“The idea becomes | SECOND SECTION power it pene- Special Magazine Supplement when j April sth. 1924. This j trates the masses.” I magazine supplement will j appear every —-Karl Marx. | Saturday j THE DAILY WORKER. j in The Daily Worker. ■
Opposition Camouflaged As Friendship By ALEXANDER BITTELMAN. manent 1 insurrection. How dare they, why in the name of logic, is he rav- Ihe trade union movement was T HE Communist International has anyway? And to think of it, that ing against the first years to * two of the be scrapped become more sensible even and new purist unions and there- the Communist International has Communist International? Was not formed night.” fore more acceptable—is the histori- been catering to over Nonsense again. it! the Communist International doing The policy of cal dictum of J. B. S. Hardman in the It looks very terrible, indeed, but the Communist Inter- precisely what the quoted passage national, as embodied in its official March issue of the “American Labor it is not. What J. B. S. Hardman calls for, that is, taking advantage Monthly.” say decisions and literature, was from the means to is merely this: that in of all means and methods for the very beginning many ways the first two years directed towards one Now, there are which of its life the purpose . . in of overthrowing . etc.? end: to win the trades unions history can be Communist International was basing over to written. But there is And the only thing that can be said the revolutionary class struggle. only one good way, the correct and its policies and strategy on the im- in addition is that the efforts of the To be mediate approach of a direct sure, in the practical appli- scientific way, whose first prere- prole- Social-Democrats to hinder the de- cation of this policy many quisite is: searching after facts. First tarian struggle for power. velopment difficulties of the revolution and to were encountered. In a few sections get your facts and then build your To a very large extent this is so. restore the equilibrium of the capi- of the Communist theory. But what of it? What’s wrong ■ International some Our estimable J. B. S. Hard- about talist state were in some instances serious deviations from this policy man has gone about the matter the it? It is here, at this point, that J. more successful than the revolution- B. S. has unwittingly occurred at one time or another. But other way round. He, first invented touched the ary efforts of the Communists. But here again it must be a theory (a philosophy history, very crux of the problem. remembered of if what has Blanqui got to do with it? that the instructive and guiding as- you please), and then proceeded to Yes, the policy and strategy of the Well, he has something to do with it. Communist sistance of the Communist Interna- fashion the facts to fit his theory. International, not only in *Just read what’s coming: tional was always and immediately The result historical analysis the first two years of its existence, i 3 a “There followed in rapid succes- at hand to correct these mistakes which “proves” a case—his own case but up till this very moment, are and deviations. against the based on a revolutionary orientation. sion prescriptions of war measures. Communist International “The revolution to and American The theory of it is that since the be- Parliamentary action for political (?) was be the task its section. purposes was thrown into discard. of small minorities.” Here’s where But let us take up his history first. ginning of the last war capitalism has ... The trade union movement... Comrade Blanqui’s ghost appears J. B. S. finds that the Com- entered into the last phase of again. within was to be scrapped ...new purist un- But that’s nothing. It does not International, its development. It is approaching munist altho dominat- ions were to be built.. . the revolu- frighten any one. Communists can ed by Lenin and guided by spirit its end. No one can foretell with ab- the certainty tion was to be the task of small min- sit with Blanqui even bodily in one of Marxian philosophy, “traces of solute how soon the end room and will come. But it is sufficient to know orities. . .revolutionary organizations not become contaminated. former leaders and thinkers are world, centralized and secret... etc., etc.” The revolutionary strategy of the clearly discernible.” A very inno- that the entire with the possi- ble exception of America, is passing Horrible, horrible. It looked like Communist International is by now cent and harmless statement, indeed. so well established in our minds that Surely thru a revolutionary crisis. a veritable nightmare. But now—- the Communist International God, this talk about “minorities” sounds is not beginning begin- This theory is based on facts. And now, thank things do look dif- the of all imaginative International to us like pre-ancient history. We nings, neither is Lenin, nor is Marx if our historian of the ferent. The Communist simply don’t it seriously. “American Labor Monthly” has any had finally seen the light (emanat- take for that matter. Into the making of “Revolutionary organizations Communist taste at all for economics, we might ing from J. B. S.) and has turned cen- the International have some to tralized and secret.” Well, well, gone the proven take up the details of it at fu- from “Romantic Insurrectionism this tested and ideas and present Revolutionary Realism,” all capi- is some charge. To which we reply: experiences of generations pro- ture date. For the sufficient in of to say that the broad lines of strategy tal letters. Centralized? Sure, always, the de- letarian struggle. History—any kind gree and form of centralization to be of history—means first of all con- of the Communist International to- It may be useless perhaps to re- day as well as three years ago are imaginative determined by the actual conditions tinuity of development. But what fer a historian of an of the class struggle. Anything does this based on this theory. turn of mind to fact*. What are facts prove? wrong in that? Nothing that v/e can Well, J. B. S. Hardman has This does not mean that every to him and what is he to facts? not country verge see, and this is and has been the po- made the above statement for noth- in the world is on the Nevertheless an attempt must be of a revolution. Some countries are to our sition of the Communist Interna- ing. It was done for a purpose, which made instruct over-imagina- tional. becomes apparent immediately upon closer to it than others. And then tive writer of the “American Labor again, it is also a matter of tempo, Monthly” a few elementary prin- Secret? No, not always. As con- learning that “perhaps . . . (the in of rate of development. At one time, ditions demand. But always remem- ... ciples. trace) of Blanqui is one of the that legality most conspicuous influences the particularly during 1919-1920, this The doings of the Communist In- ber with the Commun- in tempo of revolutionary development ist International is not a fetish. Nor Communist world organization, and ternational lie within the age of his- is illegality it may do to enter was very quick, so much so that the tory, i. e., they are for that matter. It is a into an analysis embodied in 'form of organizational existence of the Communist International with proletarian seizure of power was the books, resolutions, theses and state- question of the day in Central Eu- ments ! which our enemies succeed’ at times a glimpse into this particular social by responsible and recognized imposing upon they do, philosophy.” rope, the Balkans and Italy. During leaders of the in us. When Communist Interna- we it, and proceed along So, there you are. The philosophy the years of 1920-23 the rate of rev- tional. Why not refer to official doc- take further Blanqui olutionary development slackened the road of revolutionary struggle. of was one of the most con- uments. Is not that the natural position spicuous influences in the down, but at the. end of 1923 and be- course? Os course, it but not This is and has been the of Commun- is, for the Communist International. ist International. Well, that is not ginning of 1924 the world situation J. B. S. For him and his cause it was has become extremely critical again. In concluding his excursion into new. Read the literature of the so- so much more convenient to ignore history cial-patriots and betrayers These changes of tempo necessitate official documents. Why? the of the Communist Inter- of the Because national, J. B. S. attempts to take a working class the world over and you of course, changes in Communist tac- mere reference to them and to the tics, but the general strategy remains fling also at the Workers Party of will find there not merely traces of actual history of the Communist In- order to make it says the same. instantaneously America. In more what J. B. S. now, but the very ternational.. would effective, presume, he makes use same thing verbatim. Our good, The inconsistency of some “cen- explode to shreds all the foolish and we old of a published editorially friend is here re- trist" minds is really peculiar. In statement J. B. S. merely ridiculous charges brought forth with by “Die New Yorker Volkszeitung” peating Kautsky, Scheidemann, Mac- his historical review of the Commun- so much pomp and ceremony. ist quotes pas- to the effect that Comrade Zinoviev Donald and all the rest of the noble International J. B. S. a “The Communist International dis- justified expecting knights of the sage from a resolution adopted at the was not in “de- 2nd International. carded praliamentary action.” Non- sirable surprises in the American La- And if we would care to go 3rd congress of the Communist In- a little sense. Read the proceedings of its bor Movement.” The “Volkszeitung” deeper into history, we could remind ternational. It reads: congresses. Study the life-history of our friend J. B. does not believe that our movement S. that BUnquiim “The distinction (between Com- the various Communist groups and is advancing fast enough to warrant was the first big charge munists year against the and Social-Democrats—A. parties even of the of 1919- such expectations. Bolsheviks preferred by the Menshe- B.) is in the fact that Social-Demo- 1920’ and you will see how ridicu- Well, we are compelled to say that vik Brotherhood as far back as the crats hinder the actual development lous this assertion is. altho not residing year Lenin, according Comrade Zinoviev, 1903-1904. to of the revolution by rendering all Os course, there were anti-par- America and therefore not in pos- opponents possible way in his menshevik in the old assistance in the of re- liamentarian groups and tendencies session of first hand knowledge about Russian Social-Democratic Labor storing the equilibrium of the bour- in sections affairs, has in this case bel- Party, was Blanquist certain of the Communist American the father of the geois state while the Communists, on International. In some sections these ter and truer gauged the present sit- Revival in Russia. So that’s that. the other hand, are trying to take ad- pronounced uation the American lali>r move- It is apparent that J. B. S. is not tendencies were more in vantage of all means and methods for than in others. But here is the im- ment than has the “Folkszeutung." exactly in love with the Communist the purpose of overthrowing and de- simply portant thing to be borne inmind, The Workers Party seems to be in International. He does not stroying the capitalist government the Communist International agreement with the Com- like it. He never did. that complete The reason? find establishing the dictatorship of alway* and consistently opposed these munist International a:vi with Com- Well, the Communist International is the proletariat.” tendencies, we perfectly precisely trying to educate and rade Zinoviev that are not what he would like it to B. quotes passage ap- the necessity in expecting agreeable up J. S. this convince workers of the justified such be. It does not come to his con- provingly, which would seem to in- of parliamentary action for revolu- surprises in the American labor ception taste, yes, “revolutionary” of dicate that he agrees with it. Then tionary purposes. ! movement. The recent developments taste, for our imaginative historian for a ma«s farmer- Monthly” in the movement of the “American Labor labor party is proof sufficient. is a man of taste and what he terms, J. B. S. is fully entitled to enjoy culture. whatever little comfort he can de- However, this is beside the point. Watch For Our Elaborating rive from the fact that the “Volks- further on his charge : zeitung” believes in this case as it against the Communist International,