Marxism-Leninism as an ideology. Fundamentals of Marxism-Leninism Establishment of the ideology of Marxism-Leninism in the mass consciousness

Marxism Leninism- “the science of the laws of development of nature and society, the science of the revolution of the oppressed and exploited masses, the science of the victory of socialism in all countries, the science of building a communist society.” The emergence of Marxist teaching was the result of the greatest revolution in the history of development social thought. Marxist teaching provided answers to those questions that the progressive thought of mankind posed but could not solve. Marxism arose as a direct expression of the fundamental interests of the most revolutionary class of capitalist society - the proletariat. The main components of Marxism are Marxist philosophy, Marxist political economy and the theory of scientific communism.

Dialectical and historical materialism is the theoretical foundation of Marxism. The fundamental difference between Marxist philosophy and all philosophical systems that preceded it is expressed in the “Theses on Feuerbach,” written by Marx: “Philosophers have only explained the world in different ways, but the point is to change it.” Dialectical and historical materialism is a powerful theoretical weapon in the struggle for the revolutionary transformation of society. Using everything valuable and advanced that was in the old philosophy, Marx and Engels created the only scientific worldview. The soul of Marxism is materialist dialectics. With the help of materialist dialectics, the founders of Marxism reworked philosophical materialism, overcame the limitations of the old, metaphysical and mechanistic materialism and created the highest form of materialism (see). Deepening and developing philosophical materialism, Marx and Engels brought it to the end, extended its provisions to the knowledge of human society and thereby created (see).

In contrast to idealistic theories that recognize ideas and reason as the basis for the development of society, Marx and Engels proved that the economic system is the basis on which the political and ideological superstructure rises, and that the driving force of development in societies divided into antagonistic classes is the class struggle.

By applying dialectical and historical materialism to economic science, Marx revolutionized views on the economic life of society, creating the only scientific political economy. Marx's main work, Capital, is devoted to the study of the economic structure of capitalist society. Where the old economists saw the relations of things (the exchange of goods for goods), Marx revealed and showed the social relations between people. In his theory of surplus value, Marx exposed the source of profit, the wealth of the capitalist class. “The doctrine of surplus value is the cornerstone of Marx’s economic theory.” Having studied the laws of development of the capitalist mode of production, Marx substantiated the pattern of the death of capitalism and the victory of communism.

Capitalism, which replaced the feudal system, did not destroy the exploitation of man by man, but only replaced one form of exploitation and oppression of workers with another. As a reflection of the protest of the exploited against capitalist oppression, various socialist teachings began to emerge. The original socialism was unscientific, utopian (see). Utopian socialists sharply criticized and condemned the capitalist order, dreamed of a better system where there would be no exploitation, but could not indicate a real way out of capitalist slavery. Marx and Engels were the first to transform socialism from a dream into a science. They clarified the world-historical role of the working class as the gravedigger of capitalism, as the creator of communist society. The main thing in Marxism is the doctrine of the dictatorship of the proletariat. Marx wrote that between capitalist and communist society lies a period of revolutionary transformation of the former into the latter, that the state of this period will be a state of the dictatorship of the proletariat. Marxism armed the working class in its struggle against the bourgeoisie with revolutionary theory and gave the labor movement, which had previously developed spontaneously, a socialist direction.

As soon as the influence of Marxist ideas on the masses was revealed, all the forces of old Europe united to persecute communism. The bourgeoisie fought and is fighting Marxism not only with violence. “The dialectic of history is such that the theoretical victory of Marxism forces its enemies to disguise themselves as Marxists. Internally rotten liberalism is trying to revive itself in the form of socialist opportunism.” Moreover, opportunism does not always mean a direct denial of Marxist theory or its individual provisions and conclusions. Opportunism sometimes manifests itself in attempts to dogmatically cling to certain provisions of Marxism, which are already outdated, in order to thereby delay the further development of Marxism, and therefore also delay the development of the revolutionary movement of the proletariat. Marxism grew, took shape and became stronger in the merciless struggle against opportunism - this worst enemy of the working class.

Marxism is a creative science. The founders of Marxism always considered their theory as a developing theory, as a guide to action. After the death of Engels, the greatest theorist Lenin, and after Lenin, Stalin and Lenin’s other students were the only Marxists who not only mercilessly exposed opportunists of all stripes and defended Marxism from perversion, but also moved Marxist theory forward, enriching it with new experience in the new conditions of class struggle proletariat. Marxism-Leninism is a single, scientific, integral ideology of the working class. Marx and Engels sewed and worked during the period of pre-monopoly capitalism, capitalism that was still developing on an ascending line, during the period of preparation of the proletariat for the revolution. Lenin and Stalin, brilliant students and continuers of the teachings of Marx and Engels, spoke out during the period of imperialism, that is, decaying and dying capitalism, during the period of direct assault on capitalism, during the period of proletarian revolutions, during the period when the proletarian revolution had already won in one country and opened the era of the Soviets, the era of building socialism.

Summarizing the experience of the struggle of the Communist Party for the socialist revolution, for building socialism in the USSR, Lenin and Stalin and their comrades-in-arms and students creatively applied Marxism to new conditions. Leninism is a further development of Marxism. Leninism is Marxism of the era of imperialism and proletarian revolutions, it is the theory and tactics of the proletarian revolution in general, the theory and tactics of the dictatorship of the proletariat in particular. Lenin did not cancel or “add” any new principles to Marxism. Based entirely on the principles of Marxism, Lenin developed all aspects of Marxism in relation to new
conditions of the class struggle of the proletariat, to a new, imperialist phase of capitalism.

Exposing the revisionism of Bogdanov, Yushkevich, Bazarov, Valentinov and their philosophical teachers - Avenarius and Mach, who tried in their works to present a refined and invited idealism as opposed to Marxist materialism, Lenin decisively defended the theoretical foundations of Marxism and in the book "" (see) gave a brilliant generalization everything significant that has been acquired by science and, above all, natural science over the entire historical period after Engels’ death. Summarizing the world-historical experience of the struggle of the international working class, Lenin further developed the theoretical foundations of the Marxist party - dialectical and historical materialism, marking the beginning of a new, Leninist stage in the development of Marxist philosophy.

Lenin developed the question of imperialism as a new, highest and final stage of capitalism. Lenin showed that imperialism is the eve of the socialist revolution. Based on this analysis, Lenin made a great discovery, proving that c. new conditions, in the conditions of uneven, spasmodic development of capitalism, the victory of socialism is possible initially in one, individual, capitalist country, and the simultaneous victory of socialism in all countries is impossible.

Marx and Engels gave the basic outlines of the idea of ​​the hegemony of the proletariat in the revolution. Lenin developed them further and created a coherent doctrine of the hegemony of the proletariat, of the leadership of the proletariat by the working masses of the city and countryside, not only in the overthrow of tsarism and capitalism, but also in the matter of socialist construction after the victory of the dictatorship of the proletariat. Based on Marx's ideas on the national-colonial issue, Lenin developed them in relation to the new era, brought them together and gave a coherent system of views on national-colonial revolutions in the era of imperialism. Lenin showed that the resolution of the national-colonial question is inextricably linked with the overthrow of imperialism, that this question is part of general issue about the socialist revolution.

V. I. Lenin developed Marx’s idea of ​​the dictatorship of the proletariat, discovering Soviet power as the best state form of dictatorship of the proletariat, defined the dictatorship of the proletariat as a special form of class union of the proletariat with the exploited masses of non-proletarian and semi-proletarian classes (peasantry, etc.), pointed to the union of the working class with the peasantry as the highest principle of the dictatorship of the proletariat. Lenin showed that proletarian dictatorship is the highest type of democracy, a form of proletarian democracy that expresses the interests of the majority (the exploited), as opposed to capitalist democracy, which expresses the interests of the minority (the exploiters). The main thing in Leninism is the doctrine of the dictatorship of the proletariat; “...Leninism is an international teaching of the proletarians of all countries, suitable and obligatory for all countries without exception, including capitalistically developed ones.” Lenin developed the question of the forms and methods of successfully building socialism in a country surrounded

capitalist states. Marx and Engels gave brilliant sketches of the party. Lenin’s greatest historical merit lies in the fact that he was the first in the history of Marxism, in the fight against international opportunism and centrism, to develop and give to the Russian working class and the working class of the whole world a coherent doctrine of the party as the leading organization of the proletariat, as the main weapon in the hands of the proletariat, without which it is impossible to win the struggle for socialism. V.I. Lenin, in a merciless struggle against the enemies of Marxism-Leninism, developed the ideological, organizational, tactical and theoretical foundations of the party - a party of a new type, radically different from the parties of the Second International, which had long become the main social support of the bourgeoisie.

The theory of Marx - Engels - Lenin received further creative development in the works of I.V. Stalin.

Based on a generalization of the gigantic experience in the development of the revolutionary movement of the proletariat, especially the experience of recent decades, the experience of building socialism in the USSR, as well as on the basis of a generalization of the latest achievements of science, I. V. Stalin enriched Marxist philosophy on a number of issues - dialectical and historical materialism. Of great importance for the further creative development of Marxist philosophy is J.V. Stalin’s development of the question of how the general dialectical patterns of development in a socialist society manifest themselves and operate in a different way. Stalin developed Lenin's idea of ​​a huge role (see) in the construction of socialism and communism as a new form of struggle between the obsolete and the emerging. He showed that under socialism the transition from the old qualitative state to the new is carried out not in the form of revolutionary explosions, but through gradual transitions.

J.V. Stalin further developed Marxist political economy. Continuing the creative development of Lenin’s theory of imperialism, J.V. Stalin opened (see), showing all the features of the development of modern bourgeois society, all the contradictions and “seams of capitalism. The work of I.V. Stalin “” (see) is a direct continuation and development of “Marx’s Capital and Lenin’s work “Imperialism, as the highest stage of capitalism.” This work provided a profound development of the laws of political economy of socialism. This work is theoretically substantiated (see), it is shown that under socialism, in contrast to the capitalist law of anarchy of production and competition, the law of planned (proportional) development of the national economy operates (see), the question of the peculiarities of commodity production under socialism as commodity production of a special kind is illuminated , the limited scope of action of the value car under socialism is shown, etc.

J.V. Stalin developed and substantiated Lenin’s teaching about the possibility of the victory of socialism in one country, about the ways, means and methods of building socialism. He comprehensively developed the main question of Marxism, the question of the dictatorship of the proletariat, revealed the main functions and phases of development of the Soviet state and pointed out the need for further preservation and strengthening of the state also in conditions of complete communism, if capitalist encirclement still remains.

In the works of J.V. Stalin, especially in “Economic Problems of Socialism in the USSR,” a program of gradual transition from socialism to communism in the USSR was outlined.

More than 100 years have passed since the emergence of Marxism. During this time, dozens and hundreds of bourgeois governments, imbued with hatred of Marxism, tried to “destroy” Marxism. But bourgeois governments came and went, but Marxism remained. What explains this? This is explained by the fact that Marxism is the scientific expression of the fundamental interests of the working class. Just as it is impossible to destroy the working class, it is also impossible to destroy Marxism. Marxism has already become the dominant ideology in a number of countries in Europe and Asia and has deeply penetrated the minds and hearts of hundreds of millions of working people in capitalist countries. The successes of the working class and the successes of the communist parties are explained by the fact that they are guided by the all-conquering teaching of Marxism-Leninism.

The communist parties of the world have become an indestructible world force because they arose on the granite basis of the theory of Marxism-Leninism, were tempered in the irreconcilable struggle for the purity of the ideas of Marxism-Leninism and are constantly guided in their activities by the immortal ideas of Marx - Engels - Lenin - Stalin.

The greatest example of a party that bases its activities on the granite foundation of Marxism-Leninism is the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, created and nurtured by Lenin. Its entire half-century history is Marxism-Leninism in action. The experience of her activities incredibly enriched and continues to enrich Marxism-Leninism. The Communist Party is the brain and soul, the inspirer and organizer of the entire progressive movement of Soviet society towards communism. The leadership of the party is the guarantee and guarantee that communism will be built in our country.

One of the most important links in the chain of historical tasks during the period of socialism, during the transition from socialism to communism in the USSR, is the task of mastering Marxist-Leninist theory. To master Marxism-Leninism means to assimilate its essence, learn to use it in various historical conditions, be able to enrich, develop and move it forward in accordance with the new historical situation and new tasks. Marxism-Leninism throughout its existence grew and developed in the struggle against bourgeois ideology, against reformism and opportunism, against anarchists, Kautskyites, Mensheviks, Trotskyists, Zinovievites, Bukharinites and other enemies of the proletariat. In this struggle he became tempered and rose to new, higher levels. And at present, the condition for the further development of Marxist-Leninist teaching is a merciless and consistent struggle against all and every manifestation of bourgeois and reformist ideology.

Marxism-Leninism, a scientific system of philosophical, economic and socio-political views that make up the worldview of the working class; the science of knowledge and the revolutionary transformation of the world, the laws of the development of society, nature and human thinking, the laws of the revolutionary struggle of the working class to overthrow capitalism, the creative activity of workers in building a socialist and communist society. The founders of M.-l. were K. Marx and F. Engels ; V.I. made an outstanding contribution to its development. Lenin . M.-l. enriched as a result of the theoretical activities of communist and workers' parties. “Marxism-Leninism is one great revolutionary teaching, a guiding star for the working class and workers of the whole world at all stages of their great battle for peace, freedom and a better life, for the creation of the most just society - communism. Its great creative transformative power lies in its inextricable connection with life, in continuous enrichment based on a comprehensive analysis of reality" (Statement of the Meeting of Representatives of Communist and Workers' Parties, 1960).

Marxism as a scientific expression of the fundamental interests of the working class arose in the 40s of the 19th century, when the antagonistic contradictions of capitalist society sharply manifested themselves, and the working class entered the arena of history as an independent political force. K. Marx and F. Engels were the creators of the scientific worldview of the working class, the program, strategy and tactics of its revolutionary struggle. They critically rethought and creatively reworked the achievements of previous scientific and social thought of mankind, generalized the experience of the class struggle and the revolutionary movement of the working masses.

M.-l. represents a natural result of the progressive movement of advanced human thought and marks the greatest revolutionary revolution in its development. The most important theoretical sources of Marxism were classical German philosophy, English political economy, and French utopian socialism. Marxism took a fundamentally new approach to solving practical and theoretical problems and gave a scientific answer to the main questions posed by the course of social development and, above all, by the development of capitalism and the labor movement; overcame the idealism and anti-historicism and contemplative character characteristic of previous social thought. Its most important feature is that it not only explained the world, but also determined the conditions, ways and means of its reconstruction, and transformed socialism from a utopia into a science. This became possible as a result of the spread of materialism to the understanding of the history of society, the creation of historical materialism, the organic connection and creative development of materialism and dialectics. “The application of materialist dialectics to the reworking of the entire political economy, from its foundation - to history, to natural science, to philosophy, to the politics and tactics of the working class - this is what interests Marx and Engels most of all, this is where they contribute the most essential and most new, that is their brilliant step forward in the history of revolutionary thought” (V.I. Lenin, Complete Works, 5th ed., vol. 24, p. 264).

Having emerged as a revolutionary theory of the working class, Marxism was tested in practice, beginning with the revolutions of 1848-49 in Western Europe. After these revolutions, K. Marx and F. Engels directed their activities towards promoting the ideas of scientific communism, training proletarian revolutionaries in all countries, and gathering the forces of the international proletariat for a new revolutionary struggle. This period was marked by the creation, under the leadership of K. Marx and F. Engels, of a revolutionary international party of the working class, called the “International Workers' Association” ( International 1st , founded September 28, 1864). In the 70-80s of the 19th century, mass social democratic parties of the proletariat were formed in a number of European countries.

Spread of Marxism in international labor movement met with fierce resistance both from his open opponents, for example the Bakuninists (see. Bakunism ), Proudhonists (see Proudhonism ) and others, and on the part of conciliatory opportunist elements within the social democratic parties - revisionists (E. Bernstein, M. Adler and others). Revisionism in the labor movement arose as a manifestation of the influence of bourgeois ideology on certain, least revolutionary, relatively wealthy sections of the working class (the so-called labor aristocracy). Another source of revisionism was the ideology of the petty-bourgeois elements who were part of the party, who were characterized by half-heartedness and vacillation between the proletariat and the bourgeoisie. Marxism waged a decisive struggle against dogmatism , sectarianism , which also caused serious harm to the labor movement.

Outstanding propagandists of the ideas of Marxism were P. Lafargue , IN. Liebknecht , A. Bebel , F. Mering , G.V. Plekhanov , A. Labriola and a number of others.

Marxism received further creative development in the theoretical works and practical activities of the brilliant successor of the work of K. Marx and F. Engels - V. I. Lenin, who raised the revolutionary teaching of Marxism to a new, higher level. V.I. Lenin, having adopted the theory of K. Marx and F. Engels, creatively developed and specified it in relation to the conditions of the new historical era. The struggle and activities of V.I. Lenin represent the Leninist stage in the development of the revolutionary theory of the working class, rightly called Marxism-Leninism. Leninism is “...Marxism of the era of imperialism and proletarian revolutions, the era of the collapse of colonialism and the victory of national liberation movements, the era of humanity’s transition from capitalism to socialism and the construction of a communist society” (“To the 100th anniversary of the birth of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin.” Theses of the CPSU Central Committee, 1970, p. 5).

M.-l. consists of three organically interconnected and interdependent parts: philosophy - dialectical and historical materialism, political economy and scientific communism.

Dialectical and historical materialism is the philosophy of the working class and its vanguard - the Communist Party; it is the science of the universal laws of development of nature, society and thinking, and constitutes the theoretical foundation of communism. Marxist-Leninist philosophy proceeds from the fact that the world is material: everything that exists is various forms of moving matter, the highest of which is society. The world is one and develops according to objective laws that do not depend on the consciousness of people, which are learned by people in the course of the development of societies, practice and science. People themselves make their own history, but the course of social development is not determined by the free will of people, but is determined by the material conditions of their life and is subject to laws manifested in the activities of the masses. People, having learned these patterns and acting in accordance with them, can consciously influence the course of social development. For the first time in M.-L. society was understood as an integral social organism, in the structure of which we can distinguish productive forces , relations of production and the spheres of public life they define: politics , right , morality , state , and also philosophy , science , art , religion . Their unity and interaction represent society at a certain stage of history - a socio-economic formation (see. Socio-economic formation ), the development and change of which constitute the process of the progressive movement of society towards communism. The core of Marxist philosophy is materialist dialectics, which serves as a general methodology for truly scientific knowledge of society and nature. Materialist dialectics is revolutionary-critical in nature; it considers each stage of development of society as transitory. The main thing in it is the doctrine of contradiction, the law of unity and struggle of opposites, revealing the source of self-motion and development of phenomena and processes of reality.

V. I. Lenin’s great contribution to the development of Marxist philosophy is the development of its most important problems - the theory of reflection, the theory of knowledge, the doctrine of truth, deepening the understanding of the laws and categories of dialectics and others. In his works, V.I. Lenin gave classic examples of the application of materialist dialectics to the most important problems of social development, politics and the class struggle of the proletariat: analysis of objective conditions and development of the question of the role of the subjective factor in the historical process, the significance of the creative initiative of the masses, classes, parties and individual personalities, justification for the enormous role of scientific theory in the revolutionary movement.

V.I. Lenin not only defended Marxist philosophy from the attacks of revisionists, but also philosophically comprehended and generalized the new things that had been achieved in the development of the natural sciences after F. Engels.

Marxist-Leninist political economy arose on the basis of K. Marx’s dialectical-materialist analysis of the capitalist society of his time. K. Marx deeply developed and substantiated the labor theory of value, discovered the law surplus value . This great discovery constitutes, in the words of V.I. Lenin, “...the cornerstone of Marx’s economic theory” (Complete Works, 5th ed., vol. 23, p. 45), since it reveals the essence of the exploitation of the working class by the bourgeois class . Marxist-Leninist political economy explores the objective laws of the development of social production throughout the history of mankind; it proved the transient nature of the capitalist mode of production, the inevitability of its death and replacement by a new society formation - communism.

K. Marx and F. Engels, using vast historical material, showed that the most important driving force in the development of society, starting from the period of the decomposition of the primitive communal formation, is the struggle of antagonistic classes . They theoretically substantiated the revolutionary role of the working class, whose historical mission is to overthrow capitalism and create communism, providing conditions for the free and comprehensive development of every person (see. Scientific communism , Political economy ). The real way and means of destroying capitalism and transition to communism are socialist revolution And dictatorship of the proletariat . To implement the socialist revolution and the dictatorship of the proletariat, the abolition of all exploitation of man by man, the liberation of all working people, the working class enters into an alliance with all working people and the exploited. K. Marx and F. Engels proved that between the capitalist and communist formations lies a transition period, during which the proletariat, having taken the state leadership of society into its own hands, must direct the development of all aspects of social life towards a new society. A necessary condition for a successful struggle to overthrow the oppression of capitalism, for the victory of the proletarian revolution and communism, taught K. Marx and F. Engels, is the unification of the proletariat different countries and nations against the bourgeoisie of all countries and nations, for the proletariat of the whole world has one goal - communism. Because of this, the principle of struggle and organization of the proletariat is internationalism .

In order to carry out the proletarian revolution, the working class must organize and unite its ranks, create its own militant revolutionary party, uniting its advanced, best forces, which will lead the working people in the struggle for the victory of communism. Such a party, the Union of Communists, was first created by K. Marx and F. Engels in 1847.

V.I. Lenin made an invaluable contribution to the economic theory of Marxism. He showed that capitalism had entered the last, highest stage of its development - imperialism , revealed its specifics, economic and political essence. He established that the state-monopoly stage of development of capitalism is the material preparation for the revolutionary transition to socialism. V.I. Lenin discovered the law of uneven development of capitalist countries in the era of imperialism and, based on this law, made the most important theoretical conclusion about the possibility of the victory of the proletarian revolution and socialism, first in several or even in one country, since the proletarian revolution cannot occur simultaneously in all developed capitalist countries, as K. Marx and F. Engels assumed. An important contribution to M.-l. was the development by V.I. Lenin of the theory of the development of the bourgeois-democratic revolution into a socialist one. V.I. Lenin creatively developed the doctrine of the dictatorship of the proletariat, the leading role of the working class, the allies of the proletariat in the revolution - the peasantry, first of all, and the forms of class struggle. Based on the theoretical principles of K. Marx and F. Engels, V. I. Lenin created an integral doctrine of the party of the working class as the highest form of its revolutionary organization, comprehensively developed its theoretical and organizational foundations, norms of party life and principles of party leadership. Under the leadership of V.I. Lenin, the working class of Russia created a party of a new type - Communist Party of the Soviet Union . V.I. Lenin developed the strategy and tactics of the revolutionary struggle of the working class against the bourgeoisie, the principles of the struggle against revisionism, dogmatism, right and “left” opportunism. An important place in M.-l. takes national question , the basic principles of the proletarian solution of which were developed by K. Marx and f. Engels. They showed the subordination of the national question to the tasks of the liberation class struggle of the proletariat, and substantiated the need to support national liberation movements directed against reactionary forces and classes. Lenin developed these provisions, criticized the theories and programs of reformists and opportunists, and emphasized the need for free self-determination of nations up to their complete separation and formation of an independent state. Lenin considered the main thing in the national question to be the unification of the working people of all nations in the common struggle for democracy and socialism. He revealed the connection between the national question and the colonial one and pointed out the possibility of a non-capitalist path of development for colonial and dependent countries.

Based on the provisions of K. Marx and F. Engels about the future communist society and the two phases of its development, V. I. Lenin developed questions about the main features of the transition period from capitalism to socialism, about the ways and means of building socialism and communism, about the main patterns of development society in the era of socialism and communism.

The victory of the Great October Socialist Revolution in 1917, the creation of the world's first socialist multinational state were the greatest triumph of Marxist-Leninist theory and marked the beginning of a new historical era in the development of mankind.

After V.I. Lenin, the CPSU, together with fraternal communist parties, continued to develop Marxist-Leninist theory. Based on Lenin’s principles, creatively applying and developing them, the CPSU led the Soviet people to the victory of socialism and is leading the construction of a communist society in the USSR. The CPSU developed questions about the possibility of building socialism in one country located in a capitalist environment; about the ways, rates and means of socialist industrialization; about methods and forms of collectivization of agriculture; about the ways and means of carrying out a cultural revolution in the country; about the laws of building a socialist society and the gradual transition to communism. The party defended its line in an irreconcilable struggle against right and “left” opportunism and national deviationism.

The achievements of socialist construction in the USSR, the defeat of fascist Germany and imperialist Japan, in which the Soviet Union played a decisive role, contributed to the success of people's democratic, socialist revolutions in a number of countries in Europe, Asia, and Latin America, the rise of the national liberation movement, and the collapse of the colonial system of imperialism. These most important processes served as new practical confirmation of the truth of Marxist-Leninist theory. The historical situation that developed after World War II (1939-45), the formation of the world socialist system, the deepening crisis of the capitalist system, the development of the scientific and technological revolution, and the tasks of socialist and communist construction required the further enrichment of M.-l. An important prerequisite for the creative development of Marxist-Leninist theory was the CPSU's overcoming of tendencies towards its dogmatization and separation from practice. At the same time, the party opposed attempts to identify theory and practice, which led to the belittlement of theory and violation of the principle of the unity of theory and practice.

The CPSU has done a lot of work to study the large and complex economic and socio-political problems of socialist society in the USSR, together with other fraternal communist parties it has worked out fundamental issues of the development of the world system of socialism, studied new phenomena of modern capitalism, and solved the most important problems of the world revolutionary liberation movement. This theoretical activity seriously enriches M.-l. An important creative contribution to Marxist-Leninist theory is the CPSU Program (1961) (see. Programs of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union ), decisions of congresses and plenums of the CPSU Central Committee, party documents for the 50th anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution, the 100th anniversary of the birth of V.I. Lenin, the 50th anniversary of the USSR, documents of international meetings of communist and workers' parties, fraternal communist parties.

M.-l. at the present stage provides a theoretical generalization of the experience of socialist and communist construction in the USSR and other socialist countries; reveals the patterns of development of the world system of socialism, ways and means of building the material and technical base of communism; shows the nature of the current stage of development of capitalism; determines the prospects for the growth and development of the international revolutionary movement of the working class and the national liberation struggle of colonial and dependent peoples, the forms of transition of various countries to socialism; outlines the ways and means of implementing Lenin's policies peaceful coexistence two opposite social systems and ensuring world peace. Analyzing the development of Soviet society, the CPSU showed that the main result of the profound socio-economic transformations carried out was the construction of a developed socialist society. Based on fundamental changes in the economic, social and spiritual life of society, a new historical community emerged - the Soviet people. A developed socialist society is characterized by the harmonious development of economic, socio-political and cultural living conditions. It has a powerful material and technical base, which is created on the basis of the comprehensive development of the national economy and the introduction of the latest achievements of science and technology into production. A developed socialist society is characterized by high and stable growth rates of social production and labor productivity, mature social relations that are formed on the basis of the complete dominance of socialist property, the elimination of all exploitative elements and the establishment of the Marxist-Leninist worldview, socio-political and ideological unity of society. It fully established the socialist principle of distribution according to the quantity and quality of labor. The political superstructure of developed socialism is the national state . At the present stage in the USSR the task of creating material and technical base of communism , the construction of which is a complex, multifaceted, complex task. The CPSU emphasizes the need to develop and implement modern methods planning and management, ways to improve the efficiency of the national economy, improve material and moral incentives. Acquires a significant role forward planning, which determines the main direction of the country's development for the long term. The task set at the 24th Congress of the CPSU of organically combining the achievements of the scientific and technological revolution with the advantages of the socialist economic system is of the most important programmatic importance. In a developed socialist society, a new social structure of friendly classes and strata has emerged, the process of erasing class lines and establishing the social homogeneity of society is underway, the formation of a new person as a result of the influence of objective conditions and communist education. The emergence of the Soviet people, embodying the brotherhood of working people of more than a hundred nations and nationalities, united by common interests, ideology, goals and ideals, is the result of the creative application and development of Marxist-Leninist principles for solving the national question, the process of bringing the peoples of the USSR closer together, their unity and unification during the socialist and communist construction. Developing Lenin's doctrine of the party, the CPSU showed that the most important objective pattern of development of a socialist society is the increasing leading role of the communist party. This pattern manifests itself with even greater force at the stage of building communism as a result of the growth in the scale and variety of forms of creative activity of the people, the complication of the internal and international tasks of the development of Soviet society.

The CPSU, together with other communist parties, is developing fundamental issues of the development of the world system of socialism, the operation of the general laws of socialist construction and their implementation in the specific conditions of different countries. The CPSU and fraternal parties of socialist countries are exploring the patterns and trends of the international socialist division of labor, the principles of socialist integration and other issues related to the development of the world socialist system as a whole. A serious place in modern Marxist-Leninist theory is occupied by the analysis of new phenomena of capitalist society, which is important for developing the program, strategy and tactics of the revolutionary and national liberation movement and determining the foreign policy line of socialist countries.

Trying to adapt to the conditions of the struggle between two opposing systems, using the results of the scientific and technological revolution, modern imperialism acquired some new features. Its state-monopoly character is intensifying, which is expressed in state stimulation of the monopolistic concentration of production and capital, the redistribution of an increasingly large share of national income in the interests of monopolies, financing the development of industry and scientific research, the development of economic development programs on the scale of individual countries, and the policy of imperialist integration. However, state-monopoly regulation is not able to curb the spontaneous forces of capitalism. The modern scientific and technological revolution, accelerating the process of socialization of the economy, at the same time leads to the reproduction of social antagonisms on an even larger scale and to the emergence of new contradictions in the development of capitalism. All this causes an increase in the instability of the capitalist system, deep socio-political crises, the growth of the revolutionary consciousness of the masses, and a growing wave of class battles in the citadels of capitalism. The crisis of modern state-monopoly capitalism is manifested in all areas - economic, political, ideological, moral, that is, it is of a universal nature (see. Imperialism , Capitalism , General crisis of capitalism ). One of the clearest expressions of this crisis is the collapse of the colonial system of imperialism as a result of the growth of the national liberation movement. The struggle for national liberation in many countries is developing into a struggle against exploitative social relations. Of great importance for the workers', communist and national liberation movements is the theoretical development of the problems of bringing together in the modern era the democratic and socialist tasks of the revolutionary struggle, the combination of peaceful and non-peaceful forms of revolution, and the possibility of a non-capitalist path of development of former colonial countries.

M.-l. is the international basis of the revolutionary strategy and tactics of the communist and workers' parties, the international solidarity of fighters for the cause of the proletariat. The classics of M.-L., noting the importance of taking into account the specific historical features and uniqueness of the situation in which each proletarian party has to act, always defended the unity of the international tactics of the communist movement. V.I. Lenin emphasized that the task of communists is “... to be able to apply the general and basic principles of communism to the uniqueness of relations between classes and parties, to that uniqueness in the objective development towards communism, which is characteristic of each individual country and which one must be able to study, find, guess” (Complete Works, 5th ed., vol. 41, p. 74). Developing this position of V.I. Lenin, the International Meetings of Communist and Workers' Parties in 1957, 1960 and 1969 noted that the application of the general laws of development of the socialist revolution, socialist construction and socialism should be carried out “... taking into account the historical characteristics of each country and the interests of the socialist system in general...” (Program documents of the struggle for peace, democracy and socialism, 1961, p. 49). This is one of the expressions of the unique development of each country along the path of socialism, which, being carried out “... on the basis of general laws...”, at the same time “... unfolds in various forms, taking into account specific historical conditions and national features" (International Meeting of Communist and Workers' Parties. Documents and Materials, M., 1969, p. 305).

The most important task of both the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and all fraternal communist parties is the struggle for the purity of Marxist-Leninist theory. As the experience of the revolutionary struggle has shown, the strength of the international communist movement lies in loyalty to M.-L. and proletarian internationalism. Throughout its history, the CPSU waged a struggle against all types of apostasy from the theory of M.-L., against all manifestations of right and “left” opportunism. The International Conference of Communist and Workers' Parties in June 1969 emphasized the need to “... strive for the triumph of Marxism-Leninism, to fight, in accordance with the specific situation, against right- and left-wing opportunist distortions of theory and politics, against revisionism, dogmatism and left-wing sectarian adventurism” (ibid., p. . 328-29).

Modern revisionism has put forward the thesis of pluralistic Marxism, that is, the validity of a number of different interpretations of Marxism, which can all supposedly be true at the same time. Proponents of this variety of revisionism contrast the views of Marx and Engels, Marx and Lenin. They especially vehemently attack the Leninist stage in the development of Marxism, denying the international significance of Leninism and the role of V.I. Lenin as a great theoretician of our time. However, all non-Leninist and anti-Leninist interpretations of Marxism either turn out to be varieties of petty-bourgeois revolutionaryism, or represent outright concessions to bourgeois ideology, a departure from the main provisions of the M.-L., first of all, a rejection of the ideas of the proletarian revolution and the dictatorship of the proletariat. One of the most harmful modern anti-Leninist movements is Maoism - petty-bourgeois nationalist perversion of M.-l. The CPSU emphasizes that the credibility of criticism of bourgeois and revisionist attacks on M.-L. is greatly enhanced when this criticism is based on the active and creative development of literary studies and all social sciences. “Theoretical development and timely practical solution of new problems raised by life are a necessary condition for the successful movement of society towards communism. Theory must continue to illuminate the path to practice and help identify and overcome obstacles and difficulties that hinder successful communist construction. The party considers its most important duty to be the further development of Marxist-Leninist theory on the basis of the study and generalization of new phenomena in the life of Soviet society and the experience of the world revolutionary workers and liberation movement, the creative combination of theory with the practice of communist construction” (CPSU Program, 1972, p. 118).

Historical experience testifies to the great vitality of literature, which is a powerful means not only of knowledge, but also of the revolutionary transformation of the world.

The International Meeting of Communist and Workers' Parties in Moscow in 1969 noted that the entire experience of world socialism, the workers' and national liberation movements confirmed the international significance of Marxist-Leninist teaching (see International Meeting of Communist and Workers' Parties. Documents and materials, M., 1969, p. 332). M.-l. constitutes the scientific basis for the activities of communist parties at every stage of the path to the great goal - communism. He is one of the most important driving forces of socialist and communist construction, the formation of a new man. M.-l. is becoming increasingly widespread in the world, it plays a significant role in the confrontation between socialism and capitalism, in the development of the world revolutionary process.

M. B. Mitin.

Today in China, the ruling CCP is declaring a course towards a combination of Marxism-Leninism, the theory of Mao Zedong, the contributions of Deng Xiaoping and taking into account Chinese characteristics.

Chairman of the Central Control and Audit Commission of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation V.S. Nikitin believes that the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, in accordance with its Program, is obliged to creatively develop Marxism-Leninism on the basis of domestic and world experience.

Origin and application of the term

During this evolution, Marxism-Leninism began to consist of the following basic elements:

1. dialectical materialism, which was not described by Marx himself;
2. historical materialism, which was included in dialectical materialism in the late 1970s. and interpreted as the extension of the principles of the latter to the field of social phenomena;
3. a critical analysis of capitalism, which aimed to adapt the old description of capitalism to the realities of the 20th century - it was necessary to defend, contrary to the facts, the outdated theory that the general crisis of capitalism continues to deepen;
4. the theory of a special type of party and a revolutionary movement associated with the party, developed by Lenin; such a theory was absent from orthodox Marxism;
5. The communist prophecy - the construction of communism was either declared to be a matter of the coming decades, or was postponed to the “historically foreseeable period.”

Main differences from classical Marxism

There was no concept of a “new type of party” in Marxism. The dictatorship of the proletariat, according to Marxist teaching, is necessary means for the transition from capitalism to communism. The doctrine of Marxism-Leninism about a “party of a new type” essentially reduced the dictatorship of the proletariat to the dictatorship of a revolutionary party, controlling all aspects of the life of society, from politics and economics to the private lives of its members. The monopolistic ruling party in power combines an ideology designed to inspire enthusiasm with terror that constantly instills fear. She claims to have new solutions to all existential aspects of existence concerning the meaning of history and human life, human happiness, justice and the like. It also justifies a new code of moral precepts, in which service to the party itself, and not to society as a whole, is declared the highest duty. Marx and Engels envisioned the Communist Party as being like other political parties, and especially working-class parties.

To others important point, in which Marxism-Leninism departed from Marxism, was an interpretation of the prerequisites for the victory of the socialist revolution. According to Marx, the victory of the socialist revolution is possible only if it occurs simultaneously in the most developed capitalist countries. Marxism-Leninism put forward the idea of ​​the possibility of the victory of socialism in one particular country, if this country is a backward, predominantly peasant country. The theory of permanent revolution, developed by L. D. Trotsky starting in 1905, denied the gap between the anti-feudal (bourgeois) and anti-capitalist (socialist) revolutions and asserted the inevitability of the transition from national to international revolution: having begun in Russia as a bourgeois revolution, the revolution will certainly begin in the industrial -developed countries, but already becoming socialist. Lenin did not agree with Trotsky on this for a long time, but in 1917 he still declared that the revolution in Russia would succeed if only an international revolution would begin after it. The thesis about the possibility of the victory of socialism in one individual country was put forward by Stalin. However, he did everything to ensure that its authorship remained unknown. He attributed this idea to Lenin, for which he falsified the statements of both Lenin and Trotsky. Thus, Stalin had the opportunity to sharply contrast “Leninism,” which claims that it is possible to build socialism in one country, with “Trotskyism,” which he presented as a defeatist, anti-Leninist position.

According to classical Marxism, any social revolution develops as follows: the material conditions of production are prepared and grow until they come into conflict with legal and social relations and, growing out of them as out of clothing, they will not tear them apart. A political revolution can only lead to the fact that one set of rulers will replace the previous ones, and this is just a simple change of persons in charge of government. The events of October 1917 in Russia refuted Marx’s reasoning about the nature of the “coming revolution.” However, Marxism-Leninism, instead of recognizing this refutation, reinterpreted both the general theory of socialist revolution and the October events in order to bring them into line. As a result, this theory became, in principle, unfalsifiable and lost all empirical content. In a similar way, Marxism-Leninism revised the key ideas of Marxism about the relationship between base and superstructure and about socialism as a short transition period from capitalism to communism. The philosopher G. P. Fedotov noted that all the changes made began to “interpret Marxism in a spirit that would have made Marx himself furious.”

Relation to other teachings and doctrines

Juche

The official ideology of the ruling Workers' Party of North Korea, which emerged in 1955, as a result of the transformation of the ideas of Marxism-Leninism and the ideas of Kim Il Sung.

Maoism

Official ideology of the USSR

Volumes of the complete collected works of the founders (Marx, Engels, Lenin) stood in a place of honor in all Soviet libraries (at one time, next to them were also the collected works of Stalin). There was also an officially approved interpretation of the works of the classics, which changed over time.

Marxism-Leninism was subject to compulsory study in all Soviet educational institutions, starting from senior secondary school. Also released large number books and scientific articles devoted to the interpretation of Marxism-Leninism. However, all the disputes were about minor issues; any attempts to doubt the basic tenets of Marxism-Leninism were severely suppressed.

In addition to the works of the founders, there were decisions and resolutions of congresses and plenums of the CPSU; these documents were also subject to mandatory study in educational institutions of the USSR.

The ultimate goal of Marxism-Leninism was proclaimed to be the establishment of a communist system throughout the world; at the same time, the USSR and other socialist countries were supposed to serve as the starting base for the spread of communism to other countries (in the West this was called “export of revolution”). The USSR also claimed the role of leader of the entire world communist movement, which created the basis for conflict with Yugoslavia and later with China.

Fading interest in Marxism-Leninism

In the conditions of moving away from the principles of Stalinism, the atmosphere of fear that formed its basis began to dissipate. This led to the fact that communist enthusiasm gradually waned and especially attractive promises were required to support it. The ideology of Marxism-Leninism began to decay. The first profound evidence of this was the new program of the Communist Party, which proclaimed that “the current generation Soviet people will live under communism." Such promises showed that the theorists of Marxism-Leninism did not understand the essence of communism and the processes taking place in the Soviet economy. Belief in the reality of building communism began to fade rapidly from the late 1970s. E. Gellner wrote about that time: “...The wretched, although relatively mild, Brezhnev era undermined faith in ideals much more than the total, unpredictable and highest degree the destructive Stalinist terror, which at least could be perceived as a chilling dramatic harbinger of the birth of a new society, the coming of a new man."

One of the signs of the growing crisis of Marxism-Leninism was that starting from the 1960s. In Soviet philosophy, works devoted to the philosophy of science, logic, history of philosophy and not directly related to the traditional problems of dialectical and historical materialism began to appear in increasing numbers. The indispensable mention of the classics of Marxism-Leninism turned out to be mostly formal. The concepts of “Marxist-Leninist philosophy” and “Soviet philosophy” were no longer identical and continued to diverge over time. A number of Soviet philosophers of the 1970-1980s. no longer had anything to do with Marxism-Leninism.

After the collapse of the USSR

Criticism

Critics of Marxism-Leninism attribute to the main errors of the teachings of Marxism-Leninism its theoretical position, according to which the new social system - communism - will certainly defeat capitalism for natural reasons, that communism will be able to provide higher labor productivity than capitalism. However, attempts to build communism in practice were unsuccessful.

The history of countries that tried to follow the teachings of Marxism-Leninism demonstrated its internal paradox: created as a theoretical justification for the construction of a perfect communist society, it ultimately turned out to be an ideological justification for the created totalitarian communist regimes.

See also

Notes

1. // Philosophy: Encyclopedic Dictionary. - M.: Gardariki. Edited by A.A. Ivina. 2004.
2. Large explanatory dictionary of the Russian language. - 1st ed.: St. Petersburg: Norint S. A. Kuznetsov. 1998
3. Besanson A. ISBN 5-87902-029-0
4. Gritsanov A. A. The latest philosophical dictionary. Scientific publication / Mertsalova A. I. - Minsk: V. M. Skakun, 1998. - 896 p. - ISBN 985-6235-17-0
5. Wed.: Mitin M. B. Marxism-Leninism.// Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd ed. - M.: Sov. encyclopedia, 1974. v. 15
6. Semenov V.S. Lessons of the 20th century and the path to the 21st century: (socio-philosophical analysis and forecast). - M., 2000
7. V.S. Nikitin: from the creative development of Marxism to renewed socialism of the 21st century
8. / Ed. A. A. Ivina
9. Article 6.“The leading and directing force of Soviet society, the core of its political system, state and public organizations is the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. The CPSU exists for the people and serves the people.
   Armed with Marxist-Leninist teaching, the Communist Party determines the general prospects for the development of society, the line of internal and foreign policy The USSR leads the great creative activity of the Soviet people, gives a planned, scientifically based character to its struggle for the victory of communism.
   All party organizations operate within the framework of the USSR Constitution.” - Constitution of the USSR 1977).
10. Article 126.“In accordance with the interests of workers and in order to develop organizational initiative and political activity of the masses, citizens of the USSR are guaranteed the right to associate in public organizations: trade unions, cooperative associations, youth organizations, sports and defense organizations, cultural, technical and scientific societies, and the most active and conscious citizens from the ranks of the working class and other layers of workers unite into the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks), which is the vanguard of workers in their struggle for the strengthening and development of the socialist system and representing the leading core of all organizations of workers, both public and state.” - Constitution of the USSR 1936
11. / Ed. A. A. Ivina. - Moscow: Gardariki, 2004. - 1074 p. - ISBN 5–8297–0050–6

Literature

• Lenin, V.I.. - Complete collected works, vol. 23
• Lukacs D. Lenin. Research essay on the relationship of his ideas / Author's introductory article by S.N. Zemlyanoy. - M.: International. relations, 1990. - 141 p. - ISBN 5-7133-0356-X
• Besanson A. The intellectual origins of Leninism = Les Origines intellectuelles du léninisme. - 1st. - Moscow: MIC, 1998. - 304 p. - ISBN 5-87902-029-0

Links

• Works of the most famous theorists of Marxism-Leninism.

Worldview working class.MARXISM - LENINISM -a developing scientific system of philosophical, economic and socio-political views that make up worldview working class. The founders of Marxism were Marx and Engels; Lenin made an outstanding contribution to its development. Marxism arose in the middle. 19th century, when the contradictions inherent in capitalist society sharply emerged in the advanced countries of Europe. At this time, the historical limits of capitalism had already been outlined and its future gravedigger and creator of a new, communist society appeared on the arena of history - working class. In theoretical terms, Marxism arose on the basis of a critical processing of the achievements of German classical philosophy, English political economy and French socialism, which Lenin called the sources of Marxism. The constituent, internally connected parts of M.-l. are philosophy - dialectical and historical materialism,political economy andscientific communism.Creation of M.-l. was a true revolution in the history of human thought. He gave answers to questions posed by the development of society. Its difference from previous social theories is that it not only scientifically explained the world, but also determined the conditions, ways and means of its transformation. This was the result of applying the principles of Marxist philosophy and materialist dialectics to the analysis of society, which led to the discovery of the laws of its development. Characterizing materialist dialectics, Marx wrote that it is of a revolutionary-critical nature, apologetics of reality is alien to it; She views each stage of society as developing and transitory. M.-l. proved that the movement of society is directed by divine forces not above people. People themselves create their own history, but the course of social development is determined not by their free will and desires, but by the material conditions of their lives. For the first time, society was understood as an integral organism, in the structure of which we can distinguishproductive forces, industrial relationsand the spheres of public life they define:state, politics, law, morality, philosophy, science, art, religion.Applying the principles of a materialist understanding of history to the analysis of capitalist society, Marx and Engels created a scientific political economy that revealed the nature of capitalist exploitation, proved the historically transient nature of capitalism, and substantiated the need for a transition to socialism. The principles and program for building a new society were included in the M.-L. as its most important component is scientific communism. Marxism showed that the transition from capitalism to socialism is not carried out spontaneously and automatically, but as a result of the struggle of the working class, whose historical mission is the revolutionary conquest of political power, the establishmentdictatorship of the proletariat,which has as its goal the destruction of all exploitation of man by man. The strategy and tactics of the class struggle of the proletariat and its forms are very diverse and are determined by specific historical internal and international conditions, the maturity of the working class and its allies. The labor movement wins only if it unites with socialist theory, with Marxism. This connection is carried out by the communist party - vanguard of the working class, its organizer and leader. The principle of the inextricable connection between revolutionary theory and the revolutionary movement is the most important principle of M.-L. The working class finds in M.-L. your spiritual weapon. His class interests correspond to the historical trends in the development of society, and therefore he is interested in an objective knowledge of reality. M.-l. provides a guide to transforming society and nature. This is not a collection of dogmas and ready-made recipes, but a constantly evolving teaching. The supreme criterion for the truth of Marxism is, according to Lenin, its correspondence with the actual process of social development. Lenin emphasized that socialists should not regard Marxism as something smoky and inviolable and, in order not to lag behind life, are obliged to develop it in all directions. A new, important stage in the development of Marxism is associated with the name of Lenin, who creatively enriched all its components during the period when the proletarian revolution became a matter of direct practice. He raised Marxist philosophy to a qualitatively new level, summarizing the latest achievements of scientific thought, and comprehensively developed materialist dialectics, applying it to new conditions of social life. Lenin created the doctrine of imperialism as the highest and final stage of capitalism, developed the theorysocialist revolution.The most important component of this theory was the conclusion about the possibility of the victory of socialism in one country. Leading the world's first socialist revolution, Lenin identified specific ways to build a new society - to transform all areas of social life on socialist principles. In the modern historical era, M.-l. creatively developed by the collective efforts of the CPSU and other communist and workers' parties, which analyzed the deepening of the general crisis of capitalism, as well as the main contradiction of our era - between socialism and imperialism and its impact on the processes of world development. Historical experience has confirmed that the general laws of the socialist revolution and the construction of a new society manifest themselves in a variety of specific forms in groups of similar countries and in individual states. These patterns serve as the objective basis for the international solidarity of the working class and all streams of the world liberation movement. As the balance of forces in the world changed in favor of socialism, the possibilities for a relatively peaceful, without armed uprising and civil war, the path of development of the revolution, which does not exclude the use of other forms of class struggle depending on specific conditions. Of utmost importance is the conclusion that there is no fatal inevitability of a new world war, an analysis of the relationship between peaceful coexistence and the class struggle, and the importance of the struggle for peace for social progress. The CPSU and other fraternal parties developed the concept of a developed, mature socialist society, with the construction of which in the USSR the state of the dictatorship of the proletariat turned intonation-wide stateA new historical community has emerged - the Soviet people. The Communist Party defends the creative character of M.-L. in the fight against bourgeois ideology, its revisionist and dogmatic distortions. In the modern era, Marxist-Leninist theory focuses on the problems of socialist and communist construction, the struggle of the working class in capitalist countries, and the national liberation movement. The entire course of modern social development proves the strength and vitality, the correctness of the main conclusions and provisions of M.-L., demonstrates its growing influence on the direction, forms and pace of social progress. M.-l. became the ruler of the thoughts of advanced humanity, he is embodied in the deeds of millions of people fighting for a better life, building socialism and communism. In socialist countries M.-l. serves as the basis for the development of scientific principles for guiding the development of society, principles of foreign policy, the basiscommunist educationall workers.