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From Socialist Appeal, Vol. III No. 77, 10 October 1939, pp. 1 & 3.
Transcribed & marked up by Einde O’ Callaghan for the Encyclopaedia of Trotskyism On-Line (ETOL).
Moscow’s official orders to purge the party again are contained in an editorial of Pravda for September 12, which announces the sudden decision of the Central Committee to hold “in the period between September 15 to October 15 the regular elections for the party organs in all the primary regional and city party organizations.” Three days’ notice!
Pravda admits that the last elections to these “lower” bodies took place more than a year ago, whereas according to the recently adopted party statutes these elections are supposed to occur annually, why then the emergency decision of the Central Committee? Stalin promised at the Eighteenth Party Congress, held only six months ago, that no more widescale purges would be perpetrated. The elections scheduled at short notice are obviously connected with (1) the mobilization orders to the army; (2) the invasion of Poland; (3) the new drive against the peasants, that is, enforced grain collections; (4) the impending elections to the local Soviets; and last but not least (5) the developing crisis in economy. Stalin is preparing for the latest emergency.
The only passage from the Central Committee directives relating to the new elections printed by Pravda in bold type is as follows:
“THE PARAMOUNT TASK OF ALL THE PARTY ORGANIZATIONS IN THE COMING ELECTIONS IS TO ASSURE THE ELECTION TO THE LEADING PARTY ORGANS OF THOROUGHLY TESTED BOLSHEVIKS WHO ARE BOUNDLESSLY LOYAL TO OUR PARTY AND CAPABLE OF DEFENDING THE CAUSE OF THE COMMUNIST PARTY TO THEIR LAST BREATH.”
Then follows this significant passage:
“During the last year hundreds of thousands of candidates have been accepted as members of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union; hundreds of thousands of eminent people have joined the ranks of the party.”
It is from the ranks of these new “hundreds of thousands” that new leaders are to be elected. Pravda makes no bones about it, citing Stalin’s directives to the Eighteenth Party Congress in relation to the “advancement of new cadres,” the editorial states categorically:
“Comrade Stalin’s directive must be realized in the coming elections; it must be taken as the starting point for advancing candidates to the party bureaus, regional and city party committees.”
Apparently there is friction among the tops. For there is a veiled warning contained in the editorial which “reminds” that the elections to the “upper” bodies will take place in six months, in accordance with the statutes.
The assumed calmness of the official press is a clear token of the tenseness of the situation. But every action taken denotes that a storm is brewing; and the “Helmsman” is again clearing the decks!
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Last updated: 17 February 2018