A SPECIAL U CONTACT COMMISSION ISSUE 9 0 u 14 Point Program 5 th e Provisional International Contact Commission for the New t Communist (4th) Interrlational. THE REVOLUTIONARY MOVE. 1 MENT AFTER SPAIN 9 0 ...... 3 CUL TURAL «FREEDOM) l!NJlI!R -"' --', 9 CAPIT ALISM I N DECA 5 Cents FOR A NEW COMMUNIST (4TH) INTERNATIONAL f ,,(:,. " '';--::> ,... ,,~" • ", .', "~.~ , 'too, • FIGHTWITH THE Revolutionary Workers Le3sue For independent working class action! For the Class War - Against Imperialist War! For the s;x hour day, five day week with no reduction in pay! For work relief at trad~ union wages! For Workers Control of Relief Funds! For Adequate Cash Relief! For the unification of all trade unions on a class struggle policy, with industrial structure! For democratic rights; for the right to organize, strike and picket! For the coordination of free education and practical vocational training for aU youth; for equal pay for equa 1 work; for in. dependent relief for all youth equal to the adult! For full economic, social and political equality for the Negro masses I For immediate complete independence for the Colonies and pro­ tectOl"ates of the U. S.! Fight Fascism hy Fighting Capitalism I For Workers Defense Squads! For Workers Control of Production fOl" Use Un~er a Workers Council Government! For a New Communist (4th) International! THE MARXIST ~~eoretical organ of the Revolutionary Workers League of the U. S. Formerly the FOURTH INTERNATIONAL Published monthly by The Demos Press 1904 DIVISION STREET Chicago, Ill. 5 cents a copy 50 centa a y.ear Printed in the United States Voluntary Labor THE MARXIST- Theoretical organ of the Revolutio,nary Workers League 0'£ the U. S. Formerly the FOURTH INTERNATIONAL Vol. 5 August, 1939 No.5 Contact Commission Formed. The Fourteen Point Program of th e Provisional International Contact Commission for the New Communist (4th) International. --------0-------- The gigncrtories su.bmit the following poli­ the Labor Party, Social Democracy, Stalinism ticalstate:m;elli which as brl.efly as possible pre­ and the various centrist organizations. The sents a: MaI'}dan position on the baaic queptions Revolutionary Marxian Party must be interna­ of the day, sepa.i.'ating the forces for the New tional in program and organization, providing Communist (4th) Inte:&,"national fro m the refor~ democratic discussion and rights in arriving at Iillsts; centrists, and ultra~lefts. This document allpoliciesl but unified in carTying them out, is the staten-lent of the groups forming the Pre­ with th~ decisions of the higher bodies, up to visional Contact C('mmlssion for the New Com­ and including the Intemotional Buro, remain­ rnunist (4th) International. The statement shall ing in force until over-ruled by still higher b~ the political (lxir; for the International Bulle­ bodies. tin which the Contact Commiasion issues. 3 - PARTICIPATION IN THE CLASS 1 ..; IlVIPERIALISM AND THE TASKS OF THE STRUGGLE PROLETARIAT The Marxian Party fights for the day to day The decay stage of capitalism is one of demands of the working class} but at no time wars and revolutions, the violent eruptions ot separates them from the object crnd aim of the the dying capitalist system revealing the in~ ultimate demands for the overthrow of capita­ ability of the exploiters to solve their contradic­ lism. The immediate needs can be solved fi~ tions on the one hand, and on the other hand nally and conclUSively only by the revolutio~ the inability of the proletariat to fully utilize its nary over-throw of capitalism. powers - because of a lack of leadership - to 4 - REVOLUTIONARY DEFEATISM establish the World Dictatorship of the Proleta­ riat. The basic antagonism of society is be­ The Marxian Party fights for ~ tween world capitalism and the proletarian re~ against capitalism, and against c... volution (the extension of the October Revolu­ wars, no matter which natibn appears to .oe the tion). The struggles among the imperialists are "aggressor" or the "defenderi" no matter whe­ secondary to this basic antagonism. ther allied" or not allied with the Soviet Union; 2 - THE REVOLUTIONARY MARXIAN no ma~ter whether a bourgeois IIdemocrcrcy" or a faSCIst state. In an imperialist war Marxists ORGANIZATION on both sides must work through revolutionary class action for the military defeat of their ~wn· The Marxian organization, if it is to unify army and bourgeoisie during the war time" the proletariat in a struggle against capitalism} nlust remain politically and organizationally eve~, if this IJmeans th~tempprary "Victory" of independent of all other organizations, includ. the enemy· bourgeOIsie. Only on the basis of the disruption of the bourgeois state and ap­ ing the reformist and centrist parties, such as paratus by the strategy of revolutionary. de£ecit- -1--" of bourgeois democracy in any of its varieties ism. can .. the. pro letariatl under thE! guidance of its vanguard, turn. the imperialist war of the including the Peoples Front, so-called Labor governments (MacDonald, Bauer) ( so~called capitalist brigands into a civil war of the pro~ . Workers and Peasants governments (Bulgaria, letariat to smash the whole capitalist system. China 1925-1927 1 Thuringia 1923) helps pave the way for fascism. Under certain conditions 5 - THE USSR AND THE EXTENSION OF .~HE where the breakdown of the economy creates OCTOBER REVOLUTION an armed strugg Ie on the part of certaiD; sections of the bourgeoisie to crush the rising The Dictatorship of the Proletariat still re­ proletarian threat, certain other sections of the mains in the Soviet Union although in warped bourgeoisie for their. own economic and political interests, may be forced into an armed form l with a rising bourgeois stratum within the burocracy, with enormous inroads of private opposition to the decisive section of the. bour­ geoisie. The working class may use parallel property, and the liquidation of almost all of action with such 1/ democratic" sections of the the proletarian state fonns, Sovietsl Workers bourgeoisie as did the Bolsheviks in 1917 in the Militias I etc~ The Stalinist burocracy is not a struggle against Kornilov. "March separately separate class. Stalinism today is a social re­ and strike together/' unlike Popular Frontism, formist force resting on the material base of the involves political and .organizational inde­ October Revolution and its property relations I pendence from the bourgeois democratic objectively aiding the restorationo£ capitalist forces, independent organizations of the prole­ rule in the S.U. and counter~revolution on a tariat (the -PartYi Soviets, Workers Militias I world scale. The theoretical base of Stalinism etc.) I no support material or political to bour~ is the: nationalist· concept of Socialism in· one geois democracYI unrelenting exposure of the country.. Marxists will support the Soviet Union bourgeois forces in preparation for armed no matter in what.kind of a war the USSR is in· struggle against them as well. valved. But such support and defense of the USSR can be accomplished only on the revo­ , - THE CHARACTER OF THE STATE lutionary lineo! the extension of the October The state is the product of irreconcilable Revolution and the re-establishment within. the . class antagonisms. It is the instrument by Soviet Union of full workers democracy and which the ruling class suppresses other classes. the soviets; a political·· revolution against the Under capitalism it is the instrument of the capi­ Stalinist burocracy. The Soviet Union can be talists for the exploitation and subjection of ·the defended only by a struggle against world im­ proletariat and oppressed. This is true of the perialism and its Stalinist and other agents colonial and semi-colonial countries as well. withih~ the Soviet Union. Revolutionists give There can be no /I anti-imperialist/I "non~capl~ theitpbiitical,and material aid within the So- talistl II "workers and peasants" state other than . vier linion only to the Marxian 4th Internatio~ the Dictatorship of the Proletariat. •There is no nali~t5'i'o:nd to those mass organSI Soviet, Wor· state in between the Dictatorship of the. Bour­ trade etc' kers"Militias, unions, l in which the geoisie and the Dictatorship .. of the Proletariat. masses are able to carry out independent work­ No matter what the composition of coalition go~ ing class.~ction. vernments under capitalism (PODM, Anarehist/ left 1937 i ~RUGGLE·AGA!NST CAPITALISM Socialistsl Republicans in Spain, in Social Democrats and Independent Socialists .lggle against capitalism can be in Germany in 1918~19l91 etc.), they can only waged drily on the 'basis of independent work~ serve the i11te1'ests of the capitalists. Marxist~ 'ing,c:1a~'s"6:ction in opposition to all forms ot reject-.all co~operation with6r participation in 'Clciss . c1)l1aborationl~ .. parHamen tary· cretinism bourgeois ministries. ·'~nd··ielltitite on bourgeoiisdemocracy. The 'sl!~~91~ r~r' democr:~tic' demand:i'is"I?cIrt of the 8 - STATE POWER re#oluH6*p.qry.· struggle .. crgairist'bo\lrge1>is dem6. craby ;ft~~lf;' cis .well as <all btner'totm~6f bbur- '. The basic question in any revolution is that 7ge61s;f¥{l1~~(inilitary dictatorship I constitutibhal ~{stqt~"·:power: Marxists fight for the proleto­ ~":ru9.;1~f9h~! .. £d.~£i~t stat~, ~!c.! :z~~a'sdsrh~·cartb9 iran-reV:olutlOl1 which Will establish the, workers 'defeatedonlh-', the' deT~at,of'c'·~i'taliE4n. i111e> c;t~d change decisively the mode of pro- .. ;Mgi1~~t~~{t~gtVqip~~~·~Jh.pqr~iqffi~·ht ·0:' '1ls... ~n "a~ql~6J;l~··" rep1d¢ing the profit system with pro­ ~aljxloliary:':to'~ihd~p~nden1'dasg cretionl O:s··:o "Quc1I511 for use. 'Bur'this ctm: only'be'accom. fo:ru.Irl.to expose bQurgaoi~ democIOcy, Support" -2.. - pUshed through the destruction of the bourgeois the factories, farms, etc. The Marxian Party is stote and the establishment of the· Workers the giuding force of· the Sovietl3.