We greet all comrades

of the Albanian Section of the Comintern (SH),

all Albanian communists, workers and poor peasants,

all Stalinist-Hoxhaists, revolutionaries, workers and toilers all over the world !

Today, we are in mourning over the grave loss of Comrade Enver Hoxha, the Fifth Classic of Marxism-Leninism, whose heart stopped beating on April 11th 1985.

In connection with the Comintern's (SH) annual campaign to mark the 100th anniversary of Comrade Lenin's death, we are publishing Enver Hoxha's speech at the inauguration of the Lenin memorial in Tirana in this greeting address.

The Comintern (SH) has translated the Albanian text of his speech into various languages for the first time in 70 years.

[I apologise for any translation errors on my part - W. E.]

Speech at the rally in Tirana on the occasion of the inauguration of the Lenin monument

22 April 1954

Enver Hoxha

Dear comrades !

Today we celebrate the 84th anniversary of V.I. LENIN, the great genius of the revolution, the founder of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and the Soviet state.

Lenin was a great teacher of the world proletarian movement. His teachings are the basis for all the outstanding victories of our people. Out of love and in honour of V. I. Lenin, out of loyalty to Leninism, our people today dedicate this monument in one of the most beautiful parks in the capital.

The news of Lenin's death filled the hearts of all workers with inexpressible grief. The day after Lenin's death, the Central Committee of the Bolshevik Communist Party of the Soviet Union circulated a message to the party and all its members. It said, among other things:

"Lenin's death is the heaviest blow that has struck the workers of the Soviet Union and the whole world since the conquest of power by the workers and peasants of Russia, and will deeply shake every worker and peasant not only in our republic but in all countries. The broadest masses of labourers throughout the world will mourn the loss of their greatest leader. He is no longer with us, but his work remains unshakeable.

The message emphasised that the Soviet government, expressing the will of the working masses, "will continue the work of Vladimir Ilyich and follow the path he marked out".

According to Marx, never before has the history of the great liberation movement of the proletariat produced such a gigantic figure as our deceased leader, teacher and friend. Everything that is truly great and heroic in the proletariat, bold spirit, iron, unbending, tenacious, all-conquering will, holy hatred, deadly hatred of slavery and oppression, revolutionary passion that moves mountains, boundless faith in the creative powers of the masses and colossal organisational genius, all this found its magnificent embodiment in Lenin, whose name became the symbol of a new world from West to East, from North to South."

This was the great Lenin, the founder of the great Communist Party of the Soviet Union.

He led the revolution, the Great October, which eliminated the bloody capitalist system and capitalism in one-sixth of the world. Lenin began his great war in the arena as a revolutionary of the working class at critical moments in human history. Capitalism had entered its final phase, the phase of decay, the phase of imperialism. As a genius, Lenin continued the struggle of Marx and Engels and further developed Marxism under the new historical conditions. At the beginning of his revolutionary activity, Lenin had to wage a titanic struggle for the organisation of the Russian and international proletariat, for its education and for its preparation for revolution.

The capitalist bourgeoisie and its servants, dividing the working class, were frightened by the invincible strength of Marxism, which inspired the proletariat in the struggle against capitalist oppression. Not only did they do it by bloodily suppressing the working class, but they also tried to falsify Marxism. Lenin proved to be an indomitable fighter against the traitors of Marxism. He perfectly organised the proletarian forces in the war against oppression and slavery.

Lenin scientifically discovered imperialism, the highest and final stage of capitalism. The raids of the monopolists constantly cause catastrophes, crises and bloody wars. A handful of billionaires enrich themselves by bloodily slaughtering the people. Lenin put an end to the misery and horror caused by imperialism with its crises and wars. He scientifically showed the reasons for these crises and wars, determined the methods and measures that the proletariat had to take in order to free itself from the enslaving chains of capitalism.

Vladimir Ilyich Lenin discovered the law that the triumph of socialism is possible in a number of countries or even in a single capitalist country. And it happened just as Lenin had predicted. Lenin's brilliant ideas were brilliantly realised by the proletariat of Russia. Under the leadership of the Bolshevik Communist Party of the Soviet Union with Lenin at its head, socialism triumphed over the capitalist bourgeoisie. The world dictatorship of the proletariat had already been realised on one sixth of the earth. The victory of the great socialist October Revolution was a great step for mankind into a new era, the era of the destruction of capitalism and the triumph of socialism and communism.

Lenin founded the first socialist state in the world. For the workers and peasants, the glorious Soviet Union became the invincible bastion of peace, democracy and socialism. Lenin established Soviet power as a political form of the dictatorship of the proletariat.

The dictatorship of the proletariat is a specific form of alliance of the working class with the peasants, in which the working class is the leading class. The great Lenin, who led the October Revolution to victory, thus paved the solid ground and path for the planned construction of socialism in the Soviet Union.

He discovered the possibilities of leading the Soviet Union from socialism to communism. Lenin created the scientific programme for the economic transformation of backward Russia into a powerful socialist state. He determined the paths of socialist industrialisation, electrification, collectivisation and the great cultural revolution. Lenin said that only the transition to a socialist regime could save the workers and all labourers from misery and suffering. Soviet power creates every opportunity for them to build a new, free and prosperous life. V. I. Lenin devoted his entire life to eliminating the cause of oppression and exploitation. The Communist Party of the Soviet Union and the Central Committee, headed by J.V. Stalin, continued Lenin's work, leading the Soviet Union further along the road to the complete victory of socialism and realising the great programme of the continued improvement of the material and cultural situation of all Soviet citizens.

The moral-political unity and great friendship of the Soviet peoples, Soviet patriotism, strengthened the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union went through terrible storms and became as solid as granite. Today, peace and socialism are growing and strengthening there with each new day.

The Soviet Union drove out and defeated the Hitler hordes and liberated the world from fascism. The defeat of fascism was a triumph of all socialist forces in the world and the greatest defeat of international imperialism.

Loyal to Leninism, the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and the Soviet government increasingly strengthened the Soviet state, consolidated the alliance of the working class with the village through collectivisation and created moral-political unity and friendship among the Soviet peoples. Socialist economy and culture were consistently developed for the benefit of socialist society. Under the leadership of the Communist Party and the Soviet government, the Soviet people took the initiative and unleashed their full creative powers to implement the great building programme of communism in the Soviet Union.

The victory of tomorrow, the victory of the Great October Revolution, was initiated by V.I. Lenin with his Peace Decree, on the basis of which the peace of the peoples was established.

Lenin repeatedly said that the Soviet Union, which fights for peace, makes the peaceful coexistence of the socialist and capitalist systems possible. Leninism therefore was and remains the great banner of peace for humanity. Lenin's ideas are the light for the peoples who are building socialism. And they in turn illuminate the way out for all other peoples of the world.

The bourgeoisie and the imperialist servants agitate against Marxism-Leninism every day, regarding it as a "passing" phenomenon that has long been consigned to the "past". But they should not rejoice too soon. Leninism continues to spread all over the world. The ideas of Marx, Engels, Lenin and Stalin are invincible, they will triumph over the capitalist world. That is why they are the passionate expression of the hopes, aspirations and purest feelings of ordinary people who form the overwhelming majority of humanity. Communist and labour parties all over the world are the triumphant forces leading the peoples on the road to peace, democracy and socialism.

Lenin said that the future belongs to the communists. Lenin's ideas of the October Revolution have also enlightened our people to get rid of the oppression and exploitation of feudal-bourgeois classes. The Soviet state is the greatest friend of our people. All the activities of our party are derived from Leninism. In particular, our armed struggle led us to complete victory over the fascist occupiers and to the establishment of people's power.

Lenin's monument is being inaugurated today by the Party of Labour. It is marvellous that Lenin is watching over our square as we build socialism. At the head of the masses, our party is fighting for the rapid development of our industry. We have achieved considerable success in agriculture and in other sectors of the national economy and have continued to develop culturally. As a result, our overall living conditions have improved enormously. Our republic is alive, growing and strengthening. And the Lenin monument inspires us to deepen and further expand the alliance of the working class with the collective farmers. The Lenin monument symbolises the socialist nature of our people's democracy and our party. It always strengthens its relations with the people. The unity between the Party and the masses is the pledge of all our victories. This unity is also increasingly evident in the elections of deputies to the People's Assembly, where our people are nominated as candidates for the democratic front. All the victories that the people have won are based on the power of the ideas of Leninism. Under the leadership of the Party of Labour, our people will advance from one victory to another on the road to socialism and the preservation of peace. Through the triumphant ideas of Marx, Engels, Lenin and Stalin and with the help of the Soviet Union, all the countries of People's Democracy, our people will triumph over external and internal enemies. A new and happy life will be built in our country. The Albanian people swear allegiance to Lenin. Lenin's name will live on in the hearts of our people for centuries to come - from generation to generation.

Glory and honour to the great Lenin!

Long live Leninism!

This Lenin monument is an expression of friendship between the Albanian people and the peoples of the Soviet Union!

First published in the central organ "Zeri i popullit", (Central Archive No. 96 (1736), 23 April 1954)

Long live Enver Hoxha

- the 5th classic of Marxism-Leninism !

10 - 4 - 2024

Wolfgang Eggers

A Personal Note from an American comrade

What does Albania, PLA, and Enver Hoxha mean for the world proletariat ?

I would like to write a more personal note regarding the 39th anniversary of the Death of Enver Hoxha. This is always a day that causes mixed emotions for me, I was born 17 years to the day after comrade Hoxha died on April 11 2002 and so every year April 11th brings to me both joy and sadness.

Here, I cannot express everything ideological and political that Enver Hoxha and the Albanian Party of Labour mean for us. Some of the party comrades are old enough to remember the great support, ideological and material, that Enver Hoxha and the PLA gave to the workers of the world and their newly formed Marxist-Leninist parties, I was not so lucky to experience this first hand and yet the some of the comrades who fought in Enver Hoxha's Marxist-Leninist World Movement now have emerged as great leaders of the world proletariat. When we look at the Albania of Enver Hoxha's time, we see a small nation that was able to crush fascism and capitalism by its own forces and further build socialism and the dictatorship of the proletariat by relying wholly on its own forces. When we look at the PLA under the leadership on Enver Hoxha we see a party of the proletariat who opposed everyone who tried to deceive and betray the world proletariat, a party that bravely defended Marxism-Leninism-Stalinism against all its enemies and further a party and leader that advanced Marxism-Leninism-Stalinism into a new more advanced stage. When we see all that Albania was able to do from 1944 to 1985, we are amazed and wonder if a small nation like Albania was able to do all this, what the Comintern (Stalinist-Hoxhaists) could do in the rest of the world. Enver Hoxha, who was the helm for the entirety of socialist construction in Albania from the revolution in 1944 to his death and betrayal in 1985 has undoubtedly taken his place as the fifth classic of Marxism-Leninism.

Hoxha may be dead and yet he lives on in the hearts and minds of the world Proletariat

LONG LIVE Stalinism-Hoxhaism !

LONG LIVE the Comintern (SH)

LONG LIVE Comrade Enver Hoxha !

10th of April, 2024