Polemic on General Line of International ... - From Marx to Mao

The socialist system is incomparably superior to thecapitalist system. In socialist society, the dictatorship of theproletariat replaces bourgeois dictatorship and the publicownership of the means of production replaces private ownership.The proletariat, from being an oppressed and exploitedclass, turns into the ruling class and a fundamental changetakes place in the social position of the working people.Exercising dictatorship over a few exploiters only, the stateof the dictatorship of the proletariat practises the broadestdemocracy among the masses of the working people, ademocracy which is impossible in capitalist society. Thenationalization of industry and collectivization of agricultureopen wide vistas for the vigorous development of the socialproductive forces, ensuring a rate of growth incomparablygreater than that in any older society.However, one cannot but see that socialist society is asociety born out of capitalist society and is only the firstphase of communist society. It is not yet a fully mature communistsociety in the economic and other fields. It isinevitably stamped with the birthmarks of capitalist society.When defining socialist society Marx said:What we have to deal with here is a communist society,not as it has developed on its own foundations, but, on thecontrary, just as it emerges from capitalist society; whichis thus in every respect, economically, morally and intellectually,still stamped with the birth marks of the oldsociety from whose womb it emerges. 1Lenin also pointed out that in socialist society, which is thefirst phase of communism, “Communism cannot as yet be fullyripe economically and entirely free from traditions or tracesof capitalism”. 21Karl Marx, “Critique of the Gotha Programme”, Selected Works ofKarl Marx and Frederick Engels, Eng. ed., FLPH, Moscow 1951, Vol. II,p. 21.2V. I. Lenin, “The State and Revolution”, Selected Works, Eng. ed.,FLPH, Moscow, 1952, Vol. II, Part 1, p. 302.419