AnarchismBourgeoisieCapitalismCivil WarCommunismFascismIV InternationalMarxismRussian RevolutionSocialismSocialist PartySovietSpanish Civil WarStalinStalinismTrotskyURSSWorkers MovementWorking Class

SOCIALIST APPEAL was an The Political Basis of the Crisis its versal rule that under conditions In general, as we have already unions. The present crisis, how No one can avoid the issue of facts and the practical conseof acute political crisis, all such stated, the division in the Party. ever, arises not over systems of Spain. The white heat of civil quences which flow from them talk is a mere smoke screen. The can be traced back to the conflict ideas and methods taken in gen war cuts through every organi can even pretend to be adequate.
real roots lie much deeper.
No between the ideas and practises eral and in the abstract, but con 1911 will the revolutionists in revolution and the revolutionary Stalinism is the enemy of the one is going to try to smash an revolutionary Marxism on organization to pieces because of the one side, and non revolution cretely over certain specific is the Party avoid it or allow it to tendency. It is not, therefore, dispute over tone and me ary (reformist, Stalinist, centrist sues which arise out of the real be avoided. We stand with the surprising, to discover that the thod. or a legalistic argument ideas and practises on the other. circumstances of the present mo revolutionary Spanish workers Right wing of the Party includes about disciplinary procedure. The conflict thus involves in the ment. Among these, four can fighting to defeat the armies of prominently both open and disNot in the least. In such cases, last analysis every key political it is always a question of basic question, from the road to power properly be singled out as of their revolution. And we stand ism. There is Paul Porter, whose political opposition.
to the nature of work in the major significance: irrevocably against the Popular contribution to the pre convention Front betrayal of their revolut discussion elaborate ion. There is no restriction which pamphlet of Stalinist propaganda, can or will silence the expression subsidized through a black sale of our solidarity.
to the Workers Bookshops and still for sale both within and out(1) Spain that the necessity for full united ricades by deploring in the In the Spanish Civil War, the the Government in its military Government and in the next all action and material support of breath all uprisings against the (2) The Soviet Persecu side the Party. Where is tions group of members from the international class struggle reach struggle against Franco a ne suppression of the workers.
Wisconsin organization, whose es the point of highest intensity cessity accepted and urged by The last year, and especially letter setting forth the full StaThere is a close and interlock the last months, have witnessed linist position on the Trials was since the Chinese events of 1927. all Marxistis was not in the least ing connection between the Spa a growing change in the problem featured in the Daily Worker, No one will doubt the crucial incompatible with, was in fact nish events and the crisis in our of the Soviet Union. There is a and distributed in Mexico during importance of what is happening inseparable from, relentless poli own Party. In Spain, the Stalin certain analogy between this the hearings of the Sub Commisin Spain. The success of the tical criticism of the policies of ists, Socialists and other brands change and that involved in the sion of Enquiry into the charges Spanish proletarian revolution the Government and positive of Popular Frontists, together problem of the Spanish events. against Trotsky. There is the would have the most powerful steps to protect and extend the with their allies of the demo Until year ago, a wide range Connecticut Committee of Corand immediate effect on the en basis of workers power and the cratic bourgeoisie, utilize their of opinion could be concealed respondence which spends its tire course of the history of con socialist revolution.
control of the Government in an under the general formula, De energies demanding the expultinental Europe (and thus of the world. providing an impetus of the Marxists, and their pre and to destroy the revolutionary wide range hid under the slogan movement of all counter revoluUntil May, the point of view attempt to betray the revolution fend the Soviet Union. just as a sion from the Party and labor which would send the interna dictions, seemed to many to be workers. At a less grandiose stational working class surging vic abstract and academic, swallowed ge of the class struggle, their against Fascism. Even where the other stooges in New York. Defend the Spanish workers tionary Trotskyites. There are toriously forward. The defeat up in the apparently sole imme defenders and political bed fel Defense of the Soviet Union Denver, Massachusetts, Pennsylbe most terrible blow to the rate need for a united military lows in our Party utilize their was accompanied by certain crit Ivania, busily doing their chores of the Spanish revolution would struggle. Popular Frontism, it hold on the apparatus European and international pro was felt, could not be quite what Party in an attempt to suppress there was no guarantee of unan these are the staunch and unthe icisms of the Soviet bureaucracy, for the Kremlin assassins. All of letariat.
the Marxists stated, for was it and expel the adherents of the imity of opinion. Even Stalin was wavering supporters of the Right The form of the Spanish Civil not fighting stalwartly against revolutionary tendency. The pa capable of criticizing Stalinism, wing.
War, however, has not been that Franco? They forgot that it was rallel is neither abstract nor ac and the most ardent Friends of of a direct class struggle for the workers who had begun the cidental; it is exact and neces the Soviet Union were eager to plane, there is the Altman group On a subtler and more vicious power between the working class military struggle not along with sary. It is the Right wing in the insist and its allies, on the one side, but against the intentions of he Socialist Party which defends certain defects.
that they recognized proper, the basic character of and the bourgeoisie on the other. Popular Front règime; and above and support the assassins of the which is strikingly revealed by The treacherous policies of the all they forgot that the Govern Spanish workers; and, on its own August and this January, and From the begining, the Altaman But with the Trials of last it attitude toward the Trials.
working class parties had, long ment was fighting for and not ground, carries on precisely the with the unexampled series of administration before the Civil War broke out, against capitalism. Theories were same type of policy in in Local New subordinated the working class even invented to justify political campaign against the Left.
persecutions during the past few York has consistently sabotaged months, the question deepens pro the work of the American Comto the bourgeois coalition gov support of the Popular Front ernment of the Popular Front. In government in the eyes of Left The parallel goes even further foundly. The Trials and persecut mittee for the Defense of TrotsJuly of last year, Franco, believ. wingers such as the fantastic leaders of the Clarity group have kind as the Barcelona events. It from undertaking the great pointo details. In our Party, the ions pose a question of the same ky, and has prevented the Party ing in the necessity for a fascist theory that it was a provisional tried to maintain a balance bet is no longer possible to skate litical tasks imposed as against a democratic form of revolutionary government. a hy ween the revolutionary tendency around it on neat phrases. Stalin Trials. It has brought members by the capitalism for Spain, struck brid with no class nature.
against the Popular Front reIn the first week of May, the and the Right wing. They beg for is either the legitimate heir of up on charges for speaking on gime. The reply of the workers blow fell that smashed through they mean in actuality the cutt this, or he is the destroyer of the has forbidden public meetings, of a truce in the Party, by which the October Revolution; either the question of the Trials, and to Franco was the immediate and the masks. The revolutionary ing off of all political discussion October Revolution. The middle branches drect mobilization of their own workers of Barcelona, in the ranks and criticism from the Left, and ground has sunk away.
to be held with the forces for military combat, and of the POUM and of the Anar a free hand for the Right wing.
Trial as a subject. Immediatethe establishment of their own chists, reaching the limit of their They are sorry and upset by the ternal Soviet difficulties, the fai vention, simultaneous with the The truth is that, with the in ly following the Chiago Concouncils and committees to direct endurance of the provocations of factional atmosphere. Now, if lures in the Five Year Plans, the culminating drive of the Commuies, and the land in their own in their right to bear arms, to pub we turn to the position of Clarity smoldering discontent, and the nist Party to smash the Ameriterest. The extension and con lish their own press, and to rity is the defender of Caballero, has been forced to disclose his undertook its own campaign, endon Spain, we discover that cla approach of the new war, Stalin can Committee, the Altman group solidation of the power of the struggle for socialism.
workers committees would have ply of Popular Frontism was unas provisional revolutionary. It to consolidate his own reaction ladelphia meeting to The re whose government they defined hand quite openly. In an attempting with the proposal to the Phiinvolved the transfer of State ambiguous. The Catalonian Gov. was, it should be remembered, ary position against actual and have the Party withdraw its suppower to them, the establishment ernment, reinforced after three under Caballero regime of a workers State on the basis days by the troops of the Valen the Barcelona events occurred. compelled to undertake, within tee. It is the Trials which today that potential threats, has been port from the merican Commitof the committees which State cia Government, and assisted by But, it is argued, Caballero him the Soviet Union and indeed on, pose in its most naked form the alone could conduct to victory a the past compromises, the timidi self was against the suppression a world scale, the liquidation of whole question of Stalinism, And in the interest of the Spanish the leaders of the workers own nizations, and against their mas Soviet Union he is annihilating find that the Right wing includes masses and the socialist revolu organizations, massacred the sacre in Barcelona. Quite pos physically the entire generation as an integral part of its forces tion.
workers in cold blood.
sible, if we are speaking of his of those who made the October those who flatly defend and supThe May Events in Barcelona The question of Popular Front personal wishes and preferences. Revolution. Wherever, as in port from the American Commitism Such an outcome would not down from any academic shell. from the begining that entailed State power, the same process with whatever verbal modificatthus tumbled completely But it was Caballero policy Spain, Stalinism influences the who defend them in practice, merely have defeated Franco, but No longer could an answer be the liquidation of the conquests goes on the physical annihila ions.
Popular Frontism and the Popu united support of the struggle tension of the revolution, involv where, as in this country, Stalin does not permit itself illusions.
The revolutionary Left wing lar Front règime, which, as a bourgeois goverment, was irrevogainst Franco. No nne disagreeded the oppressive and provocati ism must for the time being be it understands Stalinism and its cably bound to the capitalist or Franco, but it was now clear workers and their organizations, drive the revolutionists about a united struggle against ve acts against the revolutionary content with the campaign to agents and influences for what der. The Goverment, therefore, that this problem also was in and culminated in the Barcelona the labor movement. Stalinism is accordingly. Nor will the left out of they are; it says so, and acts after the first heroic days, was separable from the answer to events. By postponing the pro forced to take these measures wing be silent. We will brand compelled to carry out systema another question that could not blems of the revolution, by not against the revolutionists because the destroyers of October, the er of the workers committees towar the Popular Front was now Frontists and concretely for the linism; because, within the So volution and the Popular of the nature and policies of Sta executioners of the Russian Rethe dividuals holding the perspective put in just this brutal way on workers revolution, Caballero in viet Union, Stalinism is engaged which made it, the banner bearof the proletarian revolution, and which side of the Barcelona bar reality turned the direction of in uprooting the last remnants ers of social patriotism and the thus to re consolidate a firm ricades do you stand. events over to the Stalinists and of the October Revolution itself; betrayers of the world proletabourgeois power on the basis of Spain and the Party Crisis outright reformists, and through Because, on a world scale, Stali riat, for what they are. To be its own règime. In this betrayal them the bourgeoisie. He there nism is no longer in any sense silent in the face of betrayal is of the Spanish revolution, the our own Party there could be no fore shares fully in the respons whatever progressive force, to share in that betrayal. We Government had the full assis doubt of the attitude of the ans ability for the assassinations of but is now a major bulwark of speak plainly to the Right wing.
tance and participation of the Sower to this question given by the the workers. And his reward for capitalism.
to the Party and the entire Party cialist and Communist Parties of the answer of the Right wing, having acted as a left front membership. Our voice will be Stalinism is not an Ally Spain, tied also to the bourgeoi overwhelming bulk of the active while the counter revolution gatheard.
sie and the bourgeois order members: they stand in un hered headway, is, of course to The task of defending the Octhrough their Popular Frontist breakable solidarity with the be thrust aside in favor of the tober Revolution, the task of (3) The Fourth Interpolicy of class collaboration. revolutionay workers of Barcel more outright Negrin when he building the revolutionary party national.
Nevertheless, the exact mean lona, and against their assassins. had served his purpose. And in capable of leading the proletariat ing of Popular Frontism in Spain But there is no doubt, either, of just the same way, Clarity, by to the conquest of power, these The Spanish events, the Soviet was, until May, obscured by the the answer of the Right wing, trying to postpone the conflict are inseparable from the con persecutions, the approach of the fact that the Government, though compelled by the Barcelona within the Party, by not fighting stant, intransigent and unrelent new war, all place in the immedcarrying out its liquidation of events at last to disclose itself: against the Right wing an con ing struggle against Stalinism. iate foreground the international workers power and its reconso the Right wing stands on the cretely for and alongside of the Stalinism is not an ally seeking question. This is perhaps clearlidation of bourgeois power be other side of the barricades, along revolutionary tendency, turns common goal; but an enemy est of all in the case of the Spahind the lines, was conducting a with the assassins of the Catalo over control to the Right wing. blocking the road. These are the nish events. Just as the causes military struggle of a socially nian workers. And the pitiful And their reward will be, like simple facts, made brutally clear for the Spanish Civil War are to progressive character against the leadership of the and of Caballero s, to be thrust aside by the events of the past year. be found in world economy, so, Fascist armies of Franco. Revol Clarity tries, again, to shut its when they have served their No program failing to base itself even more obviously, does its utionary Marxists pointed out leyes; tries to straddle the bar purpose.
upon an understanding of these solution depend upon internat