SATURDAY, OCTOBER 27, 1984 THE MILITANT PAGE QUESTION BOX WHAT NEXT FOR FRENCH LABOR WORLD OF LABOR Discussion Article The Question of Intervention byl Imperialism in Cuba facert Either the working class ABRAHAM BROOKLYNThe first phase of the developQuestion: In view of the fact that Lenin recognized began on February under the ment of Bonapertism in France Editorial Note and the tolling maxsex organize, TRADE UNION UNITY IN FRANCE strengthen their defensive (that is Outstanding in the struggle against reaction and that Industrial Unionism as formulated by the Am truce government. new stage The article printed herewith is a translation from la Verite, what they are restricted to, today) Fascism in France in the need for trade union unity.
erican socialist, Daniel De Leon, would supply the is now in preparation. The matur official organ of the Bolshevik Leninist Fraction of the which will soon be transformed into The general strike of February 12 bronght the inThe clarity of its analysis of the political and economic situation in an offensive, they will suffer a dustrial power of the masses into bold relief.
basic form of the Socialist Republic and that ulti Ing crisis of the summer months is The reaching the point of explosion. mately the labor unions of Russia would control all solution is near at hand.
France and the realism of its program for the French proletariat debacle. This perspective should Prench labor movement, however, is divided. For make it a guide for every militant in the United States towards an guide all the activity of the work years it has been split into two camp the reformist production and in het le the government, is not your Let us review the situation in a understanding of the turbulent conditions now transpiring in that ing class. There can be no return Confederation Generale du Travail) and the fallure to teach such principles here in America tew words. The policy of detation country. Trade union unity, workers militia, general strike against to the democracy of the pre Febru communist Stalinist Confederation Gener.
anti Leninist?
has brought improvement. The the reactionary Doumergue government, workers and peasants gov.
ary 6th days. The clock of historsale du Travail oltaire. Trade union unity has Answer: One can hardly avold a feeling of stupevconomie crisis is raging more in cannot be turned back. The alter been hindered aud even sabotaged by the bureau ernment theve constitute a revolutionary policy to arouse the French masses out of the united front of inaction. They are the native is. deeper into Bonapartism, crats of both centers out of fear, and sectarian infaction at the manner in which the advocates of Intensely than ever with no prospect of umelforating the difficulties of measures necessary to stand off and finally smash the fascist movetowards Fascism and war, or for dustrial Unionism. as expressed by the above questerest. The yellow leader of the reformist unions.
inent. With this program we are in complete agreement. There is, ward to Socialism. That is why Jourhaux, cynically advised the members of the red tloner, attempt to use the prestige of Lenin to justify Industry as of agriculture. But, on their position.
che contrary, the economic condi however, one point of this article which we are obliged to take the working class must not agree organization to tear up their cards and join the Co.
Lions of the workers of city sharp issue. Two references are nude to the need for a united to merely asking parliamentary The Stalinists expelled the advorates of a fusion What facts do they present to prove their contenang country have worsened with purty which la Verite says is on the order of the day. The conquestions of the bourgeoisle which congress forth with.
tion? In the pamphlet Socialist Construction of the prospect of growing unemploy.
cept here referred to in the moot issue of organic unity. With this holds them in scorn, but must take The Mentiment of the man which Porcel the Society (a speech made by De Leon in 1905. pub ment and large scale pauperization lished by the Industrial Union Party, four quotations looming big. Large sections of the the National Committee of the is in disagreement. How its post as the champion of the united front between the Socialist and Stalinist ever, the problem cannot be exhausted in the space of this editorial wident democracy possible. The parties hay likewise caused the trade union leaders are given of people WHO SAY THAT LENIN SAID country are discontented with the note. We will return to the question of organte unity in future struggle wpainst the Doumergue to change their tune. The British and American New what our questioner attributes to him; namely Arno fate which is being forced upon issues of the Militant. The New International August number program can be carried on only for Leaders print Interesting reports on the latest develDosch Pleurot in a Petrograd dispatch to the them. This has been attested by World, Jan. 31, 1918: Arthur Ransome in Russia in the partial elections where in many carries articles of Interest on this subject.
the following aim: All power to opments towards unity in this held. The British the tolling masses, to the workers periodical for Oct. 12 states that the agreed 1919: Robert Minor in the World, Feb. 8, 1919: places the socialists and commu able. Occupying a constantly nar possible to keep silent about this.
and peasants government. to amalgamation without any question of minorities The Methods of Struggle impressive list of authorities and authoritative revo Strengthening of Bonapartise and will suffer defeat atter defeat, napot her courgeoiste nor the prole of the working class to resistance reactionary trade unions, it is quite inossible that the rowing arena, the working class There can be no return to the foror of separate loyalty to other organizations. While Hy which methods shall this will communists never make this demand fundamental lutionary publications the Struggle against consideration in entering or working in reformist or Do these facts at all justify our good Industrial Common Front multiplied misery, of redoubled pre tatat cun tise for its class inter and to its historie goal be organUnionists. First of all one has the right ask: The big bourgeoisie is alarmed. parutions for war. It is absolutely ests.
ized in order that it does not disslWouldn Lenin have devoted at least one full article it feels the foundations of its rule necessary to smash this official per The Only Perspective: Fight for a pate Itselt in sporadic movements version this compromise was made in return for the Stalinists surrendered to this condition without much resistance. According to the British New Leader to a question as Important as this? Secondly, even over the country shaken. spective of resorting to the bour. Workers and Peasants Government of revolt proroked and crushed by If we give the De Leonists every benefit of doubt Its forces or coerclun, its apparat geols Parliament. It is no longer The real perspective must be state and fascist reaction? All the have the power to forbid their members belonging withdrawal of the suggestion that the trade union and grant that the above tour individuals accurately tus of repression, reveal a very reported Lenin statements, and that other stray udvanced state of decay. The biggest organization can but precipitate to outside organizations. sentences of a similar nature could be adduced, the Bourgeoisie also feels the need of constantly worsening conditions. How little if anything this compromise is worth question still remains: what could Lenin, considering re arming itself immediately. Dou.
and only play the enemy game.
is seen by the fact that seldom or neverf in the his his position as a whole, have mennt by these re mergue developed in his speech How shall this struggle for the tory of the contemporary trade union movement of marks?
over the radio the program that it workers and pensant government union member heen brought into question. Three and France bave the political affiliations of any trade The Leninist position (and our position) for the wants to carry ou in tbe new perbe conducted?
emancipation of society involves the creation of a lod. He demands, by means of a four years ago the Communist League of France The coup de Force of February advocated a Congress of Fusion to achieve unity. For vanguard party of the proletariat to lead the latter reform of the coustitution, reduc6 has cemented the workers ranks. this they were abused, slandered and even hounded in smashing the capitalist state machinery by FORCE ing parliament to a shell, making The threat of a new blow should in the Today the Stalinist union. once and to REPLACE it with its own, e. POLITICAL the state adminstration a vast state power, ander whose direction industry will be barracks where the civil servant bring about without any delay the more powerful than the but now only a small greatest solidity of the workers fraction of it, is willing to accept uulty on whatever organized and the remnants of the exploiters sup will be no more than a soldier ranks.
pressed. Under SOCIALISM, when classes will have without any rights, submitting to The highest point of a social rev. At a most critkal stage of the The question of a united party is petence, mismanagement and splitting has given the conditions they can get. Their long record of incombeen abolished and when the workers state will have the strictest dle place thelet olution so far reached on the Am stresle of the Cuban workers on the order of the day. For its reformists the upper hand. The stalinistsure eating administrative functions may take the form of to low. with the power concentrat starting with the struggle that perialism was still on the upgrade, meetings must be held now at dustrial untons, every working member of society ed in few hands, thoroughly obedoverthrew the lacbado regime. the staliutats took the position and which the problems of the party in latest issue which places an entirely different light The American New Leader carrieg a report in its being eligible to such unlons.
ent to the orders of big capital. He The formation of the elementary issued instructions to the workers the present situation should be ex. on the mintter. The issue, according to this paper, ts De Leon, on the other hand, combines the reform. demands a strengthening of Bonato seize American property. amined.
not fusion or amalgamation but the Ist with the syndicalist position: The workers will partism, of the power which im. orus of the Soviet du some parts not dissolution of The question of trade union unity the and the adherence of all its members to form Industrial unions and after they have, through proses law and order by basing of Cubu was a reality and a living this was the directive of the breat to the rule of American im chrough its Latin American Secretheir political party, peacefully captured the power itself primarily ou armed force.
the They imply that the Stalinista have ac.
by In order to realize its program verialini. As the main enemy of cariat to the Cuban section. Inmust be solved in the immediateleeded to this condition but halked at the demand that ballot box, thus forcing the capitalists to Not a single trade union they drop the fight against the Amsterdam Interna Glee. the political party of the workers 1s to AD the big bourgeoistes erecting die extension of the October revo order to hold off intervention the future.
JOURN. ON THE SPOT, SIND DIE. otherwise rapid mobilization of its servants ution, the American Imperialists Stalinists informed the workers to should agree to a delay of several tional to which the belongs weeks and months when danger is this would be usurpation. and the industrial and formations. Doumergue has were confronted with a situation in stop welxing American property.
so imminent. The most efficacions The experience of the Stalinists in the trade unions unions will then form the basis of society. In addi issued an appeal. The various che Culun uprising that threatened To instruct the workers not to met che plans of the of the rest of the world. The began as the tion to his reformist orientation toward the workers bourgeois groups reply: present selzure of power, De Leon thus skips over the dicta. But its acceptance by the tolling Organize the Cultel States to me the Americal property when method of struggle against the re. In France contains an object lesson or the workers world. Soviets ur over eighty percent of the cultivat actionary offensive is the general torship of the proletariat, substituting for this his masses is still to be had and the use our Ruslans hustitutions dod and property of Cutu be the be carried on to victory, ntn breder worlanization with the onus of splitting the the bourgeoisie capitulates. It is trade unions on the reformists and social patriots.
every longs to American Interest is to precisely for the purpose of anyur. immediately the new trade union center was created torical stage a form of society which can be realized difficulty facing the bourgeoisie is bey bave been establislied revolutionary aplaval in Europe ell the workers to stop the revolucing the preparation and organiza. great. Years of relative prosper and it set up the cry for unity, which the What has this in common with Lenin? Particularity. the absence of great social and Asia, and with the Cuban revion. Asociul revolution, proletion of the general strike as thereformers rejected. But that was in Lenin time.
ly how can one claim that he could have given sup struggles, together with the copolution have invaded America tarian revolution in the colonial method of struggle of the workers since then, a long interval of social Fascism, Indeport to De Leon naive contention that the American tused policy of the all this Although the working class of land semi colouial countries is in under the most favorable conditious pendent leadership in strikes, united front from be.
social revolution will be peaceful because the capital has caused harm to the revolution. Cubiclid not obtain the objectivessible without the seizure of the that trade union unity is necessary low and the rest of the rubbish out of the Stalinist ists, being swindlers, are cowards, whereas in Eu ary current, but has deeply streng of state puwer in their struggle property of the imperialists.
ugainst the exploiters, nevertheless, The question is: can Intervention lays.
at once, without bureaucratie de Incinerator turned the tide in favor of the which has been growing stendily at the expense of rope, because of fendal remnants and training, the themed parliamentary and democra the lessons of the struggle are of de prevented by this stalinist rethe Today, under pressure of the workers, ruling class is brave and will fight. Though the illusions. The victory of PasFullty of all the crimes of the decalogue, there is one cism in Germany has also reacted standing question which proved to peculiar form. But could this stalA united party and a united utenost importance. One of the outCreatt? Intervention did exist in trade union movement is not enough can accept the plddling concessions offered them by the Stalinists must abandon their organization. They vice that the feudal lord is substantially free from the. urban and for the solution of the problem of That viee is COWARDICE. He will Aght what rural masses of France, hardly be a sturubling block to the exten inist position modify its forin? uniting the workers against the rethe other bureaucracy. If there are none then tongue ever the odds. But how is the lay of the land touched by reaction, are attached Ision of the struggle was the ques. Capitulation to interreution by re actionary danger. The great main cheek, they can crawl in.
using to seize laperlalist propertyjority of the workers are unorganThe worker today who would place his life in the here, in America. Let the political temperature to the democratie liberties acquired tion of the intervention of the Unitrise to the point of danger, then. your capitalist over a period of years. And thised States. clear position on this is capituation to imperialism in the ped. All of the telling masses must intelligence as a mother who would entrust the enfe.
hands of these people is displaying about as much will quake in his stolen boots; he will flee. Arattachment is translated today. question is essential for the Cuban revolutionary period. The Ameri be drawn into the struggle against ty of her child to a blind man on a congested metro least 1, for one expect to see him flee. For Deleven for important sections of the workers well as the American Ulunperialists changed the form reaction. How is that to be done?
of its intervention in Cuba because in every Leon complete position see Socialist Construction petty bourgeoisie, by an inclination workers.
politan thoroughfare.
towards the bloc of the Socialist When the factory enterprise and Cuban revolution it feared the effects of direct inter workshop workers committees should EXPULSION IN BRITAIN of Society. particularly pp. 88 to 47. complete polemle against the position of the and Communist parties which ap reached its inost favorable stage of ventivil, realizing the powerful be elected by the workers in the Industrial Unionists would, of course, occupy more pears to them to be the best defen. development, the decisive condiforces and opposition such action tories and enterprises. Organize Lest any comrades have donbts on the subject, the time and space than is at our disposal. The correct. der of these freedoms. The birtos, under the given international would release throughout the these committees locally. Central penalty for heresy in the Stalinist church, in Britain ize all these local committees na as in the United States, France or Australia, la exness of their viewpoint, however, is not decided mere bourgeoisie well understands the situation were in favor of the work. wlaule of the American The success of the Cuban revolutionally. In this manner, parallel communication The recently arrived October Issue ly by whether it agrees with what Lenin might or danger latent in this state of afing class. The Cubau ruling class of the Red Flag, organ of the Communist League of in the revolutionary position of the latter we would blow from the man with the dag alde blundered and was hated. Bit ion demands the selzure of Ameri with the untheation are the morele.
recommend that it attempt to stand on its own feet. Ker between his teeth it denouncester resentment against American government must be prepared, in the entire telling mass will take rades have been expelled from the High Street Cell can proverty. The rev. lutionary Ized workers, the organization of Great Britain, carries the information that two com Chicken legs, after all, are something The econothe common front which will send imperialism ran high.
urder to modity and postpone inter place and thus against the Bona of the South East District of the Communist party the frane down to tero. In addi le condition of the country, re.
tion the fighting formations of volving on the axis of sugar, hud vention to take up negotiations partist pretensions of the bourgeol in London. Their crime ishit the explanation L, DES MOINES lation and can be obtained at the Pioneer Book Shop with revolvers. The Croix de Feu reached its worst stage. The mass, policy that will modity and delay only honest parliamentarian repre Fontamara is now available in an English transers organizations and militants down. The sugar industry had question of their former property. ment quite ready to satisfy these ston, the cell broke up and seven comrades signed a It is always necessary to conduct a pretensions, there will develop the statement, of which the following is an excerpt: 102 11th Street, New York, The price is 50. Is going through mobilization exercises. It is attempting to intimt the middle class and peasants were intervention. But to carry this sentation of the workers of the march and the conduct of the anti war and anti: BROCKTONdate the workers organizations, to following the lead of the proletaril over to wystem whereby policy country, and in this struggle the Pascist campaign have made us uneasy as to where workers and peasants government the party is going. In fraction meetings we have Question: Can you give me a quotation from either reduce them to passivity and Inac fat. The army had revolted and is pursued within the bounds of de raised our objections only to be met with furious Marx or Engels in which the Materialist Conception while the bourgeoise carries had removed its officers and in some con that checks the further devel. will be born.
prevent Anti Faselst Militla and personal attacks, leaving our points unanswerell. We out its plans.
tion of History is given?
ing of the Proletariat to Beat Back of points in the polley which seems to us to be Arm. have made continual efforts to get some explanation Answer: The following is from Engel Socialism. The and the on the Plane workers struggles, or were neutral intervention is suicide.
THERE CAN BE NO SOCIAL in given cases of the seizure of the Reactionary Bands dangerously wrong. or course we were attacked Utopian and Scientifle. The materialist concepThe leaderships of the and sugar plantations. The establish REVOLUTION WITHOUT INTERtion of history starts from the proposition that the VENTION. The given class rela shift to the plane of physical force.
But the struggle has begun to as Trotskylsts.
production of the means to support human life and the Instead of orienting the ment of Soviets was gaining motions on a national and internation It can develop only on this plane, SIR STAFFORD MUDDLES OUT is the basis of all social structure that in every 80 treatiug before the pressure of the national scale was favorable. The al scale can be such as to modify for it is by force alone that a solu The Right wing of the British Labor Party which next to production, the exchange of things produced workers towards struggle, are re mentum and their establishment on clety that has appeared in history, the manner in bourgeoisie. The leadership of the arming of workers and peasants, the effects of intervention, or on tion will be reached, that the crisis hopes soon again to don the mantle of His Majesty classes or orders, is dependent upon wbat is pro. tles which needs the friendship or was taking place. In other parts a direct threat to success. But one eause they can place no confidence rent to the Pink Tea, Parlor bolshevik outfit, the which wealth is distributed and society divided into is bound up with Soviet Doll involving large layers of the class the other hand make Intervention will be bridged. The workers, be Host Loyal Government administered a decisive deduced, how it is produced, and how the products are France. Discontent with the policy of Latin America anti American Cannot modify intervention by put in bourgeois legality. must take socialist League, run by Sir Stafford Crips and conley and anti imperialist feelings ran tiug the brakes on the factors practical measures to assure them exchanged. From this point of view the final causer or inaction is making itselt telt high, and threatening oppusition to which extend and strengthen revo selves the defense of their rights. at being the Left Wing of the Labor party and sorts. This gentleman. It appears, made pretensions be sought, not in men brains, not in men better the ideological confusion created by the United States took shape in Iutionary action. The modification Anti Fascist militias must be set tavoring more revolutionary action. The three of all social changes and political revolutions are to the ranks, but this is drowned in of intervention depends upon the, up in every locality and every disprincipal planks in his very radical program were The most important factors un extension and the deepening of the triet. The revolutionists who seek the abolition of the House of Lords, radical reform Insight into eternal truth and Justice, but in changes the recent turn. The leadership of some countries.
in the modes of production and exchange. They are the dreams of the democratic to oppose this under such pretexts of the House of Commons and the use of emergency to be sought, not in the PHILOSOPHY, but in the past. It is only beginning to ac favorable to the revolution were revolutionary forces. selal revolution cannot be as that the bourgeoisle will use powers by the Labour Government If the need ECONOMICS of each particular epoch.
custom itself to unity of action. the following: the Cuban revoluProfoundly imbued with conception came on the heels of the most confined to one country. Further this against our organizations. arose. But at the Brighton congress of the Labor Editor note: Because some questions require tons of gradual political develop disastrous defeat of the working development and the deepening of there must be no provocation are party this revolutionary lion became as tame as more investigation than others, they are not being ment, it is overwhelmed by even class, the Fascist victory in Ger the Cuban revolution would have at bottom camouflaged partisans of amb. He appeared before the delegates, his claws the eventuality of a period of in many. The Intervention of Ameri caused Its extension into other restricting the struggle to the plane clipped. fawning and howing before the die bard are received. The Indulgence of the questioners in though In certain federations as whole period of the struggle. It have etrected the American workers march of reaction will not be avert changes could be brought about, according to this answered here entirely in the order in which they stability. As to the rank and Ale, can imperialism WAS reality the parts of Latin America and would of bourgeois legality. The forward servants of the British Empire. Revolutionary this matter is requested.
the Seine, the Illusions of a return took on the form of bottling up by accelerating the class antagon. ed by eschewing provocation. It new type of revolutionist. by parliamentary methto democracy are dissipating. tbere Cuba with American Warships and isms and by giving impetus to the necessary the bourgeoisie will in lods provided they were drasleally modernized. SHERMAN, NJ. Continued)
Question: What is the Communist position onception of the conditions of strug. within the country. The Third In tension of the Cuban revolution beures. The only means of opposing need for violence. Even if we accepted there premis Immediate demands. gle.
Answer: In general the Communist position is to the mobilization of the bour where it stood beside the Second not necessarily mean success in meeting force with force would still remain as to whether the British capital.
The only guarantee the working ist class would allow nich parliamentary changes to that the fight for immediate demands is a necessary geoiste, to its shock troops whose International, and could no longer these countries. But its extension stepping stone toward the seleure of power, without purpose it is to deprive the masses be used as an instrument for revo would rouse the workers and other class has to preserve its liberties be made without challenging them very vehement The historical sense of this position was stated by of the Socialist and communist was only in the formative stage countries, who in one form or the hon are armed in order to say it over the Socialist Lengte back watered, agreeing to don a minimum program: Our entire program peal which is based strictly on the was carried on to rally the sup ploiters and the American Imper tense of the Masses is possible Intentionally vagne Ro that nobody would he combe of it. port of the workers. The wave ialists, thereby preventing the full only if every worker has in to.
to serve as in an eventualities and in all the phases parliamentary interpellation and strike struggles that were rapid blows of intervention from striking possession the means whereby to become so mld and penceful that Herbert Morrison.
of the struggle by its application and not by its non. then, after the cantonal elections, y maturing in the United States Under such conditions the revolu reply to the suns and darkers of a labor skate of the old school, took to chding them the historic development of soelety from capitalism of the activities of the and due to the position of the of date its power through the Soviets. When the people are armed, far of gradualism as espoused by the late sidney Webb.
to socialism, it must naturally formulate all the the they envisage meetings leadership on the one hand and transition phases of this development, and must be and demonstrations. Parliamentary the Stalinist forces on the other vanced country will confront inter latter will show itselt far less pro The pretenders to being a revolutionary current.
able to explain to the proletariat at any time the cretiniem flows in big waves. hand, thereby not making it pos vention, although the relation of vocative.
now stripped of all pretensions, there is room and process of the transition toward socialism. From Reaction is preparing a new blow. need for a genuine left wing in the Labor Party, to speech hade to autumn of 1917, quoted at the Toth followed the these phone that able to take full advantage and forces are far more favorable in The danger is imminent! To ac raise the issues sharply and to fight the lackeys of congress of the Democrney, detent will be berit workers. Continued on Page 4) tion, without a moment delay! the King as only revolutionists can.