MILITANT Saturday March 22, 1930 150 Letter To The Italian Left Communists (To the Adherents of Comrade Bordiga)
By TROTSKY tatorship. Was this analogy correct? ComDear Comrades!
pletely. Historically, it ras proven very have just become acquainted with fruitful. Within the same limits, the analthe contents of the document, 4Platiorm ogy with Thermidor is fruitful and justifof the Left which, though issued in 1926.
The Syndicalist League, led by Mon ized by the governmental apparatus. This able. have hes Just come into my hands.
What was the distinctive feature atte is in itselt an embryo party; it explains why the Opposition which has of the French Thermidor?
also read your letter addressed to me in recruits its members, not on a trade union gathered and educated new revolutionary It was the first stage of the victorious counter revoNo. 20 of Prometeo, as well as several basis; but on an ideological basis, on the cadres numbered only in the thousands 15 lution.
leading articles in this paper, this having After the Thermidor, the Jacobins basis of a particular platform, and seeks in actuality the Bolshevik party, while the could no longer have (if they could have given me the opportunity, after a very long to influence the trade unions from without Stalin faction which carries on formally in a general manner) regained power exinterruption, to refresh my meager knowor, when possible, to subordinate them to in the name of a Party of 1, 500, 000 memcept by means of their own uprising. Thus, ledge of the Italian language. This docuits ideological influence. These are the bers, and of a Communist youth of 2, 000, the stage of Thermidor has, in a certain ment, as well as the articles and speeches indices of party, But the Syndicalist 000 strong, in reality undermines and desenge, distinctive character.
of comrade Bordiga, aside from my perLeague is a party without a finished con stroys the Party.
But the counter revolution was not yet completed sonal acquaintaince with him, permit me, stitution, having no definite form, which to a The Class Character of the that is, the real masters of the situation certai extent, to pass Judgement clear in neither theory nor program, were not yet in power; for that the next upon your basle idea as well as on the which has not become conscious of Itselt, AlI note with satisfaction, on the basis stage was necessary.
degree of your solidarity with us.
which hides its true nature, and so deprives of your letter published in Prometeo though, in order to reply to this last ques itselt of all possibility for development.
that you are in complete accord with the What is Thermidor?
tion, not only are the principle theses of Souvarine, in the course of the strucOpposition on the question of the definiimportance, but your political orientation Finally, the complete victory of the gle against the bureaucracy and disloyalty tion of the social nature of the Soviet towards the events of the day as well, counter revolution, bringing with it the of the apparatus of the has likewise State. On this question, the ultra Leftists (The Sino Russian conflict has brought come restoration of the monarchy, the indemYet to denial of the political (see Ouvrier Communiste, No. 1) reveal.
this home clearly to us once again. nification of feudal landlords, etc. was action of the Party itself, though by with absolute clearness their complete believe that our solidarity at least, goes different route. While proclaiming the assured by the foreign intervention and break with the fundamentals of Marxism.
quite far. If do not express myself catthe victory over Napoleon.
death of the International and its French In Hungary, egorically at the present time, it is solely The question of the class character of after a short period of Soviet power, tho section, he at the same time considers the because wish to permit time and the social regime rests on the question of counter revolution was established comexistence of the Opposition to be useless course of events to substantiate our ideoits political structure which in turn falls pletely after a single armed blow.
since, according to him, the political conAro logical closeness and our mutual underback on the degree of bureaucracy and we to expect a similar danger in the ditions are unsuitable. In other words, he administration. hope that they will be standing.
As far as they are con R?
denies the necessity for the existence of the Certainly not. But anyone completely and lastingly confirmed.
cerned, the question of the ownership of can recognize open counter revolution; it Party which always, and under all circum. The Platform the means of production does not exist.
of the Left does not require any commentaries.
stances, represents the revolutionary in.
In democratic America, as well as in Fas(1926) made a great impression on me.
terests of the proletariat.
cist Italy, those who are accused of preWhen we speak of Thermidor, we have believe that it is one of the best documents These are the reasons why attach in mind an underhand counter revolution, paring the expropriation of the factories, of the International Opposition, and which, clandestinely prepared, and which is acsuch importance to our solidarity on the the shops and mines of the capitalistsin many points, retains its importance yet, questions of the Party, its historic role, complished in several stages.
are shot or fastened to the electric chair.
The first Particularly important, especially for its unceasing activity, its duty to struggle stage, which we call conditionally TherIn the Soviet Republic even today under France, is that the platform lays the most in order to insure its influence in all midor, would signity the transfer of power the Stelln bureaucracy the engineers stress, in respect to the revolutionary polphases of the working class movement.
to the hands of new soviet rulers who attempt to prepare the restitution of ities of the proletariat, on the question of On this question a Bolshevik, e. a revdisguised factions within the leading party, the shops, the factories and the mines to the nature of the party and the basic prinolutionary Marxist trained in the school as was the case with the Jacobina. The During ciples of its strategy and tactics.
their former owners are shot. How can of Lenin, can make no concessions.
reign of these rulers, especially if they one fail to distinguish this fundamental the past few years we have seen how, in be weak, could not long prevall. Elther, difference which actually defines the France, the Opposition has served, for a Theoretical Perversions of Stalinism under favorable international conditions class character of the social regime? Nenumber of well known revolutionaries, the revolution would return to the dicOn several points, the Platform, of vertheless, shall not expound too lengthmerely as a stage in the evolution from tatorship of the proletariat, which would Marxism Syndicalism, to to 1926 gives some excellent formulations Trade ily upon this question, to which devoted inevitably necessitate the use of revoluwhich still hold true today. It states my recent brochure (The Defense of the Unionism, or simply to scepticism. Almost and the Opposition. Published tionary force; or, the victory of the big all of them stumbled on the question of with absolute clearness that the so called bourgeoisie, of finance capital, or even of autonomous poasant parties inevitably serially in the Militant, Vol. II, No. 21, Vol.
the party.
fall under the influence of the counter III, No. 4, incl. Eds. directed against cermonarchy would be achieved, the latter Recessitating a supplementary revolution, revolution (p. 36. One can fearlessly tain Fronch and German ultra Leftists The Nature of the Party say, that in the present epoch, there have who, it is true, do not go as far as your or perhaps even two.
You are evidently familiar with the This is the substance of the analogy been and can be no exceptions to this Itallan sectarians, but who, for just this brochure of Lorlot wherein he demonstrates with Thermidor. Naturally, if we go berule. Where the peasantry does not follow Tenson, can be more dangerous.
yond the permissible limitations of the his complete lack of understanding of the the proletariat, they follow the bourgeoisie nature of the Party and its historic func against the proletariat. Despite the ex The Analogy of Thermidor analogy, it we orientate ourselves purely on the mechanical externals of events, on tion in relation to the class and falls into perionces of Russia and China, Radek, On the question of Thermidor, you dramatic episodes, we can easily become the theory of passive trade unionism, which Smilga and Preobrazhensky have not yet make certain reservations as regards the lost and mislead others.
has nothing in common with the ideas realized that it is on just this point that they But if we concorrectness of the analogy between the of the proletarian revolution.
sider the class relationships, the analogy Unfortun tripped up. Your platform reproaches RaRussian Revolution and the French Revately, this brochure, which represents a dek for open concessions to the German is no less profitable than, for example, olution. believe that this observation distinctly backward step in the working nationalists. To that must be added the the analogy which Engels drew between rests on a misunderstanding. In order to the Reformation and the Revolution of class movement is today still being propa indefensible concessions to the Chinese judge of the correctness of historic analogy, 1848.
gated by the Rerolution Proletarienne nationalists, the idealization of Sun Yatwe must clearly determine its content group.
Senism, and the justification of the suband limits. Not to have recourse to anal The Stalinist Leadership of Italy ordination of the Communist party to a ogles with revolutions of the past, would The decline in the ideological level of bourgeois party. Your platform correctly the revolutionary movement during the be to completely abandon the historical exI have read recently the first issue of stressee, in connection with the struggle past five or six years has left its mark perience of mankind. The experiences of the publication which have already menon the Monatte group. This group, which, of colonial peoples, the necessity for the today are always different from those of tioned the Communist Worker (L Ouvrier absolute independence of the Communist between 1917 and 1923, approached close yesterday. Nevertheless, one cannot learn Communiste. obviously published by party.
to Marxism and Bolshevism, has since taFallure to keep sight of this er from yesterday experiences except through group of Italian ultra Leftists who have Bential rule leads the most rous analogies.
ken a series of backward steps towards separated from your organization. Without syndicalism. All this is no longer the agconsequences as was demonstrated in the other indications, this issue by itselt would The remarkable brochure of Engels criminal subordination gressive syndicalism of the beginning of of the Chinese on the Peasant War is based completely be sufficient proof that we are in a period this century which constituted a step for Communist Party to the Kuomintang.
upon an analogy between the Reformaof decadence and ideological confusionward in the French working class move The disastrous tactics of the Anglo tion the the result that always follows major revoof Sixteenth century and ment. No, this is relatively waiting Russian Committee, which, it goes with the lutionary defeats. The group publishing Revolution of 1848. In order syndicalism, negatively passive, which al out saying, has received the complete supthis paper seems to have undertaken to to temper the concept of the dictatorship unite in one whole all the faults of out ofmost always degenerates into pure trade port of the presect leadership of the Italian of the proletariat, Marx heated his fron unionism And this is not surprising. Communist party, resulted from the desire in the fire of 1793. In 1903 Lenin defined date syndicalism, adventurism, left phrases, Whatever progressivism was present in to rapidly pass from the insignificant com the Social democratic revolutionary as a sectarianism and theoretical confusioniem, pre war syndicalism has now been ab munist party into the large trade unions. Jacobin loosely tied with the mass movewhile stamping it all with the mark of sorbed into Communism. Monatte chief Zinoviev openly expressed this idea at the ments. At that time student carelessness and trouble breeding objected to him in Fifth Congress of the International. Stalin, quarrels.
shortcoming is his false attitude towards an academic manner that Jacobinism and Two columns from this pubthe Party, and connected with that, his Bucharin, Tomsky have sustained these scientific socialism rest on different classes lication aufce to make it clear why this fetichism of the trade union organization. Bame illusions. With what results? The and make use of different methods. Congroup broke with your organization, which he takes as an end in itself, inde British reformists were strengthened, and sidered in Itselt this is evidently correct.
Marxist organization; although it is rather pendent of its directing concepts. Never the British Communist party was extremely amusing to see how they exert themselves But Lenin did not identify the plebeans of weakened.
theless, if the two French General Trade That is what results from to cover themselves with Marx and Engels.
Parls with the modern proletariat and Unions would unite today, and even 18 playing with the concept of the Party. Rousseau theory with that of Marx.
As far as the oficial leadership of tomorrow they would draw into their ranks Such a game does not remain forever un Ho laid down as conclusive only the the Italian party is concerned, had no the entire French working class, that would punished.
general features of the two revolutione: opportunity to observe them except at the would not for one instant do away with Within the Soviet Republic we note the most oppressed Manses who had noth in the person of Ercoli, or the question of the directing ideas of the another form of weakening and destruc ing to lose but their chains; the most relatively yielding temper and with syndicalist struggles, its methods, the linktion of the Communist party in order to revolutionary organizations which suppor well olled tongue, Ercoll 18 fitted, above all ting up of the immediate tasks with those divest it of its proper individuality and ted themselves on the masses and which, others, to prepare an attorney speech of a general character, i, e, the question independence, it is artificially diluted into in the struggle against the forces of the made to order on any subject, and 19 ct the Part the large spiritless mage who are terror former society, set up a revolutionary die (Continued. Page