SATURDAY, APRIL 16, 1932 THE MILITANT PAGE IN THE INTERNATIONAL OF LABOR Reviews and News of the Working Class and Revolutionary Movements military superiority of Japanese imper of a Soviet China in part of the counmunists cannot be red, cannot be an army realize their own weakness. Self decen still believed that the convention would character and at that in a less concealed e matopat elevation electrodometer Nine Years of the Struggle of the Left Opposition: of China? You will not say that such an action was impossible because of technical reasons, and transport reasons. For revolutionaries there are no Japanese imperialism has succeeded in the Stalinist leadership which is wreck, Is there a Communist party in these tersuch obstacles.
MADRID, March 24, 1932 ment, still under the Leftist label, breaking the herole struggle of the ing Communism.
ritories? not, then under whose Are the data furnished by MuenzenShanghai masses, in taking Shanghai and The Communist Party of Spain has embodies the preparation of the coming the surrounding territory. This success How much confidence can a Communist leadership are the Soviets and the Red berg correct? Or are they only another was not due simply to the technical and have in the data furnished by the Com Army? Soviets without Communists are link in the chain of deceptive reports? just held its Fourth National Convention into power of a government which, apart intern leadership regarding the existence not executive organs of a proletarian The party comrades must know the at Seville. The few Spanish dictatorship. Red Army without com truth. Revolutionists do not fear to who even after the regional conferences be particularly anti working class in lalism. The Chinese counter revolution under the leadership of Chiang Kai Shek try? Who will believe Munenzenbers of the proletarian revolution.
the General Secretary of the League Theretion is the greatest disaster for the Com mean the preparation for a strong Com form.
Unemployment is becoming more acute capitulated before the enemy because of Against Imperialism and Colonial Op must be a Communist party there. The munist movement. We have bad enough munist party and the first decisive step the fear that the steadfast struggle Think of Lenin, who toward Communist unification have seen every day. In spite of the depression bee Sheetselworkers would in the end Ing to the conceptions of the comforters If that is the case; we ask: Wasn to set up the principle of openly pointing their hopes shattered. The convention or within the labor movement, strikes have reason, Chiang Kai Shek disarmed the struggle, when he says at a public meet the Soviet territories in China to Shan. Therein lay the tremendons strength or part of the Open Letter of the Commun. months ago. The labor crisis will conthere or this leaders is to lead the anti imperialist possible to send Communist cadres from out our weakness before the mass not oficial Spanish Communism was a real not ceased to appear, although they sive only before the members of the party anti Trotskyist gathering. Only that evidence of less intensity than several Shanghai workers who were engaged in ing: In China we have a Soviet Repushat, there where your criminal policy the Leninist party and its Ist International, which calls the tinue to grow from day to day and the a struggle against the Japanese army. ble with 70, 000, 000 inhabitants and within its time gave Chiang Kai Shek superiority attack workers movement will very soon reThis is the way the former ally of Stalio a Red Army of 300, 000 men. We ask: possibility to slaughter the elite of the to undertake a forceful the over all enemies. WELL.
against the Communist Left Opposition surge with even greater combativity than tights for the national liberation of was under discussion. We witnessed there heretofore. The workers will defend China. It is once more made clear that how the leaders of the without their right to live and will engage in can only come about by a victorious pro1923 without any transitory tsops, gave up struggles of even greater importance and their conception concerning the insignl sharpness than those in the past. The letarian revolution.
ficance of Trotskyism in Spain and adanarchists and the anarcho syndicalists The entire press, and the Communist around which the Left Opposition took blades of the scissors, that is, to bring these illuminating remarks: The first struggle in the Russian party of the former. To draw together the in one of his speeches in 1923, he made opted the point of view that Spain is have showed that they are incapable of press in particular, have continually shape occurred in 1923 between the 12th the prices of agricultural and industrial the only country in which the leading the proletariat to victory. Alactually import though the anarchist working class elebrought reports of the heroic Atrassle ot and the 13th party congresses. It was products into greater harmony, became inquired how often our party clections They declared that it was a ser ments have showed an admirable spirit of the Nineteenth Route Army against the concerned with tour questions of funda the intensely urgent problem of the so are conducted with the question from the sous mistake on their part to disregard militaney and heroism. Nothing can be reported that this army mutinied against tween the city and the country, the key establish a corresponding political har. we should easily discover that in the Ism had acquired in this country. The traitors. The hope of the working class. the Nanking government and organized question for the proletarian dictatorship mony between the proletariat and the majority cases our elections to the regional conferences which preceded the rested with the Communist Party and the military resistance by itself. Ac in Russia which is based upon the alli peasantry on the one hand, and between party organizations have become elec National Convention were dedicated al. the latter deceived it in its hope. This had become a sort of rallying point for (2) the problem of a plan in the devel the other hand.
frente responsibility the Study the popular masses of Shanghai. It opment of economy, which continues to Although the 12th party congress in discussion, but according to the formula Convention only presented a resume of derstanding on the one side; sectariantakes place not only without preliminary Trotskyist problem and the National ist bureaucracy. This responsibilty was also reported that this army dis run through all the subsequent internal April 1928 had dealt formally with the Who is Against And, since to speak the regional conferences.
armed divisions that remained loyal to struggles like a red thread. 3) the question, not a single practical step had against the authorities is a bad business Nanking.
ism, arrogance and the lack of the most During the last three weeks Trotsky elementary notions of responsibility, on What sort of an army is it? The en which the passage of the years has only contrary the summer and tallerisis was the election of the secretaries of our use has been propagated in Spaine wuch the other hand. The stalinist leaders tire Comintern press maintained any icy rendered infinitely more acute; and fin. proof that the situation bad worsened. lower branches silence on this question. Yet, it is im ally. 4) the questions of revolutionary Industries, finding it hard to dispose of possible that these facts were unknown strategy raised by the abortive German their products, slowed up their produe meetings, then how does it go here last two years. Today Trotskyism is acratie illusions, denying the dem. If you raise the question of our party inlsts than by our own work within the masses from the influence of the dem to the Comintern leaders. Aside from revolution of 1923 and the Bulgarian in. tion and consequently found it increas Election of the praesidium of the meets working class organizations, in the coffee in one step and without any transition, being spoken about in Spain, in the ocratic illusions and prescribing a leap the information apparatus of the cominsurrection of the same year. The last thely difficult to pay wages regularly. Inge Appears some comrade from tern and the Communist press, there is point we will deal with in our next ar when they were paid it was in the form district committee, presents a list, and this sense, we have sufficient cause to be era to a Soviet regime, although at prehouses, in the theatres everywhere. In from the dictatorship of Primo de Rivalso a press service of the Rticle. Here we will occupy ourselves of a depreciated money which could not asks Who is against Stalin, Manuilsky, Thaelmann and Co. with the first three points which are so satisfy the needs of the workers. The against, and the business is considered Inist bureaucracy for the good work they confusionlsm with regard to slogans of knew very well what was going on in Inextricably intertwined.
number of unemployed was on the infinished. With the order of the day, the have carried on for us.
Shanghai.
To present the dispute of 1923 clearls crease. Manufactured goods, therefore, same procedure. The chairman asks, a democratic character and believe that What happened at Shanghai? What means to dig under a veritable mountain were not only unavailable to the peas Who is against Nobody is against.
Nevertheless, it is deplorable that the in order to come to the proletarian die did the Nineteenth Route Army do? To of thick filth and falsification with which ants, but also to the workers. To ada The resolution is unanimously adopted first convention held by the Spanish tatorship it is necessary to pass through which party did the army appeal? Thell the bureaucracy has covered the true to the difficulties, strikes a phenomenon There you have the customary type o Primo de Rivera in 1923, meeting at a peasants government (the same slogan Communists since the coup Etat of the democratic stage of a workers and Communist Party of China. Why did the It may perhaps best be understood by broke out in various parts of the country. It goes without saying that this gives beginning within the labor movement of 1926 27. They are the only ones reComintern leaders conceal this joyful first giving an account of the situation The mounting dissatisfaction of the rise to an enormous wave of dissatis news from the Communist parties and existing in those days. In this way it workers found expression in the party, faction. gave you several examples Sputn, should not have taken under con sponsible for the masses turning, after the world proletariat? The Nineteenth will be possible to examine the contend too. In distorted form, it was reflected from the life of our lowest branches sideration any other problem outside of losing all their confidence in the present Army was looking for the of Chma. Ing views against their natural back notably in the formation of two secret The same thing is noticeable in a slightly that concerning Trotskyisi. and that republic, to the bourgeois leftist radiDay after day it was covering the wallsground.
and subjec cals. The establishment of the left groups, the Workers Group. with dis changed form in the succeeding ranks of in an altog of Shanghai with the message: Commun The Program for Workers Democracy tinctly Menstievik Idens, and the Workour party heirarchy.
tive form especially in view of the tre radical bourgeoisie as a party defending ist Party, come to our side, we want to mendous tasks facing the Spanish prole the democracy is something for which As far back as the 10th Congress of the ers Truth Group. with anarcho ryndte It is as a remedy for this whole state the Stalinist bureaucracy is largely ro.
join you! This news comes from the party, when the counter revolution and alist ideas. Even when the groupe had or affairs that Trotsky proposed the tarlat and its vanguard in particular.
Official reporter of the Pravda, and was the civil war had been liquidated on been discovered and their leaders ex realization in life of the decisions of the The Open Letter of the Communist In sponsible. The leadership of the divulged at a closed session. It does not every important front, a program intend pelled, the questions nevertheless remain. 12th party congress on plan in economy ternational, assuming the air of a teach was unable to explain to the masses hail from a counter revolution Trotsky led to terminate the atmosphere of war od: How shall their appearance be ex and for a renuine workers democracy er, merely repeats our own criticism of the deception of bourgeois democracy. It list. All its efforts were in valo, the Communism in the party and to substi plained? And the answer which met in the country. Let us emphasize here the leadership of the Spanish Communist merely aggravated things, when at the with could not be found in Shanghat, in adopted under the leadership of Lenin. phenomena were the result of the in raised to pointedly here was presented ted but gives no solution for the future the notion of democracy, it demanded the outstanding center of China. What The needs of the current moment, rena ternal party regime of war Communism only as a revolutionary Marxist can: aside from demanding a fierce attack all power to the Soviets. to Soviets a frightful fact. the resolution of the congress, demand which continued to live after the period Not as an abstraction, not in the name against counter revolutionary Trotsky that did not exist except in the fancy of ism.
the Spanish disciples of Stalin, It is becoming clear only now, why new organizational form. That form of war communism in the country had of that pure democracy at whose is workers democracy.
the Comintern press kept quiet about the course of died out.
shrine the Mensheviks worship so piousParadoxical as it may seem, the con It is necessary to destroy the dembe actual happenings within the Nineteenth workers democracy shall adopted Trotsky Intervention ly, but as a concrete need of the hour. vention of the did not take up ocratie illusions of the masses; it is necRoute Army. Had the Comintern lead with the same decisiveness, and as en On October 8, Trotsky wrote to the Trotsky demand for workers democracy the present situation. Sad as it is, weessary to wrest them away from the iners made these happenings known, everyergetically carried into execution, as in Central Committee to express his opinion was presented in direct connection with must say this openly. Not a single thesis fluence of the radical bourgeoisie. The thinking Communist would have asked the period just past the course toward on the whole matter. In it he pointed the needs of the socialist industry and was presented to the convention, which official Communist party has not been were the reports at the last militarization of the party, to the extent out that repressive measures alone could the satisfaction of the needs of the In itself was a convention for the liquidable and is not yet able to do this, be plenum rogarding the strength of the that this does not meet an obstacle in not solve the problem. The crisis was working class. And when one takes into ation of the Communist Party of Spain. cause its leadership has deserted the fact that of China correct? According to the need for struggle with the counter due to the inadequate application of the consideration, further, the Meanwhile the Political situation lends correct Bolshevik line. It is precisely these reports, the of China had hun revolution 12th congress decisions on the organiza Trotsky raised the whole problem in itself magnificently to the development for this reason that the Is undreds of thousands of members, the The outbreak of the counter revolution tion of industry, especially with regard connection with the scissors crisis of revolutionary action and the creation interruptedly disintegrating and being destroyed. The best militants of the Shanghai organization of the party was ary uprising in Kronstadt and the subse to the concentration of industry and the and the discontentment of the peasantry. of a strong communist party. The recommunist party keep on moving in the one of the strongest: The conclusion quent promulgation of the New Economie necessity of a plan. Here, by the way, that he presented the solution with an publican government, although it appears that every party comrade must draw is Policy (NEP)
resulted in the execution can be traced the origin of the struggle sve towards strengthening the bonds to be consolidated, finds itself in need direction of the Communist Left Opportthat these reports were abject deception of the 10th Congress program being arfor a plan in economy which the Bolshe between the proletariat and the peasan. of resorting to acts of violence in order tion, are constantly increasing our ranks.
That is the only answer there is This is the present situation and these lem of democracy in the party wat none bureaucracy resisted for years aftertion of the absurd and unscrupulous to reaction has been able to readapt Hall are the problems facing the Spanish The Stalins and Thaelmanns who bear of its actuality, particularly in view of wards. Finally, he showed, the crisis ventions about an alleged under estima and to raise its head once more after proletariat at the present moment. Unthe full responsibility for the disastrous how matters began to develop in the was due to the inability of the party tion of the peasantry which the bureau defeat of the Chinese proletariat in 1927, country as a whole and in the party spe masses to exchange views, to exercize crats soon discovered to be the funda days of the new regime. This is due to third National Conference is going to the panic which had seized it in the first der these historical circumstances, our who have wrecked the Communist Party cifically. The problem was aggravated any influence upon the leadership, or to mental deviation of Trotskyism. of China, had to conceal the truth re by the following elreumstance: the obvious depression that has of late meet. Before this conference there is participate in the affairs of the state SHACHTMAN. set in within the labor movement. It presented in the form of theses, an ar.
garding the actual conditions of the In the summer of 1923, Russia ex and bureaucratic regime in the party a condition resulting from a hierarchical (Continued in next issue) Ch. from the party membership so is undeniable that the Arana govern senal of documents on problems which as to make them forget their catastrophic perienced a severe economie crisis which with the prncipal mass of the officals the Communist Left Opposition will have акадпинисмаанислилтісіншинсиписанишисштиісіншнителни инскитинстини синишсипати to solve. Today, the Communist Left policies in China. And because this pol.
icy is being avenged in China, because signation of Trotsky as the scissors appointed from above instead of elected Opposition is the organization toward which the most conscious proletariat of there is not in fact any Communist Party crisis. The name was derived from by the membership How serious the bureaucratic distorSpain turns its eyes. large current of there to lead the masses in struggle, the the symbol of the widening blades of a (Continued from page 1)
withhold scissors, one blade representing the price tlor of the party had become may be seen are forgotten as lightly as they were pulsion of all Japanese diplomatic retoward us, putting its faith in the ComNow the party demand for the exworking class opinion is making its way the Joytul news that a whole army went of agricultural products and the other the lewe imeti per telearly. from a teleperatellowing conceived. Instead we read this solicit. presentatives from the becomes munist lett opposton of Spain. hehere over to the This is one more ter rible lesson of the disastroas policy of ter er which increased with the Anciense was unable to participate directly in concerning the recent Tardieu MacDonald The American party demands of the historical moment is the responsibility of the affairs of the party But even from conference: bourgeoisie that it take steps against the the real Communist party of Spain, of his sick bed, he was in a position to see At this conference two questions were Japanese which the Soviet Union has the genuine vanguard of the Spanish how matters stood and how great was the danger to the party and the revolu discussed simultaneously. the situation retrained from taking. But the expul proletariat. Conscious of our duties and tion. Late in 1923, only a very short in the Far East and the common repudia sion of all diplomatic representatives is time before his death, he drew up one tion of paying war debts to the United only the first of many connected steps responsibilities, we are going to meet at HITLER GAINED MORE THAN TWO MILLION VOTES IN THE document after another directed against States. It is also no accident that the To break or diplomatic relations is usu our National Conference on March 26.
RUN OFF ELECTION ON APRIL 10th. THAELMANN LOST MORE the secret clique of Stalin Zinoviev Kamattack against the dollar has been stren ally the prelude to a declaration of war. The achievements of this conference will THAN ONE MILLION.
enev Bucharin which had already consthened to an unparalleled degree dir The cruel logic of the party downright be the subject of our next article.
WHY DID THE FASCIST VOTE INCREASE AND THE COMMUNIST stituted itself with the determination to ectly after this conference. The Amerchauvinistie position is that, in the event HENRI LACROIX.
VOTE DECLINE?
perpetuate themselves in control. It is lean economists are trying to find the of the consistent sharpening of the con in this period that Lenin wrote his num. tion between French and English news sonably ball way along its chosen road routes of this attack in the collabora flict, it would only be stopping unrcaIS IT STILL POSSIBLE TO REMEDY THE SITUATION AND OPEN THE WAY FOR BROAD UNITED ACTION OF THE GERMAN PROLETARIAT AGAINST FASCISM?
letter breaking off all personal relations papers. It would be better for them to if it failed to support the American bourwith Stalin, and finally the famous test cast a glance deeper and to look into the geoisie in declaring war against the LEON TROTSKY PRESENTS ALL SIDES OF THIS PROBLEM IN HIS ament in which he proposes that Stalin quai Orsay and Downing Street, where Japanese. This is how the mercenaries NEW BOOK be removed from the post of party see the French and English foreign policies of Stalinism are slowly converting the retary. In one of the documents he are worked out. Our emphasis. great Leninist slogan to make it read: wrote at that time, Inter known to the With this paragraph, the statesman of Transform the civil war into an imperparty as Better Less and Better. Lenin the Daily Worker seeks to do the detecialist war!
wrote scathingly about the Rabkrin at tive work for the American bourgeoiste, In his magnificent criticism of the prothe head of which stood Stalin: Our neither more nor less. On Guard, he gram of the Comintern, comrade Vital Questions for the German Proletariat new Commissariat of Workers and Pea cries in effect, France and England are Trotaky pointed out that the national sants Inspection, we hope, will leave beplanning to repudiate your war debts. Estic, opportunistic degeneration of the by Leon Trotsky Extracts from What Next are appearing serially in The Militant. The hind the quality which the French call This is the conterence which strengthen social democracy led inexorably to Aug poses and answers many questions book in full will be published as soon as Problems of the Chinese Rev.
pruderie, which we may call a ridiculoused the atack on Tour dollar. This at ust 4, 1914, and he warned against the about the 1925 27 Revolution.
olution is off the press.
affectation and a ridiculous self import tack is not being conducted by isolated essential similarity with the poison inWhat happened in China at that Help us rush these two books by paying in advance for your orders. ance, which is the last decree ebare: French bourgeoisie, the English bourge by the idea of socialism in one country real enemy is the jected into the body of world Communism time?
WHAT NEXT more than one hundred pages.
What is happening there now?
Paper cover, Fifty Cents bureaucrats and party bureaucrats alike. oisle. They are also ones who back of all the rotten fruits it has born, the What will happen in the near PROBLEMS OF THE CHINESE REVOLUTION. more than three hunIn parenthesis be it said that we have a Japan. You would be foolish to toler present is one of the most monstrous.
future?
dred pages.
bureaucracy not only in the Soviet in ate Japan advances upon the Soviets. We say openly: this road leads to a Order your copy now.
stitutions but in the party too.
international Paper cover 00 Is this the first concrete result of the horrible catastrophe for Cloth cover 50 Paper cover 00 How far the bureaucratism had al new Stalinist temporary alliance. Has Communism to its betrayal and cruciORDER NOW fixion. Stalinism is driving it to the the American party already become dipCloth cover 50 PIONEER PUBLISHERS ready gone in the party was described at lomatic adviser to the Hoover govern brink of the abyss. The Communist PIONEER PUBLISHERS 84 East 10th Street, that time, among others, also by Buch ment? And has a more treacherous trap workers must cleanse the movement of 84 East 10th St. New York, NY.
arin, who was one of the leaders in the been prepared in the Communist move the poison before it is too late.
New York, fight against Trotsky and the Opposition. ment in recent times than this one.
Imperialist War and Social Chauvinism NEW BOOK ON GERMANY Problems of the Chinese Revolution WHAT NEXT?