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Orthodoxy Revised. Ostensibly, the major business of the congress is to ratify a new party program drafted by Khrushchev, a revised, up-to-date version of Marxism-Leninism, that mystic creed of spurious orthodoxy by which the party still seeks to justify its every move—including transgressions against orthodoxy. Ever since the new "Khrushchev Code" was published last summer, Russia's ideological pundits have eulogized it as "the most important theoretical and political document of our time," and Western demonologists have studied it for possible clues to the future—a thankless task, since between Communist theory and practice there is only the most devious connection. It is above all a propaganda document, but it does give evidence of Communism's immense successes as well as its staggering problems.
The old party program that Khrushchev is replacing was hastily written in 1919 by Lenin in the midst of civil war; he thought he would be lucky if it—and Soviet rule in Russia—lasted for a couple of months. Four decades later, Lenin's heirs have conquered half the world and one-third of mankind. The revised program—under the slogan, "Everything in man's name, for man's benefit"—is still a paste-up of inspirational clichés that presents Communism as the source of all wisdom, justice and abundance. But by listing the ultimate goals of its Utopia, it shows unwittingly how repressive and restricted Russia really is.
After 40 years, during which socialism supposedly "triumphed in the Soviet Union completely and finally," clean and decent housing ("even for honeymooners") is still a solemnly promised but far-distant goal. Khrushchev ignores completely the most radical reforms proposed in Lenin's program: transformation of the army into a people's militia, abolition of money, liberation of women from household drudgery. Some of Lenin's old promises are simply postponed for another 20 years, among them such still-unfulfilled ideals as a six-hour working day, one-month paid vacations for all, state-supplied books, clothing, shoes and lunches for schoolchildren. Some of the rosiest goals of Khrushchev's Utopia, from highway networks to supermarkets, have long been commonplace in capitalist countries.
Party Revived. On the issue of war, Khrushchev's program reiterates the slogan that "peaceful coexistence" with the capitalist nations is both possible and necessary. Khrushchev again falsely attributes this concept to Lenin, who actually called for and predicted an early, ferocious conflict with the capitalist enemy. While Khrushchev thus enshrines peaceful coexistence in the party program, it would be naive to draw solace from the fact; as with any Communist dogma, it can be circumvented. The program carefully allows for "all forms of struggle, peaceful and non-peaceful."