Once More on the Social-Democratic Deviation in Our Party

Stalin’s report against Trotskyism made at the Seventh Enlarged Plenary Session of the Executive Committee of the Communist International in December 1926. It was first published in Pravda on December 9th, 10th, 19th, 21st, 22nd, 26th. The Chinese translation is included in Vol. 9 of the Complete Works of Stalin.

After Lenin’s death, the All-Union Communist Party (B) had great differences on the New Economic Policy and on the issue of socialist path to be followed. In 1925, there appeared a new opposition led by Zinoviev and Kamenev. At the beginning of 1926, Trotsky and Zinoviev established an alliance, namely Trotsky led alliance called “United Opposition”. In December, Stalin’s report was intended to criticize and eliminate the influence of Trotskyism within the Communist International.

This report has two parts: report and conclusion and the report part comprise of seven items.

The first part of the report includes several introductory remarks on the “United Opposition”. Stalin reviewed the history of the inner-Party struggle of the All-Union Communist Party(B), since 1903, and quoted Engels’ view that “any worker party in a big country can only develop through the internal struggles against opportunism” and pointed out: (1) The Party grew up and consolidated by resolving and overcoming the inner-Party contradictions, and it is the Party’s development law to overcome these contradictions through struggle. (2) There are two sources of contradictions within the proletarian party: First is the pressure exerted by the bourgeoisie and bourgeois ideology on the proletariat and its party under the conditions of the class struggle in the society and across the world; the other is the heterogeneity of the working class, the existence of different strata within the working class.

Second is the characteristics of the opposition within the All-Union Communist Party (B): (1) It is a “United Opposition” and not “simply” some kind of opposition. (2) There is, second, the fact that the opposition tries to camouflage its opportunism with “Left” phraseology, making a parade of “revolutionary” slogans. (3) The opposition decided that the most correct policy is an unprincipled policy.

Thirdly, there were differences of opinion within the All-Union Communist Party(B). These included questions about the possibility of the victory of socialism in one country, about the conditions of the present international situation in the USS.R., about the “national” and international tasks of the proletarian revolution in one country, about the history of socialist construction, about the urgency of the present tasks of socialist construction, about the future of the proletarian revolution, about the allies of the proletariat, about the chances of victory, etc. questions on the future of the proletarian revolution, questions on the allies of the proletariat, questions on the chances of victory, so forth.

Fourthly, the opposition at work. Stalin mainly summarized the practical work of the opposition and its followers not only in the All-Union Communist Party (B), but also in other branches of the Comintern.

Fifthly, why the enemies of the dictatorship of the proletariat praise such “opposition”. Stalin argued that the logic of the factional struggle of our opposition has led in practice to the front of our opposition objectively merging with the front of the opponents and enemies of the dictatorship of the proletariat.

Sixthly, the defeat of the opposition bloc. Stalin summed up the reasons for the failure of the opposition. The opposition found itself without a political army, the combination of the opposition and the enemy was disgraced and shamed in the eyes of workers, and the mass of the Party membership has proved to be more politically conscious and united.

Seventhly, the practical meaning and importance of the Fifteenth Congress of the All-Union Communist Party (B): (1) It formally affirmed the party’s victory over the opposition. (2) It cemented the Party more solidly than ever before. (3) It administered a decisive rebuff to all ideological vacillations in the Party. (4) It facilitated the triumph of Leninism throughout the Comintern.

The conclusion includes five miscellaneous remarks.

One includes some opinions: (1) We need facts, but the opposition distort the facts or made inventions or tittle-tattle. (2) The enemies of the dictatorship of the proletariat praise the opposition because they tend to undermine the unity of the Party, and hence, the dictatorship of the proletariat. (3) We must strictly distinguish the two kinds of errors: one is that their authors do not persist, and which do not develop into platforms, trends or factions; the other is that their authors persist and from which develop factions, platforms and struggle within the Party. It is necessary to combat such errors openly and determinedly. (4) Zinoviev misinterpreted Lenin’s theory of the dictatorship of the proletariat. (5) Trotsky’s vague statements were intended to mislead the people. (6) Zinoviev severed individual propositions and formulas of Marx and Engels from their living connection with reality, converts them into worn-out dogmas. (7) Zinoviev defined revisionism as any improvement, any refinement of old formulas or individual propositions of Marx or Engels, and still more their replacement by other formulas corresponding to new conditions.

Secondly, the question of the victory of socialism in individual capitalist countries. Stalin argued that the opposition confuses two different phases of capitalism, namely the pre-imperialist capitalism and the imperialist capitalism, and did not understand the importance of the law of uneven development in the period of imperialism, so it denies the possibility of the victory of socialism in individual capitalist countries.

Thirdly, the question of building socialism in the USS.R. Stalin argued that the economic basis for building socialism was to defeat the bourgeoisie economically and that building socialism required forming various forms of alliance with the world proletariat, which Lenin insisted on. The opposition’s mistake was to deny that the USS.R. had the objective conditions for building a socialist economy, and that it did not understand or recognize these alliance forms. Capitulationism as the natural result of the present attitude of the opposition bloc.

Fourthly, the opposition and the question of party unity. The platform of the opposition bloc is the platform of a Social-Democratic deviation, the platform of a Right-wing deviation in our Party, a platform for gathering together all kinds of opportunist trends for the purpose of organizing a fight against the Party, against Party unity, against its authority. The opposition bloc is the embryo of a new party, undermining the unity of our Party. The task is to smash this bloc and liquidate it.

Fifthly, the conclusion part of the speech includes the following: the “opposition” is infected with disbelief in the strength of our proletariat, disbelief in the possibility of victoriously building socialism in USS.R. Lenin regarded the Republic of Soviets as a torch which illumines the path of the proletarians of all countries. The task is to hold this torch aloft and to make its existence secure for the sake of the victory of the world revolution.

This report by Stalin defended and developed Lenin’s theory of victory of socialism in a single country and expressed the strong desire of the Soviet people to build a strong socialist country under the condition that it is surrounded by imperialism. However, this article has not clearly drawn the boundary between the problem of cognition within the party; as well as failed the differ between the contradiction between the enemy and us, and the contradiction within the ranks of people, which has led to some adverse consequences.