by the Editorial Department of
Renmin Ribao (People's Daily )
FOREIGN LANGUAGES PRESS
PEKING 1965
page 1
TWENTY years have passed since the great war against fascism ended in victory.
The Anti-Fascist War was a gigantic struggle between the anti-fascist forces of the world, of which the main force was the socialist Soviet Union, and the three fascist powers, Germany, Italy and Japan. It was a just war and a war on a scale unprecedented in history. It ended with the triumph of the anti-fascist forces and the rout of German, Italian and Japanese fascism. First came the collapse of Italian fascism, and then German imperialism and Japanese imperialism surrendered unconditionally, on May 8 and September 2, 1945 respectively.
On the eve of final victory in the Anti-Fascist War, Comrade Mao Tse-tung made the following appraisal and forecast of the world situation in accordance with fundamental Marxist-Leninist principles:
Contrary to the predictions of the Chinese and foreign reactionaries, the forces of fascist aggression will undoubtedly be overthrown and the people's democratic forces will undoubtedly triumph. The world will unquestionably take the road of progress and not the road of reaction.[1]
He added, "War has educated the people and it is the people who will win the war, win the peace and win progress."[2]
page 2
The course of events fully corroborated Comrade Mao Tse-tung's scientific predictions. The victory of the Anti-Fascist War marked another great turning point in history, following on the October Revolution. It opened a new page in history.
The victorious Anti-Fascist War dealt a severe blow to international imperialism. While the Great October Revolution made the first breach in the front of world imperialism, the Victorious Anti-Fascist War destroyed a large section of it. The rise of fascism and its embarkation on world war represented the last-ditch struggles of the most reactionary forces of imperialism. The jack-booted fascist hordes overran Europe, Asia and Africa, wreaking havoc over a large part of the globe, but this did not save them from extinction. The outcome of the war was the overthrow of three imperialist powers, Germany, Italy and Japan, and the serious weakening of two others, Britain and France. By starting the world war, imperialism moved much nearer to its grave.
The victory of the Anti-Fascist War substantially consolidated and extended the great achievements of the October Socialist Revolution. The world forces of socialism expanded. Tempered in the war, the first socialist state, the Soviet Union, grew stronger. In the new historical conditions resulting from the victorious Anti-Fascist War, a number of socialist countries were born in Europe and in Asia. Together with the Soviet Union, these countries formed the powerful socialist camp, which confronted the decaying camp of imperialism. Comrade Mao Tse-tung said:
With the victory of the Great October Socialist Revolution in the Soviet Union, a world situation appeared
page 3
Victory in the Anti-Fascist War ushered in a new stage in the revolutionary struggle of the oppressed peoples and nations. The roar of the guns awol~e the oppressed peoples and nations in every corner of the world. Great revolutionary storms rose in Asia, ' Africa and Latin America. After World War I, imperialist rule in the colonies and semi-colonies enjoyed a period of relative stability, but there has been no such relative stability since World War II. The unceasing anti-imperialist revolutionary struggles of the people have been shaking and destroying the foundations of imperialist rule. Imperial ism has lost its stable rear area once and for all. In summarizing the great historic significance of the victory in the Anti-Fascist War, Comrade Mao Tse-tung said:
If the October Revolution opened up wide possibilities for the emancipation of the working class and the oppressed peoples of the world and opened up realistic paths towards it, then the victory of the anti-fascist Second World War has opened up still wider possibilities for the emancipation of the working class and the oppressed peoples of the world and has opened up still more realistic paths towards it.[2]
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The victory of the Anti-Fascist War was a victory of socialism, the most advanced social system in history, a victory of the people in all countries who united to win freedom and liberation, and a victory for Marxism-Leninism. The history of the War gave fresh and conclusive proof that the fundamental principles of Marxism-Leninism are universally applicable and hold for all time and that a guiding line, policy, strategy or tactics based on these principles is invincible.
There is a whole series of important differences of principle between Marxist-Leninists and the modern revisionists on the question of how to assess the Anti-Fascist War and on the lessons to be drawn from it. Basing themselves on historical materialism, the Marxist-Leninists respect the facts of history, ascertain the laws inherent in them and thus draw the correct conclusions. On the other hand, in order to adulterate Marxism-Leninism, the Khrushchov revisionists, the representatives of modern revisionism, have been deliberately distorting history ever since the 20th Congress of the CPSU, obscuring facts and concocting conclusions that are extremely harmful.