p This is an essential question of theory and political practice. It is especially relevant today, when revolutionary processes consist of various stages: anti-feudal, people’s democratic, national liberation, and socialist revolutions. Correct definition of the strategic and tactical tasks and of the driving forces at each of the stages, is possible only if the general and specific features of the revolutionary process are properly taken into account.

p The general in social revolutions is their basic content. Each revolution is the peak of a class struggle in which the broad masses take part. Revolution is possible only in the presence of matured objective preconditions that coincide with the subjective factors. Revolution is always largely a conscious and organised struggle of the 249 oppressed classes against the domination of reactionary forces. There can be no revolution without a revolutionary ideology assimilated by the masses.

p The particular in a revolution is manifested first and foremost in the forms and methods that are applied to change society.

p The dialectic of the general and the particular is of vast theoretical and practical significance in socialist revolution. The Great October Socialist Revolution of 1917 in Russia, like revolutions in other countries, has shown that there are general laws governing socialist revolutions and the specificity of their operation and realisation. It fully bore out Lenin’s scientific prediction made in 1916 that "all nations will arrive at socialism - this is inevitable, but all will do so in not exactly the same way, each will contribute something of its own to some form of democracy, to some variety of the dictatorship of the proletariat, to the varying rate of socialist transformations in the different aspects of social life.”   [249•1 

p The general laws of socialist revolution manifest its essence; the specific features manifest its specific substance and form in specific historical conditions. The general laws include leadership of the broad strata of workers by the working class, whose core is the Marxist-Leninist party; 250 accomplishment of a revolutionary overturn; establishment of working class rule in one or another form, alliance of the working class with all other strata of workers; abolition of capitalist ownership and establishment of socialist ownership of the means of production; socialist change in agriculture; systematic economic development in the interests of the people; accomplishment of a cultural revolution; solution of the national question; establishment of equality and friendship among peoples; defence of socialism against foreign and domestic enemies; solidarity with the workers in other countries-proletarian internationalism.

p As to the specific features, they are manifested in three areas -the specific structure of the driving forces; the form of the revolutionary overturn, and the specific features of the sovereignty established by the working class, and of the forms and methods of revolutionary change accomplished in the economy and in culture. A triumphant socialist revolution is possible if the general laws operate. It is impossible, on the other hand, for revolutions in different countries to be accomplished according to a cut-and-dried formula. To overestimate either the role of the general laws or the specific features is equally wrong in theory and dangerous on a practical political plane.

p The 20th century gave birth to various forms of revolution against capitalism. These forms are: 251 socialist revolutions in more or less developed capitalist countries (like the Great October Socialist Revolution of 1917 in Russia); socialist revolutions in relatively less developed capitalist countries developing from anti-fascist revolutions (as in Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, and Romania;; socialist revolutions accomplished in countries of undeveloped or less developed capitalism and backed by socialist countries, as in Cuba. Each of the enumerated forms of the revolutionary process showed evidence of the general laws that were first manifested in the Great October Socialist Revolution. Yet each also had its specific features. These derived largely from the fact that the socialist revolutions developed out of anti-imperialist or national liberation revolutions.

p To be able to work out a specific programme lor accomplishing socialist change in a country, the leading parties must necessarily take account of the specific features of the revolutionary process. At the same time, by recognising that there are general laws governing all revolutions one also recognises that revolution in any given country is part of the single world-wide revolutionary process impelled by the ingrained contradictions of the capitalist system and must not be viewed in a narrow national conlext. Hence the special significance for the triumph of a revolution of proletarian and socialist internationalism, of 252 relations of solidarity and mutual co-operation between countries, peoples, and parties striving lor socialism.

p The world revolutionary process consists ot a merging of diverse revolutions begotten by the capitalist system. Their qualitative differences and contradictions are conditioned by the uneven development of countries and peoples that were or still are under the domination of capitalism. The present epoch is first and foremost an epoch of socialist revolutions and of the global transition from capitalism to socialism, of the consolidation and advance, in many countries, of existing socialism, which is becoming a world social system. The Communist movement in capitalist countries is an important part of the world revolutionary process. Absorbing various sections of the working class and a large percentage of urban and rural employees and intellectuals, the movement keeps expanding and increasing its revolutionary power. This is borne out by the growth of Communist parties in many countries and their increasing influence on socio-political reality, and in particular by the extensive participation of Communists in the struggle against the capitalist offensive on the rights of the workers.

p National liberation revolutions occupy a definite place in the growing world revolutionary process. Their most deep-rooted reason is the antagonism between imperialism and the forces 253 supporting it inside individual countries, on the one hand, and the broad popular masses fighting for national liberation and progress, on the other. National liberation revolutions are aimed against decayed socio-economic and political relations that have become a brake on the advancement of national economies and cultures. Inasmuch as these relations are indissolubly linked with capitalist structures in imperialist countries, revolutions in dependent countries deal a blow to the capitalist world system, and by so doing complement the communist movement.

Existing socialism has become the bulwark and the main force of the entire world revolutionary process. Today, the course of historical development is determined by the struggle between two world systems-the socialist and the capitalist. Past experience shows that existing socialism is the most reliable buttress of the forces of peace, democracy, and freedom. The strength of world socialism is the guarantee of new triumphant liberation revolutions.