Sixty years ago, the workers, peoples, democratic governments, and progressive social forces defeated fascism.

This event signified the end of the Second World War; it put an end to the genocide unleashed by the fascist Axis, composed of Hitlerite Germany, fascist Italy and imperialist and reactionary Japan, against the peoples of Europe, Asia and Africa, against the Soviet Union. It put an end to the persecution and the holocaust of the Jews, to the hunting, tortures and assassinations of trade unionists, revolutionaries and communists.

The fascist beast committed assassinations and acts of unspeakable savagery; it invaded countries, slaughtered peoples and ravaged cities, it set up ‘concentration camps’ in which it subjected hundreds of thousands of people to forced labour, torture and extermination. It tried to build an empire of a ‘thousand years.’

The USSR, born of the October Revolution, forged ahead, achieving important scientific and technical successes and, above all, she built a new society of the workers.

She built a great country, with extraordinary production and mobilised peoples. This was a new force that grew vigorously, an example for the workers and peoples of the world, a beacon for the propagation of socialism in all the parts of the planet. It was a rock on which the expansion of the imperialist countries broke. From the beginning the USSR was considered by the imperialists and fascists as an enemy to bring down.

Fascism planned to establish a ‘new order’, the domination of the world by the ‘superior race’. In this spirit, it turned all its immense military power against the Soviet Union, against the country of communism. It was conscious that its thirst for expansion could be quenched by eliminating the great land of the Soviets.

The premises of the Second World War were diplomatic negotiations between the imperialist countries of Europe, England and France, and Germany, with the aim of setting the immense German war machine against Soviet Russia. In this spirit, they did not hesitate to sacrifice Czechoslovakia and Poland.

For its part, the Soviet Union took part in the negotiations, in the diplomatic battle, with the objective of defending its sovereignty, integrity and its very existence, of defending and reinforcing the power of socialism.

A result of these negotiations was the signing of the non-aggression pact between the Soviet Union and Germany, known by the name Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact.

This agreement was a success for Soviet diplomacy, which allowed it to gain precious time to preserve and develop the war industry, to organise and develop the Red Army, to organise the workers and peoples for the defence of the socialist Fatherland.

When Germany and Italy invaded the Soviet Union, they devastated the country, destroying its great civilian works. They murdered million of civilians and perpetrated bestial war crimes, on a larger scale than those committed in France and the other invaded countries of Europe.

The German forces seemed invincible; they advanced deep into the country, to the outskirts of Moscow and succeeded in besieging Stalingrad. The Soviet Government, the Red Army, the workers and the peoples retreated before the advance of the German army, leaving behind hundreds of thousands of partisans who accomplished remarkable deeds in the Great Patriotic War.

At Stalingrad a most bloody and decisive battle was waged. The strength and patriotism of the Soviet soldiers and peoples heroically withstood the siege and finally changed the direction of the war by winning this battle.

On all continents, in the great majority of countries the reprobation and anger against the fascist dictatorship did not stop growing and the resistance was organised.

In the occupied countries, armed resistance was organised against the occupiers. In this war of national character, the communist parties and their members played a role of the first order, decisively assuming their responsibilities and waging a heroic struggle. Alliances were constituted, fronts were formed, uniting all those who defended the Fatherland, all those who opposed fascism: the workers and the peoples, the communists and social democracy. At the international level a great International Anti-Fascist Front of the Allies was formed, grouping together the United States, England, France, the Soviet Union and a large number of other countries.

The fight against fascism and the victory of the Allies cost torrents of blood. More than 55 million human beings, of whom 12 million were civilians, paid with their lives. The USSR paid the highest tribute in human lives: 27 million people, military and civilian.

The main weight of the war was assumed by the working class and peoples. In particular, the Soviet Union and the Red Army formed a military and political contingent that was able to counter-attack and advance towards Germany. In these great battles the workers and peasants, the democrats and patriots of the other invaded countries, took part. This was a military epic that freed several countries and nations. The western front, a battlefield in which the American, English and French armies intervened, also contributed to the victory.

Millions of soldiers of the Red Army traversed Eastern and Central Europe. They fought heroically against the Hitlerite army, inflicting defeats upon defeats on it and taking Berlin on May 1st, 1945.

The Bolshevik Communist Party, the Government of the USSR, the Red Army and the peoples of the Soviet Union united indissolubly around the defence of the socialist Fatherland. They reflected on the immense resources of this great country, the great fruit of socialist construction and the lives of million of soldiers and civilians in the service of the great deeds that freed humanity from the barbarism of fascism.

This was possible because the ideals of socialism, the principles of Marxism-Leninism and proletarian internationalism animated the Party, working class and peoples of the USSR; because the Communist Party was conscious of its responsibilities in the construction and defence of socialist society; because the leadership of the Party could understand the economic and political circumstances that unleashed the conflict and its consequences and, starting from that, it was able to trace the correct, just and timely policies; because Comrade Stalin, leader of the Soviet Party and State, played a remarkable role in the process of socialist construction, the unity of the Party and the will of the members to stand up in the Patriotic War.

One cannot understand the victory against fascism if one does not take account of the extraordinary determination of the communists, working class and peoples of the occupied countries who, in the most difficult conditions, could organise the armed resistance, guerilla warfare, dealing formidable blows to the rearguard of the fascist forces. They were a military and political bastion that worked to defeat and expel the fascist occupiers, which, in the case of Albania and Yugoslavia, led to the victory of the revolution.

One cannot ignore, in these great battles, the heroic resistance of the peoples of the Asian countries that were invaded by Japan, in particular China and Vietnam. Under the leadership of the communist parties, they organised national wars and expelled the Japanese; they were the determining factor in the defeat of fascism on that continent.

The anti-fascist movement, which was organised in practically all countries, was animated by the communist parties, by the revolutionaries, the patriots and democrats. It also played a special role in this war and this victory.

The capitalist powers that were part of the Allies – the USA, England, France, Canada – also played a role of the first order. They were invested politically and militarily in the war, deploying important material means and a very great number of soldiers.

Sixty years after the victory of the workers, the peoples and progressive humanity against fascism, its criminal actions and genocides, we communists, meeting in the International Conference of Marxist-Leninist Parties and Organisations, reaffirm our commitment to the revolution and socialism, to the emancipation of all humanity.

We reaffirm our will to struggle for peace between the peoples and nations, our conviction that this will not be possible except with the overthrow of capitalism and imperialism – the source of wars and aggressions – and with the victory, at the international level, of the revolution, with the construction of socialism and communism.

The best traditions of struggle for freedom and socialism have been written by the working class and the proletarian revolutionaries. These constitute a heritage for the current generations of communists. We take them on with determination and we commit ourselves to carry them to the highest level, assuming the responsibility to prepare and make the revolution in each of our countries and on an international scale.

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