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

If that is the case, it is nothing but a great historical retrogression.The degeneration of the social system in Yugoslaviais a grave lesson.19. Leninism holds that the proletarian party must existtogether with the dictatorship of the proletariat in socialistcountries. The party of the proletariat is indispensable forthe entire historical period of the dictatorship of the proletariat.The reason is that the dictatorship of the proletariathas to struggle against the enemies of the proletariat and ofthe people, remould the peasants and other small producers,constantly consolidate the proletarian ranks, build socialismand effect the transition to communism; none of these thingscan be done without the leadership of the party of the proletariat.Can there be a “party of the entire people”? Is it possibleto replace the party which is the vanguard of the proletariatby a “party of the entire people”?This, too, is not a question about the internal affairs of anyparticular Party, but a fundamental problem involving theuniversal truth of Marxism-Leninism.In the view of Marxist-Leninists, there is no such thing asa non-class or supra-class political party. All political partieshave a class character. Party spirit is the concentrated expressionof class character.The party of the proletariat is the only party able torepresent the interests of the whole people. It can do so preciselybecause it represents the interests of the proletariat,whose ideas and will it concentrates. It can lead the wholepeople because the proletariat can finally emancipate itselfonly with the emancipation of all mankind, because the verynature of the proletariat enables its party to approach problemsin terms of its present and future interests, becausethe party is boundlessly loyal to the people and has the spiritof self-sacrifice; hence its democratic centralism and iron discipline.Without such a party, it is impossible to maintain the38