STRIKE STRATEGY Etat PAGE CHE MILITANT SATURDAY, JUNE 18, 1932 Stalinist Ministerialism Nine Years of the Left Opposition Into the Wuhan government were sent The Tragedy of the Chinese Revolution ser o labor and the other Teresa ed himself in Moscow and China in the struggle against Trotskyism because it by LEON TROTSKY When the full history is written of the arousing and preparing the masses against under estimated the peasantry. as min.
second Chinese revolution (1925 1927. it the bourgeoisie, became the instrument ister of agriculture. How did this bour will stand out as an everlasting monu of the bourgeoisie restraining the work geols government, the organ of the ment of condemnation to the leadershipers from striking against their bourge agrarian revolution. proceed to act? In (Continued from last Issue)
the calculation of one strategy and not as a panacea of Stalin Bucharin in the Russian party ois allies and preventing the peasants the customary manner of all bourgeois and the International. For the first time from rising to take the land and drive governments that exist only by grace of According to the testimony of Communist workers in which is submerged all other strategy.
in history was it given to the young pro out the kulaks. Rendered impotent in the ignorance, disorganization and weak. cf. say Der Rote Aufbau. there is a great deal bel Generally speaking, the general strike is the weapon letarian of the Orient to take the power the revolutionary situation, Stalin neverness of the revolutionary masses.
into its hands. Such a victory would theless left the Chinese party sutliclent sought to crush the workers and peasing said in factories to the effect that the sectional of struggle of the weaker against the stronger; or, to have extended the Soviet power from the strength for it to hand over to the bourants movement, and in this task it found strikes have no meaning at present, and that only a put it more precisely, of the one who at the beginning brought together close to a third of the es it should have led against Chiang Kal. captives who served the Chinese bour troubles. The general strike here signifies: the per one considers to be the stronger; seeing that myself frontiers of Poland to the Pacific coast, seotsie the proletarian and peasant mass the signal support of the two Communist general strike could lead the workers out of their of the struggle feels himself weaker against him whom world population under the triumphant Shek and Co.
seoiste as ministers under instructions spective of struggle. The workers are the less apt to cannot make use of an important weapon, shall try banner of Bolshevism, and given such a wish you hetus to the world revolution tend? It took as its point of departure sanize the agrarian revolutione send become inspired by disparate strikes because they have to prevent my opponents using it; if cannot shoot as it has not had since October 1917. the fact that the semi colonial positioning the Communist minister and anti: to deal directly with the state power; monopolistic from cannons, shall at least remove the gun locks.
Victory lay within reach of the hand for of China made the srtuggle against for Trotsky expert into the countryside at capital speaks to the workers in the language of Bruen Such is the idea of the general strike.
the Chiese workers and peasants, but eign imperialism an immediate task of the head of an armed division for the ing emergency decrees The general strike was always the weapon of strugsomething unprecedented in history took the democratic revolution. But, it point purpose of suppressing the insurrection At the dawn of the workers movement, in order to gle against an entrenched state power, that had at its place: the leadership, clothed in all the ed out it is precisely this wition with ary peasants! In this one episode is draw the workers into a strike, the agitators often re disposal, railroads, telegraph, police and army, etc.
tion and the Communista luternational, evitable the coming agreement between ary course which stalinism pursued in frained from launching into revolutionary and social By paralyzing the governmental apparatus the general stood in the way like a solid wall. Stalin the national bourgeoisie secking cus the Chinese revolution. The Communist ist perspectives, in order not to scare the worker away. strike cither scared the government, or created the flutno na elemente es balaye Chinese es both of them bound together by comes to the mouw writta which the best gourie At present the situation bears just the opposite char postulates for a revolutionary solution of the question olution the epigones played to the end, mon fear of the Chinese masses. The smashed the masses into submission.
It must be acknowledged that Stalin decide upon beginning a defensive economic struggle FOR THE DEFENSIVE OR FOR THE OFFENSIVE: The general strike is the most effective method of Lenin struggle in the Bolshevik party only of liberation from the imperialist Allies in the camp of they are clear about the genChinese bour only in the event in April May 1017 prevented them from yoke but also playing in the Russian revolution.
solution of the agrar geolste proved to be less falthful to him eral perspectives of the subsequent struggle. They fighting under the conditions where the masses are in question. In China, however, the than he was to them. Practically at the do not feel that these perspectives obtain among the united only by revolutionary indignation but are lackThe policy of the ruling faction during country usurer and landowner is so in moment when he was sharpening the Communist leadership.
ing military organizations and staffs, and cannot bethe most decisive period of the Chinese timatels bound up with the urban big knite for the neck of the Shanghal pro UNEMPLOYED AND EMPLOYED MUST BE UNITED forchand cither estimate the correlation of forecs, or revolution was, as Trotsky puts it, a bourgeoisle, the compradors, and in the letariat, Chiang Kai Shek was being work out a plan of action. Thus, one may suppose, translation of Menshevism into the langu last analysis, foreign bourgeoisie, lauded in Moscow by Stalin, who pro In relation to the tactic of the March days, 1921 that the anti Fascist revolution in Italy, after beginage of Chinese polities. The theory of that the agrarian revolution can only be claimed him a loyal ally, and condemned in Germany (to clectrify the minority of the pro ning from one or another sectional clash, will inevitStalin, Bucharin and Martynov can be carried out in violent struggle against all the Opposition for proposing measures Ictariat instead of capturing its majority. the writer ably go through the stage of the general strike. Only summed up as follows: They proceeded from the standpoint eserin solving this problem? Quite the government. It followed with almost when the overwhelming majority of the working class Italy once again feel itself as a united class and even the petty bourgeoisie lead the mass evitable disappointment with the Wuhan spoke at the III. Congress as follows: At the time in this way will the present disjointed proletariat of that China, as a semi colonial country. contrary. Only the proletariat of China staged accuracy in the footseps of Chiang takes no account of the movement, docs not sympath match the strength of the enemy resistance, whom was being submitted to the yoke of im. can lead the peasantry in the struggle Kai shek. The Left Kuo Min Tang ize with it, or is doubtful of its success; then the min it must overthrow.
whole nation, and upon all the classes in their own power. In this struggle, it is revolutionary than their right wing ority rushes ahead and by mechanical means strives to One would have to fight in Germany against Fascism The fantastle drive the workers into strikes, then this impatient min by means of the general strike only in the event that the bourgeoiste was conducting a rev. petty bourgeois masses. but a bloc which democratic dictatorship of the proletar ority in the guise of the Party can fall foul of the Fascism was already in power, and had firmly seized olutionary war against imperialism and is led by the proletariat whose vanguard lat and peasantry. which Lenin had working class and break its own head.
had to be supported by the masses of is organized into a separate Communist kicked into the dustbin of history in the state apparatus. But so long as the matter conworkers and peasants, in a struggle party, subordinated to no other party April 1917, proved to be in China of a Does this mean that the strike struggle should be cerns the repelling of the Fascist attempt to seize which was to be carried to victory by and acting independently.
decade later, a reactionary noose around renounced? No, not renounced, but it should be sus power, the slogan of the general strike turns out to the establishment of a democratie dictatorship of the workes and peasants. establish for the victory of the revoluWhat guarantees must the Communists the necks of the proletariat and peasan. tained by creating for it necessary political and or be just so much space wasted.
try.
ganizational postulates. One of these is the restora At the time of Kornilov march against Petrograd front was to be constituted as a blocselves, upon their way armed forces, party, with his state imperialisteunited tion of the unity of the trade unions. The reformist neither the Bolsheviks, nor the Soviets as a whole, even ers, the peasants, the petty and large end, upon their own state machinery. The with hts revolutionary parliament of has hitherto assured its position in the best manner roads the fight was waged to have the workers and the bourgeoisie. The embodiment of this Canton government is not our govern the Kuo Min Tang with his dem possible. But the immediate threat of Fascism is railroad personnel transport the revolutionary troops bloc was this bourgeolekup Minerang, ment Just as the Nationalist armies are ocratic dietatorshly and opposition to changing the situation within the trade unions to the and retard the Kornilov detachments. The factories the party of Sun Yat Sen, and after his not our armles and the Kuo Min Tang the formation of Sortets under prole detriment of the bureaucracy. The gravitation to unstopped functioning only in proportion as the work death, of Chiang Kal Shek and Wang is not our party, but the armies and tarian leadership with all this Chin Wel. The Kuo Min Tang accord party of the bourgeoise. The same played the reactionary part in China ity is growing. Should Leipart clique try under ers had to leave for the front. The industries that ing to Stalin, was a revolutionary par. holds true of liament. a workers Wuhan government, which Tseretelli and Chernov sought un present conditions to prohibit the restoration of un served the revolutionary front worked with redoubled party into which all the Chinese Comestablished by the Lerts after Chiang successfully to all in the Russian revolu. ity, this would immediately double or triple the Com energy.
nghal. tion of 1917. This is the only way in munist munists had to enter as a subordinated fluence within the unions. Should the union At the time of the October overturn like.
the STEP OF verhafter the Shanghaute coup and peasants must form soviets, for revolution will be recorded in history materialize, nothing could be better a wide sphere of wise no talk of a general strike. The factories and shouted that we shall never surrender tively. Etat of Chiang Kal Shek, Bucharin which they are already Aghting Instiuc: At every stage in the struggle, the op: activity would be opened to the Communists. Not regiments already on the eve of the overturn were reposition defended the tested doctrines of half way measures are urgent, but a bold about face! cognizing, in an overwhelming majority, the leaderthe blue banner (that is, the banner The Smashing of the Opposition Marxism, of Bolshevism. The Centrist!
of the Kuo Min Tang. Without a widespread campaign against the high ship of the Bolshevik Soviet. Under these conditions, Since the bourgeoisie, according to For advocating this course of action. But in doing so it out crushed the con cost of living, for a short working week, against wage to call the factories to a strike meant to weaken onethis conception, was conducting an anti the whole apparatus of the Russian party nese revolution.
cuts; without drawing the unemployed into this strug self and not the enemy. At the railroads the workers imperialist war against the foreign and the International was converted into. SHACHTMAX. gle hand in hand with the employed; without a suc strived to aid the uprising; the personnel under the brigands, the class struggle at home was a machine to crush the Left Opposition.
considered liqutdated. For the workers From Stalin and Martynov down to the The next article will deal with the cessful application of the policy of the United Front, guise of neutrality aided the counter revolution. The and the Communists to make ang serious last functionary an International cam struksle of the Opposition for the plan the improvised small strikes will not lead the movement general strike of railroad workers lacked any signifiattacks upon the Chinese bourgeolsle palgn was conducted to prove that Chiang med industrialization and agrarian colo out to the open road.
cance: the question was decided by the preponderance would be to disrupt the bloc of the four Kal Shek was a reliable ally, and after lectivization in the Soviet Union.
of the workers over the personnel.
classes. That is why Stalin compelled be had drowned the Shanghai proletariat Should the struggle flare up in Germany through the Chinese Communists to submit quietly in its own blood, his place of honor in the to the decisions of the Nationalist govcampaign was taken by Feng Yu hstang The Situation in Italy LUXEMBURGISM OR BURAUCRATIC VILLIFICATION sectional clashes initiated by Fascist provocation, the ernment which established compulsory and Wang Chin Wel. The whole comarbitration in strike struggles. For the mooist press lauded the bourgeols gen. Continued from page three The Left social democrats chat about the necessity call for a gencral strike would hardly meet the general same reason, the peasants movement was erals as our own. The Kuo Min Tang, The change in polley that took place of resorting to the general strike in the event that situation. The general strike would first of all mean checked with an iron hand in telegraphie which the Russian Political Bureau had snittee in March, 1930 and the Fourt the Fascists come into power. Very likely, Leipart that city would be isolated from city, one section of Communists were instructed not to or to admit into the Communist Internation Congress which met in the carly part of this account, Die Rote Fauxe makes reference to next. It is more difficult to find and collect the unemcommands from Moscow. Similarly, the decided (against Trotsky solitary vote) between the meeting of the Central Com. himself flaunts such threats within the four walls. On the city from another, and even one factory from the ganize Soviets, first, because Sovlets are al as a sympathizing party, was pre 1931, were not due to a re examination the instruments of power of the prolesented to the world as only one step of the Italian situation but were the Luxemburgism. This is villifying the great revolution ployed. Under such conditions the fascists, who tarian dictatorship and not of the dem removed from Communism. To such result of a general change which cour ist. Even though Rosa Luxemburg overestimated the have no lack of staffs, can obtain a certain prepondercaure to form Soviets would mean to national that when calang sa kal. Shter welche wine selecciones the and prove independent importance of the general strike in the ance thanks to the centralized leadership. True, their Staliu called the Nationalist government proletarian blood the victory of the stines to the proletarian revolution in general strike could not be declared at one whim, that tions the Fascist attempt could be repelled. But that Starth more revolutionary center. as armndes entered Shanghat to consecrate in our party concern themselves with the de question of power, she understood quite well that a losses are so disjointed that even under these condiis already another side of the matter.
of the bourgeoisle.
counter revolution, the French Commun Italy. And that what we had occasion to it was prepared for by the whole preceding course of The question of railroad communications, for inThe principal arguments of the ept 1st party sent him a telegram of con. say was equally true, was shown by the the workers movement, the policies of the party and gonesagatust the Left Opposition were gratulations on the formation of the fact that at the Fourth Congress, organ. the trade unions. On the lips of the Left social dem Stance, must be taken up not from the point of view that Trotsky ized by the leadership that expelled us ocrats however the mass strike is more of a consoling strike, but from the point of view of military expedi peculiar position of China as semi The proposals of the Opposition for colonial country where the revolution was an independent Communist party in China condemn several false political postions myth superimposed over sorry reality. particularly distinguished by the fact were denounced without cncy: for whom and against whom would the ways of This defended by them one year ago against For many years, the French social democrats had communication serve in the time of conflict?
that it was anti Imperialist; further that meant, cried Stalin and Bucharin, to us and having accepted our position promised that they would resort to the general strike It is necessary, therefore, to prepare not for a genTrotsky did not understand that this was leave the Kuo Min Tang. to desert our they have not failed to slanders in the event of war. The Basle Congress of 1912 even cral strike but for the repulsion of Fascists. This olution, consequently that its aim was from the united front. to skip over remains very important for us that at promised resorting to a revolutionary uprising. But means that everywhere there should be created bases leadership the threat of the general strike as well as of the up of operation, shock troops, reserves, local staffs and tatorship; hnally. that to break the un. ported, they contended, and the bloc whicha expelled out fremotherapartisie was rising assumed in these instances the nature of theat central authorities, smoothly working means of comallenate the bourgeoisto and skip over it was the bourgeoisie who ruled and be defended by one was correct. He had rical thunder: What is here involved is not the coun munication and the simplest plans of mobilization. TROTSKY This was the guiding line of the lead. detail was overlooked completely in we would certainly have demolished the born, formal and verbal attitude to the strike as well (From WILAT NEXT Vital Questions for the ers of the Comintern. Its practical ef the interests of the national revolution. other false political positions which the as to the uprising. The reformist armed with the German proletariat)
fects led directly to the victory of the Even after the Chiang Kai Shek coup leadership succeeded in getting and the cand it was not his first sign of coun opted. In fact, the full responsibility for Bebel type of social democrat prior to the war. The group holds that the United Front is permissable only in ad revolution in the abstract such in general was the burgeois counter revolution Nome ultra Lefts (for fustanee, the Italian Bordigist proletariat and peasantry by the very tal. tained his course. Only, in place of sup shoulders of the party leadership which post war reformist brandishing the threat of a general economic struggles The attempt to separate the economie struggle from the political in our epoch is less feasible in fies whom Stalin had chosen for them. port to the Kuo Min Tang center of organized it after having estimated the strike is again a live caricature.
The Bloe of Four Classes Chiang Kai Shek which was supposed to situation correctly and after having put The Communist leadership, of course, bears to the our time than ever before. The example of Germany, where What was the bloc of four classes in be leading the anti imperialist revolu the party on guard against the dem general strike an attitude that is much more conscienwage agreements and workers wages are cut by means of actuality? It was the form selected by tion. was now put the Kuo Min Tang ocratic danger, for retaining the false tious. But it lacks clarity in this question also. And children.
administrative decrees should instill this truth even in small Left of Wang Chin Wel, which Stalin and Co. in which the Communal supposed to be lending the agrarinn rev. from that, in persisting in the repudia. clarity is urgent. The general strike is a very imporwas theory of social Fascism and following We shall add in passing that in their present stage, the si Stalinists are restring many of the early crotchets of Bore and foot, and delivered to the Chinese his troops to Shanghal in order there the united front.
are conditions under which the general strike may has learned nothing nad which hasn taken a step forward, digism. Small wonder that the Prometeo group. which In the bloe the Chinese to join forces with the foreign imperialThe Communist party should become weaken the workers more than their immediate enemy. toxlay. In the period of the ultra Left zig zag of the Comin Communist Party did not retain a shadowsts against the Chinese masses, the gov the most powerful motive force in the The strike must enter as an important clement into tern stands much closer to the Stalinists than to us.
of its own independence. The party, in ernment of the Left bourgeoisie was Italian situation for the mobilization and a joint manifesto with the Kuo Min set up in Wuhan. In this case too the the unification of all he forces of the Tang, announced that it differed with shastly experiment in Menshevism was movement against the Fascist dictator the at the very moment when the TERNATIONAL SITUATION the latter only in some details. that the continued on a higher scale. Stalin call ship. It can be the center of attraction fascist aictatorship will feel its instabii. Bound Volume of Trotsky THE SPANISH REVOLUTION united anti imperialist front had to be ed the Wuhan government of bourgeois for all the working masses by aiding ity resulting from the fact that it needs Pamphlets THE SPANISH REVOLUTION IN Communists pledged themselves not to the South. According to Stalin, the rise against the Fascist dictatorsblp: difficulties, and against the workers, the DANGER criticize the petty bourgeois doctrines of Wuhan clique was nothing more nor less And in the course of the large movement peasants and the middle classes of the THE DRAFT PROGRAM THE COMMUNISM AND SYNDICALISM Sun Yat Senism. At the height of the than the democratic dletatorshtp of the which will multiply and gain leadership city, in general, who are seriously beginCOMINTERN revolutionary storm the Commbinlsts proletariat and peasantry. And if this over it in STRATEGY OF THE WORLD REV. The first, third and fifth pamphlets in the above table are out of print and are time, when the social democracy and the OLUTION role that they did not possiede perlintion to forme Schuhe Proposal of the Oppost the condition that they do not turn their ning to march against It. At the same WORLD UNEMPLOYMENT AND THE available only in the bound volumes paper of their own, and even their weekly tory was, you see, a criminal adventure. Trotsky. by giving up the absolutely other concentrationist parties are pushAgain we wish to repeat that in our periodicals we shall say nothing of thelr For if we already have the democratie negative policy towards the other arted by the situation into a Left posi FIVE YEAR PLAN opinion these works by comrade Trotsky contents were published Irregularly. In dictatorship set up, what purposeta Fascist parties tion, that means to lead the party of the PROBLEMS OF THE DEVELOPMENT will be the texts which the coming genwhole sections of the territory conquered there in organizing Soviets, which are By continuing to lead according to the proletariat, the Communist party, into OF THE erations of the revolutionary movement by the Nationalist armles of Chiang Kal organs of power and must consequently false theory of social Fascism. and isolation and therefore to be able to do THE TURN IN THE AND THE will study together with the works of SITUATION IN GERMANY Marx, Engels and Tenin.
Shek, the Communist party and the trade be aimed at overwhelming the existing consequently, by not applying the tactte nothing serious toward the success of the regime? This is how the Stalinists ar of the united front as it was taught us proletarian revolution in Italy. SANTINI.
GERMANY THE KEY TO THE IN PRICE TWO DOLLARS party, instead of becoming the leader in gued.
by Lenin during the four Congress ofl OF