The Greatest Friendship
#PUBLICATION NOTE
This edition of The Greatest Friendship has been prepared and revised for digital publication by the Institute of Marxism-Leninism-Maoism under the Central Committee of the Communist Party in Switzerland on the basis of the edition published in People's China, No. 6 of 1953, Beijing, 16th of March, 1953.
#INTRODUCTION NOTE
This is an obituary written by Comrade Mao Zedong for Comrade I.B. Stalin after the latter's death on the 5th of March, 1953. It was first published in the Renmin Ribao, Beijing, 9th of March, 1953.
#Workers and oppressed people of the world, unite!
#THE GREATEST FRIENDSHIP
#Mao Zedong
#Between the 5th and 9th of March, 1953
#★
Ioseb Besarionis Stalin, the greatest genius of the present age, the great teacher of the international Communist movement, and the comrade-in-arms of the immortal Lenin, has departed from the world.
Comrade Stalin made an inestimable contribution to our era by his theoretical and practical activities. Comrade Stalin represents our entire new era. His activities led the Soviet people and the working people of all countries to transform the whole world situation: the cause of justice, of people's democracy, and of socialism has achieved victory on a tremendous scale over a territory containing 1/3 of the Earth's population — more than 800'000'000 people; moreover, the influence of this victory is spreading daily to every corner of the globe.
The death of Comrade Stalin has awakened unparalleled and profound grief among the working people of the whole world; it has stirred the hearts of upright people throughout the world. This demonstrates that Comrade Stalin's cause and his ideas have gripped the hearts of the broad masses of the people throughout the world and have become an invincible force, a force that will guide those peoples who are already victorious from one fresh victory to another and lead all who are still suffering under the oppression of the old, vicious capitalist world to strike courageously at the people's enemies.
After the death of Lenin, Comrade Stalin led the Soviet people in building into a magnificent socialist society the first socialist State in the world, which he, together with the great Lenin, created during the November Revolution. The victory of socialist construction in the Council Union is not only a victory of the Soviet people, but also a common victory of the people of the whole world. Firstly, this victory proved in real life the absolute correctness of Marxism-Leninism and gave concrete instruction to the working people throughout the world how they should advance toward a happy life. Secondly, this victory ensured that humanity would have the strength to defeat the fascist beasts during the Second World War. The achievement of victory in the Anti-Fascist War would have been inconceivable without the victory of socialist construction in the Council Union. The fate of all humanity was bound up with the victory of socialist construction in the Council Union and victory in the Anti-Fascist War, and the glory of these victories must go to our great Comrade Stalin.
Comrade Stalin carried out a comprehensive and epoch-making further development of Marxist-Leninist theory and advanced Marxism to a new stage of development. Comrade Stalin creatively further developed Lenin's theory concerning the law of the uneven development of capitalism and Lenin's theory that socialism can first be victorious in one country; Comrade Stalin creatively contributed the theory of the general crisis of the capitalist system; he contributed the theory concerning the construction of communism in the Council Union; he contributed the theory of the fundamental economic laws of modern capitalism and of socialism; he contributed the theory of the revolution in colonial and semi-colonial countries. Comrade Stalin also creatively further developed Lenin's theory on Party building. All these creative theories of Comrade Stalin's further united the workers throughout the world, further united the oppressed classes and the oppressed peoples throughout the world, and thereby enabled the struggle for the emancipation and well-being of the international working class and all oppressed people of the world, and the victories in this struggle, to attain unprecedented proportions.
All Comrade Stalin's writings are immortal works of Marxist literature. His Foundations of Leninism, History of the Communist Party of the Council Union (Majority), and his last great work, Economic Problems of Socialism in the Council Union, comprise an encyclopaedia of Marxism-Leninism, a summary of the experiences of the international Communist movement in the past 100 years. His speech at the 19th Congress of the Communist Party of the Council Union is a precious testament bequeathed to the Communists of all countries of the world. We Chinese Communists, like the Communist of all other countries, find our own road to victory in the great works of Comrade Stalin.
After the death of Lenin, Comrade Stalin was at all times the central figure in the international Communist movement. We rallied around him, ceaselessly asked his advice, and ceaselessly drew ideological strength from his works. Comrade Stalin was full of warm love for the oppressed peoples of the East. «Do not forget the East» — this was Comrade Stalin's great call after the November Revolution. Everyone knows that Comrade Stalin warmly loved the Chinese people and regarded the might of the Chinese revolution as immeasurable. He contributed his lofty wisdom to the problems of the Chinese revolution. And it was by following the teachings of Lenin and Stalin, and with the support of the great Council State and all the revolutionary forces of other countries, that the Communist Party of China and the Chinese people won their historic victory a few years ago.
Now we have lost our great teacher and most sincere friend — Comrade Stalin. What a misfortune this is! It is impossible to express in words the sorrow which this misfortune has brought us.
Our task is to transform sorrow into strength. In memory of our great teacher Stalin, the great friendship linked with the name of Stalin, which exists between the Communist Party of China and the Chinese people, on the one hand, and the Communist Party of the Council Union and the Soviet people, on the other, will be immeasurably strengthened. The Chinese Communists and the Chinese people will further intensify the study of Stalin's teachings, of Soviet science and techniques, to build their country.
The Communist Party of the Council Union is a political party personally reared by Lenin and Stalin; it is the most advanced political party in the world, the most experienced, and the best trained in theory. This Party has been our model in the past, is our model now, and will remain our model in the future. We are completely confident that the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Council Union and the Soviet Government, headed by Comrade Malenkov, will certainly be able to follow Comrade Stalin's behest to advance and carry to greater glory the great cause of Communism.
There is not the slightest doubt that the world camp of peace, democracy, and socialism headed by the Council Union will be still more united and become still more powerful.
In the past 30 years, Comrade Stalin's teachings and the example of Soviet socialist construction have made the world advance with giant strides. Now that the Council Union has become so powerful; the Chinese people's revolution has obtained such great victories; construction in the various people's democracies has brought such enormous achievements; the movement of the peoples throughout the world against oppression and aggression has risen to such heights; our front of friendship and solidarity is so consolidated — we can definitely declare that we are not afraid of any imperialist aggression. Any imperialist aggression will be smashed by us; all foul provocations will be of no avail.
The reason that the great friendship between the peoples of China and the Council Union is unbreakable is precisely because our friendship has been built on the great principles of internationalism of Marx, Engels, Lenin, and Stalin. The friendship between the peoples of China and the Council Union, and the peoples of the various people's democracies, as well as all people who love peace, democracy, and justice in every country of the world, is also built upon this great principle of internationalism and is therefore also unbreakable.
Clearly, the strength created by our friendship, which is of this kind, is inexhaustible and truly invincible.