The Party Before and After Taking Power

Stalin’s thoughts on some viewpoints in “On the Political Strategy and Tactics of the Russian Communists” (outline of the pamphlet) published in July 1927. The article was first published in Pravda No. 190, August 28, 1921. The Chinese translation is included in Vol. 5 of the Complete Works of Stalin.

The purpose of this work was to show that after the victory of the October Revolution, the focus of the work of the Russian Communist Party has shifted, that is, from the original instrument for the destruction of the old order, for overthrowing capital in Russia. Now, on the contrary, in the third period, it has been transformed from a party of revolution within Russia into a party of construction, into a party for the creation of new forms of economy”. In line with this, the strategy and tactics of the Russian Communist Party are correct, and the New Economic Policy is correct. The document called on the whole party not to stay at the stage of armed struggle in the past, but to make full efforts to carry out economic construction.

The article is divided into three parts, respectively, the three periods before and after the Party took the political power:

(1) The first period was the period of formation, of the creation of the Party.

It embraces the interval of time approximately from the foundation of Iskra to the Third Party Congress inclusively (end of 1900 to beginning of 1905). In this period the Party, as a driving force, was weak. It was weak not only because it itself was young, but also because the working-class movement as a whole was young and because the revolutionary situation, the revolutionary movement, was lacking, or little developed, The forms of working-class organization were mainly of an underground character, and the peasantry was silent. The effect of Party’s activities and tactics were inevitably narrow and restricted. The Party confined itself to mapping the movement’s strategic plan, i.e., the route that the movement should take; and Party’s use of reserves, indirect alliances—the contradictions within the camp of the enemies inside and outside of Russia—remained largely limited, or almost unused, owing to the weakness of the Party. In this period the Party focused its attention and care upon the Party itself, upon its own existence and preservation, which was natural: because Tsarism’s fierce attacks to suppress the Party, and the Mensheviks’ efforts to blow it up from within threatened the Party’s very existence. Therefore, the principal task of communism in Russia in that period was to recruit into the Party the best elements of the working class, those who were most radical, active and devoted to the cause of the proletariat; to form the ranks of the proletarian party and to put it firmly on its feet.

(2) The period from October 1905 to October 1917, the second period was the period of winning the broad masses of the workers and peasants to the side of the Party, to the side of the vanguard of the proletariat. In this period the situation was much more complex and richer in events than in the preceding one which stirred up all classes in Russia and pushed them into the political arena one after the other and strengthened the ranks of the Party; consequently the proletarian movement was enriched by such powerful struggle forms, i.e., the general political strikes and armed uprising. The peasant movement saw a surge, there occurred many protests against the landlords which demanded the cancellation of rents which often evolved into peasant insurrections. The activities of the Party and of other revolutionary organizations were invigorated by the mastery of such forms as the extra-parliamentary struggle, legal, open struggle forms. Working-class organization was enriched not only by a tried and important form like the trade unions, but also by such a powerful form of working-class organization as the Soviets of Workers’ Deputies, a form unprecedented in history. The peasants followed in the footsteps of the working class and set up Soviets of Peasants’ Deputies. In this period the Party was by no means as weak as it was in the preceding one; as a driving force, it became a most important factor. It changed from a self-sufficing force into an instrument for winning the masses of the workers and peasants, into an instrument for leading the masses in overthrowing the rule of capital. At this stage, the party’s strategy and tactics acquired wide scope and general effect as a result of the great surge and the movement of the masses, increase in their organization demand, thus the previous activities of the Party and other revolutionary organizations, were replaced by new forms which were absent in the former period. The Party’s principal task in this period was to win the vast masses to the side of the proletarian vanguard, to the side of the Party, for the purpose of overthrowing the rule of the bourgeoisie, and for the purpose of seizing power.The difference between the first and the second period was undoubtedly great. But there was also something in common between them. Both in the first and in the second period the Party was nine-tenths, if not entirely, a national force, effective only for and within Russia. That was the first point. The second point is that both in the first and in the second period the Russian Communist Party was a party of upheaval, the party of revolution within Russia, hence in these two periods, criticism and destruction of the old order was predominant aspect in its work.

(3) The third period was the period which included seizing and holding power, on the one hand, and a period of drawing all the working people of Russia into the work of building socialist economy and the Red Army, and, on the other hand, of applying all forces and resources for rendering assistance to the international proletariat in its struggle to overthrow capital. This period embraced the interval of time from October 1917 to the present day (that is, the writing period). Stalin pointed out that since the October Revolution in 1917, Russia had broken the chain of imperialism, and the Russian Communist Party had also changed from a national force into a predominantly international force, to a political party carrying out changes in an international context. In Russia, the Party was transformed from a party of revolution into a party of peaceful construction, into a party for the creation of new forms of economy. A change has also taken place in the Party’s position in that its forces and resources, its reserves, have grown and multiplied to a colossal degree. Then Stalin pointed out the problems encountered in the October Revolution: “Firstly, Russia is an economically backward country; it is very difficult for her to organize transport, develop industry, and electrify urban and rural industry by her own efforts unless she exchanges her raw materials for machinery and equipment from the Western countries.” Secondly, to this day Russia is a socialist island surrounded by hostile, industrially more developed capitalist states, and is obliged to seek forms and methods of economic co-operation with the hostile capitalist groups in the West in order to obtain the necessary technical equipment. The concession form of relations and foreign trade—such are the means for achieving this aim. Without this it will be difficult to count on decisive successes in economic construction, in the electrification of the whole country. This process will undoubtedly be slow and painful, but it is inevitable, unavoidable. The tasks of the Russian Communist Party in this period is to use all the contradictions and conflicts among the capitalist groups and governments which surround the country, with the object of disintegrating imperialism. We should assist the proletarian revolution in the west, take all measures to strengthen the national-liberation movement in the East, and strengthen the Red Army. We should take effective measures to strengthen the alliance between the proletariat and the toiling peasantry and develop industry to the maximum extent.

Stalin summed up the development stage of the Russian Communist Party, fully explained the tasks and challenges facing the party at present and pointed out the direction for the Party members to devote themselves to the socialist construction.