A Word to the People

A word to the people (Russian Слово к народу ) was a publication ( Open Letter ), among others, by several Soviet politicians, writers was signed. The call was published on 23 July 1991 at Sovetskaya Rossiya sheet ( the sheet of perestroika was critical towards ). The call was signed among others by Yuri Bondarev, Valentin Varennikov, Gennady Zyuganov, Alexander Prokhanov and Valentin Rasputin.

The authors were heavily against the reform policies of Mikhail Gorbachev and Boris Yeltsin and called for the continuation of the Soviet Union.

"Values ​​of Russians! Citizens of the USSR! Compatriots! An immense, outrageous misfortune has happened. The homeland, our country, the great statesman, entrusted us with his nature, with the glorious ancestors, it is destroyed, broken, sinking into the darkness and into nothingness. And this case is carried out at our silence, our forbearance and match [ ... ] Brethren, what happened? Why did the sly and boastful ruler, clever and crafty renegades, covetous and rich gatherer, us, mocking our faith mocking our naivety exploitative, seized power, plunder the riches of the people robbing the houses, factories and the land, carve the State, rushing us, alienate us from the past and future, determine us in pitiful vegetation and in slavery and subordination of the all-powerful neighbors? [ ... ] Brothers, too late we wake up, we notice the misfortune if our house already burning at the four corners, and may be deleted but this is no longer water, but with their own tears and blood. [ ... ] We turn to parties, large and small, liberals and monarchists, centralists and regionalists, to singers of the national idea. We turn to the party - the Communist Party, which is not only responsible for the victories and failures of the last seventy years, but for the last six tragic years when the party first led the country, but then gave up the power and they were reckless and clumsy parliamentarians who antagonize us thousands stillborn adopt laws, of which only those who are alive, who abduct the people into slavery split the abgequälten body of the country. Communists, whose party is destroyed by their own leaders, the now discarded their party books, one race after another in the enemy's camp - indicate, reveal, call the gallows for their former comrades - like the Communists hear our call [ ...! ] Let us come together to prevent the chain reaction of catastrophic disintegration of the state, economy and human personality; to the consolidation of Soviet power to its transformation into a real power of the people, and not in a manger for the greedy nouveau riche to contribute [ ... ] The Soviet Union, this is our house and bulwark built by tremendous efforts of all peoples and nations, which has saved us during the terrible attacks of shame and slavery! Russia - unique, beloved! - It calls for help. "

The publication was attacked by reformers, for example, featured Alexander Yakovlev, the main ideologist of perestroika, the publication as a " demagogue " and a concoction of " tollwütenden points and the same time desperate sighs of soul" and also as " a vulgar work".

The publication was later interpreted as a call to arms in the days before the August coup.

However, the call also marked the transition of the " conservative " to state - nationalist positions determining layers of the CPSU leadership of the Marxist- Leninist after the end of the Soviet Union, the policy of the CPRF ​​. In "Word to the people," there are hardly any references to a "class struggle", instead they called for " national salvation " on.

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