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Stalin on Stakhanovism: "The Stakhanov movement cannot be considered an ordinary movement of working men and women. It is a movement that will go down in the history of our Socialist construction as one of its most glorious pages. Wherein lies the significance of this movement? "Why did Capitalism defeat and master feudalism? Because it made society wealthier. Why must the Socialist system, of economy inevitably vanquish the Capitalist system of economy? Because it can furnish society with more products and can make society wealthier than can the Capitalist system of economy.
''Those who think Socialism can be strengthened by material leveling of the people on a low level are wrong. This is a petty bourgeois concept of Socialism. Socialism can only be victorious on the basis of high labor productivity—and higher than Capitalism—on the basis of abundance of products and all consumers' articles, on the basis of a plentiful and cultural life for all members of society.
"For Socialism to achieve this goal and make our society richer the country must have a level of labor productivity that exceeds that of the foremost Capitalist countries. The Stakhanov movement is such a movement. It opens up new prospects for the practical strengthening of Socialism in our country and for turning it into the (world's) most affluent land.'' Communism at Last? The main smash of Stalin's remarks on Stakhanovism was intelligible only if one realizes that the Soviet Union has never been Communist, is not now Communist, but hopes some day to become Communist. Today it is Socialist, after a fashion. Years ago Stalin referred, somewhat wistfully, to "Socialism, that first stage in the advance toward Communism." Still in this first stage last week, the Dictator pontificated:
"The Stakhanov movement prepares the way for advancing from Socialism to Communism. In a Socialist society every one works according to his ability and receives in return not according to his needs but according to what he has produced for society. This means that the cultural and technical level of the working class is still not high, that a difference still exists between mental and physical labor.
"The principle of a Communist society is that every one works according to his ability and receives according to his cultural needs and not according to what he has produced. This means the cultural and technical level of the working class is sufficiently high to wipe out the contradictions between mental and physical labor. "Those who think the difference between mental and physical labor can be eliminated by lowering the technical level of engineers and technicians are absolutely incorrect. Only petty bourgeois jabberers can think this about Communism." These words, perfectly unintelligible to millions of proletarians, held the most profound interest this week for the world's makers of Revolution. Most of them have been told and have told the masses that already in Russia it is a case of "To each according to his needs." Instead Stalin, urging the Capitalist speedup, said bluntly that in Russia today it is a case of "To each not according to his needs but according to what he has produced"—the standard Capitalist definition of piece work.