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October 15, 1929 THE MILITANT Page Briand Plan for a United States of Europe Lovestone Issues a Dishonest Document Following closely upon the heels of the agreement reached by the imperialist powers on the reparations By Arne Swabeck and principle correctness of this slogan. In 1923 it was officially adopted by the Comintern. Later, under.
question the wily old diplomat Briand formally the Stalin leadership, the deductions from the basic launched his slogan for the United States of Europe. played by American financial interests and American Although presented only in a very general form at the imperialism in general in European affairs are the conditions from which it derived its contents were arlast League of Nations sessions, as an indication of Dawes plan of the past and the present Young plan tificially made into a series of false, slanderous accuworked out under the tutelage of Wall Street most sations against the Bolshevik Opposition. It was nacertain imperialist trends it is significant.
powerful magnates. Again in the Kellogg Pact, the turally conceived of one to find its practical appliIn the first place it is one expression of strivings hypocritical talks diplomats about outlawing war cation on eve of the revolution and by no means toward an anti American front of the European debtfound the representatives of American imperialism to infer that the workers of one country must wait for or nations. It is an endeavor to resist the efforts of the United States to put the European powers on an rushing to the fore maneuvering for first place for the others before beginning the revolution. Since the themselves. What is more, thereby making clear that victory of the Russian workers there could, of course, ever more limited ration, which forms one of the greatest sources for coming imperialist conflicts and prolein the line up for the coming war the United States is be less reason for overlooking this elementary B tarian revolutions. In another aspect Now this slogan has been deleted and seemingly forslogan repgoing to have a decisive word to say. This pact the resents the efforts for greater consolidation of the Soviet Union, under the leadership of Stalin, signed, gotten as so many other correct teachings and formulations of Lenin and Trotsky.
European bourgeoisie against its working class and thereby helping to maintain the illusion of it being a against the Soviet Union. Hence the idea is hailed by peace pact.
The Tenth Plenum of the Comintern, meeting under The international bank for reparations settlement, the conditions of rapidly growing American imperialist the socialist Vorwaerts of Berlin as a final and lastproposed by the Young plan and being organized under penetration of Europe and growing control of exploitaing peace guarantee.
the immediate direction of Wall Street, American im tion of the European workers could find time only for BRIAND PROPOSAL perialism has undoubtedly conceived of mainly as an prognostications of second rate importance. But it Preceding Briand utterances, European capitalists additional instrument to further the process of acquir. failed entirely to give any consideration whatever to at the congress of the International Chamber of Com ing control of European industries and with it control this important slogan which today retains its validity merce, held at Amsterdam this Summer, alarmed at of the intensified exploitation of the European workas much as ever.
the menacing growth of American imperialism as an ers. Not only will it then show its colossal power in In the words of Comrade Trotsky:. it is preexploiter of all countries, advanced the idea of a Unit the further enslavement the workers there but it cisely the international strength of the United States ed States of Europe; advanced as an immediate retal will become the most gigantic reactionary force against and its unbridled expansion resulting from it, that comiation against the new American high. protective tariff the revolutionary struggles of the European workers. pels it to include powder magazines throughout the policy. But even before the emergence of American imTHE SOVIET OF EUROPE world among the foundations of its structure.
perialism as a world dominant power, politicians of These conditions must recall pointedly to the world The slogan of a Soviet United States of Europe is the German empire, during the early period of the proletarian movement and, to the Comintern in parti a correct slogan, not only as counter to that of Briand war, came forward with such a program, or at least cular, the growing vitality, importance and correct and the other European imperialist diplomats but as a union of the central European powers to be accom ness of the revolutionary slogan of a Soviet United concrete direction for unified revolutionary action of plished by the victory of the German arms. What States of Europe. Comrade Trotsky has clearly proved the proletariat towards the only possible working class they had in mind then, and what is proposed now is that he and Lenin were of one opinion as to the vitality solution.
a capitalist United States of Europe to better resist the competition from American imperialist penetration.
Now as then each main national capitalist grouping is ready for any unscrupulous maneuvre to gain hegemony for itself.
The advancing of this slogan is but one additional One of the latest faction circulars issued by the Love ing series of functionaries of his newly discovered ally, proof of the further accentuation the growing conflict stone group, dated August 31, 1929, and entitled How Brandler, who are joining the German Social Demothe Fights Trotskyism Today sets itself cratic Party.
between American and European capitalism and particularly British capitalism. MacDonala socalled to prove that: the Trotskyist danger still exists in Lovestone seizes upon an insignificant item in the Berlin Volkswille, organ of the Leninbund, which menpeace visit to Hoover fits in well. His part at present menacing form. that the Stalin regime in the Rusis to delude the masses to the real nature of this grow sian Party and in the International is going or has tions the fact that the Party had adopted correct slo: ing conflict. He, the fabian socialist democrat, represengone over to Trotskyism. e. to the viewpoint of gans in the Ruhr struggle, distorts and misrepresents tative of the British imperialists, personifies their the Russian Bolshevik Opposition; and there is a the quotation and presents it triumphantly of more most effective selection to accomplish this aim, as well complete suppression of the struggle against Trot proof that the Party and the Opposition are approachskyism.
ing each other. One has only to read Volkswille and as to maneuver under the mask of peace and good will. for the most favorable position for his masters In order to prove this absurd contention, Love its sharp strictures upon the Party line in general and in this conflict.
stone, who was never notorious for his political honesty the trade union line in particular to realize what value European imperialist diplomats, including those bearproceeds deliberately and unscrupulously to distort, to attribute to this discovery, borrowed from the maul and squeeze his facts to fit them to his un Brandlerist organ, Gegen den Strom.
ing the name social democrats, will perhaps increasingly indulge in discussions of the problem United States tenable thesis. Consider them one by one: same holds for his quotation from Unite Lenof Europe. whether an economic or a political union. We are glad to have an acknowledgment that the iniste, which says that the of France is coming Tendencies toward formation of European industrial Opposition still exists in menacing form in spite of near its line. Unite Leniniste has not been published the fact that Lovestone and his ilk in the International for more than a year! It was not a Trotskyist organ syndicates already appeared some time ago, notably in the steel and chemical industries, always meeting have announced its disintegration, burial and disap but the organ of the Zinovievist adventuress, Suzanne pearance a thousand times in six years.
Girault, who capitulated two years ago to Stalinism the difficulties of national capitalist group interests and To prove these points, Lovestone quotes at and was never readmitted into the Party. The organ from which none of these groups can dissociate themsome length a letter written by Preobrazhensky in April of comrade Treint was Le Redressement Communiste, selves.
1929, a few months before his capitulation to Stalin. which is no longer published now.
TROTSKY AND THE SLOGAN In letter to Oppositionists, Preobrazhensky already Lovestone is unduly flattering Stalin, who is as inComrade Trotsky has long ago, in discussing this forecasts his surrender, and attempts to justify it on capable of understanding the revolutionary content of problem, clearly emphasized the impossibility of a the main ground that both of these ideas (hastening the Opposition Platform as he is of applying it, who European union being accomplished on a capitalist the tempo of industrialization and struggle against recognizes bureaucratic machinations behind the scenes basis; this even aside from what efforts the United agrarian capitalism) have been adopted by the offi as the epitome of political wisdom. The regime of States may make in seeking allies within the European cial majority of the Party. That is, Preobrazhensky Stalin has not changed its attitude towards any of the nations. But he has also particularly stressed the im still pretended to support and justify to a certain ex fundamental aspects the Opposition Platform. He mense significance of the role of the growing Ameri tent the platform of the Opposition presented to the is still the champion of national reformism, e. of can imperialist penetration of Europe since the capi Party in 1927. Lovestone could have brought even socialism in one country and of two class Parties tulation of the German Communist Party and the de more and better proof of his argument by quoting He is still the hero of the Menshevik policy pursued feat of the German proletariat in 1923. He says, from the long letters of Radek and Smilga, also writ in the Chinese revolution and the British strikes of. the period of stabilization. normalization. and ten while in exile, in which they declare that their dif 1926. He continues his brutal assaults upon the Op pacification of Europe including regeneration of so ferences with comrade Trotsky lie in the fact that the position: 23 members, Oppositionists, have cial democracy, has developed in close material and latter has departed from the Platform of the Opposi been expelled in Odessa alone a few weeks ago; comideological connection with the first steps of Ameri tion while Radek and Smilga intend to defend it as rade Rakovsky and other Oppositionists have been sent can intervention in European affairs.
originally conceived and written!
further into the Siberian wilderness and Trotsky The rationalization of industry process initiated in On Preobrazhensky letter, Lovestone then makes still sits in Constantinople.
America, with its colossal mergers and technical im the entirely false comment: It is important to bear That Stalin has nevertheless executed a Left zigprovements of machinery, but based primarily on in in mind that it was on the basis of this letter that zag in the last year is quite true. Cut off from the creased intensity of speed up of the workers, has been really was recently admitted into the Russian Par Right wing, from whom all his political steps were transplanted to Europe. One of the big tasks of the ty. Lovestone knows this to be untrue. Preobrazhen borrowed, he moved under the pressure of the OppoMacDonald labor government to complete this sky, Smilga and Radek wrote their letters while still sition. Stalin has no program of his own, and borrows process in England, including the labor policy of Amer in Opposition ranks, and defended the Platform alternatively from the Right and from the Left. His ican imperialism with its socalled high standard of of the Opposition solely for the purpose of winning loans from the Right are heavy and are paid for heavliving. In reality, as the American workers have bit support in its ranks for their impending capitulation ily. His loans from the Left, made under its whipterly experienced, it is the policy of class collabora something they could not do had they rejected the Plat lash and the demands of the proletariat, are light and tion, exterminating labor unions where that is pos form from the outset. But when they finally capitu lightly repudiated. Stalin Leftism consists of picksible, transforming those that persist in remaining into lated to the Centrist swamp, they declared in their of ing up the splinters and dust around the unshakable company unions existing under schemes of compul ficial statements to the Party (which were published pillars of the Opposition Platform, and of using even sory arbitration; to outlaw strikes and class organiza in Inprecorr and the Daily Worker and of which this debris so that it appears only in caricature. In tions and thus secure an increased share of profit Lovestone cannot therefore be ignorant) that their their fight against Bucharin, the Centrist bankrupts out of the intensified speed up piece work system. whole line of policy, all their activities had been wrong are obliged to use the phrases of the Opposition without The enormously growing American investments in for years, that they renounced their entire past, and being able to understand or knowing how to apply their European industries, with which goes increased politi that they withdrew their signatures from all Opposi content. Even the Five Year Plan, another result of cal dominance, are rapidly acquiring control for Ameri tion documents including the Platform! In other words, persistent Opposition pressure, is taken by Stalin from can imperialism these industries and becoming the the miserable collapse of this trinity before the chapter headings of Opposition textbooks, mismeans whereby the kings of American finance can take of Stalin makes the latter no more of an Opposition applied and deprived of correct socialist, class content.
their payments for European debts, all in all, war ist, than the similar collapse of Zinoviev, Kamenev, Sa Stalin Trotskyism has a certain amount of reydebts and industrial debts, estimated at the stagger farov and Pitakov almost two years ago made one olutionary polish, lots of noise, and little content, ing figure of 20, 000, 000, 000. The American new high of Bucharin, Rykov or Stalin.
like the brightly painted empty barrels which acrobats protective tariff policy is part of this scheme.
The rest of Lovestone proof is of the same caliber. manipulate with their feet.
Incidentally this refutes the reactionary silly non Maslov, Fischer and a whole series of Leninbund funcsense peddled by such types as Matthew Woll in boost tionaries in Germany are being readmitted. Maslov BEG PARDON!
ing the high tariff policy to prevent dumping of cheap and Fischer are even less of Oppositionists than Radek In the article by comrade Trotsky on Brandler and European goods on the American market as repay and Co. They left the ranks of the Opposition which Thalheimer published in our last issue, an unfortunate ment of European debts. The main repayments will they should never have entered almost two years ago typographical error crept in. Speaking of the national be exacted by American imperialism acquiring in but have not yet been taken into the Party although reformist tendencies of the German Right wing, the creased control of European industries with the pro they have sought to negotiate this step for many author is made to say: They don give a flag for th fits of increased exploitation of European workers months. Who compose the whole series of Leninbund Russian revolution, or the Chinese revolution, flowing into the coffers of Wall Street.
functionaries is an inscrutable mystery. Lovestone rest of humanity. It should, of course, reg Very concrete manifestations of the ing role has pret. used them with the actually existdon give a fig for. etc. etc.
power