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p LUIS CORVALAN

p GENERAL SECRETARY OF THE COMMUNIST PARTY OF CHILE

p Dear comrades, the 60th anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution is being celebrated in all parts of the world, and this is the most vivid and direct proof of its influence on present-day development. This jubilee has really become a world holiday- The fact that the celebrations in Moscow were attended by delegations of Communist and Workers’ parties, national liberation movements, Socialist parties, socialist and revolutionary-democratic states, trade union, youth, and other mass organisations from 104 countries, reflects the significance of the October Revolution for the working class, the popular masses, and all progressive mankind.

p The worldwide response to the report of Comrade Leonid Brezhnev at the Palace of Congresses meeting on November 2, and particularly, to his proposal for the simultaneous termination by all states of the manufacture of nuclear weapons and the prohibition of all tests of these weapons, clearly shows the great role of the Soviet Union in world politics.

p The impact of the Great October Revolution is felt in all political and social affairs of our day. It is seen in the awakening of many hundreds of millions of people, in their struggle and their aspirations, in the victory of socialism in a great part of the world, in the collapse of the 105 disgraceful imperialist colonial system, and in the emergence of an international atmosphere conducive to stable peace.

p The class struggle is acquiring unprecedented scope- Of historic significance for its outcome is the growth of the might of socialism in contrast to capitalism. Every fresh success in the building of the new society generates an upswing in the struggle of the working class and the masses of people in countries still dominated by capital. In this sense the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution underlines and shows to all nations the enormous advances made by the Soviet people as a result of their selfless creative work under the leadership of the Communist Party. And I do not mean the Soviet Union’s colossal achievements in the material sphere only, but also the social, cultural, and political achievements that have been placed at the service of the people. It has been demonstrated once again that socialism is a society that guarantees real rights, a society in which these rights are being made more comprehensive as it advances to communism. The recent discussion and adoption of the new Constitution of the USSR provides a good example of socialist democracy in action in the period of mature socialism.

p All this has become possible thanks to the fact that 60 years ago the Russian proletariat led by Lenin and the Bolsheviks, and standing at the head of the mass of the working people, did away with the exploitation of man by man. This created a basis for advance to real democracy and full implementation of human rights.

p In terms of history the overthrow of tsarist autocracy and bourgeois-landlord power and their replacement by a state of the dictatorship of the proletariat constituted an act which opened the way to the triumph of true democracy. This act in itself was a great victory for democracy. Furthermore, the elimination of all forms of national oppression, the solution of a problem which had for 106 thousands of years caused suffering and oppression of whole nations and national minorities, is another historic contribution of the October Revolution to man’s emancipation and the attainment of genuine democracy, justice, and equality. In conditions of developed socialism and the absence of class antagonisms the proletarian dictatorship took its next step, creation of the state of the whole people, which also meant a further development of democracy.

p This is the main thing. It proves the profoundly democratic character of socialism and is a practical reflection of the mission of the working class which in attaining its own liberation also liberates the whole of society. Communism leads to the freedom of nations, to a genuine recognition of human rights, and to a limitless development of the individual.

p Many difficulties had to be overcome as socialism was being built. Mistakes could not be altogether avoided and the Soviet Communists were the first to point them out and correct them. But the important thing is that mistakes were not prevalent. Let me recall a statement made by the founder of our Party, Luis Emilio Recabarren. He visited Moscow in the early years of Soviet government, and on returning to Chile, said: "I did not go to Russia to gather details on some particular subject, I did not need this for my purpose. I went there to see the most important, the basis on which the future is being built.... And it was a joy for me to see that full political and economic power was really in the hands of Russia’s working people, and from what I saw there is no force in the world that could wrest power from the Russian proletariat that has won it.”

p Those who face up to reality will admit that without the support and the inspired and selfless effort of the Soviet people, the only creator of all the achievements of socialism in this part of the world. Soviet power would not have been able to withstand the united onslaught of internal reaction and imperialist intervention during the hard years of the Civil War, to carry out the gigantic creative 107 task of completing the building of socialism, to repulse the barbarous attack of nazi Germany and win, or to make good the ravages of war in so short a time; it would not have been able to enter the stage of developed socialism and to be what we see it today.

p The Soviet Union accomplishes the tasks it sets every day, every week, every month, every year, and in every five-year period, and this will enable it to reach its historic goal-the building of a society of complete freedom.

p Great successes have been achieved, but much remains to be done. And this is only natural. As our fine compatriot Gabriela Mistral said, if everything were already done, life would be very dull. But in your country, which is steadily and rapidly advancing along the road of progress in all spheres of human activity, no one has ever known boredom, nor will any one ever know boredom, because everyone is a creator, working in freedom for the good of society, conscious of being brother, friend, and comrade to his countrymen, and seeing his country and environment in a new way with eyes, mind, and heart.

p On the 50th anniversary of the Great October Revolution, Pablo Neruda said that the Soviet Union had in its 50 years taught man what he had not learned in the previous 50 centuries, namely, that a republic of working people can do better than an exploiter state and that it does not need colonies, wars, or superstitions to add to its strength.

p In the capitalist world the question of freedom, democracy, and human rights is the crucial question in the noble struggle for justice and social emancipation fought by the working class headed by Communists, in alliance with the mass of the people.

p We all know that objectively the transition to capitalism meant that humanity had made considerable progress towards democracy. The bourgeoisie proclaimed the personal rights and equality before the law of every citizen, alongside freedom of trade, including purchase and sale of 108 lahour power and the right to the private ownership of the means of production. This order was fraught with deep social conflict leading to discrepancies between word and deed and giving rise to intolerable limitations in the practical exercise of democracy. Sale of labour power and private appropriation of the social product constitute a negation of basic human rights and consistent democracy.

p In this situation, with the contradictions of capitalism becoming increasingly acute, it has been possible, above all owing to the struggle of the working class and the mass of the people, to preserve valuable democratic gains in some capitalist countries, such as universal suffrage, representative bodies of power and subordination of the authority to the will of the citizenry, all, of course, within the limits provided by the system I have mentioned. Among these gains there are also some important political and personal rights and liberties of the working people.

p But apart from being incomplete, these gains are constantly threatened. The monopoly bourgeoisie is out to strike down democracy, to do away with the gains of the working people, violating the law and imposing arbitrary rule to promote its own interests. However active the struggle for democracy, democratic rights under capitalism can never be stable, and the danger of fascism-the striking force of the more aggressive monopoly circles-be it great or small, open or hidden, always prevails.

p What has happened in Chile is proof of what I have just said. It was not an isolated event of merely local significance. Fascism, with its typical crimes so monstrous that it is difficult even to name them, with its encroachments on all democratic institutions, has also appeared in other Latin American countries, namely Brazil, Uruguay, and other countries. Several countries on this continent have been suffering under the yoke of fascist or pro-fascist reactionary dictatorships for decades. In South Africa, Rhodesia, and Namibia, extreme reaction has taken another brutal form-racialism. Something of a similar nature can be seen 109 in Indonesia, South Korea and Thailand. The monstrous doings of the anti-democratic forces are set in motion by transnational monopolies. The point is that, to use Lenin’s expression, reactionary forces are active in all spheres.

p However, fascism is not the prevailing tendency in the world- It is not fascism that scores victories on our continent. The fascist Pinochet dictatorship is in isolation inside the country and on the world scene, and even some reactionary quarters are reluctant to side with this dirty regime. In Chile, just as in Brazil, Uruguay, and Bolivia, the tide is turning. The fascist dictatorships are disintegrating, while the anti-fascist front is gaining strength and the struggle of the peoples in these countries is now on the upgrade.

p Like the struggle for peace and complete national independence, we regard the struggle for democracy, as a point of confluence of the three great revolutionary forces of today: the socialist camp, the working class and its allies in capitalist countries, and the national liberation movement. We attach prime importance to this battle.

p It was proved more than 30 years ago that fascism is not invincible. The collapse of the fascist dictatorships in Portugal, Greece, and Spain and the victories of the peoples of Angola and other countries show that the world has taken a path different from the one fancied by fascists and reactionaries.

p The fact that this has become possible, that nations which were weak and defenceless yesterday can successfully defend their freedom and independence today, illustrates another great contribution of the October Revolution to the struggle for national and human rights.

p Of particular importance for the struggle for democracy and freedom in capitalist countries or in countries dominated by imperialism is a principled approach to this problem, exposure of the real enemies of human rights, exposure of the system whose very essence means violation of these rights, and the ability to see where is the strongest 110 foundation of true democracy and the most reliable support for the struggle of all peoples for their lawful rights.

p The Soviet Union and other socialist countries have contributed to democracy, freedom, and human rights by virtue of the benefits the revolution and socialism have brought to their people, and as a result of their efforts in this direction on the world scene. Thanks to the Soviet Union which played the decisive role in the rout of German fascism, not only the occupied Soviet territory was liberated, but also all of Europe, and humanity was saved from the domination of the most brutal, anti-democratic regime, all this eventually leading to the downfall of the colonial empires. Scores of young states have embarked on the road of independent political life; their people were liberated from the most barbarous forms of oppression and exploitation. In the USSR they have found a true friend who has given them help and solidarity and who never seeks any advantages by trying to exploit their raw material resources, and resorts to any of the methods used by imperialist states.

p Last but not least, the policy of peace and peaceful coexistence, a policy pursued by the Soviet state ever since it was founded, is of paramount importance for the defence of human rights. Man has no greater wish than tc live in a world without wars. This provides the only guarantee that the human race will survive. The efforts of the Soviet Union to put a stop to the arms race, ban the proliferation of nuclear weapons, and prevent contamination of the environment by atomic tests and other harmful actions, as well as the concrete Soviet disarmament proposals, constitute the main factors in the effective defence of human rights in our time.

We know that not all upright people have yet been able to arrive at a correct answer to this range of questions, but we are certain that the course of events and our struggle will in the long run prove that socialism and democracy are indivisible.