Page 134 - SELECTED WORKS OF LIU SHAOQI Volume I

130 LIU SHAOQI
it can and will be. Marxist-Leninist theory has explained this scien-
tifically and beyond any doubt. And factual testimony has been pro-
vided by the victory of the Great October Revolution and the
successes in socialist construction in the Soviet Union. Our duty is
constantly to advance the cause of socialism and communism in accord-
ance with the laws of development of human society, so as to make
socialist and communist society a reality as soon as possible. This is
our ideal.
However, the cause of socialism and communism still faces power-
ful enemies who must be thoroughly and finally defeated in every
field; only then will socialist and communist society be brought into
being. Victory for the communist cause can only be won through long
and arduous struggle. Without it there can be no victory. This
struggle, of course, is not an “accidental” social phenomenon or an
invention of certain Communists, as some people assert. It is inevitable
in the development of class society; it is unavoidable class struggle.
The birth of the Communist Party and the fact that Communists par-
ticipate in, organize and guide this struggle are also inevitable phenom-
ena conforming with the laws of social development. The im-
perialists, fascists, capitalists and landlords — in short, all exploiters
and oppressors — are exploiting and oppressing the overwhelming ma-
jority of the people of the world to such an extent that the people are
hardly able to survive and have to unite and fight against this ex-
ploitation and oppression, because they cannot exist, much less make
progress, in any other way. This struggle, therefore, is natural and
unavoidable.
On the one hand, we must understand that communism is the
greatest cause in human history, which will eliminate exploitation and
classes once and for all, emancipate all mankind and bring humanity
into a world of happiness, radiating with beauty, such as it has never
known before. But on the other hand, we must also understand that
the cause of communism is the most arduous undertaking in all his-
tory; that only through protracted, bitter and tortuous struggle will we
be able to defeat our extremely powerful enemies, defeat all the ex-
ploiting classes; and that for a long time after our victory we shall
patiently have to carry out social and economic, ideological and cul-
tural transformation, for only thus will all the influences, conventions
and habits of the exploiting classes be eliminated from among the
people, and only thus will a new social and economic system, a new
communist culture and code of social morality be built up.