Anti-Stalinism
Anti-Stalinism refers to opposition to Joseph Stalin, his ideas, his legacy, and Marxism–Leninism more broadly. This opposition is an extension of anti-communism, although some anti-Stalinists, such as Trotskyists and "left"-communists, claim to be communists themselves. Some anti-revisionists object to the word "Stalinism", but they are not anti-Stalinist.
While it is important for Marxists to acknowledge the mistakes of Stalin ("ruthless criticism of all that exists"), flat-out dismissal of his achievements is revisionist because it denies the role Stalin played in synthesizing Leninism, building socialism in the Soviet Union, and defeating fascism in the Second World War. To deny Stalin's achievements is to deny Marxism–Leninism.
Historical context
Rise of revisionism
The rise of anti-Stalinism can be traced back to the period following Stalin's death in 1953. After Stalin's assassination, Nikita Khrushchev, who succeeded Stalin as the Soviet Premier, began to implement counter-revolutionary policies and criticized Stalin's legacy. This process, known as De-Stalinization, involved the removal of Stalin's body from Lenin's Mausoleum, the renaming of cities and landmarks that bore Stalin's name, and the release of millions of convicted prisoners back into society causing crime rates to soar.
Propaganda
Holodomor
The term Holodomor refers to a popular conspiracy theory that the famine of 1932–1933, rather than being accidental, was an atrocity that the Soviets consciously orchestrated. However, there is not enough evidence to support the accusations of mass murder. Most of those who believe in this notion deny that it is a conspiracy theory, but sometimes concede that it differs from the Holocaust in that the intent in regards to the Holodomor to kill cannot be clearly demonstrated and that the planning must have been more ‘covert’ or ‘secret’, which suggests that their theory is mostly based on guesswork. Among historians it is debated to which extent natural factors were exacerbated by Soviet policy, instead of whether this famine was intentional or genocidal.
Red Army "rape"
A common claim that circulates around bourgeois history regarding the Second World War is that the Soviet Red Army committed war-time sexual violence (and other atrocities) on Germans to an extent equal or greater to what the Axis powers had done. This narrative of a "raped Germany" was propagated by Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels in an effort to reduce the role of the Red Army from liberators and protectors against fascism to merely a gang of rapine looters and rapists.[a] While the initial "estimates" of the number of Germans "raped" by the Red Army were relatively small at around 20,000-150,000 total, Western Cold War propaganda would later drastically increase the number of Germans supposedly "raped" to a number in the millions. While rapes by Red Army personnel did happen, they took place on a much smaller scale than what anti-communist propaganda would suggest, and when they did take place, the perpetrators would be punished by all means available, up to and including the death penalty.[1]
Analysis
A materialist analysis of the past several decades shows that anti-Stalinism (and De-Stalinization more broadly) led to the weakening of the international communist movement and the eventual degeneration of the socialist camp; all of Eastern Europe went revisionist after 1956, severely rolling back the hard-gained efforts of the working class.
Relationship with Trotskyism
Trotskyism, an ideology based on the ideas of Leon Trotsky, had been defeated as an ideology. However, after Khrushchev's "secret speech" in 1956, Trotskyism made a comeback. Khrushchev himself was known to have been influenced by Trotskyist ideas,[2] which further contributed to the resurgence of Trotskyism.
Implications of anti-Stalinism on Leninism
Anti-Stalinism is, by default, anti-Leninism. The tearing down of Lenin statues in Eastern Europe was not preceded by a campaign against Lenin's legacy and ideas, as the attacks against Stalin were enough.[3] Anti-Stalinism often serves as a proxy for anti-Leninism, allowing critics to target Stalin and his legacy without directly confronting Lenin's ideas or legacy.
See also
References
- ↑ Stalin Society of North America (May 27, 2013) The Red Army “Rape of Germany” Was Invented by Goebbels
- ↑ TheFinnishBolshevik (November 20, 2022). Sources of khrushchevite revisionism (just some thoughts). Retrieved April 23, 2025.
- ↑ Another View of Stalin by Ludo Martens. pp. 2.
"For thirty-five years, the revisionists worked to destroy Stalin. Once Stalin was demolished, Lenin was liquidated with a flick of the wrist. Gorbachev carried on by leading, during his five years of glastnost, a crusade against "Stalinism". Notice that the dismantling of Lenin's statues was not proceeded by a political campaign against his work. The campaign against Stalin was sufficient. Once Stalin's ideas were attacked, vilified and destroyed, it became clear that Lenin's ideas had suffered the same fate."
Notes
- ↑ Nazi propaganda never made a comparable denigration effort against the Western allies.