Russian communists cut out their Latin American roots

A lack of charismatic leaders among the Communists is another reason that prompted them to shift to propaganda paraphernalia which are mostly associated with Western culture. “In a sense, this decision indicates a lack of confidence of the party leadership in its own abilities. In its turn, the lack of confidence stems from the party’s staffing policy, which is not flexible enough, as far as I’m concerned,” said Ilya Konstantinov, a political scientist.

“The Communists are trying to send a message to the general public, their propaganda efforts are not designed for scholars involved in the study of Marxism. The rank and file have a very vague notion of the revolutionary traditions, whereas they are well-aware of Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez, the two outspoken leaders who level their harsh criticism at U.S. policies on a regular basis,” said Alexander Konovalov, head of the Institute of Strategic Assessments.

However, the lack of prominent figures on the Communists’ list of candidates is only part of the problem. The Nobel Prize Winner Zhores Alferov and Soviet-era woman cosmonaut Svetlana Savitskaya are still on the party ticket. In any case, the Communists are going to use the names for propaganda purposes during the elections. But the problem is more complex that it seems. Since day one of its existence the CPRF has virtually done nothing to stop the destruction of all the good things handed down from the Soviet era. The Communists would either watch the Soviet legacy going to rack and ruin or let the other political forces take it on lease to advantage. For instance, we have to admit that United Russia was smart enough to make good use of the Soviet-era optimistic slogans and patriotic rhetoric.

As for the heroes of the October Revolution, those have been long shelved by the party bosses. The Communists got used to living a bourgeois “lifestyle.” No wonder they got rid of Lenin and Marx when it comes to the CPRF election program. Time will tell whether the bearded revolutionaries from Latin America could help the Russian Communists win a seat or two in the State Duma this December. The newly adopted propaganda tactics may as well backfire and bollix up the campaign. For instance, the tactics may discourage many patriotically oriented voters from casting their ballots for the Communists. No doubt about it, the parliamentary election is of crucial importance for the Communists. And the election is just a few months away.

Maksim Bogatykh
Pravda.ru

Translated by Guerman Grachev