Georgi Dimitrov 1948
Written: By Georgi Dimitrov, February 1948;
Source: For a Lasting Peace, for a People's Democracy! Vol. 2, no. 7; April 1, 1948;
Transcribed: David Adams, March 2022.
Comrade Dimitroff devoted the first part of his report to an analysis of the international situation, to the struggle of the two camps—the democratic and anti-democratic camps.
Profound changes have taken place on the international arena as a result of World War II, stated Comrade Dimitroff. Despite the expectations of world reaction the Soviet Union emerged from the war stronger than before, and with a greatly enhanced international prestige. A number of countries dropped out of the imperialist system. The people of Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Rumania, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Albania, with the support of the Victorious Soviet Army, overthrew fascism, abolished imperialist dependence and took their fate into their own hands. The acute crisis in the colonial and dependent countries is likewise a big factor m the further crumbling of the pillars of imperialism. And the contradictions within the imperialist camp, for instance in relation to the Marshall Plan, to the formation of a Western bloc, etc., will play no small role in the future.
Thus, the relation of forces between the imperialist and democratic camps as a result of World War II has changed sharply in favour of the democratic camp. In its struggle against reaction the democratic camp relies on the working class, on the working people of town and country, on the progressive intelligentsia, on the democratic movement in all lands, on the national-liberation movement in the colonies and dependent countries, on the new democracies. At the head of this camp stands the mighty Soviet Union. The democratic camp is a force strong enough to hold in check the imperialist robbers, to thwart their schemes and to save mankind from new and sanguinary imperialist adventures.
The imperialist system—unable to give the people anything but devastating wars, is holding back the development of the productive forces, and is a brake on progress, science and culture. Historically, it has outlived itself and its doom is inevitable.
The forces of peace, democracy and socialism, continued Dimitroff, are invincible. If, as pointed out in the Declaration of the conference of the nine Communist Parties in Poland, they display the necessary firmness and determination, new imperialist aggression is doomed to a complete fiasco.
We are living at a time when Socialism is on the order of the day, when it is impossible to move forward without advancing towards Socialism. The way to Socialism is not the same in all countries. If differs in keeping with the historical, national and other peculiarities of the given country, but the Socialist path is inevitable and is the only correct path for all lands and all peoples.
Comrade Dimitroff then dwelt on the historical roots of the Fatherland Front in Bulgaria. The creation of the Fatherland Front was not a chance thing; neither was it imported from abroad nor imposed from above. This salutary idea sprang from the people, crystallised as a result of the struggle of the working people against the treacherous Coburg monarchy, against the venal bourgeoisie and its anti-people's groups.
Comrade Dimitroff described the following main factors in the development of the Fatherland Front as a movement of the people:
To begin with the Fatherland Front organised the resistance of the Bulgarian people against the German enslavers and the monarcho-fascist dictatorship. The initial programme of the Front, broadcast on July 17, 1942 by the “Hristo Botjeff” station declared that the central task was: the liberation of the country from the German yoke and monarcho-fascist dictatorship, the going over of Bulgaria to the camp of the anti- Hitler coalition and the establishment of popular democratic authority.
Guided by the Fatherland Front the resistance offered by the people to Hitler aggression gradually spread, and the monarcho-fascist clique was unable to dispatch Bulgarian troops to the Soviet-German front. The victories of the valiant, Soviet Army, the defeats suffered by the Germans on all fronts, the capitulation of fascist Italy, the growth of the people's liberation struggle in Yugoslavia, the march of the Soviet Army on the Danube—all this stimulated the mounting struggle of the popular masses to break with Hitler Germany, to save the country from disaster and to establish a genuine people's democratic government of Bulgaria. Fatherland Front committees, headed by the National Committee, sprang up throughout the country.
An extensive partisan movement got underway. The various units united into partisan brigades and eventually into the people's liberation army with its General Headquarters.
A nation-wide anti-fascist armed uprising began to mature and was brought to a head by the appearance of the victorious Soviet Army on the north-eastern frontier of Bulgaria.
The bitter struggle of the Bulgarian people against reaction and fascism was crowned, on September 9, 1944, with complete victory. This was a people's victory, the victory of workers, peasants, handicraftsmen, progressive intelligentsia and the patriotic units of the army, in a word of all the healthy forces of our people, united under the banner of the Fatherland Front. Power was wrested from the hands of the capitalist bourgeoisie, the exploiting monarcho-fascist minority and placed in the hands of the overwhelming majority of the people under the guidance and active support of the working class.
The people's anti-fascist uprising of September 9 marked a radical turning point in the development of our country. It opened a new era in her history, an era of profound revolutionary—political, economic, social and cultural reforms, which cleared the path leading to a new social order— Socialism.
The second important element in the development of the Front was the participation of the new Bulgaria in the Patriotic War against Hitler Germany. The principal task of the Fatherland Front at the time was: All for the front, for a speedy victory over fascism.
By taking part in the war our people, battling shoulder to shoulder with the glorious Soviet Army made their contribution to the liberation of the Balkans from the German yoke and to the complete debacle of Hitler Germany.
After the victorious conclusion of the war the Fatherland Front posed as the cardinal task the struggle for a just peace, defence of the territorial integrity and national independence of the country, rehabilitation of the national economy, the elimination of reactionary saboteurs and disruptive elements who, with the aid of foreign support, were beginning to rear their heads.
The efforts of the Fatherland Front were crowned with success. The Peace Treaty was signed and the government of the Fatherland Front was recognised also by Britain and the United States. The reactionary opposition, which, was systematically denounced and the leaders of which, as is known, were arrested in the act of preparing a coup d’état against the people's power, suffered a crushing defeat and were rendered harmless.
The Constitution of the People's Republic of Bulgaria, adopted by the Great People's Assembly, secured the historical gains of the people's uprising of September 9 and opened the way for the further development of our country along the path of democracy and progress.
During the past five years the Fatherland Front has traversed a glorious path of struggle. It has developed and grown stronger, has purged itself of overt and covert enemies. The various democratic circles and organisations that comprise the Fatherland Front have learnt to know each other better, have established a good working relationship and appreciate that the leading role of the working class is an essential element in consolidating the Fatherland Front and the people's democracy. Today we can confidently state that there is complete unanimity, as never before in the Front on all vital questions of the internal and foreign policy of our people's republic.
Although the Front's history is but five years old, this short period has been a decisive period. During these five years fundamental State-political, economic, social and cultural reforms have been introduced under the leadership of the Fatherland Front, reforms which are literally transforming our country.
As has been stressed time and again the Front saved Bulgaria from a third national disaster. The victorious people's uprising of September 9 and the arrival of the valiant Soviet troops in Bulgaria prevented the Anglo-American occupation or the country, with the possible participation of Turkish and Greek troops, planned in Cairo with the consent of the Muraffieff- Mushanoff-Buroff government. The Front prevented the partition of Bulgaria, which had been projected to meet the predatory claims of the Greek chauvinists and their high- ranking patrons.
Thanks to this Bulgaria was able to sign dignified armistice terms and actually secured her freedom from foreign military occupation. The Soviet units that remained in Bulgaria protected our country against degrading and brutal occupation and guaranteed the people of Bulgaria the right freely to build their State on genuine democratic foundations.
Thanks to Bulgaria's active participation in the war against fascist Germany she was able to sign in Paris a peace which, although containing a number of onerous and unjust conditions, and for the revision of which the people of Bulgaria are fighting, was the most favourable she could have reckoned on in conditions of the international situation at the time. Our greatest achievement was that we were able, thanks to the powerful support of the Soviet Union and the fraternal Slav countries, to preserve the integrity of our country and secure our national independence.
The Fatherland Front effected a decisive turning point in the foreign policy of Bulgaria. Once and for all the Front wrested our country from the clutches of German imperialism, resolutely opposed all attempts of the foreign imperialist circles to dictate their will to the country and, in accordance with the traditions and will of the people of Bulgaria, steered the Bulgarian ship of state into channels of peace and cooperation with all the freedom-loving and democratic peoples, and first and foremost, with our liberator, the great Soviet Union.
Rapprochement with Yugoslavia is of enormous significance for the future of our country. Our peoples, whom the German imperialists with the help of their agents incited to war against each other and divided in order to rule, found the true path leading to fraternity and unity, which was secured in the pact of friendship, cooperation and mutual, aid signed by the two countries.
Thanks to the newly-established democratic systems the solidarity between the Slav states which for centuries had lived in isolation and discord, is growing into a big factor of peace, democracy and social progress. The policy of the Fatherland Front is not a racial policy and does not pursue the object of dividing Europe and the world into blocs; it is a policy of democracy and progress, a policy which aims to cooperate with all freedom-loving and democratic peoples to secure universal peace and their material and spiritual development on the basis of their national independence and in the spirit of the statues of UNO.
We have demonstrated this in our treaties of friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance, not only with Yugoslavia, but also with the non-Slav countries of Albania and Rumania, by our talks, which we negotiated for the same purpose, with Czechoslovakia, Poland and Hungary, and also by our readiness to cooperate with the States which respect our freedom and independence.
As in the past, so too in the future the principle of our foreign policy will continue to be joint defence against possible aggression, to secure our national independence, territorial integrity and State sovereignty. We have devoted special attention to strengthening our mutual economic and cultural ties, to mutual assistance in promoting our economy, which must make us independent of imperialist trusts and banks.
It goes without saying, of course, that we haven’t the slightest intention of creating an Eastern bloc in any shape or form, despite all the false interpretations of the initiators of the Western bloc and their agents.
The foreign press, as well as responsible and irresponsible people abroad make the absolutely unfounded allegation that Bulgaria, Yugoslavia and Albania are interfering in the internal affairs of Greece and fanning civil war there. This allegation reveals the attempt of interested circles to shift the responsibility. It goes without saying that our people are vitally interested in their southern neighbour establishing a democratic regime, peace and order, for then our people can calmly continue their creative labour without being distracted by artificially-created border incidents and constant disorders. It is also natural that our people should sympathise with the struggle of the Greek people and be willing to help the victims of the terror in Greece, who are seeking asylum on our soil. But I reject categorically the charges made against the Bulgarian Government and emphatically state that responsibility for the civil war in Greece, which is causing disquiet in our country, rests wholly with the terrorist regime in Greece and with the foreign circles who are endeavouring with the aid of military force and blatant interference in the internal affairs of the country, to foist their will on the freedom-loving Greek people.
The Fatherland Front has scored major successes also in the sphere of home policy.
The Front resolutely routed the monarchist clique and Hitler agents, abolished all fascist organisations, gave free rein to the initiative and activity of the masses in all spheres of State and public life. It restored, extended and guaranteed the democratic rights and liberties of the people, gave them the opportunity to be the masters of their destiny.
The women of Bulgaria were given equal rights and drawn into active public and political life. The Front gave the country's youth, who have reached the age of 18, the right to elect and be elected. Our young people are the pride of the People's Republic of Bulgaria. Their patriotic exploits on the labour front call for special mention.
Never in the past have the people of Bulgaria taken such an active and conscious part in the elections to the supreme organs of the State. In the 1945 November elections 3,862,492 citizens, that is, 86 per cent of the total number of electors went to the polls; 4,129,544 electors, that is, 91.6 per cent of the total number of electors took part in the referendum on the people's republic on September 8, 1946; 4,244,337, or 93.19 per cent of the electors cast their vote in the elections to the Great People's Assembly.
These figures speak of the giant strides made by our people's democracy, especially when compared with the elections in the past and the elections in the countries of vaunted Western democracy.
In the past the newspapers, as a rule, belonged to individual capitalists or capitalist circles, or were subsidised by doubtful sources for carrying out an anti-popular policy and propaganda. Progressive newspapers and magazines had no chance for development. Special draconic laws and censorship made it impossible for the people to express themselves. Under the people's democracy the principles of freedom of the press were brilliantly realised. The democratic political organisations of our people, their mass cultural organisations acquired the right and opportunity to publish their printed organ and freely express their opinion on all State and social matters.
Never before have the workers, peasants, intelligentsia, handicraftsmen and all progressive citizens enjoyed such freedom and opportunities to foregather, organise, to use the squares, streets, halls, print shops and radio for their political and cultural activities.
The trade unions in our country with its population of 7 million today operate freely and unhampered. There are close to 540,000 organised industrial and office workers not to mention the Peasants' union with 1,280,000 members, the Union of Handicraftsmen with 114,000 members, the cooperative organisations with more than 2,000,000 members, the Women's League with more than 600,000 members, the Youth League with close to 1,000,000 members, the organisation of school pupils with a membership of more than 600,000, etc.
The people's democracy has fully realised the principle of freedom of conscience. Citizens can practise the religion of their choice.
The Fatherland Front has given the national minorities inhabiting the country full equality of rights. Certain Turkish newspapers have slanderously alleged that the Turkish minority In Bulgaria does not enjoy full equality. This is an out and out falsehood, tor the Turkish minority has the unrestricted right to study in its native tongue and practise its national culture.
The people's democracy, which was won with the blood of thousands of valiant champions against fascism and the untold suffering of the Bulgarian people, cannot tolerate a “freedom” which would be detrimental to the interests of the Bulgarian people and would, if anything be an enemy of the people. In our country there can be no freedom for the monarcho- capitalist clique, for those responsible for national disasters, for hangmen of the people, far fascists, conspirators and for those who want to restore the old regime. Everybody know that if prison is the place for the bandit armed with a gun the bandit wielding the pen must not be allowed to harm the people.
The Fatherland Front has democratized and consolidated our beloved people's army. In the past the army was a tool in the hands of the monarchy and reactionary fascist clique to oppress to Bulgarian people, to uphold interest and aims alien to the people. Today this army is an instrument of peace, freedom and independence of our people. Our arm and our valiant border guards protect the freedom of our native land.
After September 9 Bulgaria was faced with serious economic tasks. In the course of the war we had to satisfy the demands of the front and later rapidly heal the wounds inflicted on our economy by the war, resolutely take the path of economic development and secure the national independence and wellbeing of our people. To accomplish this we had to marshall our material, moral and labour resources along planned lines. The Two-Year Economic Plan adopted in the spring of 1947 is of outstanding significance for our people. This Plan projects the new direction of Bulgaria's economic development. In the future the planned economy will embrace, on a ever wider scale, the different branches of our national economy and, once and for all, will put an end to the anarchy in production and distribution. A planned system has become possible because the leadership of the state is in the hands of the people and because under the new power the social sector—State and cooperative—is steadily expanding.
Our economic plan raises two basic tasks. The first is to surmount the difficulties we have inherited and to liquidate the consequences of the war. The second is to lay the foundation for the speedy industrialisation of our country, develop the electric power industry, increase coal output, mechanise agriculture, promote cattle breeding, improve and extend the transport system, develop and perfect the handicrafts trades, extend and promote home and foreign trade.
Our country is very backward industrially. Only 8 per cent of the gainfully employed population is engaged in industry. In this respect practically all the West European and some of the Balkan countries have left us behind. The reason for this is to be found in the harmful anti-national policy of the former bourgeois reactionary and fascist governments, which turned our country into an agrarian appendage of the German imperialists and reduced her to a semi-colony. The capitalist class in Bulgaria was not concerned with building heavy industry. It was interested, in the main, in light industry which would yield quick and big returns. However, this capitalist class preferred, above all else, to go in for trade and speculation as the shortest path to getting rich quick.
Although work had to be carried out under the most difficult conditions — the poor heritage, three years of drought, foreign trade difficulties — considerable achievements can be registered in the sphere of industry. Industrial output in 1947 was 30.5 per cent higher than the 1939 figure and 16 per cent above the 1946 level. Coal output in particular has increased by 80 per cent compared to 1939.
The first oven of the huge “Vulkan” cement works in Dimitrovgrad went into operation in 1947 and the second is scheduled for this year. Construction work has started on the nitrogenous fertilizers plant in Dimitrovgrad which, upon completion, will produce 110,000 tons of fertilizers annually. The plant will also have a special shop which will produce sulphuric acid. An agreement has been signed with the USSR to build a liquid fuel plant.
A particularly important measure in the sphere of our economic policy which will greatly promote the further development of the economy is the nationalisation of private enterprises and the mining industry. Whereas at the end of 1946 the State and cooperative sector contributed only 30 per cent of the country's industrial output today the State sector alone accounts for more than 80 per cent of the total output. Thus, the people's State has won one of the key positions in economy, which allows for the rapid all-round industrial development of our country.
Nationalisation, which has met with the unanimous approval of the people of Bulgaria furnishes splendid opportunities for enlarging and reconstructing industry, for increasing and improving the quality of industrial output, and bringing down production costs. The new executives of the State enterprises, the workers, engineers and technical personnel are now engaged in creating large-scale industrial enterprises, by grouping together the smaller nationalised enterprises, especially in the engineering and chemical industries. Simultaneously the construction of new enterprises in proceeding apace—8,300 million lev have been appropriated for this purpose in 1948.
The people's Government is devoting considerable attention to electrification which was very backward in the past and was allowed to develop only inasmuch as it suited the commercial and speculative interest of the Bulgarian and foreign capitalists. The output of electric power rose from 313 million kilowatt hours in 1944 to 488 million kilowatt hours in 1947. A number of steam and hydro-electric power stations are being built which in 1950-51 will satisfy the needs of electrification. Close to 300 towns and villages have been electrified and the 1948 plan provides for another 280 receiving electricity.
The Fatherland Front has done well in agriculture. The area under crop has increased from 43 million decares in 1940 to 48 million in 1947. As a result of the agrarian reform 127,000 families received 1,252,000 decares of land and 7,863 families holdings. 381 publicly-owned economies, and institutions received 71,000 decares of land.
An important new feature in agriculture is the producer cooperatives, of which there are 579 comprised of about 50,000 landholders. These cooperatives possess a total of 1,890,000 decares of land. Despite the difficulties caused by three years of drought in succession, the cooperatives have taken a firm foothold. The peasants are beginning to regard them as the surest way to developing our economy and enhancing the wellbeing of the rural population.
We are increasing the production of agricultural machines as a means of further promoting agriculture and in the near future will have our own agricultural machine-building industry.
We are establishing 30 machine and tractor stations to supply agriculture with the necessary implements, machines and especially tractors to cultivate the land. In all we shall have 70 machine and tractor stations this year.
Hundreds of thousands of decares of marshland have been drained and converted into first-class fertile soil by the erection of dams along the Danube. A reservoir, hundreds of kilometres of new canals, and pumping station are under construction. The Fatherland Front has embarked on extensive construction activities, the results of which will be apparent within the next few years. Millions of decares of land will be irrigated and fertility increased threefold.
Considerable efforts are being exerted to promote cattle breeding, for which purpose more than 922 cattle raising farms have been established. Fodder stocks have been increased. We have built also a number of district incubators.
The planned autumn sowing was fulfilled 101 per cent and undoubtedly the spring sowing will be carried out just as successfully.
Until September 9, 1944 Bulgaria's foreign trade was channelled exclusively in the interests of the big private firms and German imperialism and mainly catered to Germany.
September 9 found Bulgaria economically isolated. The Government took immediate measures to restore and extend trade relations with the outside world. It was able to sign a trade agreement with the Soviet state, which rendered invaluable economic add in rehabilitating our national economy. The Soviet Union supplied us with a number of machines and basic materials for industry, rendered extensive assistance in food supplies by sending 130,000 tons of grain and fodder and 30,000 tons of hay. We will be receiving another 75,000 tons of wheat from the Soviet Union during the early part of the current year.
Apart from this the Soviet Union has granted us a trade credit of 5,000,000 dollars, has helped us in our industrialisation plans by agreeing to build, on the deferred payment system, a chemical plant with an electric power station in Dimitrovgrad and a liquid fuel plant in the Burga area.
Trade agreements have been signed also with Czechoslovakia, Poland, Yugoslavia, Rumania, Hungary, Austria, Switzerland, France, Belgium, Holland, Denmark, Germany, Finland, Italy and Sweden.
Special import-export centres—State and mixed—have been organised which now control the whole of foreign trade. Thus, foreign trade which in the past, was a means of robbing the people of Bulgaria has become an important factor in the development of the country's national economy.
Our enemies tried to scare us by saying that the financial policy of the Fatherland Front would lead the country to disaster and the Bulgarian people would not trust the new financial institution. However, the facts tell a different story: deposits in the savings bank and in the Agricultural and Cooperative Bank of Bulgaria have considerably increased.
By nationalising the banks the people of Bulgaria have eliminated the remaining parasitic private banks from the banking system and made the State the master of credits in the country.
Whereas in the past the working people were compelled to work for the fascist state now, that they are the masters of their country they are working with great enthusiasm, despite the still unsatisfactory material conditions, and are confident that only thus will they be able to improve their life.
Labour emulation and shock-brigade work are a new impulse to labour, hitherto unknown in the history of Bulgaria. Hundreds of thousands of people are setting examples of how to work for our native land. We can say that emulation is getting to be a permanent and essential factor on the labour front. We now have innovators and rationalisers in industry who are facilitating the labour processes and increasing output. One of the best examples of the genuinely popular and democratic character of the Front is the fact that all really talented members of the intelligentsia capable of creative work are either actively participating in building up our people's republic, or are facilitating this building in every way. None can deny that there is not a single really prominent worker in the sphere of science, art and culture who is not contributing to the great constructive work of the Front.
The tasks which the Fatherland Front programme outlined in 1942 have, in the main, been fulfilled. The Front must now renew its programme and define its new tasks in accordance with the vital interests of the people and with the further development of the country. In short, these tasks are as follows: First, to educate the popular masses in the spirit of the people's Constitution, to inculcate and strengthen the consciousness that they are strong and that they are masters of their own destiny; to educate the masses politically, so that all citizens of the people's republic take an active part in governing the country; to develop among the people a sense of national dignity, of patriotic duty and readiness to defend the interests of the State and people.
Second, by every means to facilitate the development of the productive forces both in industry and agriculture; to industrialise and electrify the country and thus to increase to the maximum her economic power, to transform Bulgaria into a modern industrial-agrarian country with a highly-developed industry, with an abundance of electric energy and irrigation, a well-developed transport system, and mechanised agriculture; to extend and develop the State sector, that is, the people's sector of the national economy and to set up a network of agricultural and artisan cooperatives, rendering, at the same time, all-round assistance and protection to individual agricultural producers, to handicraftsmen, etc., and to improve the material and cultural wellbeing of the people.
Third, to strengthen the defence capacity of the country by preparing the people to defend their freedom and independence from any foreign encroachment.
Fourth, to secure the carrying out of a consistent and correct foreign policy based on the principles of a lasting and democratic peace and on genuine and unbreakable friendship with the Soviet Union, which is the keystone of this policy; to secure also the policy of fraternity and friendship with the people of Yugoslavia, and cooperation with all near and distant freedom-loving peoples, based on equality and respect of national independence, on an all-round system of allied treaties of friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance with all Slav and non-Slavic democratic countries for defence against imperialist aggression and for economic prosperity.
The realisation of these tasks spells the elimination of the remnants of the capitalist system of exploitation in our country.
The new tasks call for a reorganisation of the Fatherland Front. The Front has never been merely a party coalition, an agreement between leaders of different parties for temporary aims and tasks. From the very outset our Front was a popular movement. However, formerly due to necessity its leadership bore certain features of a party coalition—features which the Front in the process of development, is gradually abandoning. Hitherto the Front had no organisation and no elected leading organs.
The realisation of our new tasks is impossible without the maximum unity and welding together of the popular forces, without increased consciousness and active participation by the citizens of the people's republic, without the unified and authoritative guidance of the growing activity of the working people. For these reasons it is necessary to reorganise the Front into a united people's social-political organisation with rules of discipline obligatory for all its members, and possessing a unified general programme and elected leadership.
The draft statutes of the Front contain the main organisational principles of this unified people's social-political organisation. The main principle of the new organisation of the Fatherland Front will be democratic centralism. This means that all organs of the Front, from the lowest to the highest, are elected, that they report to their corresponding organisations, that the lower organs submit to the higher, the minority to the majority, that the decisions of the leading organs are binding for all members of the Front organisations; it means also the broad development of constructive, creative criticism and self-criticism. All this guarantees that the Front will possess a sound organisation capable of guiding our people and their great work of construction.
Anyone, regardless of party membership, nationality, religion and social position, can be a member of the Front, provided he accepts the Front Statutes and programme, submits to its discipline, works in one of its organisations and pays membership dues. The doors of the Front are closed for those who serve reaction, directly or indirectly, who took part in persecuting and murdering antifascists or who actively encouraged and supported fascist tyranny.
In this way the Fatherland Front becomes a genuine popular organisation open to all honest citizens ready to work on behalf of our country.
The transformation of the Front into a unified popular social- political body does not exclude the existence and activity of the various parties forming the Front. The idea that the time has come to liquidate the parties and that these parties have outlived their role is a harmful prejudice. There are good reasons for the existence of separate parties in the Front even in the conditions of the unified popular social-political organisation. These parties have much work before them in drawing to the Front numerous elements from the circles where they have influence and contact, and in doing so they will help strengthen the Front and hasten the complete moral and political unity of our people, which is the chief guarantee of future success. The new thing for the parties is that now they will develop their activities within the framework of the Front programme and will be obliged to submit to its discipline.
The progressive social development of our country is moving not backward, towards a multitude of parties and groupings, but towards the elimination of all remnants of the capitalist system of exploitation, and this will lead to the establishment of a unified political party that will guide the state and society. Our people who have bitter memories of the past will never agree to the leadership of our State and society resembling the swan, crayfish and pike in Krylov's fable, who, despite their efforts could not move the cart, since the swan was pushing upward, the crayfish backward while the pike was diving into the river.
But the formation of a united political party of our people calls for hard work. A number of radical changes are necessary to eliminate completely the capitalist system of exploitation and to put an end to the existence of antagonistic classes; it is necessary also to carry out considerable work in the matter of re-educating our people. But all this will be done by the Fatherland Front, the united social-political organisation, which our congress will set up.
There are dishonest people who will say that this is totalitarianism, dictatorship by a single party. Fascism certainly represented a totalitarian system, but as is known that system was imposed on the people from above, by means of terror and violence, and found expression in the unrestricted domination and dictatorship of a handful of big capitalists, financial magnates, businessmen and political adventurers over the vast majority of the people with the aim of plundering and enslaving the people.
The Fatherland Front bears no relation whatsoever to such a system. The Front represents the unification of the popular forces, brought about by the people and for the people. Together with the Communist Party, which is the leading party, there are four other parties in the Front—the parties that broke with the capitalist system, that adhered to the progressive principles of the Front and declared themselves for the people and for the country. Expressing the wishes of the people these parties accept the general political discipline and a unified programme that envisages constructive labour, a lasting peace and the building of a just social order which will secure for the working people the wellbeing they deserve. Clearly this is not totalitarianism. This is unified political leadership of the people's republic in the interests of peace, democracy and progress.
Internal reaction and hired imperialist agents would like to prevent the creation of a political leadership of this kind, for they are interested in dividing the people. Their slogan is: “Divide and rule!”
But the old bourgeois parties have been rejected by our people. Their existence is not, and cannot be, justified. In the new social order they have become not only superfluous but also harmful as the agency of internal and international reaction. The Fatherland Front has been called to rule the country and only the Front will rule in accordance with the expressed will of the people.
Naturally, enemies of our people’s republic would like to have their fifth column in the country, which would undermine the basis of the people's democracy. But people who have taken their destinies into their own hands won't stand for any fifth column– the agency of the foreign imperialists, the tools of capitalist concerns and monopolies.
I am convinced that all the parties in the Front and the other organisations as well will, after this congress, reorganise their work along new lines, will spare no afford to make the Fatherland Front firm and unshakable, to make it a vast, unanimous, loyal, united and disciplined social-political victorious army of our people. (Applause)
Carefully and critically analysing the difficult and tortuous path traversed by our people under the leadership of the Fatherland Front we can say with confidence that the worst is behind us. No doubt in future, too, we shall encounter quite a number of difficulties but then difficulties are inevitable, are a concomitant of growth and development. At the same time the conditions and opportunities for overcoming the difficulties, exist.
With the organisation of the Fatherland Front into a united, people's social-political organisation, equipped with a new programme, the people of Bulgaria will advance more confidently towards the final triumph of their great cause, regardless of all and any difficulties and obstacles.
Our task is rendered much easier thanks to the fact that the people are inspired by, and are ready to learn from the experience of the fraternal Soviet Union, whose people, despite enormous difficulties and enormous sacrifice, have created, under the leadership of the great Bolshevik Party and of its brilliant leader Generalissimo Stalin, a new socialist society and are now confidently marching onward to Communism. (Prolonged applause)
Our people have their enemies, but the people are not alone. They have also big and small, true, and unselfish friends. By firmly rallying around the Fatherland Front the people of Bulgaria will steer their social ship of State through the reefs to safe harbour.
Long live the indestructible and invincible Fatherland Front!
Long live the people's republic of Bulgaria! (All rise, stormy and prolonged applause.)