THE MILITANT Published Twice a Month by the Communist League of America (Opposition)
NEW YORK, FEBRUARY 1931 PRICE CENTS VOL. IV, No. (Whole No. 62)
LENIN LIVES IN THE WORK of THE OPPOSITION Kote Zinzadze Dead!
In the present period, witr tre intensi Leninist. It is in this sense that we een an international scale. It is for such a To those who mock at us because of fication of the organic ills and weaknesses demn the Bucharin Stalin policy of En policy that the Left Opposition has suffered our present smallness of numbers, we hold of capitalism, with the dawn of new and rich yourselves! the Stalinist policy of suppression, exile, expulsion and physical up the glorious example of Lenin, who with broader horizons of class struggle, war one hundred percent collectivization and violence. But it has become hardened in a tiny band of courageous revolutionists, and revolution, the vanguard of the work the bureaucratie liquidation of the kulak the struggle It will not yield. On the raised the standard of proletarian itnernaing class, the Commur. ists, must more than as a class. as different sides of one and solid rock of Leninist principle it will tionalism at Zimmerwald in the face of ever look to Lenin for inspiration for guid the same reactionary theory. that of the build up its revolutionary cadres, fight for world reaction; of Liebknecht, who alone ance. It was Lenin who characterized our national socialist Utopia as a betrayal of the confidence and support of the Commun and isolated defended this same internaepoch as one of social convulsions, as one the interests of the revolution.
ist workers and, with them, lead the prol tionalism in the Reichstag in the face of of international struggle for the proletariat. Only with a Leninist policy can the etarint to victory under the banner of the slander and vilification against the German Lenin was the founder and organizer of revolution be successfully concluded. only on regenerated Leninist Comintern.
social chauvinists: of Rose Luxemburg, who the party of the working class, the Comwith a little group of Spartacists, persecuted munist International, which as the consciand hunted down by the treacherous Noske ous arm of the class will inevitably lead and Scheidemann, by the dogs of reaction, it to victory.
formed the first nucleus of German ComToday the epigones of Leninism are munism. We too stand alone today. We in power in the International. Today the are accused of being sectarians, of isolating teachings of Lenin and of Marx are being ourselves from the masses. But we know ground underfoot. while reactionary theorwell and we have rich and fertile Marxist tes like that of socialism in one country are experience to back us that the masses are proclaimed the acme of Communist wisdom.
not clay to be played with, that intransigeThe Communist International has been cripance of principle on our part today gives pled and paralyzed by Stalinist burbirth to the inspired actions of the masses eaucracy, at times playing the role of an tomorrow. Today our task is to clarify, international pacifist society, at times that to solidify our ranks on the basis of prinof an irresponsible adventurist sect. The ciple. We are now defending, as a small Russ an revolution which Lenin held up as minority, the living heritage of Marxism, the torch light of emancipation for the even as Lenin did in the days when the world, proletariat, is being run into national Kamenevs and the other fictitious old socialist channels.
Bolsheviks thundered against him and his The years of opportunist policy, in the sectarianism. Our task today is mass proSoviet Union and in the International folpaganda. It is bearing fruit. The seventh lowing the death of Lenin, have crystallized anniversary of Lenin death finds the Leninist Left Opposition definitely on the upa Right wing group in the Communist move.
ment, based on the theory of socialism in grade.
one country. For them. for the Lovestones and the Brandlers, all the teachings of Lenin are summed up in his meticulous at: tention to national peculiarities. They only disfigure and misrepresent Lenin the Internationalist. They turn him into a monstrous brief note, a few perfunctory lines in a recent issue of Pravda, announce the caricature, thot of the nationally limited (leath in Stalinist exile of comrade Kote exceptionalist. These people have broken with the fundamental tenet of revolutionary Zinzadze. We recently mentioned comrade Zinzedze case in the Militant, pointing out Marxism, with proletarian Internationalism.
his extremely serious condition and the fact The International Left Opposition alone bases and supports itself on the rigorous that permission for the change of climate promised him by tre party leaders would and far sighted principles of Leninism. It probably arrive in time for his funeral. Our is the true heir of Lenin. Under the leadworst fears have now been realized.
ership of the co worker of Lenin, Why was our comrade allowed to die Trotsky and of the cream of Bolshevismwhen his life might have been saved? He the Russian Opposition tre Communist Left committed the crime of every Bolshevik Opfights for the defense of Leninism and for positionist; he remained loyal to the heritthe regeneration of the Communist Interage of the October revolution. An irrenatinal in the spirit of Lenin. For us as proachable revolutionist, he joined the Bolfor Lenin it clear that we live in the shevik party in 1903, and was one of the framework of world economy, in which organizers of the October revolution. After every country forms an inseparable link.
the victory of the Russian workers, he workFor us as for Lenin the enemy is imperial(Cotinued on page 4)
ism, monopoly. world capitalism. The struggle of the proletariat is an international struggle. Our daily struggle against American capitalism is for us a battle on one particular front in the war world capitalism. With Lenin. we look By the stability of the Central Com eral Secretary. has concentrated an enor may legitimately be considered the favorite upon the Russian revolution upon the Soviet mittee, of which spoke before. mean mous power in his hands; and am not of the whole party; but his theoretical views state as the first step of the internationa!
measures to prevent a split, so far as such sure that he always knows how to use that can only with the very greatest doubt be measures can be taken.
revolution. The only way to defend it is the For, of course. power with sufficient caution. On the other regarded as fully Marxist, for there is somethe White Guard in Russkye Mysl (I think Leninist way: hard work at developing hand comrade Trotsky, as was proved by thing scholastic in him (he never has learnthe revolutionary struggle in one own land it was Oldenburg) was right when. his struggle against the Central Committee ed, and think never fully understood the and the support of such and only such strugin the first place in his play against Soviet in connection with the question of the Peo dialectic. gles and policies in every country without Russia he banked on the hope of split ple Commissariat of Ways and Communi And then Piatakor a man undoubtedly exception. We reject the Stalinist brand in our party, and when in the second cation, is distinguished not only by his distinguished in will and ability, but too of mechanical internationalism, which sets place, he banked for that split on serious exceptional ability personally he is, to be much given over to the administrative side en arbitrary date for international action disagreements in our party.
sure, the most able man in the present Cen of things to be relied on in a serious politiregardless of the degree of readiness of the Our party rests upon two classes, and tral Committee. but also by his too far cal question.
different sections and irrespective of the for that reason its instability possible. reaching self confidence and a disposition to Of course, both these remarks are made objective situation (first of August, 6th of and if there cannot exist an agreement be far too much attracted by the purely adby me merely with a view of the present March etc. For Leninists revolutionary ministrative side of between these classes its fall is inevitable.
time, or supposing that these two able and action consists of the application of an in In such an event it would be useless to These two qualities of the two most loyal workers may not find an occasion to ternational line that assigns specific tasks take any measures or in general to discuss able leaders of the present Central Comsupplement their knowledge and correct to every national section on the basis of the stability of our Central Committee. In mittee might, quite innocently, lead to a their one sidedness.
the situation of its country in the complex such an event no measures would prove split, and if our party does not take measDecember 25, 1922 of world economy. This is the way Lenin capable of preventing a split. But trust ures to prevent it, a split might arise unPostscript: Stalin is too rude, and this regarded the tasks of the Russian Com that is too remote a future, and too im expectedly.
fault probable an event to talk about.
entirely supportable in relations will not further characterize the among us Communists, becomes unsupport The Russian proletariat, Lenin said, have in mind stability as a guarantee other members of the Central Committee able in the office of General Secretary. cannot single handed bring the Socialist against a split in the near future, and as to their personal qualities. will only Therefore, propose to the comrades to find revolution to a victorious conclusion. But intend to examine here a series of con remind you that the October episode of way to remove Stalin from that position it can give the Russian revolution a mighty siderations of a purely personal character. Zinovier and Kameneff was not, of course, and appoint to it another man who in all impetus such as would eate favor. think that the fundamental factor in accidental, but that it ought as little to be resi cts differs from Stalin only in able conditions for a socialist revolution and the matter of stability from this point of used against them as the non Bolshevism iority. namely, more patient, more loyal, would in a sense, start it. It view is such members of the Central Com of Trotsky.
more polite and more attentive to comrades, create more favorable circumstances for its mittee as Stalin and Trotsky. The relation of the younger members of the Cen less capricious, etc. This circumstance may most important, most trustworthy and most between them constitutes, in my opinion, tral Committee, want to say a few words seem an insignificant trifle, but think that reliable collaborator, the European and Ama big half of the danger of that split, about Piatakov and Bucharin. They are, from the point of view of preventing a split erican proletariat, to join the decisive bat. which might be avoided, and the avoidance in my opinion, the most able forces (among and from the point of view of the relation tles. Farewell Letter to the Swiss Work of which might be promoted in my opinion, the youngest. and in regard to them it is between Stalin and Trotsky which discusers. by ratsing the number of members of the necessary to bear in mind the following: sed above, it is not a trifle, or it is such a It is in this light that we reject the Central Committee to Afty or one hundred. Bucharin is not only the most valuable and trifle as may acquire a decisive significance.
theory of socialism in one country as un. Comrage Stalin, having become Gen biggest theoretician of the party, but also January 4, 1923. LENIN.
Lenin Will Must Be Carried out by the Party!
against affairs.
munists: help to