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p November 12, 1968

p Dear delegates to the Congress! 

p Dear comrades! 

p It is with profound satisfaction that our delegation,- on behalf of the Central Committee of the CPSU, on behalf of the thirteen and a half million Soviet Communists, conveys to the Fifth Congress of the Polish United Workers’ Party, to all Polish Communists, ardent fraternal greetings! ( Applause.) We wish your Congress successful and fruitful work.

p We, your friends and comrades, cordially rejoice that the Polish United Workers’ Party has come to its fifth congress with good results on all sectors of socialist construction. The outstanding successes achieved by people’s Poland are the result of the great and persistent work of the Polish working class, peasantry and intelligentsia, a result of the enormous political and organisational work done by the Polish United Workers’ Party and its Central Committee headed by that fine son of the Polish working class and prominent figure in the international communist movement, Comrade Wladyslaw Gomulka. (Applause.)

p The experience of the Polish United Workers’ Party, its activity both at home and in the international arena, is a substantial contribution to the international experience of the Communists. The report of the Central Committee of the PUWP and the documents of the Congress are of great interest to us all.

p Many socialist countries are now dealing with similar problems of their further development. The creative utilisation of each other’s experience, cooperation, mutual support, 141 combined efforts on decisive sectors, help the fraternal Parties and countries to move more rapidly forward to our great goal.

p We are living, comrades, at a difficult, stormy and interesting time. The world revolutionary process is developing irresistibly, and at its centre is the struggle of the two basic social systems of our age—socialism and capitalism.

p In this worldwide struggle we have already achieved very much. The world socialist system has arisen, established itself, and defended its right to live. The economy of the socialist countries is developing, their defences are being strengthened, social relations are being perfected and the working people’s living conditions are improving. Simultaneously the cooperation between the socialist countries is deepening, our alliance with the revolutionary forces throughout the world is growing stronger. The balance of world forces continues to change in favour of socialism and its allies.

p The might of the socialist camp is now such that the imperialists fear a military rout in the event of a showdown with the main forces of socialism. Of course, as long as imperialism exists, one cannot under any circumstances discount the danger of war with which imperialist policy is fraught. However, it is a fact that in the new conditions the imperialists more and more often resort to other, more crafty tactics. They seek weak links in the socialist front, follow a course of ideological subversion in the countries of socialism, endeavour to influence the economic development of these countries, try to sow discord, to drive wedges between them, to encourage and inflate nationalistic feelings and tendencies, and seek to isolate one or another socialist state so as to seize them later by the throat one by one. In other words, the imperialists try to wreck the stability of socialism precisely as a world system.

p The experience of the socialist countries’ struggle and development in these new conditions over recent years, including the activisation not long ago of forces hostile to socialism in Czechoslovakia, brings home to the Communists in the socialist countries with renewed force how important it is not for a single minute to forget certain very important time-tested truths.

p If we do not want to slow down our progress on the road of socialist and communist construction, if we do not want 142 to weaken our general positions in the struggle against imperialism, it is essential for us always and everywhere, in deciding any questions of our internal or external policy, to preserve inviolate our loyalty to the principles of MarxismLeninism, to display a clear-cut class and Party approach to all social phenomena, and to give imperialism a resolute rebuff on the ideological front, making no concessions whatever to bourgeois ideology.

p It is precisely on a high-principled Marxist-Leninist basis that tremendous successes have been achieved in the social, political, economic and cultural development of the socialist countries—successes of such depth, scale and rate of progress as history has never known before.

p In their efforts to discredit socialism, the ideologists of the bourgeoisie trade on the difficulties and mistakes in the development of one socialist country or another. What can be said on this score? Yes, there have been difficulties in the development of the socialist countries, there are now and probably will be such difficulties in the future, every stage has its difficulties.

p Some of them are of an objective character conditioned by historical, natural and other factors. Others are of a subjective nature, arising from the fact that not the very best solution has been found for this or that development problem, i.e., that there have been some miscalculations, mistakes, that we have not yet learnt to make full use of the possibilities inherent in the socialist system.

p The question is how to react to difficulties and mistakes.

p Public figures of the petty-bourgeois trend, on encountering difficulties, fall into hysterics and begin to doubt all and everything. Revisionists are ready, because of the difficulties that have arisen, to cross out all that has been achieved, to renounce all that has been won, to surrender all their principled positions.

p True Communists, on the contrary, confidently lay a road ahead, seek the best solutions for problems which have arisen, relying on socialist achievements. They honestly admit the mistakes they have made on this or that question, and analyse and correct them in order to strengthen still more the positions of socialism, in order not to yield, not to surrender to the enemies of socialism a single grain of what has been won, of what has already been achieved by the efforts and struggle of the masses. (Prolonged applause.) In a word, we can say 143 with certainty: if a party adheres firmly to communist positions, if it is true to Marxism-Leninism, all difficulties will be overcome.

p Experience most convincingly shows of what extraordinary, we may say decisive, significance it is for success in building socialism to ensure and continuously strengthen the leading role of the Communist Party as the most progressive, leading, organising and guiding force in all social development under socialism.

p A party armed with Marxist-Leninist theory, expressing the will of the working class and all the working people, is a decisive force in the struggle for socialism and communism. (Prolonged applause.) It is at the same time the surest guarantee that in the development of socialist society the interests of all the working classes and social strata composing it will be most fully taken into account and harmoniously combined.

p It is no accident that the enemies of socialism always single out precisely the Communist Party as the first target of their attacks. It is no accident that revisionists of all shades— vehicles of bourgeois influence in the working-class movement—invariably endeavour to soften up and weaken the Party, to undermine its organisational base, the Leninist principle of democratic centralism, and advocate a relaxation of Party discipline. It is no accident that they give currency to a “theory” according to which the Party should "separate itself" from the leadership of social development in the field of economics, state life, culture, and so on. Such a situation would naturally be very convenient for those who dream of turning back development in all these fields, back towards capitalism.

p Growing significance in present-day conditions attaches to such an important aspect of the Party’s activities as its ideological work in forming the outlook of the man of socialist and communist society and exposing bourgeois ideology.

p From all this, the Communists of the Soviet Union—and we are sure, the Communists of the other fraternal countries —draw for themselves the clear conclusion that we must strengthen with all our might the unity and cohesion of the Party, enhance by all possible means its leading role in social development, and perfect the forms of its activities. Experience of the struggle and a realistic assessment of 144 the situation that has arisen in the world also clearly show that it is a vital necessity for the Communists in the socialist countries to hold high the banner of socialist internationalism, to steadily consolidate the cohesion and solidarity of the countries of socialism. (Prolonged applause.} This is a major condition for successfully building socialism and communism in each of our countries and for success in the struggle ol the world socialist system against imperialism.

p The defence interests of each socialist country, the interests of its economic, scientific and cultural development demand the broadest cooperation between the fraternal countries, the utmost development of all-round contacts between them, of genuine internationalism.

p Imperialism’s main stake in its fight against us is on splitting the socialist countries and weakening our unity. The solidarity of our countries is a blow at those hopes of the enemy. And this solidarity is winning splendid victories. An example is Vietnam, whose many years of heroic struggle against the armed forces of the biggest imperialist power would have been impossible without active and effective assistance from the Soviet Union, Poland and other socialist countries. The big victory which the Vietnamese people recently won in compelling the ruling circles of the USA to stop the bombing and other military actions against the whole territory of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam is, at the same time, as our Vietnamese friends themselves note, a great victory for the socialist camp and all peace-loving forces throughout the world. The strength of our solidarity is borne out also by the example of the German Democratic Republic. It is clear to everyone that successful construction of socialism under the difficult conditions in which that country finds itself is inseparable from active support and solidarity on the part of the other socialist countries, from broad economic cooperation, from our military alliance. Socialist solidarity is of tremendous significance for building socialism in other countries too.

p The socialist countries stand for strict respect of the sovereignty of all countries. We are strongly opposed to interference in the affairs of any states, to violation of their sovereignty.

p In this connection special significance for us Communists attaches to maintenance and defence of the sovereignty of states which have taken the road of building socialism. The 145 forces of imperialism and reaction are out to rob the people now of one, now of another socialist country of the sovereign right which it has won to ensure their country’s prosperity, the good and happiness of the broad working masses, by building up a society free from all oppression and exploitation. And when encroachments upon that right meet with a unanimous rebuff on the part of the countries of the socialist camp, bourgeois propagandists raise a hue and cry about " defence of sovereignty" and “non-interference”. It is clear that this is pure deception and demagogy on their part. In actual fact these bawlers are concerned not for the preservation of socialist sovereignty, but its destruction.

p It is well known that the Soviet Union has done quite a lot to really strengthen the sovereignty and independence of the socialist countries. The CPSU has always been in favour of every socialist country determining the concrete forms of its development along the road to socialism, taking into account the specific character of its national conditions. But we know, comrades, that there are also general laws of socialist construction, deviations from which could lead to deviations from socialism as such. And when internal and external forces hostile to socialism try to turn the development of any socialist country backwards to a capitalist restoration, when a threat arises to the cause of socialism in that country, a threat to the security of the socialist community as a whole, that is no longer a problem only of the people of the country in question, but a general problem, the concern of all the socialist countries. (Applause,}

p Obviously, such an action as military aid to a fraternal country in warding off a menace to the socialist system is an extraordinary, an enforced measure, that can be evoked only by direct actions on the part of the enemies of socialism within a country and outside it, actions which create a threat to the common interests of the socialist camp.

p Experience shows that the victory of the socialist system in one country or another can in the present conditions be considered as final and a capitalist restoration precluded only if the Communist Party, being the leading force in society, firmly pursues the Marxist-Leninist policy in developing all spheres of social life; only if the Party untiringly strengthens the country’s defences and safeguards its revolutionary gains, if it maintains vigilance and teaches the people vigilance towards the class enemy, irreconcilability towards bourgeois 146 ideology; only if it observes as sacred the principle of socialist internationalism, and strengthens unity and fraternal solidarity with the other socialist countries. (Prolonged applause.)

p It can be said with certainty that the policy pursued by the Polish United Workers’ Party is a good instance of highprincipled, Marxist-Leninist policy, of loyalty to the principles of socialist internationalism. (Applause.)

p Comrades! World imperialism is continuing its aggressive policy, undertaking no few steps making for a deterioration of the international atmosphere.

p The imperialists are creating centres of tension in various regions of the world, stepping up the arms race, striving to turn the world back to the "cold war" times. Revanchist feeling, which threatens world peace and the European peoples’ security, is being openly worked up in the FRG.

p To this reactionary, aggressive political line the countries of the socialist community oppose their own policy, which is flexible and realistic but uncompromising towards aggressors and revanchists. This policy is pervaded with the spirit of resolute class support of the revolutionary forces, the forces of socialism and progress throughout the world. (Applause.) At the same time, this policy upholds the principles of peaceful coexistence, stands for renunciation of attempts to settle questions concerning the relations between the two confronting social systems by military means, consistently adheres to the line of relaxing international tensions.

p In our struggle for peace and security of the peoples, for mutually profitable cooperation between states with different social systems, we are achieving no small success, particularly when the socialist countries act in concert, in a united front.

p But the situation demands of all of us redoubled vigilance in respect of our class adversary in the international arena. Of great significance, therefore, is the work now being carried out by the Warsaw Treaty states to strengthen and perfect the military mechanism of our alliance of fraternal countries in reply to NATO’s military preparations.

p Let those who are inclined to forget the lessons of history and would like to undertake a new recarving of the map of Europe know that the frontiers of Poland, the GDR, Czechoslovakia and any other country which is a member of the Warsaw Treaty are unalterable and inviolable. (Stormy, 147 prolonged applause.) These frontiers are defended by all the armed strength of the socialist community. We advise all those who are disposed to encroach on foreign frontiers to take good note of this.

p Comrades, the tasks of further developing the economy of the socialist community of nations in the context of the present scientific and technological revolution demand that we tackle in real earnest the expansion and improvement of the economic links between our countries. This was well expressed by Comrade Gomulka in his report. These pressing problems are soon to be considered at the meeting of the Party and Government leaders of the socialist countries, members of the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance.

p Broader international socialist division of labour, and cooperation and specialisation in production will allow much more effective use to be made of the advantages of socialism, will make for a still more rapid economic development of each of our countries and for further progress in economic competition with capitalism.

p Comrades! The ideas of communism have become the leading ideas of our century. Never, perhaps, has bourgeois propaganda been so active in taking up questions of communism as in our day. It is perfectly clear that the bourgeoisie fears a further growth of the communist movement, which has already achieved worldwide development, carried off big victories and, having consolidated socialism in countries on three continents, has demonstrated its ability to realise its goals and ideals.

p The big class battles in the capitalist countries show that there too the working class and its revolutionary vanguard are intensifying their assault on capitalism and mustering an army of socialist revolution.

p Operating in difficult conditions, not infrequently illegally, exposed to persecution and terror, the Communist and Workers’ Parties in the capitalist countries are fighting selflessly for the cause of the working class, of all working people. Many of them have become a significant political force. They are energetically strengthening their contacts with the masses, introducing them to the ideas of scientific socialism, the ideas of revolution.

p The allies of the working class in the struggle against imperialism are swelling their ranks throughout the world. This is bringing closer the hour of social and national 148 emancipation for the oppressed peoples. At the same time, the various other strata of the population participating in the revolutionary movement alongside the working class bring into this movement their own views and ideas, which differ from proletarian ideology and which at times feed Rightwing opportunism and “Left” adventurism among one or another contingent of the communist movement.

p It would be wrong to underestimate the danger and harm of such trends. We know that revisionists of both the Right and “Left”, for all their outward differences, are at one on the main thing: both of them distort the Leninist theory of the socialist revolution and play down the role of the working class and its vanguard, the Marxist-Leninist Party, in the socialist revolution and in socialist construction. Both of them deviate from the principles of proletarian internationalism, thereby weakening the struggle against imperialism and retarding the development of the revolutionary process. A characteristic of both these tendencies is national limitation in assessing many major issues of the revolutionary struggle, sometimes taking the form of real chauvinism. The limits to which revisionists operating under cover of “Left” phraseology can go in this respect is shown by the policy of the Mao Tse-tung group.

p Naturally, all these distortions are profoundly alien to genuine Communists, who are loyal to Marxism-Leninism. Internationalism has always been an important source of strength for the communist movement. The interests of the working class and its struggle against capitalism, Lenin taught, require complete solidarity and the closest unity of workers of all nations and a rebuff to nationalistic policy. These interests insistently demand cohesion of Communists in defence of our militant ideological weapon, the revolutionary teaching of Marx and Lenin. (Applause.)

p The Communist Parties, operating in varying conditions, may display different approaches to one or another problem. We would be acting wrongly if we did not see the divergences which exist between their views on separate questions. Some of these divergences, in our opinion, are of a purely temporary nature, and will disappear as the course of events clarifies the questions at issue. Others, apparently, may prove to be more lasting, but they should not, in our view, hinder joint struggle against the common adversary for our great common goals.

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p The chief thing is that even though there are disagreements on one or another question, the Communist and Workers’ Parties seek ways and means for developing international contacts, strive to strengthen the unity of their ranks on the basis of Marxism-Leninism. We, for our part, have always considered a comradely exchange of opinions to be useful and are ready for frank discussions on questions arising between the fraternal Parties. We are sure that it is precisely by strengthening our contacts and cooperation that the problems which arise will be resolved in the interests of unity of the international communist movement. And this is natural, for we have a common ideological basis—Marxism-Leninism, a common enemy—imperialism, and a common goal—the victory of communism. (Prolonged applause.)

p It is in this light that we consider also preparations for the new international Meeting of Communist and Workers’ Parties. Our Party, highly assessing the role of international meetings of representatives of the Communist Parties, comes out, together with the other fraternal Parties, for the convocation of a new meeting in the not distant future. The Communist Party of the Soviet Union will do everything in its power for the successful preparation and holding of that meeting.

p The situation demands that the fraternal Parties should rally for a more powerful attack against imperialism. For Communists today there is a new, stronger, challenging ring to our movement’s immortal slogan: Workers of all countries, unite! (Stormy, prolonged applause.) Comrades!

p We hear with great interest how the Polish Communists pose at their Congress problems concerning the development of socialist society. We know only too well from our own experience of building socialism in the Soviet Union how important it is to see these problems in all their complexity, in all their multiformity.

p As a result of years of heroic work on the part of the Soviet people, rallied around the party of Lenin, a modern economic system has been created in our country. In the volume of output it has long occupied second place in the world, and in a number of important indices, first place. The results of the first three years of the five-year plan show that our current economic targets, both in industry and in agriculture, are being successfully achieved. The planned 150 growth rates of industrial production are being surpassed. Important measures have been taken to raise the standard of living. The workers, peasants and intellectuals in our country are working with great enthusiasm. The moral and political unity of Soviet society and its cohesion around the Party are being steadily strengthened.

p We are happy at the successes achieved, but we understand that in a living and developing socialist society there cannot be a situation in which all problems have been solved, and there is no need to seek improvement. The construction of socialism and communism has its own dialectics: the very course of development brings to the fore more and more new tasks; the higher the level attained, the greater are the demands made on the Party, the state, and all the working people for ensuring efficient, organised work by the complex mechanism of the country’s economic and social life.

p That is why our Party attaches great importance to the elaboration of a scientifically grounded policy in all fields of life. We devote great attention to improving methods of economic administration, planning and management, to the task of applying the achievements of science and technology on the broadest scale in all branches of the economy. The source of strength and further growth of the Soviet economy is now to be seen not only in the increasing number of works and development of new lands, but to an ever greater extent in the growing efficiency of social production, the steady growth in labour productivity, increased fertility of the soil and improvement in the quality of production.

p A scientific and technological revolution of unprecedented rapidity and scope is developing in the world today. And who, if not we Communists, who have made the greatest social revolution, should be in the front ranks of the revolutionary transformations in science and technology? The Communist Party of the Soviet Union is of the opinion that one of our most important tasks today is to accelerate scientific and technological progress, to equip the working people with up-to-date scientific and technological knowledge, to apply as quickly as possible the results of scientific discoveries. This will enable fuller use to be made of our socialist society’s enormous creative potential, and will hasten considerably the creation of the material and technical basis of communism.

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p Our society itself has undergone great changes. Its social composition and the relations between the classes are no longer the same. Changed, too, is the moral character of the people of whom it is composed. Our society’s potentialities are developing at a rapid rate, but so are its requirements.

p The political life of society should keep in step with these processes. We attach decisive importance to further enhancing the Party’s leading role. Improvement of Party leadership is essential for the successful fulfilment of the grand tasks which the Soviet people, the builder of communism, has set itself.

p Enhancement of the Party’s leading role does not by any means lead to its superseding, say, the Soviets or the economic agencies, or the trade unions and other mass organisations of the working people. On the contrary, one of the tasks of societal leadership by the Party consists precisely in achieving utmost activisation of all links in social life, improving their work, enhancing their responsibility.

p Our Party is consistently pursuing the course of further developing socialist democracy. We Communists are advocates of genuine democracy, and without it progress is unthinkable for us. We understand by democracy the involvement of the broadest working masses in social and political life, the provision of conditions in which they do indeed participate in running society and the state. Such democracy we develop and will develop to the utmost. (Applause.)

p Comrades, we are inspired by the awareness that the Soviet people’s successes in building communism, like the successes of all peoples who have adopted the road of socialism, multiply the strength of those who are fighting for freedom, peace and social progress throughout the world.

p We see the grandeur and scale of the tasks confronting us and constantly seek the most reliable ways to accomplish them. It is with this in mind that the Soviet people are approaching the centenary of the birth of the founder of our Party and the Soviet state, Vladimir Ilyich Lenin. (Applause.)

p Dear Polish comrades!

p Our Parties and peoples have traversed together a great and glorious path. In complete mutual agreement, in close unity, the peoples of Poland and of the Soviet Union are building the new society. We have extensive and effective cooperation in all fields of life.

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p Our Party highly estimates the contribution made by the Polish Communists to strengthening friendship between the peoples of the Soviet Union and the Polish People’s Republic. (Applause!) What we have achieved in this domain is the result of the sincere trust between our Parties and peoples, the result of the practical application of the principles of socialist internationalism, it is internationalism in action!

p In close alliance with the parties and peoples of the other fraternal countries, the Communists and all the working people of Poland and the Soviet Union are advancing along the glorious path of struggle to embody the great ideals of communism. These days at your Congress, on the eve of the twentieth anniversary of the Polish United Workers’ Party and the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of Poland, the Communists of the Soviet Union wish you from the bottom of their hearts, comrades, new successes, new great victories in building socialist Poland! (Prolonged applause.}

p Long live the Polish United Workers’ Party, the Polish working people’s vanguard leading the country along the road of socialism! (Stormy applause.)

p Long live and flourish the indestructible friendship between the peoples of Poland and the Soviet Union! (Stormy, prolonged applause.)

Long live communism! (Stormy, prolonged applause. All rise. A long ovation by the whole hall.)