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15th Congress of the YABLOKO part y

On Stalinism and Bolshevism

Resolution

December 21, 2009

The Russian United Democratic Party YABLOKO considers preservation of the Bolshevist – Stalinist type of thinking in the authorities and the society and picturing of the repressive regime as a variant of the norm be one of the acutest problems of today’s Russia. Growth of violence in politics and public life, acts of terror and political murders, the authoritarian regime and repressive law enforcement system, cynicism of the authorities and apathy of the population, replacement of the reforms by their imitation represent a direct consequence of this problem.

Real changes in our life, creation of a modern state and civil society require that Russia and its citizens should realise that Bolshevism and Stalinism present a national disaster. If most of our compatriots consider that period and the events taking place during that period as simply a stage in Russia’s history with is advantages and drawbacks, achievements and errors, we shall never be able to progress.

Bolshevism and its concentrated essence – Stalinism – was a most cruel social experiment targeted at destruction of all which is humane in a person and changing the moral and ethical nature of an individual. That is why religious organisations and believers, as well as religion in general were the key targets of Bolshevist and Stalinist reprisals. The reprisals were not reduced to the denial of the freedom of conscience. Reprisals against Christianity and Christians launched right after establishment of the Bolsheviks’ dictatorship and taken up by the Stalin’s regime can be compared only with reprisals against the first Christians. The reason is simple: Bolshevism and Stalinism are antagonistic to Christianity, all the world religions and humanism.

Stalin’s desire to impersonalize an individual, completely subordinate him to the state and make him a small detail in a controlled mechanism has become the source of mass-scale deprivation of human rights in modern Russia.

Acceptability for public consciousness of all-over collectivization, class-based reprisals against farmers, famine of 1932 – 1933 provoked by the actions of the governments largely explains why the authorities allowed themselves at the turn of the 20th century to neglect the interests of the budget sphere workers, pensioners and other social groups that did not manage to fit into their “new” society concept.

The fact that negligence of the living conditions of the workers, low wage-pay, mass-scale use of virtually gratuitous labour of collective farmers and absolutely free labour of the prisoners was explained by “historical necessity” has become a source of today’s deprivation of rights of the employed workers who are treated by modern “efficient managers” in Stalin’s manner – as “human material”.

Lack of strong and influential independent trade unions is also a consequence of Stalinist attitude to the workers deprived of any possibilities of organised protection of their rights. A concept that it is impossible to go against one’s “bosses” has been deeply rooted in public consciousness.

The psychology of Russia’s law enforcement system has largely remained Stalinist: with its trend towards persecution, “beating off” of testimony, turning of penal institutions into the place of torture and, in the first place, overpenetrating fear of the law enforcement bodies and the feeling that the latter enjoy a complete power over “ordinary” persons. Those who acquit reprisals of 1920 – 1930s virtually state that today’s mockery over their compatriots is quite acceptable.

A “cromulent” or neutral attitude to Bolshevism and Stalinism is a problem of our society. The attempts to grow political capital on this problem are immoral. A campaign on celebrating Joseph Stalin’s 130th anniversary launched in Russia represents an insult and humiliation of the country and the nation. This celebration of a butcher of the nation is a fest on the blood of the killed and tortured to death. This represents a loud statement that lawlessness, humiliation and absence of social guarantees are normal.

And not only the worshippers of Joseph Stalin who organised the “jubilee” celebration are to blame for making such a thing possible in the 21st century. The state and the society that have not applied any efforts for clearing the country of Bolshevism and Stalinsm also share this blame.

The Congress of the Russian United Democratic Party YABLOKO supports the Resolution of the Political Committee of the party Overcoming Bolshevism and Stalinism as a Key Factor for Russia’s Transformation in the 21st Century and measures proposed in it.
Modern Russia should not have organisations that are or call themselves successors of VKP(b) [the Bolsheviks’ party] – the CPSU and ChK-GPU-NKVD-KGB. The legacy of these organisations has no place in our life and our future.
Not a single politician or a public figure should be allowed to acquit the reprisals, moreover praise those who organised them. Acquittal of mass-scale reprisals and elimination of millions of innocent people is a crime which should be included into the Criminal Code.

As well as denial of the fact of mass-scale reprisals, actions on elimination of farmers, deportation of nations and other actions of the criminal regime represents the same type of crime.

We also support the efforts of the Orthodox Church targeted at preservation of the memory of those who with their belief and humanistic values managed to oppose Stalin’s machinery. The state should follow this example. We propose to pay close attention to the experience of the veneration of the Saints - the new martyrs. On one hand it is constant mourning over the killed and tortured, and on the other hand, it is veneration of the act of their moral bravery and firmness.

Also we would like to note, with all respect and gratitude to the creative labour of our people in the 20th century, that the main achievement of the Soviet period was the act of bravery of the people who preserved their morals and human values and rejected Stalin’s rules of life, rather than material objects or scientific discoveries. It is this act of spiritual bravery which allows us to hope that our country will overcome Stalin’s legacy. This act of bravery is worthy of public recognition.
The Russian United Democratic Party YABLOKO proposes to make the Memory Day of the Victims of Political Repressions the national day of mourning. It should be as important as the Victory day: elimination of a nation by a cruel regime is a disaster not less than a war, and the importance for our history of those who did not surrender is worthy of being commemorated along with the act of bravery of those who defended the country during the Second World War.

This should be a national day of mourning, and special events with participation of the heads of the state should take place on this day. Special lessons devoted to the Memory Day should be conducted at schools and universities.
The Russian state must create a national memorial of the victims of Stalinism and Bolshevism, which should not be simply a monument but a an information and research centre, the center of national memory of the disaster which should never repeat.
As the first step in this direction we propose to close excursions to Lenin’s Mausoleum in the Red Square. Vladimir Lenin, a founder and a symbol of the antihuman system, is to blame for the deaths of millions of people. Both veneration and sheer curiosity to the exhibited corpse is immoral.

Sergei Mitrokhin
Chair of the YABLOKO party

See also:

Overcoming Stalin’s Legacy

 

 


December 21, 2009