Page THE MILITANT April 1, 1929.
April 1, 1929 THE MILITANT Pages Industrialization and the Peasantry After the Dress Strike THE How Will Hoover Recognize Russia?
would the country.
In the unscrupulous falsification of the history By Martin Abern the soviets without mentioning the matter of of the Russian Revolution by the Stalin clique, the which class is to dominate in the soviets thus distortions and total misrepresentation of the views set up, the Kulaks enrich themselves not only in of comrade Trotsky and the Russian Opposition on puttering around with a program it does not un an economic sense but also take the opportunity to the peasant question stand out in bold relief. Onderstand and feel sure about, establish political rights, e. privilege of voting, this question, the position of Trotsky coincided But in words, Molotov, Stalin henchman, can etc.
with that of Lenin.
say, among other things, at the March 1929 Mos If the dominant party should be guilty of one Lenin, replying to rumors of differences between cow Party Conference: mistake after another, in politics as well as in econ omics, if it should retard the growth of industry. The Right deviation, in the question of the him and Trotsky, wrote. if it should relinquish its grasp of the con mode of development of agriculture, takes a dif. The rumors of disagreements between him and trol over the political and economic processes in the and me are a monstrous lie, propagated by the ferent, openly anti Party position. the ese village, of course, the cause of socialism would be landlords and capitalists or their conscious or un sence of the Right deviation culminates in the fol.
lost in the country. Leon Trotsky, Whither lowing: Less expenditure of money on collective conscious servitors. I, upon my partfully con Russia. International Publishers, 13 14. firm this statement of comrade Trotsky. There economics and state economies, caution, in the de.
The persistent crisis and confusion of policy velopment of advance payment for harvests, in the disagreements between him and me, and in organization of tractor colonies, in the developme these past years in the under the Stalinregard to the middle peasants there are no disa greements not only btween Trotsky and me, but of an agrictulural economy based on agrictultural Bukharin regime attests eloquently to the warnmachinery and tractors. Hence, the Right deviation in general in the Communist Party of which we ings of Trotsky uttered already in 1925.
arz both members.
means, in the first place, a loosening of the fetters binding the Kulak economy, which would lead in The Stalin Bukharin regime, contrary protesta. subscribe with both hands to everything the last analysis to a victory of the bourgeois eletions now notwithstanding, saw the Peasant prob Trotsky wrote. Lenin, Pravda No. 35, February, 1919. ments and to the restoration of capitalism. lem true enough, but they did not see it correct The falsification of the views of Trotsky is at To develop agrictulture along the line of soviet ly, as Trotsky saw it, namely, that: and collectivist farms, there must be an industrial tempted both for the period when Trotsky was In the class struggle now going on in the coun Lenin closest co worker, and also for the general development along socialist lines. Without a policy try, the party must stand, not in words but in deeds, at the head of the farm hands, the poor peashistorical position of Trotsky: Trotsky under and plan which works toward electrification and the development of big scale production in indusants, and the basic mass of the middle peasants, and organize them against the exploitative aspiraestimates the peasantry. he does not accord them try, and a use of the resources of the country tions of the Kulak. From the Platform of the Op.
the proper attention. he pays no attention to the with this aim in view, agriculture will remain on the position. Our emphasis. Deasant at all every conceivable idea is at For those who wish to know the detailed protributed to Trotsky on the peasant question. All low basis of independent production by tens of gram of the Russian Opposition on this and other the distorters of Trotsky ideas have one thing millions of small peasants, producing virtually in a barbaric manner.
questions, there should be read the Platform of in common. They never quote or state his actual views which differ in nowise from Lenin and the machinery which can transform agriculture into the Opposition published in The Real Situation in Russia. the article on the July Plenum and socialist agriculture production. The sole material Bolshevik position. The procedure of Trotsky is basis for socialism is a vast machine industry, cap the Right Danger by Trotsky printed in completely Marxist, as even casual investigation able of reorganizing agriculture, said Lenin. To The Militant, etc.
show.
day, this strikes root more strongly than ever. Meanwhile, the grain crisis in the From a revolutionary standpoint, in any relaOnly a high development of the means of produc is not solved, and the Stalinites, now cleansing tions with other social groups, the Marxist puts tion and electrification is able to overcome the the Party of the Bukharin wing, still zig zags in forward the unquestioned domination of the pro technical backwardness of millions of small indus all directions. The fight against the Right Wing letariat. To see the peasant in any other light tries However, this process of industrialization is three fourths a sham battle. The Russian fundamentally than as an ally of the proletariat must be along socialist roads if the working masses Opposition is cut off in the Stalinist way, the way under the leadership of the latter is to undermine the foundations of proletarian revolutionary rule; thereby.
in the city and country are to be the gainers of ruin, division and disintegration of the Com munist forces. But still the Opposition remains for example, such defenders of the as It would be incorrect to say that the Stalin re and points out the correct line of action for the Arthur Rhys Williams who extolls the peasant gime has no policy on industrialization. It is in the and the International Com munist movement. Stalin falsifies history today.
the leader, and driving force comes from the particular contrast with the policy of the Bukhar The latter has no faith in the pos. But history will correct Stalin. And that will yet city. Hence, the theory of the hegomony of the sibility of a swift industrialization development in bring the victory of the Opposition under the the and hence bases its major policy on leadership of Leon Trotsky.
by the Communist from historical, political and agricultural production, especially in the develop social reasons.
ment of the productive forces of the Kulak. This Crot:ky wrote, Once in power, the proletariat situation, in their view, will continue for years, Two Meetings in Chicago will appear before the peasantry as its liberator. while the Slowly, at a snail pace Sunday evening. March 24, comrade Swabeck spoke be.
From Our Revolution. Henry Holt Co. develops industry. This policy dooms socialistfore the Plebiani Forum on Madison Street to about 125 98. written in 1906. While the proletariat maintains hegemony once draws upon capitalist elements for sustenance. Buk etc. It was an excellent meeting with a spirit of inter est throughout, until the organized Party hooligans, led it achieves political supremacy, nevertheless, The harin writings, Notes of An Economist con by the Fosterites, who have assumed a new responsibility proletariat will be able to hold this position under tain the arguments for this line.
in fighting the Trotskyist danger. marched into the one condition; if it broadens the base of the revo.
The Stalin regime now has, on the contrary, hall. Swabeck had finished speaking, questions were an.
an industrialization policy. Unfortunately, it leads swered and discussion had finished. The speaker was tot. lbid, 96, our emphasis. of members, acting as scouts for the Party But in what manner shall this base be broadened alco to capitalist domination by another road. The summing up when a grobruisers began to howl. They and for what groups and classes? Are the class Stalin regime says: Industrialize! and it calls upon did not want to listen to any the floor, they wouldn counter revolutionary disdifferentiations, for instance, among the peasantry along modern lines. True, the will be foreign capitalists to enter and build industries cussion, and when asked to take because a Stalinite must not discuss with renegades.
The workers at the meeting became impatient with the duction in agrictulture to be the main guide in come industrialized thereby, indeed, along Ford the attitude of the proletarian dictatorship and the methods, if you pleaset Buit lite will be capitalist their disturbance and their refusal to pay admission toward the various peasant groupings: The Stalin plan of industrialization may yet lead inism? But when he was asked to speak on it, he was the hired worker, poor and middle peasants and the rich Kulak? The Right Wing, as an instance, to a Dawes plan of development and cure for is spelled The Stalinites then began their customary the These are the signs to be noted lead by Rykov, as Trosky pointed out long ago stunts until the workers would stand for it no longer. The and which the Stalin regime today repeats without in the agreement with the International General heroes suddenly became advocates of non violence and. the plans understanding, bases its policies primarily upon in The meeting having been set up a demand for creased productivity by the dience was thoroughly disgusted with the actions of the of hired labor, perhaps some horses and other the freer foreign relations that are being indiParty.
means of production which the poor peasants do cated in the present foreign policy of the Plans are under way to hold another meeting in the not have. But the encouragement of Kulak near future. Kellogg pact, etc. Both Stalin and Bukproharin way lead away from the Revolution and the The first attempt to hold a meeting under the auspices duction as against development of Soviet and colof the Scandinavian Workers Club of Chicago to be adlective farms hinders the socialist development of proletarian dictatorship.
dressed by Arne Swabeck, of the Communist Opposition, agriculture, as well as the productivity of the rest program of the Opposition is the way of in on the subject of the controversy in the Communist move.
of the peasantry.
dustrial and agrarian socialization with an absolute ment, did not succeed. What was responsible for the failure was the threat of the Party bureaucrats to smash The Kulaks and their ideological defenders, assurance of the retention of the foundation of hide all their ambitions under a pretense of worry. proletarian rule: the dictatorship of the proletrict Police calling upon the membership to meet in front ing about the development of their productive tariat. That policy has as it basis the absolute of the hall to break up the meeting. This was done forces, about increasing the volume of commodity maintenance of the foreign trade monopoly, a re despite the fact that the Club had invited comrade production in general, etc. As a matter of fact, distribution of the national income by means of a Swabeck to come and address the workers.
Kulak development of the productive forces, a Kulak increase of commodity production, represses correct use of the budget, credit and prices, and to come and address the workers. Swabeck had offered a correct use of the bonds with the world economy. had refused.
to debate a representative of the Stalinites but the latter and checks the development of the productive forces of the entire remaining mass of the peas. There are sufficient resources for a socialist policy About a hundred Party members were present, mostly ant industry. From the Platform of the Opposi for agriculture and industry in the S, as of the top layer of paid functionaries and faction leaders.
tion. against the Stalin capitalist industrialization pol. Holm, the caretaker of the hall was informed prior to talist roads, as the Russian Opposition declared, isy on the one hand and the Kulak. hope of place the party would break it up The Party held used Bukharin on the other. What is needed is the cor the feeble pretense that Swabeck had advertised the meet along the direction of Thermidor, for saying which rect policy.
ing with leaflets, in order to force through a motion in exiled. But now, at a time when the Right Wing, years is responsible for the loosening of the con The Stalin Bukharin regime jointly for these past the Club calling off the meeting. The votes stood 12 to 12, with the chairman Hans Peterson, a Party member, voting with the Stalinites. Needless to say, this act of nurturing for so long the Kulak, Nepmen and bourtrol of the village by the Party and the proletariat political cowardice did not strengthen the prestige of geois ideologies, has grown rapidly and strong, the When Kulaks are told, as Bukharin told them, the Party among the workers in the Club. Naive wors shocked and distressed Stalin regime, shouts the to enrich themselves and Stalin says Create words of Trotsky but finds itself actually only non party peasant active centers by revivifying their club meeting.
Party could assume the responsibility for breaking up same time, from a complete misapprehension of the class role of the police to illusions regarding deals with this or that group of fakers, has found ex.
pression in the course of this faction of leaders.
To this can be added the survivals of cdious trade THE results and lessons of the dressmakers the Daily Worker signs pacans of unciritical praise union bureaucratic and business agent relations strike begun in New York on February 6, for Zimmerman, Wortis and Co. because they with the rank and file. The struggle for a true Communist policy. the only fighting cy was 1929 under the leadership of the Needle Trades are all members of one faction in the Party, while and is a struggle against the tactics and policies of Workers Industrial Union have not yet been ade Labor Unity cautiously makes a critical analysis of this group.
quately analyzed in the Communist The the same group because they are on different This estimate is still fully correct. The revolu.
central English organ of the Party has entirely sides of the factional fence. This method is reretionary needle trades workers, whose courageous pical philistine reflects the transference of the corrupt practises unions led to the defeat of the Sgmens, Schlese erisering av mal serikietine an article in the current of the bourgeois parties into our movement, ingers and Kaufmans and the founding of the in number of Labor Unity. Some Progress and a. accomplishes anything but the clarificatica of the dustrial union, have a proud record that insures Few Mistakes, by Philip Aronberg. however, movement and the training of the mecses in the their triumphant future. The struggle against the while not complete, comes closest to a cicar and class straggle.
socialist fakers and of lieutenants of cap.
honest review of the outcome of the struggle. At the outset of the strike te cade in the Milie italism who repeatedly betray the workers inter The importance of such an appraisal is especialtant (Febru ry 15, 1929) that one of the causes of ests, against the machinery of the government ly necesary because the strike was the first big the setbacks. for the left voisig in the needle trades which works hand in hand with the bosses, muse struggle fed directly by the new left wing indushe carried on with even greater vigor than before.
trial union. Without a critical examination of its Gold, Zimmerman, Wortis, etc. whose practices have been a constant obstacle to the development The fight for a revolutionary, class course in the results, the mistakes made will form a millstone and execution of fighting Communist policy new union itself must, at the same time, still be around the neck of the new unions now being which alone is able to mobilize the full resources won. It can be won only in a struggle of clariformed and of the masses for their struggle. Almost every op portunist prejudice from craft union conceptions factionally protected in the leadership of the union fication against the opportunists who have been and develop hamper their future work Instead of the official bally hoo ci the Daily against the besses and the right wing leaders at the by the corrupt clique of Lovestone and Co.
Worker, Aronberg bluntly indicates the following errors of the union leadership: The first point was in the inadequate prepara tions for the strike of 50, 000 and more workers in Videred in this industry. This can best be illustrated by the failure to develop and put forward any de WE TE are reliably informed that the Hoover gov orient, especially against China. Our emphasis. mand which would deal with the generally pre ernment is on the eve of understaking nego In effect, the Daily Worker is saying to the vailing piece work system in the industry (a meth tiations leading to the recognition by the United Hoover government: Why don you protect the od of speed up generally used by the bosses to States of the Soviet Government. Our informa interests of American nationals in Russia? You intensify their exploitation. The demand for week work is part of the economic program. ths tion is as follows: claim to be jealous of the rights of American new union established only a few we picvlesly, Scheinman, chairman of the board of business everywhere. You protect them in Latin yet it was not put forth before e during to strike. clirectors of the State Bank of the who America and China even to the point of armed in But the crassest example of their adecvate has been in the United States for the last few tervention. Why don you make good your claim?
preparations for the strike was the failure to bring forward the most basic demand (hich was also months at the head of a secial mission, has been the least you can do to protect the interests of incorporated in the program of the new union)
spending a great deal of his time in Washington American business men in Russia is to recognize that the jobbers assume the responsibility for con conducting unofficial negotiations with American of through contractors and for the limitation complete government representatives. basis agreement That such revolting anti revolutionary writing contractors employed by them. This failure is be: has been tentatively reached for the coming recogyond comprehension if we consider the needs of nition of the Soviet Union. The process of ac can appear in the official organ of the Communist Party is a bitter comment on the situation in the the in the industry and that this demand complishing this is to be somewhat as follows: was movement. Three or four years ago, Bombacci, against the social reformism and the employers.
The demands put forward in the strike forty. of negotiations which is to be followed by the one of the leaders of the Italian Communist Party, spoke in the Chamber of Deputies and urged the four hour five day week; increase in the piece appointment of a commission by Hoover. Formal government to trade with Russia because of the rates; minimum scales and guarantee of the job recognition is to follow on the basis that the rot be very effectively enforced if the jobber can Soviet government will recognize the debt incurred economic advantages it would bring to the Italian discharge at will any number of workers and hire by Bakhmetieff, former ambassador of the Keren bourgeoisie. In those days Stalinism had not yet any other number he wishes by discharging and corrupted the Communist movement, and Bom ky geverniment to the United States! The debt, hiring his contractors.
bacci was expelled. Today, when the Daily amount ng to the tidy sum of 180, 000, 000, was This conception that the strike must be of short in the old days at least Worker outstrips Bombacci, it is in perfect accord duration led to further errors in strategy. Instead always repudiated of mobilizing the 8, 000 workers who answered the by the Soviet government, since the money was with the official theory of the Comintern, with strike call to spread the strike to the other 50, 000 used to furnish munitions to the counter revoluStalinism, and no action is taken against it.
workers employed in the dress industry, the lead.
tion to shoot down the Russian workers and peas.
ership of the new union proceeded against the adRecognition of Kerensky debt and rejection of vice of the to make settlements with revolutionary principle by the Daily Worker! Are the contractors. This made impossible the devel. Scheinman has been assuring the American these the price that will be paid for American opment of the strike so that the mass of the wor bourgeoisie that they have nothing to fear from recognition?
kers in the industry did not participate and were the Soviet Government, that Communism and riot drawn into the struggle, and the new union has still the task of organizing the mass of the capitalism can live blissfully side by sickamber hof Il Duce Speaks up for Stalin workers in the industry. But the agreements arrived at between the con Commerce, on February 7, 1929, he said: The tractors and the union and the settlements, pro: United States and the are two countries The New York Times of March 28, 1929, carries posed by the union should be the most glaring which, through fortunate historical circumstances, a copyrighted Associated Press dispatch from practices of the social reformist officials of the old have no political or economic antagonisms at this Rome in which the maniac of the Palazzo Chigi, union are taken over bag and baggage by the new present stage of development, nor can such an Mussolini, airs his views on the world situation.
union leadership. Agreements which call for fim. tagonisms be foreseen in the future. On the con He expresses himself on the present situation in partial arbitration are proposed and signed by the leadership of this union which was built in the trary, it would seem that their interests are natu the Communist movement as follows: struggle against class collaboration schemes of the rally complementary. Economic Review of the Schlesingers and the Sigmans. Our emphasis. Soviet Union, February 15, 1929, page 68. Our The Premier then indicated that he What Aronberg writes is entirely correct, but emphasis. thought communism was in full retreat while he is naturally backward in establishing the forces This reactionary drivel is naturally comple the danger was quite past in Germany. In behind these crude opportunist craft union blund mentary to the Stalinite theory of socialism in one some other parts of Europe he thought there He is not so naive as to think that the country. The touching picture of revolutionary might be a good deal of vitality left in the failure is beyond comprehension. On the con Russia and counter revolutionary capitalist Amer Communist movement.
Returning to the trary, it is but too clear.
ica, which have no political or economic antag. question of Russia, the Premier said that the Back of these reformist conceptions and actions onisms at this present stage of development, wor struggle between Joseph Stalin and Leon are the long years of craft union opportunism king side by side to build a national socialism in Trotsky was most important because brought into the new union not by the rank and the Soviet Union is enough to make Lenin turn Trotsky represented the Left.
file fighters who developed in the struggle against in his grave.
it but by the group of leaders that dominate Mussolini is keen enough to detect the character.
the union today, Zimmerman, Wortis, Gold and Those who imagine that Scheinman speaks this istics of the struggle between the Leninist Oppo their colleagues. Aronberg knows this to be at way because of some special dispensation granted sition and the dominant opportunists. The struge the root of the trouble, just as everyone else in to revolutionary diplomatic representatives gle is important for him because Trotsky rep.
the Party knows it. But he dare not say so. Were should read the leading editorial in the Daily resented the Left and Trotsky has now been put Aronberg a a free agent he would point out that Worker of March 28, 1929: out of the way by Stalin, for which Mussolini, Zimmerman, Wortis and Co. all of whom are The interests of American nationals in the like the reaction everywhere in the world, is duly Party members, as are the majority of the leaders Soviet Union are continually growing. This is thankful. But then, it is only fair exchange when of the new union, can flaunt the formal decisions easily seen the contracts reached, for instance, Litvinov finishes praising Mussolini for the latter of the Party and the as they have by the Standard Oil Company of New York and done repeatedly, because they are guaranteed facthe International Electric Company with the Soviet persecuting the Left. One good turn deserves tional protection from the whose union specialists Lovestone group government. The United States government claims another.
they are. Any to be jealous of the rights of its nationals. It has other explanation of the cynical refusal by these declared a war in permanency against Latin Amer NOTICE TO BUNDLE AGENTS opportunists to accept the proper proposals of the ica to protect their interests, maintains a hardBundle Agents failing to receive their bundies within TU are entirely invalid.
boiled machine gun diplomacy ready for duty at two or three days after the date of not On our part, we have nothing in common with a moment notice, and sends thousands of marines us at once. Hereafter each number will go to presa the dilletante factional division of labor in which and fleets of battleship to danger sectors in the before the date of isstie.
ants.
of Colonel Cooper for electrification, etc. and concibe erande formy came in the winsleben ers.