In Two Sections Socialist Appeal See Section for Documents of World Congress Section Official Weekly Organ of the Socialist Workers Party, Section of the Fourth International VOL. II No. 46 Saturday, October 22, 1938 375 Five Cents per Copy WORLD CONGRESS FOUNDS FOURTH INTERNATIONAL Congress Climaxes Thirty Delegates From Eleven 15 Years Struggle 4TH Countries Raise New Banner INTERNATIONAL SECTION AMERICAN NINE COUNTRIES the of Spain were unable to attend the actual 3RD INIZ YOUTH CONGRESS Fourth International Emerges From Fight Against Degeneration in the New International Created in Midst of European War Third International Crisis Gives Voice to Revolutionary By MAX SHACHTMAN diga, also solidarized itself subOpposition to Imperialist War Just as the main body of the stantially with the Russian OpCommunist International came position, and met the usual fate out of the Second International, at the hands of the Kremlin maYOUTH INTERNATIONAL FORMED 80 the roots of the Fourth Inter chine. Virtually the entire party national are to be traced to the leadership in Belgium was arbit beginnings of the crisis in the rarily ousted for the same reason.
Third.
The same occurred in varying deThe Fourth International has been founded.
Fifteen years have elapsed grees in all the parties of the Meeting in the midst of the threatening war crisis in Europe, 30 delegates from since the movement now organ International.
eleven countries proclaimed the new World Party of the Socialist Revolution. Ized under the banner of the Subsequent Struggles Fourth International first took Youth International was simultaneously created.
In the course of the Inner shape. It arose in the form of the struggle which followed in the The delegates represented organizations in the United States, France, Great BritOpposition in the Russian Com International, centering mainly ain, Germany, the Soviet Union, Italy, Latin America, Poland, Belgium, Holland, munist Party, variously called the around the question of the cap Moscow or 1923 or Trotsky. Itulation of the Stalinists to the and Greece.
ist Opposition. Uniting the best British labor Bureaucracy, culUnable to send delegates because of conditions of distance, illegality, and other elements of the Old Guard and adverse factors, were organizations affiliated to the Fourth International in Spain, by Leon Trotsky, it was the first Anglo Russian Trade Union boy the youth of the Party, and led Genetians in the flasco of the 1928 Czechoslovakia, Austria, Indo China, China, French Morocco, the Union of South to sound the alarm against the nity Committee; of the Chinese Africa, Canada, a number of Latin American countries, Australia, New Zealand, growing menace of degeneration Revolution, in which Stalin rein the ruling party and the revoduced the communist, the workDenmark, Norway, Lithuania, Palestine, Rumania, and several other countries. These lution Itsell.
ing class and peasant moveorganizations had already signified in advance their adherence to the new banner.
Against Bureaucratism ments to so many serfs of the The world congress that raised the new internationalist banner inet in strictest Significantly enough, the first of the domestic polley of the perfidious national bourgeoisie; illegality somewhere in Switzerland on September 3, 1938. Because of the extremely blows dealt the ruling clique by the Opposition centered around country to the brink of catasSoviet Union, which brought the difficult conditions engendered by the war crisis, observers elected to the Congress the struggle against bureaucrat by the Workers and Peasants Socialist Party of France and ism and for party and proletarian trophe by favoring well to do democracy. These questions were kulak and the labor aristocrat as sessions of the Congress. special commission, met later however, Inseparably ocisted: against policy, advocated by in the views of the Opposition, the Opposition of a broad Indus REPRESENTED AT with representatives of the former organization.
with the questions of the rhythm trialization plan and the collectNo conference of of Industrialization of the coun vization of agriculture; and onists ever met under cir703 Telu cumstances more tense and ominous or faced tasks of try and the relationships to the above all of the generalized the Soviet peasantry, questions which oretical expression of Stalinistre such supreme historical gravity than did this one.
were to play such an overwhelm action contained in its national ingly decisive part in the further istie concept of socialism in a Delegates Gather More than five years have passed since the nucleus ar evolution of the Soviet Union.
single country the original work for the reconstruction of the revolutionary InternaThe Opposition was supported support in second layer of adMoscow Opposition gained new Obstacles by an unmistakable majority of tional drew up a courageous balance sheet of the humilithe party and youth members in versaries of Stalin.
ating defeat of the German proletariat which brought in Moscow and numerous other im Led by Zinoviev. Kamenev, By NATHAN GOULD portant centers. But the almighty Krupakaya and other former op its train so many other murderous blows against the working class September 1938 historie of the world, and of Europe in particular, apparatus was in the hands of ponents of an alleged Trotsky World Congress in Switzerland the notorious triumvirate Zino ism, the Leningrad party organlaunched the Fourth International Following the wretched capitulation to fascism of the only party vlev, Kamenev and Stalin. They ization Joined with the Moscow By JAMES CANNON split; disruptive and unassimil, pretended to be more than we (World Party of the Socialist Re in Germany which laid official claims to the traditions of the Russian to invent. the United Opposition.
revolutionists to form, in 1926The foundation congress of the able elements, who periodically are but a plain statement of volution. One week later youth Revolution the Communist Party and the cynically wholehearted man of Trotskyism. to befuddle 1927 athe Custed operos tore Blo: Fourth International coincided, threatened our unity, were iso fact, which we can permit our representatives from two contey endorsement of this capitulation by the entire stalinist International, the minds of those they could not likely by the scalin Bukharin bloc within the span of a few weeks, lated and crushed every time. Be. Selves on this glorious tenth an nents gathered in the range of itx the Bolshevik Leninists of that time, organized as the International manipulation of the party ma thân the 1923 Opposition had wat struggle for bolshevism the est and most derided or all the other ten years fight, has come Conference of the Fourth Inter. Left Opposition, boldly proclaimed the need of organizing a new, Fourth International, true heir and continuator of the great traditions in voting down the opposition international hoe pere on were we raised the banner of the Rus the camp of stalinism, we have political movement in the United This conference culminated two of the Internationals that had preceded it and implacable foe of the wards bureaucratic degeneration Comintern lendership which had sien Opposition the Bolshevik outstripped them all. By timely States, and to be synonymous months of intense preliminary official traducers of the working class movement.
Joined in 1933 in the famous Pact of Four for the new InterRallied to the Opposition been forced into power by Zin mittee of the Communist Party. the genuinely revolutionary party but we will become such. labored during these two months national by the Socialist Workers Party of Germany, and It is interesting to note that from the Stalinists and came Therewith we broke all ties with groupings and by shouldering the the foundations have been laid in the examination of facts refrom the very beginning, many closer to the Opposition, Stalinism and we never once pretenders aside, we have gained deep and strong.
garding the situation of the Independent Socialist Party and of the most solid and ablest looked back. These events the the central position in the radical world youth, investigated records, Revolutionary Socialist Party of exposure of what still goes by elements in the Communist InOther Breaks Revolutionary Realities formation of the American Left labor field.
toured the national youth sec Holland, the Bolshevik Leninists, the name of the Second Intere These included the ternational took a position either man leadership of Maslow Fisch gress. mark two steps in which has been completely transton year period, which has been documents and resolutions. Dul League gathering strength and danger of a new world Imperlnew Ger Opposition and the World Con Outside the Stalinist Party In looking back through the tions in Europe, drafted political the International Communist national. Confronted by the outrightly in favor of the Trots. ler Urbans Scholem; the French one and the same uninterrupted formed into a cynical agency of 30 rich in experience, we can gently, the commissions and the influence in one country after alist holocaust, the leaders of the kyist Opposition or conciliatory to it. The leadership of the Polish party leadership of Treint struggle on an international as imperialism in the labor move easily distinguish three distinct congress worked to meet there another, alone and consistently biggest remaining section of that party protested vigorously rault; the Neurath Michalec well as on national scale. Their ment, there are no cadres, no stages in the development of our quirements of a great historical remained loyal to the principles International, the British Labor gainst the disloyal and dishonest group Czechoslovakia: the joint celebration in this issue of press that can be compared to movement as the authentie suc responsibility to mobilize the and promise enunciated in the Party, found nothing more appro priate to do than to shriek at the assaults against the Opposition: Prey group in Austria. In the our paper is appropriate. ours. This is not boasting we cessor of the once revolutionary youth of the world behind the Pact.
It was answered the reply soon forces developed in the direc congress which signalized the Our participation in the world have never been braggarts, never (Continued on page 4)
Fourth International in the strug The best elements in the van top of their voices for a speeding became standardized. by having tion of the Opposition Nin, An formal organization of the Fourth ble for the Socialist emancipation guard of the groups that had up of British imperialism warof mankind.
broken from the corrupt and inarmaments program.
moved, its leader Domsky called drade and others The Pioneer Contingent 19 Delegates Attend corrigible Third International, as Almost simultaneous with our to Moscow from which years Tu hslu in China, the Italian come of our consistent adherence Nineteen delegates, from our well as the determined and assembly, Sir Walter Citrine and later, he was exiled, then impris. Santini, Spector and MacDonald own ton years ago. We have conparty leaders Ferocl, Blasco and to the program adopted as our sections in Poland, Austria, Bel serious elements from various cen. Associates met with the leaders of oned and, according to more re in Canada, Diego Rivera in Mex tributed something to the organiglum, England, France, Holland, trist groups and even sections of the French Social Democracy to cent reports, shot.
Ico, Juan Antonio Mella in Cuba, xation of the world movement.
and the A, participated. In the Second International, rallied discuss the war crisis. Like their The founders and outstanding addition, delegates from Italy, the to the movement for the Fourth imperialist masters, they never lenders of the French party took Abern Cannon and Shachtman The Fourth International, In turn, and Greece were present International, despite the histor bothered to consult the represen in the United States and similar now gives us a mighty Impulse the position of the Trotskyists, theli. Czech Master as representatives of the Inter teally unprecedented hailstorm of tatives of leading mil for further advances toward the and such figures as Rosmer, Logroups of active national Bureau of the Fourth abuse, misrepresentation. calum parties, to say nothing of their rlot, Souvarine, Louzon, Dunois, tants, many of them founders of American revolution.
International Meeting at the ny and persecution to which it German and Austrian comthe International, In other lands.
Menatte, Chambelland, and Almost everywhere, their places Ten Years Strong height of the European war crisis was subjected on all sides by its rales. As for the Labor and mong the younger elements, Tho.
We are profoundly convinced rez (yes, the present Thorez. were taken by unknown up that our ten years struggle has accompanied as it was by rising official adversaries.
Socialist International itself, its wave of nationalism in the coun The five years of unintermit Executive never met during the ranged themselves alongside the starts, young (and old) servile prepared us for great things in Opposition, with early expulsion bureaucrats, people without ideas the future and we face it with tries of Europe, and by blatant tent struggle for the ideas of the crisis, or if it did, it did 18 let from the Comintern as their re were appointed today and as like ily, if all too slowly, from year or character or principle, who confidence. We have gained steadsocial patriotic utterances by a Fourth International enabled the Itself be heard from by so much Communist and Social Democrat movement representing these ide syllable or a whisper. In ward.
The German party leadership scapegoats as not demoted tomorrow as to year. The baste program of ic parties, the very representation as to gather at its founding con the gravest moments of the celof the time Brandler Thalheim. Strophic policies.
for Stalin cata ten years ago remains unchanged.
at the conference itself symbol forence without having to face sis, in other words, the Second ized the Internationalism of a any serious claimant to the name International did not even pre er only dissociated itself from The leadership. with important Martin Abern, James Cannon, and Max Shachtman, ploneers in movement of world revolution.
Process of Selection or position of leadership of the lend to counsel, much less to the Russian Opposition under the individual accretions and no sig the Communist movement in the United States who were the first, That both conferences (adult revolutionary internationalist lead, the labor movement of the moat severe pressure and threats Not all, those who Associated nificant defections, has main ten years ago, to raise the banner of revolt against the degenera and youth) were held despite movement.
world.
of retaliation. The leadership of themselves at one time or anoth tained a ten year continuity. We tion of the Communlst International and who today stand in the countless obstacles hounded by Our conference met at mo Just as significantly silent was the Italian party, headed by Bor (Continued on page 3) never suffered a single serious front ranks of the Fourth International (Continued on page 3) ment of the most revolting self. Continued on page 3)
Ten Years of the Fight To Build Despite Many Revolutionary Party in the US In its Trotsky Will Speak by electrical transcription to our GRAND CELEBRATION MASS MEETING, heralding the foundation of the Fourth International and the Tenth Anniversary of our struggle for a revolutionary workers party in this country. Hear JAMES CANNON, MAX SHACHTMAN, JAMES BURNHAM, ANTOINETTE KONIKOW, and others, at the Center Hotel, 108 West 43rd Street, New York City, Friday, October 28, 1938, at P.