BolshevismBourgeoisieBujarinCominternCommunismCommunist PartyKamenevLeninLeninismMarxismSocialismSovietStalinStalinismStrikeTrotskyURSSUnited FrontWorkers MovementWorking Class

October 1, 1929.
THE MILITANT Page denunciation and criticism from the outside, as the CLEVELAND and Unorganized Labor from within to separate the chaff from the wheat in the Party press is doing now, is not suficient. Activity THE YEAR PLAN Stalin and Losovsky claim to continue renin policy How Stalin Builds Socialism Today, the three wings in the American Party, the Lovestone Paper Coming ing this decision. But the Freiheit, which knows that By James Young on trade union work, and Foster says: Intensify our One of the most radically false steps yet taken by work in the of To say this and at the same the Stalin controlled Political Bureau of the Communist (Note: The following observations on the Cleveland time to reject the united front, leads to the defeat of conference of the were written by one of Party of the Soviet Union has just been announced one policy, to isolation, to giving the fakers free rein in a decision of its Central Committee.
the delegates who is at the same time one of the lead in the unions. Deeds, not words, are required against It deprives ing comrades in the Party. He uses the pseudonym of Green and his loyal opposition.
the Russian factory workers of one of the greatest achievements of the Bolshevik revolution: the rights Young for obvious reasons. Ed. These progressive have stolen our thunder. With of the worker in the shops and his control of their The mobilization and organization of the unorganour old program they will be able to get many honest management. The American correspondents inspired ized, unskilled and semi skilled workers in the basic in and sincere workers. The way to prove to the workers (if not paid) by. Stalin, like Walter Duranty of the dustries of the United States is of major importance that these reformists cannot lead them is to put them New York Times and Boris Smolar of the New York for the class struggle. The tactics to be employed in in a position where they will be faced with the execWorld, sent the first news of the decision and reported this task have again brought confusion in the revoluution of their own words. United front action with the it with proper glee. Smolar cables from Moscow: tionary and labor movement. The present position of workers will prove that only the Communists and their The actual boss in Soviet factories, henceforth, will American imperialism, with its upward curve, with its sympathizers are ready and able to carry out a militant be the director of each factory, and not, as has been unsolvable contradictions, and a radicalization process program.
the case, the triangle. consisting of a representative among the workers, compel us to clarify the situation. Our emphasis be on the organizing of the unorgan each of the Party, the labor union and the directorate.
In the revolutionary ranks, the Communist forces, the ized in the basic industries, but at the same time we This became known today when the Central CommitRight wing elements throughout the world and espemust have a policy that will enable us to intensify our tee of the Communist Party issued statement cially in the more important sections of the Comintern, work in the old unions in reality. This does not mean have openly tak to workers explaining that such clipping of the rights up arms for their opportunist line.
a verbal barrage, but actual work within the old unions of workers in factories was necessary to stimulate the In America, the Lovestone Gitlow forces have joined to expose the Greens and the rest of the fakers and initiative of factory administrators and to help the hands with their brothers in Germany, Russia and win large sections of the workers for the class struggle.
five year industrialization plan. This revolutionary France. The dislodging of this Right element in the The proletarian sentiment at the Cleveland Convenchange had to be made because representatives of the world Party has put adrift the Centrist forces of tion was good, but not the direct representation, which Party and the labor unions constantly interfered with Stalin, which mechanically adopt a Left position. was a blow to the exaggerations fed for months.
the management. Today instructions therefore state But with their non Marxist, non Leninist position on Worse than that was the fact that the discussion on clearly that no Party representative, labor union or socialism in one country, on the colonial revolutions, the vital tactical questions indicated above was com other social organization has the right to change the etc. the Centrists lead directly isolation and to the pletely lacking. It has to be conducted now.
orders of a director. Our emphasis. mechanical execution of our tasks.
The Daily Worker carefully refrains from mentionLovestone Gitlow Right, the Foster Bedacht Stachel written in the Center, and the suporters of the Communist Opposition, As we go to press we are reliably informed that the Kremlin, rewrites his dispatch unblushingly as folface the problem of organizing the unorganized, with Lovestone faction has finally made arrangements for lows: For this purpose (industrialization) all Soviet the official Party press performing its customary serv the immediate publication of a sixteen page official Union Communists must help establish order and ice of beclouding the issue.
monthly magazine. After many weeks of circulating discipline in the factory. Members of the Communist The question, Shall we build new unions? is not secret mimeographer sheets, the Right wing has Party, union representatives and shop committees are settled by a purely negative or positive answer.
Over made its decision to issue an open organ. The Loveinstructed not to interfere in questions of managea year ago the question was on the agenda of the Party stoneites, who expelled us from the Party when we ment. September 9, 1929, Our emphasis. and the Opposition fought for a new line and for the demanded a discussion of the vital issues in the ComExactly two years ago today (September 9, 1927)
new unions, as against the conservatism and rigidity munist movement, will now be compelled to face these Stalin, in replying to one of the questions of a memof the present Rights and a good part of the Centrists issues openly and reveal their viewpoint. We proposed ber of the first American trade union delegation to who opposed the new line and fought the on that the discussion imperatively needed by the revoluRussia, said pridefully: this point. Foster was included in this list. However, tionary movement, and violently prevented by the Sta It must be observed that the overwhelming majoriwhen they were forced to concede to the formal posi linists in a bloc with the Thermidorian Right wing, ty of the factory and works managers in Russia are tion, they did so mechanically and established a few should be held inside the Party. Now it will be held workingmen, appointed by the Supreme Economic paper organizations.
in spite of them in the open a crushing blow to the Council in agreement with the trade unions, and that The struggle for the unionization of the unorganized blind, frightened bureaucrats who detest and fear all not single factory manager can remain at his post will not be successful until the militants adopt the cor criticism and discussion, and thought to eliminate it contrary to the the worker or the particular rect tactic for combining their forces in the old unions with their pitiful mechanical methods. three sided trade union. It must be observed also that in every with the work of establishing new unions in the basic discussion of the enormous errors of the Party regime factory and workshop there is a factory council, electindustries, not as two separate tasks but as an inter for the past six years, through the WEEKLY MILITANT ed by the workers, which controls the activities of the connected whole. Our experiences thus far show that of the Communist Opposition, the daily paper of the management of the particular enterprise. Finally, it even from the abstracted point of view the rew Centrists, and the monthly of the Righ wing, will end must be observed that in every industrial enterprise unions and their struggles, supplementary work in the in vitally needed clarification. We are confident of regular production conferences of workers are held old unions would have put many spokes in the strike the ultimate victory of the Opposition in this discussion. in which all the workers employed in the given enterbreaking work of the reactionary leaders and won the prise take part and at which the work of the manager ranks to our side.
of the enterprise is discussed and criticized; the plan The New York Times quotes Muste in his Labor Day of work in the factory administration is discussed, speech as gleeful that the Communists are building To those faith filled souls who thought that the outerrors and defects are noted and rectified through the their own unions and their own center which will cries of the new Party leadership against the burglaries trade unions, through the Party and through the orenable Muste and his kind to proceed with their mis commited by Lovestone against Party offices, indicated gans of the Soviet administration. Report of Insion without being labelled as bothered by Commu any change of heart, or remorse at having burglarized terview, page 36. nists. Muste is opposed to building new unions, but our offices and homes, we recommend the following The latest decision of the Party Central Committee this does not at all mean that anyone who wants a excerpt from an article entitled Lovestone, my Forabolishes every single one of these advantages, priviunited front is thereby opposed to new unions. Thus, ner Leader by William Abrams, in the Freiheit of leges and rights of the workers in the factory! Facthe Lovestone forces opposed the building of new unions September 1, 1929: And it is to you, former comtory managers can remain at their posts now even if when they controlled the Party and the present Oppo radles again, not to those who ran after a Lore, a contrary to the will of the workers or the trade union.
sition fought for the establishment of new unions. Salutsky and other pestilences come with the ques The factory council cannot control the activities of its The letter to the Cleveland conference said: tion: Don you think that the same tactic that is ap management. Errors and defects in management can Muste is opposed to the new unions, and Lovestone plied against Cannon criminal when applied no longer be rectified through the trade unions and and Cannon are of the same group of opportunists. to the Communist Party? Don you think that Party, since there are told not to interfere. to keep Tactical questions and differering positions cannot be breaking ino the offices of the Central Committee and hands off. The very instruction to the Communist dismissed so easily. One must know the history of the of Section One, the taking away of documents and Party, the trade unions and the shop committees not Trotsky and Lovestone groups to see why their vari lists from there, is act that must be condemned?
to interfere who has the right to interfere if not ous tactics are formulated. The Communist League is This is the first open and quite cynical admission that these bodies. is the acme of bureaucratic distortion for organizing the unorganized into new ions wher the Party second story men broke into the home of com of the conquests of the revolution.
ever necessary and its supporters were the first to fight rade Cannon and stole documents and funds of the Lenin did not oppose the subjecting the will of for this line. The problem lies in the relation of the Opposition. Worse than that, Abrams not only comes thousands the will of one in industry. Nor do we.
new unions to the forces we can utilize in the old forward here to justify such burglaries, but also by But he emphasized that the more firmly we now have unions.
some perverted quirk of the mind and of logic, to to advocate a merciless and firm rule and dictatorship The difference between the official Party and the condemn just such burglaries when Lovestone commits of individuals for definite processes of work during Communist League is not a difference on new unions them against the Party office.
certain periods of purely executive functions, the more versus no new unions, but a difference on the estim Tragi comic as it sounds, these are nevertheless diverse should be the forms and means of mass conation of the forces within the old and the new and the people who claim that they will purify the Com trol in order to paralyse every possibility of distorting their mutual relation. The mechanical Left posi munist movement of all petty bourgeois corruption the Soviet rule, in order repeatedly and tirelessly to tion of the Party already confronts us with two dan and Tammany Hall methods! We would like to rec remove the wild grass of bureaucratism. Soviets at gers: first, the establishment of paper organizations Oromend to the business management of the Freiheit, Work, page 42. Our emphasis. And this was written in every industry, and secondly, the withdrawal of as one of the means of the financial improvement of at the very beginning of the revolution, in 1918, with revolutionary forces at the wrong time from reaction the paper condition, to take Abrams and his like chaos and counter revolution in the land. By his new ary unions, thereby making the fakers a present of the bodily to the nearest butcher and sell them while the decision, Stalin has removed a number of these forms masses.
market is good for such commodities. The Abramses and means of mass control that prevent the growth The Stalinists are great strategists; In a revolu are worth their weight in tripe.
of bureaucratism.
tionary period in England, during and after the GenOnly two years ago, the Platform of the Russian eral Strike, after the Lefts in the General Council AT LAST! News of Bucharin. Opposition pointed out, in its section on the position had qutlived their usefulness, the Stalin forces fought for the continuation of the united front with the beThe Daily Worker (September 13, 1929) has finof the working class and the trade unions, that under the Stalin Bucharin regime, the management in the trayers. united front with Purcell and Co. reserv ally received permission from Stalin to publish the first official news of the removal ing our own independence and right of criticsim was Bucharin from factories strives ever more to establish its unlimited essential up to a certain stage, but carried beyond this all his posts, in the form of a resolution of the 10th power, to hire and fire without control by the workpoint, suicidal.
Plenum of the So far as the readers of the ers. Now this striving has become an established, a legally established fact. The new decision is characIn American when the drift to the Left, when the Daily Worker are concerned, this is the first news teristic of the so called Five Year Industrialization radicalization process is only on its first lap (it is they have had on the matter. The Militant, however, Plan: it is an industrialization carried out at the gradnot yet a revolutionary period despite the monstrous printed the detailed information of the famous Buchual expense of workers rights and workers interests.
exaggerations of the Party) the of the Stal arin case months ago, including a verbatim report It is Stalin method of ilding socialism in one couninists is to carry out a crazy caricature of what they of his negotiations with the capitulator Kamenev, the try alone.
refused to accept in England when Trotsky called for report of Bucharin trial before the Control Comeven mission, the secret resolution of Stalin Political the break with the reformists. In England we had a yellow socialist and the capitalist press pubperiod of tense and pregnant class struggle, a stage Bureau of the Russian Party to remove Bucharin lished the news weeks and months ago, the Daily of revolutionary upheaval; in this country we have (passed long ago. and the news of his actual re Worker still retained its gag. In this, as in all else, yet to approach that period. In England, the Lefts moval. Moreover, months before even this was pubthe Party members are always confronted with acshowed the workers their true colors. In America the lished, we printed articles by comrade Trotsky in which complished fact. When we tell the truth in time we progressives have yet to be exposed. As the period of he exposed the program of the Right wing (Bucharin, are slandering the International. When the Daily struggles approaches with increased speed, the pro Rykov, Tomsky, and foretold the course of the strug Worker tells its half truths long after the fact, it is gressives will rally greater masses, because editorial gle between it and the Stalinist Center. And although Bolshevik self criticism. Burglary Bolshevism is