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February 15, 1922.
THE MILITANT Page Page THE February 15, 1929.
MILITANT a is 22 The Role of American colonial Uprisingly ehetetore elevenenation manca completed of struggles but chiefly But ever even those have course, internally the exploiting eled Oppo In step to struggle of the This. and more of revisionism The proletariat result in sacrificing those of the pro most bitter competition for markets is becom process will change the co relation of forces in letariat as a whole.
ing sharper in every corner of the world, primarily the United States in favor of the revolutionary The impending war situation makes the Amer between the United States and Britain. There proletariat, by undermining the base of the Ameriican Communists particularly responsible and their has even developed the movement to raise the al can labor aristocracy.
ready tremendously high tariff walls of the United Meanwhile, the internal contradictions of Amercially ss since the present situation is characterized States in the coming session of Congress. ican imperialism, bound up with its world econby world struggle essentially between American It is not necessary nor it is correct to view the omic interdependence, are maturing a severe crisis and British imperialism. The antagonisms be United States as about to reach the apex of its which is fore shadowed by the current partial in tween these two powers become sharper and more growth in order to see and understand the matur dustrial depression. The present situation, which intense every day, and may lead to the actual out ing crisis in the country. American imperialism, by only the harbinger of this coming crisis, has break of military operations at a least expected the very fact that it is developing in a different already brought to a high level the process of moment.
period from that of the rise of Great Britain the rationalization and attack upon the standards of the of war and revolution, and national and working class that is causing it to move progres.
nuch sively away from its previous inertia into a perto more rapid tempo of the development of its in The realization of the crisis ternal and international contradictions than was will Imperialism England. And this is true precisely because of the employmesty the process of rationalization, un and lead to severer attacks on the phenomenally rapid expansion it has experienced living standards of the workers, will result in an Ever estimate of the present situation must in the past decade.
even broader basis for the radicalization of the proceed from the fact that the world center of American workers and their entry into struggle.
economic gravity has shifted to the United States. The Present Economic This process of radicalization is taking place now American imperialism now levies tribute from It is a process which must be analyzed not only practically all the capitalist countries of the world.
Situation and the in comparison with the Leftward movement of the This development, which has risen to its height in European workers in comparison with the period after the world war, has bound up the the historical backwardness of the American wor.
fate of American imperialism with the economy Working class king class. Upon this development is conditioned of the whole world in an inextricable form. No the coming period of struggles of the American analysis of its future economic workers and the necessity for the revolutionary as well as externally, can be made without a con The present economic situation in the United sideration of its international position.
States is characterized by the following features: Party to understand it and prepare itself properly for it.
The effect of America direct intervention in The contraction of the world market by the stabilization of European affairs after the war was the temporary, European capitalism and the decrease Results of the Elections in the rate of the rise of American exports. The partial stabilization of European capitalism. This stabilization occurred in direct connection with the sharpening of the competition in the East and in The results of the recent presidential elections sefed inf the Consolidation leta siecial democrans en European powers (England. Germany, etc. were nothing but a barometer, and a weak, inac the it enabled the United States to The tremendous concentration of industry and curate, distorted barometer, of the developments avoid the convulsions that would have affected it the intensification of rationalization, whereby ceches the Republican Party and its Candidate, Hoover, inevitably in the event of the development of the nical progress has outstripped the expansion of the home market. There is a growing disproportion though it is by sharpening contradictions of The United States has expanded its productive between the rate of expansion of productive cap.
capacity which has brought about a further conacity and the rate of growth of production and Party of the bourgeoisie on the masses.
traction of markets for European capitalism and consumption. The opening up of the South to itself. The post war chaos of Europe has made consequently a contraction of the European, market industrialization on a higher technical level, init of creating a New Ruhri (Lovestone) only the related bear solide South is for the first time since impossible for the debtors of that continent to brinjetarianized it new contradictions. The newly forces which have been undermining the socialpresent a sufficiently consolidated united front to develop an addition to the home market to absorb population of the South will not political basis of the traditional Deiñocratic Party for the past decades.
expansion of American imperialism has laid the sufficiently the growth of production, and the foundation for the most violent struggles in Europe partially offset by the intensification of the coal The election as a whole, however, makes it im possible for anyone to speak unconditionally of a and in the colonial countries.
themselves for a larger powers must fight conservative landslide or a victory for reaction and textile crises in the North.
of a defeat for Smith. The vote for Smith by ration in world economy, and against the United The home market has been further contracted by States for the same reason. The pacifist effect the creation of a standing army of unemployed with the present state of affairs. The no means represented entirely a vote of satisfaction which American intervention had upon the Euronature of situation the beginning is now place he the index figure for production of big industry has received such a tremendous vote as has rarely bepened by the processes of development transrisen from 146 in 1919 to 171 in 1927 (1914 fore been received even by the winning candidate, American to look for a solution of its own ap bidos 100. the index for workers employed in which does not contribute at all to the theory of imperialism is revolucionin effect.
industry has fallen from 129 in to 114 the destruction of the Democratic Party. His proaching internal convulsions at the expense of in 1927 (1914 100. although population vote, furthermore. was composed largely of wor and primarily of Germany, and increased growth for the same years was from 106 to 120 kers in the big industrial centers where he made Europe, and imperialist raids on Latin America respectively.
and Chon flux into the ranks of the unemployed of declassed bourgeoisie and farmers.
idous gains, and of the hard pressed petty The present Experts Conference on the Dawes farmers. The production ind figure of saw in Smith, his record for 1918 1919 was 132 (1900 equals 100) and rose Plan is becoming a focal point of this contradiction.
The report of the Reparations Agent in Germany 1924.
Active participants in agricul of finance capital, the eight year orgy of coran optimistic analysis of the situation, was made though the agricultural population grew aso in publican wing of capitalism. Hotels which could ture feil in the same period from 106 to 100 rule of gram, a possibility of change from the with an eye to solving the conflict between rep the same period from 112 to 115. These figures otherwise have been cast arations payments and the Allied debt to the further indicate that alchough in certain specific the Communist Parties for the socialist and evert went this time to Smith on United States The proposal increased pressure on Germany. and by no means general cases real wages have the basis of the popular American belief that he to issue bonds, protected by lien on increased, the wages of the American working has a good chance to get in. It is entirely true te the German railways, to cover the Dawes payments class, and therefore their purchasing power, has that the workers who cast their votes for Smith by payments or reparations to the Allies on the whole decreased. This tendency is being were deluded and betrayed, that Smith in actuality to pay their accelerated by the growing series of wage cuts.
to America will only lead to the multiplication of difficulties. American capitalism has been unable to over Hoover. But hundreds of thousands if not millions For the United States to carry even one half of come the serious depressions in agriculture and in of workers did not vote for him as an instrument such a bond issue, involving something like two of change. Smith, billion dollars for its share, would mean that the industries, nor will it be able to prevent the com the coal, oil, textile, lumber, shipping and other of reaction and an friendship for labor, his with his hypocritical important banks of this country would add almost ing decline in iron and steel and automobile in pro labor record and prog program, succeeded in in des twenty per cent to their present holdings in invest dustries.
ments and in government and other securities. An The rapid increase in brokerage loans, in face him as an opent of the current reaction.
support into voting for absorption of such an amount by the American of an average trading volume of more than five The vote against Hoover expressed to a certain banks which, according to the Magazine of Wall million shares a day, presages the beginning of extent the growing radicalization of the Street, are today water logged with securities the end of the bull market, far more profound on an American scale, and with parliamentary lim than the price fall of June 1928. The fact that itations. Political developments have lagged his would result at this critical moment of our fin. rates for stock market loans had to be doubled torically behi economic developments.
Proceede and ancrine inability of the conto solve the rep the quadrupled has caused the more realistic of ing from the fundamental viewpoint of the histor bourgeois economists to be very cautious in arations and debts problems in a satisfactory man their predictions for the coming year. apparent that the anti Hoover vote was a political, The fate of American imperialism, we repeat, that is, an insufficient, a distorted, an even reaca United States with regard to Europe.
At the same time, in the desperate struggle of economy. Conversely, the situation in Europe 15 working class. In the present period, a Leftward place in the economic life of the American the European powers to maintain their heads above directly linked with the development of American the waves of American world domination they have national economy. The United States will seek to drift of the workers in Europe will express itself. even succeeded to a partial extent in regaining their use Europe as a shield to take the blows of its position in world production. As between the for example, in a desertion from the social demoown difficulties. This will in turn create such cracy and a growth of the power and influence periods of 1920 1924 and 1927, the share of Europe situations in Europe, above all in Germany, where. of the Communists. In the United States, such a in world production of anthracite, iron, steel and with proper revolutionary leadership, a new wave drift assumes much more moderate and backward the consumption of cotton has increased an average of proletarian revolt will be initiated, or the rela forms.
of 22 percent, while the share of the United tions between England and America will come to States has decreased an average of 55 percent. the breaking point. This rapidly materializing tions were the best available barometer of the Neither does our analysis signify that the elec bourgeoisie and the abandonment of Leninism in the rending of these Parties by violent factional and the endorsement by the Socialist Party of the the national and colonial questions is shown by the struggles that are reflections of the internal strug. Kellogg pact, etc. etc. To complete the picture catastrophic course followed by the Comintern in gle in the The expulsion of the Leninist are the innumerable conferences that help delude the Chinese Revolution. That it leads to the Opposition in all countries was achieved. The the workers and develop pacifist illusions among them: Locarno and Kellogg pacts, disarmament instruments of defense. instead of instruments for Stalinism (socialism in one country, etc. etc. proposals, and the like.
flowered to full bloom.
The existence of the Soviet Union with a procountry primarily, is shown by the petty bourgeois letarian dictatorship supported by the foreign trade anti cruiser petition campaign of the German Party. The Smoke screen of monopoly, bars the way to a free market for All these lines of policy are consciously or unintensiconsciously based on the need of preventing milfies the antagonisms of the whole of the imperialist itary intervention against the Soviet Union so that Trotskyism powers against the and the tendencies an isolated socialist construction can be towards the formation of an anti Soviet bloc for there. The net result of this opportunist concepTo conceal the essence of its Right wing deviaintervention, which has so far by the tion and course is the increasing danger of im tions and bureaucratic misdeeds, the Stalin regime mutual rivalries of the imperialist powers and their perialist war against the Soviet Union, for revision invented the myth of Trotskyism which it rep desire for a more favorable moment of internal ism here as everywhere brings neither revolution resents as the real danger to Leninism. Trotsky difficulties of the Soviet Union, and through fear differences of political line with Lenin were liquid of the revolutionary action of the masses at home.
nor reform.
ated in 1917, on Trotsky acceptance of the The opportunist policies of the Stalin regime have The growing war danger comes at time when April Theses of Lenin and his entrance into the weakened the international position of the Soviet the crisis in Russia is reaching a sharp point. The Central Committee of the Bolshevik Party on the Union. The by no means unavoidable defeats of departure from the proletarian revolutionary path, basis of his coincident with the beginning of the fight to cut shevism.
agreement with the tenets of Bol the Chinese Revolution and the great British the Leninist Opposition led by Trotsky from pre revolutionary dit be have enhanced the confidence of the bour the Party, has reached a stage where the enemy Stalin Bucharin regime now classes to an alarming extent and Leninism.
Leninism. Differences her with the principles of the workers. The best defense of the Soviet tremendous exert a Lenin and Trotsky Union is the building of the revolutionary capac pressure upon the Party and after 1917 rose out of the efforts of the two leaders ities of the Communist Parties. The fear of an State apparatus. From Bucharin s: Peasants, en and the theory that the Kulak the basis of the same theoretical program, and of the Revolution to solve concrete problems on insurrection at home, led by the Communist Party.
would grow into socialism, it has been a short step were never so great as the differences between geoisie against intervention.
is the greatest restraining influence upon the bourpresent situation where the present ruling faction and Lenin. The The events of the past two years have made it ments in the village (the forth into the arena with confidence, boldness and tory of the Party and the Revolution for factional revolutionary struggle against imperialist war. The Kulaks) have stepped sition will fight against the falsification of the his necessary to restate the Leninist viewpoint on the arrogance to demand increased concessions and ends. which has assumed such monstrous proporc policy of the Stalin regime has, in theory and political press Party democracy in the fight against the Trotsky in whom we recognize Lenin chief colpractise, forsaken this line. It has set up a conLeninist Opposition it has been a short ception of some super historical recipe to be laborator in the leadership of the Russian Revolu used in fighting the war the consolidation of a bureaucratic apparatus tion and today the foremost representative of Lendanger. The fight against through which the new bourgeoisie exerts its ever inism in the world.
the war danger and intervention in the has been abstracted from the general revolution increasing pressure. Never before have the KuNepmen, the bureaucrats been so strong Trotskyism. such a political tendency does not The Opposition is not conducting a war for ary proletariat. Considerations of a diplomatic nature, for Soviet State reasons, their progress. The policy of the Stalin regime, exist. It is fighting for the principles of Leninism. for special circumstances have been advanced to which is based less and less on a class foundation, and repression, the Leninist Opposition led by its general revolutionary In the Soviet Union, under the rain of calumny replace the basic and permanent considerations of. and more on a bureaucratic tion, is undermining the Sportne proletarian inspiring leader comrade per being an indivisible part of the other. This was true in the Stalin Bucharin policy in the Anglo Russian dictatorship and permitting the rapid advancement sistently against all forms of Opposition Committee, where of the classes alien to the before Purcellproletariat whose they capitulated has sounded the alarm gram is the break down the foreign trade mon seruandes proposed a correct policy Pro kombatan Hliegedly prevent Chamberlain and Blackering verona opoly, the recognition of the czarist debts. entrance in favor of the further socialist devolpment of the into the League of Nations, unli imperialist intervention policy. apimperialism the models of concessions country in in the period of retarded world revolu Reformist methods here also tion through a correct policy of the distribution results.
also produced catastrophe It was true in the followed in the ment with American of the national income, through taxation of the Chinese Revolution, where the revolutionary the pace of industrialization, penetration of the process cooperatives and the Soviets. and the attainment of Nepmans and the Kulak to accelerate the movement was sacrificed by the Stalin Bucharin of industrialization and to improve the conditions line for the sake of suffrage hitherto reserved to the toiling masses.
maintaining alliances with the This is the program and the through credits and other ative assistance to the poor peasantry, through a anti imperialist generals of the Chiang KaiIt is the restoration of present social forms.
correct price policy, and so forth. The Leninist them ou Hsiang stripe. It remains true today in in this Opposition is organizing the one the two fronts of binations are made from above with petty bourworkers for the de League Against Imperialism, where uncritical comsituation is a zig zag The line of the pressuren capitulation in deeds essentially the same enemy: against imperialist in geois, reformist, and nationalist elements who are the Right and temporary jumps to the Left, tervention from without and against the danger of in many instances neither more nor less than the that is, one step forward and two steps backward. Thermidor from within. Such real defense, bell wethers of imperialism. It is true in the case based The Leninist Opposition on the contrary has class policy, can be acc been fighting tooth and nail against this imminent only if the deep going reforms proposed by the without denouncing it as a cover behind which the banner of Leninism and stood by it in the face of splitting of the Communist Party and the imprison the anti Soviet intervention. This opportunist line an unprecedented campaign of slander and ment and exile of thousands of the best Bolshe only adds to the illusions of the masses, and distion. In the struggle against the Opposition and viks. The leadership which organized the defense arms them before their enemies.
away from the line of Bolshevism, the present reg of the Soviet Union under the direction of Lenin is still best able to carry it out today.
The only road for the revolutionary struggle sort to the bureaucratization of the Communist against war is that indicated by the teachings of International, for under normal conditions of Lenin on the question, in his writings during the War Danger and the democracy and free discussion, such carilast war so admirably summarized in his Theses of catures as are now offered the revolutionary wor kers in the name of Leninism, would be categorical Defense of ference. The Communists must relentlessly comof the International.
rejected by the bat all pacifist illusions among the The problem of the defense of the Soviet Union out to them the inevitability of penalist war, point To maintain its un hembe domination, the pres teach and train them that it can only of the expulsion of Communists, to with the struggle against the danger of war. The by the socialist revolution of the proletariat. We violence, to arrests, imprisonment, exile and de inevitability of imperialist war inherent in the must show that there are no exceptional circumbasic contradictions of capitalist society is not re stances to justify an opportunist or capitulationist paign has been carried on particularly since the moved by the temporary and partial current stabil policy in which the interests of one section of the Fifth Congress of the Comintern, which has as its ization. Indeed, the war danger proceeds from contradictions of the stabilization proquestioned the opportunist course of the Cominnet result the elimination of all elements who the innate contradictions and antagonisms of cess.
that is, tern. It has abolished Party democracy and reimperialism which have again grown acute placed it by control from above by irresponsible.
Published twice a month by the Opposition Group in the by reason of the world struggle for markets.
appointed functionaries.
Workers (Communist) Party of America Bureaucratic command and decree have been substituted for ideological intensified, fever to the actual outbreak of war.
witnessing in the present period is an armaments and militarization Address all mail to: Box 120, Madison Square discussion and leadership. The mechanical race preparatory to the Station, New York, organization of Party leaderships solely on the Combined with this is the customary accompani Publishers address at 340 East 19th Street, New York, Telephone: Gramercy 3411.
basis of their unhesitating readiness to endorsement of imperialist jockeying for positions, formaSubscription rate: 00 per year. Foreign, 50 condemn whatever lix done by the Lenimist Oppo Fomatic jugglery. In this pre war period, the line sition is Editor Associate Editors strength of the most important Communist Parties open or semi concealed support of the social demoJames Cannon have been reduced to an alarming extent (Ger crats and the labor bureaucracy (armaments promany, Czecho Slovakia, France, England, United gram of the German Boncour militarizaStates, etc. etc. It has brought about the devel tion plan in France; Henderson, MacDonald and VOL. II.
No.
opment in the leading Parties of the Comintern Co. in England; the American Federation of Laof Right wing or Centrišt leadership and line and bor open pro imperialist, pro militarist position among to international of in into a of the workers, now 1919 to probably, stil under the capitalism, in the beginning, regime to Millions workers and his on a correct to 148 in persecuout overcome to discussion, ceiving his class masses THE MILITANT capitalist What we ve are re 5c per copy Bundle rates, 3c per copy.
Martin Abern Mar Shachtman Maurice Spector FEBRUARY 15, 1929.
Entered as second class mail matter November 28, 1928, at the post office at New York, under the act of March 1879.