35: The Class Structure of Contemporary Soviet Society

According to Marxism-Leninism, there are three social classes in a typical capitalist society:

1) the capitalist class or bourgeoisie, the members of which control the basic means of production and so are able to exploit -- that is, to live partly or wholly on the labour of -- the working class;

2) the petty bourgeoisie, the members of which control their means of production, predominantly in agriculture, and live primarily by their own work, without exploitation; and

3) the working class or proletariat, the members of which control no means of production and so are compelled to live by selling their labour power to the capitalists, who are exploited by the capitalist class.

The capitalist class and the working class form the two basic classes of society and there is a conflict of interest between them.

The preceding analysis has demonstrated that, on the basis of Marxism-Leninism, to which the present Soviet leaders continue to claim adherence, the contemporary Soviet Union has the class structure of a typical capitalist society.

36: The Role of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union

The Communist Party of the Soviet Union is a political party which is officially established as "the leading and guiding force" of Soviet society:

"The Communist Party... has.. extended its guiding influence to all spheres of social life...

The period of full-scale communist construction is characterised by a further enhancement of the role and importance of the Communist Party as the leading and guiding force of Soviet society".

(Programme of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union; Moscow; 1961; p. 122-3).

But, according to Marxism-Leninism, a political party is an organisation which represents the political interests of a social class.

During the period in which a socialist society existed in the Soviet Union, and prior to this period, the Communist Party was defined as an organisation which represented the political interests of the working class:

"The Party is the General Staff of the proletariat...

The Party is the organised detachment of the working class...

The Party is the highest form of class organisation of the proletariat...

The Party is an instrument of the dictatorship of the proletariat".

(J.V. Stalin; "The Foundations of Leninism", in: "Works", Volume 6; Moscow; 1953; p. 179, 181, 186, 188-9).

In 1961, however, the leaders of the CPSU declared that the party was no longer a political organisation which represented the interests of the working class, but one which represented the interests of the "entire people":

"Our Marxist-Leninist Party, which arose as a party of the working class, has become the Party of the entire people".

(N.S. Khrushchov: Report on the Programme of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, 22nd. Congress CPSU; London; 1961; p. 90).

But in a society which contains classes with antagonistic interests -- and, as has been shown, the contemporary Soviet Union is such a society -- it is impossible for a single political party to represent the interests of the "entire people" and any claim that such a party does so must be dismissed as sheer demagogy.

What class of Soviet society, therefore, has in reality its political interests represented by the CPSU?

It is admitted by the leaders of the CPSU that the party no longer specifically represents the interests of the working class.

Can it, perhaps, represent the interests of the petty bourgeoisie, which in the Soviet Union is composed principally of collective farmers and a relatively small number of self-employed professional, scientific and artistic workers?

But, according to Marxism-Leninism, the petty bourgeoisie, as an intermediate class between the decisive classes in society -- the working class and the capitalist class -- is incapable of pursuing an independent political policy; it is capable only of following one or other of the two decisive classes, of vacillating between them:

"It is a truth long known to every Marxist that in every capitalist society the only decisive forces are the proletariat and the bourgeoisie, while all social elements occupying a position midway between these classes and coming within the economic category of the petty bourgeoisie inevitably vacillate between these decisive forces".

(V.I. Lenin: "Valuable Admissions By Pitirim Sorokin", in "Selected Works", Volume 8; London; 1943; p. 145).

Thus, on the basis of Marxism-Leninism, to which the present Soviet leaders continue to claim adherence, the CPSU is a political party which in fact represents the interests of the Soviet capitalist class.