DICTATORSHIP OF THE PROLETARIAT
* Sir,-Mr. Sid Scott’s quotations from Lenin do not invalidate the contention that "proletariat" in Russia today does
not mean "the whole body of wage-earn-_ing workers." Lenin calls the dictatorship of the proletariat "a special form of class alliance between the proletariat, the vanguard of the toilers, and the numerous non-proletarian strata of toilers." This makes it clear that the proletariat is a minority only of the workers-and.from Mr. Boswell’s statements, a very small minority indeed. Mr. Scott quotes Lenin: "Every citizen to a man must act as a judge and participate in the government of the country." Admirable theory; but every citizen is not allowed to do that. He is not allowed to judge whether or not the present Communist regime should continue; if he ventures to suggest that a change is desirable he is liquidated. His "participation" amounts to no more than voting-or refraining from voting-for a person included inh a list of candidates selected by the heads of the Communist Party. He may not nominate anybody else as candidate. So that in fact the citizen does not "participate in the government of the country"; he merely participates in the confirming of, candidates nominated by an autocratic and very small minority of the Communist Party The present rulers of Russia have exploited the bold humanitarian aims of the revolution to gain for themselves autocratic powers far removed from the freedom for all envisaged by the early revolutionaries.
J. MALTON
MURRAY
(Oamaru).
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New Zealand Listener, Volume 28, Issue 724, 29 May 1953, Page 15
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246DICTATORSHIP OF THE PROLETARIAT New Zealand Listener, Volume 28, Issue 724, 29 May 1953, Page 15
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