Defeat Lmperielist Waf

Revolutionary Policy Alone Can Defeat lmperielist Waf

Statement of the National Committee/Workers Party/U.S.

"1. The armies of Italian Fascism, after itself offered to sacrifice--but to safeguard months of deliberate preparation, have now British colonial, possessions and lines of com- launched their attack upon the Ethiopian munication, and to try to close the opening peoples. Driven by the intolerable' strains of for Germany in Central Europe. The League internal social and economic contradictions, of Nations is the agency, not of peace, but of Mussolini and the Italian bourgeoisie seek a imperialist aggression. " solution in open imperialist aggression against THE STRUGGLE AGAINST IMPERI- the last of the independent nations of Africa. ALIS'D WAR DEMANDS THE UNREMIT- 2. The outbreak of war in Africa demon- TING EXPOSURE OF THE LEAGUE O,F strates that the conflicts of world "imperialism NATIONS. have reached the stage of armed struggle for 4. No less than the European powers is a re-making of boundaries, and are-division United States imperialism bound by the iron of territories and colonial possessions. Though chain of cause and effect to the events in the Italian campaign in Ethiopia may not Africa and to the new world conflict which lead immediately and directly to a world they herald. The sentimental dream of U. 8. struggle of the imperialist powers, this delay isolation, Roosevelt's promises that the U. S. can prove no more than, temporary. THE will remain "free and untangled," have no more WAR IN ETHIOPIA MUST BE UNDER- force than the unctuous phrases .of Wilson in STOOD AS THE PRELUDE TO" THE 1916. The U. S. will, on the contrary, play NEW IM,PERIALIST WORLD WAR • the dominant and decisive role in the new im- • perialist struggle. Behind its pacifist cover- Expose the Bandit Leagu. ing, the Roosevelt government is p~uring more funds into its war machine than any other 3. In the preparation for the Italian seiz- nation in the world. Both navy and army ure of Ethiopia, the League of Nations has are constructed on a purely offensive strategic once more demonstrated beyond any possible basis. The U. S. bourgeoisie, waiting and doubt its true role. T11eLeague is not in any preparing, expects to intervene in the later sense whatever "the defender of peace." It is stages of the world struggle, when the other the legal and hypocritical cover for the man- powers are mutually exhausted, to achieve the euvering of the dominant imperialist powers. world domination of U. S. finance-capital. Since Ethiopia first invoked League assistance THE STRUGGLE AGAINST IMPERI- in December, 1934, the negotiations have ALIST WAR IS ABOVE ALL THE served to permit uninterrupted preparation for STRUGGLE AGAINST U. S. IMPER~ the war by Italy, and to deter defensive pre- ISM. paration by Ethiopia. The League has been utilized above all to serve the ends of British Aglinst Stalinist Betrlyal imperialism. Behind its cover, the agents of Great Britain, France and Italy have haggled 5. THE U.S.S.R. cannot avoid implica- over the price in terms of breaties, guarantees, tion in the world conflict, The very life of the protection, and territories, which each was workers' state is threatened by the approach willing to pay to preserve its own interests. of war. A central task of the -struggle' againat The threat of League sanctions has been made imperialist war is the defense of the U.S.S.R. not to save Ethiopia-which the League report But , in the last analysis, this defense can, be based only upon the revolutionary advance of Canal, once again takes the position of national the international proletariat. Stalinist diplo- unity-that is, solidarity with the class enemy macy, on the contrary, to an ever increasing -before the war danger, and of fully devel- degree, serves solely to disorient the interna- oped social-patriotism.. In France, the leaders tional proletariat, break up the struggle of the S.F.I.O. (Socialist Party) have taken against imperialist war, and thus undermine the same position-to defend the interests of the real defense of the U.S.S.R. Basing itself the bourgeoisie against "Hitler aggression," not upon the international working class, but and now to "implement the League Covenant" upon military pacts with bourgeois states, by government sanctions. In August, the Ex- upon diplomatic deals, appeals to pacifist and ecutive Committee of the Socialist and Labour liberal anti-war sentiment, and the maneuvers International adopted a program' of full-blood- of the League, Soviet foreign policy promotes ed social-patriotism. the most disastrous illusions in the minds of THE STRUGGLE AGAINST IMPERI- the workers, and acts in effect to further the ALIST WAR MEANS THE STRUGGLE interests of French and British imperialism. AGA'INST THE SECOND INTiERNA-\ THE STRUGGLE AGAINST IMPERI- TIONAL. ALIST WAR REQUIRES nIE CON- STANT EXPOSURE OF THE FWtEIGN Combat Social Patriotism POLICY OF ST,ALINISM. 8. During the 'past year, the Communist 6. One of the most dangerous illusions International has passed from a policy which fostered by the diplomacy of the Soviet Union, weakened and disoriented the revolutionary in company with demoralized liberals, reform- struggle against war to an active espousal of ists, and pacifists of all shades, is the notion' the policies of class truce and social-patriotism. that the world is now divided between "peace- By the Franco-Soviet Pact, the Stalin-Laval loving democratic" nations and "war-loving communique, the conduct of the Soviet Union fascist" nations. This notion is part of the in the I...eague of Nations during the develop- preparation for support of the "peace-loving ment of the Ethiopian crisis, and above nations" in the coming war. Marxism rejects all by the Seventh Congress of the C. I., the and dispels this illusion or any form of it., The Communist International stands unmasked as idea that there are peace-loving as opposed to the heir of social-democracy's betrayal on the war-loving capitalist nations, like the idea that issue of war, announcing itself-as ready to do one or another nation is "guilty" in an imper- the hangman's job of turning over the prole- ialist war, is at best formalistic ethical senti- tariat of England, France and the U. S. to mentality, not political realism. The causes of their national bourgeoisie in the coming war, war are to be found in the' internal structure in return for paper promises of protection for of world cal!italism, operating within all na- the borders of the Soviet Union. In England, tions. The national state of every capitalist the Communist party applauds the position of nation, without exception, is the political in- the Labour Party; in France, the Communist strument of the class enemy, the first and im- party supports enthusiastically the worst be- . , placable enemy of thdt nation's proletariat. trayals of Blum and Herriot; and throughout The revolutionary party can make no distinc- the world the Communist International pre- tion between "good" and "bad" capitalist pares the sacrifice of the working class on the states. It is the enemy of every capitalist altar of imperialism. state, to the death. • THE STRUGGLE AGAINST IMPERI- Against Soci.1 Democracy ALIS~ WAR MEANS EVERYWHERE RELENTLESS STRUGGLE AGAINST 7. Ai the outbreak of the last imperialist STALINISM. war, the Second International revealed its in- 9. Throughout the world the only organ- ternal degeneration by betraying the working ized forces conducting and advocating the rev- class to the class enemy, by espousing the cause olutionary struggle against imperialist war are of national defense and patriotism, by a truce the parties and g-roupings of the Fourth Inter- with the bourgeoisie in the interests of "na- nationalists. The Workers Party of the U. S. tionalunity," by going over to social-patriot- carries on this struggle in the closest solida:rity ism and social-chauvinism. Already, before with its comrades in all countries. the outbreak of thenew war, the leaders of the Against the betrayers, the Workers Party Socialist and Labour International have an- rejects every form of social-patriotism and .nounced a repetition of the betrayal, are al- social-?hauvini~m; it rejec.ts "every conception ready preparing to turn over their following of nabional unity and national defense; it re- to the war-makers. In England, the British jects all ideas of truce with the bourgeois state. Labour Party, by calling for government ap- democratic or fascist; it expo'ses the role of plied sanctions and the closing of the Suez . the League of Naticns as the pawn of the im.

• . perialist member states; it rejects the senti- suspension of the class conflict until the war mental illusions of pacifists and petty bourgeois crisis passes-but the intensification of class liberals; above all, it directs its attacks against conflict and the preparation to turn the imper- the enemy at home, agll.inst .0. S. imperialism. ialist war into a civil war for the overthrow of The Workers Party places no reliance on the bourgeois state and the victory of the the "peaceful" intentions of bourgeois-demo- workers. cratic nations, nor upon spineless "united fronts" of liberals, ministers, bourgeois wo- Build the Fourth Intern.tional men's clubs and "anti-war" professionals. More clearly than any other phase of revo- D.Fend the Ethiopian P.opl. lutionary activity does the struggle against war attest the international character of the The Workers Party calls for the defense of revolutionary mouement, It is an international the Ethiopian peoples against Italian aggres- struggle and must be conducted in terms of an sion, for the defense of the U.S.S.R., for unre- international strategy, through an integrated mitting struggle against the coming imperialist international organization. Thus the struggle war. But for this defense and this struggle, against war poses, in the most intense fonn, the Workers Party calls at the same time for the central task of the present period: the the sole means by which they can be, in fact, building of the Fourth International, the dy- conducted: for the independent and autono- namic generator to drive forward the revolu- mous action of the working class. It is the tionary advance of the working class. Threat- international working class, especially the Ital- ening as is the oncoming of the new war, rela- ian working class, together with the oppressed tively weak numerically as are the forces now colonial peoples, who are the true allies of the ranged against it, there is no reason to despair. Ethiopian peoples-not "peace-loving" B~t- Out of the last world war came the first great ain, nor the League of Nations, nor Stalin- step of the world revolution .. Yet, in 1914, the Laval, nor Roosevelt, nor their own Christian internationalists were an organized force in Emperor and semi-feudal chieftains. It is t.he only one nation, and the betrayal of social- independent sanctions of the working class, Its democracy came to the great mass of the work- own boycotts, strikes, defense funds, mass ers as a shock that was unexpected and not demonstrations that: can aid the battles of the prepared for, Today, organized groups of Ethiopian peoples" not the sanctions of finance- revolutionary internationalists exist in nearly capital and its puppet states. And likewise for every nation, and are actively forging the the defense of the U.S.S.R. and the struggle parties of the Fourth International; today the against the approaching war, it is only the . Second and Third Internationals have an- independent action of the working class togeth- nounced their betrayal beforehand, and we will er with its allies under its leadership which thus not be trapped by surprise; and today we gives hope to the working and exploited masses have the rich experience and lessons of the past -a struggle not in collaboration with t~e generation to draw from. bourgeoisie through the national state, but. J.n THE STRUGGLE AGAINST IMPERI- ever sharper attack against the bourgeOISIe ALIST WAR IS THE STRUGGLE FOR and the national state. .: I ' SOCIALISM; THE STRUGGLE FOR SO- The struggle against war is not and cannot CIALISM IS THE ST,R;UGGLE FOR THE be conceived as an "independent" stru~gle, FOURTH INTERNATIONAL, FOR THE having a special status above class conflicts. WORLD REVOLUTION. It is an integral part of the revolutionary struggle for workers' power. The struggle (ADOPTED BY THE THIRD PLE1'I."UMOF against imperialist war means the day by day THE NATIONAL COM:Ml'l'TEE, WORKERS building of working class strength, means-not PARTY OF THE ,U.8., OCTOBER II, 1935) .FOR A MARXIAN INTERPRET/.'IION 0] DAY-TQ-DAY EVENTS REA}) 'l'Hh EW M L T Weekly Organ of th "Workers Party U. s. AGAINST CAPITALISM FOR A W 0 R K E R S W 0 R L D· To militant workers, to active b adc unionists, it is indispensable. Soon the NEW MILITANT ~ ill become un eight-page weekly. Subscription Rates: In the United Sates $1.00 per ye[l.r; 65c six months. Canada and foreign: $1.5 per year; ""I5csix months.

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