Speech at the Meeting of the Supreme Soviet of the U.S.S.R. in Celebration of the 40th Anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution

November 6, 1957

Dear Comrades:

On the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution, I, together with all the comrades of the Chinese Delegation, and on behalf of the National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China, the State Council of the People's Republic of China and the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, and on behalf of all the people and all members of the Communist Party of China, extend warm fraternal greetings to the great people of the Soviet Union, the Government of the U.S.S.R. and the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, and also to all comrades and friends present here.

The great revolution staged by the Soviet people forty years ago, as the great teacher of the revolution Lenin pointed out on many occasions, ushered in a new epoch in world history.
There have been revolutions of various kinds in history.
But none of the past revolutions can bear comparison with the October Socialist Revolution.
The establishment of a society in which there is no exploitation of man by man has been a dream cherished by the working people and progressive mankind throughout the world for centuries.
For the first time in history, the October Revolution turned this dream into a reality on one-sixth of the globe.
The revolution proves that without the landlords and the bourgeoisie, the people are fully capable of building a new, free and happy life in a planned way.
It also proves that without imperialist oppression, the peoples of the world can very well live together in amity.

In the past forty years, the Soviet people have traversed a difficult path.
The imperialists tried by every means to wipe out the world's first socialist republic.
At one time, the enemies of the Soviet Union appeared to be stronger than the Soviet Union, and launched two armed attacks against her.
But the heroic Soviet people, led by the glorious Communist Party of the Soviet Union, utterly smashed these aggressors.
The reason why the Soviet Union has proved invincible is that she is a country which has replaced the capitalist system with the socialist system, a country which has replaced the dictatorship of the exploiting classes with the dictatorship of the proletariat, a country which develops its social productive forces at a speed beyond the reach of capitalist countries, a country which truly practises proletarian internationalism and truly opposes national oppression and helps the oppressed nations achieve liberation.
Such a country enjoys the enthusiastic support of its entire people and of the peoples of all countries.
The degree of this support on both counts is unparalleled in the history of any country anywhere.

The face of the Soviet Union has completely changed in these forty years.
Before the revolution, Russia was comparatively backward economically and technically.
Now, the Soviet Union has become a first-rate industrial power in the world.
The living standards of the Soviet people are constantly rising.
The scope of its educational, scientific and cultural development far surpasses that of the capitalist countries.
The Soviet Union has built the world's first atomic power station, produced the world's first jet airliners and the world's first intercontinental ballistic missiles, and launched the world's first and second man-made earth satellites.
It is universally recognized that the successful launching of two earth satellites by the Soviet Union has ushered in a new epoch in man's conquest of nature.
All these achievements fill with pride not only the Soviet people but also the proletariat of the whole world and, indeed, all mankind.
Only the reactionaries are displeased by them.

In solving practical tasks, the Communist Party of the Soviet Union has creatively applied the theory of Marxism-Leninism, thereby ensuring uninterrupted successes in the constructive work of the Soviet people.
The programme of struggle set forth for the building of communism in the Soviet Union by the 20th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union is a case in point.
The wise measures taken by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union to overcome the cult of the individual, to develop agriculture, to reorganize the management of industry and construction, to extend the powers of the union republics and local organs, to combat the anti-party group and consolidate the unity of the Party, and to improve Party and political work in the Soviet Army and Navy will unquestionably help bring about still greater consolidation and development in all fields of endeavour of the Soviet Union.

In the achievements of the Soviet people, the peoples of all lands see with ever greater clarity their own future.
The path of the Soviet Union, the path of the October Revolution, is, fundamentally speaking, the common bright thoroughfare for the progress of all mankind.
The broad masses of the people throughout the world are enthusiastically celebrating the 40th anniversary of the October Revolution because the history of these forty years has convinced them that the proletariat is bound to triumph over the bourgeoisie, that socialism is bound to triumph over capitalism, and that the oppressed nations are bound to triumph over imperialism.
Of course, there are still difficulties and twists and turns before the people.
But, as Lenin rightly observed thirty-six years ago, "The important thing is that the ice has been broken, the navigation route opened, the path shown."

The people's revolution led by the Communist Party of China has always been an integral part of the world proletarian socialist revolution begun by the October Revolution.
The Chinese revolution has its own national characteristics, and it is absolutely necessary to take these into account.
But in both our revolutionary cause and the cause of our socialist construction, we have made full use of the rich experience of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and the Soviet people.
The Chinese people consider themselves fortunate that the experience of the October Revolution and of the Soviet Union's socialist construction has enabled them to make fewer or avoid many mistakes and to carry on their cause fairly smoothly, despite the many difficulties that still confront them.

It is perfectly obvious that after the October Revolution, if a proletarian revolutionary in any country ignored or did not seriously study the experience of the Russian revolution, the experience of the dictatorship of the proletariat and of socialist construction in the Soviet Union, and did not apply this experience analytically and creatively in accordance with the specific conditions of his own country, he could not master Leninism, the new stage in the development of Marxism, nor correctly solve the problems of the revolution and construction of his own country.
He would then either fall into the error of dogmatism or into the error of revisionism.
We need to oppose both these erroneous tendencies simultaneously; at present, opposing revisionism is a particularly urgent task.

It is likewise perfectly clear that after the October Revolution, if the government of any country refused to coexist in friendship with the Soviet Union, it could only harm the true interests of its own people.

Today, a series of countries in Europe and Asia, with a combined population of over 900 million, have taken the path of the October Revolution and won victory, forming a powerful socialist world system.
Capitalism has long lost its ascendancy, and socialism has long become an invincible force.
The socialist system will ultimately replace the capitalist system—this is an objective law independent of man's will.
No matter how the reactionaries try to block the advance of the wheel of history, revolution will occur sooner or later and will inevitably triumph.
"Lifting a rock only to drop it on one's own feet" is a Chinese folk saying to describe the behaviour of certain fools.
The reactionaries in all countries are just such fools.
In the final analysis, their persecution of the revolutionary people can only serve to hasten broader and more intense revolutions among the people.
Did not the persecution of the revolutionary people by the tsar and by Chiang Kai-shek serve precisely this purpose in accelerating the great Russian and the great Chinese revolutions?

Besides pinning their hopes on persecuting their own people and the people of the colonial and semi-colonial countries, the imperialists also count on war.
But what can they expect from war?
In the last half century we have already experienced two world wars.
The first world war was followed by the Great October Socialist Revolution in Russia.
The second world war was followed by more revolutions in Eastern Europe and in the East.
If the imperialist warriors are determined to start a third world war, they will gain nothing from it except the complete destruction of the world capitalist system.

The governments and peoples of the socialist countries are builders of a new, peaceful life.
We absolutely do not need war, and we resolutely oppose a new world war.
The Soviet Union, China and the other socialist countries have consistently worked for the relaxation of international tension.
The repeated proposals made by the Soviet Union on the question of disarmament and on the prohibition of the manufacture, use and testing of weapons of mass destruction represent the common stand of the socialist countries and are also in the interests of the peoples of all countries.

We firmly stand for peaceful competition between socialist and capitalist countries, and for settling the internal affairs of each country by its own people according to their own wishes.
We firmly stand for the implementation, by all countries, of the well-known five principles of mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, mutual non-aggression, non-interference in each other's internal affairs, equality and mutual benefit, and peaceful coexistence.

U.S. imperialism obstinately insists on intervening in the internal affairs of other countries, including the internal affairs of the socialist countries.
For instance, it is interfering in the liberation of Taiwan in China and instigated a counter-revolutionary rebellion in Hungary.
It has been particularly and unbridledly intervening in the internal affairs of the countries situated in the intermediate zone that lies between the United States and the socialist camp.
The United States is still scheming to invade independent Syria through Turkey or Israel, and is still plotting to subvert the anti-colonialist government of Egypt.
Such frantic aggressive U.S. policies have not only created the crisis in the Middle East, but also a crisis in regard to a new world war.
All freedom- and peace-loving peoples the world over stand on the side of Syria and oppose the U.S. and Turkish aggressors, just as last October they stood on the side of Egypt and opposed the British, French and Israeli aggressors.
The Soviet Government has already issued a serious warning to the United States and Turkey, demanding that they forthwith abandon their aggressive plans.
The Chinese Government and the Chinese people resolutely support the Syrian people in their fight to defend their country and resolutely stand by the just position of the Soviet Union.

The imperialist jackals should bear in mind that gone forever are the days when they could decide the fate of mankind at will and could butcher and cut up the Asian and African countries at their pleasure.
U.S. imperialism has tried and is still trying hard to undermine the cause of liberation of the Chinese people.
But, in the final analysis, it cannot prevent the 600 million people of China from taking bravely the path of socialism.
In the short period of eight years, China's various construction projects have registered achievements impossible in the past centuries.
A handful of bourgeois rightist elements in China tried to oppose the socialist road, the leading position of the Communist Party in the life of the state, and the close alliance of China with the Soviet Union and the other socialist countries.
As a result of the nationwide counter-attack by our people, their wild attempt has utterly failed.

To advance the socialist cause of China rapidly on a more consolidated basis, the Chinese people are now conducting, under the leadership of the Communist Party, a vigorous rectification campaign.
The purpose is, under the guidance of the leadership, to hold free, nation-wide debates by setting forth facts and reasoning things out on a number of questions, including the two roads of socialism and capitalism, the basic system and major policies of the state, the style of work of Party and government functionaries, and the welfare of the people, so as to solve correctly various contradictions now actually existing among the people and calling for immediate solution.
This is a movement for self-education and self-remoulding on the part of a socialist people.
It is already scoring tremendous successes.
In all places where it has been carried out, the socialist consciousness of the people has grown rapidly, erroneous ideas have been rapidly cleared up, shortcomings in work have been rapidly overcome, unity among the people has been rapidly strengthened, and labour discipline and labour productivity have been rapidly raised.
We are now introducing this movement for self-education among the 600 million people by stages and in groups.
It will probably win nation-wide success in a few months more.
In the future, we intend to conduct a rectification campaign once every year or every two years; it can then be greatly shortened in duration and may become a major method for solving the various social contradictions during the entire period of transition in our country.
In implementing this method, there is a basic point of departure, that is, we must have faith in the fact that the great majority of the masses will stand on our side and are amenable to reason.
This has been proved by the entire experience gained in the movement.

Following the Leninist principles of maintaining close ties with the masses, recognizing their initiative, and practising criticism and self-criticism, we have, through years of revolutionary practice, evolved the method of rectification campaigns, and the current movement for socialist self-education again demonstrates the correctness of this method.

In her socialist construction, China has received fraternal assistance from the Soviet Union in many fields.
On the occasion of the celebration of the 40th anniversary of the October Socialist Revolution, let us express our heartfelt thanks to the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, the Soviet Government and the Soviet people for the friendly assistance they have extended to.

In the early days of her founding, the People's Republic of China concluded a friendship  [The provided text ends abruptly here. The original Chinese source likely continues.]

Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Mutual Assistance.
This is a great alliance between two great socialist countries.
We share a common destiny and breathe the same air as the Soviet Union and the entire socialist camp.
We believe that strengthening the unity of the socialist countries, with the Soviet Union at their head, is a sacred international duty of all socialist countries.

The imperialists, headed by the United States, are resorting to every means of sowing dissension in a vain attempt to undermine the friendship and unity of the socialist countries, with the Soviet Union at their head.
But the facts can only disappoint the imperialists.
The unity of the socialist camp, with the Soviet Union at its head, is becoming ever closer.
Never at any time in history have there existed relations between states like those between socialist countries—relations of sharing weal and woe, of mutual respect and mutual trust, and of mutual assistance and mutual inspiration.
This is because the socialist countries are countries of a completely new type, countries in which the exploiting classes have been overthrown and the working people hold power.
The principle of integrating internationalism with patriotism is practised in the mutual relations between these countries.
We are closely bound together by common interests and common ideals.
Marx said in the Inaugural Address of the International Working Men’s Association: "Past experience has shown that disregard for that bond of brotherhood which ought to exist between the workmen of different countries, and incite them to stand firmly by each other in all their struggles for emancipation, will be chastised by the common discomfiture of their incoherent efforts."
This instruction given by Marx ninety years and more ago will never become outmoded for us.

Dear Comrades!
The fact that the representatives of the working class and the broad masses of the people from all countries of the world are gathered here today to attend this grand meeting of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union in celebration of the fortieth anniversary of the October Revolution, in itself betokens the great unity of the forces of the people of the world and symbolizes the flourishing growth of the international socialist movement.
Let us continue our efforts to strengthen the unity of the socialist countries and the unity of the working people and the oppressed nations of the whole world, and strive for still new and greater victories!

Long live the great October Socialist Revolution!

Long live the unity and friendship of the socialist countries, with the Soviet Union at their head!

Long live the great banner of internationalism of Marxism-Leninism!

Workingmen of all countries, and peace-loving people, unite!

Printed from the Renmin Ribao of November 7, 1957.