p Marxism discovered the intrinsic and objective necessity of the continuous historical process of socio-economic formations superseding one another. It was established that no social system could exit before it had begun to drag back the development of the productive forces and, similarly, that no new social system could make its appearance until its prime requisites, economic, political and ideological, had matured in the womb of the old social system.

p At the same time, besides objective material conditions, the replacement of one socio-economic formation by another requires the presence of subjective factors, i.e., of mature social forces ready to change radically the entire social and economic pattern of a society. We must note, however, that history provides many instances of an old society having run its course without furnishing any opportunity of further progress, so that no revolution ever took place in it. Such was the case of the Greek and Roman slave-owning societies. What was the reason? It was that in these obsolete societies there was no new class, strong enough to overthrow the slave owners and inaugurate a new social system. Slave revolts merely unsteadied the old system and paved the way for its fall. In feudal times, too, there was not always a new class ready at the right moment to overthrow the feudal lords and clear the way for progress. Such was the case of Russia in the middle of the 19th century.

p It often happened in human history that a nation, a society living under certain historical conditions could not continue developing on its old economic basis but still underwent no social revolution for the reasons just described. The result is well known: such a nation or society gradually lost its independence, falling under the domination 69 of other states or disintegrating. Thus mankind has not always been moving along an ascending line. It has known lengthy periods of stagnation, decline and even decay, when the basic conditions which made possible the existence of society as such were destroyed. Mankind does not stand still; it is in a state of unstable equilibrium. If a society cannot move upwards, it falls down, and if there is no class able to lift it higher, it disintegrates, loses its independence, falls into decay, and perishes.

p Objectively speaking, the situation prevailing today in Europe, and practically all over the world, entitles one to state with perfect assurance that the capitalist system—in the broad social sense, not touching any particular phases of development—has exhausted itself.

p In bourgeois society, the productive forces develop in a conflicting manner, by fits and starts. Unmistakable signs of disintegration and decay of bourgeois society are becoming more and more manifest all along the line. Of course, the productive forces have not come to a standstill. They continue developing, swinging up and down. But by and large, the curve of the socio-economic, moral and political development of capitalism, fluctuations or no fluctuations, is sagging rather than rising.

p By continually revolutionising production methods and investing work with a social character the capitalist mode of production has already created the material prerequisites of socialism. On a world-wide historical scale, the productive forces of the more developed capitalist countries have, in the process of the scientific and technological revolution, gone far beyond the bounds of capitalism, and, in this regard, society is quite ripe for socialism. The fusion of monopoly capitalism and state power has discredited both the bourgeois economic system and the political superstructure in the eyes of the peoples. In other words, capitalism as a socio-economic system has become obsolete and can only go on by resorting to brute force, militarist policies, bribery, blackmail and violence, by manipulation and deception, by taking advantage of the lack of solid unity among the anti-imperialist and revolutionary forces.

p Bourgeois ideological and cultural principles have suffered still greater damage. Cultural degradation, intellectual lethargy and amorality sown by the bourgeoisie all come 70 home to roost. Progressive people refuse to put up any longer with dispiriting emptiness and amorality, and are making every effort to protect world culture, civilisation, and the best traditions of the previous generations. Today all roads lead to social progress, to the triumph of socialism. The future belongs to these forces.

p Does this, however, mean that the bourgeoisie will meet its doom automatically, that it is predetermined? Not at all. Noting that the material prerequisites of socialism were quite mature in the epoch of imperialism, Lenin still emphasised that without the subjective factor, i.e., without the revolutionary struggle of the working class and the mass of the working people, capitalism would linger on, rotten as it was. The working class alone, supported by the broad mass of the working people and led by a truly revolutionary party, can overthrow capitalism and bring about the triumph of socialism on a world scale.

p This is not an easy thing to do, of course. The bourgeoisie is an active historical force, not a passive product of socioeconomic development. Though outdated and a drag on progress, this class is still powerful. Moreover, it knows how to bring the entire pressure of political deception, strong-arm methods and provocation to bear when threatened with ruin. The triumph of socialism in a number of countries of Europe, Asia and America and the mounting popular movements round the world have confronted the bourgeoisie with the prospect of catastrophe. This naturally has sharpened its instinct of self-preservation. So the bourgeoisie does not weaken and sicken as the working class grows and strengthens. It rallies all its forces—the army and police, science and schools, the church and the parliament, the venal press, fascist gangs, renegades and demoralised elements in the workers’ movement—and prepares to resist the working class to the bitter end.

p Should the bourgeoisie, a class doomed by history, manage to muster enough strength to get the upper hand over the working class, to abolish socialist gains of peoples, the inevitable consequence would be total economic and cultural ruin, such as befell many countries, nations and civilisations in the past. Experience tells us beyond any possible doubt that socialism is the sole force capable of preserving mankind, its civilisation. Modern society must no longer expose 71 itself to deadly peril. It is as if history itself is saying to the working class and its vanguard, the Communist Parties: “Indeed, the future of mankind is in your hands. Unless imperialist activities are thwarted by the organised strength of the masses, civilisation will be in danger.”

p Now, the question is how to bring nearer the triumph of socialism, and what forces are to do it. Such forces, indeed, exist. And Marxists-Leninists see them clearly. That is why they take steps to immobilise Right-wing reformist ideology and adventurist leftist ideology, to overcome ideological and political differences in the world communist movement, to organise, stimulate and consolidate the working class, the working people and all the progressive anti-imperialist social forces throughout the world. This done, the movement for social progress will gain momentum, the establishment of socialism on the planet will be facilitated, and lasting peace will be achieved on earth.

p The peoples can no longer allow the means of production and the enormous wealth of any nation to stay in the hands of a small privileged class, dooming millions of people to poverty, ignorance, starvation and extinction. The working class, all working people, all far-seeing progressive forces of society are coming to realise ever more clearly that it is private ownership of the means of production that puts the future of mankind in peril. This is the original cause of society’s division into classes and the epicentre of intense class antagonism and class struggle; this is the chief source of war, of social and military conflicts. Consequently, the answer lies in waging a struggle for the abolition of private ownership of the means of production, i.e., in waging a struggle for the rule of the working people.

p By what methods should it be done? While the advocates of Right-wing reformism delete the point from the agenda altogether, ideologists of the leftist, adventurist trend maintain that it can be settled only by violence, by armed struggle or, to use their own phrase, by a “simultaneous act of world revolution or world war”. That this doctrine is purely adventurist and fraught with ruinous consequences is self-evident.

p Genuine Marxists-Leninists certainly have never dismissed the question of world revolution and the use of force, including armed struggle, but nor have they ever viewed them 72 as an end in itself or universalised such methods of struggle. The collapse of capitalism and the triumph of socialism are made inevitable by objective laws. But one cannot tell precisely either when it will happen or by what means it will be achieved. Most probably it will be brought about by various means, depending on the concrete situation and the balance of class forces in each country.

p The scientific and technological revolution sharpens all social collisions of the modern world. On the one hand, it raises hopes in the bourgeoisie and its ideologists that the collapse of capitalism may be postponed and social revolution averted  [72•1 ; it supports the illusion of the omnipotence of the exploiting class, which has concentrated in its hands enormous productive forces and a powerful state machine. On the other hand, the undivided rule of state-monopoly capitalism and the clearly emerging dangers of mounting militarism and the destructive power of bourgeois society provoke ever stronger opposition from all workers and all honest-minded people.

There is a growing awareness of the indisputable truth that socialism alone offers a way out of the impasse of the contradictions of the bourgeois system, and that radical social reform alone can make the achievements of science and technology serve mankind, not the fiendish forces of destruction and decay. And then, “no forces of darkness can withstand an alliance of the scientists, the proletariat and technologists".  [72•2  Socialism is the safeguard of civilisation, the path to a new and glorious future for mankind.

p Ours is an age in which the ideas of Marxism-Leninism are spreading triumphantly all over the world. Millions of the oppressed and exploited are marching under its victorious banner. It is safe to say that in our times the world progressive forces increasingly rally under the socialist 73 banner of the working class. The peoples fighting against imperialism, for their freedom and independence, are turning away from capitalism. The bourgeoisie itself uses the compromised banner of capitalism less and less, preferring to camouflage it with quasi-popular, quasi-democratic phraseology.

p Imperialism has compromised itself on the principal and vital issues of peace and war, of peoples’ freedom and independence. The imperialists are rushing about the world, unleashing war now in one place, now in another, adding fuel to the fire. But as history keeps the record of time so do peoples keep the register of imperialism’s murderous crimes.

p The ideology of militarism which the monopoly interests have adopted among their weapons expresses their true character and inner nature. Imperialist ideologists and propagandists are preaching the aggressive doctrines of “preventive war”, “escalation of war”, the “balance of fear”, “megadeath”, etc. Such is the logic of imperialism which is unleashing bloody aggression and hatching a nuclear world war. In this light Lenin’s warning that the secrecy in which war is born must be destroyed acquires particular significance.

p The irreconcilable struggle between communist and bourgeois ideologies, now more than a century old, shows that universal social progress inevitably leads to the collapse of capitalism and the triumph of socialism and communism. It is evidently their dread of what must inevitably come that causes prominent capitalist statesmen and politicians to make repeated appeals for a “global attack" on communism and a “global barrier" to prevent the spread of communist ideas among the masses.

p Having failed to destroy socialism by armed force and having learned from experience that it is impossible to stifle the socialist nations economically, the capitalist leaders pin their hopes on ideological subversion of communism. Never particular about their methods of fighting communist ideas, bourgeois ideologists now display extreme moral degradation. Vile anti-socialist forgeries become instruments of bourgeois ideology. An ever larger number of radio stations, press publications and institutes are throwing their weight into the propaganda drive. Persistent efforts are made to 74 co-ordinate anti-communist propaganda on a national and international scale.

Under the circumstances it would be wrong to underestimate the enemy. Rising activity of the bourgeois ideological forces poses fresh responsible tasks before all MarxistsLeninists. It is necessary to organise a strong offensive all along the front against contemporary bourgeois ideology, to subject bourgeois views and concepts to detailed, wellsubstantiated criticism, to expose the class character and reactionary content of bourgeois ideology in whatever shape and form. Communists, social and other scientists have no task more important than to fight tirelessly and consistently for the purity of the great ideas of Marxism-Leninism and creatively develop theory on the basis of historical and contemporary experience, including the achievements of science. The very spirit of revolutionary theory prompts us to follow this line of action. Lenin’s ideas lead us onward, to indefatigable creative work and struggle.