Slander Won Win put forth the Address of 1929) Decumos Problems of the Revolutionary Movement the rule. Correspondingly a contempt for the membership grows. Political sterility on increases. No policies except those printed in Moscow with a militarization and robotIn ization (Stalinization) of the Party. With the world war and the By ALBERT WEISBORD will rise to new peaks only to fall to new lows.
revolutionary wave that followed its wake, this connection the quotation from the rethe epoch of imperialism entered a new stage to see this fundamental feature of the The true situation is that with the cently adopted Theis which dequalitatively different from the one existing present stage, and to make this feature an qualitative changes of post war imperialclares The need of the hour is clarity of before (from 1900 to 1914. instructions and promptness of executions Distinctive of integral part of any American analysis.
isn. with the weakening of world stabilErrors of Party Leadership this new stage are the following. a) the ization. with the sharpening of the inner is, illuminating of the process now going The fatal error of the and its on within the party.
proletarian revolution is victorious in the and outer contradictions of American capU. leadership. is that it caricatures and b) Post war capitalism, with all italism, there can be no mere cyclical There can be no doubt but that the distorts this basic conception, not underite force, cannot get back to pre war atabarisis. no mere discontent but what conscious holders of these theories. Erowstanding it and indeed transforming it ility The decline of capitalism cannot be we have to reckon with is a tenseness of der, Johnetone, Dunne and the rest of the into a theory Justifying putchism, making stopped.
Company) if they carry these theories to the attempts at stabilization relations, a restiveness of the masses which of the party a sect more and more isolated can enable a Communist Partly WITH THE the logical conclusions and practices inavbecome desperate efforts merely to slacken from the masses, more and more stified by CORRECT POLICY to lead masses into such itably flowing from them, must degenerate the tempo of the international revolution an absolutely sterile bureaucratic machine.
This can be seen by the fact that, during activity as to radicalize the masses. There to become the real renegades from ComThe official leaders in the United this time, while some revolutionary situis great POTENTIALITY NOT ACTUALITY munism, indeed the real fascists of tomorStates fail to see that an insurrection can row!
ations are liquidated by the forces of interof masses becoming radicalized generally come only after the development of a rev.
and relatively quickly. But the foolish national capitalism, yet some revolutionary (Concluded in Next Issue)
olutionary situation and fail to understand situations cannot be liquidated and new policy of the party only drives the masses that to develop this revolutionary situation further away from radicalization.
ones constantly and repeatedly rise; con.
currently a whole host of other situations The American Crisis (NOTE: We print here the essential begin to take on a revolutionary character. The dogmatic statements That sections of a speech delivered by comrade BOSTON (Germany 1923, Bulgaria 1924, Esthonia American capitalism will weather the preAlbert Weisbord at the recent plenum of the 1924, China 1925 27, England 1926, Austria sent economic crisis and That it will At an outing of the Needle Trades InLovestone group. The National Committee 1928. India, China, Indo China, besides Mexrise to new peaks, utterly fails to take dustrial Union that was held the week end of the Communist League of America (Opico, Nicaragua, Haiti, Porto Rico, Finland.
into account the international situation.
of July at Boston Camp Nitgedaiget, we position) has decided to publish the speech It may be that due above all to the criminal had a mass meeting with Ben Gold. We etc. in the Militant. The second and last part Situation Before and After War policies of the this eventuality MAY all expected to hear him speak on trade union Before the war, neither revolutionary of it will appear in the next issue of the OCCUR, but it is impossible to state so problems which are so vital to us, but inpaper, at which time the National Committee situations nor actual revolutions could have now as the sole solution. The Majority stead he took up a discussion on the will append statement of its views on the Trotskyists. He tried to prove that the kroup fails IN REALITY to see that the been created by the activity of the socialdocument of comrade Weisbord. The latter, ist, revolutionary parties throughout the nomic crisis try the lnited States AIERS Trotskyists bring poison and splits into as most readers are aware, was expelled from world. No matter how well or tirelessly economic crisis in many countries (for this the union and naturally this hinders the the Party a while ago for divergent views good work.
these parties worked the bourgeoisie was group does not make such view a VITAL and joined neither the Left nor Right Let us see who does more damage.
too strong, the level of activity of the part of its living work in America. that Opposition The document below represents All in some of these countries such a crisis masses, generally speaking, too low, to comrades in the union in Boston his views on the problems of the move.
cause a given situation to become a revoif prolonged will lead to a real revolution(and Gold, too. know that comrade Eva lutionary one. Basically, these revolutionmoment arrived at after a period of study ary situation, that a revolution breaking Weiner and myself were among the first and consideration. Ed. to build the The workers trust ary situations had to develop by themselves out in Europe may not only deepen the from the objective contradictions arising American crisis but will usher in a new us, know that we are always on the job to in capitalist society. When, during and one must follow a Leninist line of mass and higher stage of the world revolution.
carry out all decisions which are passed by the members.
after the war, these objective contradictions Gold knows that the Comwork, united front, work in reactionary Is such an alternative (or a number of did cause revolutionary situations to arise, unions, profound economic analysis, the similar alternatives which result in the munist League (Opposition) is for a Left understanding of the true relationiship of by that time the subjecive factor had beushering of a world crisis. impossible?
wing polley We never brought in any come so powerful as to be able to mature other kind of policies and always demanded American to international capitalist society, Quite the contrary! For Communists, the such revolutionary situations in a number from our leaders that they carry out a real and the peculiarities of capitalist America; whole perspective for the United States Left wing fight.
of countries, into actual revolutions. TO and that an end must be put to guesswork, must constantly and intimately be perdey imperialism has become so much weakSo what is Gold motive in bringing phrase mongering, to the fakery and lying ated with this view or, today, so close is the situation in a num. in the leadership, to the theory of fas 11. Only by a Leninist policy are the this question up and saying that we don ber of countries to a revolutionary one, cism and social fascism to the bureauc Communists enabled to radicalize the massbuild the Left wing union? To discredit that it is possible for international racy and violonce, to the Trotsky deport es in the United States. This policy means us among the workers. Everyone knows and that this is fale that it Communist movement, PROVIDED IT HAS ations and Blumkin murders, an end to will To the Masses. mass work in all its LENINIST POLICY, and especially now the theory of socialism in one country, to formy, formation of independent mass or not do any good for the union. We nust when it controls a state backed by 150. Anglo Russian Trade Union Committee af ganizations where possible and necessary, draw in all active workers who are hon000, 000 workers and peasants, to develop fairs, and Chiang Kai Shek mergers, the united front, work in reactionary trade estly carrying out our policy and helping situations otherwise still non revolutionary etc.
unions and similar bodies, Labor Party, etc. to build the Industrial Union.
into revolutionary situations. in DIFFER Secondly, analysis of the present to accomplish such mass work it is nec No one can split the union more than ENT countries at DIFFERENT times. Thie situation shows that the contradictions are essary to Leninize the Party, namely to base tactics like Gold If he wants to prove does not mean that a can order a sharpening and the tempo of international the Party on the most exploited sections that we did any harm to the union, let revolutionary situation in ANY country at revolution is rising (that is, the partial of the masses, to wipe out the bureaucracy him call an open forum and invite the ANY time. It is a fact that today, with and temporary stabilization of capitalism (the Hars and fakers) in the Party, to de Trotskyists. Let him prove that we are the correct policy, it is far easier in many is becoming weaker than before. The or mand as an absolute condition and pre doing harm because we are Trotskyists.
countries to disintegrate the capitalist iginal position of the Communst Majority requisite to leadership The tested ab He said that we were dead. Then how can armies, to ruin the prestige of the ruling Group is here too unsound; while on the ility to carry out mass work in a Commun we do any harm? Dead ones do not do classes, to expose the petty bourgeosie, and other hand, the very putchist distortion of 1st manner. The liquidation of the anything. If the Trotskyists are dead to activize the masses to an extraordinary this by the official Party leadership tends mountain of vulgar Marxism and syndical everywhere why do the Stalinists come degree than before.
to hinder the process of the cracking of ist liberal conceptions and a real study of and break up their meetings like they did Every worker knows that, under some stabilization now taking place and to the basic works the founders of Com in Cleveland? What are they afraid of?
conditions, the activity of a Communist weaken the revolutionary forces. Far from munism. Profound honesty, integrity You will not be able, comrade Gold, to group can develop a strike situalion, stimulating the masses, the faise policy of and courage.
kill our prestige among the Boston workwhere without this Communist group, no the actually acts as a brake on the To all this the present theories of ers because they know we always work for such situation would have been devell masses Fascism and Social Fascism give a death a good Left wing policy and will do everyoped. Today the Communist Party (under Section The situation in America blow. These theories wiping out as they thing to build the as we have some circumstances and with a Leninist exposes in even clearer light the errors of do all the Marxian Leninist distinctions be in the past. CHIPLOWITZ policy can be the decisive force both in the different Communist groups. The tween fascism and regular bourgeois demstimulating the exploited and oppressed American section of Lozovsky Stalin appar ocracy mean The reactionary unions masses with the understanding of the im atus men has never yet given up its apex are to be destroyed from now on, the workposeibility of living in the old way and in theory and all that follows logically from ers in the ofl, being hopeless fascists, helping to make the ruling class unable to it namely, that American capitalism is on enemies of the working class. The socialgovern as of old. Since the war the old the decline. has reached its basic crisis ist and progressive workers being socialpower and might of the ruling classes have with a general deep going and widespread Fascist. fascists are only secret agents of the been irretrievably broken. Further, the exradicalization of masses To this has fascists. These two must be destroyed.
periences of 1918 23 weigh mightilyon now been added the special twist that all The Communist opposition groups become few days ago, the Daily Worker the memory of the magses the ruling members of the of are now full not only full grown Mensheviks but worse, went into positively frantic ecstacies over classes in many countries were unable to blown fascists and that all those expelled police agents, having no place in unions as anti Heywood Broun cartoon by govern once before. Finally, the Soviet by the Stalin machine at once barome or other working class organizations. Any Ryan Walker. It halled Walker as a Union with its tremendous economic and secret police agents for the boss. To some action against them up to complete physinoble revolutionist who was revolted by political weight will be able to throw this extent the Communist League (Opposition) cal extermination is justified. The line the scoundrelism of the Socialist Party.
weight at times so as to help break the in America has limped uncritically after between Communism and fascism theoretт so maudlin in its enthueconomic and political power of different the Party (without, however, the added ically becomes very thin for overnight; no siasm that toward the end of the article it sections of the international bourgeoisie at special twists. Though this opposition matter how tested and loyal before, any was literally slobbering over critical moments group gave up the apex theory yet it did Communist can become a police agent appears however, that Walker is the What must be the cornerstone of So without having thoroughly exposed the Menghevik or fascist. Therefore the great.
Communist international strategy is the errors inherent in it.
cartoonist of the Illinois Miner, oficial orAnd even today est violence and terroris theoretically recognition of this qualitative change in still talks of growing radicalization. gan of the Howat Fishwick Germer miners justified not only against the open policeimperialism. Today it is possible to have deep going process union, which as even a casual reader of of radicalization agent Mengheviks but against the mem sudden changes to revolutionary situa quite uncritically.
the the party, the possible police agent simple social fascist organization, coverberg Worker knows is a pure and tions, gudden revolutions. Today there On the other hand, the Majority Mensheviks of the future. Since every has been raised to hitherto unheard of deGroup merely sees in fact deep discontent.
tested member tomorrow can be a policeed with a a Left phrase or two, but social gree the decisive importance of revolution With this group the present economic crisis agent Menghevik, revolutionary behaviour fascist nevertheless. Walker, according ary organizations, first as factors maturing is IN ESSENCE a mere cyclical one. it in mass work is no longer a test for to the third period jargon, is therefore a. creating. revolutionary situations and seems as if latterly a section of the Party leadership. Any faker or apparatus folpaid agent of social fascism. Or rather second, as factors changing revolutionary too 18 violently swinging to the point of lower can be a leader. Leaders are cheap he was, for after the praise with which situations to actual revolutions (insurrec view) and the dogmatic statement is made, and easily made. Distrust for the leaderthe Worker greeted him he most probably tions. with no appreciation of its rashness, that ship follows. Cynicism not revolutionary falls into a new category, the RevolutionThe fatal error in the Communist Mal not only will American capitalism weather idealism pervades the party. Double book ary Social Fascist. Personally, we advise jority Group (Lovestone) is that it fails the present economic storm, but that it keeping (see the hypocrisy of those who the Worker to stick to Jake Burek. Revolutionary «Social The Daily became so mansio is the staff