THE MILITANT Saturday, January 25, 1930 The «Third Period» of the Comintern Mistakes What is Radicalization of the Masses?
By Trotsky was mentioned above, only the establishinents of light industry. From this fact, The radicalization of the masses for an economic struggle, and show very littel for 1929 with approximately the same Chambelland comes to a general conclusion the Comintern has become, at present, a interest in political questions, On the number of participants as in 1928 (that is, against radicalization.
bare catechism and not the characterization It would be a difother hand, suffering from a series of 400, 000 to 450, 000. Thus, in compariston ferent maiter, he says, if strikes were of a process. Genuine Communists failures on the field of the economic with the preceding year there is no rise. taking hold of the large enterprises in teaches Humanite should recognize the struggle, the mass may abruptly transfer The number of strikers in 1928, as also heavy industry and the machine shops. In leading role of the party and the radical its attention to the realm of politics. in 1929, is about twice as big as in 1925. other words, he imagines that radicalizaization of the masses. It is meaningless But here too depending upon a series of It is nearly the same as the number of tion falls from the sky ready made. As a to put the question that way. The leading conditions and on the experience with strikers in 1921: It is three to three and matter of fact these figures testify not only rule of the party is an unshaken principle which a mass entered these conditions a halt times less than in 1920.
that the new cycle of proletarian struggle for every Communist Who does its political activity may go either by the purely parliamentary way or by way of All these figures, as has already been not follow it can be an anarchist or a conhas begun, but also that this cycle is now noted above, do not pretend to be absoonly passing through its first stage. After fusionist, but not a Communist, that is, a extra parliamentary struggle.
lutely exact, but they are enough to define defeat and decline, revival, in the abproletarian revolutionist. But radicalizaWe take only a very few examples, tion itself is not a principle, but only a the dynamics of the process. After the sence of any great events, could only start which characterize the contradictions of high point of strikes in 1919 20, the dim in no other way than from the industrial acter ation a state the masses.
the revolutionary development of the pro inishing progression takes place until 1928, periphery, that is, from the light industries, Is this characterization correct or is it letariat. Those who know how to follow with a very small break in 1923. In the from the secondary branches, from the not correct for the given period? That facts and understand their meaning, will years of 1928 29 we observe an unmistak smaller establishments of heavy industry.
is a question of fact. In order to estimate admit without difficulty tiyat the varia able, and, what is more, a considerable The transfer of the strike movement into seriously the state of the masses, correct tions traced above are not some kind of increase of the strike movement, connected the metal Industry, machine shops, and criteria are necessary What is radicalltheoretical combination but an expression it is not bard to understand it will be transportation, would mean fts transition zation? How does it express itselt? What of the living international exeperience of shown further on with the rise in industo a higher stage of development, and are its characteristics? With what tempo the last decade.
try under the influence of the stabilization would signify not only the symptoms of and in which direction does it develop?
In any case, it is clear from what has of the currency.
The deporable leadership of the French the beginnig of a movement but the fact Communist party does not even pose these been sald that when the radicalization of We can say with perfect confidence of a decisive break in the mood of the questions. At most an official article or the masses is being discussed, a concrete that the period of 1919 27 forms a certain working class. It has not come yet. But speech will refer to the growth of strikes. definititon of it should be demanded. The independent cycle in the life of the French it would be absurd to shut our eyes to the first stage of the movement only because But even there only bare figures are given, Marxist Opposition should, of course, put proletariat, including the cyclonic rise of without serious analysis, without even a the same demand to itself. bare denial the strike movement immediately after the third, or the fourth.
the second has not begun yet or the imple comparison with the ones of tho of radicalization brings just as little as war, as well as its defeats and its decline Pregnancy even in preceding years.
its complete afirmation. We should have especially acute after the catastrophe in its second month is pregnancy. To force an estimate of that which is and of that Germany in 1923, in the most general of It may lead to a miscarriage. But it is Such an attitude to the question folwhich is becoming.
its aspects thie cycle is characteristic not possible to arrive at the same result by ows not only from the unfortunate decisions of the Tenth Plenum of the I, but, The Strike Curve in France only of France alone, but of the whole of ignoring it. It may be well, though, to Europe, and in considerable degree, the add to this analogy that in the social is a matter of fact from the very program realm dates are by no means as stable as whole world, of the Comintern. It speaks of the rad The official leaders speak of the What is characteristic of France as such is the comparatively modin the realm of physiology.
calization of the masses as a continuous radicalization of the French working rocess. It believes: today the mass is class almost exclusively in connection with erate extent of fluctuation between the Facts and Phrases ore revolutionary than it was yesterday, the strike movement. The growth of the highest and lowest points of the cycle: latter is an incontestable fact, systematvictorious France did not go through nd tomorrow it will be more revolutionary In discussing the question of the radgenuine revolutionary crisis. In the rythm Icalization of the masses, it should not for han it is today. Such a mechanical idea ically established. We will take this fact of the French strike movement the gigan a moment be forgotten that the proletar! oes does not correspond with the real as a starting point.
tic events developing in Russia, Germany, lat attaing it monolithisma only in periods rocess of development of the proletariat The official statistic of strikes in England, and other countries found only of the highest revolutionary flood tide. In nd of capitalist society as a whole. But France are always extraordinarily late. a weakened reflection.
the conditions of every day Hte in capdoes correspond, as perfectly as possible, The last report of the Ministry of Labor ith the mentality of the Caching, Monitalist society, the proletariat is far from on strikes ends with the year 1925. For The same tendencies of the strike ousseaus and the other frightened opporbeing homogeneous. Moreover, the heter1926 have not data at my disposal. For movement of the French workers are inpists.
dicated by other data. The number of ogeneity. of its layers manifests itself most the next three years there is the data of strikers and the number of days of each acutely precisely at the turning points in The social democratic parties, espec the Communist press. There is absolutely strike, fell sharply beginning with the year the road. The most exploited, the least lly before the war, had imagined the fut no doubt that the figures taken from the 1922. In 1991 each strike had an average skilled, or the politically most backward e as a continual growth of social demo two sources mentioned aro incommensurof 800 strikers and lasted more layers of tbe proletariat are frequently than ratic votes, which will grow till it comes able. It is doubtful if the Ministry of 14, 000 days. In 1925 each strike already the first to enter the arena of struggle. the very moment of the complete posses Labor registers all strikes with the necesand, in case of fallure, are often the had less than 300 strikurs and a little more on of power. For a vulgar or pretended sary completeness, On the other hand, than 2, 000 days. We can assume that in first to desert it. It is exactly in the new evolutionary this perspective still re the superficial revolutionists of Hu.
1926 27, these averages did not in any case, period that those groups which did not aing, essentially, Its force, only instead of manite bave an obvious tendency to give In 1929, we already have suffer defeats in the preceding period are grow bigger.
continuous growth of votes, he talks of exaggerated data. But in spite of that 400 men per strike.
easily attracted to the movement, it only he continual radicalization of the masses. the general tendency of the movement because they did not generally take part This mechanical conception is sanctioned comes out clearly enough.
We shall note another important in big fights.
index, which we shall need later. In the In ono way or another, Iso by the Bucharin Stalin program of The strike France movement in these phenomena are bound to appear al80 he Comintern. It goes without saying that pos! war scars, the first place among the reached Its highest point in the first two in France.
rom the point of view of our epoch as a years after the war. In 1919, 2, 100 strikes strikers bclonging mainly in the minera shole the development of the proletariat the last two years, the first place is 0cThe same fact is shown by the indetook place in which 1, 200, 000 workers paroes in the direction of the revolution, cupied by the textile workers and, in gensision of the organized French workers ticipated. In 1920, there were 1, 900 strikes, which is pointed out by the official Com But this is not at all a straight process, in which almost 1, 500, 000 workers were eral, by the socalled light industry.
munist press. Yes, the organized workers ust as the objective process of the sharp involved. As to the number of strikers, What do the Data of the Statistics have their inbibitions too well developed.
ning of capitalist antagonism is not this is the year of its high point. With Considering themselves an insignificant straight The reformists gee only the ups the year 1921 there begins with one small Show?
part of the proletariat the organized are of the capitalist road. The formal revoluexception which will be mentioned later ionists see only its downs. But a Marxist Do they confirm the thesis of the radoften apt to play a conservative role. It a systematic decline, which reaches its icalization of the masses or do they reis not, of course, an argument against, orJees the line as a whole, with all its con lowest point in the years 1926 27. Here are ganization, but an argument Against its junctural rises and declines, without for a the figures in round numbers: 1921: 450, 000 fute it? First of all, we answer, it takes weaknesses, and an argument against those moment losing sight of is main direction strikers, that is, one third of the number it out of the realm of abstractions in trade union leaders of the type of Monto the catastrophies of wars, to the out in the preceding year. In 1922: 300, 000 which Monmousseau says Yes and Chammousseau, who do not understand the naburst of revolutions.
strikers. Only in 1923 does the curve not belland says No, without giving any definition of what is meant by radicalization.
ture of trade union organization and are The political feelings of the proletar decline but even rises slightly and shows not able to guarantee it proper place The data of the strike struggle given above at are far from changing automatically 365, 000 strikers. This episodic rise was are indisputable proof of certain moves in in the working class. But, in any case, In one and the same direction. The rising undoutedly due to the events connected the working class. At the same time, for the given moment the vanguard role of the class struggle are followed by its with the occupation of the Ruhr and the of the unorganized testifies that the quesrevolutionary movement in Germany. In Callings, the flood tides by the ebbs, dethey give a very important estimate of tion is not as yet about a revolutionary, pending upon complicated combinations of 1924, the number of strikers goes down to the number and quality of these moves.
but about a foint economic struggle, and They outline the general dynamics of the material and ideological conditions, inter 275, 000. For 1926, as already said, we have that. moreover, in its elementary stage.
bal and international. The activity of the no data. For 1927 we have only the total process and make it possible, to a certald masses, if not utilized at the right moment, The same thing is demonstrated by number of strikes: there were only 230 of degree to anticipate the tomorrow, or more or used wrong, goes to its opposite and the important role of the foreign born them, while in the years 1919 1925 the exactly, the possible variations of the tomorrow.
workers in the strike struggle, who by ends in a period of decline, from which number of strikes varied between 570 and the masses recover faster or slower, again the way will in the future play in France 2, 100. Although the number of strikes is In the first place, we can affirm that due to the influence of new objective stima part analogous to that of the Negroes a rather crude index, still it does not the data for 1928 29, compared with the in the United States.
n11.
But that is in the The characteristic of our epoch 18 preceding period, characterize the beginleave room for doubt that the curve of future.
the especially sharp changes o, ditferent ning of a new cycle in the life of the French At present, the part played in strikes continued, in general, to fall, beperiods, the extraordinary abrupt turns in strikes by the foreigners who often do not ginning from 1921 and including 1927. In proletariat. They give us the right to asthe situation and this puts upon the leadknow the language, is another proof of the last quarter of 1927, there were 93 sume that deep molecular processes have orship unusual obligations in the matter the fact that it is not a question of political strikes with 70, 000 strikers. Supposing taken and are taking place in the masses, ot correct orientation, but economic struggle, to which an impetthat the number of strikes was the same as a result of which the inert force of the decline begins if only on the economic us has been given by the change in the ecThe activity of the masses, even when on the average during the whole year. an front for the present to be overcome. onomic conjuncture.
It is quite correctly ascertained, may bavo obviously arbitrary supposition. we will have approximately 170, 000 for 1927, a different expressions depending upon ditNevertheless, tho same data Even in relation to the purely econ? erent conditions, The mass may, at cer number which is exaggerated rather than omic front, one cannot speak of the offen.
that the growth of the strike movement 18 understated.
tain periods, be completely absorbed in still very modest, and does not in sive character of the struggle, as MonIn 1928, the Communist press counts least give a picture of a tempetuous over mousseau and company do. They basc official central this definition on the fact that a considerorgan of the about 800 strikes, about 600 of which be flow, which would allow us to draw conFrench Communist Party. What comrade able percentage of the strikes are conlong to the second half of the year, with clusions about a revolutionary or at Trotsky writes about it applies with little 363, 000 participants.
ducted in the name of increased wages.
Consequently it is least a pre revolutionary period. In parut any change to the official press of the The thoughtful leaders forget that such a pose ble to adopt for the whole year of ticular, there is no marked difference beStalinists in other countries, the Daily form of demands is forced upon the work1928, a hypothesis of 400, 000 to 450, 000 tween 1928 and 1929. In the front rank of ere on one hand by the rise of prices The cama NASA shows 200 strikes the strike movement, there still stand, show The