Chapter 14 1. There is a country called the Soviet Union

The First World War broke the dominance of capitalism and created the first socialist country—Soviet Russia. After the tsarist government implemented serfdom reform in the 1860s, Russia's capitalist economy developed to a certain extent.However, the development of the Russian economy is relatively slow, lagging far behind other capitalist countries, and the working people live in poverty. At the beginning of the 20th century, Russia entered the stage of imperialist development, and various social contradictions were very sharp. In the First World War, the seemingly powerful Tsarist Russia fully exposed its weaknesses.After participating in the war, the Russian economy suffered a fatal blow, with industrial output reduced, agricultural shrinkage, and transportation chaos.The war further intensified various social contradictions.Russia became the weakest link in the chain of imperialism, and a revolution was inevitable.

In March 1917, the "February Revolution" overthrew the Romanov dynasty that had ruled Russia for more than 300 years.In this revolution, workers and soldiers in the capital Petrograd established a new regime - the Soviet of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies, and established their own armed forces.The bourgeois provisional government holds real power.In Russia, two powers, the Soviet and the provisional bourgeois government, coexisted. The broad masses of the people urgently demand the early realization of peace and access to land and bread.The provisional government did not meet the demands of the people, refused to take effective measures to promote the development of Russian society, and continued the war.

Lenin returned to Petrograd and published the famous "April Theses", proposing the task of transforming the Russian revolution from a bourgeois-democratic revolution to a socialist revolution. In July, the interim government used force to suppress the revolution, and the coexistence of the two regimes ended. Under the leadership of Lenin, the Bolshevik party decided to stage an armed uprising. On November 7 (October 25 in the Russian calendar), the uprising workers and soldiers occupied strategic points of Petrograd and government ministries.The cruiser Aurora moored at the mouth of the Neva River sent a signal to attack the Winter Palace, the Provisional Government was overthrown, and the Petrograd Uprising was victorious.This revolution took place in October of the Russian calendar, so it was called the "October Revolution".

During the attack on the Winter Palace, the All-Russian Congress of Soviets of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies opens.The Congress announced that the Provisional Government had been overthrown and that all power had passed to the Soviets.The Congress passed the Peace Decree and the Land Decree. The Peace Decree announces Russia's withdrawal from World War I. The "Land Act" stipulates that the land of the landlords will be confiscated, the land will be nationalized, and the land will be distributed to the laborers for use. The Congress elected the first Soviet government of engineers and soldiers, the People's Commissars, of which Lenin was elected chairman.This Congress indicated that the Soviet regime was formally established in Russia, and the world's first socialist country under the dictatorship of the proletariat was born.The newly established Soviet regime had not only executive and judicial power, but also legislative power.The October Revolution was the first successful socialist revolution in human history.

After the victory of the October Revolution, hostile forces at home and abroad were unwilling to fail, and they united in an attempt to strangle the first socialist country in its cradle. In the summer of 1918, Soviet Russia entered a difficult period of civil war. In the face of the enemy's powerful offensive, the Soviet regime adopted a series of extraordinary measures in the economic field in order to concentrate the country's material and financial resources, support the Red Army, and defeat the enemy, including: implementing a surplus grain collection system, nationalizing all large, medium and small industrial enterprises, and Free trade and the implementation of a universal compulsory labor system.These measures have both "wartime" and "communist" characteristics, and are called "wartime communism" policies.

The purpose of war communism is to meet the needs of the war. In Lenin's words, it is all for the front.In addition, it is also an attempt to complete the direct transition.The policy of wartime communism, at first glance, is the same as communism. There is no currency, distribution according to need, everything is given to you by the state.If this is the case, then if wartime communism has been practiced, Soviet Russia will have transitioned to a communist society. However, when Lenin and the others first imagined it, they forgot the most basic point. According to Marx, communism should be formed after the material products are extremely abundant and the productive forces are highly developed.You are seriously under-productivity now, to what extent?It is said that it is distributed according to needs. Soldiers fighting on the front lines and workers engaged in heavy physical labor in factories are only given 450 grams of black bread, a spoonful of sugar, a spoonful of salt, and a small piece of butter every day. You say I can’t eat 9 a day now. Two grains, because in addition to food, you also eat meat, eggs, milk, and vegetables. At that time, there was nothing, just 9 taels of black bread a day.In addition to fighting, you have to do heavy physical labor, and you will be gone after two trips to the toilet, which is not enough.

Black bread is not wheat. I tasted it in Russia. I didn’t understand it at first. There were two slices of white bread on one table, and the rest were all black. I thought the black bread was filled with chocolate. , Once you eat it, what is it?Catch it again, the white one is gone.That thing is not tasty, it is what the Russians call Daliba. At the beginning of 1919, the Soviet regime promulgated a decree on the surplus grain collection system, stipulating that, except for keeping rations, seed grains and fodder grains, all surplus grains should be sold to the state at the stipulated price of the state.Due to the rapid depreciation of the ruble, farmers are effectively lending grain to the state for free.Even part of the farmers' rations were confiscated.The surplus grain collection system achieved obvious results in a short period of time, alleviating urban famine and ensuring the food supply to the front-line Red Army, which became an important factor in turning the tide of the war.But this policy has seriously damaged the interests of farmers.

What if the grain cannot be harvested?Organize engineers and soldiers to grab grain and go to the countryside to grab grain.Some workers and soldiers starved to death in their families. I saw that there was food in the peasants’ homes. I don’t care if you have surplus food or rations.Therefore, the peasants said that if you give us the land, the food will belong to you; if you give us the forest, the timber will belong to you; if you give us the river, the fish in the river will belong to you.Later, Lenin also realized that the policy of wartime communism was obviously not conducive to economic development.

After the civil war, Soviet Russia continued to implement the policy of "war communism", which caused serious economic and political crises. In February 1921, a mutiny occurred at a naval base in Soviet Russia. In March 1921, the Tenth National Congress of the Russian Communist Party (Bolsheviks) was held.The meeting decided to replace the surplus grain collection system with a grain tax, stipulating that after the farmers paid the grain tax, the remaining grain should be at their own disposal.Since then, the government has also lifted the nationalization of most small enterprises and some medium-sized enterprises, allowing private individuals to start small enterprises; for some countries that are temporarily unable to develop minerals, forests, oil fields, etc., the government allows foreign capitalists to operate them in the form of concessions; The practice of monopolizing trade by the state, restoring currency circulation and commodity exchange; abolishing the physical distribution system.This series of policies is called "New Economic Policy".

At the end of 1922, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, consisting of the Russian Federation, Ukraine, Belarus and the South Caucasus Federation, was formally established, referred to as the "Soviet Union". The implementation of the new economic policy has increased the enthusiasm of the people for production, promoted the rapid recovery of the economy, and is conducive to stabilizing the political situation.By 1925, the restoration of the Soviet Russian national economy was basically completed.It is a pity that Lenin passed away within a few years of his New Economic Policy.Once Lenin passed away, Stalin succeeded to the throne, which was a turning point for the development of Soviet history!

Originally, when Lenin was dying, he had already seen that Stalin had great shortcomings, and suggested that he should be dismissed, not let him take over, and let Trotsky, the father of the Red Army, take over.But at that time, Stalin was already full-fledged, and his subordinates cut off all contact between Lenin and the outside world. Even Lenin's wife Krupskaya would be searched when she came out to visit Lenin.After Lenin died, Stalin became the leader of the Soviet Union.As soon as he came to power, he first got rid of Trotsky. Trotsky was declared an imperialist spy, deported, first went to Turkey, lived in Mexico City in 1940, was hacked to death by Stalin's killer with an ice ax up. Stalin established a highly centralized political and economic system, that is, the Stalinist model.He practiced a cult of personality, and people thought he was a living Lenin, greater than Lenin.In Stalin's hometown, Georgia's 1,800-meter-high main peak, stands a 40-meter-high bronze statue of Stalin.I really admire the Soviets. There were no helicopters at that time. How did they get them there?There is also a line engraved on the base-dedicated to the greatest figure of our time. Anyone who disagrees with Stalin will be killed. There is no political dispute, and you are not allowed to give me an opinion. Your opinion is counter-revolutionary, and counter-revolutionary I will kill you.Under Stalin's rule, a terrifying anti-revolutionary movement took place in the Soviet Union. In order to maintain his rule, Stalin wielded a butcher's knife against his former comrades-in-arms.After clearing Trotsky, he focused on his other two comrades-in-arms Kamenev and Zinoviev. These two men were of the same generation as Stalin and Lenin, and now they are imprisoned by Stalin. Torture in the prison, the wounds rot and maggots grow, and when the temperature in the cell is thirty-seven or eighty degrees, you are turned on to the heating, so that your wounds cannot heal.Stalin's subordinates told Kamenev and Zinoviev that as long as you both plead guilty in court, you will be given a lighter punishment.In this way, the two plead guilty, who can bear it?During the time of the Tsar, we did not suffer such a great crime. During the reign of the Tsar, from 1825 to 1917, 625 political prisoners were sentenced in 80 years, and only 191 were sentenced to death, while Stalin shot 5 million people.After Kamenev and Zinoviev couldn't stand the torture and confessed their guilt, Stalin organized a trial of the century in Moscow, calling all foreign journalists to make a movie.The foreign reporter had fun while videotaping, never seen such a trial.The general judge asked: Did you do this?I didn't do it!That's what normal people answer. "Look here are your fingerprints." "You forged it." "He's a witness." "He perjured it." The trial of Kamenev and Zinoviev in the Soviet court was so fun. "Are you two spies of the Empire?" "Yes, we are." "Then you confess the crime against the party." The two of them rushed to say, I did it, not you.This deceit is so obvious that anyone can see it.Well, you two admit that you are spies, and the judge strikes the gavel, and sentences Kamenev and Zinoviev to death, which will be executed immediately.Two people are stupid.Comrades, that's not what they told us, we want to see Comrade Stalin.The bailiffs pulled out and they yelled.After pushing into the prison van, the two of them knocked on the door, for the sake of the dead Lenin, we wanted to see Comrade Stalin.When the prison van arrived at the execution ground, the pit was dug, and they were dragged to the edge of the pit.They both shouted that for God's sake we want to see Comrade Stalin.Communists don't believe in God, they even yelled out their childhood idols. "Bang bang" two shots, and then one buried, it's over. At this time, there was only Bukharin left as the leader of the Bolshevik Party who was the same generation as Stalin, and he was also arrested.Just about to fight, Bukharin said not to fight, I admit that I am a spy, and I will die if I admit it or not, don't suffer, I am a spy.I just have one request, before you kill me, I want to see my wife.Stalin said it's okay, let's meet for an hour.As soon as his wife came in, Bukharin gave her a suicide note and asked her to memorize it, and then ate it, because you would be searched when you went out, and you couldn't take it out.The posthumous letter was "An Open Letter to the Leaders of the Next Generation Party of the CPSU".Bukharin understood that Stalin wanted my life, and it was useless to complain to him, it was useless to make him laugh.I will die when I die, but my wife wants to live no matter what. My wife is 25 years younger than him, and I want her to live to avenge my wrongdoing.Bukharin's wife endured the humiliation and anger, and lived strong until 1988, when she handed over this suicide note to Gorbachev, the leader of the last generation of the Soviet Union Party, and Gorbachev announced that Bukharin would be rehabilitated . In the Lenin era, there were 11 members of the Politburo, and 9 were shot dead by Stalin; in the last party congress held in the Lenin era, 1,162 delegates attended, and 1,095 were shot; 95% were executed.What's worse is that in the army, three of the five marshals were shot dead, and the remaining two didn't even know how to read the battle map, so they swung their knives with their shirts off—Voroshilov and Budyonny. threatening. 15 deputy ministers of defense and generals were all executed; 80 army commanders, 57 were shot; 110 division commanders, 87 were shot; 195 brigade commanders, 121 were shot.80% of the officers of the Soviet Red Army above colonel were shot.Hitler was so excited that he wanted to award Stalin the first-class Iron Cross. No war could cause such a large loss to the enemy's senior generals.It is said that Stalin fell into Hitler's trick.Therefore, Hitler said very proudly that the Soviet Red Army was a headless giant.More than 4 million, more than 10,000 tanks, look amazing, no head, no command center.Therefore, in the early days of the Soviet-German War, the Soviet Red Army lost its position and was defeated thousands of miles away;The reason is that all the senior generals of the Red Army have been purged. For example, General Kirponos, the commander of the Southwest Front Army, was promoted from regiment commander to division commander, army commander, group army commander, and front army commander within a year. With the rocket rising, can he command an army of 700,000?He is at the level of commanding two or three thousand people.During the Battle of Kyiv, as soon as the Southwest Front Army was besieged, the first reaction of Admiral Kirponos was to destroy the radio station to break through, and the people under him lost contact with him. 700,000 people were besieged and 665,000 were captured.The general led one or two thousand people from the headquarters to break through the siege. He was very handy in doing this, and he was able to command these people.As soon as the German tank rushed over, the general went up with the explosive bag, worthy of being a battle hero. With an earth-shattering noise, the general was smashed to pieces, and the tank continued to drive forward without blowing up... As soon as Stalin came to power, he completely abandoned Lenin's correct things and established a highly centralized planned economic system in the economy.Implement industrialization and agricultural collectivization. Industrialization is the development of heavy industry; agricultural collectivization is equivalent to our people's communes, enclosing the people and turning farmers from free people into state serfs.When Hitler attacked the Soviet Union, he disbanded all the institutions of the Soviet Union and kept only the collective farms, because Hitler thought this was a good idea. The farmers were fixed on the farms, a group of people were supervised to work, and all the products produced were taken by the state. Go, this is equivalent to restoring serfdom in the USSR. A highly centralized planned economy completely uses administrative orders to guide the economy, ignoring the commodity market and the law of value.This model, at first, worked, but it had problems.It's like a certain athlete took a doping and ran the first in the world. Is this considered effective?If you think this is effective, then the planned economy is effective.But it's actually more harmful. The drawbacks of this model are prominently manifested in the imbalance of the ratio of agricultural to heavy, resulting in a large gap between the development of the country and the living standards of ordinary people.The common people do not feel the benefits brought to them by economic development. The second fatal problem is that it only emphasizes quantity and output value, ignoring product quality.I remember that in the past few years, the news broadcast also said that China's steel output is the world's largest, with 220 million tons. Now our annual steel output seems to be 400 million tons, but let's not mention it.Why?Have you sold all of your 220 million tons of steel?If you sold them all, how much did you sell them for?If you want to build an aircraft carrier or a submarine, you have to import steel.Our steel output ranks first in the world, and our steel import volume also ranks first in the world.That steel can't make an aircraft carrier or a submarine, and if it cracks in a flash, how can it be made?Snowflake pears can produce tens of thousands of catties per mu, and how much can they earn for five yuan and four catties?Crystal pears cost about one hundred catties per mu, one hundred yuan per catty, how much do you think it is?If the output value of one mu of land in China is 1, that of the United States is 7, that of France is 56, that of Germany is 72, that of Japan is 142, and that of Israel is 256, so it is meaningless to only emphasize the output, the key is the output value.And the output value must go up, and the quality must also go up.As soon as the Soviet refrigerator was turned on, it felt like passing a train. I wondered how I could sleep on the rails.If you look at the TV again, it’s as big as a podium, with a 14-inch screen and electronic tubes, not transistors.It took 5 minutes to get an image after opening it, and it exploded after four hours of continuous opening. No one dared to try it. It was dangerous.If you have spare money, tinker with such a TV, use it to watch the Spring Festival Gala, turn it on at 8 o'clock, and there will be a bang at 12 o'clock to remind you that the New Year is here. Prioritize the development of heavy industry and accumulate funds from farmers at the expense of agriculture. In the end, this industry will not develop.During the Cold War, American spies saw Soviet housewives on the streets of the Soviet Union, queuing up before dawn, carrying a vegetable basket to buy bread. An unsustainable regime cannot last long. Stalin's model prevented the people's living standards from being improved and improved for a long time, and finally the people did not recognize this regime.Your atomic bomb can destroy mankind 30 times, but my life and my bread can't get a normal supply, so what's the use?The reunification of the two Germanys, the Soviet army will withdraw from Germany, and the Soviet Red Army will return to its hometown. Sell everything. A Kalashnikov submachine gun can be sold on the black market for 3 dollars; a Soviet colonel’s full uniform can be sold for 10 dollars. you.The Americans wanted to develop infrared detectors on Soviet tanks. The Soviet Union spent tens of millions of dollars on research and development, but American spies broke into the factories and failed to get them.Now that the Soviet Red Army is about to withdraw, this thing is sold publicly for $50, unload it and wrap it up for you to take away.No matter how advanced weapons and equipment fall into the hands of soldiers who resell weapons for a living, this battle cannot be won.People are the most fundamental, if you ignore this point, it will be completely over. In 1990, when the Soviet Union was about to disintegrate, at the Sino-Soviet border in Xinjiang, with two plastic thermos bottles and a few plastic washbasins, you could exchange a motorcycle with the Soviets, because they had never seen such a thing.The Chinese are really smart. It is boiling water when it is poured in, and it is still boiling water when it is poured out. It is too powerful.There are plenty of motorcycles in our collective farm warehouse. When he drove a few steps away from the Chinese border, he jumped off and the motorcycle rushed into China. I can’t cross the border.I went back and told the secretary of the farm that the motorcycle was lost in China.The secretary said, it’s okay, Curry still has it, and I’ll go to replace the two thermos tomorrow, who doesn’t understand what’s going on. Stalin's highly centralized political and economic system was an important reason for the subsequent disintegration of the Soviet Union.Later, socialist countries carried out reforms to change this model. Politically, democracy should be promoted, and economically, a market economy should be developed.To reform, the correct path is democracy and a market economy.As long as it is such a reform, it will be successful.The reforms in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe failed because they were not reformed in this way.