The «Left. Saviors of Reformism in the Socialist Party as a The «Dictatorship»
Debate With its customary facility, the StalinBy MAX SHACHTMAN iet Union, eight years after the revolution, ist press has solved the whole problem of it is true, but not too late to use this disthe new movement in the socialist party: being stripped of every militant char cutting word or two in New York about covery and the praise of Communism The militants e. the socialist party acteristic, has only served to heighten the what MacDonald is doing in India (that achievements (in Russia, not England)
Left wing under the leadership of Louis contrast between labor need of a class England funeral. or a good word for bulwark against the revolutionary Stanleyl have come into existence as part struggle program and reformism program what the Bolsheviks are doing in Russia. movement in Britain itself. Thirteen years of a cunning conspiracy by Hillquit and of submission and betrayal.
But it is not true. The Stanley group, de atfer the revolution, it is discovered and Oneal to dam the irresistible onward sweep The today cannot even hope to give spite all the ado that has been made, is politely recognized by the Left wing. of mass radicalization. Since it is not adequate expression to the discontent of a long, long way from fighting for the which finds its protestations of interest in with the shallowness of Centrism that we the workers; it does not pretend to lead proletarian revolution in the the five year plan a safe and sane method are concerned here principally, but with them in struggle against the offensive of The most casual examination of the Rus of buttressing the structure of social rethe pretensions of the militants themcapital. The gap between it and the pro stan resolution it introduced at the New formism. The fact that it would be ridiselves, the analysis submitted by the Daily gressive and revolutionay workers grows York City convention of the and culous to match the power for good and Worker can be dismissed provisionally with wider to the exact extent that the gap around which the whole struggle within the evil of Stanley and Bright with that of the safe prediction that not too much time between it and the petty bourgeoisie is was centered, will suffice to demon Purcell and Swales does not invalidate the will have to elapse before a different song closed.
strate the superficiality of this contention. essential appropriateness of the comparison is sung. Nevertheless, this movement, which To put it in a different form: Just as The resolution is based upon two ideas, by a hair breadth. If any further proof has already created a stir in the socialist the deds of Mueller and Co. have served the first of which should endear Stanley to for this is required, it can be found in the party and was numerically so well repre to discredit social reformism in Germany, the heart of Gannes and Daily Worker plaintive commentaries of those who spesented at the recent New York Local con and just as the second ministry of Mac instead of earning him so much abuse. a) cialize in idealizing this Left wing. the vention, calls for an examination into its Donald has accelerated the discreditment of the endoresment of the reactionary theory Lovestone faction. It is on their Russian significance and rôle.
social reformism in England, so also and of socialism in one country. b) the defense position that militants are clearFor some time ago now, a spirit of necessarily on a smaller scale has the re of bourgeois democratic rights in the Soviet est. says Revolutionary Age. And the discontent has been growing in the socialist actionary course of the priesthood Union. Startling as our contentions, par is by accident. On the contrary, it is party, particularly among the younger mem served to discredit social reformism in the ticularly the first, may sound, it is con precisely with this definitely friendly attibers. The aspiration of the leadership for United States. And just as the resistance firmed by the words of the resolution it tude towards Soviet Russia that the very a dead calm in the party, an aspiration of the social democratic workers and the self. indefinite attitude towards revolutionary twice buttressed by mass expulsions of Com pressure of the class struggle has produced Because we are anxious for the com problems in the United States is to be cormunist workers, is now again encountering the Seydovitz group in the German social plete realization of socialism in Soviet Rus ered up.
an obstacle.
democracy, and the Leftward development sia we look forward to the removal of two (Concluded in Next Issue)
Twice now, the reactionary leadership in the in England, so also and obstacles. a) internal: the cessation of of the has encountered resistance from again necessarily on a smaller scale it has the extermination of minority opinion which the mea:bership to its course of completing produced the Stanley faction in the Amer is inconsistent with the socialist ideal and the conversion of the party into the third ican But every single case, the blinds workers to the fundamental achieveparty of American capitalism. In 1919, the object of the leaders of these minority move ments of Soviet Russia, and (b) external: decisive split was consummated between the ments has been to rehabilitate social re the immediate recognition of Soviet Russia, proletarian, that is, the Communist wing formism in the eyes of the workers. This the stopping of interference foreign of the movement, and the petty bourgeois, incontestable truth is not changed for a powers with the industrial plans devel or social democratic wing. At that time, Close to five hundred workers packed single moment by the fact that the workers opments of Soviet Russia (the five year more than half of the membership of the following them may, and frequently do. plan) is the method by which the first atthe New York Labor Temple on February party was expelled in order to insure the 14th, to hear a debate on the subject. Is have different objects in mind.
tempt is being made in history to create domination of the Hillquit, Berger, Gera Proletarian Dictatorship Necessary? bethe socialist society within a brief span What do Maxton and Seydowitz want?
tween comrade James Cannon, representmer, Oneal clique In 1921, a second wavo of years.
They want to set up against the policy of ing the Communist point of view in the of Communist support mounted in the socGrzezhinsky, who shoots down the Berlin DEFENDERS OF BOURGEOIS name of the Left Opposition, and Walter ialist purty no longer comprising tens of proletariat on May Day, of MacDonald who DEMOCRACY Starret, editor of the Road to Freedom, for thousands, it is true, but nevertheless con slaughters India masses and keeps Bri The creation of a socialist society the anarchist point of view. The debate tributing some hundreds of workers to Amtain in starvation, a policy of social re within brief span of years in backward, was highly successful from every point of erican Communism.
formism that will be palatable to the dis agricultural Russia alone, provided only that view, and the interest with which the workTHE SOURCES OF THE satisfied workers but not the policy of rev interference by foreign powers with the in ers present listened to the debaters was the LEFT WING olutionary struggle. And Messrs. Stanley, dustrial plans or developments of Soviet main indication of this fact. Starrett made Since that time, the degeneration of the Bright and Coleman? Playing their role Russia is prevented that is the very es a feeble presentation of the orthodox has proceeded with a steadily accer on a smaller stage though they do, it is sence of the reactionary utopian idea in petty bourgeois point of view of the anarchlated rapidity. For the workers who were nevertheless the same rôle of Left social vented by Stalin in 1924 or rather, not ists on liberty and against any kind of expelled, the leadership substituted a re reformists, not revolutionists striving to invented, but copied from the teachings of state or the limitation of individual cruitment among the petty bourgeoisie. For wards Communism, but desperate reform every opportunist leader in the international freedom by any form of coercion. When the tepid sympathy it compelled to ists. The must be dressed up. Instead socialist movement since the days of George he was driven to the wall by comrade Canmanifest towards the Bolshevik revolution, of uniting with Green and Woll, as Hill. von Vollmar. The same idea, advanced by non pointed questions, however, he was it substituted a cold antipathy. a collabora quit does, it must fight in the trade un the predecessors of Stanley in the socialist compelled to admit lamely that an anarchtion with avowed counter revolutionists. It ions. for the reformist program. The party to prove their radicalism (we refer ist revolution would be compelled to use must not be liquidated into a Deweyist linked its destiny ever more closely with to Engdahl, Kruse, Trachtenberg, Olgin and force to overthrow the ruling class and the reactionary requirements of the Gomp third party. as Thomas wants, it must be Co. in 1920 1921. was contemptuously re organize a red army to crush the counterpreserved intact and inviolate as a disers, and later, the Green dynasty in the jected by the Communist International at revolution. Comrade Cannon, who had givlabor movement, and became its direct agent tinety social reformist party. That is the the time as we shall later show by incontest en a concise presentation of the class nain the struggle against the Left wing move only way, according to the militant lead able documents.
ture of the state and the necessity of the ment in the trade unions. At its New York ers, for the socialist party to adjust it As for the other section of the miliproletarian dictatorship as a transition to convention, it finally gave formal recogniself to the new situation produced by tants resolution the resolution which Communism, pressed his advantage by showthe crisis. That is the only way to recruit tion to the already accomplished fact by Lovestone declares very closely approxiing that a red army could be organized and striking out of its constitution all mention the support of the workers and prevent mates Communist position it is simply directed only by a centralized power, that of the class struggle. The leadership of them from going to the unrealistic Com whining defense of the rights of the footis, the proletariat organized as the ruling Debs, which typified the best days of Amer munists. That is the only way to make re men of bourgeois democracy in the Soviet class. Starrett superficial endeavor to ican socialism, gave way to the petty bour formism acceptable to a section of the work Union the Mensheviks and the identify the workers state with Mussolinian geois liberal direction of Norman Thomas. ing class.
Against the extermination of what minorFascism was thoroughly destroyed by comFrom timid party of class struggle, WHO ARE THE ity opinion is Stanley protesting? Against rade Cannon, who elaborated on the class in fiue, the socialist party has become the MILITANTS the Stalinist repression of the Bollshevikdifferences between the two, a little point bold pioneer of class treachery. There is whic The Maxtons, Zyromskis, Seydewitzes, Leninists, against the persecutions of the the liberal anarchist debator had simtoday hardly a reactionary cause in the and their folio editions like Stanley and Left Oppositionists who are conducting a ply forgotten. The same fate was encounlabor movement that cannot find the exCo. are the saviors of reformism. Their struggle against the infiltration of Mensh tered by Starrett attempt to use the Stalplicit or tacit support of the hierarchy. radicalism is pur njun like evik and bourgeois nents into the strue inist puses and deformaions of the prolThis process, in every essential a restocks on the market, it rises and falls ture of the Russian revolution? Of course etarian dictatorship to bolster up the anplica of the development of the internawith the rise and decline in the fighting not! Stanley was the first of the archist position. Comrade Cannon pointed tional social democracy, encountered no inmood of the workers. When the latter is spokesman to open up an atack upon the out that it was precisely because Stalinism ternal resistance up to recently for two at ebb, the Left wing reformists are con Trotskyists when we were first expelled was weakening the proletarian dictatorship, principal reasons: firstly, the proletarian tent to leave the direction of party policy from the American party. What he is inthat it was the channel through which the wing of socialism was already outside the in the hands of the Real politiker, the old terested in is a little freedom for Russian world and Russian bourgeoisie was seeking party and in the form of the Communist reactionary party statesmen. When it rises, Menshevism; for the darling of Abe Cahan, to dilute the dictatorship, that the Left party was conducting a frontal attack they are aroused by the threat that the Abramovitch; for the unhampered propa gaOpposition was conducting its struggle for against the all along the line: sec workers movement may overflow the bultion in the Soviet Union of the lofty ideals cleansing the movement of Centrism.
ondly, the decay of the proceeded parwarks of reformism and pour into the ranks of bourgeois democracy. How closely this allel to the de radicalizing effects of the The presence of over half a hundred of Communism. In the periods of decline. approximates a Communist position is one Party members was noted in the hall, and years of American prosperity, and was in they are the quiet office boys of the Right of those Eleusinian mysteries which only every sense an adaptation to this prosperthey gave hearty support to the presentawing bureaucracy; in periods of working Lovestone would even attempt to elucidate.
tion of comrade Cannon. Starrett, by the ity and its short lived ideologists. The first class ascent, crisis, they are the recruitThe position it does approximate is that of signs of the depression, and then the heavy way, spent a good part of his time in venoing sergeants for reformism, the emergency the bourgeois radical Nation, which is idenblows of the crisis, however, were bound mous attacks on comrade Trotsky as the brake on the advance of the workers.
tical with the Stanley resolution in the butcher of Kronstadt. but the bulk of the to reduce a reaction to this degeneration Leonard Bright, who has now become three essential points: It is for the five audience was cold to these abusive remarks.
in the labor movement as a whole, and in so militant, was the agent of the Gompers year plan and a chance for the Russians the socialist party as a section of it. The bureau, cracy in expelling the Communists to try it out. it is against foreign inter good deal of Militants and other reaction took the form of a discontent with from the Office Workers Union years ago; ference with the Russian experiment in literature was sold throughout the audience.
the conservative policies of the leadership; McAllister Coleman, another militant in socalism. It is for the cessation of the the discontent has been crystallized in the the was (and for all we know, still extermination of minority opinion. rise of the socalled militant group of is) the agent of the Fishwick gang in the Radicalism for export purposes is cheap, Stanley Bright Coleman Porter Schapiro and Illinois miners union, and in his weekly we have remarked, especially cheap when CANNON LECTURE IN BOSTON others.
column of comment in the New Leader, alit serves to cover up the demand for radiBut this gives only the barest outline of ways distinguished himself in rabid attacks calism in the domestic market SO All Boston militants are cordially inthe new movement in the It has other, upon the Communist movement. Stanley, speak, which is increased by the pressure vited to attend the lecture arranged for in the ranks of workers who want a promore instructive, aracteristics. last the principal spokesman for the Left Saturday evening, February 28, 1931, at the wing. does not find it incompatible with gram of struggle and not words alone. The decade of Hillquit leadership, that is, of Center, 457 Blue Hill Avenue gross class collaboration, export of radicalism in the face of home served to dis his Marxist position to write a series of (Grove Hall. Roxbury. Comrade James credit the socialist party, and along with laudatory articles on the glistening virtues requirements is a type of dumping not Cannon, of the national committee of the it social reformism in general, in the eyes of the shopkeepers administration of the limited to these social reformists, it is true, Communist League, will speak on the Proof the class conscious workers of America. socialist party in Reading.
but quite characteristic of them neverthe spects of the New Union Movement, a subTo the extent that the latter are politically But they are nevertheless conducting less.
ject of particular importance to the proactive, or become politically active, the a fight for the proletarian dictatorship in Under impulsion of the powerful gressive and Left wing workers. Admission bulk of them support the Communist move the Soviet Union, a fight against Hillquit, Leftward swing of the British workers some is 25 cents, and tickets can be bought at ment or incline in its direction. Moreover, Lee and Oneal! Even if that were true, five years ago, the late and unlamented Shapiro Bookstore, Beach Street, or at the fact that the crisis and the rising class radicalism for export purposes is very Left leaders of the trade unions, Hicks, the door. Auspices of the Boston branch of discontent in the country coincided with the cheap: it costs next to nothing to say a Purcell and Cook, also discovered the Sov the Communist League (Opposition.