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The Truth About the Moscow ( Frame.Up Trials

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The Truth About the Moscow ( Frame.Up Trials \ \ \ THE TRUTH \ ABOUT THE MOSCOW ( FRAME.UP TRIALS REVOLUTIONARY· WORKERS LEAGUE ti.. s. , _ 2159 W. DIvision St.· . .., . Cbicag~, Ill . lUI _. ... 28 EAST14th ST., N.Y.C. , .HAViE YOU READ? The Workers Answer to Boss War .............................. 5c Stalinism BetrayS' the Spanish Revohition .......... ~ . .. .. 5c Boss Elections or the Workers Vote ............................ Ie Order from THE DEMOS PRESS 28 E. 14th ST., " NEW YORK, N. Y. READ SUBSCRIBE BUILD . THE FIGHTING WORKER. Central Organ of the REVOLUTIONARY WORKERS LEAGUE, U. S. 1 cent per copy, 50c for six months 2159 WEST DIVISION ST. CHICAGO, ILL. THE FOURTH INTERNATIONAL Theoretical Organ of the REVOLUTIONARY WORKERS LEAGUE, U. S. 10c per copy, $1.00 a year 2159 WEST DIVISION ST. CHICAGO, ILL. YOUNG WORKER Organ of the YOUN,G WORKERS LEAGUE, U. S. 1 cent per copy, 25c f.or six months 2159 WEST DIVISION ST. CHICAGO, ILL. Published for the REVOLUTIONARY WORKERS LEAGUE,- .. AIo r I • ~.. -., ..... " by ~ . ." ~ '.. THE .DEMOS PRESS, , .. " . ·28 E. 14th 'STREET NEW YORK. N. Y. '; ..- ... · ' The Reason for the Frame-Up· Thirteen more members of the' Noone with a shred of political' rul~ng Stalinist stratum in the intelligence will believe that these Soviet Union have been shot after trials proved what the Stalinists sensational frame-up trials' in claim they did. There was not a which the only evidence aga inst single shred of evidence, no wit­ the accused was their own "con- nesses, no documents. · fessions." Radek, who admitted The "conspiracy" is supposed to ,have covered a nurnber of years, he was guilty of all the crimes involved thousands of human beings, with which he was charged and had ramificationS' with foreign gov­ "even those I know nothing ·about" ernments and their secret services, was given ten yearS', as was' So­ and stretched over thousands of kolnikov. Both are being held as miles of Soviet and foreign ter­ witnesses for the coming trials ritory. How is it possible that of Bukharin, Rykov and others, no evidence was available? The as were Zinoviev and Kamenev failure to produce any evidence after their first trial three years can be taken as proof of the fact ago. that it doesn't exist. NO EVIDENCE But the confessions! About this we note first that hundreds have , T,he accused were charged with been arrested. Only those who \conspiring with Trotsky, who is confess come to trial. Radek pro­ supposed to be their leader, and ved this. For eight months he with German and Japanese iPl­ refused to confess. He was not perialism, to restore capitalisrn brought to trial. Then he COD­ in the Soviet U nioD. Germany fesed and was brought to trial. was supposed to get the Ukraine; Piatikov was brought to trial only Japan, the northern half of Sak­ after he confessed. Why? Be­ halin Island and the maritime pro­ ca use there was no other evidence. vinces of Siberia. What the ac­ Because these meD had to be cused and Trotsky were supposed forced to furnish "evidence" to get was not "confessed." against themselves. (Reprinted from the Fighting Worker of March 1, 1937) , <, . ,. Could they not have refused? manded it they would have' done The strong ones refused and have it. But the policy of Stalinism been shot or exiled or are did not demand it. On the eon­ waiting in jai~. The weaker ones trary at the moment it demands confessed. Tortur~ was undoubed­ a conspiracy with the 'French ly used. bourgeoisie against the GerJnan~ and with the :American boJargeoi­ ACCUSED WERE STALINISTS sie against' the Japanese. That Besid'es on what POLITICAL is why we do not believe that basis· could they have fought the thes'e people were guilty of con­ frame-up? The only basis for spiring with the "wrong" bour­ fighting the frame-up is a Marx­ geoisie. ian political struggle against the whole 'Stalinist regime and its NO POLITICAL 'LOGIC anti-working class policies ,.of There is another reason., The which such frame-ups are a neces- alliance of Stalinism, iDelucling sary part to make seape-goatS' for the accused,' with various' sections the cruel results. But this is' ex- of world capitalism against'. the actly what the accused could not extension of the. Russian revolu­ do. With the exception of Trots- tion and against the interests of ky, which is different .story, they the Russian workerS' is one ;tb.ing. have been Stalinists for years. Of this they are all guilty., ac­ Together with Stalin an~ other cusers and accused, alike. A eon­ Stalinists they have collaborated spiracy to overthrow the property with the French bourgeoisie relations established by the Oct­ against the French workers and ober revolution is another. TO' this against the Spanis.h revolution, charge there is no sense at all. with the American bourgeoise Why s.hould theS'e men' who have against the extension of the Bol- spent, the best part of their lives shevik revolution to Cuba. In in the struggle to overthow capi­ Russia with Stalin they have car- talist property relations a~dthe . ried through policies against the capitalist state, conspire to reato" interests of the working class in them in Russia? the interests of the petty bour- What would they gain from s'ueh geoisie 8Il1d world imperialis·m. In a conspiracy? The "confessions," short they had no political basiS' threw no light on this question. to fight the frame-up. Yet it is a vital point. Individuals " There is nothing to exclude the can and have degenerated! to idea of conspiracy of these peo- such depthS'. But to have us believe pIe with the German bourgeoisie. ~at people who suffered DECA­ Had the policy of Stalinism de- D~S of exile, persecution, prison; -4- " .;':~\ .;\~ . , . I .ho weni through .Q1ree revolu­ strong pressure on one side arid .. \ tions and the Civil war of 1919-21 increasingly weak pressure on the I \ should ALL sirlk _so low, we need other the Soviet Union under ' \ more than these frame-up trials. Stalinism has moved-not forward \ ,Insofar 88. Stalinism as a sys­ toward Socialism-but backward tem of ideas and policies is, con­ toward i capit8llism. Objectively cerned the thing stands different­ the role of Stalinism is' to pre­ ly. Capitalism can be restored pare the return of capitalism. in the Soviet Union only by the But it can not plot its own an­ violent overthrow of the exist­ nihilation. Netheir can Radek~ inc property relations and the Piatikov and all the. others~ In existing state, even in its present the case of Trotsky' who is not 81 Stalinist form. To say that Stalin­ Stalinist the thing is even more ism is plotting to restore capit~l­ absurd. ism is to say that it is plotting to. overthrow itS'elf, which is non­ WORKERS SUFFER sense. Under Stalinist rule the workers in the Soviet Union are made to pay CAPITALIST AGENCY the costs of the defense program Stalinism represents the class ,vhile the peasants are granted ·needs and interests of the petty fresh tax exemptionS', Stakhano­ bourgeoisie in the Soviet Union, vists goad the warkers to fren­ whi~h like the petty bourgeoisie zied sp~ed-ups to make up for in capitalist countries, cannot play th e growing failures to meet the • an independent role in modern production quotas, as aristocrac1 society. I tseekS' support either of labor is arising while the real from' the working class or the income of the great majority of capitalist class. workers is f8llling; the sabotage The defeats of the proletari8lt of. real imperialist agents and their since 1923 have weakened the conspiracies grow; the workers world and Russian workerS' and show their dissatis!faction by slow­ their hold on the soviet state and ing down production; illegal de­ strengthened the world capitalists monstrations and wholesale at­ and the petty bourgeoisie inside rests are reported. The atmo­ the Soviet Union and increased sphere is charged with the tension their pressure on the Soviet gov­ of coming social conflicts. ernment. Stalinism therefore aJso The German .workers have.. reflects the pressure of world im­ learned through bitter experience perialism on the proletarian dic­ wh8lt Stalinism means in the tatorship. struggle against Fascism--capi­ As a result of this increasingly tulation. Today the Spanish work- " .. ;' ers are learning through an even that it needs its alliance with bitterer experience that Stalinism Stalinism against Germ my. stands in the camp of the con­ cealed "democratic" counter-revo­ N:EED REVOLUTIONARY' , lution with the Anglo-French im­ PARTY perialists and their Spanis,h ca,pi:­ Stalinism must be destroyed. talist puppets. If capitalism is restored in the To cover its responsibility for Soviet Union it will be destroyed. the cruel conS'equepces of its course But in that case the workers will Stalinism attempts to fix the be s'inashed by Fascism. There responsibility on scape-goats and is another way. Like any agency terrorize the workers into sub­ of capitalism in the ranks of the mission to its policies. That is working class Stalinism can be the purpose of the trials. At the de'stroyed only through the inter­ same time it seekS' to remove all national proletarian revolution. In people who might constitute the capitalist countrie,s this means leaders of an opposition move­ a social revolution to overthrow ment to itself. Zinoviev, Kame­ capitalist property relations and nev, Radek, Piatikov, Sokolnikov, the capitalist state. In the Soviet Smirnov and many others were Union this meanS' a political re­ once with Trotsky against Stali~ volution to preserve the property The vacillations and capitulations relations and the- proletarian dic­ of these men in the past has en­ tatorship established by the Oct­ meshed them in the· Stalinist net ober revolution.
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