The article represents a brief summary of the Soviet Delegation's paper read by E. A. Boltin at the Second World Conference on the History of the Resistance Movement, held in Milan (Italy) in March 1961 It is devoted chiefly to illustrating the Soviet Union s contribution to the development of the Resistance Movement in the European countries occupied by nazi Germany in the years of the Second World War as well as to the significance of this movement for the achievement of victory over nazism. The author emphasizes the rightful and profoundly democratic character of the Resistance Movement as one of the manifestations of the decisive role played by the popular masses in the making of history and criticizes those bourgeois historians who deny these characteristic features of the Resistance Movement. It was one of the forms of the just war of liberation waged by the enslaved peoples against fascism, a means of their participation in the anti-Hitler coalition. This movement vividly reflected the natural patriotic desire of the peoples to safeguard their national sovereignty against any encroachments from without. The very concept Resistance Movement" embraces many different forms and methods of struggle, beginning with sabotage and ending with military operations conducted by partisan units. People of different party affiliations, religious beliefs, political convictions and classes actively shared in this movement. But its principal motive force was the popular masses, primarily the working class. The guiding role of the working class and the Communist Parties imparted a revolutionary character to the entire movement. Its aim was not only to liberate the peoples from the yoke of the aggressors and their accomplices but also to change the political and social system of the countries in which it took place. One of the remarkable features of the Resistance Movement was its international character. The article vividly shows the significance of the Soviet U ... Read more