OCTOBER 22, 1938 sociatiST APPBXt The First Trotskyist Group in New England Progressives Merge With The Struggle for Marxism Fourth International In the Socialist Party We felt abso, low voice.
walked miles to work or to meet the world warning of the great who would promote progressive International. The sole comple new and very different type of brothers on the Assurance of by discarding the constitution Russia at we By JAMES BURNHAM panded. The problema posed day Co Editor, New International by day within the trade union and unemployed movements were By ANTOINE ANONIKOW and threw a shadow of coming felt could submit no longer. The The Conference for Progresolve seen to be in the last analysis, By GLEN TRIMBLE reformist position Milwaukee, latter were to be slaughtered at Member, Nat Comm. Detroit and Cleveland convenonce, the former in due time.
tions wound up in shameless Clarity Delivers first week of November, six of and old pre revolutionary ties for the expulsion of Comrade 1928 primarily as the result of the mand precise and unequivocal use decided to organizeme in threw many doors open to me. Trotsky. Lovestone addressed our then existing situation in the poiltical answers. The existing On this the tenth anniversary horse trading for National comdependent Communist League. To one of the prominent com. Boston membership of 200 or American labor movement. The political parties not being able to of the organization of our move mittee posts. Yet each time the swer. The convention delegates month later we published the rades posed leading questions more, for one and a half hours, trade unions, cramped in the corsive such answers, the issue pre ment in the United States. have results proved the emptiness of were so overwhelmingly aghingt without principle and expulsion that the expulsionists letin of the independent commu will we have more democracy in Trotsky had forfeited the rights alve and entrenched bureaucracy, ale and nothing less than the opment of one of the tendencies more of us learned the lesson. from Tyler to Porter Indignant.
of Ally denied that they had ever ers Party and the Fourth Inter Goldman Socialist Appeal thought of such a thing. The exwas already in the hands of the other about Stalin, then. The Several comrades had told me being given to the growing ml bullding of a new political party now united in the Socialist Work. The steady hammering This realization was expressed national. The tendency toward a very large share in the educa Istence for the first time in a na statement made by Comrades door, opened it, looked right and never vote for Trotsky expul munist Party, by its insane Red at and by the Convention held at revolutionary Marxism within the tion of a revolutionary core in tional convention of a large Cannon, Shachtman and Abern lert, then returned and with sion. But saw some of them Union tactics dictated by the the end of 1983. The resolutions American Socialist Party covered, this period. The year 1996 saw clear cut and uncompromising cing a part of this document in running to the door was repeated the hall: one even spoke up a had succeeded in isolating itselt the need for a new party of the of many years, but in organized ation of a widespread organized the passage of resolutions whtch our. The it dates from about 1831. group determined to fight for rev. more than recovered the losses of Throughout the post war era olutionary principles.
Cleveland. But Clarity had fulNew York comrades is difficult mittal. This gave me the first rebuttal, pointed out that we stream of the labor movement. declared the period of the of prosperity the Socialist Party ceiving this statement of our eceived were utterly non com with the crowd. In my ten minute under its influence from the main cialist and Communist Parties; The Cleveland Convention filled its role the left wing was idea of the fcar of being spled never had a chance read Trot. The Communist League of Amer finished: and elected a Pro existed only as a social club for But following the Cleveland split. The center, as always in now to describe prevalent even We had no connections with upon among sky speeches or documents; ica, not yet emerged from its visional Organizing Committee a handful of aged social demo convention in the spring of that a crisis, combined with the right other cities; we did not know it prominent officials. soon caught that we could not come to cor stage of functioning as an or for the American Workers Party. cratic reformists.
Stripped of its year, many of the Militants and to elect a National Executive anyone else had taken up this the infection myself and learned rect conclusions without hearing position faction to the CommuChoice of the revolutionary elements and es their allies decided quite differ Committee for which Zam took fight against Stalinism in the to look around and speak in the other side. About Comrade nist International, was active This great step, however, could pocially of its youth by the 1919 ently. The Old Guard was out. full responsibility and of which Trotsky speech to the crowd go only to Communist party nedrions.
degree in not conclude the evolution of the turn to the Communist Interna Thomas, who had spurred on the Thomas and Hoan took full conlutely alone, isolated; and sud How much do you Arna ing to the Red Square, which trade union PL Once having shaken tional, wrecked and demoralized Militants and even broadcast atrol.
denly we found prominent, well week. asked a girl in a candy Lovestone stressed to be a special. There was thus no center for loose of the social democracy and by its own brankruptcy in the call to all unattached radicals Their task was the expulsion known comrades with us. It factory, which was visiting with act of betrayal, was glad the development progresive of Stalinism, once having recog. face of the Palmer terror, the to come in and help rid him or of the party in the name of the seemed almost ridiculous that six many other comeades. Eighteen made the remark: The speech influence within the trade union nized and asserted the need for played no role whatever in the Waldmanites, now hoped that party.
resolutions they would quietly disperse and were discarded for endorsements rank and fle workers should dare Roubles. Per week, naturally. of Comrade Trotsky, the man movement itself. The conception or the new party, it was faced post the decade that followed.
to throw down the gauntlet to inquired. No, per month, she who was the right hand of Lan. the founders of the LA. was, tively and inescapably with the New Elements leave him in charge. The Wiscon of Spanish Negrins and American in, may well be considered by us at first, that of such a center: central fact of the new epoch the mighty organization. the replied.
Protests were With the depression the organsin municipal socialists had re La Guardias.
As an to the comrades of an organized group of militants then beginning with the Fourth ization took new lease on life. uctantly voted for the expulsion answered with warnings. and Communist party Soon learned that girls of their discredited political appeals to democratic procedure The First Comrades The most energetic among usings, as they could not afford cat disaster Soviet Russia is facing trade union policies, by propa tion to its progressive evolution recruit began to turn to the So Thomas, Aitman and Co. that no along with the decisions of the Expelled from ganda, but in particular through meant: fusion with the move cialist Party. The crisis was forc revolutionary was comrade Schlossberg. His fare. Had wages increased since?
Soon received a letter dic direct participation in the mass ment for the Fourth International. ing leftward trend. The Comembarrassments convention. Since this gwellcd helped us go forward. Schloss gone way up.
optimism and energy. no doubt, Not real wages, for prices had tated by Lovestone ordering me action of the unions, in strikes. Failing this, the embryonie Amer. munist Party was embarked on would result for Wisconsin or the and broadened the protest, the to appear the next day in New demonstrations, organizing cam ican Workers Party could only its third period adventure and olutions bore them out on every in closed session.
national party. The Cleveland res infamous gag rule was passed berg is an old Bolshevik. He had What shall say to the dele York. demanded that a local paigns, and in building up the correverse direction, and fall back was antagonizing many serious important question, they marked moratorium on socialism within ordered a participated in the 1905 Revolu gates inspecting the factory? committee take up my case (later ganization of the unemployed. into the blind alleys of reformism revolutionists in the process tion in Russia and was so en asked the girl interpreter of the und that the City Committee Not Party ment of the 4th International Many of those who were without retreat from positions previ the Socialist Party on penalty of thusiastic about Bolshevism that manager, in my presence. The could not get a majority to ex It was believed that for such movement altogether. This was contact with the Left Opposition ously held. The Old Guard was expulsion. That moratorium 18 he had decided to return to Sov manager looked angrily at her: pel me. refused to appear be a task no specific party forma the choice for the group as a turned to the Socialist Party. For dead, long live reformism!
let Russia and remain there for he knew was only a visitor. fore the political committee. In tion and no specific party aile whole and for every individual several stil in force as a tombstone on the grave of the Socialist party.
good. He went to Soviet Russia Why, you know what to say. a few days had my expulsion giance were necessary. The one of its members.
years the membership But the top leaders reckoned But it buries only the dead. The in 1926, spent a year there and Workers in the factory spoke notice. did not regard itself as a Fortunately, the greater part of sections the left wing elements grown revolutionists were now fused to be gagged and continued membership rereturned disillusioned and heart about the party managers with review the story of my grow party. At the beginning its mem. the membership both of the predominated.
sick. The ruling bureaucracy and distrust. Who are thes the corrupt leaders made working through the factory? one acquaint the comrades of today members of the Socialist Party. League understood the need for cipline in the consequent on own experience, but by strong re lowed a series The almost total lack of dis strengthened, not only by their its fight for socialism. There folof charges.
there impossible. He was not re asked. They say they are work with our experiences ten years as well as many without any the bringing together of all avail. reformist anxiety to coddie labor inforcements from the Workers trials and expulstons worthy of ago.
party affiliations. It was soon able forces into the movement for taker probably had been notified about look how they are dressed. Work. Our Bulletin was widely disapparent, however, that its path the new party. And fortunately, party cards and did as they the Call beat a retreat to the ity and rallied hundreds of new members who carried whole arsenal of Marxism. While maintained unshakeable solidarhis activities in Soviet Russia. ers could not dress like that. tributed and aroused consterna led necessarily away from the also, there were those in both or Comrade Chiplovitz and Wel.
Russian is my native language, tion and savage anger. Our com existing parties and within a ganizations who saw clearly just left wing to maintain itself for tion rallied all the best worker Clarity, which had gone clearly pleased, made it possible for the right, the Appeal and Labor Ac supporters from the ranks of ner, prominent members of the needle trades Union, had noticed others. While many accomplish ened with so could learn much more than rades were insulted and threat brief time the actual physical vio dropped out.
revolutionary and irrevocably Negotiations, discussions and un boundaries. The Old Guard was banner. Hoan and Altman joined, amalgam of native revolution reformist. The the wrong trend of the party ments impressed me, while the bence. Looking back to the years The task which the credited activities reached their fruit. by habit, inclination, and senility or rather, tail ended, a well ary socialists and of their com long before. They left it in com Sincerity and sell sacrifice of of our first stepe. realize that had set for itself was beyond iteful conclusion in the fusion of the incapable of aggresive action. The nanced Stalinist hue and cry for rades from the Workers Party pany with comrade Cooperstein, a prominent worker in the shoe workers with whom came in we were not well supplied with powers; but in spite of the industry. Comrade Shechet be: and other incidents made me weak, but with all that think sources, its mark was definitely International forces were smallness of its numbers and re under the banner of the Fourth the local leadership fell into the the expulsion of the Trotsky was forged and solidined in joint hands of the younger members. all revolutionary socialists.
ites, that is to say, of course, of battles for principle and in came one best new. convert and leave Soviet Russia perturbed there is no need to be ashamed and in a number of instances proved to be an energetic, con and depressed.
Obstacles Met shoulder to shoulder cooperation The Militant Group All was not, of course, smooth By the 1937 Chicago conven in the field of mass action. It was scientious worker in the league.
worked out without documents or ican labor movement. The mili sailing. Within the But this left wing or Militant tion, Norman Thomas had decid given organizational expression was the only one who was Prepares For Breuk even adequate knowledge of our tant and determined work of its there were those who helusive.
It embraced everyone right so long as it was to the Socialist Workers Party group was itself very nearly alled that all inclusiveness was all in the founding convention of the still connected with the party. The struggle between Stalin theories. We were going in the members in a series of notable were at heart bitter enemies of the For years had been under sus and Trotsky was not clear to me right direction. All six comrades strikes was climaxed at the great new perspective, who made nom agin the Old Guard and, since right and not the left. Zam and Now on this tenth anniversary picion because of my frank crit but felt something was deeply are still with us. lively crowd Auto Lite strike of 1934 at Toledo, inal declaration for a new party that the party be preserved as an national leaders in the left wing of the first World Congress of the Old Guard simply proposed Tyler who had never figured as and with the tremendous impetus icism of Zinoviev. When left for wrong. Did report this when of young men and women joined The National Unemployed in 1983 only under the compulsion inanimate memorial to Kautsky, had appointed themselves spokes the the same time as returned. No. tried to defend us, so that we kept up headquar Lengues, organized under its of events too strong for them to Fourth Schlossberg (1926) had no sanc these conditions by the reasoning ters, ran successful lectures and leadership, played no small part withstand; and there were others cipled outs that wanted to be preached peace while operating movement dedicated to the revo that left a wide field for unprin men for a Clarity caucus which march forward as a single, united tion from the party. but got that Russia was still in the trhnusmall school.
in forcing the federal government whose backbones, adequate for there through the personal in sition state; and knew too fluence of important comrades. would be expelled at once, it Century Americans, had much sponsibility for relief, and gave enough for the stern jobs that way Marxist liberals who thought from the former goats. The top of our world agenda.
The Stalinists, the Twentieth to accept some measure of re the earlier tasks, were not strong in, non Marxist and openly anti to separate the native sheep lutionary tasks that loom at the This made it harder for me later were frank. So, kept officially larger meetings than we; so had an example of class struggle me ahead.
Norman to be too outspoken about my ex quiet and tried to find more facts the Democrats and Republicans. thods which has not yet been formers and crackpots of every periences in Soviet Russia be and explanations to strengthen we were not afraid to start our equalled in the unemployed move and disloyal from some, confused conceivable stripe, plants for the cause of the four of exposing myself for the Anal break. am work when there were only six ment.
or weak kneed from others, could baked collegiate romanticists. Yet these comrades to persecution. sure hundreds of visitors to Rus isolated from everybody (as we The experiences of the not alter the outcome. Their own there was a core of serious, Trip to Russia sia acted the same way as did. thought. We still swim against in the class struggle were not fate. bought of for a few con though inexperienced and some HERE YOUR CHANCE TO ACT would like to sketch a few But came at last to the right the current, but 90 did Lenin. long in proving to its member. temptible dollars by Stalinism, or pictures from Soviet life which conclusion.
Such is the pioneer work of all ship that the scope of its per sliding back to an evangelical The healthtest of these were the times muddled. revolutionists.
For the past two months the American Fund for Political impressed me deeply at the time It took me two years til revolutionary forces.
spective would have to be ex God, or pulling up the stakes young worker elements repelled Prisoners and Refugees has been making arrangements to rescue from the labor movement as a by the frenzied futility of the three men and one woman, all anti fascist militants, who have whole points in its own way to Stalinites, yet seeking a genuine been under the surveillance of the Gestapo for their work in the that great lesson from the history class solution to their problems.
labor movement in Germany, Austria and Czechoslovakia. Three of the that today there Are Germans, one a young Austrian worker. All have devoted their is no neutral gound. There is only Left Wing Development lives to the labor movement and have continued their work in one way cast off the dregs of As the crisis and the leftward emigration, under the most difficult and dangerous conditions.
reformism and Stalinism, of im trend within the continued Their homes had been broken into and their belongings searched perialism which finally these more and more of such comrades several times by agents of the German police.
116 University Place, New York City serve: by taking the road of the joined. Their lives were a daily While arrangements were being concluded for their transporFourth International part of the class struggle and Foreshudowing they brought into the conferences tation to another country, Hitler troops marched into the su.
deten area and the Czech government, under Nazi influence, The found the road. of the left wing a constant in clamped down its dictatorship upon the rest of Czechoslovakia, FALL TERM ANNOUNCEMENT It was this that proved its own sistance on disciplined mass proceeding to persecute all suspected foreigners within their basic health and vitality. Its own work. With this, inevitably, came Classes Begin Nov.
realm. Newspapers report that the Czech police are holding all accomplishments, and all that is a growing demand for a clear cut finest in its traditions have be revolutely, all of us had to anti Nazi refugees within the Sudeten region and handing many program. THE AMERICAN TRADE UNIONS Widick by illusions, false leadership and false policies. The probcome incorporated organically in. Despite the enormous difficulties in reaching people in the SuAn indispensable course for understanding the driving lem of the practical revolutionist is how to bridge this the young but sturdily growing learn the hard way. We were albody of the new International. most totally cut off from the deten area, the American Fund has unexpectedly been presented forces in the trade union movement today. An analysis gap. The Fourth International offers its solution The with a mans of extricating these refugees from the clutches of the Transition Program, a program of action for mobilizing Just how or by what stages the main streams of revolutionary exof the rise of industrial unionism, the new techniques terror.
Fourth International will com perience. The greater part of in strike strategy and the key question of the masses.
plete its development we cannot Marxist literature was for most Every hour makes it increasingly difficult to do this. Every of unity. Labor politics the Stalinist, Lovestone, day the iron ring of reaction tightens around them. The avenues Tuesday, 8:45 10:15 sessions, 00 know in advance. The fusion of of us an unopened book. We had lines: New Dealism, the Labor and the White the is, however, in many no Old Bolsheviks to provide now open from us to them will probably be closed within the next House few weeks, or even days. Not a moment must be lost. Any delay LABOR JOURNALISM James Casey essentials correct foreshadow living channels for class under sentences these people to death. They can expect aid from no other ing. The Fourth International is standing and revolutionary fore.
Mondays, 7:00 8:30 lectures, 00 quarter than from us in the United States. course in both theory and practice. Such matters as projected into the historical arena sight. We learned slowly and minimum of 500 must be raised within one wecks. Show this as a political magnet. Its func painfully by trial and error in II. AFTER THE MUNICH CONFERENCE Jack Weber editorial writing, book reviewing, etc. labor repordered. Students will be given practical aswill be tion and its destiny are to draw the struggle itself. We shed illuto your friends, your fellow trade unionists, your fellow senden.
At Munich the representatives of four imperialist pow.
signments.
to itself all those, from whatever sions and acquired principled poers made far reaching decisions upon which hinge not quarter, who resolve to break sitions piece meal along the road.
IT IS QUESTION OF OUR MONEY OR THEIR LIVES!
This course will be continued the next semester only Czechoslovakia existence but the fate of the Soviet from the old world and its refuse, Send all funds to the Amerlan Fund for Political Prisoners At first we were all too likely Wednesday, 7:00 8:30 Union, all of Europe and modern civilization itself. What sessions, 75 and Refugees, 100 Fifth Avenue, New York City.
and who set for themselves the to value power above principles, lies ahead? Why did collective security and the People goal of the new world of inter and to rate strategic maneuver VI. THE THREE AMERICAN REVOLUTIONS national socialism.
ahead of a head on attack on the Fronts collapse? How long has war been postponed?
Will Stalin turn to an alliance with Hitler? Will fascism overrun Europe or can the workers revolution still save study of American backgrounds. Marxist interit? The lectures will provide a Marxist analysis of these pretation of social forces in America analyzing the class vital questions.
struggle in this country from the colonial period, through To reduce our stock and raise cash for new publications we Mondays, 8:45 10:15 lectures, 00 the Civil War, to the present day.
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Speaker: Max Shachtman Lessons of October (Cloth). 75. 50 mission of the working class the road to power.
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