Page THE MILITANT Saturday April 6, 1939 In the Opposition Ranks International Left Forms Provisional Bureau If the reactionary trade unions of England are ready to conclude a bloc with the revolutionary trade unions of our country against the counter revolutionary imperialists of their country, why should we not greet such a bloc?
Were the reactionary trade unions capable of conducting a struggle against their imperialists, they would not be reactionary. Stalin lost the distinction between the conceptions reactionary and revolutionary. He characterizes the English trade unions as reactionary from old memory, but entertains in reality miserable illusions with regard to their revolutionaryism.
After Stalin, the Moscow Committee also declared to the workers of Moscow. The Anglo Russian Cominittee can and will undoubtedly play an enormous role in the struggle against all possible interventions directed against the Union of Socialist Soviet Republics.
It will become the organizatory center that embraces the international forces of the proletariat for the struggle against every endeavor of the International bourgeoisie to begin a new war. Theses ot the Moscow Committee. What did the Opposition reply. The sharper the international situation will come to a head, the more the Anglo Russian Committee will be transformed into a weapon of English and international imperialism.
This criticism of the Stalinist hopes in Purcell as the guardian angel of the workers state was later characterized by Stalin at the same plenum as a deviation from Leninism to Trotskyism.
Voroschilor: Very true. Voice: Voroschilor has affixed his seal to it.
Trotsky: Fortunately that will all be in the stenogram.
Yes, indeed, all that is included in the stenogram of the July Plenum, at which the rude and disloyal opportunists dared to accuse the Opposition of defeatism.
This dialogue, which had to quote here briefly from my earlier article What Did We Expect and What Did We Geti. as a strategical lesson is far more useful than a whole seminarist chapter on the strategy in the draft program. The ques.
tion: What did we expect and what did we get? forms one of the principal strategical criterions in general. It must be applied at the Sixth Congress to all ques.
tions that have stood on the order of the day in recent years. It will then be shown unfailingly that the strategy of the Central Committee of the Cominunist International, especially since the year 1926. was a strategy of unreal dimensions.
false calculations, illusions with regard to the enemy and incitement against especially reliable and persevering COfighters. In a word, it was a rotten srategy of Right Centrism.
peasants to victory over the international imperialists and the Chinese bourgeoisie.
Opportunism within the ranks of Communism has decimated the ranks of the Chinese Communists and workers, and therefore they will remember the words of Leon Trotsky that the cruel massacre For some time now the press of the Left group can help finance the necessary expen of the Chinese proletariat and the Chinese Opposition has discussed next steps for ditures of the publication of the Bulletin.
revolution at its three most important the unification of the International Oppo The approximate circulation of the turning points, the strengthening of the sition of the Left. The Militant on various Bulletin in your country.
trade union agents of British imperialism occasions has presented this question and It is understood that the role of the after the General Strike of 1926, and the has put forward a number of concrete pro International Secretariat to issue the pub general weakening of the position of the posals for discussion. Now preliminary steps lication of the Bulletin would be purely Communist International and the Soviet have been taken which have resulted in technical. It would have charge of the con union, the Party owes principally and the formation of a Provisional International trol of the Bulletin and the convening of above all to comrade Stalin. The Chinese Secretariat which, as an initial act, is to the conference, as soon as possible after Opposition will know brough their exIssile an International Bulletin reaching an understanding with the various periences and knowledge how to deal with The Communist League of America organizations. It only has the right of the cancer of opportunism. Opposition) is in full agreement with the initiative, but no power to define the quessteps thus far taken at Paris, France, on tions to be debated.
Peiping. China the initiative of representatives of the Left We ask you to follow attentively all the February 12, 1930 Opposition of the United States, the Russian news and information concerning the Bul The Militant Opposition (Bolshevik Leninists. and the letin appearing in La Verite.
Dear Comrades French Opposition. Comrade Max Shacht We ask for an immediate reply owing We, the Oppositionist Group of North man, member of the National Committee of to urgency of these plans. Make sugges China, who stand on the same battle field the Communist League, represented the tions, etc.
with you, here present our warmest revAmerican League at the preliminary conWith Fraternal Greetings olutionary salutations to the Communist ference and together with comrade Markin Provisional International Secretariat League of the United States of America.
of the Russian Opposition and of the (Signed)
We are happy to hear of the Militant Russian Bulletin of the Opposition and Shachtman (Communist League of America) We believe that your paper is setting forth Alfred Rosmer, representing the French Op. Opposition)
the important truth about the opportunism position and editor of the French weekly Markin (Russian Communist Opposition of the Stalinists throughout the world. The organ. La verite, signed for the Provisional Bolshevik Leninists. Militant spreads the message from which Secretariat.
Rosmer (Left Communist Opposition of the proletariat of the whole world will The first circular of the Provisional France)
trace the correct path of Leninism and will Secretariat is prirted below and outlines finally turn from the path of opportunism.
the steps taken to date and the ones proΦ It is the compass to guide the Opposition posed for the immediate future.
in the struggle against our enemy, the opMarch 10, 1930 We sincerely hope that all issues of the Circular No.
Militant will reach us in good order; for To the National Committee of the Commun In the previous number of the Militant it is our reference in revolutionary theory 1st League of America (Opposition)
we were able to report the development of which we need so much. We expect you Dear Comrades: the Left Opposition in South Africa. Now will do your best to help us theoretically. In La Verlte of Febrauray 21 and March we have just received word of the formaWe ll report to you about the political i, we raised the question of the organization tion of another body of the Opposition in and economic changes of China from time to of an International Information Bureau of North China, with their centre at Peiping. time.
the Left Opposition which would edit an The Chinese comrades publish their paper, With warmest Communist Greetings Information Bulletin, with the alm of pre The Proletarian, at Shanghai, and now (Signed) The North China Executive Comparing the Convocation of an International their ranks are augmented by the Opposimittee of Chinese Leninists (Opposition)
Conference at, which all Left Opposition tionists of the North.
Groups would be represented. The Con We send fraternal greetings to the ference would lead to the unification of the growing Chinese Opposition. History gives CHARLESTON, Machines inOpposition.
to the Chinese Opposition the task of re stalled in a Charleston cigar factory have The question of the unification of the vitalizing the Chinese revolutionary move caused many colored women workers to Let! Communist Opposition has become a ment, of leading the Chinese workers and lose their 33 a week jobs.
very vital question at the present moment.
Nevertheless its realization is rendered very difficult by important obstacles. The three principal kinds of obstacles against which we stumble, as the Opposition already las (Continued from Page 4)
apology for the political bloc with Purcell.
in the post, are: mixed with scholasticism at that. What sort Yes, just in order to shatter the stabiliza1. The Opposition Groups of the differ of significance did the stabilization have, fore all. In such a situation, even a shadow tion. Purcelldom has to be destroyed, be.
ent countries developed independently of in its application to English economy and one another, almost without contact. They politics, especially in the year 1926 27?
of solidarity with the General Council is know each other very little and resolve the greatest crime. and a mark of infamy Development of the productive forces? Inproblems of international importance withprovement of the economic situation? Betagainst the working masses.
out concerning themselves about each ter outlook on the future? Relative satisfyEven the most correct strategy cannot, other ing and pacifying of the working masses?
by itself, always lead to the victory. The In a number of countries there are Not in the least. The whole socalled stacorrectness of a strategical idea is judged several groups which claim to be of the bilization of English capitalism held out by whether it fulfills the real development Lett Oppositon and combat each other, In the the Opposition only with the aid of the conservative power of class forces and estimates the elements lives in illegality which involves very conof the old labor organizations with all their of those forces realistically. The most dis.
currents and shadings, with the simultanegraceful defeat, which has the most grievisiderable practical obstacles, which transous weaknesses and irresoluteness of the ous consequences for the movement, is such form themselves into political difficulties.
English Communist Party.
a typical Mensbevist defeat that is based All these obstacles can only be su upon a false estimation of classes, an unmounted by a lively democratic preparation On the field of the economic and social derestimation of the revolutionary factors of the International Conference. For this relations of England, the revolution is aland upon an idealizing of the enemy forces, reason only, we havo taken on ourselves ready fully matured. The question now Of such a type were our deleats in China the initiative in publishing, under the con stands politically. The cornerpillars of the and in England.
trol of an International Secretariat, an stabilization are formed by the heads of the Information Bulletin, where all the ques the Labor Party and the trade unions, The Rotten Strategy of tions that interest the Opposition will be which, in England, present a united whole, Right Centrism raised though with a division of labor. Under In consequence we ask you, expecting such a condition of the working masses, What was expected from the Anglo reply in the briefest possible time, to ex which became obvious through the Gener Russian Committee for the Union of Sopress an opinion on the following questions: al Strike, the highest rank in the mechanics cialist Soviet Republics? What appears to you to be the best of the capitalist stabllization is no longer In July, 1926, Stalin enlightened us at way of going about to realize an interna occupied by MacDonald and Thomas, but the Joint plenum of the Central Committee Lional union of the Left Communist Organ already by Purcell, Cook and Company. and the Central Control Commission as Izations: They start things off and Thomas carries follows: What are the principle problems them to the end. Without Purcell, Thomas The task of this bloc (the which you consider necessary to discuss to would hang in the air and along with consists of the organization of a broad ward the end of working out a single plat. Thomas also Baldwin. It is the false, dip movement of the working class against form of the Opposition? Send all your theses, lomatic masquerade Leftism of Purcell, new imperialist war in general and documents, resolutions, which you decide which sometimes in rotation, sometimes si against an intervention in our land, to place on the agenda of discussion for multaneously, fraternizes with sextons and especially on the part of England, the the International Opposition, without delay, Bolsheviks, and is always ready not only mightiest of the imperialist states their text in your own language.
for retreats but also for betrayal, that Europe. To send to the Provisional Secretar forms the principal brake of the English While he was enlightening us Oppogiwat regularly, all the publicatfons of your revolution Stabilization is Purcelliam. tionists so much that the defense of the organization: papers, reviews, pamphlets, From that we see what theoretical absurd first workers republic of the world against vaflets, notices, etc( two copies. ity and blind opportunism is the reference intervention must be taken care of. since To indicate to what extent your to the existence of stabilization as an we did not know that yet, Stalin added: Northern China Organizes portunists.
Opposition THE PERIOD OF THE RIGHT CENTRISTS JUST RECEIVED!
NO. The Bulletin of the Opposition (IN RUSSLAN)
CONTAINS: The New Course in the Economy of the Soviet Union by Trotsky The Lessons of Capitulation (Nee.
rologie Reflections) by Alfa The Slow Torture of Ch. Rakorsky by Markin Stalin Enters into a Union with Shuman and Kerensky mgainst Lenin and Trotsky An Open Letter to All Members of the Leninbund by Trotsky About groupings in the Comintern by Zvon Letter from Chinese Opposl.
tlonisty An Answer to the Chinese Oppositionists by Trotsky And other Important and Timely Items 18c in Bundles Order From THE MILITANT 25 Third Avenue, New York, Y 250 each