At a flea market in Berlin I found a volume of speeches from the International Theoretical Conference of the Central Committee of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany, which took place in Berlin on the 11 to 16 April 1983. The conference was themed and titled “Karl Marx and Our Time: The Struggle for Peace and Social Progress”.
The conference was themed around the contributions of Marx to the international working class struggle as a commemoration of the centenary of his death.
After looking for the book online, and only finding vague references to it, I thought I would take the time to transcribe it, speech for speech, for the benefit of all interested and as a window into the not too distant past of the class struggle.
The volume was published by Zeit in Bild Verlag Dresden, 1983
From the introduction of the publication:
An International Theoretical Conference organized by the Central Committee of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany took place in Berlin, capital of the GDR, from 11 to 16 April 1983. The theme of the conference was Karl Marx and Our Time: The Struggle for Peace and Social Progress. The participants were 145 communist and worker’s parties, revolutionary vanguard parties, national revolutionary and liberation movements, socialist and social democratic parties from 111 countries.
Representatives of parties working underground also participated. In the course of the conference, 140 delegates took the floor or submitted written contributions. This collection contains both the manuscripts released by the participants for publication and which in most cases are more comprehensive than the speech delivered at the conference, and the contributions submitted in writing.
The English translation by Intertext, Foreign Language Service of the GDR, was based on the German translation wherever no English text was available.
In transcribing I have done my best to remain true not only to source content but source formatting. Misspellings and grammatical errors from the source material have been left as they were.
Footnotes are both from the source material and at times my own thoughts while transcribing the pages.
An index of the speeches contained in the volume is forthcoming. Specific requests can be addressed via the site repo or on Lemmygrad.
Giocondo Dias
General Secretary, Central Committee
Brazilian Communist Party
Comrades and Friends,
We regard this conference as a gathering of historic importance representing an outstanding contribution to the struggle for social progress and peace. We therefore wish to extend our greetings to you and, above all, to thank the Socialist Unity Party of Germany for providing the opportunity of our coming together. This initiative launched by the comrades of the SED clearly illustrates their consistence in applying the Theses proposed for the Karl Marx Year, because this conference is dedicated to peace....
David H. Meroro
National Chairman,
South West Africa People’s Organization
(Namibia)
Comrade Chairman,
Dear Comrade Erich Honecker,
The Distinguished General Secretary
of the Central Committee
of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany
and Chairman of the Council of State
of the German Democratic Republic,
Esteemed Comrades and Dear Friends,
I have the honour to represent Comrade Sam Nujoma, President of SWAPO and the embattled Namibian people at this truly historic international gathering which the Socialist Unity Party of Germany has organized to commemorate the one hundred and sixty-fivth (165) birthday as well as the centenary of the death of Karl Marx....
Abou Hatem
Deputy Head,
Political Department, Executive Committee,
Palestine Liberation Organization
Member, Palestine National Council
Comrades and Friends,
It gives me pleasure to express deep gratitude and high appreciation to the Socialist Unity Patty of Germany and its General Secretary, the esteemed comrade Erich Honecker, on behalf of the Palestine Liberation Organization, for inviting us to attend this important conference. Thank you for making such a great effort in organizing this conference, and for the hospitality and cordial reception given us since our arrival in this friendly socialist country....
Erich Honecker
General Secretary, Central Committee, Socialist Unity Party of Germany,
Chairman, Council of State,
German Democratic Republic
Comrades,
Distinguished Guests,
A hundred years ago, when Karl Marx, the great thinker and revolutionary, had closed his eyes for ever, Friedrich Engels, his friend and companion throughout a lifetime of struggle, declared that his name and work would endure through the ages. These prophetic words are proving true in our challenging and turbulent age as the human condition undergoes a radical transformation on all continents and the human race summons all its energies to banish the spectre of self-annihilation in a nuclear holocaust....
Kim Chung Rin
Member, Politbureau,
Secretary, Central Committee,
Korean Workers’ Party
Distinguished Comrades,
At first, I’d like to thank you, distinguished Comrade Erich Honecker, for the invitation to our delegation to the International Theoretical Conference on the occasion of the 165th birth anniversary and the death centenary of Karl Marx.
The delegation of the Workers’ Party of Korea is pleased to participate in this conference and pays the highest tribute to the great leader and teacher of the international working class, Karl Marx, for his immortal service to the cause of the liberation of mankind....