THE COMMUNIST ALL POWER TO THE WORKERS!
OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE COMMUNIST PARTY OF AMERICA Vol. II. No TUNE I, 1920 PRICE CENTS Problems of The Third International c)
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TIT. RAMSEY MACDONALD ON THE THIRD INTERNATIONAL)
By LENIN Yus 543 of the French Social. patriotic ist thought and in spite of all theoretical and means sufficient to warrant a split within the paper, Humanité. of April 14, 1919, contains practical disagreements created in it by Bolshe International.
an editorial article from the pen ai the well vism, don see any reason why its Left Wing All Socialist Governments need the assistance known leader of the British so called Independ should have severed itseli froni the Centre and and advice of the International ent Labor Party (but which in fact has always formed an independent group The International should follow their experiments with been an opportunistic party depending upon the First of all it should be remembered that we an attentive and critical eye.
bourseoisie. Ramsey MacDonald. This article are living as yet in the period of the birth of have just heard from a friend who recently is so typical of the position of those elements the revolution. The governmental forms which 92w Lenine, that nobody subjects the Soviet characterized as the centre and branded as arose out of political and social devastation creat Government to freer criticism than Leniae himsuch by the First Congress of the Coniniunist ed by the war have not yet passed the test, self.
International in Moscow, that we reproduce it and cannot be considered as finally established.
in full, together with the editorial introduction New brooms sweep wonderfully clean in the of Humanité.
beginning, but how they will sweep in the endI! post war disorders and revolutions do not THE THIRD INTERNATIONAL there can be no assurance beforehand.
justify a split, then is it perhaps that this split finds its justification in the position taken toy By Ramsey MacDonald some. Socialist factions during the war? corAGENDA Before the war, our friend Ramsey MacDonald tess frankly, that here may be found a sounder FOR THE SECOND CONTENTION reason. But even assuming that there is some was a popular leader of the Labor Party in the OF THE COMMUNIST PARTY pretext for splitting the International, then, at House of Commons As a convinced Socialist OF AMERICA and man of principle he deemed it his duty to any rate, the question at the Moscou Conference condemn the war as imperialistic, contrary to Heports was handled iniproperly.
2) Sud National Secretary, those who greeted it as a righteous war. Thereb) International Rolations Committee. am one of those who believe that debates Editorial Committee.
at thc Berne Conicrence on the question of fort, after August 4th, he retired from the role Defonse Committee.
of leader oi the Labor Party, and, together with responsibility for the war, were merely a conII. Current Pandamental Probleiny.
A) Present parla situation.
his comrades írom the Independent Labor Party, cession to the public opinion of non Socialist b) Present situation in the United together with Keir Hardie, whom we all vencratStates.
elements.
Soset Roesle.
ed, and openly declared for war against war.
Not only was it impossible at the Berne Cond) Communist International and rarThis required no little degree of heroisni from ty International Relations.
ference to pass a decision on that question which Our attitude towards Parliament.
day to day.
arisin.
would have some historical value (though it might Mass Action.
MacDonald, by his own exemple showed that have some political value. but the question it5) Industrial Unionism and Syndicourage, queting Jaurése consists in not obeycalls self was not handled in the proper way.
Our Altitude towards Economic, Ing the law of Triumphant Lie and not to act and other Lern Condemnation of the German Majority SocWorkors Organizations.
as the echo for the applause of fools and hisses ialists (condemnation which was fully deserved Workery Councils Before, During of fanatics.
and Atter the Revolution and to which fully subscribe. could not be Revision of the Program and want.
At the elections by command at the end an expression of the causes of the war, festo.
of November MacDonald was deieated by Lloyd IV. Organization Problems.
The Berne debates were aot accompanied by a) Communist Party Centralization George. This need not disturb usz lacDonald the frank consideration of the position taken and Disciplino.
will get his revenge, and that, in the very near b) Underground Organization and its by other Socialists towards the war.
forme.
future. Editors of LHumanité. e) Communist Party units and Those debates did not lay down any formula Shop Committees.
of conduct binding for the Socialists during Punctions of Language Federa.
The appearance of seperatist tendencies in the tione in the Communist movement war. All that has been said by the International national and international policies of Socialism of America Propaganda, Agitation and Other up to that time consisted of, that when war was a misfortune for the whole Socialist moveForma of Communist Education. takes on the character of national defense, the mica. General Propaganda and AgitaSocialists should co operate with other parties.
There is nothing wrong, of course, with the 9) Cineses for Propagandists and Under such conditions whom can we condemn?
fact that shades of opinions and diferences in Other Communist Study Classes Party Press and Literature.
Some of us did not know that those decisions methods exists within Socialism. Our Socialism 1) Policy.
of the International had no real value and could 2) Literary lies as yet totally in the experimental stage.
3) Technical not be applied as a practical guide.
Its fundamental principles are established, but Communist Unity Centrist Unity.
We knew that the war shonld have ended in the method of their best application, the policies Defense and Relief Work the victory of Imperialism and, being neither which will bring the triumph of the revolution, Revision of Constitution.
VI.
Ecsolutions.
pacifist or anti pacifist, in the ordinary meaning the organization of the Socialist State, all these VII. Ilection of Party Officials.
of the world, we adopted the policy, which, in our are problems which require discussion and upon opinion, was the only one compatible with Interwhich the last word has not yet been said. Only Russia is not Hungary, Hungary is not France nationalism. But the International never preintensive study of all these problems will lead and France is not England and therefore the scribed such a line of conduct to us.
ts to the higher truths.
one who introduces a split into the International This is the reason why at the moment the Extremes conflict with each other, and this taking as a guide the experience of only one war began the International broke dosi. It conflict may assist in the strengthening of Soc nation, demonstrates a criminal narrow minded lost its authority and didn issue a single declaialis: ideas, but the evil begins when cveryone nese.
ration, on the basis of which we would no have considers his opponent as a traitor, as a believer What is the real worth of the experiences of the right to condemn those, who were honestly who has been excommunicated and in whose Russia? Who can answer? The Allied Govern carrying out the resolutions of the International face the gates of the party heaven should be ments are afraid to give us the opportunity for Congresses.
closed procuring full iníormation. But there are two In view of this it is necessary at present to When Socialists are permeated by the spirit of things which we know.
insist upon the following point of view: Instead dogmatism, as in the early days of Christianity First of all we know that the revolution was of splitting on account of differences about the instigated civil war in the name of God and for accomplished by the present Russian Government events of the past, let us build a real active the destruction of the Devil the bourgeoisie without any preconceived plan. It developed in International which will help the Socialist movecan sleep seacefully, because the cycle of its connection with the trend of events. At the ment during the period of revolution and conrule has set yet been completed, whatever big beginning of his fight with Kerensky, Lenine struction which we may have entered.
local and international successes reached by demanded the calling of the Constituent Assem It is necessary to restate our Socialist prinSocialism to the contrary notwithstanding.
bly. Events brought him to the dismissal of ciples, if we cannot come to an agreement on the Unfortunately. Our movement at the present this Assembly. When the Socialist Revolution question of freedom and democracy, if our opinmoment is faced with a new obstacle in its path.
flared up in Russia, nobody suspected that the ion on conditions under which the proletariat can in Moscow has been established a new Inter Soviets would play such an important part in take power into his own hands will be diametricnational the Government as they did.
ally in opposition, if finally, it will be proved Personaliy, this fact grieves me very deeply. Later, Leninc, quite rightly, counseled not to that the war has poisoned with the poison of for the Socialist International at the present time slavishly imitate Ruesia, but to Ict the Hun Imperialism certain sections of the International, is broad enough to admit of all shades oi Socialgarian Revolution develop freely, according to. then the split is possible. Literally, they were called by soldiers who its own spirit.
But don believe such a misfortune will were ordered to vote for the government can The development and variation of those ex occur periences which we are witnessing are by no (Continued on page tione S.
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