The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1932-04-09
BY EUGENE LYONS
United Press stan Correspondent


United Press Stan Correspondent
MOSCOW, April 9.-No one who
has not experienced it personally
can be made to understand the CO.
lossal concentration Of purpose and
energy that is being brought by
Russia to it's five-year plan.
The only analogy is war. France
and Germany at the sharpest stage
of the World war witnessed a con-
centration of all national economic,
mental and cultural resources like
the one now under way here.
But with them the fighting was
restricted largely TO the war areas.
Far behind the lines life was pro-
foundly disturbed, yet some of It's
peace-time features remained. The
old class lines, the old economic
relations, other aspects of existence
continued as before.
Here literally nothing is unaf-
fected The war zone covers every
inch Of the gigantic country and
includes every department of hu-
man existence.
Struggle Terrible One
It is a ruthless and terrible strug-
gle against natural obstacles, against
large layers of the population, against
mental attitudes.
The general staff" which con-
ducts it has practically limitless
power and it's orders are based sole
ly upon the desire for victory at
any price.
In balancing up the costs, money
is the least of the items. The pun
ishment melted out to millions of the
"class enemy" must be added. So
must increasing Capitalization OF
political power in an ever smaller
and more dictatorial group.
The country not only has har-
messed its physical strength for the
achievement of the plan. 1t has
harnessed its intellect, its moral
sense, it's esthetic sense, everything
that conceivably could be turned
into motor power for the immediate
tasks of the revolution.
Hope Is Fading
The hope that this strain, both
physical and intellectual, would be
relaxed with the end of the Five
Year Plan is fading.
In the outline of the second Five
Year Plan notice has been served
that there can be no let-up. The
dictatorship not only will not be
,.ytII he
faintest deviation from the author
lied ways of thinking will be pun
ished summarily.
The Communist leaders feel that
the stake involved is too large to
permit the slightest risk. Purpose
of the first half decade was to lay
the foundation for socialist con-
struction.
That of the second half decade is
even more important from their
viewpoint. 1t is the actual intro
duction of Socialism. Officially that
objective has been stated by the re-
cent party conclave thus:
The conference holds that the
chief political task of the second
Five-Year Plan is to do away COM
pletely with the capitalist ele-
ments and with classes in general;
to destroy fully the causes giving
rise to class distinctions and ex-
ploitation; to abolish the Survivals
of capitalism in economy and in
the consciousness of the people;
to transform the whole working
population of the country into
conscious and active builders OF
classics socialist society.
Charts Not Significant
Figures of coal and steel and ma
chimes to be produced in the second
plan are not nearly as significant
as this declaration of political pur-
poses. 1t amounts to a new declar-
alton of war against many stratas
of the population.
One of the more striking con-
tradictions of the present time is
that the government itself, under
the lash of conditions, is encour-
aging some of the "survivals of cap
italism in the consciousness of the
people"
I refer to piece-work, personal re-
sponsibility for work performed and
other seemingly capitalist ideas
which are being vigorously propa-
gated since Stain called for an
end to "leveling of wages" and ir-
responsibility.
These things are explained as en-
tirely compatible with socialiSm-in
its early stage.
Sooner Or later these "survivals'
will have to be forcibly eradicated
in line with the partys political
tasks for the second five-year plan.
Shock Brigades Help
Collectivist attitudes are being
fortified at the same time, of
course. The shock brigades' in
factories and on farms, Socialist
competition" among different en-
terprises, the whole trend of the
education of the new generation
strengthen the collectivist mentality.
For the time being there is doubt
less some confusion in the minds of
"shock brigadierS." Possibly many
of them can not themselves decide
whether they joined the brigades
out of Socialist enthusiasm, or for
the sake of the extra food and other
privileges available to the joiners.
BY the end of the second plan
such confusion must be "liquidated."