The Communist Party of Cuba Will Always Be the Backbone of the Cuban Nation’s Resistance
Full text of speech by José Ramón Machado Ventura, Central Committee second secretary and a vice president of the Councils of Ministers and State, during the 50th anniversary commemoration of the creation of the Party Central Committee and the founding of the newspaper Granma
Granma | internet@granma.cu
October 6, 2015 13:10:14
Compañeras and compañeros:
On October 3, 1965, several events took place during a meeting held in the former Chaplin Theater, today the Karl Marx, events which indelibly marked this day in our nation’s history. The Party took its definitive name: the Communist Party of Cuba; the decision was announced that this body would have one official voice which would be called Granma; the Central Committee was introduced; and to explain the absence of Che among its members, Fidel read the farewell letter Che had written him.
To fully understand the significance of these events, it is imperative to remember that the Party is an authentic product of the Revolution. Its roots lie in the party Martí founded in 1892 to organize the Necessary War, and its most immediate antecedent was the one organized by Mella, Baliño and Rubén, the prolific history of which was summarized brilliantly just a month and a half ago by the recently deceased compañero Jorge Risquet.
That first Communist Party, the July 26 Revolutionary Movement and the March 13 Revolutionary Directorate, joined the struggle which led to the fall of the bloody Batista dictatorship. These three organizations had completely distinct structures; each one had its own leadership body, its tactics and its arena of action.
Of absolute necessity was the coming together of revolutionaries who, albeit with different methods, shared a common objective: consolidating the Cuban Revolution.
After the victory, the independent action of these three political forces created obstacles to the coordination of activities and joint efforts.
In the early period, sporadic meetings of the leadership of the three forces were held. Until, as compañero Fidel emphasized, a de facto fusion took place, as a result of this closeness, of the contact we had before the war, and afterward, and the habit which developed of consulting each other about the most important problems.
Given his vision of the strategic importance of unity, Fidel led the process of creating the Integrated Revolutionary Organizations (ORI), conceived as temporary bodies to lead society and lay the foundation for the full union of Cuban revolutionaries.
In all provinces, a process took place to form leadership structures for the ORI with leaders from the three organizations, while at the same time, basic grassroots units were created in industrial and agricultural workplaces.
Nevertheless, this process of revolutionary unity was not exempt from difficulties. Very quickly during the effort to create a new party, a series of contradictions emerged, as a result of some positions and sectarian errors. Thus, as Fidel himself said, “No process of this nature develops idyllically.”
After overcoming the sectarian errors, the National Directorate of the ORI was officially constituted. In a March 22, 1962, meeting, agreement was reached to name Fidel as First Secretary, and compañero Raúl as Second Secretary and to form a secretariat; as well as designating the experienced Communist leader
Blas Roca Calderío as editor of the newspaper Hoy.
With these decisions, and on the basis of Fidel’s ideas, the Party began to be strengthened via the reorganization of grassroots cells.
We would like to emphasize that, in facing manifestations of sectarianism, Fidel made an extraordinary contribution to the theory and practice of organizing a revolutionary party in power. One of our Comandante en Jefe’s principal ideas became the guide for party construction throughout those years, and to the present.
He himself explained, on April 11, 1962, that as the relationship between the Party and the masses grows closer. “The revolution becomes one made by the masses and for the masses. This is the raison d’être of the Party, and all its prestige, all its authority will depend upon the level of its real ties with the masses. This Party will not have authority with the masses because it is the Party, but rather it will be the Party as a result of the prestige and authority it has before the masses. If it has no connection with the masses, no prestige or authority before the masses, it is not the Party; it becomes a stunted, sorry organization, and will be increasingly less the Party, since its reason for being is based on its ties to the masses.”
Another guiding principle in the Party’s construction became the human and revolutionary qualities which those who aspired to be members of the Party must possess. Referring to this principle, Fidel said, “We must establish clear requisites to belong to the cell, and above all, be exemplary workers.”
From that point on, two fundamental norms were followed in decisions about Party membership. First, to solicit workers’ opinions about those they consider exemplary workers. Secondly, that appropriate Party bodies select those who have sufficient merits to become members.
In May of 1963, the Integrated Revolutionary Organizations became the United Party of the Socialist Revolution of Cuba (PURSC). This did not represent a simple name change. The conception of the ORI did not coincide with what the Party was at that moment, in their composition, the qualities of members, in the purity of their ranks, in their functioning, or their methods of leadership.
Beginning in 1964, the PURSC began to organize assemblies, at the local and provincial level, for the replacement or ratification of those holding positions. This entire process involved a new stage in the development of the Marxist-Leninist party in Cuba.
And precisely 50 years ago, October 1, 1965, a transcendental meeting of the
PURSC leadership was held, with the participation of provincial and regional leaders, in which Fidel reported the agreements on changing the Party’s name; constituting the Central Committee, the Political Bureau, the Secretariat, work commissions and the fusing of the organization’s two newspapers. It had been decided that the voice of the People’s Socialist Party, the newspaper Hoy, and the July 26 Movement’s Revolución would be united under the glorious, historic name of Granma.
On October 2, the recently constituted Central Committee held its first meeting. On that day, published in the last issue of the newspaper Revolución were the names of members of the Central Committee, its Political Bureau, Secretariat and work commissions: those of the Armed Forces and State Security; Economy; Constitutional Studies; Education; and Foreign Relations.
The constitution of the Central Committee gave the Party a body which would, from then on, act as the central leadership of the country’s political life, where analyzed and chosen were policies which, once implemented, would lay the foundation for the socialist road chosen; and the very composition of which was the expression of the commitment to the unity of revolutionary forces.
On October 3, 1965, the Central Committee was introduced. Referring to those who were members, Fidel emphasized, “There is no heroic episode in the history of our homeland in recent years which is not represented here; there is no sacrifice, no combat, no accomplishment – be it military or civilian – heroic or creative which is not represented; there is no revolutionary or social sector which is not represented… on this Central Committee.”
Referring to the agreement on the name of the Party, Fidel explained, “It is necessary that the name of our Party not indicate what we were yesterday, but rather what we are today, and will be tomorrow.”
The unforgettable, foundational moment then occurred, when Fidel asked those present in the theater, “What is, in your opinion, the name which our party should have?” and amidst a great ovation, coming from, and heard in all parts of the theater, were exclamations of “Communist!” And Fidel thundered the proclamation, “Communist Party of Cuba!”
“This Party was born as a result of two essential, priceless factors: the union of all revolutionaries, and a scientific doctrine, a revolutionary political philosophy: Marxism-Leninism. We must always keep watch over these two things: unity, and the doctrine, since these are our fundamental pillars,” Fidel said.
At that moment in his remarks, Fidel clarified, “There is someone missing from our Central Committee, someone who possesses the merits and all the necessary virtues at the highest level to be a part of it, and who, nonetheless, is not among the members of our Central Committee.” Everyone knew it was Comandante Ernesto Che Guevara.
It is impossible to forget Fidel’s voice breaking with emotion as he read the Heroic Guerrillero’s moving farewell letter, saying that he was already fighting in other lands.
The first edition of the newspaper Granma preserved for posterity the essence of what happened October 3, 1965.
With these historic decisions, the process of forming the Communist Party, which began in April of 1961, was concluded. The Party did not, however, stop there; but rather, over the years, has enriched its ideological arsenal as an organization, demonstrating that a revolution cannot move forward without a strong, disciplined political organization; that the seriousness of a revolutionary party is measured by the attitude it assumes before its own errors; that the Party is not a privilege, but rather a sacrifice; that the Party is the Revolution’s best creation.
This is a party of the vanguard, which demands that all members think with their own heads and freely express themselves within Party bodies, and act united; that they educate themselves and learn in constant contact with working people; that they have as their style of work being aware, at all times, of the difficulties, opinions and proposals of the masses. [A party which] has educated several generations of Cubans; which has led the people’s resistance with firmness and intelligence; which has as its ideology the teachings of Marx, Engels and Lenin, Martí’s doctrine, and the creative ideas and the examples of Fidel and of Raúl.
A single Party, as Martí called for. Because given the imperialists’ dreams of fragmenting our society, dividing us into a thousand little pieces, our principal shield is unity. And it is the Party, the people’s vanguard organization, which assures, along with the people, the historic continuity of the Revolution.
Compañeros and Compañeras:
On a day of recollection such as this, on which we renew our commitment to the founders of the Party and its Central Committee, on which we are filled with pride that hundreds of thousands of Cubans have extended the internationalist legacy of Che in honorable military and civilian missions in other lands around the world, we continue to aspire that younger generations will be forged like him; we pay tribute as well to the founders of the newspaper Granma and all those who for over 50 years have made it possible for our Party and our people to have this irreplaceable source of information, learning, ideology and culture.
We feel justifiably proud of our official voice, of all that it has contributed to clarifying the Party’s politics, to mobilizing the membership and the people, forging consensus, strengthening unity, that is, defending the Revolution.
We call upon you to continue moving forward in the implementation of the changes which Granma needs, to bring it increasingly closer to what the people expect and require, to improve both the design and the depth of its content, its visibility on the Internet, and reach within social networks. Changing everything which must be changed, remaining true to its roots, we can definitively say that Granma is needed today, and will continue to be needed in the future.
Dear compañeros and compañeras:
The Party has been at the forefront in all of the Revolution’s most important and complex tasks, immersed today in the updating of our socio-economic model and the implementation of the Economic and Social Policy Guidelines of the Party and the Revolution, approved at the Sixth Congress, and the objectives established at the First National Party Conference.
We are already well into the assembly process of municipal Party committees, leading up to the Seventh Congress, to be held in April of next year. The Communist Party of Cuba grew, strengthened itself, and will live on eternally.
The Communist Party of Cuba will always be the backbone of the Cuban nation’s resistance.
Long live the Communist Party of Cuba!
Long live Fidel and Raúl!!
Thank you very much.
Granma | internet@granma.cu
October 6, 2015 13:10:14
Compañeras and compañeros:
On October 3, 1965, several events took place during a meeting held in the former Chaplin Theater, today the Karl Marx, events which indelibly marked this day in our nation’s history. The Party took its definitive name: the Communist Party of Cuba; the decision was announced that this body would have one official voice which would be called Granma; the Central Committee was introduced; and to explain the absence of Che among its members, Fidel read the farewell letter Che had written him.
To fully understand the significance of these events, it is imperative to remember that the Party is an authentic product of the Revolution. Its roots lie in the party Martí founded in 1892 to organize the Necessary War, and its most immediate antecedent was the one organized by Mella, Baliño and Rubén, the prolific history of which was summarized brilliantly just a month and a half ago by the recently deceased compañero Jorge Risquet.
That first Communist Party, the July 26 Revolutionary Movement and the March 13 Revolutionary Directorate, joined the struggle which led to the fall of the bloody Batista dictatorship. These three organizations had completely distinct structures; each one had its own leadership body, its tactics and its arena of action.
Of absolute necessity was the coming together of revolutionaries who, albeit with different methods, shared a common objective: consolidating the Cuban Revolution.
After the victory, the independent action of these three political forces created obstacles to the coordination of activities and joint efforts.
In the early period, sporadic meetings of the leadership of the three forces were held. Until, as compañero Fidel emphasized, a de facto fusion took place, as a result of this closeness, of the contact we had before the war, and afterward, and the habit which developed of consulting each other about the most important problems.
Given his vision of the strategic importance of unity, Fidel led the process of creating the Integrated Revolutionary Organizations (ORI), conceived as temporary bodies to lead society and lay the foundation for the full union of Cuban revolutionaries.
In all provinces, a process took place to form leadership structures for the ORI with leaders from the three organizations, while at the same time, basic grassroots units were created in industrial and agricultural workplaces.
Nevertheless, this process of revolutionary unity was not exempt from difficulties. Very quickly during the effort to create a new party, a series of contradictions emerged, as a result of some positions and sectarian errors. Thus, as Fidel himself said, “No process of this nature develops idyllically.”
After overcoming the sectarian errors, the National Directorate of the ORI was officially constituted. In a March 22, 1962, meeting, agreement was reached to name Fidel as First Secretary, and compañero Raúl as Second Secretary and to form a secretariat; as well as designating the experienced Communist leader
Blas Roca Calderío as editor of the newspaper Hoy.
With these decisions, and on the basis of Fidel’s ideas, the Party began to be strengthened via the reorganization of grassroots cells.
We would like to emphasize that, in facing manifestations of sectarianism, Fidel made an extraordinary contribution to the theory and practice of organizing a revolutionary party in power. One of our Comandante en Jefe’s principal ideas became the guide for party construction throughout those years, and to the present.
He himself explained, on April 11, 1962, that as the relationship between the Party and the masses grows closer. “The revolution becomes one made by the masses and for the masses. This is the raison d’être of the Party, and all its prestige, all its authority will depend upon the level of its real ties with the masses. This Party will not have authority with the masses because it is the Party, but rather it will be the Party as a result of the prestige and authority it has before the masses. If it has no connection with the masses, no prestige or authority before the masses, it is not the Party; it becomes a stunted, sorry organization, and will be increasingly less the Party, since its reason for being is based on its ties to the masses.”
Another guiding principle in the Party’s construction became the human and revolutionary qualities which those who aspired to be members of the Party must possess. Referring to this principle, Fidel said, “We must establish clear requisites to belong to the cell, and above all, be exemplary workers.”
From that point on, two fundamental norms were followed in decisions about Party membership. First, to solicit workers’ opinions about those they consider exemplary workers. Secondly, that appropriate Party bodies select those who have sufficient merits to become members.
In May of 1963, the Integrated Revolutionary Organizations became the United Party of the Socialist Revolution of Cuba (PURSC). This did not represent a simple name change. The conception of the ORI did not coincide with what the Party was at that moment, in their composition, the qualities of members, in the purity of their ranks, in their functioning, or their methods of leadership.
Beginning in 1964, the PURSC began to organize assemblies, at the local and provincial level, for the replacement or ratification of those holding positions. This entire process involved a new stage in the development of the Marxist-Leninist party in Cuba.
And precisely 50 years ago, October 1, 1965, a transcendental meeting of the
PURSC leadership was held, with the participation of provincial and regional leaders, in which Fidel reported the agreements on changing the Party’s name; constituting the Central Committee, the Political Bureau, the Secretariat, work commissions and the fusing of the organization’s two newspapers. It had been decided that the voice of the People’s Socialist Party, the newspaper Hoy, and the July 26 Movement’s Revolución would be united under the glorious, historic name of Granma.
On October 2, the recently constituted Central Committee held its first meeting. On that day, published in the last issue of the newspaper Revolución were the names of members of the Central Committee, its Political Bureau, Secretariat and work commissions: those of the Armed Forces and State Security; Economy; Constitutional Studies; Education; and Foreign Relations.
The constitution of the Central Committee gave the Party a body which would, from then on, act as the central leadership of the country’s political life, where analyzed and chosen were policies which, once implemented, would lay the foundation for the socialist road chosen; and the very composition of which was the expression of the commitment to the unity of revolutionary forces.
On October 3, 1965, the Central Committee was introduced. Referring to those who were members, Fidel emphasized, “There is no heroic episode in the history of our homeland in recent years which is not represented here; there is no sacrifice, no combat, no accomplishment – be it military or civilian – heroic or creative which is not represented; there is no revolutionary or social sector which is not represented… on this Central Committee.”
Referring to the agreement on the name of the Party, Fidel explained, “It is necessary that the name of our Party not indicate what we were yesterday, but rather what we are today, and will be tomorrow.”
The unforgettable, foundational moment then occurred, when Fidel asked those present in the theater, “What is, in your opinion, the name which our party should have?” and amidst a great ovation, coming from, and heard in all parts of the theater, were exclamations of “Communist!” And Fidel thundered the proclamation, “Communist Party of Cuba!”
“This Party was born as a result of two essential, priceless factors: the union of all revolutionaries, and a scientific doctrine, a revolutionary political philosophy: Marxism-Leninism. We must always keep watch over these two things: unity, and the doctrine, since these are our fundamental pillars,” Fidel said.
At that moment in his remarks, Fidel clarified, “There is someone missing from our Central Committee, someone who possesses the merits and all the necessary virtues at the highest level to be a part of it, and who, nonetheless, is not among the members of our Central Committee.” Everyone knew it was Comandante Ernesto Che Guevara.
It is impossible to forget Fidel’s voice breaking with emotion as he read the Heroic Guerrillero’s moving farewell letter, saying that he was already fighting in other lands.
The first edition of the newspaper Granma preserved for posterity the essence of what happened October 3, 1965.
With these historic decisions, the process of forming the Communist Party, which began in April of 1961, was concluded. The Party did not, however, stop there; but rather, over the years, has enriched its ideological arsenal as an organization, demonstrating that a revolution cannot move forward without a strong, disciplined political organization; that the seriousness of a revolutionary party is measured by the attitude it assumes before its own errors; that the Party is not a privilege, but rather a sacrifice; that the Party is the Revolution’s best creation.
This is a party of the vanguard, which demands that all members think with their own heads and freely express themselves within Party bodies, and act united; that they educate themselves and learn in constant contact with working people; that they have as their style of work being aware, at all times, of the difficulties, opinions and proposals of the masses. [A party which] has educated several generations of Cubans; which has led the people’s resistance with firmness and intelligence; which has as its ideology the teachings of Marx, Engels and Lenin, Martí’s doctrine, and the creative ideas and the examples of Fidel and of Raúl.
A single Party, as Martí called for. Because given the imperialists’ dreams of fragmenting our society, dividing us into a thousand little pieces, our principal shield is unity. And it is the Party, the people’s vanguard organization, which assures, along with the people, the historic continuity of the Revolution.
Compañeros and Compañeras:
On a day of recollection such as this, on which we renew our commitment to the founders of the Party and its Central Committee, on which we are filled with pride that hundreds of thousands of Cubans have extended the internationalist legacy of Che in honorable military and civilian missions in other lands around the world, we continue to aspire that younger generations will be forged like him; we pay tribute as well to the founders of the newspaper Granma and all those who for over 50 years have made it possible for our Party and our people to have this irreplaceable source of information, learning, ideology and culture.
We feel justifiably proud of our official voice, of all that it has contributed to clarifying the Party’s politics, to mobilizing the membership and the people, forging consensus, strengthening unity, that is, defending the Revolution.
We call upon you to continue moving forward in the implementation of the changes which Granma needs, to bring it increasingly closer to what the people expect and require, to improve both the design and the depth of its content, its visibility on the Internet, and reach within social networks. Changing everything which must be changed, remaining true to its roots, we can definitively say that Granma is needed today, and will continue to be needed in the future.
Dear compañeros and compañeras:
The Party has been at the forefront in all of the Revolution’s most important and complex tasks, immersed today in the updating of our socio-economic model and the implementation of the Economic and Social Policy Guidelines of the Party and the Revolution, approved at the Sixth Congress, and the objectives established at the First National Party Conference.
We are already well into the assembly process of municipal Party committees, leading up to the Seventh Congress, to be held in April of next year. The Communist Party of Cuba grew, strengthened itself, and will live on eternally.
The Communist Party of Cuba will always be the backbone of the Cuban nation’s resistance.
Long live the Communist Party of Cuba!
Long live Fidel and Raúl!!
Thank you very much.
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