THE DANGERS OF SOCIALISM AND ADVENTURISM porte. Continued from the Last Issue)
By LEON TROTSKY of Soviet economy is decided economically Pravda itself (October 27) is compelled in the knot of foreign trade, just as it is to observe: This danger is all the more acute and men different matter of life and death for all decided politically in the knot which binds We are experiencing difficulties in the acing since not only will the problem of the branehes of industry. Imports cannot the with the Comintern supply of food and industrial commodities catching up with and outstripping not be be extended except by the extension of exfor current use.
solved, even admitting that the five year The world capitalist press has repre We are still experiencing great plan is completely realized, but the plan itThe Soviet state exports because it can sented the growth of Soviet exports as shortage of metal, of coal. of electrical enesit will never be realized in four years, not help but export and it sells at prices dumping, and the inercenary bourgeoisie of orgy and of building materials for the full In spite of the extreme extension of forces.
which are determined today by world eco the Russian emigration and its domesticated assurance of the rhythms undertaken in What is still more serious is that the indnomy. By that, Soviet economy not only democracy have seized upon this catchthe socialist construction.
venturism of the leadership renders the talls to an increasing degree under the word and there is nothing astonishing in The transportation of Industrial and realization of the plan in five years lese control of the world market, but more than this, just as there is nothing astonishing agricultural products is far from being asand less likely. The stupid and blind that, it is drawn in a retracted and altered in the fact that the mercenary emigrant aured by our transport service.
obstinacy of maintaining the plan intact way. It is understood into the sphere of press publishes the revelations of the na National economy is experiencing a and to the letter in the name of the gen influence of the oscillations of the world tional defense secrets of the. in pressing shortage of factory hands and of eral prestige, makes inevitable a whole capitalist conjuncture. The export plan for the interests of Rumania, of Poland and cadres of skilled workers.
series of crises, which can retard the econthe year 1929 1930, far from heing realized sharks of more substantial size. It is not Does it not flow from all this that the omic development and unleash an open poll according to the provisions, has been contheir dastardliness which is astonishing, passage from the five to the four year plan ttcal crisis.
siderably injured as regards financial results it is their stupidity which, for that matter was a flatly adventurist step For everybecause of the world crisis. This is how is not surprising either: do not ask for too body. except Pravda. The delay in funda THE AND THE one of the multiple discussisons between the much intelligence from the mercenary bourmental construction in 1929 1930, writes WORLD MARKET Left Opposition and the Centrists finds its geoisie. By representing the Soviet dumpPravda, In spite of the absence of objecThus the summary results of the pro solution. Already in the struggle for the ing as a threat to world economy, the libtive causes, was a pretext for the agents duction increase, unusual in its sweep, do necessity of elaborating the five year plan. erals and the democrats recognied by that of the Kulaks in the party the Right wing not trace the real picture of the situation. we advanced the idea that the ve year plan alone that Soviet industry has attained opportunists to raise new howls on the for they do not characterize the economi is only the first stage, after which we would such a degree of power that it is in a postsubject of the intolerable rhythms adopted cally and politically unfavorable conditions have to pass over in the briefest possible tion to shake the world market. Unfortunby the party. November 3, 1930. In in which the third year of the five year time to a plan with a perspective of eight alely, that is not the case.
this way the Stalinists are better than anyplan began (October 1930. more conthe or ten years, in order to embrace an aver It is enough to say that Soviet exports, one could, clearing the ground for crete economic analysis shows that the ar nge period for renewing the stock of tools, considerably augmented in its present volRight wing by reducing their divergences and, at the same time to adopt ourselves ume, represents only one and a half percent with it to this dilemma: four or five years? bitrary statistics of the successes hide a series of profound contradictions. a) beto the world conjuncture. stabilization of world exports. With this, it is impossiHowever, this question can be decided not tween the city and country (the price scis of post war capitalism, no matter how frail ble to overturn capitalism, rotten though in a principled manner but only empirisars: the lack of food products and raw said the representatives of the Opposition it is only avowed boobies who, withcally. In this dispute, which is measured materials; the lack industrial commowill lead inevitably to the reappearance out ceasing to he knaves for that, can attriby a difference of twelve months, it is st111 dities in the country. b) between heavy of the commercial industrial cycles disturbed bute to the Soviet government the intention difficult to define two distinct lines. Yet and light industry (enterprises not supby the war, and we will be obliged to build of provoking the world revolution by one this bureaucratic manner of posing the quesplied with raw materials and the shortage our plans not upon the alleged independence and one halt percent of exports.
tion gives us the exact measure of the divof commodities. c) between the real and from the world cojuncture, but upon the What are called the inroads of Soviet ergences between the Right and the Centhe nominal purchasing capacity of the intelligent adaptation to this conjuncture, economy into world economy is rather, in trists in the evaluation of the Centrists tehervonetz (inflation. d) between the that is, in such a manner as to able to themselves. The relations between them 18 much greater measure, the inroads of the party and the working class. e) between gain as much as possible from the economic world market into Soviet economy. This as four to, five, which makes a twenty perthe apparatus and the party. f) within the rise and to lose as little as possible from process will be extended until it becomes cent difference. And what will happen in apparatus.
the crisis. It is futile to recall now the more and more an economie duel between case experience should show that the plan But aside from these socalled Internal national socialist commonplace which the two systems. In the light of this perspec.
will not come to be realized in four years?
contradictions, there is contradiction offcial leaders, and Stalin and Bucharin in tive, we see how infantile is the narrow Would that mean that the Right wing is which, by the logle of things, acquire an the Arst place, set up agaist these previ philosophy according to which the construc correct?
ever greater significance: the contradiction sions which being realized today. Tho tion of socialism is assured by the victory Between the second and the third years between Soviet economy and the foreign the ders of economy foresaw the of the bourgeoisie of one own country, the socalled supplementary trimester (Octmarket.
simple logle of things the more does export after which the relationships with the world ober, November, December 1980) was inThe reactionary utopia of an enclosed today assume chaotic character.
abroad is limited to the struggle against certed. The third year of the five year plan socialist economy developing harmoniously From the brief history of Soviet forelgn military interventions.
now begins officially on January 1, 1981.
on the internal foundations with the safe trade and the difficulties encountered last Already at the beginning of the world without taking into account this suppleguarding of the monopoly of foreign trade. year by exports, always very inadequate crisis, the Opposition proposed the launchmentary trimester. The divergence with the constituted the point of departure of the in volume, in spite of its forced character ing of an international proletarian camRight wing is thus reduced from twenty to whole plan. The specialists of the State gome conclusions, simple but very important paign for the strengthening of economie fifteen percent. What purpose do these Planning Commission, willingly running for the future, must be drawn. The greatcollaboration with the In spite worthless methods of procedure serve? They counter to the bosses and connecting er the success of the development of Soviet of the fact that the crisis and unemployserve the purpose of prestige. but not of their aims at sabotage with the prejudices coonomy in the future, the more extended ment made this campaign urgent, it was socialism.
of the masters, constructed the first draft will have to be the foreign economic rela rejected under all sorts of inept pretexts, The gaps that they are compelled to of the five year plan not only with a de tions. The contrary theorem is still more but in reality because the initiative for it stuff up with the supplementary trimester clining curve of the industrial rhythms but important: it is only by an ever greater emanated from the Opposition. At the precame into being, according to Pravda in sent time, in view of the also with a declining curve of foreign trade: extension of exports and imports that ecoworld attack spite of the absence of objective causes. they provided that at the end of the next omy will be able to overcome in time against Soviet dumping. the sections of This is a very consoling explanation but ten, twelve years, the would partial crises, to diminish the partial dis the Comintern are nevertheless compelled it replaces neither the uncompleted factor have completedly ceased all importation. proportions, to level the dynamic equilibrium to conduct the campaign we proposed be ies nor the unmanufactured commodities. And since on the other hand, the same plan of the various branches and in this way as fore in favor of economic collaboration with The misfortune is that the subjective fac. provided for an increasingly abundant hargure accelerated rhythms of development. the But how pitiful and eclec tors like incompetence. the absence of vest, and consequently increasing possibilHowever, it is precisely here that. in tie is this campaign, without either clear initiative. etc. are governed by the sub ities for export, a question remained un the final analysis, we run into the decisive ideas or perspectives; a campaign of disjective element, that is, by the bureaucratic answered: what will be done with the surproblems and difficulties. The possibility of ordered defense instead of a well prepared apparatus, only to a certain extent, and plus grain as well as with the other sur making use of the reserves of the world offensive. Thus, we once more see in the beyond these limits the subjective factors pluses that the country will have produced. market for the development of socialist light of this example that behind the burbecome objective fetters snice they are de Surely they were not to be dumped into the economy is directly determined, as we have eaucratic clamouring is concealed the same termined in the last analysis by the level ocean? However, before the first draft of said, by the relations between the domestic chvostism. the same incapacity to take of technique and of culture. Finally, even the five year plan was submitted, under the and the world net costs of a unit of merthe political initiative in a single important the gaps which are actually engendered pressure of the Opposition, to a revision ehandize of a fixed, standard quality. How question, by subjective causes, for example, by in principle, the very development of things ever, the bureaucratic course of the rhythms CONCLUSION myopia of the general leadership, also produced fissures in the theory and practise up to now has not only not permitted us to become obejctive fetters since they are de of an isolated economy. The world market obtain any successes in this field, but even To acknowledge publicly that the possibilities of further development. If op presents to the economy of every country, of posing this question in its genuine aspect realization of the five year plan in four portunism is characterized by passive socialist as well as capitalist, immense and In his report to the 16th Congress, years was a false step.
adaption to objective conditions. chvos prodigiously inexhaustible reserves. The Stalin said that the quality of our produc The experiences of the first two tism. adventurism. which is the antipode groavth of Soviet Industry creates technical tion is sometimes scandalous (it is with years and the inserted trimester must be the of opportunism, is characterized by its wan and cultural needs on the one hand and such explanations that bureaucracy object of studies and free and cogent diston and disdainful attitude towards the new contradictions on the other, thus oblig stuffs up every hole. This looks much cussion by the party.
objective factors. The leitmotiv of the ing it to resort in ever greater measure to like the expression concerning our fright The criteria of this discussion. a)
Soviet press today is: Nothing is impossi the reserves of foreign trade. At the same ful backwardness. Instead of exact data, the optimum rhythms (those which are ble for a Russian time, the development of industry which is we are served up expressions which have most reasonable. that is, rhythms The articles of Pravda (Stalin himself nnequal because of natural conditions, en the air of being very strong, but which which not only assure the application of remains prudently silent) prove that fore genders in various branches pressing only conceal the reality with cowardice: the the present orders, but still more, the aight. collective experience, flexibility in need for exporting (for example, oil, wood. backwardness. frightful. the quality, dynamic equilibrum of the rapid growth for economic direction, will, in the future as long before industry as a whole has begun scandalous. Yet, two figures, two avera series of years to come. b) the systemin the past. be replaced by the general to satisfy the elementary requirements of age comparative coefficients would have atic raising of real wages. c) the closing knout. Pravda recognizes, in a series of the country. The revival of the economic given the party and the working class an of the scissors of industrial and agriculeases, that faltering was liquidated less life of the thus leads from all incomparably more valuable orientation tural prices, that is, the strengthening of by production than by revolutionary sides not to the economic isolation of the than all the mountains of cheap journalistic the alliance with the peasantry.
pressure of the masses (November The comuntry but quite the contrary to the growth statisties, which fill the ten hour speeches In no case to identify the collective meaning of this arowal is quite clear. of its relations with world economy, of the sages of our times and which seek, farms with socialism. To follow attentively and It is obvious that if it were really consequently of its dependence in this field also, to replace quality qua 11the inevitable process of differentiation a question of outstripping in the course of upon world economy. The character of this tity.
within the collectives, as well as between the coming two or three years the advanced dependence is defined on the one hand by The sale of Soviet products even at different collectives.
capitalist countries and in this way to the specific gravity of Soviet economy with prices lower than the net costs is in the To pose openly and within the framesure the invulnerability of socialist econ in world economy, but in a more direct interests of imports inevitable in a cer work of the plan the problem of stabilizing omy, then a temporary pressure, no matter manner by the relationship between the tain measure and is fully justified from the the monetary system, otherwise the danhow heavy it might be for the muscles and net cost of the Soviet products and the net point of view of general economy. But gers of panic which bureaucratic deflation derves of the workers, would be comprecoats of the advanced capitalist countries. only in a certain measure. The increase may engender will be just as threatening as hensible and even justified. We have seen The entry of Soviet economy upon the of exports will encounter in the future ever inflation.
above with how much ambigility, deceit world market has thus taken place not in greater obstacles, as a result of the differ The problem of foreign trade must and demagogy this question is presented accordance with the provisions of the plan, ence in domestic and world net costs. Here be posed as a cardinal problem in the perbefore the workers. The uninterrupted play with a broad perspective, but on the con the problem of comparative coefficients of spective of the extension of relations with on the nerves threatens to provoke a re trary despite all the provisions, under the the quality and quantity of domestic and world economy.
uction in the masses incomparably graver pressure of pitlles necessity, when it was world products is posed with a special acute7. To work out a system of comparahan that of the end of the civil war. shown that the import of machinery, of ness and an obvious necessity. The fate tive coefficients between Soviet production the a