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Page THE MILITANT baturday, May 17, 1930.
Internationalism and the Theory of «Exceptionalism. By TROTSKY Contined from Last Issue ed by the national goclallets, created an Only recently, March 1930, Pravda alarm, which in the next stage turned into expounded Stalin unfortunate theory anew, PREFACE TO THE AMERICAN EDITION OF THE PERMANENT REVOLUTION a panic. To gain economic independence in the sense that socialism, as a socialspeedily with the aid of the fastest possible economic formation. that is, as a definite tiempos of industrialization and collectivia crder of productive relations, can be fully seizure of power by the working class of resources of world economy not only on a ation! this is the change that has taken realized on the national scale of the Russia before the beginning of the prolet socialist, but even on a capitalist basis in place in the economic policy of national. Quite another matter is the arian revolution in the West.
the form of normal international credits, socialism during the past two years. Crawl.
co2 lete victory of socialism in the sense National Revolution and World Economics and generally financing. which plays such a determining role for backward ing was substituted all along the line by of guaranteeing it from intervention of But working out the theoretical progadventurism. The theoretical base under capitalist encirclement such a complete countries. In the meantime the contradicnosis of the October Revolution, we did both is the same: a national socialist con.
tions of the capitalist and pre capitalist victcry of socialism actually demands the not at all expect that, winning state power, ception.
triumph of the profetarian revolution in past not only do not disappear of themthe Russian proletariat would exclude the The basic difficulties, as was shown several advanced contries. What abysselves, but, on the contrary, rise out of the former empire of the czars from the world mal uecay of theoretical thought was need accumulations of the years of decline and above, result from the objective situation, economic sphere. We Marxists know the first of all from the isolation of the Soviet ed for such sorry scholasticism to be exdestruction, revive and sharpen together role and significance of state power. It is Union. We shall not stop here to consider pounded in a learned form on the pages of with the growth of Soviet economy, and not at all a pagalve reflection of economic to what degree this objective situation is the santral organ of Lenin party! It we for their removal, or even softening they processes, as the social democratic ser.
itself a result of the subjective mistakes should assume for a minute the possibilitiy demand at every step the bringing into vants of the bourgeois state fatalistically of the leadership (the false policy in Gerof realizing socialism as a finished social circulation of the resources of the world describe iti Power can have a gigantic many in 1923, in Bulgaria and Esthonia system in the isolated frame of the market.
significance, reactionary, as well as proin 1924, in England and Poland In 1926 then that would be the complete victory.
The Growth of Contradictions gressive, depending upon which class holds in China In 1925 27, the present false strawhat intervention could be talked of then?
It in its hands. But the state power 18 To understand what is now happening tegy of the third period. etc. etc. But The socialist order presupposes high tech nevertheless a weapon of superstructural in the gigantic territory which the October the sharpest convulsions in the rique, high culture and high solidarity of order. The passing of power from the overturn aroused to new life, we must are created by the fact that the present the population. Since the at the hands of czarism and the bourgeoisie into always picture to ourselves clearly that to leadership tries to turn necessity into good moment of complete construction of socialthe hands of the proletariat, does not rethe old contradictions which were recently fortune, and, from the political isolation ism will have, it must be assumed, not less move the processes, nor the laws of world revived by the economic successes, was of the workers state, produces a program than 200, or perhaps even 250 million in economy. It is true that for a certain time added a new one, the mightiest contra of an economically isolated socialist 80population, then we ask: what intervention after the October overturn the economic diction: between the concentrated character ciety. From this has resulted the attempt could be talked of then? What capitalist ties of the Soviet Union with the world of Soviet industry, which opens the possi of complete socialist collectivization of country, or coalition of countries would market weakened. But it would be a bility of hitherto unheard of tempos of de peasant holdings on the basis of the pre capdare think of intervention under these cirmonstrous mistake to generalize a phenom velopment, and isolated Soviet economy, Italist inventory most dangerous adcumstances? The only conceivable Interenon which was merely a short stage of which excludes the possibility of a normal venture which threatens to undermine the vention could be on the part of the the dialectical process. The world division utilization of the reserves of world econ very possibility of collaboration between Bus would it be needed? It 18 doubtful.
of labor and the supra national character omy. The new contradiction added to the the proletariat and the peasantry.
The example of a backward country which of modern productive forces, not only reold ones, lends to the fact, that alongside of The Mad Gallop and the Panicky Retreat in the course of several five year plans tain, but will increase twofold and tentold the exceptional successes, painful difficulconstructed a mighty socialist society with their significance for the Soviet Union, ties grow up. The latter and their most imAnd it is remarkable: Just at the moindependent forces would mean a death blow ment when this began to appear in all depending on the degree of its economic mediate and paintul expression, felt daily to world capitalism, and would reduce to a rise.
by every worker and peasant, in the fact its sharpness, Bucharin, yesterday theoAinimum, if not to zero, the costs of the retician of the snail pace composed a Each backward country adapting itself that the conditions of the toiling masses world proletarian revolution. This is why to capitalism, has gone through diverse not only do not rise in relation to the rise pathetic hymn to the present mad gallop of industrialization and collectivization. It the whole Stalinist conception leads in esstages of decreasing or increasing depenof economy, but even worsen now as a sence to the liquidation of the Communist is to be feared that this hymn will soon be dence on the other capitelişt countries, but result of the growing food difficulties. The declared the greatest hereby. For there International. And really, what could its in general the tendency of capitalist deve. sharp crises of Soviet economy are a rehistoric significance be, 16 the fate of 80are already new melodies in the air. Under opment leads towards a collosal growth minder that the productive forces created sialism is to be decided in the last resort of world ties, which expresses itself in the by capitalism, are not adapted to a national tare influence of the economic material, Sta. by the Gosplan (State Planning Commilin has been compelled to beat a retreat.
growth of foreign trade, including, of framework and can be socialistically coNow the danger is that the adventurous ofpion) of the R? In such a case course, trade with their capital as well. ordinated and harmonized only on an interthe Comintern has as its task along with fensive dictated by panic ot yesterday will The dependence of England upon India has national scale. In other words, the crises of the fllustrious Friends of the Soviet tura into a panic stricken retreat Soviet economy are not mely sickn03399 of of course, a qualitatively different character This Union. to guard the construction of 50sort of alternating stages result inavitably than the dependence of India upon England. growth, a sort of illness of childhood but from the nature of national social cialism from interventions, that is, in esBut this difference is basically determined something immeasurably more significant, realistic program of an Bence, it is reduced to the role of a frontier precisely the rigorous pull of the world 12. asd by the difference in the level of developJuard.
works state. cannot set itself the min of ment of their productive forces, and not market, that same one, to which, aceerdac en liching Independence from world The already mentioned recent article at all by the degree of their economic sell ing to Lenin words, we are subordinate: sufficiency.
economy, or even more, to construct it India is a colony, England a to which we are tied, from which we cannot Attempte to prove the correctness of the national socialist society in the cost Stalinist conception with the newest and netropolis. But it today England should break away (at the XI congress of the The task is not to accomplishe treshest economic arguments:. precisely be subjected to an economic blockade, it Party, March 27, 1922. abstract maximum, but the optimum to would perish sooner than India. This is 10W, the Pravda says, when the socialist From this, however, the denial of the that i; such that flow from the inte!
one of the convincing Illustrations of the historical legitimacy of the October Rev.
type of productive relations, besides indusand world economic conditions, stression reality of world economy.
olution does not at all follow, a conclubry, begins to take deeper root in agriculthe positions of the proletariat, preto Sure through the growing Sokhoz (Soviet Capitalist developmeni not in the ab sion which smells of shameful philistinism.
national elements of the future interne tarms. through the gigantic growth in atract formulae of the second volume of The seizure of power by the proletariat canal socialist society and at the same time, quantity and quality of the Kolkoz (col Capital which retain all their significance not be a simultaneous act. The political and before systematically improve Hie lective farm) movement and the liquidation As a stage in analysis, but in historic re superstructure and a revolution is related living level of the proletariat, strengthenof the Kulak as a class based on complete ality capitalist development took place to superstructure has it own dialectic, ing its union with the non exploiting masses collectivization, it shows more clearly the and could only take place, by means of which breaks powerfully into the world of the village. This perspective remains sorry bankruptcy of Trotsky Zinovley de systematically widening its base. Conse economic process, but does not remove in force for the whole preparatory period, teatism, which has meant in essence the quently, in the process of its development, its deeper laws. The October Revolution that is until the victorious revolution in Menshevist denial of the legitimacy of the in the struggle with its internal contradic is legitimate as the first stage in the world the advanced countries will bring the Soviet October revolution (Stalic. Pravda, revolution, which inevitably drags out for tions, each national capitalism turns in a Union out of its present isolated position.
March 8, 1930. growing degree to the reserves of the ex decades. The interval between the first Some of the thoughts expressed here ternal market. that is, of world economy.
stage and the second turned out to be conare developed with greater detail in other These lines are really remarkable, and The inevitable expansion growing out of siderably longer than we expected. But it works of the autbor, particularly in the not merely for their glib tone which covthe permanent internal crisis of capitalism, nevertheless remains an interval, and does Criticism of the Draft Program of the ers a complete confusion of thought. TOis its progressive force until it becomes fatal not at all turn into a self sufficient epoch Comintern.
ot constructing a national soclalist society. hope to publish a pamphlet especially deIn the nearest future we gether with Stalin the author of the Pravda to it.
article condemns the Trotskyist concepThe October Revolution inherited from Out of the two conceptions of the voted to an evaluation of the present stage tion for denying the legitimacy of the old Russia, besides the internal contradic revolution have grown two leading lines of economic development in the October Revolution. But it was exactly tions of capitalism, no less deep contradice on economic questions. The first rapid To these works we are obliged to direct the on the basis of this conception, that is the tions between capitalism as whole and sucesses, which were completely unexpect reader who seeks a closer acquaintance theory of the permanent revolution, that the pre capitalist forms of production. ed by him inspired Stalin in the Fall of with the way in which the problems of the the writer of these lines foretold the inerThese contradictione had and still have 1924 with the theory of socialism in one permanent revolution are posed today. But Itability of the October Revolution, 13 years material character, that is, they are hid country as the crowning of a practical per the considerations brought out above are before it occurred. But Stalin? Already den in the material relatdons between the spective for an isolated national economy. sufficient let us hope, to reveal the whole after the February Revolution, that is geven city and the village in definite proportions In the same period, Bucharin gave his significance of the struggle of principles and eight months prior to the October or disproportions of various branches of famous formula that by fencing ourselves that was carried on in recent years, and overturn, he came forward as a vulgar industry and the economy of the people in oft from the world economy by a foreign is carried on now in the form of counterrevolutionary democrat. It was necessary general, etc. Some of these contradictions trade monopoly, we can construct socialism posing two theories: socialism in one that Lenin should arrive in Petroograd are rooted directly in the geographic and even at a snail pace. This was the country and the permanent revolution (April 3, 1917. with his meretless struggle demographic conditions of the country, that common formula of the Centrist Right bloo. Only this timely significance of the questand ridicule at the self conceited Old is, they breed on the surplus, of the lack Stalin was then tirelessly expounding the 1on Justified the fact that we present here Bolsheviks. for Sualin carefully and noiseof one or another natural resources, and idea that the tempo of our industrialization to foreign readers a book, which is largely lessly to climb over from his democratic the historically created distribution of the is our Internal business. having no rela devoted to critical reestablishment of to a socialist position, This inner remasses of the people, etc. The strength of tion to the world economy. Such sort pre revolutionary prognoses and theoretical growth of Stalin, which by the way has Soviet economy is in the nationalization of of national Belf contentment, however, deputes among the Russian Marxists. We never been completed, took place, at any the means of production, and their planned could not last long, for it was reflecting could of course, have selected a different rate, not earlier than 12 years after we direction. The weakness of Soviet economy, the first, very brief stage of economic re form of expounding the questions that ingave the basis for the legitimacy of the besides the weaknesses inherited from the vival, which inevitably revived our depen past is in its present post October isola dence on the world market. The bres This book for sale by the Th. See the militant. May 10, 1930.
tion, that is, in its inability to utilize the shocks of Intra state dependence, unexpeet. Itant at 35 cente copy.