Satuday, May 10 1930 THE MILITANT Page Internationalism and the Theory of «Exceptionalism. By TROTSKY a As this book goes to press in the enghim into an abstraction, Stalin attempte to solve all the riddles of existence.
lish language, the whole thinking part of But the internationaal working class and in it is shocking: he does not notice that na.
PI EFACE TO THE AMERICAN EDITION OF THE PERMANENT REVOLUTION a sense the whole of civilized humanity, tional originality is the most common and, listens with particularly keen interest to consequently by the technical rsources of torical conditions of the country develop so to say, summed up product of the uneven the resoundings of the economic turn tak industry itselt.
ment, making up a part of the world historie development. It is only necessary ing place on the major part of the former Industrialization and Socialism whole, to realize a self sufficient propor to understand this unevenness correctly, czarist empire. The greatest attention Industrialization is the moving factor of tionality of all the branches of economy to Wake it in its full measure, extending it in this connection is aroused by the probin a national frame, means to pursue a also to the pre capitalist past. taster or the whole newest culture and, by that itself, lem of collectivizing the peasant holdings.
In the single plausible basis of socialism.
reactionory utopia. If the heralds and slower development of productive forces; And no wonder in this sphere the break the conditions of the Soviet Union indussupporters of this theory nevertheless par an extended or, on the contrary, a conwith the past assumes a particularly abtrialization means first of all tracted character of whole historic epochs strengthticipate in the international revolutionary sorbing character. But a correct evaluation struggle (with what success. is for example, of the middle ages, the guild ening of the base of the proletariat as a of collectivization is unthinkable without a ruling class. Simultaneously it creates the different question. it is because as system, enlightened absolutism, parliamengeneral conception of the socialist revolumaterial technical pre condition for he colhopeless eclectics, they mechanically com tarism; the uneven development of the diftion. And here again, but already on a bine abstract internationalism with reac ferent branches of economy, different lecti ization of agriculture. The tempos of higher stage, we convince ourselves that in both these processes are interdependent. The tionary utopian socialism. The most fin classes, different social institations, ditthe sphere of Marxian theory there is noished expression of this eclecticism is the ferent sides of culture all these lie at the proletariat is interested in the highest tempo thing unrelated to practical activity. The program of the Comintern adopted at the basis of national peculiarities. Originfor both processes, in so far as the new most remote, and it would seem, abstract Sixth Congress.
ality of a national social type is the cryssociety that being created can thus guard disagreements, if they are thought out to the itself best from external danger, and at the To expose completely one of the main tallization of the unevenness of its formend, will sooner or later always appear in theoretical mistakes, lying at the base of ation. The October revolution arose, as one same time create a source for the systematic practice, and this latter will not forgive a the national socialist conception, we can of the grandest manifestations of the unraising of the material level of the toiling single theoretical mistake.
do nothing better than to quote the recent eveness of the historic process. The theory masses.
The collectivization of peasant holdings is, However, the tempos that can be accomly published speech of Stalin, devoted to of the permanent revolution, which gave the it is understood, a necessary and essential the internal questions of American Com prognosis of the October overturn, supplished are limited by the general material part of the socialist transformation of so and cultural level of the country, by the munism. It would be wrong, says ported Itselt, by that alone, on the law of ciety. The volume and tempo of collectiviz mutual relationship between the city and vilStalin against one of the American factions, uneven historic development, not in its abation, however, is not only determined by stract form, but ir its material crystallizalage and in the pressing needs of the niass not to take into consideration the specific peculiarities of American capitalism. The tion, in the form of the social and political the government will but, in the final analyes, who can sacrifice their today for the sis by the economic factors: by the height Communist Party must consider them in originality of Russia.
sake of tomorrow, only within certain limits.
its work. But it would be still more wrong of the country economic level, the corre The optimum, that is the best, most advanStalin introduced the law of uneven lation between industry and agriculture and to base the activity of the Communist Party tageous tempos are those that give swift dedevelopment not in order opportunely to velopment to industry not only for the given on these specific features, for the foundaforesee the selzure of power by the prolet moment, but secure the necessary stability tion of activity of every Communist Party, ariat of a backward country, but in order the American included, on which it must and will by no means ever reach the po of the social order of the dictatorship, that base itself, are the common fentures of after the fact, in 1924 to hang on to the sition of the Pritish Labor Party or the is, first of all the strengthening of the unity victorious proletariat the task of construct capitalism the of the workers and peasants, preparing by same basically for all German social democracy ing a national socialist society. But it countries, and not the specific features in It is not at all permanently estab that itself the possibility of further sucprecisely here that the law of uneven dethe given country. It is not on this that lished that the United States will be last cesses.
velopment has nothing to do with the matthe internationalism of the Communist Par.
in the order of revolutionary primacy, con From this point of view the general ter, for it does not substitute and does not ties exists. The specific features are merely demned to reach its proletarian revolution historical criterion from the angle of which remove the laws of world economy: on the supplementary to the general features.
only after the countries of Europe and the party and government leadership directs (Bolshevik, Number 1, 1930, page 8, emcontrary, it is subordinated to them.
Asia. situation, a combination of forces the economic development in a planned orphasis ours. Fetishizing the law of uneven develope der is of decisive significance. Here two is possible in which the order is changed ment, Stalin declares it sufficient as a basis the course basic variations ar possible: These lines leave nothing to be desired and the tempo of development in the United for national socialism, not as a type that in the way of clarity. Under the guise of States enormously accelerated. But for described above of economic strengthening giving an economic foundation to inter is common to all countries, but exceptional, that it is necessary to prepare.
of te proletarian dictatorship in a single nationalism, Stalin gives in realtty the Messianic, purely Russian. To construct It is the task of the Left Opposition to country until further victories of the interan independent socialist society is possible, foundation of national socialism. It is false aid in this prepa. ation, to set the revolu Datinoal porletarian revolution the viewthat the specific features are merely supaccording to Stalin, only in Russia. By this tionary movement in the United States point of the Left Opposition. the course alone he puts the national peculiarities of upon the path indicated by the guide we of coneyructing an isolated national socialist plementary to the general features kike a wart Or a face. In reality the national Russia not only above the commmon feasociety, and that in the shortest historical already have in Marxist thought enriched peculiarities are an original unity of the tures of all the capitalist nations, but also and veriled by the experiences of modern time (the present official viewpoint. basic features of the world process. This above world economy as a whole. Here is These are two absolutely different, and history.
in the final analysis, contrary theoretical originality may have a decisive significance where the fatal gap opens in the whole of for the revolutionary strategy for years.
Stalin conception. The originality of the on the train leaving Paris, after the conceptions of socialism. From them flow It is sufficient to recall the fact that is so mighty that it makes conclusion of the international conference different strategy and different tactics.
proletariat of a backward country has some possible the construction of its own socialof the Opposition we unexpectedly came In the limits of this preface we cannot to power many years before consider anew the question of building sothe proism within its limits, independent of what face tot ace with an American comrade still letariat of the advanced countries. This may happen with the rest of humanityAs cialism in one country. Other of our works a member of the Party, who was returnone historic lesson shows that in spite of for other countries to which the Messianio ing. o the States. We spoke of the trip to are devotd to this particularly The CritStalin, it is absolutely wrong to base the seal has not been affixed, their originality Turkey and he told us confidentially of a con icism of the Draft Program of the Comactivity of the Communist Parties on some is only supplementary to the common feaversation he had had little while ago with Intern. Here we limit ourselves to the common features. that is on the abstract tures, only a wart on the face. It would Eisenstein, the well known Russian movie most basim elements of the question. Let us type of national capitalism. It is false to be wrong, Stalin teaches, to base the director who was then in Paris. Eisenstein recall, first of all, that the theory of socialthe root that it is on this that the inactivities of the Communist Parties on these had directed the Alm Ten Days That Shook ism in one country was first formulated by ternationalism of the Communist Parties specific features. This moral holds good for the World. a record of the October up Stalin in the Fall of 1924, in complete conexists. In reality it exists on the incon the American Communist Party, the British rising in Russia. As is quite natural, Lenin tradiction not only to the whole tradition sistency of national state, which has South African and Serbian, but. not for of Marxism and the school of Lenin, but and Trotsky that is, actors taking their long outlived itself, and acts as a brake the Russian, whose activity is based not parts featured prominently in most of the even to what Stalin wrote in the Spring of on the common features. but precisely on the development of the productive forces, scenes. When the film was shown in the that same year, 1924. From the standNational capitalism not only cannot be reon the peculiarities. From here flows United States, many comrades will recall point of principle the abandonment of Marxconstructed, ism by the Stalinist school in the quescannot even be conceived the dual strategy of the Comintern throughthat while Lenin was to be seen, there was of as anything but a part of world economy.
out: while the liquidates the not a sign of Trotsky throughout the plc tion of socialist construction is no less The economic peculiarities of different classes and constructs national socials ture. To all the intents and purposes of significant than, for example, the break of countries 18 not of a secondary character: the proletariat of all the other countries.
that picture, Trotsky might have been in the German Social Dmocracy wita Marxism It is enough to compare England and India, completely Independent of actual national South Africa when the Russian revolution in the question of war and patriotism, in the United States and Brazil, the Fall of 1914, that is exactly ten years But the conditions, is obligated to simultaneous actook place. What had happened between specific features of national economy, no tion according to the calendar (First of the time of the original production and its before the Stalinist turn. This comparison matter how big, enter, and that in an inAugust, March Sixth, etc. Messianic napublic showings? Eisenstein told my has no accidental character, Stalin miscreasing measure with their component tionalism is supplemented by bureaucratfriend the story: take, as well as the mistake of the Gerparts into the higher reality, which is called Ically abstract internationalism.
man Social Democracy is national socialism.
He was called in to the office of the This duworld economy, and on which, in the final allty runs through the whole program of Sovkino (the Russian film trust) and the Marxism and World Economy analysis, the internationalism of the Com the Comintern, depriving it of any kind of chairman said to him: Eisenstein, art 18 Marxism follows from world economy, munist Parties is founded.
principled significance.
art, but politics is politics. And you ll not as a sum of national parts, but as a have to cut Trotsky out of the picture!
If we take England and India as two mighty independent reality, which is created The Law of Uneven Development different poles of capitalist types, we must That is how Ten Days That Shook the by the international division of labor and Stalin characterization of the national state that the internationalism of the BriWorld was saved from the menace of by the world market, dominating powerfulpeculiarities, as a simple supplement to tish and Hindu proletariat does not at all Trotskyism.
ly in the present epoch over national mar the common type, is in crying and by no rest on the sameness of conditions, tasks That is another task of the Opposition, kets. The productive forces of capitalist means accidental contradiction to Stalin and methods, but on their unbreakable mu.
a task which is part and parcel of the work society have long ago outgrown national understanding that is, his lack of under taal dependence. The successes of the 11bof preparing the revolutionary Marxists not limits. The imperialist war was one of standing) of the law of the uneven devel eration movement in India require a revoonly in the United States but everywhere the expressions of this fact. In the produc opment of capitalism. This law, as is olutionary movement in England, and the else: To re tell th true history of the tive technical respect socialist society must known, is declared by Stalin as basic, most other way around. Neither in India, nor in Russian revolution, to excavate the truth represent a higher stage compared to cap important and universal. With the help of England is it possible to construct an infrom nder the garbage of filthy lies with italism. To alm at the construction of a the law of uneven deveolpment, turned by which the apparatus men have covered it nationally enclosed socialis: society would dependent socialist society. Both of them will have to enter as parts into a higher for without an accurate knowledge of the mean, in spite of all temporary successes, This speech was delivered on May whole. In this and only in this is the unpast and what it has to teach us, there will to pull the productive forces backward even 1929, was first published at the beginning crushable foundation of Marxian internanever be an adequate prparation for our as compared to capitalism. To attempt of 1930, and under such circumstances that trionalism.
future.
independent of geographic cultural and his It acquires a programmatic significance. To Be Continued.