Saturday, December 7, 1929 THE MILITANT Page ATES of EUROPE. by Leon Trotsky The Imperialist Dictatorship of America Since 1923, had to conduct a struggle to have the leadership of the CommunIst International consent, finally, to take notice of the existence of the United States and to understand that Anglo American of years understands nothing of the world of Europe Most Remarkable Corpse antagonism constitutes line of the groupings and conflicts in the world. This was considered a heresy even at the time of the Fifth Congress of the middle of 1924. was accused of exaggerating, of enlarging the role of America legend was conceived according to which had prophesied the disappearance of European antagonisms in the face of the American peril. Ogsinsky, Larin and others smeared up not a little paper in order to dethrone powerful America. Radek, following the bourgeois Journalist, affirmed that an epoch of Anglo American collaboration is ahead of us, confusing temporary and eposodic relations with the essence of world developments.
Little by little, however, America was recognized by the official leadership of the Communist International which began to repeat my formulae of yesterday, not falling, of course, to add each time that the Opposition exaggerates the role of America. The correct estimation of America was at that time, as is known, the exclusive prerogative of Pepper and Lovestone, From the moment when the orientation to the Left was established, the reservations disappeared. Now It is obligatory upon the official theoreticians to predict that England and America are moving inevitably towards war. On this subject wrote, some time in February of last year, to the deported comrades: The Anglo American antagonism is at last seriously recognized. It seems that Stalin, and Bucharin are beginning to understand what it is all about. Nevertheless, our papers are simplifying the problem too much when they picture the situation as if Anglo American antagonisms were becoming continuously aggravated and must lead to war right away. There is no doubt that there will still be a few crises in the course of its development. War would be a too dangerous business now for the two rivals. They will still make many efforts to come to an understanding and make peace.
But at the end of all this there is a bloody denouement towards which they are proceeding with great strides.
The present stage assumes anew the aspect of a military collaboration between America and England, and even some French Journals fear to see the rise of an Anglo Saxon dictatorship. It is evident the United States can utilize, and will utilize, their collaboration with England to hold Japan and France in check with the same bridle. But all this will be a stage not towards an Anglo Saxon domination but towards an American dictatorship weighing down on the world, including Great Britain, In this connection, the leaders of the Communist International may repeat that see no other perspective than the triumph American capital, The petty bourgeois theoreticians of Populism likewise accused the Marxists of always conjuring up the victory of capitalism. These accusations are worthy of each other.
When we say that America is moving towards world domination, it does not at all mean that this domination will be entirely realized in fact, nor that, even should it be realized in one measure or another, it will last for centuries or even decades. It is only a question of the historical tendency which, in reality, will change aspect, find itself outstripped, in order to make way for other historical tendencies. Were the cauitalist world able to exist for decades withbut revolutionary convulsions, then these decades would be incontestable indications of the American world dictatorship. But the matter lies precisely in this: That this process will develop its own contradictions that will be added to all the other contradictions of the capitalist system. America will force Europe to strive towards an even greater rationalization and at the same time it will leave Europe only an ever more reduced part of the world market. steady aggravation of the difficulties in Europe will result. The competition of the European powers for this reduced part of the world market will become unavoidably keener. At the same time time, the European powers, under the pressure of America, will endeavor to coordinate their forces. That is the fundamental Bource of Briand program, al is totally incapable of following all the that it is easier to formulate a prognosis Whatever the various stages of develop stages of this development. It buries the after the event than befor it. In reallty, ment may be, one thing is clear: The basic facts under an avalanche of com It is not at all a question of the order in growing disruption of the international monplaces. Even the pacifist agitation which the revolution will be roalized.
equilibrium in favor of America will be the made over the United States of Europe There only suppositions are possible. But essential source of all the crises and rev. took it by surprise.
that does not relieve the European workolutionary convulsions in Europe in the ers or the International in general from coming period. Whoever considers that The Soviet United States the necessity of giving a precise reply to capitalist stabilization is assured for dozens this question: How can European economy be snatched from its diffusion and situation and will inevitably sink, hide and how can the popular masses of Europe hair, into the swamp of reformism.
The question of the of Europe rebe saved from decay and servitude?
If the question is to be viewed from the garded from the proletarian sndpoint, The misfortune is, however, that the way it presents itself on the other side was raised by us in September 1914, that economic ground for the slogan of the of the Ocean, that is, from the standpoint 16, at the very beginning of the war. In United States of Europe invalidates one of the fate of the United States, it is seen the pamphlet, The War and the Internaof the fundamental ideas of the present that here too the perspectives epened up tional, the author of these lines sought to program of the Comintern: the possibilido not at all resemble a peaceful capitalist demonstrate that the unification of Euty of building socialism in a single counidyl.
rope was undeniably put in the foreground try.
Up to the war, the power of the United by its entire economic development but The essential feature of our epoch States grew on the basis of the home that the United States of Europe was in consists in the fact that the productive market, in conformity with a dynamic conceivable except as the political form of forces have definitely passed beyond naequilibrium between industry and agricul the revolutionary dictatorship of the Eu tional frameworks, and have assumed priture. The war brought forward a sharp ropean proletariat.
marily in America and in Europe, partly crisis in this development. The Unit In 1923, when the occupation of the continental and partly world dimensions.
ed States exports capital and manufactRuhr posed anew, in an acute form, the The imperialist war was born out of the ured goods in ever greater proportions. fundamental problems of European econcontradictions between the productive forces The growth of the world power of the omy (primarily coal and iron ore) in conand national trontiers, The final chapter United States means that the whole sys nection with the problem of the revoluof this war, the Versailles treaty, further tem of American industry and banking, tion, we succeeded in having the leaderaccentuated these contradictions. In other that gigantic capitalist skyscraper bases ship of the International adopt the slogan words, in face of the development of the proitself in an increasing degree upon the of the United States of Europe. But the ductive forces, capitalism cannot exist in a foundations of world economy. But this attitude towards this slogan remained hossingle country. Furthermore, socialism can foundation is sapped and the United States tile. Not being in a position to reject it, and must base itself upon ever more decontinues to sap lt day by day. By ex the leadership of the took the same veloped productive forces: otherwise it porting merchandise, capital, by building attitude towards it as to that abandoned would present reaction and not progress a fleet, by squeezing England, by buy child Trotskyism. After the defeat of in relation to capitalism. In 1914 we wrote: ing up the most important enterprises in the German revolution in 1923, Europe If the problem of socialism could be Europe, in making a way for itself in lived the life of stabilization. The fundasolved within the frame work of a national China and elsewhere, United Sates fimental problems of the revolution disapstate, it would thereby be compatible with nance capital is with its own hands dig peared from the order of the day. The slonational defense. The term: Soviet ging cellars under its own foundations gan of the United States of Europe sank United States of Europe expresses the idea where powder and dynamite are accumu into oblivion. It was not included in the that socalism is impossible in a single lating.
Where will the light be put program of the For this new zig country. It cannot even attain the fullness to the wick? In Asia, in Edrope, or in zag, Stalin gave an explanation remarkable of its development within the limits of a South America. or what is most probable, for its profundity: Şince it is not known continent. The Socialist United States of in various places at one time. That is al in what order the nations will make their Europe represents by itself a stage of a ready a secondary question.
proletarian revolution, it cannot be forehistorical slogan on the road to the socialIt is unfortunate that the present seen if the United States of Europe will ist world federation.
leadership of the Communist Internation be necessary. In other words, this means It has happened more than once in history that when the revolution was not strong enough to settle historical problems, it was the reaction that occupied itself with solving them. Thus, Bismarck with the unification of Germany after the failure of the 1848 revolution. Thus, Stolypin tried to solve the agrarian problem afThe future historian of the movement, proceeds in full blast and so on and so ter the 1905 revolution. Thus, the Verin thumbing over the numbers of the Inter forth.
sailles victors solved the national question national Press Currespondence for example, Where is the crisis? What does it in their fashion, which all the previous will be impressed by this astounding fact: consist of? How has Trotskyism disinteg bourgeois revolutions had shown them Trotskyism has been killed, has been rated. In the answer to these questions selves powerless to solve. The Germany revived, has decayed, was born again, be is the only original even if not very cle of the Hohenzollerns endeavored to orcame a corpse and disintegrated, came to ver contribution to the subject by Herberg. ganize Europe in its fashion, that is, to life again, and went through similar rein The disintegration of Trotskyism consists unite it under its helmet. That did not carnations literally dozens of times. in nothing more nor less than the fact that succeed. It was then that the victor ClemIt has been alternately characterized. the revision which the principles of enceau decided to utilize the victory in and condemned as Right wing devia Leninism and the line of the Comintern are order to cut Europe into the greatest postion; Left wing deviation; Cen now undergoing is taking place in the sible number of pieces. And now Brland, trist deviation; The product of pessimdirection of the main ideas of Trotskyism.
armed with needle and thread, is preparing Ism The product of impatience; The The decay of Trotskyism lies in the sur to sew together the pieces in order to expression of the middle peasantry; The reptitious but wholesale appropriation of make a single piece, even if he does not expression of the labor aristocracy; The the leading political ideas of Trotskyism know what end to start with.
result of Kulak pressure; The reflection by the new leaders of the The leadership of the Communist Inof the declassed workers; 10. The agency Make sense out of this if you can!
ternational, and to an extent the leadership of foreign imperialism; 11. tendency to Trotskyism is decaying because it is of the French Communist Party, are exwards syndicalism; 12. An inverted social supposed to have become the basis of the posing the hypocrisy of official pacifism.
reformism; 13. An under estimation (or Comintern line! It is disintegrating beThat alone is insufficient. To explain the over estimation) of the middle (or poor or cause its ideas, its main ideas, are being course towards the unification of Europe rich) peasantry; and so on ad infinitum. appropriated by the leaders of the International! In the next issue of the Revolusolely by the preparation of war against In fact there is no tendency or class or secthe is Infantalism, not to say tion of a class that has not found itself tionary Age there must be an article to worse, and can only compromise the task expressed at one time or another, in one prove that the Democratic Party has deof defending the Soviet Republic. The way or another, by socalled Trotskyism! cayed because it recently won an election slogan of the United States of Europe is So that this corpse of Trotskyism, in It is difficult to take such analysts not a cunning idea of diplomacy. It which the spirits of every class and straseriously. year ago, when it suited Lovebattle springs from the unavoidable economic tum in society was embodied, has become stone factional purpose in the needs of Europe which arise all the more the most remarkable political carcass against Foster, he yelled himselt hoarse acutely as the pressure of the United that history has ever known that is, for about the growing danger of Trotskyism. States makes itself more imperiously felt.
those mutton heads whose gospel is conin order to embarass Foster claims to the precedence of the Right danger in the ParIt is especially now that the Communist tained in the editorial and news columns ty. Today, Trotskyism (in less than a year)
Partles must counterpose the slogan of of the Dally Worker and its replicas in the Soviet United States of Europe to the every country.
has been sunk without a trace by LoveAnnouncements on the stone and Herberg with a simple wave of pacifist comedy of the imperialists. final decay of Trotskyism have now bethe wand. Tomorrow, as necessity requires But the Communist Parties have their come as regular and meaningless in the official Stalinist press as its proclamations they will revive it or kill it again.
hands bound. The living formula, with its of the mass movements organized by the Outside of the single unique contribgreat historical meaning, has been exParty. And this is so because the real dis ution made to the subject by Lovestone punged from the program of the Communist International solely in the interests integration of socalled Trotskyism would Herberg, there is nothing at all original in mean the disintegration of the foundations this thousand and first proclamation of the of the struggle against the Opposition.
That is one more reason for the Oppostof the international Communist movement decay of Trotskyism. It is plagiarized altion to take it up again and proclaim it with which it is synonymous, most word for word from proclamations Now comes the Revolutionary Age written before. It is not only familiar, but with perseverance. With it, the proletarian (No. 3) with an article by Herberg it 18 getting monotonous. And we even wanguard of Europe will say to its present masters: To unity Europe, we must consisting of a fact or two, a few half facts, know where Herberg article was taken first of all wrest power from you. We and a number of lies patched together to from: By actual comparision it is copied We will do it. We will unify Europe.
prove that from the bound volumes of the Internat The Trotskyist movement all over the ional Press Correspondence for the years will unity it against the enemy, and that world is in a state of severe crisis. Polit 1923, 1924, 1925, 1926 and 1927 which Love enemy is the capitalist world. We will ical confusion reigns everywhere and organ stone stole from us in his burglary exped make it the imposing stronghold of millizational disintegration is already in an ition against the menace of the at that make it the cornertant socialism.
advanced stage. The forces of disinteg time non disintegrated Trotskyism. We stone of the socialist federation of the ration of the official Trotskyist movement would appreciate the return of those volcome from two directions. The crisis umes!
October 4, 1929.
world.