Pyotr Yakir on the fight for socialist democracy in the Soviet Union today

The Chronicle of Current Events. Issue |, dated April 30, 1977, For three full years now, and going well into the fourth, the most broadly representative pubee ES lication of the movement for socialist democracy in the Soviet Union, the Chronicle of Current Eoents, has continued to come oul every acc ood month. The nineteenth imsue, dated April 30, 1971, has only now become available to ua: un: fortunately, clandestine conditions actm to make the four-month delay p not unuaual ocewrrence. The appeargoce of a twentieth lasue, dated June 40, 1971, has alao been reported, bot we have not yet seen copies of it.

The regularity and continulty of this samizaar publication, the continued appearance of oppositional] organizations of various hues, the ongoing struggies of oppressed national minorities (a Chronicie is now coming out in the Ukraine, and another one dealing solely with the struggle of Soviet Jews for the right to emigraie to Israel— a reaction to the denial of national and cultural rights by the Great Russian Kremlin bureaucracy} —all these are a sure sign that the protest movement in the USSR continues to rise.

The Kremlin bosses and thelr police apparatus do mot feel it ia safe now io resort to the kind of mane arresta used under Stalin. Thus they are unable to root out and expunge the movement as & whole. Inslead they pick off outatanding individuals and’ particular groups. Such victimizatons, however, tend in turn to arquae further protests, while sdmitiediy having an intimidating effect on weaker or more timid elements around the oppowitional movement, The hardened caste of officials and adminiatrators who have usurped power and privilege in the Soviet workers state are obviously unsure of themstlves in the face of the growing politicnlization of important sections of the population. They display « peculiar inconsistency, a hali-surly healfancy. It in os though they sense o growling reaentment over their bullying tnejics but are determined to bragen through nevertheless.

Ac interesting sssesument of the curren! stage of the movement for sociallat democracy is given in the Inllowing excerpts from Pyoir. Yokir's Open Letter of March 27, 1071, to the Twenty-fourth Congrem of the Soviet Communist Party. These excerpts appeared in the listing of "New Samizdat Works in the recently received igaue No. 18 of the CAronick, The translation; by Intercontinental Press, hos omitted only the Inet excerpt—a paraeraph in which Yakir Lets eighteen prominent political prisonera (including many in psychiatric prison-hoaplials) and refera to “the many, many others.” His own freedom of the moment be deacribes aa a “drop of good fortune" in this sea of unhappy cases, The reason the KGB has not acted againet him in more decisive fashion js, of course, that he bs the son of General lon Yakir, one of the top Red Army generals secrefiy tried and shot by Stalin on the eve of World War IL. Steps against another Yakir in 1971 might revive too many memories of the 1937 purge to be usefal to the helra of Stalin, a In recent years a dangerous tendency has made itself felt in the internal lif of our country —towerd a revival of Stalinist methods of rule and, in art and Iterature and in the writtng of history and personal memolra, toward a rehabllllation of Stalin himeelf, one of the grésiest crimfnals of the twentieth century. It ia understandable that such a development auiia the revenprseeking Sialinksta perfectly well. But ien't it also Understandable: and natural thal Wt arouses the protests of those who warmly welcomed the "lquidation of the consequences of the personality cule? fan't the slarm understandable that ts felt by the many thousands over whom the shadow of that gloomy and eruel fanathe reara itself onee agein? Such alarm la felt by a very large part, if mol the overwhelming majority, of cur creotive, acleniific, and technical intelligentals, by thousands of members of national minorities wheee rights were trampled upon under Stalin ond who still hove not had ther reatered, and by many, many Critiques de l'Economie Politique (Critiques of Political Economy}, Editions F. Maspero, 1 Place Poul! Poinleve, Poris 5, France.

Fram Infercontinental Press French revolitionary Marzlam haa scored a new succeas over both Stalinist revisioniam and what Marz called the “vulgarity” of bourgeois pacudoaclenpce, A quarterly theoretical magagine devoted to political economy, launched at the end of last year, hea moved to the forefront of publications of this kind, The fret iaaue of Cridfquea de t'Economie Poiitgue (September-December 1970) look op the subject of inflation, the second deali with the criske of the international monetary ayatem, and ihe third with the structure of underdevelopment.

The first tro nombers were, of course, of exceplignal timelineds. They were prected oot only by specialists in the feld but alse by hundreds of studenta, teachers, and workers who have become other citizens of the Soviet Union for whom the fate of the nation ia mot a matter of indifference.

In the second half ofthe 18608 0 flood of letters, appenia, and declarations — individual and. collective, on particular questians amd on matters In general—poured into the officers of various party aod government bodies. The erifieal content of these documents was in the grent majority of cases abaclutely loyal One would naturally have expected that the leadership, which hoe proclaimed to oll the world the complete and teal “liquidation Of the consequences” [of Stalin's cult], would 2xplain reseonably and peolitely to ite fellow citzenas in whai respects thelr eriticiame were justified or unjust Hed.

Why, then, how tie reply to eriticim been, in dee best of cases, sence, cad. at wors!— legal prosecotton ond extratediceal!l mprevsian?

- + - Pollteal prisoners have reappeared in the camps. in paythlairic prisoo-howpiials once again we find the “mentally incompeteni,” for whom ‘the chiel proof of "being cured’ is the abandonment of thelr beliefa and convictions, Public confeaslona are once again demanded, and those who refuse to Tecant (and sometimes even those who do recant) are reduced in rank, or discharged from thelr work, of expelled from educational Inathtuthon.

The selectivences, the “discrimination” employed, In exerclaing repression {for om and the aame “crime,” one person la given @ reprimand at work, another da not bothered at all, and oa third gets geveral years in a prison camp) only underscores the arblirarinesa and illegality of the repressive measures.

Whot kind of method i it to reply to erithckem with persecution? Whom does {1.serve? Is.thia the way to demonstrate. your correctness bo your Tek, low clthena and to the world? Will ao monoitfos ideological wnity in our society really be achined in this way? Why, this will only enlarge the paumber of the discontented, with no regard to Acw that discontent is to express itself, Somizdet has appeared and stubbornly peralata. fe this not a sign that the epirlitial needa of the ao chly are oot being properly met? And is imprisonment for possession of production of samizdat materiale really going to quench thie infellecdunl thirst?

Why ta it that the Soviet film Andres Rublyox can be shown in France but not in the Soviet Linton? Why ie tt that foreign Communisis con tread ond admire Solzhenitayn, whike in the Soviet — om can, read only wielous arhckes about iim ov. Who would think of writing to the UN or appealing to world public opiniod if our own leadership had offered convincing anewers to serioud questions bothering serious people?

One la forced to conclude that podtied! and phdlosophier! diaent, even if # is foyol m@ regarded of 8 creme m our eountry, though if m& not ea sicried.

=— FROM INTERCONTINENTAL PRESS “seTiliized” on toonombes, Ag ihe reception given to the pocketbook edition of Ernest Mandel's Moarrist Econemic Theory had already shown, @ considerable public exists for soothing better than the driveF put out by the Sialiniaia on the evildoings of ihe blg monopolies. (The French Communlai party bat beoed bro volumes of a “Manual of Pollties! Etonomy,” summarizing in a: rather clever wey the “best beckground" articles written by the Sialinist economists in the peat period on “state monopoly capitaliam."} The editor of Crittguer de {Economie Politique is Jacques Voller of the Univeralty of Nanterre, The editorial board includes various members of the Ligue Communist (the French section of the Fourth Iniernational). It & publlahed by Maapera.

Single woplea are iid ot 4.70 fronmce (about $1.67) A one-year subscription tao be obtained by sending 44 francs (abou! 96.12) to Editions F, Maapero, | Place Poul Painievé, Parle 6, Froamee.

— JEAN FLAME

Trotskyists suffer heavy casualties _—_.

[The following statement wan leeued September 26 by the United Senretarint of the Fourth International The United Secretarial of the Fourth International anneuncea that the POR {Partido Obrero Revolucionaria— Revolutionary Workers party, the Bolivian sectian of the Fourth International) suffered several dosen cagunlthes im the struggle ogains! the coup led by General Bonstr and agains! the new ollitary regime. Some fell on the field of bottle: ofhers were captured by the repressive forces and are in concentration camps. The repression has alec fnllen heavily on other organizations operating in the name of the working class. Hacked by American imperioliam ond its agents in other Latin American countries, the “gorillas” In power ore preparing to organine the most systematic and savage kind of extermination campalen, The Bolivian proletariat bas experimced & long serkes of barbaric maaSolivian popular militia fought right-wing coup.

acres in its history. Once again this breai hangs over tis head, and more than ever it deserves internatlonal soldarliy.

The POR comrade: understood perfectly well thai a teat of strength was wevitable in the near future. Since ‘Sey took a Taallatic view of the reloondhip of forces, in the mlitery Meld above all, they head no illusions about he outcome. They made a consider able effort to prepare themeelves for ihe coming. testi, scoring Important gains in every arena. Figt theag exertions could oot tounterbalance the negative wWelght of the polifical and nibary defickencies which persisted ai the mass fevel as a consequence of he lack of any real strategy for seiz ig power and waging armed struggle vn the part of moat of the organiza: (ond claiming to be socialist, At best, ‘Hee organizations did nel go beyond spontaoélat concept of iogurcection, Monetheless, In face of the . rightist coup d'etat aod the mas mobiizatam, especially in La Paz aod Sania “uz, our comrades did ool healiate a insiant, Their duty was. to partiwate In the struggles with the forces 1¢¥ bad of their disposal. And so ey marehed together with their closs during Bolivian coup beethers, in the front ranks. Tomas Chambl, leeder of the Independent Pemsant Federation, fell in La Faz, along with about Afieen of his com rades, In Santa Crux, where the eounterrevolutionary assault was partieularly flerce, twenty comrodes were killed; and wounded or missing FOR members have yet to be necounted for, Comrades have been arrested in Loa Fas, Santa Cruz, and Oruro. They are now being held, along with all ihe other victims of the repredaion, in the prisona and conmtentration campe in the tropical jungle, including the one ai Madidi, where conditions are reported to be particularly revaolling. Finally, leading tomrades who survived and had begun the task of re orgenizing the movement barely e3ceped capture by taking refuge'in the embassy of a Latn American country (after being turned back by several other embassies}, and are now In exile, The POR comrade haye writhen us aé follows:

"We are determined to contiou: our Sirugele aod are ina more promising poéliion than in the pasai (ur forces have increased in the recent period and new leading cadres have emerged. They are already at work, We are most encouraged by the confidence that vanguard aechore have expressed lo ua. This does oot mean that we do not find ourselves in a dificult Postion. But revolutionists cannot expect the bourgeoisie to clear ihe way for them. Now, we mual fight and we will fight. We prepared ourselves with such a perspective lin lad."

The United Secretarial of the Kourth international paye homaye to the hundredea of workera, peasants, and stwdeote mageacred in the tragic days of Aupuat 1971, It pave homage to the Trotekvist miliiants whe fell, in their oem worde, with their "thoughts on the party ond the laternational." The United Secrotnriat expresses ite fraternal solidarity with all those suffering in tye prisons ond the concentration camps, whe must bt enalched from their bangmen by an International CMimpabien against the repreaslon.

Long live the Bolivian working clans! Long live the POR! Long live the Fourth Internatlonall = Bolwian miners marching on an ant-fescist demonstration, jt their hands, sticks of ayranite, —— PPenagg) in Oettaber 1967, es Bolivia, the most politically unstable nation mi the world has had i 74 revolutions since it won lide pendence in 125. In that year a dictatorship was established under Bolivar, who gtanted Catheliciarn a monopely position within the sdate, He was otisted in TRIB hy Santa Cour (1828-29) who heal conquered Peru, Hu protectorship nf that Counlry was PECUE nised by Britain, Pranos-and the Oa, Faure ing tach @ conceritation of power, Chile, Hira ail, anid Argentina attacked and ended the rule of Santa Cruz, Por the remainder of the cen tury Bolten was povermne 1 by de THROES whi did tittle bo improve her #conuimy There were some Liberals, Paceka (1 R94.) 904) and Montes Tn the election of (951, MNR (Movimicote Nacional Revoluctonario) candidates Poz Estenpaso and Siles polled 45%. Apprebensive. the amy impeased mulitary cule for 11 months, An MANE inspired revolt broke out in Apml L952 ied by Labour leader Juan Lechin and bucked by thn miners and ecudence. Par seized ihe relns of powermment and ruled trom 1952-36, and from 196084, He granted umiverssl sutfrage, (UL then only literate males cowd yor) urmed! (he peasants and rationalised the tin industry. Asalictoior Paz lost his allies and was ousted by Barrientos, a right-wing militaria whos theory was “They art Communists because of thelr stomachs, not their heads”, Che Gwoevare led the-guevilla stragele against this regime, wntil be was execuied by the army 2} the MINE:

The Torres regime was the synthesis of fascjet revolt and workers counter-revalt in 1970. The thehi-wing President Ovando fell but the workere did not seine power. The CP. it pro-Mos cow the POR (Loreal {Tootekyists, aplit fram Fourth International) the MAE aod Lechin formed a Cominde Politios which handed power ter Torres, He wsuimed puwer Liieoricl tionally. A pexpular assembly was established it June 1271 te support the Torres Regime against imminent fascist rebellion. The delegates were, 132 (60%) proletarian, 33 middle claas, 23 peasant, and 11 ler political parties The reason forthe low numerical strengihel the peasant delegation wad the fact that the Independent Contederation of Bolivian Peasants Was oot supported by che maporiey of peasants, The pro-Mfoscow CP and the AOR f Load refuyed to give them delegates on the prounds. that they are petty bourgeois, The Assembly consisted of refocmist und counter-rmevoludionary trends. The former wus represented by the pro-oscom CP and the POR (Lora), the latter, who formed the majorly, Uhe pro-Moscow (CP and the POR {Lora} succeeded in keeping the POR Gonzales (Oficial Section ot the Fourth International} outol the Assembly, The Assembly tumed out lo be nothing moe than adebating chamber and when (he tasctst coup cane, it stil] had not organised armed militias, The faseist coup began in Sania Crus when people invelved ti the coup were arrested. A protest followed which led to fighting between the left and right. The army in its uaual role, cameout infavour of the reht wing. The warkerd’ demand for arms was refused by Torres, The studtota and workers proceeded to arm themsclecs as heat they could, Fighting began in La Paz headed by Sanchez on the workers’ side, and the Castrilbe regiment ii faveur of the guup, The workers’ lick of ares made an eusy vighory fer the regiment, Uhearrests are lesrtures bapan im which 40 revolutionary Tretekyists were massacred. The eoveroment of Bolivia ii now in the hands of :

1) the peasants whecsupperted Barrientos, 3] the Falange, a right-wing party representing the interest: of the fancdewners, There is only one anawer bo the etikitien mat only i Bolivia fait in the whole ef Lain Amer ie, Th the words of Ensest Wanidel “The bile: ing of an adeguate revolutionary leadership of the proletariat and seri proletariat of town and countryside, is the only way our of the impasse. It is more than ¢ver the central task. The strateay armed struggle closely linked and mcreusingty integrated with the mass movement in whith a growine penelralion must be wisured: this the only way to build this evolutionary party in the preseot historical context of most of the Latin American counteles,”

Winder direct British role lecland did not develop a siable capitalist economy. Uhe migin eager [oe ‘this was the fact that it sued big British busi ness interests to restrict the growth ed industry here and keep Ireland completely dependent.on supplying the English market with cheap agricultural praducts since the lowndation of the Lah “Free Stare, the representatives of big business here, hive done theit best te cake Ireland a happy dirt ing ground for capitalism. But these efforts were doomed to failure from the-very start, Those who suffered frem this inevitable failure were, not the internaticnal apecolstor and ee Oe their frish lackeys but the Irish werking clas.

The Free State has had a constant rate af unemployment 7 since its foundation, Unemployment levels would be fat higher but fora conslant stream of emigravion to England and America, Whee the Fianna Fail perty under Levens, offi aially admitted the failure of lish home gnien capitalists to make a success of capitalicm in lieland and opened the deers to foreign ype culators, with bribesool handewne tax cones sions and abundani e¢ heap lateaur, at bal some effect, Nurnerdus small factories SpTuNp Up, British and Acnerican bosses wishing to cash in on the tax concessions and cheap labeour, opened subsidiaries here, waually to manlayture seat CN PCHENE, To tee tise ie thei large plants in the parent country. Light irelistee do not make fora healthy eoonomy, Heo vy industry i9-an essential ingredient in aatable capitalist economy. The patriotism of Irish bosace obviously did mot extend to thes pockets, so they refused te invest in cew heavy industry here which would have involved a jong a wail for returns. Instead they invested abroad, it amore secure faster paying schemes Tece7ima £50, 000,000 returns per annum, The fareion investors were oo more willing to. invest in feavy inudstry here The advent af foreign investment in light inches try in ireland was during the post-war boom: abo made posable by oasalestruction and the death of million: of workers oa war be tween different camps of monopoly capitalists Now the boom is aver and capitelisnr is sliding into another ofits inevitahle crimes, bosses are cutting back on their foreign investments in places like deeland and oonaolidating their positions back home. The results of this cum be seen in the amount of closures weread ahaul on the papers every day, These speculators come here on the invitations of Fianna Fail, exploited iar bor, sod-feaped the profits. Now-when prem fits are threatened, they close up leaving {hou sands of trish workers on the streecs, La ari asta H Dubl usenmloved, 143 This cin be seen in the latest unemployment figures, There are now 4 millions unemployed in Ammenca which i the highest sings the war. England has now | million unemployed again the highest since the war and of coarse the Irish Tiguits ate souring wp apain. Dates! statis figs Stow that there are nearly: 80.000 now on the dale queues and this does aiat allow for people whe hove left school and have pever found work or housewives who need employ Heidt, Aikewing Tor theae people the fipsres would be wellover the LOOOOG mark, Suffice to point ost that these figures anbaint toa 90% Increase wn Woterployment in Leland inthe bast five years. When vou add to these feures the 20,000 that are forced toemigrate frost Ireland yearly you get some idea of what the unemploy Trot situetien anmcvants to in beri of beman sufferina.

And what is Fianna Pail doing about this rapidly trim:

Fe et setiaah ewe rg eee neha eee la In Belfast; shiprorkers on the dole.

WOreNing situation? The-sime as their partners Inerung baal orher capitalist countries of come, They richuusly atteck the living standards of the working class in order to mtairlain their Proll levels and postpone the inevitable death ance capitalism, In Americn we see the government backing up few anliworking clais laws by calling ut the National Guird to shoot down strikers during s dispute in the General Eleetric Company. In England we see the National Productivity Deal and new Trade Union tws. Here in Ireland we see the National Wage “Aereement™: Brennan's ‘plun to take the dole away from all the workers which he only succeeded imtaking front rural workers Torthe sumiener months (no-dowbt he will try apain and harder this time} and new pti: trade union laos under which it will he alms lirmassible to start 2 new trade unioit, Figtca Pail will be in a far; better position to corrupt the trade unten tops whe have already sald oul the workers Dy signing the satictal wage aereenment [fihislaw is passed, workers.will nat be able to leave their union if they become dissatisfied with it like the busmen did when they started the NUB_ Pian Pail have admitted to $e inflation last year, (he national wage aprecniene limits wages toe. Therein even those lucky enough, to have a job and to have won wage rise trom che bossa mugt im fact softer a 4 drop in their stundard of living. Theteis no need-to point crt that the unemployed dic not gebany corresponding increase in their serine pitteice.

Whirt sould cheunemployed do?) ln recent years Fianna Pail, secure in the knowle cee thar the emignition ship skimmed off the ariost obtain section of the wnemployed, were able bx keep the Hivation under control, breland"s present crisis is abvicusly only part of a serious inlernatinal ensis. This means that soon there will be neepeini in emigrating. As we have already seen the usual destinations for the lish unemployed, themelees have unemployment problems reach ing crisis proportions.

The Rednndanes Payments Act,2@. scheme welch gives a mall Limp sun pay nent to were ade redundant alter long serviers. 1s an obvious ablempl touniermine the militancy of the wor kers and divide thei tanks. Workers shoulil cea ~ let this payinent, whic is only a fraction of tha money fobhed from then in the form of profies, weaken their detcimination bo fight unemployment, The unemplsyer! should demand that the Trade Lien movement wie every weapon within its power to fight for jabs forall, Inmenediately that would evean a shorler working week for all, bat ibshould not ineana reduction in wages for any body. ‘The Trade Union lenders must be made to fight to-bave the £21 .O00),00%) protit which goes tothe public companies each year shared wut as extra wages. This could poy all Lhe present anemplorved more than £40 per week. Workers produce this money, workers sould pet if, Inevicably. this fight for fobs forall mst Jeud to a fight for workers ‘control of the fuctories and all places of work, Foronky when the people wo the niddis of prlietion will they be weed for the needs of che people amd not for pootit.

If the TU, tops de not vigorously fight for these demands in the fase of the rapidly worsening situwhion the Oneimployed themaches must be made realy bo form cormimittess toorgaoise the fleht theniselves in cooperation with the rank and file of the T.U. Mowerent Only when the fight for workers control of the tidans of production Eas been foopht anal wan can we advance sod leave behind the system which relica on a teaceve arti ef nermplayest, WNaoel Hill PLOUGH Book Service For a wide selection of socialist literature including Marx, Engels.

Lenin. Trotsky and Connolly.

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