THE MILITANT Saturday, February 18, 1930 The «Third Period» of the Comintern Mistakes The Art of Orientation By Trotsky Now that it is possible to close one eyes The art of revolutionary leadership 18 not accidentally, by a systematic decline in to the actual development and to repeat countries and for different conditions, or three incantations: Cantradictions sharprimarily the art of correct political orient the level of the leadership. In the first the European countries, Austria alone, per pen the working masses are turning to the ation Under all conditions, Communism period. Zinoviev, Bucharin, Stalin. In the haps, has gone through a crisis in the past Left. the war is imminent every day, prepares the politica vanguard, and second period: Stalin, Bucharin. In the year which, with the presence of an inthrough it the working class as a whole, every, day, every day. Il our strategic line third period. Stalin and. Molotor. There fluential Communist Party, might have as is determined in the last analysis by the for the revolutionary seizure of power. is a regularity to be seen in this, sumed an immediately revolutionary develBut it does it diferently in different fields inevitablity of the growth of contradictions Let us look closer at the leadership and opment. But it is precisely Austria that is of the labor movement and it different and the revolutionary radicalization of the theory of the third period.
not even mentioned. What are mentioned masses, then our tactics, which serve this periods.
are France, Germany and Poland as those strategy, proceed from the realistic evaluOne of the most important elements in Molotov «Enters With Both Feet. countries which. according to Molotov)ation of each period, each stage, each moorientation is the determination of the The Plenum of the which met find themselves at present in the front ment, which may be characterized by a temmoods of the masses, their activity and a year after the Sixth Congress (July 1929)
ranks of the revolutionary rise. In a porary softening of contradictions, a Rightreadiness for struggle. The mood of the could not simply repeat what the Sixth series of articl98 wo examinod the strike ward turn of the masses, a change in the masses however does not fall from the Congres wave in France, in order to determine its had already said but had to take a skies. It changes under the influence of correlation of forces in favor of the bouractual place in the development of the prohigher note.
certain laws of mass psychology, which are Already on the eve of the geoisie, etc. If the masses were to turn letariat and the country. We hope to anPlenum, the theoretical organ of the Leftwardl uninterruptedly, then any fool set tato motion by objective social conalyze in the same detail, in the nearest ditions, The political condition of the could lead them. Fortunately or unfortunS. wrote: future, the baste indicators which charac In the whole capitalist world the classes is subject, within certain limits, to ately, matters are more complicated, parstrike wave ts rising. This wave is occurterize the struggle of the German working ticularly under the present inconstant, vaca quantitative determination (press circlass. But the conclusions we arrived at culation, attendance at meetings, demoning in the highly developed imperialist illating capricious conditions.
countries as well as in the backward colwith the French example, which is included strations, strikes, elections, etc. etc. In The socalled general line is a phrase, onies at times and in places which interby the Tenth Plenum among the least of the order to understand the dynamics of the three most revolutionary countries of Eur unless we correlate it with each alternating process, it is nocessary to determine in link with elements of a stubborn revoluchange in national and international conditionary struggle and civil war. Into the ope, already show that Molotov analysis is what direction and under the influence a combination of three elements. theorettions. How does the leadership of the of what reasong the mood of the working struggle are drawn and actively participate ical ignorance, political irresponsibility and Comintern act? Instead of evaluating conthe masses of the unorganized. The class changes.
ditions in all their concreteness, it smashes Combining the subjective bureaucratic adventurism, growth of dissatisfaction and the Leftward However It Is data with the objective, it is possible to get not the third period that these elements its head at every new stage and then satgwing of the masses algo embraces the to a cortain degree the perspective of the characterize, but the Centrist bureaucracy isfies the masses for its subsequeat defeat movement, e. the scientifically based premillions of the agricultural workers and. in all periods.
with a change and even expulsion of those oppressed peasantry (Bolshevik, June, diction without which a serious revoluon guard duty in tho Central Committees 1929, No. 12, page tionary struggle is in general inconceivable.
Are Economic Strikes Called Forth of the national sections. We firmly advise But prediction in politics has the charac The picture leaves no room for doubts.
Cachin, Monmousseau, Thaelmann and all ter, not of a rigid scheme, but of a work If the strike wave is actually traversing the By Crises or Rises?
the Remmeles (and Foster! Ed. to preing hypothesis. Directing the struggle to whole world, drawing even the millions Wherein lles the basis of this revolunare themselves in advance for the role of one or the other direction, it is necessary of agricultural workers and oppressed pea tionary rise. Molotov makes the attempt the victims for the theory and practice of attentively to follow the changes in the santry. and interlinking with revolutionto reffect, and right here presents the the Third Period, This will happen when objective and subjective elements of the ory struggle and civil war. then it is fruits of his deliberations: At the basis Stalin has to correct Molotov naturally movement, in order to introduce opportuneclear: the revolutionary situation is at of the rise can only lie the growth of the after the fact.
ly into the tactics corresponding correchand and the task of an outright struggle general crisis of capitalism and the sharp: The Rise of the S, as a tions. Even though the actual development is on the order of the day. Whether to ening of the basic contradictions of the of the struggle never fully corresponds with call such conditions the third period or capitalist system.
Factor in the Third Period the prognosis, that does not absolve tus from to leave them unnumbered on this count we Whoever does not agree, is a sorry having recourse to political prediction. One would agree not to quarrel.
liberal. But where is it written that at must not however. get intoxicated with As the first reason for the revolutionThe tuning fork at the Tenth Plenum the basis of economic strikes can only Anished schemas but continually check up appeared, as is known, in the hands of the lle a crletsInstead of analyzing the acary rise in the last two years, Molotov sees the course of the historic process and con maestro Molotov. In his programmatic the economic crisis which, by the way, he tual economic conditions and finding on foran oneself with its indications.
speech before the leaders of the Comintern, the basis of them a correct place for the discovered deductively. The second reason Centrism, which now rules the com Molotov said. One must be a dull oppor present strike movement, Molotov proceeds he sees in the economic successes of the and he even accuses the PlenIntern; as an intermediary tendency living tunist. one must be a sorry liberal. in reverse order, enumerating a half a dozon the ideas of others, by its very nature in view of the facts of the world labor en strikes, comes to the conclusion about um of the of not having sufficlently appreciated the revolutionizing is incapable of historical prognosis. In the movement, not to see that we have entered the growth of the capitalist crisis and effect of the Five Year Plan. That the econSoviet Republic, Centrism attained its dom with both feet into the realm of most tre. lands in the clouds.
ination under the conditions of reaction omic successes of the Soviet Republic have mendous revolutionary events of interna The rise of the strike movement in a against October, at the descent of the revo tional significance. Pravda, No. 177. gigantic importance for the world labor series of countries was caused, as we almovement does not require any proof. But lation, when empiricism and eclectism With both feet. what power of arguready know, by the improvement of econ from this it does not at all follow that the constituted the warrant that permitted It mentation!
omic conjuncture in the course of the past Five Year Plan is capable, in an a priori to swim with the stream. And since it had Harmonizing with Molotov tuning two years. This refers primarily to France. manner, of causing the revolutionary rise previously been proclaimed that the course fork, Bolshevik, the theoretical organ of the True, industrial revival which is far from of development automatically loads towards in Europe and the whole world. The broad Russian Communist Party wrote in Aug general for the whole of Europe remained working masses do not live by the prossocialism in one country, this in itselt was ust 1929: until now very retarded even in France pective figures of the Five Year Plan. But enough to liberate Centrism from the need On the basis of the analysis of the work and the tomorrow is far from secure at that.
of a world orientation even if we leave aside the Five Year Plan, ing class struggle in the principal capitalist But in the life of the proletariat, even a and take the figures of factual successes But the Communist Parties in the cap countries, the Tenth Plenum established small turn of conjuncture in one direction of industrialization, we still cannot see in italist countries, which still have to strug the development and deepening of the pro or the other does not take place without them the reason for the strike of the dock gle for power or to prepare for such a cesses of the Leftward turn and revolution leaving its mark. If they continue daily to workers in France or the textile workers struggle, cannot live without prediction. ization of the masses, which grows, already lay off workers in the factories, then those in India. Millions of workers are led in correct, every day orientation is ques. at the present time into a beginning of the at work will not have the samo spirit which their actions by conditions which immedition of life or death for them. But they do revolutionary rise. at least in such is bred with them by the hiring of new ately surround them, not to speal of the not learn this most important art because countries as Germany, France, Poland. workers, even though in limited numbers.
fact that the greatest majority of the work.
they are compelled to leap and skip inter. No. 15, page The conjuncture has no less an influence ers learn of the successes or failures of minably at the command of the Stalinist There can be no doubt. If not with his on the ruling classes. In the period of an Soviet economy from the lying articles of bureaucracy. Bureaucratic Centrism which head, then with his feet, Molotov has dec industrial revival which always breeds the bourgeois and social democratic press, Is able to live for a time of the interest isively established the revolutionary charhopes for a still greater revival in the Finally, and this is more important than on the capital of already captured proletactor of the period we are living through. future, the capitalists are inclined to a all the rest. what would immediately im.
Arian power, is entirely incapable of pre Since nobody wants to be called a dull softening of the international contradictions press the broad circles of foreign workers paring the young Parties for the conquest opportunist or a sorry liberal. then Mol precisely in order to secure the developis not the abstract figures of statistics but of power. In this lies the principal and otov argumentation appears to be imme ment of a favorable conjuncture. And this the actual and substantial improvement in most formidable contradiction of the pre diately insured against the criticism of the is the spirit of Locarno and Geneva.
the conditions of the workers in the sent Comintern.
Plenum, Not burdening himself with In the not distant past, we had a It is clear that the conditions of severe The history of the Centrist leadership economic nor political analysis, for reasons great illustration of the correlation of confood difficulties in Moscow and Leningrad Is the history of fatal mistakes in orlent which it must be admitted are very valid, junctural and basic factors.
cannot inspire tens of millions of workers ation. After the epigones missed the revo Molotoy limited himself to a short catalog The years of 1896 1913 were with few in in the capitalist world with revolutionary lutinoary situation in Germany in 1923 of the strikes in the different countries terruptions years of a powerful industrial enthusiasm. It is a fact, unfortunately, which profoundly changed the whole situ. Ruhr, Lodz, Northern France, Bombay, rise. In 1913, this changed to depression, that only about 100 workers came to hear ation in Europe, the Comintern went through etc. as the sole proof of the fact that we which for all informed, clearly opened the the triumphant report of the last French three stages of fatal mistakes.
have entered into the realin of most trelong and drawn out crisis. The threaten delegation to return from the The years 1924 25 were the period of mendous revolutionary events. This is ing break of conjuncture, after the period hundred workers for the whole of Paris!
ultra Left mistakes: the leadership saw an how historic periods are created!
of an unprecedented boom, created an ex This is a menacing warning; but the noisy immediate revolutionary situation ahead There only remained for the Central tremely nervous mood in the ruling classes and boastfut bureaucrats do not consider of them at a time when it was behind Committee and the papers of the national and served as a direct impetus to the war. It necessary to reflect upon it.
them. In that period they called us Marxist sections to see to it that their own feet, of course, the imperialist war grew out of Leninists Rights and liquidators getting ahead if possible of their heads, basic contradictions of capitalism. This The Slogan of the General Strike The years 1925 27 were the period of should be immersed as quickly as possible generalization is known even to Molotov open opportunism, which coincided with a into most tremendous revolutionary But on the road to war, there were a Entering so heartily into the most stormy rise of the labor movement in Eng events. But is it not a suspicious circum whole series of stages when the contradictremendous revolutionary events Molotov land and the revolution in China. In this stance that the revolutionary situation ap tions either sharpened or softened. The five minutes later returns to the same period they called us nothing else than pears simultaneously in the whole world, same applies also to the class struggle of strikes and unexpectedly declares, How ultra Leftists.
in the metropolises and the colonies, com the workers.
ever, these manifestations against capital Finally, in 1928, the Third Period is pletely ignoring in this period the law of In the pre war period, the basic as well and reformism that serves it, still bear an proclaimed, which repeats the Zinovievist uneven development. that 18, that single as the conjunctural processes. developed 1solated and fragmentary character. mistakes of 1924 25 on a higher historical historic law which, at least in náme, 19 much more regularly than in the present plane. The Third Period. has not yet known to Stalin? In reality, there can be period of brusks turns and steep breaks, It would seem that isolated and fragcome to a close: on tho contrary it con no talk of such simultaneousness. The an. when comparatively steep breaks, when mentary strikes occur in different countries tinues to rago, laying organizations and alysis of world conditions is substituted for, the comparatively less important vacilla for quite different reasons, but in general, minds to waste we have just seen, by the summing up of tious in econom breed tremendous leaps in arising as they do out of a conjunctura!
in All the three periods are characterized. isolated conflicts occuring different politics. But from this it does not at all Oontinued on Page