The establishment of socialism in Russia
In 1914, the First World War broke out. This was the inevitable result of the two major imperialist military groups competing with each other and re-dividing the colonies. "Humanity", "justice" and "defending the motherland", but in essence it is an unjust imperialist plundering war rooted in the uneven development of capitalist political and economic development.
Tsarist Russia joined the Allied Powers in the war and suffered heavy losses in the war. The domestic economy was severely damaged, food was scarce, and the people were in dire straits. March 8, 1917 (February in the Russian calendar) was International Women's Day. Workers and citizens took to the streets to demonstrate, raising the slogans of "Down with War" and "Against Hunger." The Tsar sent troops to suppress it, but a large number of troops defected, which eventually developed into In the February Revolution, Tsar Nicholas II abdicated, and the Russian autocratic monarchy was overthrown.
After the February Revolution, a dual regime emerged in Russia: one was the armed Soviet of Workers’ and Soldiers’ Deputies, and the other was the bourgeois provisional government established on the basis of the original State Duma. Thanks to the support of the Mensheviks and Social Democrats, the bourgeois Provisional Government gained de facto power to rule. It carried out constitutional reforms and wanted to follow the path of Western democratic politics. However, it made no achievements in ending the war and solving the bread and land issues. It continued to implement the original domestic policies of the tsarist government and even bloody suppressed the people. Under such circumstances, the Bolshevik Party led the famous October Revolution on November 7 (October in the Russian calendar), completely overthrowing the rule of the bourgeoisie and establishing a complete Soviet power.
At the end of 1922, the Tenth All-Russian Congress of Soviets was held, and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the Soviet Union was established, referred to as the Soviet Union. The countries that joined at that time included the Russian Federation, the Transcaucasian Federation, Ukraine and Belarus, and later gradually expanded to 15 participating countries.
The war between imperialists gave rise to socialism, which they probably did not expect. Russia retained strong feudal remnants during its transition to capitalism, which hindered its further development of capitalism, resulting in the weakness of the ruling class and the strength of domestic revolutionary forces. The war destroyed the domestic economy, intensified internal contradictions, and ultimately led to The collapse of the tsarist government. The results of the movement initiated by the people were stolen by the bourgeoisie, and the February Revolution was judged to be a bourgeois democratic revolution. When domestic conflicts intensified unprecedentedly, the provisional government did not make efforts to ease the conflicts. Instead, it hoped to maintain its rule by means of repression, which directly led to its demise. Russia's powerful revolutionary force, under the leadership of a powerful party, launched a revolution to overthrow capitalism and establish the Soviet regime. This process therefore has its historical inevitability.
According to Marx’s theory, socialism should first emerge in developed capitalist countries. Lenin developed Marxist theory based on the reality that capitalism developed into the imperialist stage, and put forward the theory that proletarian revolution can be realized first and foremost in the weak links of imperialism and in countries with backward productivity development. This theory was tested in practice and became the theoretical basis for the establishment of various socialist countries in the future.
Consolidation of political power
The war gave birth to socialism, which made the socialism that should have appeared at the end of capitalism appear in advance and the new socialism that transcended the capitalist system. The government will inevitably face a more difficult situation. Socialism, which was supposed to be born in countries with developed productive forces and abundant social products, suddenly appeared in backward countries, like young grass sprouting in the cold winter. It faced a greater crisis. It was necessary to accelerate economic development, increase productivity, increase material products, and make socialism more competitive. The interests of the people must be protected, otherwise the political power cannot be stable. Not only that, internal opposition forces and external interference forces are eager to subvert the new regime. In such a dangerous environment, in the early days of its birth, the socialist Soviet Union kept a low profile externally and quietly accumulated strength.
Before the First World War ended, imperialism had already begun armed intervention against the new Soviet power, but was ultimately defeated. During this period, after analysis, the Soviet regime issued the "Resolution on International Policy" and expressed its willingness to live in peace with the people of all countries. By 1925, twenty-two capitalist countries had established diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union. Among the major Western countries, only the United States did not recognize the Soviet Union. At this point, attempts to strangle the Soviet regime militarily, economically, and isolate it diplomatically have completely failed, and socialism has been consolidated.
According to Marxist theory, socialism is the gravedigger of capitalism. Therefore, socialism in the capitalist world system is hostile, and it is inevitable that the two will oppose each other. Capitalism wants to maintain its own world system by suppressing socialism in order to continue to exploit and squeeze the people, while socialism wants to plant red flags all over the world and liberate all mankind. This is an irreconcilable contradiction. However, because socialism was a premature baby born out of war, it was weak and weak, and the capitalist system was still in full swing at that time, so the socialist ideal could not be realized in the short term. When formulating foreign policy, Lenin pointed out: "Socialism cannot win victory in all countries at the same time. It will win first in one or a few countries, while the remaining countries will remain bourgeois or bourgeois for a certain period of time. The country in the pre-bourgeois period. "On the other hand, the war weakened the power of capitalism, the revolution promoted the workers' movement in various countries, and coupled with the heroic struggle of the Soviet people, capitalism's attempt to kill socialism failed. Neither of the two parties in a delicate relationship can take advantage of the other, and there is deep antagonism hidden under the surface peace.
Economic Construction
During the civil war, the Soviet country was in a very difficult situation because the main producing areas of food, coal, oil and steel fell into the hands of the enemy. In order to concentrate the only human and material resources on defeating the enemy, the Soviet government implemented some temporary policies, which were collectively called wartime communism, also known as military communism. Implemented from 1918 to 1920, this set of gradually implemented policies essentially relied on stimulating the political and military enthusiasm of the people to complete economic tasks, relying on direct orders to implement communist principles in a country. To adjust the production and distribution of national products, thereby assisting domestic and foreign wars and enhancing national strength.
But after the war eased, facing the declining domestic economy, if we continued to adhere to this policy, it would directly threaten the rule of the Soviet regime. In order to develop the economy and win the support of the people, starting from 1921, under the leadership of Lenin, the New Economic Policy was implemented, free trade was promoted, and even foreigners were allowed to lease Russian enterprises. This move alleviated the Soviet Union's economic problems, but it made the Soviet leadership feel distressed. Even Lenin said that this was a "regression" that made him sad, and it was "capitalism" and should be "ended" as soon as possible.
In 1928, Stalin officially announced the end of Lenin's New Economic Policy. The subsequent economic policies basically returned to the wartime communist policies, carried out planned industrialization and agricultural collectivization, and gave priority to the development of heavy industry. Great achievements were made in economic construction, ranking second in the world, but at the same time, there were also This represents a serious problem of neglecting the development of agriculture and light industry.
Before the revolution, Russia was an imperial country with serious feudal remnants. Its economic foundation was very poor. Coupled with years of war, the domestic economy was ruined and resources were scarce; at this time, wartime * Although communism harms the interests of the people, it is necessary to fight for the right to exist; however, it is still implemented after the domestic and international environment is stable. The result is dissatisfaction among the people and a direct threat to the stability of the Soviet power. Objectively speaking, the New Economic Policy is conducive to economic development. It is actually a market economy. Unfortunately, the Soviet regime only regards it as a measure of rights and interests. It insists that the planned economy is socialism and it is the Party's This view led to the abolition of the New Economic Policy. After that, the Soviet model of socialism formally took shape. While the Soviet Union became a military power, it also gradually lost control of the economy. Numerous attempts at reform ended in failure. Coupled with the internal corruption and privilege, the Soviet Union gradually lost control of the economy. Lost the support of the people.
There is no problem between the market economy and the planned economy that the surname is "capital" and "social". This seems to be a very simple truth today, but in that era, "capital" and "social" were seriously opposed. Under such circumstances, it is easy to be pushed online. China has also gone through a detour on this issue. However, it must be pointed out that although Lenin believed that the New Economic Policy should be "ended", he also proposed that "this policy must remain unchanged for decades." Therefore, Stalin's ending of the New Economic Policy went against Lenin's original intention. In fact, the Soviet Union also engaged in severe internal struggles over whether to end the New Economic Policy, conducted a so-called "purge" of the leadership, and established personal dictatorship. This undermines internal unity and damages the party's image.
Although we have seen so many unreasonable things, through these changes, the Soviet Union has indeed become a military power, and Stalin’s centralized rule is solid and reliable. Without these, the Soviet Union could withstand it in World War II Live the German offensive?
Expansion and Extension
Long before the start of World War II, in the secret subsidiary protocol of the "Soviet-German Non-Aggression Pact", the Soviet-German territories in the three Baltic countries and The sphere of influence in Poland and Romania is not at all like what a socialist country should do. In 1938, the Soviet Union also launched a military invasion of Finland. On the other hand, for its own defense, that is, to establish a defense line against fascism, the Soviet Union carried out a series of annexations and encroachments on its surrounding areas. In 1940, in the "Soviet-Japanese Neutrality Treaty", the Soviet Union also violated China's territorial sovereignty.
When did the Soviet Union become like this? Or is this what it is?
We regard the sense of national superiority displayed by some big and powerful countries in their foreign relations and their behavior of bullying the small, bullying the weak, grossly interfering in the internal affairs of other countries, and infringing on the independence and sovereignty of other countries. Collectively known as great power chauvinism. The Soviet Union and this word can basically be equated. Really, when it comes to great power chauvinism, the first thing people think of is the Soviet Union.
Why would a country that respects Marxist socialism embark on such a path? This is the gap between theory and reality. In theory, socialism and capitalism should fight to the death, but in reality they cannot exist or even cooperate because of the balance of power. The same is true for the Soviet Union. For the sake of its own development and security, aggression It is reasonable and necessary for other countries. Besides, wouldn’t this also allow other countries to be included in our own socialist country, thereby liberating the people of other countries? It doesn't matter if you destroy other countries. After all, in the future communist world, the "state", the ruling tool of class society, will eventually die. Perhaps it was these high-sounding ideas that created the Soviet Union before us, a country that later generations called "social imperialism."
One Pole of the World
In the past, socialism was weak and weak, so the Soviet Union kept a low profile and kept a low profile. After the end of World War II, the world structure had fundamentally changed, and the Soviet Union probably realized that it was time to give it a try. On the one hand, with its strong military strength, the Soviet Union resisted the German attack in World War II, played a huge role in the entire war, and improved its international status. Many of the socialist countries that emerged during World War II were also taken for granted by the Soviet Union as their sphere of influence, and they were regarded as the Soviet frontline bastions against capitalism. On the other hand, most Western countries were devastated by the war, and the United States rose smoothly. Since then, the world has entered a bipolar structure, namely the capitalist camp led by the United States and the socialist camp led by the Soviet Union. Along with ideological confrontation, the Cold War began.
According to the thinking of the Soviet leadership, the Soviet model of socialism is true socialism, and other roads are "capitalistic" and "dangerous." Therefore, the Soviet model of socialism began Export outward, and if resistance is encountered, it will be resolved by force. At this stage of development, great power chauvinism has escalated into hegemonism.
The Soviet Union’s attitude towards the new socialist countries was two-sided and deeply reflected its national egoism. On the one hand, it assists them in building socialism at home; on the other hand, it seizes territory, plunders equipment, demands compensation, implements unequal exchanges in trade, uses class struggle as the key link, and destroys democracy and the rule of law in various countries. In our opinion, the Soviet Union does not care whether other socialist countries can develop. What it needs is that these countries maintain their socialist systems. In this way, they will have a bulwark against capitalism and can obtain a steady stream of materials to support This is a militarized country of our own.
This kind of forced political and military intervention had a very negative impact on communism internationally, giving people an extremely violent and authoritarian feeling. This influence still exists today. The model promoted by the Soviet Union was essentially a model adapted to Soviet hegemony. In its plan, the surrounding socialist countries served the Soviet Union, while the Soviet Union's member states served Moscow. All socialist possessions are concentrated in one center, allowing this center to have overwhelming power to defeat the United States, defeat capitalism, and plant the flag of socialism, or the flag of the Soviet Union, all over the world.
I would like to ask, is this still Marxist socialism? The socialist Soviet Union has evolved into the imperialist Soviet Union, and the alliance countries and the socialist camp countries have actually become its colonies.
Collapse
At the end of December 1991, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the Soviet Union officially disintegrated, and was replaced by the loose alliance of the Commonwealth of Independent States. All the participating countries became independent one after another. The capitalist system was established. This was the second major change in the socialist camp after the drastic changes in Eastern Europe, and the Cold War also ended.
Was the Cold War the reason for the disintegration? At that time, both the United States and the Soviet Union were facing increasing economic pressure due to the arms race, and they were actually compromising with each other to improve the situation, and signed a series of agreements to limit armaments to reduce pressure on both sides. There were economic reasons for the collapse of the Soviet Union, but that was not the direct reason. Judging from the data, although the absolute number of Soviet military expenditures increased significantly in the 1980s, its proportion in the national economy was exactly the same as in the 1950s. Therefore, the Soviet Union was not brought down by the arms race.
We believe that the final disintegration of the Soviet Union was the result of a combination of complex factors: the inability to change the rigid political and economic system; severe economic crisis; social unrest; various trends of thought that deny history and oppose Marxism proliferation; the rise of right-wing forces and national separatist thoughts, the sharp intensification of social and ethnic conflicts; the failure of many reforms; the impact of the West's long-term peaceful evolution strategy, etc.
The most important thing is that when these contradictions broke out together, the bureaucratic privileged class took advantage of these contradictions to realize their own interests and deliberately destroyed the Soviet Union.
The Soviet Union’s bureaucratic privileged class was formed and developed under the Stalinist model that lacked democracy and was highly centralized. These high-ranking leading cadres are at the top of the party and economic management and enjoy great power and preferential treatment. It was originally a tool of the autocratic rule of the leaders, but as the leaders of the Soviet Union softened, this class began to expand uncontrollably, and the Soviet economy was basically cannibalized by these people. When the Soviet Union faced a crisis, they thought about how to embezzle state-owned property and maximize their interests. The answer is to let the Soviet Union collapse and take the capitalist road.
The Communist Party of the Soviet Union could not stop them. The long-term continuous self-denial and internal fighting have caused the party’s prestige to disappear. The leader Gorbachev is weak and incompetent, advocating new thinking, and the people are While dissatisfied with the economic difficulties, he gradually lost his belief in communism. When the Soviet Union was disintegrating step by step, the Communist Party was helpless and resigned to its fate. The people looked at all this indifferently, calculating whether their lives would improve after taking the capitalist road, while the joining countries were afraid of being able to escape from it. A toast to the central press.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, it was Western capitalism that benefited politically, because the largest socialist country in the world no longer exists; it was the bureaucratic privileged class (also known as vested interest groups) and state-owned enterprises that benefited economically. The assets were divided up, and countless billionaires were born during the disintegration of the alliance; it was the Soviet people who suffered. The current CIS countries are far worse economically and militarily than during the Soviet period, and the people's lives have not improved at all. , the pride that once existed also disappeared with the alliance.
Postscript
When I was a child, I witnessed the disintegration of the Soviet Union. When I saw the news, I couldn't help but feel a little sad. Thinking of the demise of a socialist country, I couldn't help but feel emotional. However, as I grew older, I learned more historical knowledge and understood more about the Soviet Union. I saw the Soviet Union infringing on China's sovereignty and tried to control it. After being rejected, it revealed its extremely vicious side. Not only did I Withdrawing experts and funds, they also took advantage of the three-year domestic disaster period to press for debts, carry out reactionary propaganda, and encourage other socialist countries to become hostile to China... Excluding ideological issues, in terms of national interests alone, strong military strength, With expansion ambitions, such a powerful neighbor is undoubtedly a dangerous existence. Therefore, in a sense, the disintegration of the Soviet Union also made China breathe a sigh of relief. Considering these, it can't help but want to mourn its collapse. cheers. The disintegration of the Soviet Union, as mentioned before, was a historical necessity rather than a random event, so it is meaningless to discuss what the world would have been like if the Soviet Union had not disintegrated.
The disappearance of the Soviet Union was a great loss to the socialist forces, but we must also note that due to the disintegration of the Soviet Union and the drastic changes in Eastern Europe, the international situation has eased, the era of two-pole hegemony is over, and mankind has ushered in peace and development. The main theme of this world. The remaining socialist countries can learn from the failure of the Soviet model and explore the path to socialism in a more relaxed environment. The proletarian people are taking firm steps towards the communist ideal.