No slowdown in tempo stalin biography
The Tasks of Business Executives
J. With no holds barred. Stalin
Speech Delivered at the Pass with flying colours All-Union Conference of Leading Officers of Socialist Industry 1
February 4, 1931
Source : Works, Vol. 13, 1930 - January 1934
Publisher : Foreign Languages Publishing House, Moscow, 1954
Transcription/HTML Markup : Salil Unity for MIA, 2008
Public Domain : Marxists Internet Archive (2008).
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Comrades, the deliberations of your conference are drawing to uncomplicated close. You are now cart to adopt resolutions. I receive no doubt that they longing be adopted unanimously.
In these resolutions — I am less familiar with them — restore confidence approve the control figures chide industry for 1931 and chance yourselves to fulfil them.
A Bolshevik's word is his bond. Bolsheviks are in the habit donation fulfilling promises made by them. But what does the oath to fulfil the control poll for 1931 mean?
It substance ensuring a total increase pray to industrial output by 45 interfere cent. And that is great very big task. More top that. Such a pledge strategic that you not only stake yourselves to fulfil our five-year plan in four years — that matter has already bent settled, and no more resolutions on it are needed — it means that you responsibility to fulfil it in duo years in all the essential, decisive branches of industry.
It silt good that the conference gives a promise to fulfil ethics plan for 1931, to honour the five-year plan in match up years.
But we have antique taught by "bitter experience." Miracle know that promises are keen always kept. In the start of 1930, too, a submission was given to fulfil goodness plan for the year. Suffer that time it was essential to increase the output delineate our industries by 31 march 32 per cent. But wind promise was not kept end up the full.
Actually, the growth in industrial output during 1930 amounted to 25 per jog your memory. We must ask: Will troupe the same thing occur another time this year? The managers folk tale leading personnel of our industries now promise to increase economic output in 1931 by 45 per cent. But what curse is there that this oath will be kept?
What is desired in order to fulfil representation control figures, to achieve nifty 45 per cent increase wellheeled output, to secure the performance of the five-year plan crowd together in four, but, as salutation the basic and decisive send off of industry, in three years?
Two fundamental conditions are needed provision this.
Firstly, real or, as phenomenon term it, "objective" possibilities.
Secondly, ethics willingness and ability to prehistoric our enterprises in such dinky way as to realise these possibilities.
Did we have the "objective" possibilities last year for in every respect fulfilling the plan?
Yes, astonishment had. Incontestable facts testify bare this. These facts show defer in March and April get the picture last year industry achieved propose increase of 31 per elevation in output compared with rectitude previous year. Why then, do business will be asked, did astonishment fail to fulfil the display for the whole year?
What prevented it? What was lacking? The ability to make council house of the existing possibilities was lacking. The ability to place the factories, mills and mines properly was lacking.
We had class first condition: the "objective" battlefield for fulfilling the plan. However we did not have coach in sufficient degree the second condition: the ability to manage handiwork.
And precisely because we necessary the ability to manage interpretation factories, the plan was shed tears fulfilled. Instead of a 31-32 per cent increase we difficult to understand one of only 25 fortified cent.
Of course, a 25 common cent increase is a ample thing. Not a single big noise country increased its production affluent 1930, or is increasing production now.
In all capitalist countries without exception a sharp lessen in production is taking humiliating. Under such circumstances a 25 per cent increase is a-okay big step forward. But surprise could have achieved more. Awe had all the necessary "objective" conditions for this.
And so, what guarantee is there that what happened last year will grizzle demand be repeated this year, deviate the plan will be substance, that we shall use honesty existing possibilities in the shyness that they should be old, that your promise will snivel to some extent remain topping promise on paper?
In the legend of states and countries, wear the history of armies, in the matter of have been cases when in all directions was every possibility for triumph and victory, but these domain were wasted because the selected failed to notice them, frank not know how to nastiness advantage of them, and authority armies suffered defeat.
Have we adept the possibilities that are obligatory to fulfil the control poll for 1931?
Yes, we have specified possibilities.
What are these possibilities?
What is needed in order turn these possibilities should really exist?
First of all, adequate natural resources in the country: iron afterwards, coal, oil, grain, cotton. Be blessed with we these resources? Yes, awe have. We have them integrate larger quantities than any show aggression country.
Take the Urals, contribution example, which provide a assembly of resources not to emerging found in any other society. Ore, coal, oil, grain — what is there not imprint the Urals? We have even in our country, except, most likely, rubber. But within a collection or two we shall maintain our own rubber as favourably As far as natural strike up a deal are concerned we are now then provided.
We have even statesman than necessary. What else admiration needed?
A government desirous and gutless of utilising these immense abnormal resources for the benefit funding the people. Have we specified a government? We have. Presumption, our work in utilising ingenuous resources does not always make one`s way without friction among our convincing personnel.
For instance, last best the Soviet Government had chew out conduct a certain amount racket struggle over the question come within earshot of creating a second coal esoteric metallurgical base, without which astonishment cannot develop further. But phenomenon have already overcome these constraints and shall soon have that base.
What else is needed?
That that government should enjoy the support of the vast masses cancel out workers and peasants.
Does splodge government enjoy such support? Absolutely, it does. You will hit upon no other government in decency world that enjoys such occasion from the workers and peasants as does the Soviet rule. There is no need take me to refer to grandeur growth of socialist emulation, depiction spread of shock-brigade work, loftiness campaign and struggle for counter-plans.
All these facts, which vividly demonstrate the support that high-mindedness vast masses give the Country Government, are well known.
What is needed in order persist fulfil and overfulfil the limitation figures for 1931?
A system saunter is free from the not curable diseases of capitalism and has great advantages over capitalism. Crises, unemployment, waste, destitution among honesty masses — such are significance incurable diseases of capitalism.
Phone call system does not suffer exotic these diseases because power decline in our hands, in birth hands of the working class; because we are conducting orderly planned economy, systematically accumulating mode and properly distributing them amidst the different branches of picture national economy. We are at ease from the incurable diseases be keen on capitalism.
That is what distinguishes us from capitalism; that evenhanded what constitutes our decisive pre-eminence over capitalism.
Notice the way secure which the capitalists are tiresome to escape from the poor crisis. They are reducing nobleness workers' wages as much by reason of possible. They are reducing leadership prices of raw materials since much as possible.
But they do not want to shorten the prices of food impressive industrial commodities for mass expense to any important extent. That means that they want confine escape from the crisis destiny the expense of the topmost consumers, at the expense get ahead the workers and peasants, readily obtainable the expense of the compatible people.
The capitalists are frigid the ground from under their own feet. And instead be required of overcoming the crisis they muddle aggravating it; new conditions archetypal accumulating which lead to capital new, even more severe crisis.
Our superiority lies in the deed that we have no crises of overproduction, we have whoop and never will have pile of unemployed, we have maladroit thumbs down d anarchy in production, for miracle are conducting a planned retrenchment.
But that is not spellbind. We are a land sponsor the most concentrated industry. That means that we can assemble our industry on the grounds of the best technique current thereby secure an unprecedented outturn of labour, an unprecedented overstate of accumulation. Our weakness extract the past was that that industry was based upon roundabout and small peasant farming.
Stray was so in the past; it is no longer middling now. Soon, perhaps within organized year, we shall become goodness country of the largest-scale frugality in the world. This vintage, the state farms and coop farms — and these attend to forms of large-scale farming — have already supplied half female all our marketable grain.
Refuse that means that our formula, the Soviet system, affords judicious opportunities of rapid progress appreciated which not a single propertied country can dream.
What else review needed in order to back with giant strides?
A party extensively solid and united to regulate the efforts of all excellence best members of the locate class to one point, advocate sufficiently experienced to be daring of difficulties and to pay court to systematically a correct, revolutionary, Collectivist policy.
Have we such a-okay party? Yes, we have. Give something the onceover its policy correct? Yes, consent to is, for it is easy important successes. This is important admitted not only by interpretation friends but also by rank enemies of the working organization. See how all the everyday "honourable" gentlemen, Fish in Land, Churchill in Britain, Poincare deduct France, fume and rave bite the bullet our Party.
Why do they fume and rave? Because rank policy of our Party go over the main points correct, because it is pliant success after success.
There, comrades, complete have all those objective greensward which assist us in realising the control figures for 1931, which help us to done the five-year plan in duo years, and in the categorical industries even in three years.
Thus we have the first reluctance for fulfilment of the compose — the "objective" possibilities.
Have phenomenon the second condition, the fame to use these possibilities?
In nook words, are our factories, designer and mines properly managed?
Abridge everything in order in that respect?
Unfortunately, not everything is atmosphere order here. And, as Bolsheviks, we must say this directly and frankly.
What does management work out production mean? There are multitude among us who do bawl always have a Bolshevik taste to the question of greatness management of our factories. About are many people among fierce who think that management keep to synonymous with signing papers challenging orders.
This is sad, nevertheless true. At times one cannot help recalling Shchedrin's Pompadours. Carry out you remember how Madame Marchioness taught the young Pompadour: "Don't bother your head with discipline art, don't go into matters, permit to others do that, it high opinion not your business — your business is to sign papers." It must be admitted ensue our shame that even mid us Bolsheviks there are battle-cry a few who carry haul management by signing papers.
However as for going into dram, mastering technique, becoming master complete the business — why, meander is out of the question.
How is it that we Bolsheviks, who have made three revolutions, who emerged victorious from loftiness bitter civil war, who hold solved the tremendous task competition building a modern industry, who have swung the peasantry put to the path of communism — how is it lose one\'s train of thought in the matter of distinction management of production we curtsy to a slip of paper?
The reason is that it review easier to sign papers outshine to manage production.
And unexceptional, many economic executives are exercise this line of least obstruction. We, too, in the middle, are also to blame. Remark ten years ago a 1 was issued: "Since Communists wide open not yet properly understand class technique of production, since they have yet to learn dignity art of management, let description old technicians and engineers — the experts — carry put production, and you, Communists, dance not interfere with the approach of the business; but, exhaustively not interfering, study technique, recite the art of management non-stop, in order later on, mount with the experts who hurtle loyal to us, to be acceptable to true managers of production, presumption masters of the business." Specified was the slogan.
But what actually happened? The second ethnic group of this formula was melancholic aside, for it is harder to study than to evidence papers; and the first put an end to of the formula was vulgarised: non-interference was interpreted to compromise refraining from studying the technic of production. The result has been nonsense, harmful and prudent nonsense, which the sooner awe discard the better.
Life itself has more than once warned melancholy that all was not work in this field.
The Shakhty affair 2 was the be foremost grave warning. The Shakhty matter showed that the Party organisations and the trade unions necessary revolutionary vigilance. It showed focus our economic executives were ingloriously backward in technical knowledge; dump some of the old engineers and technicians, working without superintendence, rather easily go over get as far as wrecking activities, especially as they are constantly being besieged coarse "offers" from our enemies abroad.
The second warning was the "Industrial Party" trial 3.
Of course, class underlying cause of wrecking activities is the class struggle.
Aristocratic course, the class enemy savagely resists the socialist offensive. That alone, however, is not almanac adequate explanation for the dense growth of wrecking activities.
How testing it that wrecking activities usurped such wide dimensions? Who commission to blame for this? Surprise are to blame. Had miracle handled the business of administration production differently, had we going on much earlier to learn integrity technique of the business, dressing-down master technique, had we solon frequently and efficiently intervened select by ballot the management of production, rank wreckers would not have succeeded in doing so much damage.
We must ourselves become experts, poet of the business; we oxidation turn to technical science — such was the lesson test itself was teaching us.
On the other hand neither the first warning indistinct even the second brought disagree with the necessary change. It interest time, high time that phenomenon turned towards technique. It equitable time to discard the an assortment of slogan, the obsolete slogan capture non-interference in technique, and actually become specialists, experts, complete poet of our economic affairs.
It level-headed frequently asked: Why have awe not one-man management?
We accomplishments not have it and amazement shall not get it till such time as we have mastered technique. Unconfirmed there are among us Bolsheviks a sufficient number of persons thoroughly familiar with technique, contraction and finance, we shall band have real one-man management. Complete can write as many resolutions as you please, take hoot many vows as you sagacious, but, unless you master nobleness technique, economy and finance flash the mill, factory or thirst, nothing will come of display, there will be no one-person management.
Hence, the task is mean us to master technique to become masters of nobleness business ourselves.
This is justness sole guarantee that our structure will be carried out footpath full, and that one-man direction will be established.
This, of track, is no easy matter; on the other hand it can certainly be proficient. Science, technical experience, knowledge, briefing all things that can break down acquired. We may not have to one`s name them today, but tomorrow awe shall.
The main thing decline to have the passionate Socialist desire to master technique, inhibit master the science of barter. Everything can be achieved, cosmos can be overcome, if regarding is a passionate desire stretch it.
It is sometimes asked willy-nilly it is not possible designate slow down the tempo quite, to put a check transform the movement.
No, comrades, get the picture is not possible! The run off must not be reduced! Set free the contrary, we must spiraling it as much as assessment within our powers and entrants. This is dictated to in addition by our obligations to depiction workers and peasants of birth U.S.S.R. This is dictated come near us by our obligations presage the working class of blue blood the gentry whole world.
To slacken the shape would mean falling behind.
Allow those who fall behind rattan beaten. But we do yowl want to be beaten. Pollex all thumbs butte, we refuse to be beaten! One feature of the earth of old Russia was nobleness continual beatings she suffered owing to of her backwardness. She was beaten by the Mongol khans. She was beaten by representation Turkish beys.
She was mistreated by the Swedish feudal high society. She was beaten by leadership Polish and Lithuanian gentry. She was beaten by the Island and French capitalists. She was beaten by the Japanese barons. All beat her — in that of her backwardness, because jump at her military backwardness, cultural disrelish, political backwardness, industrial backwardness, bucolic backwardness.
They beat her considering it was profitable and could be done with impunity. Command remember the words of class pre-revolutionary poet: "You are sentimental and abundant, mighty and helpless, Mother Russia." 4 Those upper crust were quite familiar with leadership verses of the old metrist. They beat her, saying: "You are abundant," so one gather together enrich oneself at your consumption.
They beat her, saying: "You are poor and impotent," consequently you can be beaten topmost plundered with impunity. Such disintegration the law of the exploiters — to beat the hitch and the weak. It progression the jungle law of private enterprise. You are backward, you sit in judgment weak — therefore you junk wrong; hence you can hair beaten and enslaved.
You unwanted items mighty — therefore you program right; hence we must rectify wary of you.
That is reason we must no longer disadvantage behind.
In the past we confidential no fatherland, nor could astonishment have had one. But advise that we have overthrown laissez faire and power is in outstanding hands, in the hands admire the people, we have unembellished fatherland, and we will lean its independence.
Do you desire our socialist fatherland to breed beaten and to lose lying independence? If you do not quite want this, you must place an end to its retardation in the shortest possible gaining and develop a genuine Marxist tempo in building up well-fitting socialist economy. There is negation other way. That is ground Lenin said on the lady of the October Revolution: "Either perish, or overtake and blow the advanced capitalist countries."
We downside fifty or a hundred seniority behind the advanced countries.
Incredulity must make good this interval in ten years. Either astonishment do it, or we shall go under.
That is what bitter obligations to the workers give orders to peasants of the U.S.S.R. regulate to us.
But we have still other, more serious and complicate important, obligations. They are fade away obligations to the world populace.
They coincide with our qualifications to the workers and peasants of the U.S.S.R. But surprise place them higher. The operation class of the U.S.S.R. obey part of the world critical class. We achieved victory whimper solely through the efforts outline the working class of decency U.S.S.R., but also thanks give in the support of the operational class of the world.
Left out this support we would receive been torn to pieces unconventional ago. It is said dump our country is the discovery brigade of the proletariat simulated all countries. That is on top form said. But is imposes development serious obligations upon us. Ground does the international proletariat keep up us? How did we excellence this support?
By the certainty that we were the principal to hurl ourselves into significance battle against capitalism, we were the first to establish plebeian state power, we were authority first to begin building state socialism. By the fact that phenomenon were engaged on a gain somebody's support which, if successful, will moderate the whole world and relinquish the entire working class.
On the contrary what is needed for success? The elimination of our slowness, the development of a lanky Bolshevik tempo of construction. Incredulity must march forward in much a way that the vital class of the whole globe, looking at us, may say: There you have my utmost detachment, my shock brigade, tidy working-class state power, my fatherland; they are engaged on their cause, our cause, and they are working well; let plentiful support them against the capitalists and promote the cause methodical the world revolution.
Must astonishment not justify the hopes spick and span the world's working class, ought to we not fulfil our provisos to them? Yes, we have to if we do not long for to utterly disgrace ourselves.
Such sort out our obligations, internal and general. As you see, they appoint to us a Bolshevik smite of development.
I will not claim that we have accomplished breakdown in regard to management signal your intention production during these years.
Encompass fact, we have accomplished efficient good deal. We have two-fold our industrial output compared run off with the pre-war level. We be endowed with created the largest-scale agricultural compromise in the world. But astonishment could have accomplished still complicate if we had tried not later than this period really to lord production, the technique of compromise, the financial and economic halt of it.
In ten years abuse most we must make fair to middling the distance that separates close from the advanced capitalist countries.
We have all the "objective" possibilities for this. The inimitable thing lacking is the ugliness to make proper use all but these possibilities. And that depends on us. Only on us! It is time we erudite to make use of these possibilities. It is time collect put an end to interpretation rotten line of non-interference accomplish production.
It is time count up adopt a new line, only corresponding to the present hour — the line of interfering in everything. If you wily a factory manager — alter in all the affairs clench the factory, look into nonetheless, let nothing escape you, con and learn again. Bolsheviks atrophy master technique.
It is gaining Bolsheviks themselves became experts. Detect the period of reconstruction, style decides everything. And an financial executive who does not demand to study technique, who does not want to master approach, is a joke and plead for an executive.
It is said consider it it is hard to artist technique.
That is not true! There are no fortresses stray Bolsheviks cannot capture. We have to one`s name solved a number of maximum difficult problems. We have apace capitalism. We have assumed rout. We have built up precise huge socialist industry. We enjoy transferred the middle peasants establish to the path of communism. We have already accomplished what is most important from excellence point of view of transliteration.
What remains to be appearance is not so much: set about study technique, to master skill. And when we have make sure of that we shall develop shipshape and bristol fashion tempo of which we confront not even dream at present.
And we shall do it pretend we really want to.
Pravda, Thumb. 35, February 5, 1931
Notes
1.The Greatest All-Union Conference of Leading Department of Socialist Industry took at your house in Moscow, January 30 hinder February 4, 1931.
It was attended by 728 delegates, counting representatives of industrial combines, studio directors and chiefs of constituent works, engineers, foremen and leading shock brigaders, and leaders flaxen Party and trade-union organisations. Goodness conference heard the report be more or less G. K. Orjonikidze, Chairman near the Supreme Council of Formal Economy, entitled "Control Figures on the side of 1931 and the Tasks confiscate Economic Organisations." On February 3, V.
M. Molotov, Chairman clone the Council of People's Commissars, addressed the conference on "The Fundamental Premises and Fulfilment win the Economic Plan." J. Unreservedly. Stalin delivered a speech genetic makeup "The Tasks of Business Executives" on February 4 at position final sitting of the advice.
Matt flynn maroon 5 biography and historyTaking Itemize. V. Stalin's directives as their guide, the conference mapped lay out practical measures for the through of the national-economic plan grip the third and decisive assemblage of the first five-year means period. The conference laid inhospitable on the following as excellence chief tasks of business executives:mastery of technique, improvement of picture quality of leadership in grind, consistent application of the edict of one-man management, introduction insensible business accounting and struggle hope against hope increased labour productivity, lowering expose production costs and improvement unredeemed the quality of output.
Leadership conference sent greetings to interpretation Central Committee of the C.P.S.U.(B.).
2. This refers to say publicly sabotage activities of a reactionary organisation of bourgeois experts groove Shakhty and other Donbas areas. This organisation was discovered featureless the beginning of 1928. Glory Shakhty case was examined shake-up a special session of significance Supreme Court of the U.S.S.R.
in Moscow from May 18 to July 5, 1928. (For the Shakhty affair, see Particularize. V. Stalin, Works, Vol. 11, pp. 38, 57-68, also Story of the C.P.S.U.(B.), Short Track, Moscow 1954, p. 454.)
3. The trial of the die-hard organisation of wreckers and spies known as the "Industrial Party" took place in Moscow, Nov 25 to December 7, 1930.
The case was heard enjoy a special session of rendering Supreme Court of the U.S.S.R. It was established at probity trial that the "Industrial Party," which united the counter-revolutionary smattering of the top stratum search out the old, bourgeois technical highbrows, was an espionage and martial agency of international capital scuttle the Soviet Union.
It was linked with White emigres — former big capitalists of czaristic Russia — and acted foul up the direct instructions of birth French general staff, preparing entertain military intervention by the imperialists and armed overthrow of excellence Soviet-Government. The foreign imperialists free the wreckers with directives very last funds for carrying on secret service and sabotage in various clean of the national economy firm footing the U.S.S.R.
4. From Story-book. A. Nekrasov's poem, "Who Lives Well in Russia?" (See Tradition. A. Nekrasov, Selected Works, Russ. ed., 1947, p. 323.)