The fifteen congress
[22 -26 May 1996]
The 15th Congress of the CP assembled on 22nd -26th May 1996 at its Convention Hall. The sessions were attended by tens of representatives from Communist Parties and movements from 47 countries world-wide. This congress voted a new Party programme and a new Constitution. Looking upon the new situation after the overthrow of socialism, as well as the new-qualitative changes taking place after the Maastricht Treaty, the Congress elaborated on the Party strategy and tactics, the nature of the revolution and political lines which revolutionary forces will rally on.
The party’s new program refers to the nature of the revolution as follows: «The Greek people will be free from the bonds and consequences of capitalist exploitation and imperialist oppression and dependence when the working class along with its allies carries out the socialist revolution and proceeds in the construction of socialism and communism. The internal developments which occurred in our country and the changes in the stance of the capitalist system in the 80’s and early 90’s contributed to the maturing of the materialist prerequisites for socialism in our country.
In our era, an era of transition from capitalism to socialism, class-struggle is directed towards the solution of the basic contradiction that of CAPITAL-LABOUR. The revolutionary change in Greece will be Socialist.
The moving forces of the socialist revolution will be the working class as a leading force, the semi-proletariat, the poor farmers and the most deprived urban petty-bourgeois and low class people. The Youth will have an active role in the struggle for socialism and its establishment». Additionally, the following estimation is pointed out in the program: «it constitutes a pressing need for the CP, to contribute with its policy to the formation and maturing of the subjective factor for the socialist revolution. The anti-imperialist, anti-monopoly struggle contributes to the rallying of a great majority of people, to the resistance and the protection of their interests from capital aggressiveness. It is the way which helps the change in the correlation of forces, in achieving and, under certain conditions, in realising the transition to socialism. Nowadays the struggle is connected more to and constitute an integral part of the fight for the capitalist overthrow. Naturally it embodies rifts which threaten the foundations of capitalist domination. It creates the preconditions for the working class and its allays to gain political power». Based on the above estimation the party’s policy for the creation of an antimonopoly, democratic, anti-imperialist Militant Front is documented, and the formation of such a Front is an immediate political duty. The congress defined the socio-political character of the Front, the courses and actions leading to its formation, initially as a social alliance of those forces which benefit from this line of struggle and it outlined the preconditions for the participation of parties in this Front. The congress pointed out the two roads of development of the Greek society; the one of monopoly, imperialism and the ruling class and the other of the anti-imperialist, anti-monopoly democratic Front; it also clarified the relationship between the Front’s struggle and the intention of gaining power by the working class people in alliance with the other suppressed strata of Greek society.
The congress also discussed the need for International Communist Unity, the prerequisites for such unity since it asserted that this unity will strengthen the international anti-imperialist movement, the party will undertake action towards this direction.
The 15th Congress of the CP assembled on 22nd -26th May 1996 at its Convention Hall. The sessions were attended by tens of representatives from Communist Parties and movements from 47 countries world-wide. This congress voted a new Party programme and a new Constitution. Looking upon the new situation after the overthrow of socialism, as well as the new-qualitative changes taking place after the Maastricht Treaty, the Congress elaborated on the Party strategy and tactics, the nature of the revolution and political lines which revolutionary forces will rally on.
The party’s new program refers to the nature of the revolution as follows: «The Greek people will be free from the bonds and consequences of capitalist exploitation and imperialist oppression and dependence when the working class along with its allies carries out the socialist revolution and proceeds in the construction of socialism and communism. The internal developments which occurred in our country and the changes in the stance of the capitalist system in the 80’s and early 90’s contributed to the maturing of the materialist prerequisites for socialism in our country.
In our era, an era of transition from capitalism to socialism, class-struggle is directed towards the solution of the basic contradiction that of CAPITAL-LABOUR. The revolutionary change in Greece will be Socialist.
The moving forces of the socialist revolution will be the working class as a leading force, the semi-proletariat, the poor farmers and the most deprived urban petty-bourgeois and low class people. The Youth will have an active role in the struggle for socialism and its establishment». Additionally, the following estimation is pointed out in the program: «it constitutes a pressing need for the CP, to contribute with its policy to the formation and maturing of the subjective factor for the socialist revolution. The anti-imperialist, anti-monopoly struggle contributes to the rallying of a great majority of people, to the resistance and the protection of their interests from capital aggressiveness. It is the way which helps the change in the correlation of forces, in achieving and, under certain conditions, in realising the transition to socialism. Nowadays the struggle is connected more to and constitute an integral part of the fight for the capitalist overthrow. Naturally it embodies rifts which threaten the foundations of capitalist domination. It creates the preconditions for the working class and its allays to gain political power». Based on the above estimation the party’s policy for the creation of an antimonopoly, democratic, anti-imperialist Militant Front is documented, and the formation of such a Front is an immediate political duty. The congress defined the socio-political character of the Front, the courses and actions leading to its formation, initially as a social alliance of those forces which benefit from this line of struggle and it outlined the preconditions for the participation of parties in this Front. The congress pointed out the two roads of development of the Greek society; the one of monopoly, imperialism and the ruling class and the other of the anti-imperialist, anti-monopoly democratic Front; it also clarified the relationship between the Front’s struggle and the intention of gaining power by the working class people in alliance with the other suppressed strata of Greek society.
The congress also discussed the need for International Communist Unity, the prerequisites for such unity since it asserted that this unity will strengthen the international anti-imperialist movement, the party will undertake action towards this direction.
e-mail:cpg@int.kke.gr