among people and the further elevation of human dignity take place during the building of communism. Humanism, which has become the cornerstone of socialist social organisation, gradually becomes the standard of the behaviour of every person and penetrates all the corners and coils of the complex social organism.

p It would be wrong to picture the further humanisation of social life as a painless process devoid of contradictions. To pave the way for this process steps must be taken to eradicate bureaucracy, which distrusts man’s creative strength, displays inattention and disrespect for man and adopts a formal attitude to him.

p Bureaucracy is alien to the society of builders of communism, but it cannot be eradicated in one sweep. It is surmounted by day-to-day improvement of all social (primarily economic) relations, scientific leadership of all links of the social system, extension of socialist democracy, criticism and self-criticism, the development of the sense of the people’s responsibility for the work assigned to them, and the consistent implementation of the Communist Party’s highest principle, namely, “Everything for man".

Socialism has elevated man and applied the principles of proletarian humanism in practice. Communism will raise man to unprecedented heights and will be the loftiest embodiment of humanism.