Was there socialism in the USSR in the form in which Lenin represented it
In the summer of 1917, Lenin wrote that the transition from socialism was a long process, the concrete course of which could be determined only by starting to move in that direction. But we, living in a hundred years, are interested not only in political tactics designed for completely different conditions, but also in the ultimate goal.
Although a significant part of what Lenin wrote was devoted to tactics and the moment of that time, it is still possible to form an image of the future from them, to which the Bolsheviks sought to bring Russian society closer. In his work The State and Revolution, Lenin wrote about the withering away of the political function of the state after the victory of the revolution and the suppression of the resistance of the exploiters.
According to Lenin's plan, the proletariat and the poorest peasantry were to unite in communes, and what was left of the state should unite the actions of all communes. Lenin, referring to Engels, argued that the centralist (unitary) rather than the federal republic provides the most freedom in the localities. Local society independently decides all issues, and the centralized state only coordinates the efforts of the communes where necessary.
Under socialism, there is no longer exploitation of man by man and private ownership of the means of production, which excludes the possibility of obtaining unearned income. Everyone who is able to work is rewarded according to his work. And so that no one cheats until abundance comes, the socialists demand the strictest control on the part of society and the state over the measure of labor and the measure of consumption.
Lenin demanded the transformation of all citizens into workers and employees of one syndicate-state and the subordination of this syndicate to a truly democratic state, the state of Soviets of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies. All citizens should participate in the government of the state.
However, the realities of the Civil War made their adjustments. Communes arose not so much as cells of self-government, but as a network for supplying the population with essential goods. Considering that a significant part of the resources went to the army, it is not surprising that it was not possible to establish a normal supply.
There is also little left of local government. The nationalized factories received the resources and production program from the center and handed over all their products back to the center for centralized distribution. Supply cuts caused popular discontent, which in turn sparked the NEP. Reflecting on why the transition to socialism was not possible at once, Lenin answers this question: "There was not enough culture."
However, even if one claims that socialism was never built in the USSR, this in no way devalues all the achievements of the USSR.
The October Revolution affected the decline in the length of the working day throughout the world. The very fact of the emergence of a workers' state has improved the lives of working people in all countries. The Soviet Union forced the whole world to move towards greater equality for women, nationalities and nations. All options for the transition of states to general welfare were a response to the Soviet challenge. The program of the CPSU did not promise communism in the classical sense, but promised free meals, free transport and utilities, and a six-hour working day. And this is on top of the already achieved free education, health care and free apartments.
- Maxim Svetlyshev
- Archive photo
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