Contribution to the 15^th International Communist Seminar
"Present and past experiences in the international communist movement".
Brussels, 5-7 May 2006
www.icsbrussels.org , ics[at]icsbrussels.org

Tendencies of the development of the Marxist Parties in Central and Eastern Europe

Socialist Party of Lithuania

Author of article: Giedrius Piatruzhis,

Vice-president of the international section of the Socialist Party of Lithuania

The fall of the Soviet Union and the countries of people’s democracy in Eastern Europe, along with the fall of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU), has caused a great damage to the international communist and workers’ movement.

In the light of the ideological treachery of a part of the leading and nomenclatura level of the CPSU, in the USSR and some countries of Eastern Europe, the counter-revolutionary forces within these countries, with the active help of from outside, in the first place from the secret services of the USA, and also from the European financial monopolies, have celebrated a temporary victory. The main mass media fell into the hands of the counter-revolutionary and bourgeois parties, and the material resources as well, which had been created by the labour of a whole generation: modern enterprises and plants, expensive buildings, many of which are sold and resold nowadays, taken over by the American and European grand capital, under the denomination of "investments" in the backward sectors of the new member states of the EU.

Capital is no longer accumulated following the usual rates of speed and ways of doing business more or less legally. The first places in the ranking of the journal Forbes about the richest people in the world are now occupied by new capitalist sharks, coming in the first place from the former Soviet Union. The same is taking place, all be it on a smaller scale, in Central and Eastern Europe.

However, the reality of the development of society confirms the historical laws, formulated by Marx, Lenin and other eminent theoreticians of the international communist and workers’ movement of the 20^th century. While entering the new century, we see clearly which great successes are obtained by peoples, who are directed by the vanguard of the workers, the Marxist parties. Today the People’s Republic of China holds a worthy position in the world community by its results and its rate of growth, notwithstanding the continuous attacks and efforts in order to isolate her and to stop her economic development. The peoples of Vietnam, Laos and the People’s Democratic Republic of Korea are working diligently. Cuba remains a lightning beacon of revolutionary spirit. It inspires the strong rising wave of struggle of the peoples of Latin and South America against the exploitation by USA imperialism and international monopoly capital.

For us the Communist Party of the Republic of Moldova, under the leadership of the president of the republic Vladimir Voronin, can be an example and a model, as they obtained already twice a victory by democratic elections in the parliament. The communists are in top of the political ratings of all parties in Moldova.

It is a matter of honour for our comrades, who work in the European parliament and other economic and political structures of the EU, to help by all means and solidarity the people of Moldova, that goes through great economic difficulties.

Little is known in Europe about the achievements of these parties, due to the lack of accredited diplomatic representatives, embassies or consulates. I propose a way, which can save the finances of the economically developing countries en will promote the propaganda for the attainments of the Marxist parties in the whole world. With the help and active collaboration of the leadership of the Marxist and workers’ parties of Europe, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of these countries could open Honorary Consulates in these countries and regions, where they have no diplomatic representation.

This would not only help the cause of propaganda, but can create complementary advantages by obtaining new economic and cultural relations.

Also in order to enhance the role and authority of the comrades, who were elected in the European parliament, I propose to take into account the experience of the communist deputies of Russia, Ukraine, the Czech republic and of other parties, who have social assistants and advisers in their party personnel. For us, new members of the EU, it would be a great honour and responsibility to fulfil concrete missions for the communist deputies of the European parliament, and it would strengthen our relations.

We also must point at the provocations, blackmail and general pressure on a global and local scale of the international circles of the grand capital, who have not given up their hope for a victory. Using all methods and provocations they try to continue the isolation of the left forces in the different countries, and they help to set up new pseudo-left revolutionary parties and movements.

The Socialist Party of Lithuania, the only legally existing Marxist party in Lithuania, tries to unite all progressive left political forces of our Republic. We established good relations with the members of the still forbidden Communist Party of Lithuania, whose leader Mikolas Burokyavichus was recently released after 12 years of imprisonment. We established relations with the socialists of Latvia, who have booked political success and became a parliamentary party.

The working programme of this International Communist Seminar is very important and of actual interest for our movement and our perspectives. Establishing and strengthening the communist parties in the various countries in today's global world is impossible without co-ordinated steps and actions: beginning with the organisational party work and ending with the political election campaigns on all levels in the different countries.

I think that even something easy as the arrival of foreign guests during an election campaign in whatever country, with the consequent attention of the media, should be used as a method. I am convinced that the international support and solidarity can increase the amount of votes for socialism.

I would like to take advantage of this occasion to invite the comrades, which have the time and the possibility to visit Lithuania, the new member of the European Union, in the beginning of next year during its election campaign for the local councils.

The establishment of a continuously operating school of the Comintern for young leaders of our party, with a cycle of activities within the separate countries and within the party organisations, who attained results in well-determined sectors of the party work, would have a big impact with perspective on the development and establishment of the Communist Parties. The best instructors would be the leaders of the party structures themselves, the comrades chosen in the parliaments and the local governments, and also the professors of social sciences.

While studying the historical experiences of the establishment of Marxist parties in the regions, we must explain the reasons of the defeat of socialism in the former Soviet Union and the countries of Eastern Europe. This question remains unsolved. And as long as we have no answers, it will be difficult for us to obtain perceptible results, and for our opponents it will be easy to repeat their slogans about the impossibility of socialism.

The knowledge of the laws of the market economy, of the principles of international right and human rights, should be common to the cadres of the international communist and workers movement.

The attempts of the bourgeoisie to solve the national questions within the framework of the European Union are deemed to fail, because the European union aims at the concurrence position on the world market for spheres of influence, for raw materials and energetic resources of the planet, and out of the boundaries of its territory the EU oppresses the interests of other nations.

Communists today must be fluent in methods of cultural technology to integrate workers of other nationalities in the society of countries, where many workers are immigrants. The very fast growth of - especially illegal - immigration, workers, forces this issue into sharp class struggle.

All this knowledge will prepare and arm the young communist cadres, and help them to be able to direct the struggle for social justice, progress and for socialism in their own countries.

As the latest European events show in France, Greece, and in other countries, the integration of political struggle and the interaction with the trade union movement and the different trade union organisations prove to be very effective and efficient.

With the increasingly automation and computerisation, the use of robots on a massive scale in the production and the relative quantitative diminishing of the working class, we must continue to work in the sectors of services, construction and transport.

The creation and strengthening of trade union structures in these sectors, by sending communists to them, will enhance the role and importance of our parties.

Under the conditions of growing competition and struggle of the multinationals between themselves, many representatives of the small en middle entrepreneurs can become our allies, and our party structures and links can serve as mediators between them.

Dear comrades, I wish to all participants of this seminar a strong health, and to the parties that you represent, great attainments in the struggle for socialism, for a worthy life for all people on earth !