> http://www.cpusa.org/articles/From%20Russia%20with%20love.htm > > From Russia with love, struggle and solidarity > > By John Bachtell > > MOSCOW, Russia - The light of morning had not yet found its way through the > long, damp winter night. > > The delegates were gathering Dec. 2-3, 2000 for the 7th Congress of the > Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF). They were greeted warmly > by a crowd gathered outside the House of Trade Unions. > > This site is intimately intertwined with the history of the Soviet Union. > The Nobleman's Club during Czarist times, it was turned over to the trade > unions after the October Revolution. Funeral processions for both Lenin and > Stalin began here. > > The Congress included 401 delegates (the number 401 being symbolically > awarded to Lenin) attended the Congress; 25 percent workers from 20 > nationalities. Unfortunately, the small number of women was not even noted. > > In addition another 1,500 guests, 117 foreign delegates representing 82 > parties from 39 countries (including former Soviet republics), crowded the > hall. > > > > Capitalist crisis, > > Putin government > > The Russian working class is struggling through a disastrous many-sided > crisis imposed by capitalism. About 70 percent of the population lives at or > below the poverty line. Unemployment is high. Many workers go unpaid, > pensions have been cut, people face starvation in some areas. > > There is a devastating health crisis due to destruction of the socialist > health- care system. A radical decline in life expectancy has taken place. > TB, AIDS, alcoholism and drug abuse are epidemic. > > In addition, there are crises in education, affordable housing and > inter-city transit (one delegate insisted he rode his bike from a distant > region). Fuel and heat are unaffordable for many. > > Another crisis is brewing. The big International Monetary Fund loans that > rescued Russia from collapse in 1998 are coming due and paying them off will > require drastic social cuts. > > In his opening report, CPRF leader Gennady Zuganov said the IMF policies > being advanced by the government of Vladimir Putin are worse than Yeltsin's. > > Putin has launched a frontal assault on the labor movement by trying to > impose a new labor code dictated by the IMF. It would replace the old Soviet > labor code adopted in 1967 and destroy the trade union movement by ending > collective bargaining, lengthening the work week to 56 hours, permitting > child labor and allow the firing of labor militants. > > The Putin government is attempting to privatize the collective farms, forest > lands and the remaining energy complex. They are also trying to eliminate > nearly 40 state social protections and subsidies. Eighty percent of the > state enterprises have now been privatized, looted by foreign capital and > former government officials. > > Zuganov noted the CPRF had a "guarded position toward Putin" when he was > elected, supporting his positive steps and criticizing his reactionary > policies. But now it is clear the regime is plowing ahead with capitalist > reforms. > > Putin is a master demagogue and there are widespread illusions about him. > His government has benefited from a spike in the world oil prices and the > increased revenues. > > On the other hand, Putin doesn't share the rabid anti-communism of his > predecessor, Boris Yeltsin. He confronts a tremendous growth in sentiment > for a return to socialism and the reality of a mass Communist Party with > parliamentary clout. > > Putin sent greetings to the Congress and afterward met with Zuganov. The day > after the Congress, he announced that the Soviet national anthem was being > restored, the Soviet flag would fly over the Red Army again and then left > for Cuba. > > Yet merely flying the Red flag will not eleviate the desparate crisis faced > by millions. A famous Russian actor and CPRF Duma deputy, Nikolay Guenko, > said, "It would be a sacrilege if the police, under the red flag, would be > breaking up a rally of hungry miners. There should not be a red flag of > solidarity over the city administration building if the city inhabitants > perish of frost. Therefore this tricolor and eagle are adequate for the > actual situation in Russia. The history doesn't come to the end." > > In a statement the Party added, "We have no right to allow the hypocritical > attitude toward national sacred objects, their transmutation in the fig-leaf > covering the shame of [capitalist] old policy, which has brought so much > disasters and suffering to the people." > > > > The CPRF > > makes progress > > The CPRF has had to fight its way over tremendous hurdles to get back on its > feet. No effort was spared to destroy it including dissolution, banning and > confiscation of all its property. > > The CPRF competes at a disadvantage against the private media monopolies and > their constant anti-communist slander. It faces a workplace ban and > anti-communist terror in some regions. This helps explain why the trade > union movement is now dominated by pro-capitalist forces. > > Still the political atmosphere has changed and the Congress atmosphere was > likewise upbeat. The Party organization, finances and activity have > stabilized substantially. The CPRF has over 400,000 members, up by nearly > 50,000 over the last two years. > > Party membership is growing in the military. However, in Moscow where the > Party had one million members, only 26,000 have rejoined. The > counterrevolutionary forces are strongest here and they command tremendous > resources in the battle. > > The Party has been reestablished in every district and consists of some > 17,000 clubs. The big challenge is to fully involve the clubs in struggle. > > The communist newspapers are circulated in the millions. The Congress called > for radically expanding the mass communications work. > > The CPRF has the largest faction in the federal Duma (parliament) with 110 > deputies. In 1997 they drew 35 million votes in the presidential election. > While their absolute vote increased in the March 2000 presidential > elections, their relative share of the vote (along with the Communst Workers > Party) decreased slightly to 30 percent along with their share of deputies. > The Party lost its majority in the Duma. > > This loss was a big concern at the Congress. But it can't be seen apart from > the millions of dollars Putin received from foreign capital and the > widespread voter fraud that took place. > > The next largest bloc in the Duma is Putin's governing Unity party, made up > mainly of government officials and academics. Ten percent of the Duma is > represented by right-wing property owners backed by foreign capital. One > percent support former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and the Social > Democrats. > > The pro-capitalist parties have been losing strength since the presidential > elections. A large mass of voters are now the center of fierce competition. > > The CPRF also has a majority in governing coalitions in 40 of the 89 > regional and territorial Dumas. They are strongest in the so-called "Red > Belt" industrial region. Members have also been elected to local offices. > The CPRF won the Krasnodar region, the largest, with 82 percent of the vote. > > The Congress marked a step forward, and perhaps a turning point, in uniting > the Party around a focus on the working class and trade union movement. A > labor commission was created to help carry out trade union policy. > > This said, there is a long way to go. For example, only three workers spoke > at the Congress. There are still sharp differences on some key issues and in > the end it will be up to the workers in the CPRF to ensure a full turn to > the working class. > > The working-class influence was strongest among the delegates from the Red > Belt regions, where the Party is most militant and grassroots oriented. It > has either a governing majority or participates in governing coalitions. In > many cases they have succeeded in substantially raising the level of > production of the remaining state enterprises and passing laws to defend > social protections that couldn't be won in the federal Duma. > > > > Rebuilding among the working class > > The main discussion at the Congress was based on a political document > drafted by the Central Committee called "The Immediate Tasks of the CPRF." > This document reflects a new level of political thinking sees the class war > being waged in Russia and projects socialism as the only solution to the > crisis. > > The CPRF was self-critical of its weaknesses in relation to the working > class. It laid plans to step up work in the trade unions and for working > cooperatively with the existing trade unions where possible, but setting up > independent trade unions where necessary. Members were encouraged to run for > union office. > > In the face of the pro-capitalist union leadership, the Party is leading a > movement to revive the work collectives, and turn them into grassroots > fighting organizations. A Council of Work Collectives has been formed. > > In coalition with the Communist Workers Party (CWP), the CPRF has led the > fight to defeat Putin's IMF labor codes. This was the main theme at > demonstrations held on Nov. 7, the anniversary of the October Revolution. > The trade union movement joining the fight. The General Council of the > Federation of Russian Trade Unions warned, "Virtually all trade union rights > are eliminated in this bill." > > The Congress adopted a program. That includes fighting for a strengthened > labor code and a multi-pronged strategy to meet the crisis facing the > working class: > > . First, to restore political rule of the people by forming a coalition > government of workers, collective farmers, professionals and small > businesses. The Party initiated a united front called the People's Patriotic > Union. > > . Second, to build this coalition through action against the immediate > economic crisis, for reversing privatization and for renationalizing the > strategic productive sectors and banks. At the CPRF's initiative, the Duma > passed a new law restricting privatization of state property worth over $150 > million. For example, this will block selling off the state owned railroads. > > . Third, to fully restore socialism and a planned economy in which private > property would exist, but under the domination of public sector. > > The discussion from the floor was sharply critical at times, including of > Zuganov. The delegate from the Communist Party of India (Marxist) said it > was the most critical discussion he had heard in the Party, dating back to > Soviet times. > > The biggest criticism was that the Party was not opposing the Putin > government vigorously and not mobilizing the people. There was a call for > "as much emphasis on mass struggle especially in the trade unions as in > electing deputies." > > Unfortunately, there were some whiffs of Russian nationalism and > anti-Semitism in the Congress. A few speakers singled out Jewish "oligarchs" > (domestic elite capitalists) by name, including Zuganov. But several > delegates responded by calling for expelling anti-Semites and for greater > sensitivity toward the various nationalities. > > There were also criticisms that there was "not enough discussion of why > socialism failed," and more was needed to develop a new vision of socialism. > Some felt this was a reason why the Party hadn't gained more votes. > Discussions were called for on the mistakes that led to the setbacks. > > > > The Duma > > A major concern of the Congress is how the Party carries out its work in the > federal Duma. The CPRF Central Committee is essentially the Party Duma > faction. CPRF regional and national secretaries double as Duma deputies. > Many felt this drew attention away from the Party organization. > > There is a concern that CPRF deputies are vulnerable to corruption from some > of the office perks. For example, each Duma deputy has a limo. Members > employed by the Duma as staff of CPRF deputies are drawn into Party work. > Some felt this contributed to the hesitancy to be more confrontational with > Putin. > > > > Meeting of international delegates > > Following the Congress, an informational meeting was held for the > international delegates. Many delegates delivered greetings, including the > Communist Party USA. > > In response to corporate globalization, the international communist movement > is being radically transformed. There was universal agreement on the need > for greater united action by the communist and workers parties. The > delegates headed home with a warm feeling of optimism. > > One thing is for sure. With U.S. imperialism increasingly calling the shots > in Russia and new dangers posed by Bush's insistance on building "Star > Wars," greater solidarity is needed between the Communist parties, the labor > movements and people of our two countries. > > > > John Bachtell is the chairman of the New York State Communist Party and > represented the CPUSA at the CPRF Congress. He can be reached at > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > >
