The Strike Strategy of the Left Wing The Anti Red Drive in Greece both organizations. The fact that the ru.
actionary leaders of the would resist should have been no deterrent. The workers would be sure to be in favor, which would swing them all the more under the In a serious discussion of problems of By ARNE SWABECK The United Front Policy in Strike Strategy influence of the correct policies proposed strike strategy the most determining facThis brings us to the question of ap by the Left wing.
tors should receive first consideration. Un of the given period. In strike situation plying the united front policy Lenin fortunately that has not been the case with it assumes the form of very definite fac taught it. Particularly is this imperative Clarity of Strike Issues Essential in the recent experience of the revolution tors to be correctly analyzed, viz. What in the union field and in strikes despite the Too many strikes of recent date, under ary movement. In an effort to overcome the basic curve of the working class move resistance that reactionaries will offer. party leadership, have suffered from lack that failing, but with no pretense of lav ment, is it an upward or a downward one Their charges against the independent un of clarity as to the issues involved. In ing ready made solutions, we enumerate the. an offensive or defensive one? How ions of being rival or dual unions should some cases the demands have been alto following points: fully have the issues matured and prepara not frighten anybody. But we must re gether out of proportion to the objective The problem of correct analysis of tions been completed. What is the rela cognize that the independent unions so far possibilities, while others have experienced existing conditions.
tionship of forces and how fully can the are rather insignificant, hampered in their so many detailed demands that the vital The question of attitude toward workers de mobilized. natural growth by all sorts of foolish blun issues have been obscured. Consequently union organization.
Needless to emphasize that in the exders and wrong conceptions, though even the slogans became too far removed from well defined Leninist united front amples already cited on this very first eswith this being eliminated they will per the life of the workers. Demands and policy.
sential, the one of correct analysis, the haps for some time remain a minority. How slogans must first of all be based on the The strike issues, demands and sloparty leadership also made its first misever, being organized on the basis of the correct objective analysis of the workers gans.
takes. From wrong estimates naturally class struggle they must become the initia needs, of the basic tendencies available and Independent leadership of the reytlow Wrong conclusions. However, when cortors of the united front policy, particularly of the possibilities at hand. They must olutionary vanguard.
rect estimates are made, other factors being in strikes. With the Left wing co operating particularly have the quality of setting the It should be quite superfluous to emfrom within the old unions the prospects equal, a revolutionary strike leadership, workers into motion and unifying them in phasize here that the general attitude towhile it can never guarantee victory in ad.
for success become more favorable. With struggle. Naturally this does not preclude ward strike policy of the present reactionvance, can at least secure a basis for growsuch a policy pursued preparatory to and the necessity, at times, when settlements ary of officials can only be the ing influence upon the in the present strike of the New York are to be arrived at, of certain compromises sharpest condemnation. As agents of capiNeedle Trades Workers Industrial Union being made talism, progenitors of the theory of partner The question of union organization the outlook would have been a different one.
the relation of the independent unions to Thorough preparation in an ideological ship between labor and capital, their views It is perhaps best to illustrate by a sense, so that the workers may clearly perthe of is by no means settled are definitely against all strikes. When concrete example how the united front polby the empty formula of revolutionary unceive what the fight is about, should be a compelled by rank and file pressure to get ions versus company unions.
icy could be correctly applied. During the foregone conclusion. But just as essential Neither of into motion they seek to limit the strikes struggles in the Southern textile industry is thorough preparation of the strike itself, these terms are correct in the present situawithin narrow craft bounds and look towe recall that with short intervals the tion and when made the foundation for a its machinery, etc.
ward the first avenue of escape through bestrikers of Gastonia and of Marion suffered revolutionary attitude towards the problem trayal. This must always be borne in mind To attain independent leadership by the the murderous attacks of the Black Hun revolutionary vanguard in strike struggles become entirely false. Unions in order to and much as possible guarded against in dred gangs organized by the textile barons. is, of course, our aim function as unions must naturally embrace But that is by no a strike situation. Moreover, this very The former were members of the a sufficiently decisive section of the workmeans reached by the method of splitting question assumes vital proportions even in affiliated with the the latter off small working class sections to lead.
ers in an industry. As such they will recase of strikes led by independent unions flect the general level of the working class were members of the affiliated of the At least in all such The real object should be to win the workwith the AF. of The National Textile and cannot at this time become a simple ing masses away from their present reacinstances in the recent past the of Workers Union, directed by the party leadreflex of the revolutionary tionary lenders and bring them under our officialdom, or sections of it have played party. Nor ership, made an effort to unite the workers should they be made a battle ground for infinence. Workers are quite unsophisticated their part.
of both mill towns for the struggle under and do not accept as their leaders those its possible political differences. This the its own auspices. The results were practiWhat Strike Strategy is Not party leadership has attempted with its inwhom we may think should lend, merely dependent unions and it is one of the reacally nill and most likely due to the fact Txecause of our thinking so. They accept But we have recent experiences also in that this effort was tantamount to asking as leaders only those who by virtue of their sons that they have been reduced in several the attitude and conduct of the Left wing the Marion workers to give up their organiinstances to paper organizations.
accomplishments have shown their ability in serious workers struggles of what strike zation, which could not be expected. Un and the superiority of their program. Labor strategy is not. For example, the irreThe object must not be to transform doubtedly, the possibilities were excellent skates may lead for at time but ultimately sponsible manner in which the slogan for the independent unions into auxiliaries of for the setting up of a genuine united front correct programs, courageously applied, strike has been promulgated. One need re the party for momentary aims. It must be body comprising the local membership of will win.
rather to gain influence over the masses call only August first two years ago when the party leadership called for strike through the unions.
aginst the war danger. The American The of unions are, of course, workers would have been quite justified not company unions but merely organizathen in posing the question. why strike tions of workers under the influence and domination of the reactionary officials and For several years now, the white ter under the leadership of comrade Vlatas, had against war danger on just that date? To ror of the Venezelos dictatorship has been petitioned against the intolerably long hours such a strike call not even the independent their policies.
ravaging the labor movement of hard labor imposed upon them.
of Greece unions. which then had somewhat of a When To assume the attitude of of their petition was answered by increased membership) under the party control, could company unions will inevitably create with particular viciousness. By means of arrogance on the part of the officers they respond. And, of course, there was no wall of hostility between these two sections the ontrageous Anti Communist Law, the refused to return to work. The sergeant strike.
of the workers where, instead, efforts to best revolutionary elements in the country in conimand fired on them, whereupon the We may also recall the time of the daswad rank and the unity in struggle should have been thrown into the prisons of the Communists Markovits and Panousis jumped tardly murder of Ella May Wiggin by the be applied. Problems of strikes are intidictatorship in hundreds, and subjected to forward and unarmed him, receiving younds Black Hundreds of southern reaction. The mately bound up with union organization.
unheard of torture and repression. In the in the shoulder and in the leg. drum party leadership immediately made grand With a coming rise of the labor movement, army too. an insufferable régime has been head court martial condemned the two Comgesture, calling upon the American workers which is bound to occur, the prospects for instituted, producing widespread discontent munist soldiers to capital punishment. Im to strike protest. Such a strike, if it organization of new independent unions and even mutiny: Of late, government mediately, a defense movement arose in the came, would naturally be of a highly poliare very good. But we may conclude that reprisals have taken on an especially acute industrial cities in Greece, in which the tical character and require at least some for some time to come, at least, the character, hitting hardest the members of Communists have taken a leading part. The ideological preparation. Such was not the of unions will be a factor to reckon with the Greek Communist party and our com movement is still growing and is assuming case and the call left the workers entirely eren in industries where new unions can rades of the Left Opposition, the Archio International proportions.
untouchedl. Neither in this case could be be organized, and likely a major factor.
Marxists. In face of all this, the necesindependent unions eren think of getting Success for the new union movement can sity of united class action and workers Thus far, the consolidation of a fighttheir members to respond, and they did not best he assured with corresponding efforts solidarity in the struggle against the tering united front in defense of Markovitis try. Strikes are quite serious actions, and also to influence the workers through the ror is slowly penetrating the consciousness and Panousis, has made but little progress.
should not be played with in such light of In other words it involves of all Greek communists, Communist soldiers of the Left Opposition who had served at Kalpaki have been re minded fashion.
also the problem of building a Left wing Recently, the mutiny of Kalpaki. a miliIn the simple matter of the method of in the old unions to become an instrument fused by the party lawyers of the Greek tary concentration camp) led by the Comcalling strikes we have some very good les1.
for co operation in the task of organizing munist army nucleus there, has resulted in witnesses in the retrial of the sons of how not to do When, for example, the American working class into militant two militants. The party has not yet ansa broad protest movement in the Greek the Marine Workers Industri Union under unions.
wered officially to the Opposition united working class. The soldiers of Kalpaki, party leadership, called the strike of the front proposal. Nevertheless, the ArchioMarxists are, for their part, applying the Philadelphia water front workers last year, tactic of the united front in practise, rethe small matter of first consulting the workers was entirely overlooked. So at least gardless of the party attitude.
reported Wm. Lawrence in his self criticOn January 12, the retrial was to be ism in the Daily Worker at the time. Is held. week before the trial our comrades it any wonder that the strike extended only THE DRAFT PROGRAM OF THE COMMUNIST INTERNATIONAL issued a leaflet calling upon the workers to the party functionaries of the union? Criticism of Fundamentals Introduction by James Cannon and students of Athens and Pireus to deThese light minded, bureaucratic triflers Price 35e 140 pages, hard paper cover In bundles 25 monstrate and bring pressure upon the came in grave danger of being run off the court. Two of our comrades, who were THE STRATEGY OF THE WORLD REVOLUTION water front. But what is far more serious distributing the leaflet in Pireus, were atis the fact that the union lost all prestige Introduction by Max Shachtman Price 250 tacked by the police and wounded. In re96 pages, color paper In bundles 18c on the water front because the grievances sponse to the leaflet, about 800 workers of these workers were sufficiently deepTURN IN THE COMMUNIST INTERNATIONAL AND THE and students came to the demonstration.
seated for serious strike action. Similarly in GERMAN SITUATION Although our comrades were in disagree Price 10c the Mlinois miners strike, during December In bundles Tc ment with the party slogan to meet at a 1929, the Centrist bureaucrats in leadership WORLD UNEMPLOYMENT AND THE FIVE YEAR PLAN distance away from the courthouse, and did not consider it necessary to take a rank Introduction by Arne Swabeck for a demonstration right in front of it, and file strike vote or to make any serious Price 100 32 pages. paper cover In bundles Tc they nevertheless complied with the party preparations for strike. Hence, despite the THE SPANISH REVOLUTION slogan as not to divide the forces. In favorable situation of miners being aroused Price 100 32 pages, paper cover In bundles 7c the Islands (Crete, etc. of these comby the heavy assaults upon their working COMMUNISM AND SYNIDICALISM (The Trade Union Question)
rades made a real united front with the conditions and being in revolt against their Introduction by James Cannon comrades, our comrade receivold union officials, the strike failed to rally Price 15 ing a 64 pages, paper cover In bundles 10e fractured arm, while defending a any appreciable support. It was easily placard bearer of the party. 20 comrades crushed by the united efforts of the mine Soon to appear were arrested. The tribunal has condemned owners, the old union reactionary officials THE PERMANENT REVOLUTION 18 of them to from to 10 months imprisonand the state armed forces. As a conseIntroduction by Max Shachtman ment and to months of deportation to quence the National Miners Union was cloth bound book the Islands (Crete, etc. of these comwiped out in Illinois, leaving no trace beWe also can supply books of other publishers.
rades are members of the Left Opposition.
hind.
On Hand SINCE LENIN DIED by Max Eastman 158 pages When the results of the present strike The Greek press reports that the police of the New York Needle Trades Workers paper cover 50c cloth cover 00 has discovered an Archio Marxist nucleus Industrial Union can be fully accounted it MY LIFE by Leon Trotsky at Salonica. Price 00 Among those arrested were is quite certain that another sad chapter KLORKEIT official Jewish organof the French Opposition.
four women comrades, two of them students, 10c one a teacher and one a working woman.
may be added to this blundering policy.
In bundles 7e At the same time there are reports that the Revolutionary strategy must particuRussian Bulletin organ of the Russian Opposition 250 police have information about several ele.
larly take into account the basic tendencies In bundles 18C (Continued on page 8)
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