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Stalin's Speech at the 19th CPSU Congress on October 14, 1952
Comrades,Allow me on behalf of our CPSU Congress to express my thanks to all the fraternal Parties and groups, whose representatives honored our Congress with their presence or those who sent messages of greetings, best wishes for success and for their trust.
Of special value is this trust which signifies readiness to support our Party in its struggles against war, and in its struggle for the preservation of peace.
It would be a mistake to think that our Party, having become a powerful force, no longer needs support. Our Party and our country have always needed and shall need the trust, sympathy and the support of the fraternal peoples abroad.
A peculiarity of this support is that all support for peace-loving aspirations of our Party on the part of any fraternal Party signifies at the same time support of its policy of peace. When the British workers in 1918-1919, at a time of the armed attack of the British bourgeoisie on the Soviet Union, organized to struggle against war under the slogan "Hands Off Russia", this was support, first of all support of their people for peace, then support of the Soviet Union.
When Comrade Thorez and Comrade Togliatti declared that their people will not fight against the peoples of the Soviet Union, this is support, first of all support of the workers and peasants of France and Italy fighting for peace, and then they declared that their peoples will not fight against the peoples of the Soviet Union, this is support, first of all support of the workers and peasants of France and Italy fighting for peace, and then support of the peace-loving struggle of the Soviet Union. This peculiarity of the mutual support is explained by the fact that the interests of our Party not only do not contradict, but, on the contrary, merge with the interests of the peace-loving peoples. As for the Soviet Union, its interests in general are inseparable from the cause of world peace.
Naturally, our Party cannot remain in debt to the fraternal Parties, and must in turn support them and also their people in their struggles for liberation, for their struggles for the preservation of peace. As is known, that is precisely what it does. After our Party took power in 1917 and after the Party took real measures to do away with the capitalist and landlord oppression, the representatives of the fraternal parties, admiring that the valour and successes of our Party, named it the "Shock Brigade" of the world revolutionary movement. In this way they expressed the hope that the successes of this "Shock Brigade" would facilitate the position of the people groaning under the yoke of capitalism. I think that our Party justified these hopes, especially in the period of the Second World War, when the Soviet Union by smashing German and Japanese fascist tyranny, delivered the peoples of Europe and Asia from the menace of fascist slavery.
Of course, it was very difficult to fulfill this honorable role, so long as this "Shock Brigade" was all-alone and had to carry out this leading role practically single-handed. But this belongs to the past. Now things are altogether different. Now, from China and from Korea to Czechoslovakia and Hungary, new "Shock Brigades" have appeared in the shape of people's democratic countries – now it has become easier for our Party to fight, and indeed this work is going on with a swing.
Those Communist, democratic or worker-peasant parties who have not yet come to power, and who are still working under the heels of the draconic laws of the bourgeoisie, deserve special attention. For them of course, the work is more difficult, but it is not as difficult for them as it was for us, the Russian Communists, at the time of Tsarism, when the slightest forward movement was proclaimed a heinous crime. However, the Russian Communists stood firm, were not afraid of the difficulties and won victory. The same thing will take place with these Parties.
Why then will it be less difficult for these Parties to work than was the case with the Russian Communists at the time of Tsarism?
First, they have before their eyes example of struggles and successes, such as we have in the Soviet Union and in all of the people's democratic countries. Consequently, they can learn from the mistakes and successes of these countries and in this way make their work much easier. Second, because the bourgeoisie itself – the main enemy of the liberation movements – has changed substantially, has become more reactionary, has lost contact with the people, and by so doing has weakened itself. Obviously, this circumstance, too, is bound to make the work of the revolutionary and democratic Parties much easier.
Formerly, the bourgeoisie permitted itself to be liberal, championed bourgeois-democratic freedom and in doing do created for itself popularity amongst the people. Now, not even a trace of liberalism remains. Gone is the so-called "freedom of the individual", the rights of the individual now are recognized only in the case of those who have capital, while other citizens are regarded as human raw material and fit only for exploitation. The equality of people and nations has been trampled underfoot; it has been replaced by the principle of full rights for the exploiting minority and no rights for the exploited majority of citizens. The banner of the bourgeois-democratic freedom has been thrown overboard. I think that you, representatives of the Communist and democratic Parties, will have to pick up this banner and carry it forward if you wish to rally around yourselves the majority of the people. There is no one else to pick it up.
Formerly the bourgeoisie was considered the head of the nation, it championed the rights and independence of the nation, placing them "above everything". Now not a trace remains of the "national principle". Now the bourgeoisie sells the right and independence of the nation for dollars. The banner of international independence and national sovereignty has been thrown overboard. There is no doubt that you, representatives of Communist and democratic Parties, will have to pick up the banner and carry it forward if you wish to be patriots of your country, if you wish to become the leading force of the nation.
This is how matters stand at the moment!
Clearly, all of these circumstances are bound to facilitate the work of the Communist and democratic Parties which have not yet come to power.
Consequently, there is every reason to count on the success and victory for the fraternal Parties in the countries dominated by capital.
Long live our fraternal Parties!
Long life and good health to the leaders of the fraternal Parties!
Long lives peace amongst the nations!
Down with the warmongers!
Comrade Stalin's Speech
This final session of the CPSU Congress commenced at 9 p.m. on October 14, 1952. When the last fraternal delegate had spoken, then to the delight of all the Congress delegates and guests, Chairman Comrade Voroshilov called upon Comrade Stalin to speak. This was totally unexpected, but this was received with such joy and enthusiasm as we have never witnessed before, and doubt whether we shall ever see again.
The above speech was delivered with such a tremendous confidence which made everyone present felt stronger and happier, because it betokened such a profound sense of international solidarity, and how all the Communist Parties in the world help ach other in their various spheres of activity.
When Comrade Stain ended his speech with the slogans:
LONG LIVE PEACE BETWEEN NATIONS OF THE WORLD and DOWN WITH THE WARMONGERS!
There was spontaneous outburst of cheering that moved all the delegates and guests at this CPSU Congress.