Class Struggles in the USSR, Third Period: 1930–1941 - Part Two: The Dominators

358 Pages·1996·22.888 MB·English

by  Charles Bettelheim

IN
THE
-
THIRD PERIOD:
PART 2: THE DOMINATORS
C H A R L E S
B E T T E L H E I M
The Book: It offers a Marxist analysis of the process of
transformation of the soviet social formation through the years
1931-1941. The results of Bettelheim's analysis of Stalinism
and its realities are presented in two parts: while the earlier
part is devoted to the domin;:,ted (peasants, workersL the
repression and mass terror which struck them, capital
accumulation and its particular crises which made them its
victims, the present part deals with the dominators, their
ideology and its changes in the 1930s, the manifestations of
the new class and the historical conditions of its formation,
the role of the party and the USSR's foreign policy.
The Author: CHARLES BETTELHEIM
(born 1913) is a French Marxist
Economist. He published several books
dealing with the theoretical and practical
problems of planning and transition to
Socialism. He visited Soviet Union and
China several times on study tours during 1930s-1970s and
published such important books as : Class Struggles in the
USSR (4 Volumes), Cultural Revolution and Industrial
Organisation in China, China since Mao. Bettelheim lives in
Paris (Address: Charles Bettelheim, 59 Boulevard Arago ,
75013 Paris, France).
Rs 190.00
ISBN - 81 - 85427 - 77 - 1
$ 15 00
Class Struggles
in the USSR
Third Period: 1930-1941
Part Two: The Dominators
French Original
Charles Bettelheim
English Translation
A.D. Bhogle
e
T.R.Publications
CLASS STRUGGLES IN THE USSR
Third Period I 930 - 1941
Part Two The Dominators
© 1996 by Charles Bettelheim
First Published 1996
ISBN - 81 - 85427 - 77 - I
Published by
T.R. Publications Private Ltd
57, South Usman Road
PMG Complex, (JI Floor)
T. Nagar, Madras 600 017.
Laser typeset & Printed at
THE PRINT SHOP,
11-5-436/2&3, Red Hills Road,
Lakdikapool, Hyderabad - 500 004.
Note
A.D. Bhogle, formerly a professor of French at Osmania
University, did the translation efficiently as well as quickly.
Ramanath Narayanaswamy of Indian Institute of Management,
Bangalore, formerly a doctoral student of Charles Bettelheim,
went through the translation and made useful suggestions. M.Sri
Hari Rao, a General Surgeon, provided fund for printing this
volume. R.Uday Kumar, a Post-Doctoral Fellow in
Immunology, paid for the translation remuneration.
Ranganayakamma, a Telugu Authoress, sponsored tbe
publication. Charles Bettelheim permitted the sponsor to
publish this book without expecting any monetary remuneration.
CONTENTS
Preface iii
Abbreviations of the reference sources and
indications about the publishers
lV
Glossary of the abbreviations of terms and
complementary abbreviations of theglossary
appearing in the first tome v
Part 1: Absolute Secretary and The Proletarian Fetish I
I. Ideological themes and practices of Stalinism 4
1. The Political and Legal Ideology 5
1. The "Leading Role of the Party;, 5
2. The "Cult of the Party and its Chief" 9
3. The Fetishism of the State 11
a) The Stalinist Thesis of Strengthening the State 13
b) Negation of the "Repressive Function of the State" 14
c) State, Rights of the Individual and the 1936 Constitution 15
d) The Specific Form of Stalinist State Fetishism and
Bolshevik Ideology 17
e) Soviet State as Successor to the Russian State 19
4. The Russian Nationalist Compoponent of the Ideological
Formation of Stalinism 20
a) Stalinist Nationalism and the Czarist Imperial Past 20
b) The 1936 Constitution and Russian Nationalism 22
c) Nationalism, Elitism and N~tional Bolshevism 23
2. Economic Ideology of Stalinism 27
1. Socialist Mode of Production 27
2. Socialist Ownership 28
3. Planned Economy 29
4. "Economic Laws of Socialism" 30
2. How the Stalinist Formulations worked 39
1. Pseudo-Science and Dogmatism 39
2. Flight away from the Real and the Mystique of the Party 43
.t The Practical ltleo/ogy of Stlllinism
an,I its Social Effects 48
1. The Spectre of a Conspiracy 48
2. The Ideology of Terror and the Soviet
Ideological Formation 51
3. The Two Codes of Stalinist Ideology 55
1. Code of Interpretation 57
2. Code of Allegiance 58
Annexure: Are Human Rights Marxist? 66
Part 2: The Dominators in Twilight (1928-1938) 70
J. The "Cultural Revolution" (1928-1931) 71
1. Cultural Revolution as Class War 72
1. The Decisions and Measures which install
and Support the Policy of Preference" 74
2. Recruitment of "Specialists" before the
Implementation of the "Promotion Policy" 79
3. The Immediate Causes for the Shift in 1928 80
2. Effects of Promotion Policy on the Structure of the
New Dominating Class and on the Working Class 82
3. Repression against the "Old Intelligentsia" 85
2. The Earliest Attempts by the I eading Group to
"Usurp Party" ( 93
I. The Resolution of the Plenum of Apri_l 1929 95
2. The "Deviaions" and the Action of
the "Class Enemies" 96
3. The Lomanidze and Syrtsov "affair" 98
3. The "Retreat" of the years 1931 to 1934. 102
l. The Open Rise of Conservatism 102
1. Abandonment of "Cultural Revolution" in Production 102
2. Abandonment of "Cultural Revolution" in
Literature and Art 104
2. Consolidation of the Position of the Cadres and
the Increase in their Privileges 105
3. Resistance to the "Usurpation of the Party" 107
}. The "Rintin" Affair I 08
2. Ordzhonikidze's Resistance to Various Aspects of the
"Industrial" Line of the Gensek, its Conditions and its
Effects 109
3. The New Situation and the XVII Co11gress 111
4. The Debate on the "Revolutionary Legality', 115
4. Hardening of Dictatorship of the Leading Group
on the Party and on the Cadres
(December 1934-Summer 1936) 126
I. The Earliest Wave of Terror Let Loose on
the Members of the Partyand the Cadres
(December l 934•Summer 1936) 126
1. The Appointment to New Positions of the Highest
Responsibility and Reorganisation. 127
2. The Start of Terror against the Members of the
Party and the Cadres 128
2. The Unleashing and Growth of Terror on a Large Scale
against the cadres (Summer 1936 to I 938 end) 134
I. The March 1937 Plenum and the Large Scale Renewal
of the Cadres 136
2. The NKVD and the Purge of the Cadres 139
3. The Administrative and Economic Chaos 141
3. The Extent of Renewal of the Cadres 144
I. The Quantitative Aspect of Renewal 144
2. The Qualitative Aspect 146
PART 3: The Party Bourgeoisie is Established 155
1. Changes in the farty 155
1. Renewal of the Leadership of the Party
and of its Cadres 155
2. The Renewal of the Membership of the Party 158
3. C4anges in the Manner of Working of the Party 161
2. Process of Consolidation/Subjugation of the
New Dominating Class 167
1. The terror and the Process of Consolidation/
Subjugation of the New Dominant Class 168
1. Subjugation as Counterpart of Powers and Privileges 168
2. Subjugation of Cadres and "Sharpening of Class Struggle" 169
3. The System of Sharaga 170
2. Unity and Contradictions of the
Dominating Class, Subjugation to the Leading Group
and Formation of a Party Bourgeoisie 173
3. Rise in the Privileges of the New Dominating Class 178
3. The Changes in the Relationships of the Party
with the Dominating Class 184
1. The For:ns of Subordination of the Managers
of Industry to the Party and its Leadership 185
1. Industrial Management and Role of the Party in the
Enterprises on the eve and in the beginning of the
First Five Year Plan 186
2. Idea of Merging the Management of the Enterprises
and the Party 188
3. The Setting up of Industrial Sections (1930)
and its Effects 190
4. New Attempts to have Recourse to a Control over
the Directors of Enterprises by the Primary
Organisation of the Party (March 1939) 193
5. The Reconstitution of the "Production Sections" 195
6. The Forms of Direct Subjugation of the Managers and
Engineers to the Leading Group 198
2. Rapid Penetration of the New Dominating Class
in the Party and the Class of the l 930s 200
1 . The Statutes Adopted at the XVIII Congress and the
"Soviet Intellectuals" 200
2. The "Renewal" of the Intelligentsia and the
Changes of Statutes 201
3. Some Figures Concerning the Entry of the
New Dominating Class with the Party 202
207
4. Specific Nature of the New Dominating Class
207
I. Internal Contradictions in the New Bourgeoisie
1. Contrndictiops Iktwccn the Apparatuses 207
2. National Fractions of Soviet Bourgeoisie 209
3. Solidarity Groups and "Clientelism" 210
2. The Party and Regulation of Contradictions
Internal to the New Dominating Class 212
1. The Nomenklatura 213
2. Domination, Social Exploitation
and Political Leadership 215
3. Hierarchisation of the Dominating
Class and its "Bureaucratic"Character 217
4. Redoubling of the Different Apparatuses by the
Party and the Status of this Party 219
5. "Party Capitalism" and its Specific Traits 223
PART 4:Rather Hitler than Emancipation of the People 229
1. The Period 1928-1934: Denunciation of the Entente
Countriesand the struggle against the Social-Fascism 230
1. The Struggle against "Socialfacism" 232
2. Denunciation of the Entente Countries and the
German Policy of the USSR 234
3. Soviet steps to.avoid a confrontation with Germany 237
2. Contradictions of the Soviet Foreign Policy
and the Political Line of theCommunist
International (1934-1939) 240
1. Nationalist Ideology and the Foreign
Policy of the USSR 243
2. The VII Congress of the Communist International
and its Consequences 245
3. The Civil War in Spain and the Soviet "Aid"
to the Spanish Republic 247
4. Objectives of Soviet Diplomacy 253
1. Place of the Spanish War in the International Policy
of the USSR 253
2. Soviet Diplomatic Initiatives and the International
Situntion in Europe 254
.l, Towards Ocrman-Sovict Pact 256
3. The }ears of (,erman-Soviet Pact:
August 1939 to June 1941 265
l. The ~~entente" with Hitler and Territorial Expansion
of the USSR in the Autumn of 1939 266
2. The Pact, Soviet Diplomacy and
the Communist Parties 268
3. Territorial Expansion of the US SR in the
beginning of 1940 273
4. The Progressive Transformation
of German-Soviet Relations 275
5. The Beginning of War 279
Postface: In Order Not to Concl-ude 289
1. Some Major Events of 1953 and the years
that followed 290
2. Continuity and Change in the Political
System and Practices 293
(a) Relative Effacement of the Role
of Security Organs and State Terror 293
,:, .
(b) Substitution of an. Oligarchical Leadership in place
of an autocratic leadership 295
( c) ·P olicy of "Detente 300
3. Continuity and Change in Soviet Ideology 304
(a) Leadership Role of the Party and
Denunciation of the "Cult of Personality" 304
(b) Relative Setback of Dogmatism 306
( c) Ideological Relations of the
Population with the Power 309
4. Continuity and Change in Economy 314
5. General Crisis of the System 315
Bibliography of Important Books and Articles 33?