Dear comrades,

The Second World War began in the context of a clash within the capitalist system, a result of a competition for markets, sources of raw materials and spheres of influence and investment. In contrast to the First World War, however, this war commenced in circumstances where a new social system existed following the emergence of the Soviet Union, the world’s first socialist state.

While the imperialist camps were in competition with each other, they each shared a common hostility towards the Soviet Union. While the bloc led by Nazi Germany had designs on destroying the socialist state through an armed attack, the Anglo-Franco-US bloc while sharing the desire to destroy the Soviet Union, initially hoped that this could be accomplished through encouraging and facilitating Nazi Germany and militarist Japan to attack the workers’ state in anticipation of a protracted war of which it was hoped they could take advantage. After the Nazi assault on the Soviet Union, the US Senator Robert Taft stated: “Hitler’s victory would be preferable to the United States”.

Despite the efforts by the Soviet Union to prevent Nazi aggression in Europe and to prevent war, the capitalist states rejected the Soviet initiative and continued a policy of appeasement in the hope that the Nazis would channel their war ambitions against the Soviet Union.

In September 1938, the Munich conference which comprised Britain, France, Germany and Italy agreed the Nazi territorial claims to Czechoslovakia. This decision was endorsed by the US. The policy of “non- interference” in the fascist uprising against the Spanish Republic led to Franco’s success in Spain. In March 1938, the Nazis captured Austria and six months later part of Czechoslovakia was annexed. From September 1939 to June 1941, Nazi Germany marched into Poland, Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxemburg, France, Yugoslavia and Greece. On the evening of 21st June 1941, Nazi units amassed along the western borders of the Soviet Union and in the early morning of the following day Nazi mechanised and armoured divisions entered Soviet territory while the Nazi air force bombed Soviet cities.

The Red Army fought back with great courage. The Soviet people and their Communist Party mobilised the resources of the country to repulse the invaders and to protect the socialist state and its peoples. The revolutionary city of Leningrad, the cradle of the Great October Socialist Revolution, through the heroic endurance and efforts of its people, repulsed the Nazi attack. The defence, at great cost, of Moscow and Stalingrad and the Soviet counteroffensives marked the beginning of the end.

The battle of Stalingrad, which lasted 200 days and nights, represented a major defeat for the Nazis. Subsequent to the defeat at Kursk the Nazis failed to mount another major offensive and the Red Army advanced, step by step, to Berlin. In the battle for Berlin the advancing Soviet forces had to fight to take every house, street and block. The ring tightened inexorably around Hitler’s bunker and he committed suicide on 30th April. On 1st May 1945, the red banner of victory was raised over the German Reichstag. Berlin surrendered the following day and on 8th May representatives of the Nazi High Command signed the instruments of surrender.

Today we remember that in 1945 the Soviet Union, its revolutionary party and its people played a decisive role in the defeat of fascism, Nazism and Japanese imperialism. The Red Army and the communist partisans and resistance fighters of Europe were instrumental in securing that defeat. The USSR's liberation of Eastern Europe was instrumental in dismantling Nazi control. Soviet forces freed Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia and other countries. The Red Army's advance culminated in the capture of Berlin in May 1945, leading to Germany’s unconditional surrender. Despite the attempts by anti-communists to obscure the role of the Red Army in the great anti-fascist victory, the legacy of the Soviet contribution can never be diminished nor denied.

Peace had come to Europe – but at great cost. Fascist aggression had been defeated and the Soviet Union played the decisive role in that struggle and sustained the biggest losses. The Soviet Red Army bore the brunt of the fighting with the Soviet people suffering over 27 million casualties - a staggering sacrifice.

The Red Army, under the leadership of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, was instrumental in that achievement. The world war unleashed by imperialism and its fascist forces led to many millions of deaths, wounded and traumatised, and untold suffering and destruction across the world. The threat of fascism has not ended. Fascism is a symptom of the political and structural crisis of capitalism, a manifestation of capitalist power which defends capitalist ownership of the means of production, capitalist exploitation and imperialist war. The rise of fascism is inextricably linked with imperialism, inter-imperialist rivalries and militarism, deepening capitalist crises and sharper class struggles. Fascism will exist so long as capitalism exists. The struggle against fascism cannot be separated from the struggle against the capitalist system.

Fascism is a manifestation, in certain conditions, of capitalism in its imperialist stage. All imperialist powers pursue acts of aggression against the peoples of the world. The ever-growing imperialist threat, the rise of the far-right, increasing militarisation and warmongering and continuing and growing capitalist exploitation and oppression pose great dangers for the future of the planet.

The expansion of imperialist blocs, imperialist aggression and growing militarisation represent real threats to peace and the peoples of the world. The inter-imperialist confrontation between the Euro-Atlantic powers (USA, NATO, EU) and Russia in Ukraine (a result of the fierce competition of the capitalist powers for the control of the markets, raw materials, and transport networks of the country) continues with the working class of Ukraine and Russia paying the price for the competition between imperialist blocs. The recent and current devastation of Palestine demonstrates the dangers of imperialism. The Zionist state of Israel continues its genocidal assault across the Gaza Strip, slaughtering Palestinians, including women and children, medical personnel and journalists and once again displacing many thousands and imposing a complete blockade on the entry of all humanitarian aid, including food, water, fuel and medical supplies. The genocide in Gaza never ended.

At the same time, Israel has increased its attacks on occupied Palestinian territory in the West Bank, destroying infrastructure and laying siege to refugee camps. Israeli soldiers and settlers have attacked Palestinians in their homes and on the streets, killing Palestinian men, women and children and displacing more than 40,000 people. All of these criminal actions take place with the support of the US, EU and their allies.

As we meet here in Berlin, we commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Great Anti-Fascist Victory of the Peoples and we observe even more flashpoints of inter-imperialist rivalries, proxy wars, wars of aggression, escalation of the arms race, and the growth of fascism and the far-right. As communists, we reject the inevitability of war. On this important anniversary we remember with great respect the immense sacrifices of those who perished to liberate the peoples of Europe from the scourge of fascism and we assert our determination to contribute to the building of a new world of peace, social progress and socialism, free from capitalist exploitation and oppression and the threat of imperialist war.

Gerry Grainger

International Secretary

Workers Party of Ireland