SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 1935 NEW MILITANT PAGE Lessons of October By Leon Trotsky Question Box MARCH OF EVENTS Editor Note: This article was written for the French paper By JACK WEBER accept with the greatest readi. Revolution, the organ of the Parisian revolutionary youth. The power and hid behind it. The aroused revolutionary masses never ness Fred Zeller suggestion to contents of the article clearly reveal as its main aim the utilization of MINERS STRIKE IN ENGLAND tions that antagonize Japanese and contribute an article to Revolu the experience of the October Revolution to demonstrate to the reader forgive cowardice and betrayal.
the fatal nature of the policy of the People Front in France, as First the Petersburg workers, and The threat of a general strike of British imperialism have reached tion on the occasion of the 18th By WEAVER the English miners attracts the im the point where the traditional anniversary of the October over well as in other countries.
after them the proletariat of the BRONX whole country, after the proletariat scious workers everywhere. For tary alliance that existed up to big daily newspaper, it is just the soldiers and after the soldiers Next? Trotsky writes, Lenin, Question: On page 79 of What the peasants, convinced themthey remember the last great strug 1922, begins to turn sour and to striving to become a weekly. Highselves by experience that the Bolthrough the press offered to comgle which paralyzed British Impergive way to hatred.
placed bureaucrats might pull consheviks were right. Thus, within tlonaries and the Mensheviks: promise with the Social Revoluialism. That struggle, on the widtemptuous faces on this score. But est scale ever experienced in EngI have had occasion to observe but a few months the handful of you compose the majority in the land, came as a defensive stand CLASS STRUGGLE IN FRANCE many times how powerful organ sectarians, adventurers, conspirators, agents of the Hohenzol.
Soviets, he said to them. Take against the reactionary drive of izations with a powerful prone the entire bourgeoisie to lower proover the state; we shall support The situation in France becomes crumbled Into dust under the imlern, etc. etc. transformed themduction so as to meet compe more threatening to the workers pact of events, and how on the millions of awakened people. Loy.
selves into the leading party of you against the bourgeoisie.
Guarantee us complete freedom tition by a relentless lowering of daily. The battle between the Fas contrary small organizations with alty to the revolutionary program, of agitation and we shall assure Wages.
The strike developed into cist Croix de Feu and the Socialist a technically weak press were in you of a peaceful struggle for the a general strike involving the rail and Communist workers af Limoges, a short time transformed into bisirreconcilable hostility to the bourgeoisie, decisive rupture with socialroad, transport and mining indus in which fifteen workers were sert toric forces. Let us firmly hope majority of the Soviets. Isn patriots, deep trust in the revoluLenin proposal here an exact tries, under the leadership of the ously injured and none of the Fas that precisely tus fate is in store tionary force of the masses, these model of the United Front or General Council of the Trade Un cista, a a lesson from the life of or your paper and for your organare the chief lessons of October. People Front government proions. The Triple Alliance was bethe need for an armed workers ization.
posed by the Seventh Congress trayed by the General Council militia to meet the armed Fascist in the year 1917 Russia was The Campaign Against the of the and denounced by whose leaders were given the pres bands. The policy of the People passing through the greatest social Bolsheviks Trotsky as the complete repudiatige of Stalinist endorsement Front becomes in this respect a crisis. One can, however, say with The entire press, including the tion of Leninism?
through the abortive Anglo Russian worse and worse betrayal of the certainty, on the basis of all the apers of the Mensheviks and Committee (committee of trade un Interests of the proletariat. It is lessons of history, that had there Social. Revolutionaries carried an equation can be drawn between Answer: It is difficult to see how ion centers of both countries Ed. the medium through which the been no Bolshevik party, the im on a vielous campaign, really un. the united front policy of Lenin In the present instance, a vote has workers are fulled into passivity, measurable revolutionary energy of heard of in history, against the and the policy of the Seventh ready authorization to the through which working class poll the masses would have been fruitBolsheviks. Thousands upon thou Congress. In essence. Lenin prominers executives to call a strike cles are made dependent on and lessly spent in sporadic explosions sands of tons of newspaper print posal is that which a revolutionary it necessary in order to obtain an subordinate to the bourgeoisle. The and the great upheavals would were Alled with reports that the organization makes to other work.
Increase of Atty cents a day. The workers are being misled into rely have ended in the severest counterBolsheviks were linked to the Tearing class organizations in proposstrike would come at a time when ing on the beral and radical revolutionary dictatorship The ist police, that they recelved caring a united front, of which the a considerable recovery of business hourgeoisle whose interests can struggle of classes is the prime loads of gold from Germany, that Soviet is the highest form: Make and of Industrial production has only be identical with those of the mover of history. It needs a corLenin was hiding in a German la bloc with us for conerete nction miners are taking the offensive to vation for the French workers and worthy and courageous leadership. aeroplane, etc. etc. In the first against the enpitalist class. at the month after February this torrent same time that we will fully supregain the ground so heavily lost toilers is the lendership of a Bolu not heroes of the drawing room of abuse overcame the masses. Sail port this fight against the bourduring the years of crisis. shevik party based on a revoluand of parliamentary phrases, but tionary program aiming at seixing revolutionists, ready to go to the ors and soldiers threatened more gootste, we reserve the right to than once to bayonet Lenin and agitate for our tendencies inside ENGLAND AND THE FAR EAST the power for the working class. very end. This is the major lesson other leaders of Bolshevism In the coming period it is either of the October revolution.
In the ranks of the proletarint. The The imminence of a further adJuly, 1917 the slander campaign anti revolutionary character of the vance by Japan into North China Fascism or communism that will Bolsheviks a Minority in the renched its highest peak. Many Seventh Congres united triumph. The vicious policy of the has arowed the keanest apprehen People Front can only assure the Beginning sympathizing lefts and semi lefts. front decision lies, not in the fact sion among English capitalists. Victory of the Fascists, helped into We must remember, however, especially from among the intellec that it proposed such Leninist unitWith the British fleet tied up in the power by the Herriots and Dalathat at the beginning of 1917 the tuals, became frightened by the ed fronts, but that it harnessed the Mediterranean due to Mussolini diers and the Blums and Cachins.
Bolshevik party led only an insig.
pressure of bourgeois public opin workers of the capitalist countries war, the British are helpless to nificant number of the tollers. Not 790 fon. They said: Certainly the to their respective bourgeoisies un offer much resistance to Japanese only in the soldiers soviets but Bolsheviks are not agents of the der the formula of the united Ilohenzollern but they are sectar front. Adopting a social patriotic penetration in the Far East. The TRADE TREATY WITH CANADA also in the workers Soviets the vast investments of British fmper. Whose government is it? Roose Bolshevik fraction generally constithe bourgeoisie poisons the class ourselves.
ians, they are tactless, they provoke position on Our adversaries grew the democratie parties, it is impos their goal the defense of the remand setting as ialism in China are seriously en velt treaty with Canada would tuted to percent, at best per cent. The leading parties of petty consciousness of the oppressed and Ladignant. If so, you are not States was forced to recognize the ernment follows the demands and bourgeois democrney (Mensheviks paralyzes their revolutionary win, elle mehterzonernou sou betray for instance, was the tone nervnd. Having adopted a socini democratic Soviet Union in order to make the the interests of big business, of in and the so called Social Revolu. because patriotism means the sube to them the Russian, French. Eng around which gnthered all sorts of the propowed the formation of Japanese militarists pause tempo dustrial and commercial capital as tonaries. had the following of at lection of the proletariat to the lish and American demneracies! centrists, semi Bolsheviks, semi blees with OTHER class collabornFarly, so now England Les forced to against the interests of the farmer. Least 16 percent of the workers, nation, Astride of which sits the But the power of Bolshevism lay Mensheviks, theoretically very lett. tionist and even bourgeois parties turn to the Soviet Union with an industry thrives at the expense of soldiers and peasants participating fourgeoise The Mensteviks and in its ability to scorn the sophis but terribly atenid of a break with for the fartherance of this prostruggle (from totally different italist system. The Treaty is in these parties called the Bolsheviks tip the the February. grerturn called themselves Socialists but olutionaries. But it is law that though this is not the only factor whose interests are sacrificed wher of the German Kalser. But no, the openly and branenly. They end who, in reality, kneeled before cap whoever is afraid of a break with of the Stalinist proposals are clear standpoints) against Japan. Al deed cold comfort to the former dirt, sectarians, and then. agents half concealed; after February The class collaborationist nature italist property.
involved, it is nevertheless a major ever necessary to those of the fac Bolsheviks were not sectarland Now we have no republice. teve fret Cowardice of the Russian United become their agent.
the social patriots will inevitably ly revealed by the slogan itself, Front the people government. tions between Itussia and England manufacturers of autos, machinery the masses, and moreover, not to soldiers are organized Into Soviets; Learning from Experience The judges in the dispute were PEOPLE government will exist regard to a large loan to be and farm implements, including to their top layer, but to the deep we must defend this republic Meanwhile a directly opposite only under socialism. Until that English banks. Part of the interest American farmer is forced to meet al tens of millions whom the par Bolsheviks replied: No question on their verdict Jeaned more and masses. The more they became dis vided into antagonistic CLASSES fluated for the Soviet Union by the tractors, who are helped, while the est, to the most oppressed millions against German militarism. The the toiling masses; as time went process was taking place in the time, because the PEOPLE are di on the loan would go to the purchase added competition from Canadian intentarian babblers usually for but that the Russian republic is more in favor of the Bolsheviks. illusioned with the social patriots, there can exist only CLASS gov: Japan cannot help understanding particularly in the farmer capital roletarians and the semi proleta this superficial political democracy Soviets rallied around themselves people for the sake of friendship state power of the bourgeoiste or the meaning of this move. It ist. But the working class will us of city and country, the Bol may on the very morrow crumble all the proletarian, solder and with the Cadets, the more attentive of the proletariat. Since the stal.
possible that the timely publica have to learn ultimately to utilize sheviks considered it necessary to into dust since it rests on a capital peasant masses which becamely they listened to the speeches of Inists have definitely given up their tion of the facts concerning the Che coutradictions that exist in distinguish themselves sharply from ist foundation. So long as the toll awakened for the trackle and on the Bolsheviks, and the more con program for the seizure of power halting the immediate steps by the these contradictions is illustrated Surgeoisie, beginning with those the proletariat, do not expropriate pended. The united front of the rectness. To the worker in the the people government is mere Japanese army for engineering an in the Canadian Treaty. namely, Calse socialists who are in real hele own landowners and capital Stensheviks and Social Revolution shop, the soldier in the trench, the ly a camouflage for their support autonomous North China. Whether that tariffs are for the benefit of its agents of the bourgeoisle.
ists and do not tear up the robber aries dominated the Soviets and starving peasant, it became clear of the CAPITALIST governments.
the Japanese will feel this mood of the financiers and Industrial cap The Poison of Patriotism treatles with the Entente, we can actually had the power in Ita hands that the capitalists and their Inckcaution for any length of time re Italists, not for that of the farmer, Patriotism is the principal part not ennster tussia our fatherland The bourgeoiste was completely eys were slandering the Bolsheviks NEW YORK mains to be seen. The contradie. His interests come second, If at all. of that ideology by means of which and cannot take its defense upon paralyzed politically since ten mil. precisely because the Bolsheviks lion soldiers, exhausted by the were firmly devoted to the interQuestion: In what concrete Our Revolutionary Heritage manner does the antagonism be hundred and fifty police swooped war, stood fully armed the side ests of the oppressed. Yesterday tween the elty and the country down upon the meeting and shot while workers and reasones amb la indignation of the soldier and sailor manifest itself?
down workers right and left. Six what the leaders of the united against the Bolsheviks became rewere killed and at least twenty five front dreaded most of all was to molded into passionate devotion to manifestation of this antagonism in Answer: The most outstanding were soaked with their own blood care oft the bourgeoisie, to them and unselfish readiness to our epoch is the so called price push it to the camp of reaction follow them to the very end. And scissors which exists in Soviet ecoThe workers press, the Arbeiter The united front dared not touch on the contrary: the hatred of the By Leighton Rigby Zeitung, shouted out: Blood! Lead either the imperialist war, or the masses for the Cadet party inevitnomy. Because it is based on the and powder as a cure for dissatis banks, or feudal landownership, or ably transferred itself to its allies and the country and arises as a division of labor between the town The life of capitalist production population and dreams of new life skilled or unskilled, regardless of fled workmen! This is law and the shops and plants. It marked the Mensheviks and Social Revolu: struggle between two major groups depends upon profits. As capital in the West made solidarity among color. In fact, its membership was order! And the workers were time and spouted general phrasestionaries. The social patriots ald ism declines, the capitalists seek to the workers, as a class, all but im so Catholic that the Catholic Squally aroused Revenge! Revenge! While the masses lost patience not save the Cadets, but themselves of commodity producers, the antamaintain profits by consistently possible. Add to this a steady in Church forbade its followers to Diena emaner, this afternoon the More than that the Mensheviks perished The final break in the sonism is reflected in the prices which each of the groupe receives driving down wages. By thus shift Aux of Immigrants, bound by con Join the union.
ing the burden of decay to the tract to work at low wages which took for its products. In the Soviet McCormick Lockout murdered six of your brothers at transferred the power to the Cadet place within two to three months Union, which has inherited the an shoulders of the working class, the heartless capitalists, and we see MeCormick s! This was the call (liberal capitalist) party, rejected (August September) prepared the rate of decline is temporarlly slack that the lag was not without good. than the prenseween the In October of 1884 the Federato Haymarket Square for a protest by the toilers and despised by them. possibility of the October victory tagonism, this is reflected in the ened.
reason.
Reducing the speed of the fall Our Varied Heritage Day, 1886, as the date for the inbe maintained only if the latter does not, however, forestall the ul.
To say that working class soll auguration of the hour work day of speeches had ended and the as on the top layers of the middle ets and the Soviets took power.
Mark Classes but remaining true to the receive in exchange timate doom. Indeed, the very ex. darity was held back is the same The Federation of Trades bad semblage was dispersing, heir grai Messrs. sceptics might sny: butas large a share of city made propedients brought into play to ar as saying that the formation of short life, but the Knights took up well! Up to this point there was interests of liberal property rest the decline only serve to inten labor unions was delayed. To be the cry, and sympathizers added no disorder, But suddenly, for no owners on all fundamental ques in the end the October Revolution ducts as they would receive in the you brought the triumph of bureaucra open market which, in the final the cy. Was it worth making? analysis, is the international mark the overthrow of capitalism inevit. ties, bere and there prior to the Agitation and demonstrations for bullying police marched into Hay please be compared with The maintenance of profita 1860s, but there was no organize the hour day and union recogni market Square, led by Inspector French Radicals: the same social separate article or perhaps two et. In other words, the alliance proletariat and the at the expense of the working tion of workers on a broad scaletion prompted Cyrus McCormick Bonfield, the biggest bully of the base, that is, the middle classes. should be devoted to this question between the class must eventually kindle the The coming of nation wide working (February, 1886) to lock out the lot. They ordered the already dis the same lulling of the people to Here let us say briefly history peasantry can be maintained only straight it the antagonism between the city fires of revolution.
class solidarity and the rise of na 1, 400 workers in his plant, saying persed meeting to disperse police sleep with empty phrases and the goes forward not along that the than elsewhere Strikes will be necessarily simultaneous. The for mediated and broken by force of mation story of the National Labor Protestant or Catholic, was someunion or non unlon, le immediately opened fire on the radicals, the Cadets had their lett tows as after an artillery shot, a would be if the capitalist open one policeman was killed. The po of imperialism. Just as with the a gigantic jump forward there fol Union is not more acute than it arms; the workers will be betrayed Union (1866) and those of the orthing would not surrender. This crowd, killing and wounding many and their right wing: the left to rebound. Nevertheless history goes market existed.
Another outstanding reflection of and misled. But in the end, the ganizations which followed are outlookout shifted the labor scene to They rounded up scores, and elght befuddle the people the right to forward. No doubt, Soviet bureauAmerican proletariat will accept side the present discussion. The Chicago.
men who had nothing to do with make serious politics. The Men cratism is an ugly nicer, threaten the antagonism is anti semitism. no peace at the price of slavery. point is that As. May Day approached, police, the bomb explosion stood trial sheviks and Social Revolutionaries ing both the conquest of the Octo Because their course uver centuries It will arise and demand rebirth, itage, as a whole, is not made up mounted or in close formation, took more police logte.
hoped to get the support of the ber revolution and world prole of time, primarily as merchants, not relief! The workers state will strictly of incidents of class war pleasure in bullying and clubbing The eight who were be established.
involving the proletariat and the workers wherever they assembled. jury made up of mesried faced a middle classes by an allinnce with tariat. But the possesses has led them to live almost exclus.
besides bureaucratie ab.
has been concentrated in the Jews It Can Happen Here! bourgeoiste.
The workers, on the other hand, an hostility and prejudice toward the ploiters and defrauders of the mia solutism nationalized threate a bevels in large urban centers, there production, planned economy, col oftentimes in exaggerated forms, It can happen here? The Amer The Shays Rebellion, for exam swered by continuing to assemble. accused. It was not by chance dle classes; by this the social patri ican workers will continue to right ple, which have already described, Eight thousand workers, represent that stockholders, editors and printots signed their own death warrant. Lectivization of agriculture which the physical and mental character despite the monstrous harm of bu istics of city dwellers. The rural The Masses Are Convinced wrongs with the ballot in the Amer was a farmer debtor revolt. The ing labor in several industries chicago were chosen to be the vicand ers of two anarchist papers in renucratism, lead the country for inhabitants (anti semitism is most ican way? Idle bromides, mouthed proletariat was not involved, nor the International Binding themselves voluntarily ward economically and culturally prevalent in countries with large by those who have neither felt the had the workers even emerged as Association, marched to the lake tims. The capitalist press was you to the charlot of the bourgcolle, while the capitalist countries are peasant populations) are thus elspulse of the American worker nor separate class. But the Shays front. Such slogans as The Proing for blood, and unthinking inno the leaders of the Mensheviks moins be freed from the their emotions on the Jews who October ils led by reactionaries to vent reviewed his revolutionary hert. Rebellion is surely a part of our letariat Must be Liberated were cents were echoing the cry The the backwards The Social Revolutionaries tage It can and will happen here! revolutionary heritage, because it prominently displayed on hanners prisoners were anarchists! That trying to persuade the toffers to vise of bureaucratism only by the appear to embody all that exploits The working class is awakening to was a militant struggle against op as the assemblage was stirred by was enough! It was not a trial: leave the expropriation of the development of the International the countryside. When a strong the realization that American de pression.
militant speeches. And in the mean. It was a mass crucifixion. Four property owners to the future, and revolution, the victory of which revolutionary movement, mocracy is but sham and pretense The labor struggles of the 1870s, time (this was April 26) the Mc were hanged, one took his own life in the meanwhile. to dle on the will really assure the building of a point out to the countryside the Calling to mind its revolutionary which have also been described. Cormick lockout continued, and two drew life sentences and the front for democracy. that is, for socialist society.
real source of its exploitation, erheritage, the rank and Alle will were the beginning of a series of several strikes were in progress at other fifteen years in prison.
the interests of this sme bonegeolFinally and this is not insignists, antisemitism is reduced to a bring forth the workers state and class conflicts in which the work other points throughout the city. No better evidence of persecution sle. We must not push the cadets ficant the October revolution is minimum. In Germany it was preconsistent democracy.
ers revealed militant, revolution including the steel plants, railroad will be found than the very words into the camp of the reaction. the important also because it gave the cisely because the betrayal of the The development of a clearly ars characteristics. Industrializa shops and the stockyards. At least of Judge Gary who prestded: The opportunists repeated parrot like international working class a num. Social Democratie and Communtst defined proletariat in the came ton had greatly increased, and the eight thousand workers were strik conviction has not gone on the at countless meetings. But the ber of priceless lessons.
later than in Europe. The opening rapid exhaustion of free land was ing in Chicago.
of the West with its free land, tending to precipitate the workers tardy industrialization and immi into a well defined class with comenough. But two days later, when particular act which caused the their trust to the united front of will become Invincible.
May Day itself passed quietly any personal participation in the to understand them. They gave an proletarian revolutionists of France movement that Hitler was so sucIganda gration made the circumstances mon Interests. The Knights of the McCormick workers held a death of Degan. Some of the ac the Mensheviks and the Social1, 000 SUBS WILL SEND the planters revolution, workers through which the working class bloodshed. The owner of the reaper the world thic, le pursuance or that Henla the materiale med mene na hrana were mostly craftsmen, without the manifested its growing solidarity, works, who would consider no ar advice, and influenced by that ad against the bourgeoisie. But mean To avoid misunderstanding, let THE EIGHT PAGE common Interests that are found because that body steered for one bitration but was employing the vice somebody, not known, dia time, having obtained the trust of us point out that this anti Marxian NEW MILITANT today among the industrial work big unlon and welcomed to mem Pinkertons and scabs, summoned throw the bomb that caused De the people, the parties of the united party had nothing in common with OVER THE TOP!
ers. Moreover, a constantly fula bership working men and women, the police to break up the meetinggan death. Capitalist Justice. front called the bourgeois party to revolutionary socialism.
GET BUSY!
Haymarket Sq.
were