Conghaileach
19th November 2002, 18:25
The Guardian (Australia), 11/13/02
Editorial: Commemorating the Russian Revolution
If anyone doubts the role for peace and social progress played by the
1917 Russian socialist revolution, the present dangerous world
situation should dispel such doubts. Following the dismemberment of the
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), imperialism is running
virtually out of control and the social and economic gains made by the
people of the world are under unprecedented attack.
The government of the socialist Soviet Union became for many years the
main voice for peace and isarmament. It was the Soviet Union that
immediately called for the banning of nuclear weapons both before and
after it also became a nuclear power. It was at the forefront in the
United Nations in efforts to eliminate chemical and biological weapons.
The call was for ALL NATIONS to dump such weapons and to steadily
reduce all weapons of mass destruction.
Together with the support of millions of people around the world and
the organised peace movements some progress was made. The Anti-
Ballistic Missile treaty was concluded which resulted in some reduction
of nuclear weapons. It is this treaty (among a number of others) that
the Bush administration has torn up.
Without the Soviet Union's strong voice for disarmament in the United
Nations there are now no real moves in this direction by any other
country.
The Soviet Union exercised a strong restraining hand on the bellicose
leadership of successive US Presidents. Bush is merely the latest and
the most aggressive of all, but with no USSR to restrain him.
The Soviet Union's existence helped the liberation movements of the
former colonies. One after another they achieved their political, if
not their economic independence. They received generous material
assistance from the USSR and other socialist countries to start
building up their economies.
The Soviet Union gave tremendous assistance to Vietnam and helped
protect Cuba from invasion. The breakup of the Soviet Union created
great difficulties for these and many other nations.
The socialist system gave the people of the Soviet Union free education
to university level and at a high standard. The people enjoyed
universal access to free medical services, extremely cheap rent and
paid next to nothing for public transport, telephones, central heating,
electricity and water.
The Soviet Union was the first country to introduce such standards and,
by example, helped the people of many other countries make gains in
their social services. In Australia, despite a number of advances (for
example Medicare and the abolition of university fees under Whitlam) we
did not achieve the same level as in the Soviet Union. Now the gains
made are being taken back.
The Soviet Union played by far the greatest role in the defeat of
Hitlerism in WW 2. Despite the enormous destruction wreaked by the Nazi
invaders, with a planned economy and the determination of the people,
the economy of the Soviet Union was quickly restored and developed to
become the second most powerful industrial power after the United
States.
These achievements, and there were many more, were made under the
leadership of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. They were
building a new type of
society without exploiters and with a new morality based on the
collective good. That there were shortcomings and mistakes is beyond
dispute but the advances made for the people far surpassed anything
achieved by capitalism.
>From day one of the Russian revolution the capitalist powers sought to
prevent the building of a socialist society and overthrow governments
committed to socialism. Socialism was and is a mortal danger in the
eyes of those who profit from the exploitation of the labour of others.
That they succeeded in overthrowing socialism in the Soviet Union is a
tragedy not only for the people of the former Soviet Union but for the
whole world.
If Bush should get away with the launch of a new war in the Middle East
a major factor in this will be the absence of the Soviet Union. The
economic, political and military power of the Soviet Union would have
helped the people of the world straitjacket such warmongering
politicians as Bush, Blair and Howard.
But time marches on and revolutionaries and progressives around the
world will not forget the experience and achievements of the Soviet
Union. Not even Bush is capable of stopping the march of history
Editorial: Commemorating the Russian Revolution
If anyone doubts the role for peace and social progress played by the
1917 Russian socialist revolution, the present dangerous world
situation should dispel such doubts. Following the dismemberment of the
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), imperialism is running
virtually out of control and the social and economic gains made by the
people of the world are under unprecedented attack.
The government of the socialist Soviet Union became for many years the
main voice for peace and isarmament. It was the Soviet Union that
immediately called for the banning of nuclear weapons both before and
after it also became a nuclear power. It was at the forefront in the
United Nations in efforts to eliminate chemical and biological weapons.
The call was for ALL NATIONS to dump such weapons and to steadily
reduce all weapons of mass destruction.
Together with the support of millions of people around the world and
the organised peace movements some progress was made. The Anti-
Ballistic Missile treaty was concluded which resulted in some reduction
of nuclear weapons. It is this treaty (among a number of others) that
the Bush administration has torn up.
Without the Soviet Union's strong voice for disarmament in the United
Nations there are now no real moves in this direction by any other
country.
The Soviet Union exercised a strong restraining hand on the bellicose
leadership of successive US Presidents. Bush is merely the latest and
the most aggressive of all, but with no USSR to restrain him.
The Soviet Union's existence helped the liberation movements of the
former colonies. One after another they achieved their political, if
not their economic independence. They received generous material
assistance from the USSR and other socialist countries to start
building up their economies.
The Soviet Union gave tremendous assistance to Vietnam and helped
protect Cuba from invasion. The breakup of the Soviet Union created
great difficulties for these and many other nations.
The socialist system gave the people of the Soviet Union free education
to university level and at a high standard. The people enjoyed
universal access to free medical services, extremely cheap rent and
paid next to nothing for public transport, telephones, central heating,
electricity and water.
The Soviet Union was the first country to introduce such standards and,
by example, helped the people of many other countries make gains in
their social services. In Australia, despite a number of advances (for
example Medicare and the abolition of university fees under Whitlam) we
did not achieve the same level as in the Soviet Union. Now the gains
made are being taken back.
The Soviet Union played by far the greatest role in the defeat of
Hitlerism in WW 2. Despite the enormous destruction wreaked by the Nazi
invaders, with a planned economy and the determination of the people,
the economy of the Soviet Union was quickly restored and developed to
become the second most powerful industrial power after the United
States.
These achievements, and there were many more, were made under the
leadership of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. They were
building a new type of
society without exploiters and with a new morality based on the
collective good. That there were shortcomings and mistakes is beyond
dispute but the advances made for the people far surpassed anything
achieved by capitalism.
>From day one of the Russian revolution the capitalist powers sought to
prevent the building of a socialist society and overthrow governments
committed to socialism. Socialism was and is a mortal danger in the
eyes of those who profit from the exploitation of the labour of others.
That they succeeded in overthrowing socialism in the Soviet Union is a
tragedy not only for the people of the former Soviet Union but for the
whole world.
If Bush should get away with the launch of a new war in the Middle East
a major factor in this will be the absence of the Soviet Union. The
economic, political and military power of the Soviet Union would have
helped the people of the world straitjacket such warmongering
politicians as Bush, Blair and Howard.
But time marches on and revolutionaries and progressives around the
world will not forget the experience and achievements of the Soviet
Union. Not even Bush is capable of stopping the march of history