XIX Congress of the CPSU (b) - (October 5-14, 1952). Documents and Materials

XIX CONGRESS OF THE PARTY

A whole historical era lied between the 18th and 19th Party Congresses. History does not know a period more eventful of world significance than this one:

in the last pre‐war years, the development of the national economy and the growth of the defense potential of our country continued; the world‐historical Victory in the Great Patriotic War was won; in the pre‐war years and following the results of World War II, the territory of the USSR expanded, which led to the emergence of new regional and republican party organizations; in the post‐war years, not only was it restored destroyed by the war, but the pre‐war level of development of the national economy was significantly exceeded; atomic weapons were created in the Soviet Union; the world socialist system has appeared on the international arena; in many countries of the world, communist and workersʹ parties have received legal status; the collapse of the colonial system began; our country has acquired unconditional international authority;

The Soviet Union became a permanent member of the UN Security Council.

All this meant that fundamentally new tasks of communist construction were on the agenda, which were planned to be formulated and ways to solve them in the new edition of the Party Program.

The 19th Congress will forever remain the only truly triumphant party congress in its entire history.

The 19th congress was the last Stalinist party congress. Therefore, the materials of the congress give a detailed picture of the legacy left behind by Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin as the leader of the Communist Party and the Soviet state, as the recognized leader of the world communist and workersʹ movement.

The next, XX Congress of the CPSU was not only post‐Stalinist, but also anti‐Stalinist. The vector of development of the party, society and country, outlined by the XIX Congress, was broken. This immediately had a negative impact on the international communist and workersʹ movement and had long‐term tragic consequences for the Soviet Union.

FORWARD

For the attention of all organizations of the CPSU (b)

The other day, a plenum of the Central Committee of the CPSU (b) was held in Moscow.

The Central Committee of the CPSU (b) decided to convene the next

XIX Congress of the CPSU (b) on October 5, 1952.

The order of the day of the XIX Congress:

1. Report of the Central Committee of the CPSU (b) ‐ speaker Secretary of the Central Committee comrade. Malenkov G.M.

2. Report of the Central Auditing Commission of the CPSU (b) ‐ rapporteur Chairman of the Auditing Commission com. Moskatov P.G.

3. Directives of the XIX Party Congress on the fifth five‐year plan for the development of the USSR for 1951 ‐ 1955 ‐ rapporteur Chairman of the State Planning Committee comrade. Saburov M.Z.

4. Changes in the Charter of the CPSU (b) ‐ Reporter Secretary of the

Central Committee com. Khrushchev N.S.

5. Election of the central bodies of the party.

The norm of representation and the procedure for electing delegates to the congress:

1) One delegate with a casting vote for 5,000 party members;

2) one delegate with an advisory vote for 5.000 candidates for party members.

3) Delegates to the XIX Party Congress are elected in accordance with the Party Charter by closed (secret) ballot.

4) Delegates from the RSFSR party organizations are elected at party conferences in regions, territories and autonomous republics. In other union republics, delegates are elected at regional party conferences or at congresses of the communist parties of the union republics ‐ at the discretion of the Central Committee of the communist parties of the union republics.

5) Communists who are members of the party organizations of the Soviet Army, the Navy and the border units of the MGB elect delegates to the 19th party congress along with other party organizations at regional, territorial party conferences or congresses of the communist parties of the union republics.

Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU (b) I. Stalin

(Pravda, No. 233, August 20, 1952)

Project of the Central Committee of the All‐Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks)

Directives of the 19th Party Congress on the fifth five‐year plan for the development of the USSR for 1951 ‐ 1955

(3rd point of the order of the day of the congress)

The successful fulfillment of the fourth five‐year plan makes it possible to adopt a new five‐year plan, which will ensure the further development of all branches of the national economy, the growth of material well‐being, health care and the cultural level of the people.

In accordance with this, the XIX Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union considers it necessary to give the Central Committee of the Party and the Council of Ministers of the USSR the following directives on the fifth five‐year plan for the development of the USSR for 1951‐1955.

I. In the field of industry

II. In the field of agriculture

III. In the field of goods turnover, transport and communication

IV. In the field of further growth of material well‐being, health care and cultural level

In its revised form at the last pages

Project of the Central Committee of the All‐Union Communist Party

(Bolsheviks)

The text of the amended party charter

(4th point of the order of the day of the congress)

The charter

Communist Party of the Soviet Union

I. Party. Party members, their duties and rights

In its revised form at the last pages

All regional committees and the Central Committee of the Communist Parties of the Union Republics

The Central Committee of the All‐Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) obliges you to launch a broad discussion of projects on the new fiveyear plan and on the Party Rules, starting this matter, whenever possible, from the primary organizations. All party members and candidates should be involved in the discussion, ensuring complete freedom of criticism. The party press must provide its pages for both positive and critical articles.

Secretariat of the Central Committee of the CPSU (b)

(Pravda, No. 239, August 26, 1952)

From the editorial board of Pravda

The Central Committee of the All‐Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) decided to call on all the leading organizations of the party to start discussing projects on the new five‐year plan and on the Party Rules, primarily in the primary organizations of the party. All party members and candidates should be involved in the discussion, ensuring complete freedom of criticism. The party press must provide its pages for both positive and critical articles.

The Central Committee obliged the editors of Pravda to install on the pages of Pravda a special section entitled ʺMaterials for the 19th Party Congressʺ, in which to publish articles and comments of comrades on the agenda of the Congress.

The editorial board of Pravda calls on party organizations and individual comrades to take part in the discussion of the congress issues and to send relevant articles and comments to Pravda.

(Pravda, No. 239, August 26, 1952)

Changes in the Charter of the CPSU (b)

Abstracts of Comrade Khrushcheva N.S. at the XIX Congress of the CPSU (b)

For consideration of the XIX Congress of the All‐Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks, amendments and additions are made to the Party Charter. The need for these additions and changes is caused by the fact that some of the clauses of the Charter are outdated and the Charter should reflect the experience in the field of party building, accumulated by the party over the years since the XVIII Congress.

1. On the new name of the party and the definition in the Charter of the main tasks of the party

There is a need to clarify the name of our party. It is advisable to continue to call the All‐Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) the ʺCommunist Party of the Soviet Unionʺ, given that, firstly, the name of the party ‐ the Communist Party of the Soviet Union is more accurate, and secondly, at present there is no need to preserve the double name of the party ‐ the communist and Bolshevik, since the words ʺcommunistʺ and ʺBolshevikʺ express the same content.

The first chapter of the Charter of the party should be given the title ‐ “Party. Party members, their duties and rights ”. It is advisable, before setting out the duties and rights of party members, to give in the first paragraph of this chapter a brief definition of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and its main tasks, namely:

ʺ1. The Communist Party of the Soviet Union is a voluntary militant alliance of like‐minded communists, organized from people of the working class, working peasants and working intelligentsia.

The Communist Party of the Soviet Union, having organized an alliance of the working class and the working peasantry, achieved, as a result of the October Revolution of 1917, the overthrow of the power of the capitalists and landowners, the organization of the dictatorship of the proletariat, the elimination of capitalism, the abolition of the exploitation of man by man and ensured the construction of a socialist society.

Today, the main tasks of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union are to build a communist society through a gradual transition from socialism to communism, continuously raise the material and cultural level of society, educate members of society in the spirit of internationalism and establish fraternal ties with the working people of all countries, and strengthen active defense in every possible way. Of the Soviet Motherland from the aggressive actions of its enemies. ʺ

In connection with the above, the introductory part to the Charter should not have.

2. Who can be a party member

3. A party member is obliged:

4. On the rights of party members

5. About candidates for party members

6. On the timing of convening congresses and plenums of the Central

Committee of the Party

7. About All‐Union Party Conferences

8. On the transformation of the Politburo into the Presidium of the Central Committee of the Party

9.On the reorganization of the Party Control Commission into the Party

Control Committee under the Party Central Committee

11. About clarifying the tasks of local party organizations

12. On the terms of convening plenums of the Central Committee of the Communist Parties of the Union Republics, regional committees, regional committees, district committees, city committees and regional party committees

13. On the size of membership fees for party members and candidates

Economic Remarks Related to the November 1951 Debate

This section is available and accessible from the web site of

Revolutionary Democracy

Economic Problems of Socialism in the U.S.S.R.

I.V. Stalin Economic problems of socialism in the USSR Excluded – Available and accessible at; https://revolutionarydemocracy.org/Stalin/index.htm

Remarks on Economic Questions Connected with the November 1951

Discussion

Reply to Comrade Alexander Ilyich Notkin

Concerning the Errors of Comrade L. D. Yaroshenko

Reply to Comrades A. V. Sanina and V. G. Venzher

DIARY OF CONGRESS

5 October

(First meeting)

Presiding V.M. Molotov.

On October 5, the 19th Congress of the CPSU (b) opened in the Great Hall of the Kremlin Palace. In the meeting hall ‐ delegates to the congress, as well as numerous guests, representatives of the workers of the Soviet capital, workers, state and party leaders, representatives of science and art and representatives of foreign communist and workersʹ parties.

Seven p.m. Comrade Stalin and his loyal comrades‐in‐arms appear on the podium. Molotov, Malenkov, Voroshilov, Bulganin, Beria, Kaganovich, Khrushchev, Andreev, Mikoyan, Kosygin were greeted by the delegates with long applause. Everyone gets up. The exclamations of “Hurray to Comrade Stalin!”, “Hurray to the Great Stalin!”, “Long live Comrade Stalin!”, “Hurray to dear, beloved Stalin!ʺ These exclamations are heard in different languages of the peoples of the Soviet Union and the world.

The warm ovation of the delegates to the Congress expresses feelings of boundless love and devotion to the genius leader of the Communist Party, the Soviet people and all progressive mankind, to his native

Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin.

On behalf of the Central Committee of the Communist Party, the congress was opened with an opening speech by Comrade V.M. Molotov.

After solving organizational issues, the congress heard the report of the

Central Committee of the CPSU (b).