Evening star., 1946-02-10

more ana more frequently state
ments about the high qualities
of the Red Army and the skill
Of Its soldiers and commanders.
This Is understandable after
the victories at Moscow and
Stalingrad, and of course Kursk
and Byelgorod, Kiev and Kirovo-
grad, Minsk and Bobruisk, Len
ingrad and Tallin on the Vistula
and Niemen, the Danube and the
Oder, at Vienna and Berlin. After
all this it is impossible not to
recognize that the Red Army Is
a flrst-class army, which could
teach others quite a lot.
War Made It Necessary
To Have Modern Arms.
This is how we understand
concretely our country's victory
over its enemies. This is a rough
summary Of the war. It would be
a mistake to think that one could
win such an historic victory with
out preparing beforehand the
whole country for active defense.
It would be no less erroneous to
assume that this preparation
could be carried out in a short
time-sorne three or four years.
1t would be even more erro-
neous to think that we had won a
victory only thanks to the cour-
age of our troops. 1t is impos-
sible to win a victory without
courage, but courage alone is not
enough to finish the job and
overpower ar enemy that pos
sesses a large army, first-class
armament, well-trained officer
cadres and fairly well organized
supplies.
To be able to meet the blow
from such an enemy, to coun-
ter it and later to inflict on him
q crushing defeat, it was neces-
sary to have, in addition to the
unprecedented bravery Of our
troops, completely modern arma-
ment in sufficient quantities and
well-organized supplies, also in
sufficient quantities.
But this in turn demands the
possession in sufficient quanti-
ties of such things as metals,
equipment and tools for enter
prises, fuel for the work Of the
enterprises. transport, clothing.
etc.
Can 1t be said that before its
entry into the Second World
War our country already pos
sessed the minimum supplies
necessary for satisfying In the
main all these requirements? I
think we can give an affirmative
answer. The preparation Of this
enormous task involved the car
rying out of three five-year plans
of national economic develop
ment. 1t is precisely these three
five-year plans that helped to
create these material positions.
In this respect our country be-
fore the Second World War, say
In 1910, was several times better
off than in 1918 before the First
World War. What material pos
sibilities were at the disposal Of
our country on the eve Of the
Second World War? In order
better to understand this, I will
give you a brief report on the
activity of the Communist Party
in the preparation Of our coun-
try for active defense.
If we take the data available
for 1910 and compare them with
the 1918, the eve of the First
World War, we see the following
picture: -:
In 1918 our country produeed
4,220,000 tons of pig iron, 4,230-
600 tons Of steel, $4,000, 900 tons
of coal, 100000 tons of oil. a.
600, 900 tons Of marketed grain,
100000 tons of raw cotton-such
were the material resources Of
our country with which 1t en-
tered the First World War.
Soviet's Material Resources
In Entering Second War.
This was the economic base Of
old Russia, the basis which 1t
could use to conduct the war. AS
for the year 1910, in that year our
country produced: 100000 tons
of pig iron, therefore almost four
times as much as in 1918; 49,
100000 tons of steel, therefore
four and one-half times more
than in 1918; 166,00o,0 900 tons of
coal, therefore five and one-half
times more than in 1918; $1,000
900 tons of oil, therefore three
and one-half times more than in
1918; 38,000,Oo tons of marketed
grain, therefore 100000 tons
more than in 1918; 2,700. 900 tons
of raw cotton, therefore three
and one-half times more than in
1913.
Such were the material re-
sources with which our country
entered the Second World War.
This was the economic base Of
the Soviet Union, the base which
it could use to conduct the war.
AS you see, the difference is
colossal. Such an unprecedented
development in production can
not be considered the simple and
ordinary deyeloprnent of a. colln-