Date: Sat, 03 Aug 1996 01:36:46 -0700
Subject: Re: Marxism: meat and potatoes questions


glevy-AT-pratt.edu wrote:

> In 1937 Stalin declared that socialism had been constructed and that they
> were on the road to communist society. After Stalin's death, Molotov - a
> strong supporter of Stalin - denied that socialism had been achieved and
> Khruschev also later repudiated Stalin's assertion.
> 
> It was not until the 22th Congress of the CPSU in 10/61, that the final
> achievement of socialism was announced. The '61 Party Program stated that
> the socialist principle "From each according to his abilities, to each
> according to his *work* had been achieved" (emphasis added, JL).[!] At
> this time it was said: "In the next decade [61-70] the Soviet Union, in
> creating the material and technical basis of communism, will surpass the
> strongest and richest capitalist country, the USA, in production per head
> of population; the people's standard of living ... will improve
> substantially, [and] everyone will live comfortably ...." By 1980, they
> were supposed to have achieved communism and the "doctrine" of the
> "universal abundance of products" was to be established.

I should know better than rely on my notoriously faulty memory. Not only is your correction of my 
silly assertion that Stalin had declared the USSR "Communist" concise and to the point but I have 
to admit to being ingnorant of these other details. However I cannot help but believe that the 
idea of achieving communism in 1980 was meant seriously and sincerely, as was the idea that they 
had already achieved the socialist ethic in 1961. The tone of the quotes you have used make me 
feel a little more generous to some of my older pro-soviet comrades, although all of advanced 
years it suprised me how many actually died in the two years which followed the collapse of USSR.

Sentimental crap! 

Thanks for the timely and accurate corrections.

Greg Schofield
Darwin Australia




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