The fourteenth congress
[18 - 21 December 1991]
The 14th Congress met on 18th - 21st December 1991 in Athens at the Convention Hall in the headquarters of KKE in Perissos. The congress assumed the task for the party’s reconstruction and development and examined the reasons for the right-social-democratic deviation of the party cadres who had been incorporated into the Coalition of Left and Progress; they also discussed the development policy and struggle targets for the working people’s benefit.
The Congress made the first statements on the course of events in the Former Socialist Countries. It estimated that:
«This course of events confirms in its own way the living and always up-to-date principles of Marxist-Leninist theory for social revolution. The violation of its basic rules and its distortion during the socialist foundation, culminated by the conscious abandoning of the principles during the perestroika period constitute the fundamental causes for the present tragic outcome. The party proved itself in- adequate in its effort to deeply evaluate the development in the former Socialist Countries and to inquire the reasons for certain negative phenomena which it occasionally pointed out during the establishment of socialism. To analyse deeply and fully what has happened and to draw conclusions and experience, is currently essential more than ever before. This task requires and presupposes the co-operation and insistent efforts of the international communist and progressive movement».
As far as the coalition policy is concerned, the 14th congress estimated that «the whole course and the final outcome of the coalition of the Left and Progress provide the party with valuable precepts about the coalition policy, precepts which must be in the centre of the party’s attention».
The alliance policy, a policy of strategic value, must be a consistent care for the Communist Party. The hardships, the faults and the failures must not lead to its rejection but to the requisite measures for its more creative and effective application. In any case, however, the alliance policy must be in consistent and systematic correspondence with the multisided quantitative and qualitative strengthening of KKE.
The 14th congress estimated that the confrontation with social-democracy in Greece hasn’t always been ample and decisive; that the inner-party ideological work was under-estimated and the process of cadres’ selection was not fully satisfactory; it was also mentioned that there has not always been decisive assiduity to the party principles or proper application of the alliances policy. These factors led to the crisis in the party.
The congress, additionally, inquired into the new difficult circumstances under which the party is called to operate. The socialist regimes had been overthrown; the EU country members proceeded to the signing of the Maastricht Treaty (Dec. 1991), which created new conditions for people’s lives and for the class struggle itself. The congress worked on the policy for «progressive development». It reached the conclusion that the rallying of people’s masses is a necessity; this ca be achieved through a process if social coalition on the basis of demanding a developmental policy for people’s benefit. It also decided to discuss, in conferences throughout the country, the party’s policy regarding the EU after the Maastricht Treaty and the causes for the overthrows of the USSR and the socialist regimes.
In 1993 a pan-Hellenic conference about EU matters was called while in 1995 the pan-Hellenic conference convened to discuss the causes for the socialist regimes’ overthrow. The works of these two meetings strengthened the party ideologically, politically and theoretically and they contributed to the works of the15th Congress and the party’s Platform.
The 14th Congress met on 18th - 21st December 1991 in Athens at the Convention Hall in the headquarters of KKE in Perissos. The congress assumed the task for the party’s reconstruction and development and examined the reasons for the right-social-democratic deviation of the party cadres who had been incorporated into the Coalition of Left and Progress; they also discussed the development policy and struggle targets for the working people’s benefit.
The Congress made the first statements on the course of events in the Former Socialist Countries. It estimated that:
«This course of events confirms in its own way the living and always up-to-date principles of Marxist-Leninist theory for social revolution. The violation of its basic rules and its distortion during the socialist foundation, culminated by the conscious abandoning of the principles during the perestroika period constitute the fundamental causes for the present tragic outcome. The party proved itself in- adequate in its effort to deeply evaluate the development in the former Socialist Countries and to inquire the reasons for certain negative phenomena which it occasionally pointed out during the establishment of socialism. To analyse deeply and fully what has happened and to draw conclusions and experience, is currently essential more than ever before. This task requires and presupposes the co-operation and insistent efforts of the international communist and progressive movement».
As far as the coalition policy is concerned, the 14th congress estimated that «the whole course and the final outcome of the coalition of the Left and Progress provide the party with valuable precepts about the coalition policy, precepts which must be in the centre of the party’s attention».
- Ensuring the party’s self-existence must be a primary precondition and continuous pursuit.
- Undermining the existing ideological and political differences accompanying every type of coalition as well as the absence of a front against them constitute a serious fault which leads to unexpected negative outcomes.
- The party’s representatives in alliances must be attentively chosen among those who have the capabilities and the consistence of party behaviour. Their supervision by leading organs and party sectors must be systematic and substantial.
- The dialectic relationship which must exist among political and social alliances must be carefully taken into account.
The alliance policy, a policy of strategic value, must be a consistent care for the Communist Party. The hardships, the faults and the failures must not lead to its rejection but to the requisite measures for its more creative and effective application. In any case, however, the alliance policy must be in consistent and systematic correspondence with the multisided quantitative and qualitative strengthening of KKE.
The 14th congress estimated that the confrontation with social-democracy in Greece hasn’t always been ample and decisive; that the inner-party ideological work was under-estimated and the process of cadres’ selection was not fully satisfactory; it was also mentioned that there has not always been decisive assiduity to the party principles or proper application of the alliances policy. These factors led to the crisis in the party.
The congress, additionally, inquired into the new difficult circumstances under which the party is called to operate. The socialist regimes had been overthrown; the EU country members proceeded to the signing of the Maastricht Treaty (Dec. 1991), which created new conditions for people’s lives and for the class struggle itself. The congress worked on the policy for «progressive development». It reached the conclusion that the rallying of people’s masses is a necessity; this ca be achieved through a process if social coalition on the basis of demanding a developmental policy for people’s benefit. It also decided to discuss, in conferences throughout the country, the party’s policy regarding the EU after the Maastricht Treaty and the causes for the overthrows of the USSR and the socialist regimes.
In 1993 a pan-Hellenic conference about EU matters was called while in 1995 the pan-Hellenic conference convened to discuss the causes for the socialist regimes’ overthrow. The works of these two meetings strengthened the party ideologically, politically and theoretically and they contributed to the works of the15th Congress and the party’s Platform.
e-mail:cpg@int.kke.gr