Evening star., 1946-09-03

6SCEetaIldt, fOllLUulOs 2IlQ OIB0ulU o
of the party. and SO Is Malenkov
one of the members Of the Pre-
sidium. Most responsible positions
are held by party members.
THE party has considerable. gen.
orally accepted legislative powers
In the earlier years Of the regime
party Congresses adopted a policy,
and this was subsequently enacted
by the Soviet Congresses, but during
the five-year plans many directives
in the economic field were issued
direct by the party to government
departments and had the force Of
law. The flve-year plans themselves
have been programs of the party.
From 1882 onward an increasing
amount of legislation came into
force under the joint signature of
the secretary of the party and
chairman of the Council of Minis
tiers. In any case the presence of
party groups in all legislative bodies
insures that the party policy shall
be adopted and their influence in
administration and all channels of
information insures that 1t shall be
carried on.
'The relationship between the
party and the government is openly
acknowledged. ;. The dictator
ship of the party is certainly very
firmly established"
Party Line Leadership.
The report asserted that 1t was
under Stalin's leadership that the
party became ian instrument for
registering the party line"
1.-THE critical decisions of the
1920s." added the study, "the pace
of development under the 5-yeal
plan, the collectivization OF the
farms, the role of the Communist
Internationale, were inevitably criti-
cized for going too fast or as com.
promising with Communist ideals;
and gradually all of the independent
thinkers of the early days were
eliminated from the party.
Blind obedience to Stains com.
mand became the law" the report
asserted. "The revised party con.
stitution of 1894 demanded absolute
obedience and discipline, and pro-
vided for the purge of all undesir-
ables ranging from hostile ele-
ments' to double dealers who cheat
the party and conceal from it their
actual opinions
Explaining the nature of the So
Wet government, the report sale
the U. s. S. r. is a federation of 16
constituent republics, federation
which combines strong political cen
tralization with wide local cultural
autonomy.
Structure of Government.
The structure of the Soviet gov
ernment since the 1896 constitution
the report points out has much in
common with western democratic
systems. There is a federation OF
republics. There Is a Supreme Soviet
consisting of two houses, one repre-
senting the republics, and the other
representing the whole population
Of the union, elected by secret ballot
on a geographical basis. There is
universal suffrage. The usual rights
are guaranteed. The constitution
was said to have been hailed as
representing the highest form oi
democracy"
But, the report added: "The rea.
nature of government behind tn.
facade is quite alien to western
tradition, and is based on the phil.
osophy and power of the numerical,
small Communist party, which be.
gan as an illegal revolutionary grour
at the end Of the last century, ant
which seized power in 1917 in tn.
tottering, overcentranzed and eco.
nomically backward Empire of ths
Cars. The goal Of Communism seer
by Marx and adopted and adapted
by Lenin as the basis of his party
Is still the professed goal of the
Communist party. The revolution
ary technique of the dictatorship o1
the proletariat devised by Lenin AZ
the only way of moving the inert
mass Of unawakened Russia Is still
the basis of Soviet philosophy"