Statement of Aleka Papariga on the fall of Berlin Wall

The gains of the working class in the German Democratic Republic and other socialist countries and the situation which the workers and people face now, after the overthrow in these countries, confirms the superiority of socialism over capitalism.

The newspaper “Working Russia”, the organ of the Communist Workers Party of Russia - Revolutionary Party of Communists [RKRP-RPC] - addressed the General Secretary of the CC of KKE Aleka Papariga the following question: “over the last days on the occasion of the 20th anniversary since the fall of Berlin Wall we are witnessing an intensification of the anticommunist hysteria, of the attack on Communist Parties and communist ideals in Russia as well as in other European countries. What is your comment on this development?” Aleka Papariga gave the following answer: “These days international imperialism continues and intensifies its campaign in order to distort the big contribution of the socialism we used to know, focusing on Berlin and the anticommunist events on the fall of the Wall. At the same time the governments and the bourgeois parties as a whole make persistent and coordinated efforts to present capitalism as an eternal system, as a system that ensures freedom and democracy and meets the people’s needs as well. In this framework we are witnessing the intensification of the anticommunist hysteria in Russia which has been the birthplace of the first victorious socialist revolution, the October revolution.

The anticommunist attack is launched by those who 20 years ago characterised the counterrevolution as “world-historic event”, by those who declared the coming of a new era of peace, security and prosperity. The experience accumulated over this period has reversed these proclamations, and proved that their content was fake. Let us remember what international opportunism, which still supports that capitalism can be humanised, used to say in that period.

Over these 20 years many walls have been erected in front of the peoples. The intensification of exploitation, the unjust wars, the capitalist economic crisis, the restriction of basic rights, unemployment, poverty, the spread of drugs and criminality, the waves of immigration, the death of millions of people of thirst and diseases are the results of the capitalist steamroller whose god is profit and not the human needs. It is a huge lie to argue that the fall of Berlin Wall, the counterrevolution united the people of Europe and brought freedom. The only freedom it brought was that of the EU and NATO imperialists and all the capitalist organisations to attack against the workers’ and peoples’ interests from better positions, to pass terror laws and shield the repression forces.

It was confirmed that socialism of the 2Oth century, despite the shortcomings and the mistakes that were made, was a superior social economic system; it has proved its superiority to capitalism. Workers’ rights, that in capitalist conditions are just a pipe dream, were regarded as given in socialism. I refer to permanent and stable work for all, to the establishment of 8-hour and 7-hour working day for all, to free education and health-care for all, to free time, to decent life for the elderly, to the acquisition of a high cultural level, to the huge achievements made in a very short period of time in the field of science and art, to the conquest of space. I refer to the security that young people felt for their future.

Several years have passed since the end of the Second World War until 1961, the year when the Wall was erected by the workers’ state power and thousands of workers. This time period has its own explanation and cause. The boarders between East and West Berlin (which was in the territory of People’s Germany and few people are actually aware of this fact) closed when the tanks of NATO entered the territory of people’s Germany and headed towards the centre of Berlin. It was in that period that the defence minister of West Germany Franz Josef Straus declared that people should be prepared for a civil war in Germany. It was in that period that subversion and sabotages in the economy of People’s Germany have intensified. It was imperialism that imposed the erection of the Wall, the conflict between capitalism and socialism.

The socialism of the 20th century, which was constructed in the USSR and the other countries of Eastern Europe, had not been a society without shortcomings while erroneous strategic choices especially in the 1950s and 1960s brought about destructive consequences for the workers’ state power.

In its 18th Congress KKE studied these mistakes and leveled criticism with the aim to contribute to the ideological shielding of the communist movement and improve its struggle nowadays. At the same time it does not submit to the bourgeoisie that demands KKE to resign from defending the historical achievements of socialism, it does not “throw the baby out with the bathwater” as opportunists do.

We call upon the working class to search for the truth about socialism and reject the anti-communist propaganda that identifies socialism with fascism and aims to prevent the people from drawing the true conclusions. We call the working class to struggle along with the communists and the popular strata in towns and villages; to struggle for this that makes the capitalists tremble that makes put the communists on trials and prohibit their action in several countries, to pave the way for the people’s economy and power. Socialism is necessary and relevant.”