ALBANIA AND CHINA.

In this talk, I would like to stress two points

Three external factors should be stressed:

1. the October Socialist Revolution of 1917 and the establishment of the USSR
2. the second world war and
3. the triumph of revisionism in the Soviet Union after the death of Stalin.

Before the success of the revolutions in these two countries, they were both living under primitive tribal and feudal conditions. A national industry scarcely existed in either country and what there was could only be described as rudimentary or had been imported by the imperialist powers which came to colonise and to exploit, driving both countries into further poverty. This meant

1. that there was no possibility of a capitalist revolution for lack of a national bourgeoisie. This was especially the case in Albania and
2. that with rapid changes in the outside world a corresponding change under the influence of internal and external conditions became necessary. Such a change however had to rely not on the small working class but primarily on the peasant population under the leadership of a small petty bourgeois class consisting of artisans, teachers etc.

The October Revolution and the establishment of the Comintern certainly helped to kindle the flames of revolution badly needed by the people of both countries. The Second World War definitely boosted the national liberation movement in China and Albania and indeed throughout the world. Both these countries were under the domination of totalitarian foreign powers which became involved in world war; this helped the communist parties in both countries to push for the total defeat of the Italian, German and Japanese occupiers.

When revolutions did take place in China and Albania, these were peasant revolts, which unlike the October revolution took the form of guerrilla warfare by the peasant masses under the leadership of the intelligentsia. Many of the leaders of both revolutions were educated abroad, notably in France, Italy and the Soviet Union. Because of this, the Comintern played a significant part in ensuring that the national liberation movements in both countries were led by Marxist-Leninists organised in the Communist Party.

The successes of the Red Army in the Second World War and the global defeat of Germany, Italy and Japan helped the national liberation wars in both China and Albania tremendously. As a result, Albania was liberated by its own people on November 27 1944. In China, the People’s Liberation Army continued its war against the forces of Chiang Kai-shek and the American army of intervention until final victory was achieved on October 1 1949.

During our visit to Albania in 1989, the curator of the museum in Tirana informed us that "Liberated Albania in 1944 started from zero." He explained that there was no industry, no transport, roads or railways and indeed very little agriculture. Without the help of the Soviet Union and the newly established socialist camp Albania had no chance of building capitalism, let alone socialism in view of the fact that the Italian and German occupiers had left the country in ruins and that 90% of the population was illiterate. The situation in China was not very much different and famine and plague were common.

However, the external conditions for the advance of both countries were right. The Soviet Union even though itself battered by the war signed treaties with both China and Albania and socialist assistance became a reality. This together with the existence of a powerful, united international communist movement created the external conditions for the advance of both countries towards socialism, without the need for yet another bloody socialist revolution. At least that was the picture in both countries until Stalin died in 1953. Had these favourable conditions continued there would have been every chance for progress to socialism. But they did not.

Stalin says: "The dialectical method therefore holds that no phenomenon in nature can be understood if taken by itself, isolated from surrounding phenomena, inasmuch as any phenomena in any realm of nature may become meaningless to us if it is not considered in connection with surrounding conditions but divorced from them; and that, vice-versa, any phenomenon can be understood and explained if considered in its inseparable connection with surrounding phenomena, as one conditioned by surrounding phenomena." (Stalin: ‘Dialectical and Historical Materialism’, p.5) and further he says: " Everything depends on the conditions, time and place. It is clear that without such a historical approach to social phenomena, the existence and development of the science of history is impossible…" (ibid. page 10) He then stresses: "Hence the practical activity of the party of the proletariat must not be based on the good wishes of ‘outstanding individuals’, not on the dictates of ‘reason’, ‘universal morals’ etc., but on the laws of development of society and the study of these laws". (ibid. page 17) He further stresses: "Hence in order not to err in policy, in order not to find itself in the position of idle dreams, the party of the proletariat must not base its activities on abstract ‘principles of human reason’ but on the concrete conditions of the material life of society as the determining force of social development; not on the good wishes of ‘great men’ but on the real needs of development of the material life of society."

This scientific fact shows that ‘outstanding individuals and ‘great men such as Mao Tse-Tung and Enver Hoxha were inevitably overwhelmed by the counter-revolutionary tide of the Khrushchev-Brezhnev revisionism which frustrated the development of the material life of society in both Albania and China. The scientific factors as presented above by Stalin resulted in the great leaders of China and Albania being frustrated in their desire to continue with the building of socialism in their own countries. Indeed these factors forced others such as Ramiz Alia, Mehet Shehu, Liu Shao-chi and Teng Hsiao-Ping into abandoning any idea of socialism and surrendering instead to the forces of revisionism, capitalism and imperialism. The new ‘surrounding phenomena’ in Albania and China after the death of Stalin were such that no men no matter how great were able to alter them.

The counter-revolutionary events of the 20^th Congress of the CPSU STUNNED THE LEADERS OF BOTH Albania and China to such an extent that for a long time they were unable to come to terms with this calamity. In fact, the leaders of both countries initially accepted Khruschev as a great Marxist. For instance as late as May 25^th 1959 at Tirana airport Enver Hoxha welcomed Khruschev with these words:

Without any reference to Stalin or to the 20^th Congress Enver Hoxha concluded his speech by saying: "Long live the great Soviet Union and its glorious communist party! Long live the mighty socialist camp led by the Soviet Union!…May our dear friend Nikita Sergeyevich Khruschev live as long as our mountains!". (Speech by Enver Hoxha, Tirana, May 25^th 1959 translated and reported by David Floyd in: ‘Mao against Khruschev’, page 260; Frederick A. Praeger, Publisher, 1964)

The Chinese communist party was equally stunned and went on hoping that everything was fine in the Soviet Union and that it was moving towards socialism. Even when the Chines party in 1960 published its well-known article ‘Long Live Leninism’ it stated:

‘Lenin’s ideals have been realised in the Soviet Union; socialism has long since been built and now, under the leadership of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and the Soviet government headed by Comrade Khruschev, a great period of the extensive building of communism is already beginning’. (Long Live Leninism; p.52, Peking, 16^th April 1960)

It further stressed: ‘Now the Soviet Union has entered the historical period of the extensive building of communism. Under the leadership of the Central Committee of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and the Soviet Government headed by N. S. Khruschev brilliant achievements have bee scored in the Soviet economic construction and Soviet science and technology have advanced by leaps and bounds’. (ibid.,p.86)

In its letter of July 29 1978 to the CC of the Communist Party of China, the Party of Labour of Albania wrote, referring to the minutes of talks between the two parties on June 11 1962:

‘During the Peking talks between the two parties Teng Hsiao-Ping declared to the delegation of the Central Committee of our party: "It is impossible for Khruschev to change and become like Tito…As a socialist country the Soviet Union will never change". (Letter of the Party of Labour and the Government of Albania to the CC of the CC of the Communist Party and the Government of China: July 29^th 1978, Tirana, pp. 26-27)

It is therefore quite clear that for three years neither the Chinese nor the Albanians were of the damage caused by the 20^th Congress. Indeed, they were confident up until 1959 or 1960 that Khruschev was a great socialist leader moving forward in the building of communism.

Real conditions in the world, however, both in the Soviet Union and in the international communist movement, forced the two parties to rectify their positions towards Khruschev and the 20^th Congress.

Unfortunately, neither party carried out a self-criticism of their failure to analyse events nor of their having been duped by Khruschev. Nor indeed did anyone else carry out such a self-criticism.

During Khruschev's visit to Albania it became clear to the Albanian leaders that the unity and solidarity of the socialist camp had been undermined. Unlike Stalin Khruschev did not have the slightest concern for the well being of Albania. He was in fact bringing pressure to bear on the Albanians by means of economic blackmail to force them to accept his new friendship with Tito as well as to agree to the establishment of a Soviet naval base on the Adriatic.

Enver Hoxha wanted Khruschev to help Albania to develop its oil and metallurgical plants, but Khruschev's reply was: ‘Enough of this; the truth is that you have made progress, but you are not satisfied. We gave you credit last year and now you want another one. But we have a popular saying: "Cut your coat according to your cloth." (Enver Hoxha: The Khruschevites; Tirana, 1976, p.373)

Enver Hoxha goes on: ‘This was economic pressure, which they exerted on us in order to force us to accept their views. But they broke their heads. Our party’s resistance steadily increased, but still without burning the bridges. The Soviet revisionists also operated prudently to avoid burning the bridges with us.’ (ibid. p.380)

But in spite of the soft tactics being used by Albania Khruschev continued his attempts to force Albania to follow diktat. When he failed and when Enver Hoxha openly sided with China at the Bucharest meeting in 1960, the party and government relationship between Albania and the USSR collapsed.

On August 7 1959, frontier clashes broke out between China and India. On September 9, Tass issued a statement, which indirectly put the blame on China, hinting that China was intending to increase international tension and damage the chance of possible coexistence between socialism and imperialism. The Chinese later declared that it was this statement by Tass which first revealed the Sino-Soviet dispute to the outside world.

According to Enver Hoxha these differences were revealed to them by Mikoyan in February 1960 (ibid. p.387) and later in June 1960 in Beijing at a meeting of the General Council of the world Federation of the Trade Unions when the Chinese "opposed many these of the report which was to be delivered, because in essence they were nothing but Khruschev's revisionist theses on ‘peaceful coexistence’, war and peace, the seizure of power in a ‘peaceful way’, etc., (ibid. P.391)

On August 13 1960, Agence France Presse reported the departure of Soviet technicians and their families from China, and in November 1960, at the Conference of 81 communist parties in Moscow, Albania openly sided with China against Khruschev's revisionism. According to the account given by the Belgium communist party delegation the Chinese and Albanian parties rejected the decisions of the 20^th Congress of the CPSU and accused the Soviet party of "leading the majority of the communist parties along the road of capitulation to imperialism and having gone over to revisionism". The Albanians and the Chinese rejected Khruschev's ideas on ‘peaceful coexistence’ (‘Drapeau Rouge’ February 22^nd 1962). The Soviet Government then decided on economic punishment of the Albania and according to Enver Hoxha the Soviets in 1961 "…suspended action on the signed contracts and agreements of every kind and later tore them up in Hitlerite style. They began to withdraw their experts, thinking that everything in our country would come to a standstill. But they were gravely mistaken." (The Khruschevites, p. 452)

From then onwards the Albanians and the Chines united against Soviet modern revisionism which swept through the parties of Eastern Europe and through the international communist movement. Needless to say the Chines replaced the Soviets in Albania and built up Albania’s entire industry. Within a relatively short time Albania became industrialised and despite its small size started exporting oil, chrome and electricity.

Before going into details on Sino-Albanian unity, it is necessary to say something about the Albanian position as regards the world communist movement.

Describing the views of Khruschev and other modern revisionists on the Comintern, Enver Hoxha states: "Their opinion, which was not expressed openly, but was implied, was in complete accord with the monstrous accusations of capitalism and the reactionary bourgeoisie throughout the world, that fought the proletariat and the new communist parties formed after the betrayals of social-democracy and the Second International.

"By means of the Comintern Lenin and later Stalin consolidated the communist and workers’ parties against the bourgeoisie and the rising fascist dictatorship. The activity of the Comintern was positive and ‘revolutionary’ and the true revolutionaries never forgot that it was the Comintern which helped to set up and strengthen the communist parties after the betrayal by the Second International, just as they never forgot that the Soviet Union of Lenin and Stalin was the country in which hundreds of revolutionaries found refuge to escape the reprisals of the bourgeoisie and fascism and carry on their activity". (ibid. pp.142-143)

He goes on to stress:

He then emphasises:

"Therefore it is a crime to attack the great work of the Comintern and the Marxist-Leninist authority of Stalin". (ibid. pp. 143-144)

Enver Hoxha points out:

According to Enver Hoxha Khruschev and Co. engineered the sudden death of at least three outstanding communist leaders in order to make sure that he would not be challenged at the 20^th Congress.

Enver Hoxha writes: "Gottwald, an old friend and comrade of Stalin and Dimitrov, died suddenly. This grieved us, but also surprised us". He goes on: "Later came the unexpected death of Comrade Bierut, not to mention the earlier death of the great George Dimitrov. Dimitrov, Gottwald and Bierut all died in Moscow. What a coincidence! The three of them were comrades of the great Stalin!" (ibid. p.154)

Hoxha adds: "My opinion was that after Dimitrov the Bulgarian party and state did not have any leader equal to Dimitrov or even to come anywhere near him from the point of view of his adherence to principle, breath of ideological and political understanding and capacity as a leader". (ibid. p.156)

All this goes to show how deeply Enver Hoxha was attached to the Comintern, to Stalin and to Dimitrov.

From the time of the Bucharest meeting in 1960, a strong alliance was established between Albania and China. This continued and flourished up until 1978 i.e. two years after the death of Mao Tse-Tung in 1976. To demonstrate the strength of this unity between the Albanian and Chinese parties, people and government I will rely mainly on Albanian publications, specifically: -

1. Reference 1: - "Oppose Modern Revisionism and uphold Marxism-Leninism and the Unity of the International Communist Movement" which is a series of articles published between 1962 and October 1963 in ‘Zeri I Popullit’ and later collected in 1964 by the ‘Naim Frasheri’ state publishing enterprise, Tirana.
2. Reference 2:- Letter of the Central Committee of the Party of Labour and government of Albania to the Central Committee of the Communist Party and the government of China, dated July 29^th

The first reference is a day to day account of what happened in the international communist movement and is a true record of the Albanian attitude towards China at the time the articles were written. The second reference, the letter, was written two years after the death of Mao and when the Chines stopped economic aid and trade with Albania. Needless to say, the Albanians were deeply upset by the Chines action as it left Albania completely isolated from the rest of the world. Nevertheless, the letter gives proof of Albania’s adherence to its unity with China.

I will use other references to substantiate the facts of the matter.

On February 3^rd 1961 the Chines government granted Albania a loan of 500 millions (old) roubles (as reported by Xinhua News Agency) and on April 27^th 1961 the same agency reported that the Chines government had announced it would supply Albania with grain and foodstuffs and assist in a number of Albanian projects. On December 26, China and Albania agreed to set up a joint shipping company. ‘Zeri I Popullit commented on January 8^th 1963 as follows: (see reference 1 page 223)

"To meet our needs for economic and cultural reconstruction our socialist has received credits and all-round internationalist aid only from the Soviet Union, the People’s Republic of China and other countries of the socialist camp. And for this we are grateful to the fraternal peoples of these countries. Now, after the economic blockade set up in retaliation against our country by N. Khruschev's group our country continues to receive internationalist help and credits from the People’s Republic of China alone. These credits and aid are given to the People’s Republic of Albania without interests and without conditions that would in any way prejudice the independence and sovereignty of the country or of the party. This is due to the fact that both the Albanian Party of Labour and the Communist Party of China are Marxist-Leninist and entirely internationalist parties. Tendencies towards great-nation chauvinism and the way of forcing its views and its lines on other parties and on other countries are alien to the Communist Party of China. It stands firmly on the position of proletarian internationalism, it firmly defends the principles of equality, of independence and of comradely consultations in its relations with fraternal parties and fraternal socialist countries, and grants them all its internationalist aid and backing."

On October 4 the same Albanian newspaper stressed:

Even when Chines aid was withdrawn on July 7^th 1978 the Albanians wrote in their letter of reply July 29^th as follows: " Inspired by the teachings of Marxism-Leninism and the principles of proletarian internationalism, the Albanian people, their party and government have sincerely and consistently fought for the strengthening of friendship, fraternal co-operation and mutual aid between Albania and China. They have always highly appreciated China’s aid to Albania, considering it an internationalist aid of the Chinese people, an aid serving the general cause of the revolution and socialism in the world, an aid coming from a country which was called socialist." (Letter of July 29^th 1978, pp.4-5)

It goes on: (see reference 2, p. 5)

Marxist-Leninists throughout the world, who rejected Khruschev's revisionism, united at that time with both Albania and China and were fully aware that Albanian-Chinese unity was cemented by their common fight against modern revisionism, which renounced Stalin, renounced the dictatorship of the proletariat and appeased Tito’s revisionism. This unity was to defeat Khruschev's capitulation to imperialism, to counter his theories on peaceful coexistence, peaceful competition with imperialism and peaceful transition to socialism. Chinese-Albanian unity played the most significant role in exposing the parties of Eastern Europe which had joined hands to attack Stalin, China, Albania and the Marxist-Leninists who supported them.

When the Chines-Indian frontier clashes were renewed after Khruschev's Cuban climb down, the Albanian fully supported the Chinese against India. On December 6^th 1962 ‘Zeri I Popullit’ stated:

"It was the American imperialists who brought about the crisis in the Caribbean Sea and the threat of aggression against Cuba. Encouraged by the imperialists the Indian reactionaries launched their attacks on the Chinese border guards and again encouraged and assisted by them they are trying to widen the conflict with China by turning down the proposals of the People’s Republic of China to settle the Sino-Indian conflict by peaceful methods. Wherever and whenever the situation deteriorates wherever there is bloodshed in the world today, the imperialists, with the American imperialists at the head, are the cause." (See ref. 1, p.178)

In their defence of China against India Seri I popullit, a year after the event, on October 4 1963, stated: (See reference 1, pp.375-376)

Thus even on a controversial subject such as the Sino-Indian conflict the Party of Labour of Albania was convinced that justice was on the side of China, the ‘peace-loving country’ which was fighting, shoulder to shoulder with Albania against the Indian reactionaries, the Soviet modern revisionists and American and British imperialism.

From the time of the Bucharest meeting onwards the modern revisionists in the Soviet Union ganged up with the stooges in the ruling parties of Eastern Europe and the revisionist parties throughout the world, forming a gangster clique to attack the Chinese and Albanian parties in order to silence them and force them into submission. On February 7^th ‘Zeri I popullit’ stated: (See reference 1, p.241)

It went on: (See Reference 1, pp. 249, 250, 251)

It was clear that Khruschev and his agents in the ruling parties of Eastern Europe were trying to bully the Chines and Albanian parties. ‘Zeri I Popullit’ decided to expose this plot and declared on February 7^th 1963 (See Ref. 1, pp. 258-259)

The Chinese party fully backed the Party of Labour of Albania and defended it on every occasion. Between 4^th and 8^th December 1962 the 12^th Congress of the Czechoslovak party was held. Here again brutal attacks were made by First Secretary Novotny against China and Albania.

Twelfth Congress of Czechoslovak Communist Party in Prague. Referring to the Albanian Communist leaders, First Secretary Antonin Novotny said:

The Chinese delegate Wu Hsiu-chaun handed Novotny a ‘statement’ which was read to the Congress:

Later the Chinese ‘People’s Daily’ on December 15^th published an editorial which stated:

On March 30, the Soviet party dispatched a letter to the Chinese party suggesting bilateral talks. The Albanian paper ‘Zeri I popullit’, on April 18^th, 1963, stated:

The Party of Labour of Albania has always expressed itself in favour of meetings, talks and comradely consultations on conditions of parity for the purpose of settling misunderstandings that arise among communist and workers’ parties of different countries and in the ranks of the international communist movement as whole.

On June 14 1963 the Chinese sent a letter to the Soviets and on July 14 Pravda published an open letter of the Central Committee of the CPSU addressed to party organisations in response to the Chinese letter.

On October 4^th 1963 ‘Zeri I Popullit’ published the Albanian reply to the open letter and stated: (See reference, pp.357 to 360 and 365)

" The open letter of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union is a general attack on the Communist Party of China and the other fraternal parties which defend Marxism-Leninism, it is a general attack on the revolutionary line of the international communist and workers’ movement, on the basic teachings of Marxism-Leninism and the revolutionary principles of the 1957 and 1960 Moscow Declarations. It is a collection of slanders and monstrous trumped-up charges made purposely to discredit the Communist Party of China and to aggravate the divergences within the ranks of the international communist movement. It departs altogether from serious discussions of the principle on these divergences, makes no analysis of and gives no reasons for matters on which these divergences have arisen, resorts to discussing banalities and vulgarities and distorts in a monstrous way the correct Marxist-Leninist views and position of the Communist Party of China. It is full of foul invectives against and basest insults to the Communist Party of China and its leaders and the chauvinist spirit of the big state permeates it from top to bottom.

The whole core of divergences between Khruschev's group and the Communist Party of China, which in fact is a difference of principle between modern revisionism and revolutionary Marxism-Leninism, is reduced in the letter in a very vulgar and slanderous manner to the issue in which it is pretended that the Communist Party of China is in favour of a new world war and oppose peaceful coexistence, whereas the Soviet leaders are in favour of peace and peaceful coexistence. The propaganda machine of the Soviet leaders and of those who follow him is raising a deafening noise to present Khruschev as ‘a great champion of peace’. Etc.

But the indisputable fact of present-day life prove the contrary: they show that the Communist Party of China as well as all the Marxist parties, which Khruschev and his group brand as warmongers, are the real fighters for the maintenance and effective strengthening of peace, whereas Khruschev and his group, in spite of their loud clamour for peace and peaceful coexistence, are by their views and deeds seriously prejudicing the cause of peace and are facilitating the work of the imperialist aggressors in the preparation and launching of war.

All these Albanian statements prove that the unity between Albania and China was solid and the two parties were united against Khruschev's revisionism. There is no shadow of a doubt that the Albanians fully supported their Chinese comrades on every aspect of Marxism-Leninism. At this time Marxist-Leninist throughout the world were guided by these two parties against the slanders being spread by the modern revisionists. It was a memorable and inspiring struggle in the battle against Khruschev's revisionism and against imperialism.

At no time did the Chinese announce the end of the ‘Great Leap Forward’ or admit to its failure. It was quietly forgotten in 1959 when the Chinese people, party and government had to face up to the consequence of a major disaster which culminated in the withdrawal of Soviet aid. Thousands of major contracts were cancelled, many of which were left unfinished and all Soviet blueprints, technicians, engineers and experts were removed. Contracts, which were abandoned, included the seven kilometre long Yangse River bride, major dams, electricity and steel plants and all military and weapons manufacturing projects. Sino-Soviet trade abruptly came to a halt; Soviet oil deliveries were stopped and unemployment resulted. This caused panic in the top leadership. Recriminations led to the removal of Mao Tse-Tung from the chairmanship of the republic and his replacement by Liu Shao-Chi. WHILE Mao was kicked upstairs and given the post of chairman of the party, the party itself was under the control of the General Secretary Teng Hsiao-Ping.

This disaster took place while the Vietnam war was being escalated by the US imperialists and the Macnamara plan for the containment of China isolated the Chinese from the outside world. The situation was worsened when the Sino-Soviet border dispute resulted in military clashes. This meant the Chines had to exert every effort not on solving their new and acute economic problems but on the development of military equipment, including the nuclear bomb, sending their armies to the Soviet and Vietnamese borders and digging tunnels in every city. One such reinforced concrete tunnel which I visited in Peking in 1974 was 36 kilometres long and was equipped with shops, hotels, restaurants and power stations.

Still worse was that in 1962 and 1963 China suffered from two acute droughts which ended in exceptionally poor harvests. Famine became a reality of life and the socialist dream was turning into a nightmare. Instead of building socialism all the objective and subjective conditions imposed a return to capitalism. Indeed Liu Shao-Shi and Teng Hsio-Ping resorted to bureaucratic government and party directives, which encouraged capitalist and private individualist manufacturing and farming. Every effort had to be made to save China from total collapse.

At this point splits began to develop among the leadership of the Chinese government and party. According to Han Suyin (‘Wind in the Tower’. P.252) it was in September 1962 "that Mao was planning the cultural revolution" and "in January 1965 Mao came to the conclusion that he could no longer go on working with Liu Shao-Chi (p. 260) This split was reported to the National People’s Congress in December 1964 by Chou En-Lai." In January 1965 also Mao placed before the Politburo a draft program for the Cultural Revolution to come and a draft program for China’s economic advance." (p.260) This was "keep China from changing colour, to stop any chance of capitalist restoration in China." (p.261) "Where mistakes had been very serious, where leadership had been taken over by counter-revolutionaries or degenerate elements, there must be a seizure of power, to be achieved with the masses and by arousing them." (p.261) "For it was now clear to Mao that he could no longer use the party organisation, because the party was being organisationally against him." (p.262) The Central Committee was indeed dominated by an "anti-Mao" majority. Mao’s real power was not in the Party but in the army because "The focus of power in military affairs resided in the Military Affairs Committee… The Party Chairman Mao Tse-Tung, was also chairman of the Military Affairs Committee." (p.263) In 1959 In Piao became minister of Defence replacing Peng The-Huai. "While the Party constitution of 1956 had written out Mao Tse-Tung’s thought, the P.L.A. from 1960 onwards wrote Mao Tse-Tung’s thought into its curriculum as a compulsory course." (p.264) "In mid 1964 a committee in charge of the Cultural Revolution was formed. It was headed by Peng Chen, Mayor of Peking" (p.279) who happened to be a supporter of Liu Shao-Chi and Teng Hsiao-Ping. In other words, the Cultural Revolution misfired from the start. This was an objective reality because "The Peking Municipal Party Committee was solidly pro-Liu." (p.305) At the January 1965 meetings of the Central Committee, Politburo and the enlarged work conference Mao said:

"If revisionism appears at the centre, what will you do about it? There is the possibility and it is a real danger." (P.305)

By mid 1966 the struggle between the two factions was in full swing and in May Peng Chen was dismissed. Mao together with Lin Piao and Chou En-Lai became the leaders of the cultural revolution. But the struggle intensified and ended in widespread violent clashes between two opposing camps, both claiming to support Mao. In the Central Committee meetings of May 1966 Lin Piao was already Vice-Chairman of the party, but Mao "was in a minority and the task was to get rid of the ‘capitalist-roaders in the Party’." (P.317-318)

Throughout the period of the Cultural Revolution, the Party of Labour of Albania supported it enthusiastically. Even in its last letter of July 29 1978 the Albanian Party and government stated:

"When the Party of Labour of Albania and the working class supported the strategic aims of the cultural revolution in China, they were not doing so for the sake of compensation but out of their will to assist the working class, the communists and the people China to save their country from the capitalist elements who usurped power in China." (Albanian letter, p.5-6) The Albanians did not criticise themselves for taking this stand, even although they later, in 1979 went against the Cultural Revolution. The same Albanian letter of July 1978 goes on to state: (See pp. 34 to 37 of ref. 2)

In 1967 "An editorial in ‘Liberation Army Daily’ on August 12^th extolled Lin Piao and said that the eleventh plenum ‘confirmed Comrade Lin Piao as the closest comrade in arms, best pupil of Chairman Mao and the deputy supreme commander of the party’. ‘It is the greatest happiness of the people, the Party and the nation that the meeting confirmed Vice-Chairman Lin Piao as Chairman Mao’s successor." (Han Suyin p. 362)

Furthermore in April 1969 the Ninth Congress of the Communist Party of China officially designated Lin Piao as Mao’s successor and "his succession was even written into Party statutes." (ibid., p.366)

An editorial by ‘Renmin Ribao’, ‘Hongqi’ and ‘Jiefangjun Bao’, which was published in Peking Review on June 13 1969, stated:

"The Congress was convened after ample conditions had been prepared for it politically, ideologically and organisationally. It has successfully carried out Chairman Mao’s call to make it ‘a congress of unity and a congress of victory.’ It elected the new Central Committee with Chairman Mao as its it leader and Vice-Chairman Lin as its deputy leader. And the new constitution of the Party clearly reaffirms that Marxism-Leninism –Mao Tse-Tung Thought is the theoretical basis guiding the Party’s thinking and clearly stipulates that Comrade Lin Piao is the successor to Chairman Mao."

The Communist Party of China has nowhere criticised itself for drafting this constitution or for electing Lin Piao as Mao’s successor.

On April 29^th 1969 Enver Hoxha as First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Albanian Party of Labour sent a very strong message congratulating the Ninth Congress of the Chinese party. The full text reads: (See Peking Review No. 19, May 5 1969.)

The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China.

Comrade Mao Tse-Tung

Dear Comrades:

Allow me, on behalf of the Central Committee of the Albanian Party of Labour, of the Albanian Communists and the whole Albanian people, who followed with indescribable enthusiasm and great attention the proceedings of the Ninth National Congress of the fraternal Communist Party of China, to express to you the most cordial revolutionary congratulations on the full success of the Ninth National Congress of your glorious Party and on the historic decisions it adopted.

The Ninth Congress marks a brilliant page in the long history of the great Communist Party of China, which is full of heroic and legendary struggles. It affirmed the revolutionary Marxist-Leninist line of Chairman Mao and the decisive victory of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution. It firmly held and raised higher the red banner of revolution and socialism. It further strengthened and tempered the Party, its unity of thought and action on the basis of the invincible thought of the great Marxist0Leninist Comrade Mao Tse-Tung.

The programmatic documents, Chairman Mao’s speeches, the political report by Vice-Chairman Lin Piao, and the new Party Constitution, which were unanimously approved at the congress, have opened brilliant prospects for the Chinese Communist Party and the 700 million Chinese people to achieve greater new victories throughout the country, to carry the revolution through to the end, to advance at a faster speed in the building of socialism and communism in China

We are exceptionally glad that the historic Ninth National Congress of the Communist Party of China unanimously elected, in an ardent revolutionary atmosphere, the Party leadership with Comrade Mao Tse-Tung, the founder and great leader of the Communist Party of China, the outstanding Marxist-Leninist and the strategist of genius of revolution, as its leader, and with his close comrade-in-arms Comrade Lin Piao as its deputy leader. We heartily greet the new Central Committee elected by the Ninth National Congress of the Communist Party of China. This Central Committee is made up of revolutionaries tested in fierce class battles and in the flames of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution and boundlessly faithful to Chairman Mao Tse-Tung and to his invincible thought.

The Albanian Communists and people, who are with the Chinese Communist and people, and all other Marxist-Leninist and revolutionaries in the world, see in the decisions of the Ninth National Congress of your glorious Party the great guarantee that the Communist Party of China will always hold high the inflexible banner of Marxism-Leninism, of socialism and proletarian internationalism, will further consolidate and strengthen the dictatorship of the proletariat and will make great People’s China a still more powerful fortress and prop of the liberation struggle of the peoples and of the world revolution.

The Ninth National Congress of the Communist Party of China, a congress of proletarian victory over the traitorous, revisionist and counter-revolutionary line of the renegades, traitor and scab Liu Shao-Chi, marks a new stage not only in the carrying out of socialist revolution and socialist construction in China, but also in the fight for the triumph of Marxism-Leninism over revisionism, of socialism over capitalism and of revolution over counter-revolution in the world. This is why the hearts and minds of the Marxist-Leninists and revolutionaries of the whole world were directed in these days towards your great congress, this is why their hearts are filled with joy at this great historic event. The solemn declaration of the congress that "the Communist Party of China, nurtured by the great leader Chairman Mao, always upholds proletarian internationalism and firmly supports the revolutionary struggles of the proletariat and the oppressed peoples and nations of the whole world" inspires all the Communist and revolutionary peoples and gives then strength and courage to broaden and push forward incessantly their struggle against imperialism led by US, against modern revisionism led by Soviet revisionism, and against all the reactionaries, in order to create a new world without capitalism, without imperialism, without oppressors and exploiters.

The Ninth National Congress of the Communist Party of China dealt a fresh crushing blow to the Soviet Khruschevite revisionists, to these renegades to the great Lenin-Stalin cause, who have transformed themselves into social-imperialists and social-fascists and who are in a close counter-revolutionary alliance with the US imperialists, the most ferocious enemies of the peoples. The imperialist-revisionist aggressive plans against great socialist China and the freedom loving peoples of the world will fail ignominiously, and the US imperialists and the Soviet revisionists will be completely and definitely smashed. There is no force on earth that can stop the victorious march of revolution. There is no force on earth that can save the imperialists and the revisionists from their thorough defeat. The revolutionary cause of the peoples will surely triumph.

The Albanian Communists and people who are bound by an unbreakable friendship with the Chines Communists and people, immeasurably rejoice at the great victory of the Ninth National Congress of the Communist Party of China and they regard it as their own victory. Our hearts throb as one. We are inseparable brothers and comrades-in-arms. Our unity is steel-like. . The Ninth National Congress of your heroic Party will certainly strengthen still more the great friendship and solidarity between our two Parties and countries, it will further enhance our two Parties and countries, it will further enhance our common struggle for the triumph of the great cause of Marxism-Leninism and of the liberation of the peoples.

The Albanian Party of Labour and the entire Albanian people wholeheartedly wish that the Communist Party of China and the great Chinese people, armed with all-conquering Mao Tse-Tung thought and under the wise and far-sighted Marxist-Leninist leadership of Mao Tse-Tung, will achieve new and ever greater successes and victories on the bright road of socialism established by the Ninth National Congress.

Long live the great and glorious Communist Party of China!

May Chairman Mao, great leader, great Marxist-Leninist and the closest friend of the Albanian people, live as long as the mountains!

May the unbreakable friendship and militant unity between our two Parties and peoples last forever and grow with each passing day!

Enver Hoxha

First Secretary of the Central Committee

Of the Albanian Party of Labour

April 29^th, 1969, Tirana

Enver Hoxha and the Albanian Party of Labour did not carry out a self-criticism for upholding "the invincible thought of the great Marxist-Leninist Comrade Mao Tse-Tung." Nor did they criticise themselves for having considered the new Chinese party constitution unanimously approved at the congress as having "opened brilliant prospects for the Chinese party and the 700 million Chinese people…" nor that "the Central Committee is made up of revolutionaries tested in fierce class battle and in the flames of the great proletarian cultural revolution and boundlessly faithful to Chairman Mao Tse-Tung and his invincible thought."

It was clear that Mao and Lin Piao had the upper hand at the Ninth Congress. However objective conditions in China had altered drastically and these two ‘great men’ were unable to change things. In fact, it was US imperialism and Teng Hsiao-Ping’s faction that imposed themselves on events in China. This happened in spite of the will or wishes of the "great helmsman." For in spite of the "happiness of the people, the party and the nation" Lin Piao was soon to be disgraced as a ‘traitor’ and all of a sudden people, party and nation were obliged to change course. All of a sudden, Edgar Snow arrived in Peking with the full approval of President Nixon. Until then the main slogan of the Cultural Revolution was, ‘Peoples of the world unite to defeat US imperialism and its running dogs’. Now the top leadership of the Chinese party was split on their attitude to American imperialism. In September 1970 the Lushan conference was held for several days. Lin Piao opposed the faction, which insisted that China should change its policy towards US imperialism and he lost.

Han Suyin reports (p.397)

The struggle in the top leadership lasted for nine months and ended on September 12 1971 when all aeroplanes in China were grounded for three days i.e. September 12^th, 13^th and 14^th. Han Suyin reports (400): "In Tsunyi in Kweichow province at the historical museum, on the contrary, the cult of Lin Piao was still profound, though it was September 14^th. The museum had not yet been informed of Lin Piao’s death which had occurred the previous day."

Thus when all planes were grounded on September 13^th Lin Piao was already dead! Clearly he must have died on the ground in China and not in the air as reported, since no planes were flying on that day.

Soon-without any unanimous decision by a congress of the party-Lin Piao was denounced as a ‘swindler’; the ‘happiness of the people, the party and the nation’ was no more; Teng Hsiao-Ping, that leading party member in authority who had taken the capitalist road, was back in the leadership of the Communist Party of China.

In its letter of July 29 1978, the Albanian party states: (See p. 40 to 44 of reference 2)

"The events that were taking place revealed ever more clearly that the political and ideological struggle of the Communist Party of China against the Khruschevites did not proceed from a sound basis, in reality. Its aim was not to defend Marxism-Leninism, the revolution and the liberation of the peoples. It was waged simply for pragmatic ends and selfish interests. This became evident in the radical change of the Chines strategy, to which Nixon’s visit to Peking officially set the seal.

In the summer of 1971, Albania, considered the closest ally of China, learned from foreign news agencies the report spread all over the world that Kissinger had paid a secret visit to Peking. Negotiations, which marked a radical change in the Chinese policy, had been held with Kissinger. As in other cases, this time too, though the question was about a major political turn, a change in the strategic line, the Communist Party and the Government of the People’s Republic of China did not deem it necessary to have preliminary talks with the Party of Labour and the Government of Albania, too, to see what their opinion was. The Chinese leadership put others before an accomplished fact, thinking they had to obey it without a word.

It was clear to our Party that Nixon’s visit to Peking was not an upgrading of talks that were going on till then in Warsaw between the Chinese and US ambassadors, that it was not made to promote ‘people’s diplomacy’ and to pave the road to contacts with the American people, as the Chinese leaders claimed. Nixon’s visit to Peking was laying the foundation of a new policy on the part of China.

With Nixon’s visit, China joined the dance of imperialist alliances and rivalries for redivision of the world, where China, too, would have its own share. This visit paved the road to its rapprochement and collaboration with US imperialism and its allies. At the same time, the inauguration of the alliance with the United States of America also marked the abandoning on the part of the Chinese leadership of the genuine socialist countries, the Marxist-Leninist movement, the revolution and the national-liberation struggle of the peoples.

This alliance and meeting in Peking, between the Chinese leadership and the American President Nixon, were taking place at a time when the US was waging its predatory imperialist war in heroic Vietnam, when it was using all its most up-to-date means of war, except the A-bomb, to kill the fraternal heroic Vietnamese people and to reduce Vietnam to ashes. This monstrous alliance and the Sino-US contacts were condemnable acts of disastrous consequences for the peoples.

Therefore, in view of this dangerous turn in the foreign policy of China, on August 6, 1971, the Central Committee of the Party of Labour of Albania sent a long letter to the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, stressing in no uncertain terms that it was against this turn of China, which ran counter to the interest of People’s China itself, the revolution and socialism.

The letter reads in part:

"….We regard your decision to welcome Nixon in Peking as incorrect and undesirable, we do not approve of, nor do we support, it. We also hold the view that Nixon’s announced visit to China will be inconceivable to, and will not be approved by, the peoples, the revolutionaries and the communists of various countries.

"…Welcoming Nixon to China, who is known as a frenzied anti-Communist, aggressor and assassin of the peoples, as representative of the blackest US reaction, has many drawbacks and will have negative consequences for the revolutionary movement and our cause.

Nixon going to China and his talks there cannot fail to arouse harmful illusions among the rank-and-file, the peoples and the revolutionaries, about US imperialism, its strategy and policy.

"….Talks with Nixon provide the revisionists with weapons to negate the entire great struggle and polemics of the Communist PARTY OF China to expose the Soviet renegades as allies and collaborators of US imperialism, and to put on a par China’s stand towards US imperialism and the treacherous line of collusion pursued by the Soviet revisionists towards it. This enables the Khruschevite revisionists to flaunt their banner of false anti-imperialism even more ostentatiously and to step up their demagogic and deceitful propaganda in order to bring the anti-imperialist forces around to themselves.

"….The visit of the US President to China will give rise to doubts and misunderstanding among the rank-and-file who may suspect that China is changing its stand towards US imperialism and involving itself in the game of the super powers.

"….Our strategy calls for close alliance with the peoples fighting all over the world, with all the revolutionaries, on join front against imperialism and social-imperialism, and never for an alliance with Soviet social-imperialism allegedly against US imperialism, never for an alliance with US imperialism allegedly against Soviet social-imperialism."

In conclusion, the letter points out that ‘the line and attitude of the Party of Labour of Albania will always remain principled, consistent, unchanging. We will combat US imperialism and Soviet revisionism uncompromisingly and consistently.’ The letter expressed the hope that the remarks the Party of Labour made to a sister party ‘would be taken up in a comradely spirit and understood correctly.’

The Chinese leadership adopted its usual stand also towards this letter. It did not deign to give an answer. By so doing, it betrayed not only big state megalomania but also its fear to face the correct and principled Marxist-Leninist arguments of our Party. It is a fact that two months after our letter, the 6^th Congress of the Party of Labour of Albania was held. That was a good occasion to exchange views with the Chinese delegation invited to the Congress and to clarify each other’s position. But in this case, too, the Chinese leadership, consistent on its road of refusing consultations and the settling of disagreements through talks, adopted a stand in contravention of all practice and internationalist relations between sister parties. It concocted some absurd excuses for its failure to send a delegation to the Congress of our Party. Practically, the Communist Party of China has ever since reduced contacts with our Party, turning relations between the two parties into a purely formal relationship.

The change of China’s strategy has come about as a result of an internal struggle within its Communist Party where deep contradictions existed, ‘…a hundred flowers blossomed and a hundred schools contended,’ where there were pro-Khruschevites, pro-Americans, opportunists and revolutionaries in the leadership. This accounts for the successive changes in the political line of the Communist Party of China, its vacillating, opportunist, and contradictory attitudes towards US imperialism, modern revisionism and international reaction. The axis of the Chinese policy has changed three times over ten years, from 1962 to 1972. First, the Communist Party of China abided by the strategic formula of a ‘united front’ with the Soviet and other revisionists against US imperialism and its allies.’ Later on, the Communist Party of China came forward with the slogan of a ‘very broad united front of the proletariat and the revolutionary peoples of all countries against US imperialism, Soviet revisionism and reaction of various countries.’ After Nixon’s visit to China, the Chinese strategy again speaks of a ‘broad united front’ but this time it includes ‘all those who can be united’ incorporating in it even the United States of America against Soviet social-imperialism."

In 1974 when I visited China Chou En-Lai was very ill in hospital, Mao was out of the way in Hanchow meeting Madam Marcus and other capitalist dignitaries like the queen of Iran and Haile Selassie of Ethiopia and Teng Hsiao-Ping’s ‘Three Worlds" speech was being widely distributed. I was first given the speech in the Chinese Embassy in London to read on the plane, a second copy was awaiting in my hotel bedroom in Peking and a third one was handed to me on my arrival in a smart restaurant in Kantong where I was a guest at a banquet!

On September 9^th 1976 Mao Tse-Tung died. On the same day the Central Committee of the Albanian Party of Labour, the Presidium of the Albanian People’s Assembly and the Council of Ministers sent a joint message of condolences to the Communist Party of China, the National People’s Congress and the State Council. The message read as follows:

"With deep sorrow we learned the sad news that on September9th the heart of our beloved comrade Mao Tse-Tung, the founder of the Communist party of China, the great leader of the fraternal Chinese people, the Marxist-Leninist an unflinching proletarian revolutionary, the great and beloved friend of the Albanian people, stopped beating."

The message goes on:

"Death has taken Comrade Mao Tse-Tung from the Party and people from his comrades-in-arms and the Marxist-Leninists in the world but his memory and work will remain immortal."

"Armed with the Marxist-Leninist thought of Chairman Mao Tse-Tung and always loyally adhering to his revolutionary teachings the Chinese communists and multi-million Chines people have always come out victorious from every storm…"

"Comrade Mao Tse-Tung was an outstanding thinker and theoretician of Marxism-Leninism who continued the brilliant work of Marx, Engels, Lenin and Stalin…He personally led the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution and directed the struggle for smashing the counter-revolutionary revisionist traitor groups of Liu Shao-Chi, Lin Piao, Teng Hsiao-Ping and other enemies of the Chines people and the Communist Party if China.

"As a great Marxist-Leninist Comrade Mao Tse-Tung waged a resolute struggle against the enemies of Marxism-Leninism, led by the Khruschevite revisionists."

"The Albanian communists and the Albanian people keep for ever in their hearts and minds the memory of Comrade Mao Tse-Tung, their most beloved and respected friend, the architect of the revolutionary fraternal friendship and the unbreakable unity between our two parties, two peoples and two countries. They will never forget the great love and respect that Comrade Mao Tse-Tung cherished for our people and party…" (Peking Review, September 24^th 1976)

Even when China under the leadership of Teng Hsio-Ping stopped all aid to Albania in July 1978, the Albanian reply of July 29^th 1978 stated: (See Reference 2, pages 50 to 52)

"This was evident especially after the 7^th Congress of the Party of Labour of Albania, when the Chinese leadership, breaking every norm of relations between sister parties, hurried to attack the 7^th Congress of Party, under the pretence that it had allegedly attacked China, the Communist Party of China and Mao Tse-Tung.

The accusations of the Chinese leadership are groundless. For this, suffice it to read the documents of the 7th Congress, which are all made public. It is not difficult for anyone to see that it contains no attacks against China, or against the Communist PARTY OF China or Mao Tse-Tung. The Central Committee of the Party of Labour of Albania has asked the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China through a letter dated December 42, 1976, to indicate when and where our Party has attacked the Communist Party of China and Mao Tse-Tung. To this day the Chinese leadership, as usually, has given no reply.

The present Chinese leadership wanted the Party of Labour of Albania to support its acts with regards to the changes made at the head of the Communist Party of China. As we did not do it, it came to the conclusion that we are partisans of Lin Piao and ‘the gang of four’. It is wrong in both aspects, and this is one of the unavowed major political, ideological reasons which have urged the Chinese leadership to cease aid to Albania. The present Chinese leadership has wanted out Party to support its illegal and non-Marxist-Leninist activity to seize state power in China. Our Party has not fulfilled and will never fulfil this desire of the Chinese leadership. The Party of Labour of Albania never tramples on the Marxist-Leninist principles, and has never been, nor will it ever be anybody’s tool.

All this proves that the Albanian Party of Labour continued for two years after Mao’s death to respect and praise him for his contribution to Marxism-Leninism and for his leadership in the Cultural Revolution.

In 1979, however, two volumes by Enver Hoxha called ‘Reflections on China’ were published. Volume Two which was published in Toronto contains statements which are contrary to the view which were held previously by the Albanians from 1952 to 1978. In ‘Reflections on China’ Mao is described as an ‘opportunist’, ‘rightist reactionary’ and ‘not a Marxist-Leninist but an eclectic and a bourgeois democrat’ and that ‘China is pursuing a certain policy, a certain ideology which is based on a non-Marxist theory which is called Mao Tse-Tung Thought’ and further ‘…the myth of Mao Tse-Tung, that myth which described him as a ‘great Marxist-Leninist’, had and has to be exploded.’

Needless to say dialectics teaches us that everything changes and using Stalin’s words even ‘outstanding individuals’ and ‘great men’ like Mao testing and Never Hooch also change, so do China and Albania, but ‘not on the dictates of reason’ or of ‘universal morals’ but ‘on the laws of development of society’ (Stalin, page 17)

Nevertheless, Marxist-Leninists should remember that the great alliance between China and Albania was the light which guided the struggle against Soviet revisionism. This was proved in 1959/1960 with the publication inside the Soviet Union of the "Program and principles of the Revolutionary Soviet Communists (Bolsheviks). In their booklet (reproduced in 1979 by Workers Press, Chicago) they say:

They further say:

"He who wants to fight can do nothing without the leader. And since Stalin is not alive today, we will fight in the ranks led by Mao Tse-Tung and Enver Hoxha."