BourgeoisieCapitalismCominternCommunismLeninRosa LuxemburgSocialismWorking Class

Saturday, May 10, 1919 THE REVOLUTIONARY AGE Imperialism. the Final Stage of Capitalism Bergman Failed Lamayer Union Siemens Snukert Bergman Kummer Halske and Co.
Siemens Halske and Schukert Ste SWISS Cooperating closely in 1908 points Allgemeine Elektrische Gesellschaft Velten and Lamayer General Electric Co.
In 1900 Welten and Guillaume In 1912 up thar energy into (Continuation)
By Lenin an agitation to bring about the oil monopoly. All the ETWEEN 1908 and 1912 all those groups comgigantic machinery of the largest Berlin bank was put В bined into two or rather one single group. The Translated from the Russian by Andre Tridon in motion, all the strings were pulled, and the press combination took place as indicated below.
was filled with patriotic declamations against the The petroleum industry gives us such an example tyranny of the American trust. On March 15, 190, of redistribution accompanied by strife.
the Reichstag passsd an almost unanimous resolution The petroleum market of the world, Jeidles wrote calling upon the government to prepare a ill estabin 1905, is still divided between two large financial lishing the governmnt monopoly of the oil trade.
groups: the American Oil Trust (the Standard Oil The government welcomed that popular idea; and Company. controlled by the Rockefeller interests and the Deutsche Bank, which was endeavoring 19 strangle the Rothschild Nobel combine, exploiting the Baku oil its American competitor and to close a profitable deal fields. These two groups are closely united, but their thanks to a government monopply of the oil trade, monopoly. is being threatened from five sources. 66) had almost won the game. The German oil kings 1, the exhaustion of the American oil wells. 2, the were already dreaming of profits as huge as those competition of the Mantashef firm in Baku: 3, the new made by the Russian sugar manufacturers. Only, oil «liscoveries in Austria. 4, in Rumania: oil finds the large German banks fought over the division of in tlre Dutch colonies. controlled by the wealthy firm the spoils, the Disconto Gesselschaft exposed the greed of Samuel and Tell, allied also to English banks. The of the Deutsche Bank, and then the German GovJast three are backed by large German banks under ernment was afraid of fighting the Rockefellers; it the leadership of the Deutsche Bank. Those banks had to count on them for its oil supply, the Rumanians have systematically developed the petroleum Industry, needed billions for war preparations in 1913. The in Rumania, for instance, in order to secure important monopoly plans were postponed till some future time.
of strategic importance to them. In 1907 th The Rockefeller interests came out of the fight with capital invested in Rumanian oil fields amounted to 185 all the honors.
million francs out of which 74 millions had been in The Berlin review Bank stated on that occasion, vesteel by German banks. 67)
that Germany could fight the petroleum trust by signates as the war for the partition of the world. and transforming all water power into cheap Then began a struggle which economic literature de simply establishing a monopoly of electrical power On one side there was Rockfeller oil trust, which. But it added: that monopoly will be on controlling the situation, founded a daughter etablished whenever convenient to the producers of concern in Holland and bought up oil wells in Dutc electricity. That is when a large crash will be impendIndia. thus trying to deal a death blow to its chief ing in the electrical industry, and when the enormous the Dutch English oil trust. On the other and expensive electrical stations which are being built hand, the Deutsche Bank and other German banks everywhere by private concerns and for which those were trying to control Rumania and to line concerns are already securing monopolies from cities The well known Allgemeine Elektrische Gesellschaft and governments will no longer prove profitable.
controls now (by way of participation. between 175 (isposed of enormous amounts of capital and of an Then we shall have to rely on water power. but it amely 200 societies caminhar capital fans wat ingen som en de relevage system of transportationari deliverin her the imposible to ately to 17 billion marks. It has 34 direct foreign label Lukas Jefeat of the Deutsche Bank, which could cheap power through direct government managerepresentatives, among them 12 stock companies in ten over to private monopolies different countries.
only to one of two things, either liquidate its childhood controlled by the servernment, because private indusIn 1904 the amount of capital invested in foreignings at a loss of several millions, or make its submis try has already closed a number of deals and secured countries by the German electrical industry was estim sion. It chose the later and concluded a most unfavorated at 233 million marks (62 millions in ussia) able agreement with the oil trust.
the case of the potash monopoly and this will happen The Allgemeine Gesellschaft is, in other words, a According to the terms of that clocument, the when the government acquires the monopoly of electgigantic combine comprising as many as 16 manufact Deutsche Bank engaged itself not to undertake any rical power. It is high time our state Socialists who uring concerns alone, producing everything from thing unfavorable to the American interests, the allow themselves to be blinded by fine principles should cables and insulating material to automobiles and fly agreenient to be void should Germany pass a law realize that in Germany monopolies are not means to ing machines.
giving the government the monopoly of the oil trade. Benefit the consumer or to secure for the government Concentration in Europe was only part and parcel Then began the oil farce. One of the financial a share of the operating profits, but merely to rehabilof the process of concentration in America. This is kings of Germany, Von Gwinner, director of the itate, at the expenses of the government, private inwhat mean. Deutsche Bank, started through his private secretary dustrial enterprises on the verge of bankruptcy. 66)
Such is the remarkable admission which bourgeois General Electric Company German economists are compelled to make. We sce America Thompsın. Houston The Edison company orgManifesto of the Communist clearly bow private and public monopolies are entCompany organized in anized in Europe angled one with another in this era of finance. capital.
Europe the firm: French Edison Co. which International and how the one and the other are simply details of gives the use of its patthe struggle raging among the large monopolistic (Continued from page eight)
groups for the division of the world.
Germany Union Electrical Co. Allgemeine Elektrische GeIn the field of mercantile navigation the giant of the Second International held before the war. They growth of concentration has also brought about a appear as before with proposals of compromise and division of the world.
Allgemeine Elektrische Gesellschaft conciliation and thereby paralyze the energy of the In Germany we find two large companies, the HaniThus two electrical powers combined. There proletariat, lengthening the period of crisis and con hurg American and the North German Lloyd with does not exist any electrical company on earth in sequently increasing the misery of Europe. War a capital of 200 million morks, stocks and bonds and levendent from them. writes Heining in his article against the Socialist Centre is a necessary condition of a fleet costing 185 and 189 million marks. The Ways of the Electricity Trust.
successful war against Imperialism.
On the other hand there was organized in America The following figures will give us an idea, although Spurning the half heartedness, hypocrisy and corrather superficial. of the magnitucle of the returns and ruption of the decadent official Socialist parties, we International Mercantile Marine Co. comprising operations of the two electricity trusts: Seel ourselve to be the lirect successors of the heroic tal of 120 million dollars. An agreement was signed Goudls produced Net profits efforts and martyrdom of a long series of revolutionary in millions of working in millions generations from Baboeuf to Karl Liebknecht an, 1903 between the German colossus and the Anglothe world Arrerica: Rosa Luxemburg. As the First International foresaw and trade profits. The German lines agreed not to General Electric the future 45. ature development and pointed the way; as the compete for freight and passages between England Germany: Algemeine Second Elektrische Gesellschaft 1907 30, 700 millions of the proletarians, so the Third International established, and a general committee of control was is the International of open mass action of the revolu created. The agreement was to be in force for 20 In 1907 the American and the German trusts came tionary realization, the International of deeds. So vears with a clause specifying that in case of war it to an understanding for a division of the world bet cialist criticism has sufficiently stigmatized the bour was to be void. 69)
illuminating is also the history of the interween themselves. No more competition: The General geois world order. The task of the International ComElectric Company received the nited States and Canada. The Allgemeine Elektrische Gesellschaft reerect in its place the structure of the socialist world ing English, Belgian and German rail plants was made ceivedl Germany. Austria, Russia, Holland, Denmark, order. We urge the working men and women of all Switzerland, Turkey, the Balkans. Special arrange countries to unite under the Communist banner, the nations joining the combine agreed not to compete in ments of a confidential nature, were concluded as reunder which the first great victories have algards the daughter concerns opening new fields of ready been won.
the foreign markets on the following basis: England industry and new territories not as yet divided up.
Proletarians of all countries! In the war against 96. Germany 27. and Belgium 17. England was Inventions and experiments are to be pooled. 65)
imperialistic barbarity, against monarchy, against the left entirely in possession of the Indian market.
One can understand how difficult it would be to privileged classes, against the bourgeois state and English firin which remained outside of the combine was subjected to a compete against what practically amounts to a world bourgeois property, against all forms and varieties of concerted attack for which funds social and national oppresion unite!
were supplied from a certain percentage of the gentrust. disposing of several billion marks and having its Under the standard of the Workmen Councils.
own branches. agents and representatives in every eral profits. In 1886, however, the combine broke up under the banner of the Third International, in the when two English firms withdrew from it. It is to be of the globe. But a division of the world bet revolutionary struggle for power and the Dictatorshi. noticed that no agreement could be reached during ween two powerful trusts does not exclude a redistribution in case uneven development, wars, failures, of the Proletariat, proletarians of all countries unitc! following periods of great business activity.
should change the distribution of power. To be continued. To be continued)
the ents to the German fimm: sellschaft.
in marks 1907 252 1910 298 men of marks 28, 000 35. 32, 000 were 216 362 1911 14 21. 60, 800 One cort