While the proletariat will have brought about a great change by overthrowing the bourgeoisie and conquering political power on the battlefield, defeating and crushing the armed forces under the command of the bourgeoisie and enemies within and without the country who may join the bourgeoisie in attempting to drown the proletarian revolution in blood; with all that, the proletariat, upon coming to power, will immediately face a severe challenge and arduous tasks. It will take control of society not as it would like it to be–nor even as it was in "normal times" under capitalism–but a society that has just emerged out of capitalism and, further, has been through the destruction and ravages of crisis and war. Thus, the proletariat will have the urgent necessity to both consolidate its political power and rapidly restore the economy along completely new lines.
There will be a real advantage for the proletariat in this country in the highly developed productive forces and technological level; much of the physical capacity will remain, despite extensive destruction, and beyond that the knowledge and experience in creating and utilizing this technology will not be destroyed. And, most fundamentally, the proletariat in power will be able to fully utilize and unleash the most decisive productive force–the masses of people with their acquired skills and knowledge. But this will be possible only if the masses are actively drawn not only into the struggle for production but most of all into political life and the administration of society and affairs of state. Failing this, the proletariat will not be able either to consolidate and maintain political power or to carry out the socialist transformation and development of the economy.