Ace THE MILITANT Saturday, Febraary 22, 1930 The «Third Period» of the Comintern Mistakes able.
What «No Agreements with the By Trotsky listen, listen: Molotov is talking. It is known to everyone that the danger of a Reformists (1926 1928. or by identifying social democ der the influence of the Leftward swing of new imperialist war is growing every day.
racy with Fascism, to substitute helpless the workers. That did not prevent us Bol Nevertheless, Varga sees the contrary.
But there is another important tactical abuse for revolutionary policy. As a result sheviks from entering into agreements with Isn it monstrous. How does Varga dare deduction from the Third Period. which of the zig zags of the past six years, we the Leftward moving reformists, putting deny that precisely as a resalt of the exeMolotov expresses in these words: Now have the strengthening of the social dem very precise conditions to them. One of cution of the Young reparations plan, the more than at any other time the tactic of ocracy and the weakening of Communism. these innumerable agreements was, for in sharpening of contradictions are unavoid.
coalition between the revolutionary organiThe mechanical directives of the Tenth stance, Zimraerwald. Whenee, this self satiszations and the organizations of the reforPlenum can only serve to worsen the al: fied confidence of the social patriots of All this is so absurd, so primitively mists is inadmissible and harmful. Pravdu ready sufficiently damaged situation.
yesterday, that the masses, when they actstupid, that it even disarms frony. It is No. 177, August 4, 1929. Only a hopeless ignoramus can imagine ually approach the advanced positions of known to everybody, that the danger of Agreements with the reformists are inadthat due to the miraculous power of the the revolutionary rico, will not bring fornew imperialist war grows daily.
missable now more than at any other Third Period. the working class as a ward a new shift of Caching, Monmouspower of thought! Known to everybody?
time. Does it mean thay they were inadwhole will turn away from the social dem seaus, Thaelmanns, and others. the socunfortunately, this is known only to a small missible before too? How then shall we ocracy driving the whole reformist bureauc ond edition, let us hope, will be better percent of humanity, just as the newlyexplain the whole policy of the years 1926 racy into the camp of Fascism. No, the than the first and that we shall not be appeared leader of the Comintern does not 1928? And precisely why have agreements process will develop by more complicated men by the ears into revolutionary posi know at all how the growth of the war with the reformists, inadmissible in gener. and contradictory roads. growing dis compelled once more to pull these gentle danger proceeds in reality. It is absurd al, become particularly inadmissible now?
satisfaction with the Social Democratic tion, entering with them into episodic that it increases deily just as it is absurd Because, they explain to us, we have engovernment in Germany, with the Laborites agreements, putting before them, in later that the reasses go further to the Left tered a period of revolutionary ascent. Yet in England, the transformation of partial etages, 21 and perhaps 42 conditions, or daily. We have before us a dialectical prowe cannot but recollect that the conclusion and isolated strikes into mass movements, on the contrary, throwing them overboard cess with temporary weakening of imperof a bioc with the General Council of the etc. when all these developments actually with their heads into the mud of opportun ialist friction and their new growth. MoloBritish trade unions was motivated at the do take place. will have as their unavoid ism, when they start to draw back?
toy may have heard that even the developtime precisely by the fact that England able consequence we propose to all the The omcial theoreticians quite falsement of the preductive forces of capitalhad entered a period of revolutionary asMolotovs to carve it on thelr noses. ly explain the present strengthening of the ism, the most basic of all its processes, cent, and that the radicalization of the Bri Leftward turn of very wide circles of the Right wing in Communiom by the last, that does not quite take place daily but tish working masses pushed the reformists reformist camp. Just as the inner process the incer reformists got scared of the through crise and rises, through periods to the Left. By what incident is yesterday in the necessitated the Lettward radicalization of the masses. Here is a of the drop of the productive forces, and tactical super wisdom of Staliniam stood on swing of the Centrist camp to which Mol complete misunderstanding of political even their mass destruction (during war. its head. We would look in vain for a solotov timself belongs.
psychology! Opportunism presupposes a Along these lines develop also the pollution to the riddle. It is quite simple: the The social democrats and those of the Fery great elasticity and abillty for adapta tical processos, but with stil sharper conempiricists of Centrism burned their hands Amsterdam International with the excerf tion. It a mass pressure ware felt, the vulsions.
on the experiment of the Anglo Russian tion of the more conscious Right wing ele Brandlers, Jileks end Lovetches would In 1923 the reparation problem lcd to Committee and with a strong oath they ments (types like Thomas, Herman Mueller, have moved to the Left and rot to the Right, the occupation of the Rubr. This was an want to guard against scandals in the fuRenaudel, etc) will be compelled, under particularly such worn out careerists as outright staging of war on a stcall scale.
ture. But an oath will not help, for our corresponding conditions, to assume the Sellier, Carchery, and others who are con but this scale appeared sufficient to create strategists have not yet understood the lesleadership of the advance of the masses it corned primarily with the rateation of their a revolutionary situation in Germany. The Bons of the Anglo Russian Committee.
is understood, only in order to confine these legislative mandates. It is true, tee capac Comiatorn, directed by Zinoviov and StalThe mistake was not in making the ep advances within carrow limits, or in order ity of opportunists for moving Leftward in, and the German Communist Party, led Isodic agreement with the General Council, to attack the workers from the rear when is not unlimited. When the Rubicon the by Brandler, wrecked this exceptional opwhich was actually going Lett in that they will overstep these limits. Although we decision, the uprloing is reached, the ma portunity. The year 1924, which brought period (1926) under the pressure of the know that in advance, and openly warn the jority of them Jumps back to the Right the Dawes Plan, was a year of weakening masses. The first mistake was in the fact vanguard about it, nevertheless, in the fu wing. This was proved by the experience of the revolutionary struggle in Germany that the bloc was concluded not on concrete ture there will still be tens, hundreds and of even so tempered a Party as the Bol and started the softening of contradictions practical tasks clear to the working class thousands of cases when the Communists shevik (Zinoviev, Kamenev, Rykov, Kalin between France and Germany. This is how but on gencral pacifist phrases and falsely not only unable to refuse practical in, Tomsky, Lunacharsky and others. Ar the political prerequisites for esonomic diplomatic formulas. The chief mistake, agreements with the reformists, but will ter the victory, the opportunists once moro stabilization were created. When we stathowever which grew into a gigantic his Lave to take the initiative in such agree moved Left. or more correctly to the ed this aloud, or more correctly, when wo torical crime, lay in the fact that our stra ments in crder, without letting the leader side of power (Licovsky, Martinov, Kussi predicted this development at the end of tegists could not immediately and openly ship out of their hands, to break with the nen and others, cad following them, such 1923, Molotov and the other wise ones, acbreak with the General Council when it reformists the moment they turn away from heroes as Popper, Cachin and Frossard. cusing us of liquidationism, immediately turned its weapons against the general shaky allies iato open betrayers. This But in Franco matters are far from hav. entered confidently into a period of rerolustrike, that is, when it turned from an un policy will be unavoidable primarily in re jag reached a decision. And if the French tionary asccnt.
reliable semi ally into an open enemy. gard to the Loft Social Democracy, which opportunists do not go Loftward at pres The yoars of stabiliation brought forth The influence of the radicalization of during an actual radicalization of the ent, but jump to the Right, then this in it new contradictions and sharpens a series masses, will be compelled to cppose the self is a true sign that the revolutionary a masses on the reformists is quite simof old ones, The qusetion of the revision dlar to the influence that the development Right wing more decisively, even to the pressure ct the masses is not felt, that the of the Dawes plan rosa in all its sharpof a bourgeois revolution has on the lib point of a split. This perspective in no way Party is growing wealt, and the municipal nese Had Franca or Germany refuse to erals. In the first stages of the movemeat contradicts the fact that the head of the and other careerists Lope to retain their ccept the Young Plan, Europe would have of the masses the reformists move Leftward, Iet Cocial Democracy most often consists mandates by coming out against Commu been confrcated today with a repetition of of the most degraded and dangerous allies hoping in this way to retain the leadership nism. The desertions of such rotted ele the Ruhr occupation, but on a far wider in their hands. But when the movement of tac dcurgeoisie.
ments is in itself a geln for the party. But scals, with the consequences following from overflows the limits of reform and de How is it possible to refuse practical the misfortune lies in the fact that the it. Eut precisely this is lacking. All the mands from the leaders an outright break agreements with the reformists in those at one and the same time falec, irresponsi participants in the same considered it wiswith the bourgeoisie, the majority of the cases where, for instance, they are leading ble, adventurist self praising and coward er at the present moment to coino to an reformists sharply change their tone. From Etrikes?
If there ere very few of such ly policy of the official leadership creates agreement, and instead of a second Ruhr cases cow, it is because the strike movecowardly fellow travellers of the messes, a very favorable cover, for the decertors occupation, we ses a cleaning up of the they turn into strike breakers, enemies, mont itself is very woak as yet and the reand pushes towards them proletarian ele Ruhr clatrict. Ignorance is characterized open betrayers. At the same time, however, forrists can igncra and sabotage it. But ments whose place should be in the Coin by the mixing up ct thiegs, knowledge part of them, consisting not entirely of with the Crawing into the struggle of great munist ranks.
though bogins with their differentiation.
their better elements, jump over into the Lasses, agreements will become nevoidMerxism tas never indulged in ignorance.
camp of the revolution. An episodic agree able for both sides. It is just as impossible Once More on War Danger Bat must there not, exclaims our stratment with the reformists, at the moment to block the way for practical agreements In order to worsen this tangle the egist, as a result of the execution of the when under the influence of conditions, with the reformiots not only with the SoYour reparation plan, nesesearily come a they happen to be compelled to make a cial Democratic cass, but la meny instances recognition of an immediate revolutionary further sharpening of contradictions. Nealso with their leaders or what is more step or a half step forward, may be unsituation is multiplied by the acnouncecessarily come! But as a result, it 12 neavoidable. But it must be understood, be likely with part of the leaders in the ment of Just es immediate a war danger.
cessary to understand the succession of forehand that the Communists are ready struggle against Fasoism. This perspective In defense of this thosis, Molotov unexevents and the dialectics of their alternato break mercilessly with the reformists the rey turn out to be not very far off, act pectedly directed the full power of his tion. As a result of high capitalist conmoment they take a jump backward. The only in Austria but also in Germany. The knowledge against Varga, the well known juncture there inevitably comes a depression reformists are betrayers pot because they directives of the Terth Plenum are simply theoret! cian courtier, the Shakesperian PoEcd sometimes a crisis.
a resul: ct the psychology of opportunists onlous who is inclined to say something carry out, at cvery given moment and in docs not follow that a high condecture is as But from this it every one of their acts, the direct instruc scared to death.
agreeable to evory prince, Right or left, strong as a low one, and that a crisis tions of the bourgeoisie. If that is how the The Staling, Molotovs, and the other depending upon the state of weather. This grow3 daily.
matter stood, the reformist3 would have no aliies of yesterday of Chiang Kai Shek. As a result of his life time however, Polonius did not hit the a human boing follows his ancestors, but influence on the workers, and consequently Wang Chia Wc, Purcall, Cock, Fimmen, mark. His very scqualatance with the forfrom this it docs not flow that a man does La Follette and Raditeh, will undoubtedly would not be needed by the bourgeoisie.
eign preds, with facts and figures, preventnot go through the periods of infancy, Precisely ia order to have the necessary raise the cry that the left Opposition stands ed his timely replacement of the moridien growth, ilices, maturity and cld 2g, bcfor a bloc with the Second International.
authority for the betrayal of the workers of the Comintern at the place where Molofore he reaches the gates ct death. IgnorThese cries, 23 soon as the real Loftward at the decisivo riomont, the opportunists are tov stopped with his left leg. Varga brought ance is characterized by the mixins up of compelled at the preparatory period to as sving of the working ciass takos tae buinto the resolution the following political sume the leadeship of the workers strugreaucrats unaware3, will not prevent the things. The apple of wisdom teaches to correction: 813, particularly at the beginning of the distinguish them. But Molotov never had pronouncomert of a fourt period, or ec The sharpening of imperialit cona bite or that fruit.
ond stage of the third, and all the Moloprocess of the radicalization of the masses.
tradictions which not one of the major imThe sorry schematicism of the present From here follows the necessity of the toys will entor at least with both feet pertallet countries considers at present senleaders is nct altogether innocent; on the united front tactic, in connection with into an epoch cf opportunist experiments sible to decide by way of war, compels them which we are compelled for the sake of a like the Anglo Russian Committee and the to attempt temporary conciliation of these contrary, it practically strikes the revoworkers and peasants Kuo Min Tang.
contradictions in the sphere of the repara conflict created an urgent necessity for the lution at every step.
broader unification of the masses to enter The Soviet Chinese into practical agreements with their retlons question.
Do Not Forget Your Own It would seem that this ultra careful formist leaders.
mobilization of the masses against the war danger and for the defense of the Soviet phrase is absolutely irrefutable. But as It is necessary to understand the bis Yesterday Valon. There is no doubt that on this road it nevertheless, demanded some additional toric function of the social democracy as a the Communist parties, even under the prewhole in order to force them step by step Let the present leaders of the French strain of thought, Molotov was completely sont conditions, could have attained considout of all their positions. The present lead Communist Party, just as, by the way, all exasperated, How can one think, he yelled erable successes. For this it was necessary ership has not even a trace of such an un the other Parties in the International re. that not one of the main imperialist powers does not consider it sensible at present that in the propaganda the tremendous fact derstanding. It knows only two methods: call their own still fresh history. All of should speak for the them, with uth, either, in the spirit elt. But as it out of to decide the imperialist contradictions by drag at the tail of the social democracy came from the ranks of the reformists un way of war? It is known to everyone. Continued on Page