A NEW MAGAZINE- NATIONAL ISSUES A SURVEY OF POLITICS AND LEGISLATION JANUARY CONTENTS The 76th Congress . An Editorial The Un-American Dies Committee Milton Howard Armaments and Peace • Earl Browder The Monopoly Investigation David Ramsey W.P.A. and Recovery Roger Bacon A Review of the Wagner Act W.D.C. A Progressive Tax Program . John Page Labor Agrees on Legislation . Alan Max The New South Speaks . Rob Hall Congressional Calendar . January, 1939 And Other Articles Editor, GENE DENNIS • Published monthly by the National Committee, Communist Party, U.S.A. Single copies, fifteen cents; yearly subscription, $1.25 Address all communications to P. 0. Box 87, Station D, New York City VOL XVIII," No. 1 JANUARY, 1939 7he COMMUNIST A MAGAZINE OF THE THEORY AND PRACTICE OF MARXISM-LENINISM PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY THE COMMUNIST PARTY OF THE U.S.A. EDITORS: EARL BROWDER, ALEX BITTELMAN, V. ]. JEROME CONTENTS Review of the Month . A. B •• 3 Mastery of Theory and Methods of Work EARL BROWDER (Concluding speech, December meeting, National Committee, C.P.U.S.A.) Lenin-His Meaning for Us Today ROBERT MINOR 25 Lenin and the American Revolutionary Heritage . RUDY BAKER 35 Isolationist Defeatism! WILLIAM Z. FOSTER 40 A Year of Memorable Anniversaries ALEX BITTELMAN • 48 The Southern Conference for Human Welfare . ROB F. HALL • · • 57 The Democratic Front and the Northwest Elections MORRIS RAPORT 66 An Analysis of the Ohio Elections-What Next? JOHN WILLIAMSON 76 Book Reviews ISRAEL AMTER 82 Index-Volume XVII, 1938 Entered as second class matter November 2, I927, at the Post Office at New York, N. Y., under the Act of March ;, I879· Send checks, money orders and correspondence to THE CoMMUNIST, P. 0. Box I48, Sta. D (50 E. IJth St.), New York. Subscription rates: $2.00 a year; $I.oo for six months; foreign and Canada $2.50 a year. Single copies 20 cents. Pa.INTID lJI \J.S.A, ~ JOlJ FIFTEEH. YEARS SIHCE THE DEATH OF LEHIH • LENIN, by Joseph Stalin____________________________________ ____________ ____ -------- IOc LENIN: ON THE JEWISH QUESTION____________ ------------ ------------ --- 5c LENIN: ON THE WOMAN QUESTION ________________________ ----------- ---- 5c LENIN: A LETTER TO AMERICAN WORKERS _________________________ _..___ 3c LENIN AND SPAIN, by Earl Browder ____________________________ --------------- lc LENIN: ON THE EVE OF OCTOBER______________________________________________ 5c THE LENIN HERITAGE, by Joseph Stalin _____________________________ --------- 3c LENIN: WOMEN AND SOCIETY__________________________________________________ IOc LENIN: IMPERIALISM ------------------------------------------------------------------- 30c LENIN: STATE AND REVOLUTION------------------------------------------------ IOc LENIN: "LEFT-WING" COMMUNISM ------------------------------------------ 25c LENIN: THE TEACHINGS OF KARL MARK_________________________________ 15c FOUNDATIONS OF LENINISM, by Joseph Stalin ____________ ,____________ IOc DAYS WITH LENIN, by Maxim Gorky____________________________________________ 25c MEMORIES OF LENIN, by N. K. Krupskaya, 2 volumes, each______ 75c • Order from your local bookshop or from WORKERS LIBRARY PUBLISHERS P. 0. Box 148, Station D New York, N.Y. REVIEW OF THE MONTH On the Fifteenth Anniversary of Lenin's Death. Studying the Living Science of Marxism-Leninism. Prepare for Book of zoo,ooo Copies. Browder's Report to National Committee on Social and National Security. Chamber of Commerce Wants Strictly Armaments. National Interests and National Betrayal. Who Will Defend Nation's Liberties1 Absolute Pacifism Spells Capitulation. The New York Post Is Only Mildly Surprised. Defending Nation and Defending Imperialism. Social Content of National In- terests. Democratic and Anti-fascist. Armaments and Guarantees. Who Dominates Republican Party1 Friction Within and Pressure From Below. To the Single Democratic Front for I940. Organizing Masses at the Bottom. Role of a Communist Branch: Lessons of France and Collective Security. A Book by ]ames W. Ford. N THE twerity-first day of this mastery of this theory gives to the O month it will be fifteen years labor movement. since Lenin died. And although Lenin The National Committee of the and his teachings are always present Communist Party of the United States in our thoughts and deeds, the anni­ decided at its last plenary meeting, versary· of his death-the Lenin days held in New York City, December -serves as a fresh stimulus for deeper 3-5, 1938, upon the proposal of Com­ study of Mllrxism-Leninism and for rade Browder, to publish and distrib­ rededication to the cause which is ute a minimum of wo,ooo copies of guided by this theory. this book at a price not to exceed the Soon there will be available the . physical cost of production. At a price American edition of the History of which should enable the worker of the Communist Party of the Soviet the lowest income to acquire a copy of Union, prepared by the Central Com­ this book for individual use. To ac­ mittee of that Party with the closest quire it, to have it, to study it. Be­ collaboration of Comrade Stalin. And cause every worker will need it, espe­ this is very fortunate. For with this cially those who are active and book, the most authoritative exposi­ leading in the progressive mass move­ tion of the history and development ments of the people. of Leninism, as it were-Leninism in It will be the task and duty of the action-tens and perhaps hundreds of membership and organizations of the thousands in our country will have Communist Party in the coming the opportunity of studying Marxism­ months to organize and carry through Leninism at its very source and to the distribution of the minimum of gain the great advantages which the 1oo,ooo copies of this book. It will 4 THE COMMUNIST also be the task of the Party organiza­ pose of halting the further develop­ tions to organize their educational ment of Marxism and, with this, to facilities in such a way as to lend the halt the further development of the utmost encouragement and assistance revolutionary movement of the work­ to all individual and group studies ing class. of the great lessons to be learned from The great achievement of Lenin the glorious history of our· brother and, after him, of Stalin is that they Party in the Soviet Union. have smashed all attempts to freeze To learn these lessons is to learn and halt the further development of to master the theory of Marxism­ the Marxian theory and of the revo­ Leninism. It is to learn what Marx­ lutionary movement of the proleta­ ism represents in the present epoch riat. They have carried forward the of the world's history, in the epoch of revolutionary science of the working imperialism and proletarian revolu­ class-of the most advanced class in tions, in the epoch which has seen the society-to our present day, young, victory of socialism on one-sixth of alive and actual, the indispensable the earth. For Marxism is not a guide to progress and to the eventual dogma, dead and frozen, but a living victory of socialism everywhere. and growing science. After the death A study of the history of the Com­ of Engels, Marx's closest collaborator munist Party of the Soviet Union it was Lenin who moved the Marxis; brings to our minds two outstanding theory further, enriching it with the instances of this kind. Up until the new experience derived from the new second bourgeois-democratic revolu­ conditions of the class struggle of the tion in Russia, in February, 1917, proletariat. And after the death of Marxists held the opinion that the Lenin, it was Stalin and the other parliamentary democratic republic disciples of Lenin who were pushing was the most appropriate political forward. and enriching the Marxist form for the period of transition from theory. capitalism to socialism. Even though It is not always so that opportu­ Marx had indicated, already in the nism makes its appearance through 187o's, that the political form of the directly challenging the validity of the type of the Paris Commune was the Marxian theory as a whole or of some most appropriate political form for of its propositions and conclusions. the dictatorship of the proletariat, This is opportunism, of course, and this idea did not find further develop­ with this manifestation of it we have ment in Marx's subsequent work and become pretty well familiar. Yet there was thus allowed to be forgotten. Be­ is also another manifestation of op­ sides, there was Engels' authoritative portunism, and one of which we are declaration in 1891 that the demo­ insufficiently aware. It is the attempt cratic republic constitutes the specific to make us hang onto certain individ­ form of the dictatorship of the prole­ ual propositions of Marxism which tariat. And this was the leading idea have become obsolete by transform­ on the question prevailing among ing these propositions into dogmas. Marxists, including Lenin.. And for what purpose? For the pur- However, in 1905 and in February, REVIEW OF THE MONTH 5 1917, the Russian Revolution brought longer corresponded to the new his­ forward a new political form-the So­ torical setting; that the socialist revo­ viets of Workers' and Peasants' Depu­ lution is fully able to win in one ties. Analyzing the meaning of this country taken by itself. new political form on the basis of the And again the opportunists of all experiences of two revolutions, and lands, hanging onto the old formula proceeding from the theory of Marx­ of Engels and Marx, were accusing ism, Lenin reached the conclusion Lenin of departing from Marxism. that the best political form for the But life has already proven that it was dictatorship of the proletariat was not Lenin who had mastered Marxism, the parliamentary democratic repub­ not the opportunists; that it w~ lic but the Republic of Soviets. Lenin who moved the Marxian Whereupon the opportunists of all theory forward, enriching it with new countries, hanging onto the parlia­ experiences, while the opportunists mentary republic, were accusing were pulling it backward, transform­ Lenin of departing from Marxism and ing the living science into a frozen of destroying democracy.