Age THE MILITANT Saturday, February 18, 1930 The «Third Period» of the Cominterns Mistakes Whare the Symptoms of the Political By Trotsky this revival will in turn depend just as much upon purely European as upon factors.
Radi, alization of the Masses?
of Communism, unfortunately, bas grown does not reflect the basic processes Even in case of a sharp economic crisis very little in the last five years.
at work in the field of the economic strug in the United States, a rise may yet be he question of the radicalization of For Marxists it is no secret that parli gles of the masses. As an enlarged shadow the masses is not exhausted, however, with maintained in Europe for a certain time, of the party, it merely experiences the dethe strike movement.
amentary and muncipal elections sharply because it is unthinkable that capitalism in How do matters cline of the latter after some delay, stand with the political struggle?
distort, and always to the detriment of the United States will be able in the period And above all: how do matters stand with the revolutionary tendencies change the actual The data cited in the present outline of a few short months to reconstruct it.
numbers and influence of the Communist mood of the suppressed masses.
Never confirm with double strength the conclu self for a decisive attack on the world Party?
theless, the dynamics of political developmarket.
sions we made in a semi a priori order in ment find their reflection in parliamentary the first article of the analysis of the strike Finally, the actual course of develope It is remarkable that in speaking of elections: this is one of the reasons why movement figures. Let us recall them once ments may pass between the above outradicalization the official leaders, with a we Marxists take an active part in par more. The years 1919 20 were the culmin lined variations and yield an equivalent in striking light mindedness, ignore the quesllamentary and municipal struggles. But ating point of the proletarian, struggle in the form of a shaky, broken curve with tion of their own party. Meanwhile, the facts what do the figures of the election statistics France. After that, an ebb set in, which, weak deviations upward or downward.
are that beginning with 1925 the membership show? In the legislative elections of 1924 in the economic field, began to change six of the party has been falling from year to The development of the worker, parthe Communist party polled 875, 000 votes, years later by a new, but still slow tide: ticularly through the strike movement in year: In 1925, 83, 000 members; 1926, 65, 000; a little less than ten percent of the total but in the political field the ebb tide or the whole history of capitalism, has been 1927, 56, 000; 1928, 52, 000; 1929, 35, 000. For electorate. In the elections of 1928, the stagnation continues even now, at any rate, closely bound with the development of the the past years, we use the official figures party polled a little more than a million in the main mass of the proletariat. Thus, of the secretary of the Comintern, Platnitzconjunctural cycle. It is not necessary, votes (1, 064, 000. which represented eleven the awakening of the activity of certain ly; for 1929, the figures of Semard. NO however, to conceive this connection meand one third percent of the votes cast. sections of the proletariat in the field of natter how these figures are regarded, they chanically. Under certain conditions that Thus, the specific gravity of the party in the economic struggle, is irrefutable. But this overflow the boundaries of the commercialIre undoubtedly highly exaggerated. As electoral body increased by one and one process too is only passing through its first Industrial cycle (sharp changes of the world whole, they very vividly present the curve third percent. If this process were to con stage, when it is primarily the enterprises of the party decline: in five years, the economic or political environment, sharp tinue further at the same tempo, then the of light industry that are drawn into the social crises, wars and revolutions. it is membership fell by more than half. It may perspective of Chambelland with regards to struggle, with an evident preponderance of not the current demands of the masses evokbe said that quality is more important thirty or forty yoars of social peace the unorganized workers over the organized than quantity, and that there now remain ed by the given conjuncture that find their would appear too. revolutionary.
and with a considerable specific gravity of expression in the strike wave, but their in the party only the fully reliable ComThe socialist party, already non exist the foreign born workers.
munists. Let us assume that. But this is deep historical tasks of a revolutionary ence in 1924 (according to Zinoviev Losok The impetus to the strike struggles character. Thus, for instance, the post war not at all the question. The process of the sky) polted almost 1, 700, 000 votes in 1928, was the rise in the economic conjuncture, radienlization of the masses can by no means strikes in France did not have conjunctural ignify the isolation of the cadres, but on the more than eighteen percent of the total, or with a simultaneous rise of the cost of character but reflected the profound crisis more than one and a halt times the Com living. In its first stages the strengthen of capitalist society as a whole contrary, the influx into the party of reliable Il we munist votes.
ing of economic struggles is not accompanand semi reliable members and the conapproach the present strike in France with version of the latter into reliables. The The results of the municipal elections ied ordinarily with a revolutionary rise. It this criterion, it will present itself primarpolitical radicalization of the masses can change the whole picture very little. In is not evident now either. On the contrary, ily as a movement of conjunctural charbe reconciled with the systematic decrease some industrial centers (Paris, the North)
the economic rise for a certain time may acter; the course and tempo of the labor In party membership only if one considers the winning away, of votes from the social even weaken the political interests of the movement will depend in the most imthe role of the party in the life of the workists by the Communists undoubtedly took workers, at any rate, of some of its sec mediate sense on a further movement of tions.
ing class the same as a fifth wheel to a place. Thus, in Paris the specific gravity the market, on alternating conjunctural wagon Facts are stronger than words: of the Communist vote Increased in four If we take further into consideration phases, on their fullness and intensity.
we observe steady decline of the party years (1925 29) from 18. percent to 21. that French industry has been experiencing All the more impermissible is it, in a not only during the years 1925 27, when the percent, that is, by three percent, at a time a stage of rise for two years now; that changeable moment such as we are now strike wave was ebbing, but also during when the socialist vote fell from 22. per there is no talk of unemployment in the passing through, to proclaim the third the last two yoare, when the number of cent to 18. percent, that is, by four percent. basic branches of Industry and that in some period without any regard for the real strikes was beginning to grow.
The symptomatic significance of such facts branches there is even an acute shortage course of economic lite.
is undeniable: but so far they have only a of workers, then it is not difficult to con There is no need to explain that even At this point, the honorable Panglosses local character, and are strongly discredited clude that with these exceptionally favor in case of a renewal of the favorable of official Communism will interrupt, pointby that anti revolutionary municipaliem able conditions for trade union struggle conjuncture in America and the developing to the disproportion between the personified by Louis Sellier and ther petty the present swing of the strike movement ment of a commerical industrial rise in numbers of the party and its influence.
bourgeois like him. Generally, the muncipal must be acknowledged as extremely moder Europe, the coming of a new crisis is This is now generally the formula of the elections that took place a year after the ate. The basic indications of this moder entirely unavoidable. There is not the Comintern, created by the shrewd for the legislative elections did not bring about ateness are: the depression in the masses least doubt that when a crisis actually simpleton. However, the canonized formula any real changes as a result of the Selliers. that still remains from the last period and arrives, the present leaders will declare not only falls to explain anything but in Other indications of political life speak the slowness of the industrial rise itself. that their prognosis was fully fustified, seme respects even makes matters worse.
The experience of the labor movement testjust as fully against, to say the least, prethat the stabilization of capitalism proved ities that the difference between the extent mature parrottings on the socalled political What Are the Immediate its weakness, and that the class struggle radicalization of the masses, which is to Perspectives?
took on a sharper character. It 18 clear, of organization and the extent of the inhave taken place in the last two years. The however, that such a prognosis costs very fluence of the party all other conditions circulation of Humanite, to our knowledge, Regardless of the rhythm of the con little. One who started to predict daily being equal is all the greater the smaller has not grown in the past two years. The junctural changes, it is only possible to the revolutionary and the bigger the parliathe eclipse of the sun would finally live collections of money for Humanite undoubt forsee approximately the change in the mentary character of the given party.
to see his prediction fulfilled. But it is edly represent a gratifying fact. But such phases of the cycle. What was said reOpportunism is a lot easier than Marxism, doubtful if we would consider such a procollections would have been considerable, fers also to pre war capitalism. But in the phet a serious astronomer, The task of 18 based on the diffused masses. This 16 in view of the demonstrative attack of re present epoch the difficulties of conjunctur the Communiste is not to predict crises, especially evident from the simple compari.
action on the paper, a year, two and three al prediction have multiplied. The world Bon of the socialist and Communist Party revolutions and wars every single day, but market has not attained, after the shake up ago as well.
The systematic growth of the disproporto prepare for wars and revolutions, soberly On the First of August It must not of the war, the establishment of a single tion, with the decline in the numbers of evaluating the situation, the conditions be forgotten for a minute the party was inconjuncture, even though it approached it organized Communists could consequently, which arise between wars and revolutions.
capable of mobilizing not only that part appreciably compared to the first five years mean nothing but the fact that the French It is necessary to foresee the inevitability of the proletariat which voted for it but not after the war. This is why one must now Communist Party is being transformed from of a crisis after a rise. It is necessary to even all the unionized workers. In Paris, be doubly careful in attempting to determine revolutionary into a parliamentary and warn the masses of the coming crisis. But munclpalist party. That this process to a according to the undoubtedly exaggerated beforehand the alternating changes in world to prepare them for the crisis will be more certain degree took place in the last years, accounts of Humanite, about fifty thousand conjuncture.
easily possible the more fully the masses of that the recent muncipal scandals are workers participated in the First of August At the present moment the following under correct leadership, utilize the period incontestable witness; and it may feared demonstrations. That is, less than half of basic variations appear likely: of rise. At the recent (December) Plenum of that parliamentary scandals will follow.
the unionized. In the provinces, matters The New York stock market crisis the national committee of the quite Nevertheless, the difference between the stood infinitely worse. This fact proves, be proves to be the forerunner of a commercialhealtthy thoughts were expressed. Thus, Communist Party in its present form, and it noted in passing, that the leading role of industrial crisis in the United States, which Claveri and Dorelle complained that the the socialist agency of the bourgeoisie, rethe Political Bureau among the reaches great depths in the very next last congress (May 1929) evaded mains enormous. The Panglosses in the apparatus men does not at all mean the months. United States capitalism is com the question of economic demands of the leadership merely slander the French Com leading role of the party among the union pelled to make a decisive turn toward the working masses. The speakers, however, did munist Party when they discourse on some ized workers. But the latter contain only foreign market. An epoch of mad competinot stop to think how it could happen that kind of a gigantic disproportion between tiny fraction of the class. If the revolu tion opens up. European goods retreat bea trade union congress passed by that which its numbers and its influence.
should be its first and most urgent task, It is not tionary rise is such an irrefutable fact then fore this unrestrained attack. Europe enters difficult to prove that the political influence what good is a party leadership which, in crisis later than the United States but In accordance with the socalled self criticthe acute moment of the Soviet Chinese con as a result the European crisis assumes ism. the main speakers this time condemnflict, could not bring out at an anti imper extraordinary acuteness, ed the leadership more thorough Pangloss is Voltaire classic charialist demonstration even quarter (moro The stock market crash does not imly than the Opposition ever did.
acter for whom everthing is at its best in correctly stated, even a tenth) part of its mediately call forth a commercial Industrial However, Dorelle himself introduced this best of all possible worlds. Ed.
electorate in the country. No one demands crisis, but results only in a temporary de not a little confusion in the name of the On the eve of the legislative elec the impossible of the leadership of the party. pression. The blow at stock market specu third period. in connection with the questions of 1924, the president of the class cannot be seduced. But what gave lation bring about better correlation beween tion of the political character of the strikes, in a special appeal to the French Commun the August First demonstration the char the course of paper values and commercial Dorelle demanded that the revolutionary 1st Party pronounced the Socialist party of acter of a flat failure is the monstrous industrial realities, just as between the trade unionists, that is, the Communiste, France as non existent. The call emanat disproportion between the victorious latter and the real buying power of the there are no other revolutionary trade unioned the light winged Lozovsky. shouts of the leadership and the real echo market. After the depression and a period ists in existence at the present time show protested in vain, in a letter addressed to of the masses. So far as the trade union of adjustment, the commercial Industrial the workers in every strike the dependence the president, against this light minded union organizations are concerned, they conjuncture ribes upward once more, even of isolated manifestations of exploitation evaluation, explaining that a reformist parl. went through the party decline Judging by though not as steeply as in the previous upon the whole contemporary regime, and lamentary party may retain a very wide in the official figures after a delay of one period. This variation is not excluded. The consequently the connection between the fluence with a weak organization and even year. In 1926, the numbered reserves of American capitallem are great. immediate demands of the workers and weak press. This was looked upon as 475, 000 members. In 1927, 452, 000. In 1928, Not the last place among them is held by the the task of the proletarian revolution. This my pessimism. Naturally, the results of 375, 000. The loss of 100, 000 members by the government budget (orders, subsidies, etc. is an ABC demand for Marxists. But by the 1924 elections, just as the entire tur trade unions at a time when the strike The withdrawal of funds from Ameri this is not at all determined the character ther course of development this time also struggles in the country increased, repre can speculation generates commercial and of a strike as such. By a political strike light mindedness of Zino Loz vsky. sents an irrefutable that the acti. Si. The further fate of (Continued on Page 8)