NI1939_10

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    HomeCE our la st issue ca meWAR. (WhattheoutbreakEu ropeanwa r mean st otoil ingpeoplesof the worldica tedin our press .ecifica lly , t oo, w e ha veclea r wha t the war meansu r magaz ine,THE NEW 1~ -NTIONAL.hrough a circu-t o a ll un it s of t h e S ocia listr ker s P a r t y an d th e YPSLInt ernat iona lists)ndaementn theS ocialistAppealhave indicatedhattheexist-THENEWINTERNATION-now immedia telynvolved.one-thivd of t h emag a -s cimda twn and i l acome,ved fr om Fou rt h I nt erna -anizat ionsand ag-circulat ingand sell ingt hezinein England,Scotland,Canada , Australia,t h Africa , New Zea la nd,

    been cu t of f. Censor-beenclampeddown onllyeveryoneof the a bove-t ion ed coun tr ies a n d isa nd being intensified.ar e being stopped,let terspackagesopened,etc. Des-a ll th is THENEWINTERNA-NALWill g~ f t ]tlOUgh09w?-t o a l l t h ese coun tr i es; bu tiou slyn ot t h e bulk of ou rth ousan dcircula tiona broa dhedu ra t i onof thewar .is n ow up t o t heAmer ica nand You th comrad es t oup the differencein circu-n a n d in come in or der t oNEW INTERNA-These prob lems arein the Ed itor ia l col -th istime,andt hereforewetterin the handsoftsand readers.e ha ve confidencetha t ourmentwil l ral ly to the sup-of thema gaz ineand there-the rema inderof ou r col -proceedsupon the slogan,iness as u.wal .numberof THEssuedbe-theoutb reakof war in Eu-jus t a t themomentofgn ingof the Sta l in-Hi t lerfea t u r edth e s t or y of t h e. This a rt iclea rousedcon-interestamong !WPAunemployedworkers. Com-from two agents ind ica teex ten t :Akron ag en t , Comrade,wr i tes : The N. I . bun-e in la s t n ig ht . . . . Th isI tooksix for thenews-

    PA project whereI work.en ly I r ea l iz edhow wel lsa rticleought to gomy f ell ow WPA worker s.up, wa lkedaround ,ta lkedfew of the boys a nd in anut esh ad sol d a ll s ix. It o mobil iz ea few of t h es to s t and ou t side the

    THENEW INTERNATIONALA Monthly Organ of RevolutionaryMarxism

    Volume V October 1939 Number 10 (Whole No. 37)theNew I n t e r n a t i o n a l PublishingCompany,ew Yor!qN. Y. Telephone:ALgonquln4-8647.~ fl~ ~ g~ ~ ~~ ~ ~ lo,p~ ~ ~= bund,es: 14. f or 6 ~ piee d p.Caoada ndForei obundles16cfor 6 copieeend up.Dnteredas moon -ckasma t terDe&mber9, 1987a t the post ofl icea t New York N . Y.. u nder th e a e t o f March8. 18?9.Editorial Board: J AMES BURNHAM, MAX SHACHTMANGeneral Manager: MARTIN ABERNAssistant Manager: SHERMAN STANLEYTABLE OF CONTENTS

    Let t he I

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    THE NEW INTERNATIONALA M O NTH LY O RGAN O F REVO LUTI O NA RY MA RX ISM

    VOLUME 5 OCTOBER 1939 N

    Let the Readers DecideAn Appeal by the Editors and Manager of the New International

    wE CANNOT AND WE DO NOT WISH to concea lf rom the readers of THE NEW INTERNATIONALheextreme danger which faces i ts con t inued existence.The Second Wor ld War h a s s t ru ck u s a t er r ific bl ow , f a rgr a ve t ha n most r ea der s r ea lize. Our r eview ha s fr om t hebeg inn ing been an intern a t ion a l rev iew in every sen seof thewor d. I n t hes e t im es wh en t he pois on ou s fumes of n a t ion -a lism a re corr oding t he very vit a ls of societ y, w e ha vesought t o do a ll in our pow er t o keep a live a nd a lert t hespir it of in t erna t i on a lism.We h ave n ever h es it a t ed t o d e-vot e our pa ges t o t he best Ma r xist t a lent s of ot her coun -t ries w ho d ea lt w it h t he polit ica l pr oblem s of coun tr iesot h er t ha n t he Un it ed S t a t es , ev en if a t t im es t his w a s d on ea t t he cos t of a n a ly zin g pr oblem s an d ev en t s in t his coun -t ry. We ha ve a lw ays been proud of the la rge a nd loya lcir cle of r ea d er swh ich formed a r oun d t h e r ev iew in ev er yimpor t an t count r y of t h e wor ld , especia l ly in t h e Englis h-read ing lands.The advan cin g wave of t ot a l it a r ia n ismwashed away pa r tof t ha t cir cle in s ome coun tr ies in r ecen t t im es. Now , w it ht he ou tbr ea k of t he Wor ld Wa r wh ich in volves d ir ect ly a llt h e Engl is h-r ead in g count r ies ou t si de t h e Un it ed S t a t es ,th e possibi li t yo f d is t r ibut ing the magaz ine ab road has beend ra s t ica l ly lim it ed a t a s in gle blow .We need not ent er int o t oo gr ea t det a il on t his scor e,especia l ly f or t h os e r ead er s who h ave fol lowed th e r epor t son th e s t a t e of ou r cir cu la t ion wh ich appea r ever y mon th int he mana g er s depa r tmen t. I t is en ou gh t o s a y t ha t w it h t her ig or ou s pr es s cen sor sh ip and con t rol over a l l r a d ica l an dadvanced elemen tswh ich have a l ready been en forced in the

    coun tr ies of t he B r it is h Empir e, our cir cula t ion h a s beenvir tua lly w iped out a br oa d. The few copies t ha t n ow gett h rou gh B r it a i ns poli ce li nes s imply do not compa r e, n u-mer ica l ly , w i th t h e f ormer d is t ribut ion of t h e pap er .Eng land , Scot land , I reland , Cana da , Pa les t ine,Austra l ia ,Sou th Af ri cathese count r ies not on ly h ad a f la t t e r ingcir -cu la t ion of THE NEW INTERNATIONALu t wer e a s ur esou rce of impor t an t r evenues for t h e maga z in e. We a lway sr eflect ed w it h m in gled joy a n d r egr et t ha t our fr ien ds int hes e Empir e cou nt ries w er e a g rea t er fin a ncia l m a in st a yof ou r r eview , pr opcw t ion a t et o t heir pos it ion , t ha n manyof our friends right here in the U nit ed St at es. Now , inview of t he sit ua t ion t ha t h as developed , it is impossiblea n y lon ger t o coun t upon a s in gle pen ny fr om t h es e coun -

    t hough w e a re a wa re t ha t our friends a broa d ret awa rmest feel ings toward THE NEW INTERNATIONSo s er iou s is t he blow d ea lt us by t his ch a nge in t ha t i on th a t u nles swe a r e compen sa t ed f or t h e los s b yance, speedya nd generous, in the Un i ted S t a te s, ourw i ll cer t a inl y be suspended .Not may be suspended ,bbe suspended .We s ay th is w i th t h e u tmos t r es t ra i nt an d object ivOur r ea der s know t ha t w e ha ve ra rely ma de a ppeaspeci a l f in anci a l a id to the rev iew . We have not been aist in t he pa st a nd w e a re not now . I n fa ct , w e ha ve tmore oft en tha n not t o lea n t oo fa r ba ckw a rd irespect.Tha t a lone is w hy t he gr ea t est import a nce shoua t t a ch ed t o our a sser tion now t ha t un less fin a ncia lg iven immediate ly,THE NEW INTERNATIONALill g

    of exis ten ce befor e t h e n ext is sue ca n be pu blis hedYet , ou r r equi remen t s an d ou r appea l a r e compa r amodest . We a re not in business; w e seek no profin ever expect t o la y u p a h uge r es er ve of fu nd s. Th odiscussion a n d a ca r efully est im a ted budget dr a wnmeet t he n ew sit ua t ion , in dica t e t ha t in or der t o cot he review must ha ve from it s rea ders t he sum ofr ig ht away , b efor e t h en ex t is su e can go t o pr es s. Andmon th th er ea f t er , a t lea s t u nt il t h e s it u a t ion is a l t ert h e bet t er ,we mus t h ave $100 ever y mon th over an dt h e r egula r in come fr om subs cr ipt ion s t o a n d s a les omagazine .Modest needsbut qu intessen t ia l for con t inued l ife

    ha ve no a dver tisers t o subsidize us; w e ha ve no wfin a ncia l a gen ts . We can d epen d on ly on t h e r a nk anof ou r r ea d er s.Th is u rgen t a ppea l is a d dr es sed t o t hem . We a r edent t ha t t hey w ill a nsw er in such a w a y a s t o guaTHE NEW INTERNATIONALSxis tence . Speed is nt h e es sen ce of t h e m a tt er . An yt hin g fr om on e d olla rd olla r san d mor e if y ou ca n a fior d it !shou ld be rt o cmr of fi ce t h e m inut e you read th is appea l .We a r e count in g on ever y r ead er t o come th rou gh !

    Ma rt in ABERNJ ames BURNHAM

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    292 THE NEW INTERNATIONAL October ,1,9

    The Second World WarHE SECOND WORLD WAR began on Sept emberls t, t w en ty -five y ea r s a n d on e mon th a ft er t he st a r t offir st w or ld w a r .at the War is About

    t a l is t economy produces goods for a market the l im-of which a re t irmi~ d not by mens biologica l,holog ica l and cu ltura l needs ,bu t by the ab i li ty to rea l izer ofit , a n d t o r e-con ver t t h e pr ofit r ea lized in to fur t herduct ion . I t i s impossible for the economy of any na t i on a lit a l is t s t a t e t o b e s elf-con t a in ed . I n t h e f ir st pla ce, b e-f the uneven d is t r ibut ion of n a tu ra l resou rces in thed , n o n a t ion con ta in s a ll of t he r aw ma ter ia ls wh ich itir es . S econ dly , t he effect ive con sumer ma rket in a lled cap it a l is t n a t i on s i s never suf fi ci en t to absorb theou tput of t he econ omy, a n d ma rket s must be s ou gh ts id e t h e n a t ion a l boun da r ies. Th ir dly , beca u se of t het a t i on s of t h e domes t ic ma rket an d th e d ispropor t ion sr a tedwi th in every advanced cap it a l is t economy , therever a su ff icien tou t let for cap i ta l inves tments inte rna l ly,such ou t lets must a lso be sough t elsewhere.hese d if ficu lt ies ,wh ich appeared ear ly in cap i ta l is t h is-, a r e gr ea t ly m a gn ified in t he imper ia lis t s ta g e of ca p-s t development . Colossa l debt burdens , both public anda t e, w eig h like m ills ton es on t he n eck of pr od uct ion .ge concen tr a tion s of ca pit a l in pla nt , ma chin er y a ndipmen t r educe th e flexib ilit y of t h e s ys t em in ad apt in glf t o cy clica l an d t echnolog ica l ch ang es . Deb t s an d th ecen tr a tion of ca pit a l t en d t o low er t he r a te of pr ofit ;t h e d ev ices of monopoly , t a r if fs an d speeded expl oi t a -employed t o count er a ct t h is t en den cy on ly a g gt -a v a t ediff icult ies .l l advanced cap it a l is t n a t i on s f ace these same t roubles .n t he most st ringent in ter na l m ea sur es ca nnot m eetm . All t h e power s a r e compell ed t o t r y t o a l lev ia t e t h emxterna l mean s: b y ch eapen in g th e cos t of r aw ma t er ia l sugh ga ining or holding cont rol over t he sources ofse ma t er ia ls; by ext ending t he r a nge of t he a va ila bleod it y m a rket ; by get t in g n ew ou tlet s for ca pit a l in -n ta nd by the super-exp loi ta t ion of backward peop less sdeve loped par t s of thewor ld .h ese t h ree a im s con tr ol t h e for eign policies of a ll t h eer ia l is t governmen ts . I n peace-t ime they a re served by

    th e mach in er y of commercia l an d cu lt u ra l pen et r a t ion ,s , loans , expedi t ionary forces , br ibery , exchange man-la t ion , in tr igu e a n d cor rupt ion . B u t s in ce t he st a ke ist ico-economic subjugation and possible social death fors in g n a t ion (or g roup of n a t ion s) an d it s r ulin g cla s s,con test must be per iodica lly fought t o a decision bys. I ndeed, a dva nt a ge in t he cont est a lw a ys r est s oner ior f orce, so th a t in the process as a whole, peace-t imeon ly be unders tood as the prepara to ry interva l betweenh e Wa r of 1914-18 est a blished t he t empor a ry dom -eof B r i t ish and French imper ia l ism in the Old Wor ldr ope, As ia a n d Afr ica ) a n d of Un it ed S t a t es in lper ia l-in the West . This dominancewa s g iven lega l express ion

    ever wr i t ten. About seven hundre~ mi ll ion colon ia l peop lewere d es ig na t ed a s s la v eso f London and P a r i s. The map oEurope was re-d rawn wi thou t the s li gh tes t ref erence to thneeds and des ires of the E uropea n ma sses, b ut solely w itt he object of pr oviding st ra t egica l bulw a rks t o AngloFrench hegemony.P erma nent a ccept a nce by G erma n imper ia lism of t hVersa il les order would have mean t economic s t r angu la t i oa nd dea th . Not being w illing t o commit suicide, it hat her efor e t o set for it self t he goa l of t he sm ashin g of Versa illes a n d a n ew division of t he w or ld. At t he same t imG erma n imper ia lism ha d t o pr even t t he sma sh in g of t hVer sa i lles order by th e on ly oth er pos sib le, an d d iamet r ia lly oppos it e, w a y : by t he G erman wor ker s r evolut ionTh e blockin g of t he r evolut ion , a n d it s giga n tic pr epa rt or y effor t s, w ou ld h a ve been impos sible u nd er t he loosf orms of pa r liamen t a r yd emocr a cy ; an d German imper iai sm , a f t er cas t ing as ide i t s Weimar s teward s ,wa s thereforcompel led to u t il iz e Hi t ler and Nazi sm .D ur ing t he pa st five yea rs, G erma n imper ia lism hat ak en it s pr elim in a r y s t eps : buil di ng of a n ew a rmy; r e-incor pora t ion of t he S aa r; r e-m ilit a r iz a t ion of t h e Rhinla n d; a bs or pt ion of Aus tr ia , C zech os lova kia , Memel. Aeach s tep, B r i t a ~n and France compla ined and res is t ed ; buh a vin g ever yt hin g t o los e-n ot mer ely fr om t he ch a llenof G erma ny but even mor e fr om t he t hr ea t enin g in ter ncolla pse of t heir respect ive empir es-a nd ver y lit tle tga in , t hey fea r ed w a r . Th ey wen t a lon g fr om week t o weekh opin g t ha t H it ler m igh t s omeh ow s oft en or become losin a n inva sion of Russia ; a nd mea nw hile t hey got t hea rmamen t s an d in du st r y an d id eolog y r ead y . H it ler d id n ofa lt er or fa l~ , a nd he ma + e w a ljla nce w ith RussiaD a nger ous a s w a s w a r now , it w ould be st ill m or e da n geous t om or row . I f G erma ny w er e not cr ush ed, B r it ish a nF ren ch imper ia lisms wer e t hr ough , Not bein g w illin g tcommit su icide , t here fore, Br i ta in and France declaredw aTh e secon d Wor ld Wa r, t hen , is a w a r am on g r iva l imperia lisms for a new division of t he w or ld, a w ar for t hright s of exploit a tion of t he ma sses of the w orld a sw hole a nd t he peoples of t he colon ia l a nd sem i-colon ia rea s in pa rt icula r. The issue of t he w a r is, simply: w his going t o get t he ma jor sha re of t he sw ag?lh is is w ha t t he second World Wa r is a bout . And t his a ll it is a bout .Who Is Guilty?I t wou ld be a s ab su rd t o a s sig n deg rees of r espon sib ili

    a nd guilt a mong t he riva l imper ia lisms a s in t he ca se oga ng w a rfa r e. I f t w o ga ngs of r a cket eer s w er e in cont ror es pect ively , o f Chica gos Nor t h a n d S ou th S id es ; a n d it he S out h S id e ga ng, findin g pickin gs t oo slim t o sust aopera t i on s , we re compel led to muscle in on the Nor th S idew e w ould not a rgue over w ho w as guilt y nor w ould ww orry w ho fired t he first shot . We w ould condemn t hs ys tem of r a cket eer in g, a n d a s sign equa l guilt t o bot h t hg ang s t h a t oper a t ed br an ch es of t h a t s ys tem .S o a ls o i n t he s econ d Wor ld Wa r . I f H it ler h a s a ppea r e

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    October 1939 THE NEW INTERNATIONAL P a gn ot hin g t ha t B r it a in a n d F ra n ce w an t, wh er ea s t hey h a ve,a s a r es ult of t heir pr ior a ggr es sion s, wh a t h e n eed s. I f w ea re bot h hungry a nd you, ha ving a ll t he food, refuse t ogive me an y, t hen I w ill n a tu ra lly h a v e t o a ppea r a s a gg res -s or if I t ry t o t a ke s ome fr om you. To complet e t he a n a logy ,h owev er , it s hou ld be r em a rked t ha t a ll t h e food h a s in t hef ir s t p lacebeen s tolen f rom the or ig in a l producers whom webot h in ten d t o go on r obbin g.To sub ject , fir st German y it s elf , t h en Au st r ia , C zecho-

    slova kia , Da nzig a nd P ola nd . . . t o Na zism is indeed acr im e a ga in st h um anit y t oo bla ck t o be pa in ted. B ut it is acr im e of exa ct ly t he s ame ch a ra ct er a s Ver sa illes, wh ichsubjected ha lf of t he w orld t o t he B rit ish a nd Frenchimperialists.S omet imes it is a rgued t ha t even if Versa illes w as acrime, t ha t cr ime is in t he pa st , over a nd done w it h, a nds hou ld be, if n ot for got t en , a t lea s t t oler a t ed t o a v oid s tillw or se cr im es of t he pr es en t a n d fut ur e. Th is a r gumen t isn ot mer ely s oph is tica l but fa ls e. Th e cr ime of Ver sa illesw a s not finished w hen t he t rea t y w a s signedt ha t onlybega n it . The crime lives da y by da y in t he st a rva tion,

    m isery and oppression of the hundredso f mil li on s in Indi a ,Afr ica , Cey lon , I ndo-Ch in a , who a r e crushed ben ea t h t h eboot s of B r it is h an d F ren ch imper ia l ism..I t is t he s yst em of imper ia lismwh ich is r es pon sible fort h ew a r . I t is t h e ruler s of t h a t s ys t em , t h e big -bus in es smena nd ba nkers of London a nd B erlin a nd P a ris a nd Romea nd New York, w ho a re guilt y . The blood st ains a ll ofthe ir hands a l ike.The United States and the WarUnit ed S t at es im per ia lism , fa r fr om bein g immune t othose cor rod ing d if fi cu lt i es wh ich beset a l l imper ia l is t n a-t ions, is pr ofoun dly t roubled by t hem. Though t he m ostfor tun a te of a ll imper ia lism s in n at ur a l r esour ces, geo-g raph ica l s itu a t i on and unpara l lel ed product i ve pl an t , th erift s w it hin U nit ed S ta tes economy, a s show n by suchf a ct or s a s t h e s iz e of unemploymen t , a r e perh aps t h e d eep-es t of a l l. The in t erna l pr og ram for t h e s a lv a t ion o f Un it edS t a te scap it a l ismtheNew Dea lis a d isma l and completef a ilure. There rema ins on ly the ex tern a l prog ram .The immed ia t e ext erna l ob ject iv es of Un it ed S t a t es im-per ia l ismare f irm domina t i on of La t in Amer ica , f ree en t ryint o t he Fa r E a st , a nd gua ra nt ee over a ccess t o keyr a w ma t er ia ls, such a s r ubber , w hich a r e n ot a va ila ble int he Amer ica s . B u t t he d ream of t he Amer ica n plu tocr a cy ,t he st r on ges t br a nch of wor ld imper ia lism, goeskyml

    th ese immed ia teobject i ves . I t set s a s i t s goa l noth ing shor tof wor ld domina t i onnot necessa r i ly world pol it i ca l sov-er eig nt y , of cou rs e, bu t econom ic dom in a t ion over t h e en -t i re world, b acked by suf fi ci en t f orce to ma int a in i t .I n t h e pr es en t w a r , Un it ed S t a t es imper ia lism mus t a ctt o secure a t lea st it s immedia te a ims; a nd w ill t ry for a smuch of it s mor e gra ndiose goa l a s pr oves possible. Tosuppose, a s do som e pseudo - soph ist ica t es, t ha t U nit edS ta t es imperia lism is t he duped pa w n of B rit a in or ofa ny ot her na t ion , is lamen ta bly n a ive. Amer ica s S ixt yF amilies t a ke or der s fr om n o ot her power ; q uit e t h e con -t ra r y, t h ey giv e t hem . F a r fr om ba ilin g ou t B r it a in in t hepr es en tw a r , t hey w ill be bes t s a t is fied if t h e e nd of t he w a rfinds both B r it a in a nd G erma ny , a s w ell a s t he ot her pow -

    The a im of U nit ed S t a tes imper ia lism r eq uir es tbe in a pos it ion t o dictate the peace.* I t ca nn ot be in spos it ion u nles s it in ter ven es w it h m ilit a r y a s w ell anomic for ce. The a rmed ent ry of t he U nit ed S ta t et he w a r is t h er efor e a v ir t ua l cer ta in ty .E nt ry int o t he w ar, ca lled for by t he genera l a iU nit ed S ta t es im per ia lism , follow s a lso fr om n a rconsiderations.The U nit ed S t ates is not neut ra l in a ny but a f

    s en se t od a y. I t is a ct in g a n d pr epa r ed t o con tin ue t ot he supply ba se for t he Anglo-F rench bloc. B r it a iF r ance h ave av a ila b le for pu rch a ses in t h is count r yt hin g mor e t ha n $9,000,000,000 in gold , s ecur it icr edit ba la nces. The spen din g of t his m on ey w ill,unpreceden tedspecu la t ivewa r-boom in Wal l S treetd ia t ely indica ted , increase the prof it s o f American buand, t og eth er w i th a prospect iv e monopoly in L a t inica , h a s a lr ea d y br oug ht a bou t a pa r t ia l gen er a l in dupturn. When th es e fund s a r e exh aus t ed , Amer icann es s w i ll b e fa ced w i th ca t a s t r oph e if for eig n pu rch as hu t off. Th er efor e t he J oh ns on Act w ill be d roppecr ed it ext en ded , in or der t o keep pr od uct ion a n dgoing . Bu t the ex ten s ion of cred it w i ll r ap id ly becomext en sion ; t h e s t ake i n t h e ou t come of t h e wa r w i ll boverwhelm in g; an d m ilit a r y in t er ven t ion , f rom th isof view a lso, w ill h ave t o be un der ta ken in or der t othe set t l emen tand sa f eguard Wal l S t reet s mor tg ageworld.H ow soon ma y w e expect m ilit a ry in ter ven tionpa rt of t he U nit ed S ta t es?Ther e a re t hr ee fa ct ors w hich fa vor some delaF rom a s t r ict l y economic point of v iew , Amer ican bw ould like t o sq ueeze th e l a st dr op of pr ofit out of tu nder condit ion s of neu t ra l it y b ef or e t akin g th e r i

    expen se of milit a ry in ter vent ion . (2) U nit ed S t a tper ia lism , a s w e ha ve expla in ed, w ould like t o w a iboth sides a r e exha ust ed, in or der t o be sur e t h a t iin t ervent ion w ill be decisive a nd cont rolling. (3)American peop le , though undoubted ly favor ing Br i taF ra n ce a s a g a in st G erman y, a r e overwhelm in gly am ilit a r y in t er ven t ion . Imper ia l is t s n ever let t h e w i llpeople st a nd in t heir w a y, but t his r esist a nce ca nsmashed overnight .Aga in st t h es e t hr ee fa ct or s mus t be s et a t lea s t at hr ee wh ich oppos e t hem an d wor k t ow a r d s peed y(1) I t is proba ble t ha t t he B rit ish a nd French a v

    fu nd s a n d cr ed it s w ill be r a pid ly exh aust ed . J u st pt he fir st Wor ld Wa r, t he r a te of w or ld a rmament ei tu re wa s approximate ly $2,400,000,000 a year . J us tt he present w ar bega n, t he ra te w as a bout t his sm ont h: t ha t is, t w elve t im es a s gr ea t . D ur ing t he lathe Anglo-French b loc spen t a round $14,000,000,t his coun tr y (in clud in g t h e per iod wh ile t his cou ntit self a t w ar). Ava ila ble funds a nd credit s for t hcou ld hard ly be made h igher th an $14,000,000,000t he U nit ed S ta t es w ould ha ve t o ent er . I f t he r at e oqThis was indicated by 1Industries Board in the lastfollowing a confidentialconfe]House, said: If this countxv

    ence it shoulddemand a vetoof what it did at Versailles. Weafter the last war when PresidentWilson made proposals forhad them voted downby otherswhohad this veto power.iV.

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    P a ge 294 THE NEW INTERNATIONAL Octobera ment expendit ur e i s a n index of t he gener al ra te of ex-pend itu re f or the wa r , t hen the $14,000,000,000 cou ld l a ston ly fou r or five mon th s. Th is per iod s hou ld , per ha ps , bes t r et ched somewha t b y the physi ca l impos sib il it y of t r an s -por tin g t ha t sum s w or th of good s w it hin so sh or t a t im e;but even w it h st ret ch in g, t his con sid er at ion m ea ns t ha tUn it ed S t a t es b us in es sw i ll be f a ced w it h t h e choice of col-la pse or milit ary int ervent ion in a fra ct ion of t he t imewh ich ela p sed i n t h e la s t w a r .

    (2) I n spit e of t he fa ct t ha t t hey sa y t hey a r e p repa r in gf or an indef in it e ly l ong wa r , t he imper ia l is t smust s t r iv e toshor t en it . They mus t do th is because they rea l izeper fect l yw ell (a nd t his is w hy t hey did not w ant t he w ar a nd put itoff a s long a s t hey could) t ha t if t he w a r la st s a long t ime,the suf fer ing and soci a l chaos i t engender sw i l l b ri ng abou tr evolt s a t h om e a nd a bove a ll upr isin gs in t he colon ies.Sma ll con sola t ion for C hamber la in if h e d efea t s H it leron ly t o lose I nd ia a n d Afr ica -a n d per ha ps L on don . B ut ,w it hou t t he . Un it ed S t a t es , t h e s id es seem t o be t oo even lyba la nced for a quick end. S ince t he prima ry fea r ofUni ted Sta tes imperia l ism, like tha t of every other imper ia l -ism , is r evolu tion , t his t oo ca lls for ea rly en tr y in or der t o fin is h up t h e job in double-quick t ime.(3) A t hir d a n d v er y impor ta n t fa ct or m akin g for q uicken t ry is t h e Roos evelt a dmin ist ra t ion . R oos evelt a n d h isimmed ia t e a s soci a t es a r e the ou t st and ing and mos t v ici ous

    w a r -mon ger s in t h e cou nt ry . Wit h t heir en tir e d omest icpolicy bankrupt , t h e w a r is t h e on ly it em lef t in t h eir ba g ofpol it i ca l t r icks. Roosevel t s per sona l f utu re and tha t of h isg roup dependupon get t in g t h is count r y in t o t h e w a r , pr ef-er ably befor e t he pa r ty con ven tion s n ext spr in g. I f t heysucceed in t h is , t h ey w ill s a il t h rough t o con t inued con t rolof t h e gov er nmen t a l a ppa r a t u s a nd a t h ir d t erm. Roos ev elti s scarcely a t t empt ing to concea l h i s in ten t ions .H is hold-upof the Bremen, t heprovoca t ive speechesof h i s subordina tes ,h is d ecla r a t ion of a s t a t e o f lim it ed n a t ion a l emer gen cy ,h is i ncrea ses in the a rmed for ces and the espionageand r ad-ica l sq ua d s, h is pla n s for t he specia l s es sion of C on gr es s,a s w ell a s his pa st hist ory , a ll prove t ha t from t he veryfir st w eek he is s t eer in g fu ll s peed t ow a r d d ir ect pa r t icipa -t ion in t he w a r. Th er e is ever y r ea son t o believe t ha t on eimpor t a n t con sid er a t ion lea d in g B r it a in t o decid e t o fig htn ow wa s t h a t Roos ev elt is s t ill in of fice.Weigh ing these f a ctor s , we may conclude tha t the Un i t edS t a t es w i ll pr oba bly en ter t h e w a r in a per iod of fr om t hr eet o n in emon ths a f t er it s ou t br eak .A dela y beyond t h a t t imecou ld be br ough t a b ou t on ly by an or gan iz ed s t ren gt h en in gof t h e popu la r r esis ta n ce t o t h e w a r.The War and DemocracyD emocra cy is not involved in t he slight est mea sureamong t he issues of t he present w a r. This is proved n otmer ely by t he pos it ive a n a ly sis of w h a t t he w a r is a ct ua llya bou t, bu t in t h e follow in g a d dit ion a l w a y s:(1) Even in peace-t ime, th ree-f ou r ths of the sub ject s ofB r it a in a n d F ra nc~ t he colon ia l subject slive un der apol it i ca l r eg ime not of pa r li amen t a r ydemocr acy but of d ic-t a tor sh ip a n d br ut a l t yr an ny, r est in g open ly on m ilit a ryfor ce. Thes e subject s , mor eover , a r e kept a t a lev el of eco-

    nom ic sub ject ion f a r b eZow tha t of t h ehome cit iz en s of t h ef asci st Dowers .

    (2) I n jockey in g for a l lia n ces , B r it a in a nd F r ance snea r ly a y ea r biddin g for t h e Sov iet Un ion , whos e polr eg ime is n ot d ist in gu is ha ble fr om t ha t of N az ism. Tconcluded an a l lia n ce w it h Tu rkey , wh ich h a s b een anb roken tot a l it a r i anmi li t a r y d ict a t o rship s ince the l a stTh ey ma de a pa ct w it h G r eece, w h ich h a s a fa s cist g ovnmen tunder t h e d ict a t or , Met a x a s. They a r e ev en nowt rying t o sw ing I t a ly int o t heir orbit . They a re rea da ccept a ny of t he B a lka n na t ions, n one of w hich ha sp re t enses to democr acy . They permit t ed, and a ided thet or y of F ra nco in S pa in . Th ey d eliver ed w ha t dem oct h er e w a s in C zech os lova kia t o H it ler . Th e Un it ed S tsim ila r ly , con sid er s it self in a llia n ce w it h a ll of t h e LAmer ican coun t ri es , not more than th ree of wh ich havet ra ces of d emocr a cy , a n d Roos ev elt f;t es in Wa sh inSomoz a , Trujillo, a n d Ba t i st a , t h e blood ies t a nd mos th on or ed of t he L at in Amer ica n dict a tor s. I n it s colpolicy , a s in t he ca se of P uert o Rico, t he U nit ed Sfollow s exa ct ly t he pa t t er n of B r it a in a n d F ra n ce.

    (3) I n t heir ent ire hist ory, a t Versa illes, a nd inday -by-day ru le, t he Br i t ish , F rench and Amer ican ema r e enga g ed in a permanen t s uppr es sion of t h e democr ight of t h e s elf-d et ermin a t iono f peoples , a n d t h ink ofin depen den ce o f sm a ll n a t ion s on ly in t erms of t h eof thei r imper ia l s t r a t eg ies .Witnes s: a l l Af ri ca , I ndi a ,lon , I ndo-C hin a , C hin a, t he Ar abs, t he Nica ra gua n,C uba ns a n d P uer to R ica ns a n d H aw a iia n s a n d F ilipt h e peopl es of C en t ra l Eu r ope ca r ved t o b it s by Ver sa

    (4) B rit ain a nd Fra nce bega n t he w ar on t he issuP ola nd. P ola nd is n ot a nd never w a s a democra cy. Sit s r econ st ru ct ion a ft er t he la st w a r , it h a s been on e ofmos t br ut a l m ilit a r y d ict a t or sh ips in t h e wor ld . I t h a sr uled w it h b lood and ir on by immensely wea l t hy la nder s, in du st ria list s a n d g en er a ls . I t is t h e cla ss ic n ur san t i -Semit i sm , the model f or l a r ge-s ca l e pog roms, andimper ia l is t oppressor of a sect i on of the Ukra in ian pe

    (5) Wit hin on e w eek a ft er t he w a r bega n, t he regO fEngl and, Fr ance and Germany had approached idenmer ged in t ot ak r iat z w ar d ict at or sh ips (w hich, byw a y , a r e not quit e t h e s ame a s pea ce-t ime f a scism). Thm ain in g d iffer en ces-m in or fr om t he poin t of view ofaveragec it i zenwi ll be dropped soon enough . Abol it iothe rights to str ike,a ssemble,speak freely ; complete censh ip (m or e r igid in E ngla nd a n d F ra nce t ha n in G ermaccor din g t o t h e New York Times ) ; g ener a l con scr iptum ver sa l n a tion a l r egist ra t ion ; a bolit ion of t he r ighch ange jobs or ev en t o s t op workin g; in defin it e ext enof the working da y; ra t ion ca rds . . . Democra cyb lacked out overn igh t . The pretenseof oppos it ion pari s of fi ci a ll y kept on ly because there i s no more oppos itt h e B r it ish pa r t ies h a ve a lr ea d y a g reed not t o con t eselect ion sin ot h er wor ds , on e n ame on t h e ba l lot , inapproved to ta l it a r i an manner.I n t he Un it ed S t a t es , t h e d evelopmen t w ill be exat he same. P la ns for t he t ot a lit ar ia n dict a t or ship incount r y, a s is n ow open ly a dm it t ed , a r e complet ed .B u t it is n ecess a ry t o sa y even mor e t h a n t his. Th e pent w a r, int o w hich som e deluded w orkers a nd fa rmwi ll , a l as , w i ll ing ly march because they bel ieve i t i s agpfa scism a n d t o s a ve d emocr a cy , is in a ct ua lit y t heto end dewaocmcy, a s democra cy ha s been know n in

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    CMober 1939 THE NEW INTERNATIONAL P a gelnoder n w orld. The er a in w hich t he post -Rena issa nceform of democra cy th a t is , pa r liamen t a r y d emocr a cybased on cap i ta l is t p roper ty rela t ionswa s h istor ica l ly pos-sible, comes t o a n end w it h t his w ar. I t lingers for a fewmon th s in t he Unit ed S ta t es, per ha ps a lit t le longer in ~icouple of ou t -of-t h e-way n a t ion s. Bu t it s d a y is d on e.The tot a l it a r i and ict a to r sh ipso f thew ar w i ll never rever tto functioning parl iamentary democracies. The dislocationsof t h ew a r it self a n d t h e e ven gr ea t er ch a os which w ill fol-

    low t he w a r w ill n ot possibly permit democr a tic gover n-m en t in t he old sen se. SO lon g a s ca pit a list im per ia lismrema ins in the saddle, democracy i s f in ished .Th e on ly kind of dem ocr a cy possible for t he fut ur e issocial is t democraw .The End of the WarH ow a nd w hen w ill the w ar end? I f w e rule out t he a llbut impossiblemiracleo f a sudden armis t ice (wh ich wou ldrea lly cha nge not hing but t he t ime spa n, a nd t ha t verys li gh t ly ), i t i s apparent th a t the en t irewor ld w i ll pa r t i cipa tein t his w a r. E ven t hose na t ions w hich do not a t first pa r-

    t icipa t e by a rms mus t, fr om t he n a tu re of mod er n w a r , lin eup economica l ly in one or another camp. They wi ll be basesof suppl ies , th ei r des t in ies l inked to the war as integ ra ll y a sif t heir soldier s w er e fight in g. An d ver y few n at ion s w illescape direct batt le.I t s hou ld n ot be a s sumed t ha t t h e coa lit ion s a r e a lr ea d yfixed, or t ha t t hey ma y not cha nge during t he course oft he w a r it self. I t a ly ? Rus sia ? J a pa n ? . . . t h e p os sible com -b in a t i on s a re myriad .

    B u t t his is pla in : t h er e is n o imper ia list s olut ion forwar . Wha t peace terms cou ld possibl y be wr i t t en th a t wh a ve t h e r emot es t ch a nce of s olvin g a n y of t h ewor ld sjor problems, t ha t w ould be a ny more t ha n t he pa sr ecord of t empor a r y exh aus t ion , t o b e sha t t er ed a g a inin twen t y-fi ve ye a rs bu t in t h a t many mon ths ? How rein g t ha t n on e of t he power s ca n ev en s uggest , in conla ngua ge, w ha t it s w a r a ims a re !I f imper ia l ismcon t inues in power, there i s no end toB u t it is fa r mor e likely t ha t , t hr ou gh t his w a r , impeism is killin g it self. Arms a r e bein g put in to t he h an dt en s upon t en s of m illion s of worker s an d pea s an t s. Eint er na l st ra in of w orld imper ia lism is st ret ched t obr ea kin g poin t. Will t he wor ker s a n d pea s a nt s con t

    in defin it ely t o s la u gh ter ea ch ot h er for t he pr ofit ofma st er s? I t is s ca r cely con ceiv able. Will I n dia an d Afcon t inuepass ive, when they rea l iz e th a t the agon ies ofimper ia l is t ru ler s a re a l so t hei r own g rea t occas ion s tofr eedom and power ? I t is u nth inkab le.The over t hr ow of imper ia l ism, t h e v ict or y of t h e min t he t riumph of s ocia lism, a n d on ly t his ca n s top t he

    a nd bring a just a nd la st ing pea ce. Through a socpea ce, f reedom , s ecu rit y , a n d econom ic coordi na t i ongua r a nt ee t he fut ur e. The S ocia list U nit ed S ta t es ofrope, of t he America s, a free Asia a nd a free Africl ~or ld Federa t i on of Soci a li st Republ ics : th esemightyga ns n ow , w it h t he w a r, lose a ll t heir a bst ra ct ness. Ta n d t hey a lon e a r e t he goa l, t he immedia t e g oa l, for mliind.Th a t goa l w ill be won !

    Trotskyism and the P.S. O. P.IT WAS WITH REAL INTEREST tha t I turned t oMa r cea u P i ver ts a r t icle, Th e P . S .O. P .* a n d Tr ot sky -ism , a ppea r in g i n t h e J un e 9, 1939, is su e of t he P . S .O. P .or ga n . I h a d s uppos ed t ha t P iver t w ou ld fin a lly s ubm it t hed iff er en ces s epa r a t in g h im f rom th e Fou rt h I nt ern a t ion a lt o a concret e a na lysis. Regr et ta bly, fr om t he very firstlines I w a s disa ppoint ed. P ivert does not ma ke even a na t tempt t o vent ure int o t he field of Ma rxia n t heory a ndclass pol it ics . His ent i re cr i t ici sm of Trots lcy ism remainson t he level of psy ch ology , mor a lizin g, a n d t he r ules ofpol iteness . P iver t man i fes t ly avoids any ser ious d iscussionof t h e f undamen t a l pr ob lems of t h e labor movemen t . Th isI sh all t ry t o dem on st ra t e t h rough pa t ien t a na ly sis of a llt h e id ea s a n d even n uan ces of id ea s con ta in ed in P iver t sa r t i cl e, wh ich in i t s theme i s prog rammat i c.Claims to HegemonyP iver t is r ea dy t o colla bor a te w it h Tr ot sky ism , pr o-vided only t ha t t he la t ter a ba ndons a ll cla ims t o hege-mony a nd t a kes t he pa t hw a y of t rust ful colla bor at ionwi th a l l el emen ts th a t h ave cou rageously b roken wi th soci a lpa t r iot ism and n a t ion a l-communism. The ver y count er -

    poisingof col labora t ion to cla ims t o h eg emony is en oughto a rouse suspicion . The par t i cipa t i on of d if feren t t enden-

    pos sibilit y of con vin cin g on e a n ot her , lea r nin g fr omanoth er . I f d iff er en ces a r is e, ev er y t en den cy con fid enit s view s w ill s eek t o w in a m a jor it y . P r ecisely t his cotu tes the mechan ics of pa r t y democracy . Wha t other hm on y is possible w it hin a dem ocr a tic pa r ty sa ve t haw in ning a ma jor it y t o on es view s? Aft er a ll did not Mcea u P ivert a nd his fr iends st rive t o ga in a ma joritt he la st congr ess of t he P . S .O.P . ? An d didnt t hey obit ? D idnt t hey t hereby inst a ll t heir hegemony inpa r ty ? Wa s t ha t t o t heir discr edit ? P iver ts line of amen ta t ion sh ow s t ha t h e con sid er s t h e hegemon y ofow n t endency a s t he norm a nd t he la w, a nd a ny a ttof a not her t endency t o w in a ma jorit y a viola t ion ofn orm, a cr ime, wor se yetTrot sky ism. Where th en imocracy?Factional MethodsHa vin g t hus pr ocla im ed h egemon y t o be h is prmonopol y in t h e pa r t y , P i ver t t h er eupon demands th al-rotskyites a ba n don fa ct ion a l met hod s. Th is d emrepeatedsevera l t imes,comes somewhat incongruouslyt he pen of a polit icia n w ho const a nt ly underscor e

    democratic na t ur e of h is or ga niza t ion . Wh at is a fa ct*Par t iSocia l is t Ouvr ieret PaYsan (Workers and Peasants So

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    e 2% THE NEW INTERNATIONAL October 1is a t empor a r y n on -s t a t ut or y an d volunt a r y g roupin g ofses t co-th inkers w i thin a par t y , whose a im is to convinceof t h e cor rect n es s of t h ei r v iewpoin t in t h e shor t -s t pos sible per iod of t im e. Th e appea r a nce of fa ct ion s isna voida ble even in t he most ma ture a nd ha rmoniousa rt y, ow ing t o t he ext ension of it s influence upon newr s, t h e c roppin g up of n ew problems, sha rp tu rn s in t h eit ua t ion , err ors of t he lea der ship, a nd so on. From t heoint of monol ith ism a f act i on a l s t ruggle i s an ev il ;ut it is a n unavoidableevil a nd, in a ny event , a fa r lesserv il th an thep roh ib it i on of f act i on s. True enough , a t t emptst h e forma t i on of fa ct ion s la ckin g an ad equ a t e pr in ci pleds in consequence of pol it i ca l immatu rit y , per sona l am-t ion , career ism, etc . are f requen t ly observab le, especia l lyn y oun g pa r ties. I n a ll such ca ses it is t he t a sk of t he lea d-r ship to expose, w i thou t recou rse to pol ice measu res , th el lowness of theseenterpr isesand in th a t way to d iscred item befor e t he pa r ty m ember sh ip. Only in t his w a y is itossible t o cr ea t e pr ofoun d a t ta chment for t he pa r ty s oa t episodic conflict s, no ma t ter how sharp,d. notea t en it s u nit y . The exis t en ce of fa ct ion s, in t h e n a tur ef th ings , provokes f ri ct i on and involves an expend itu reofn er gy , but t his is t he inevit a ble over hea d expen se of amocra t i c reg ime. A capab le and au thor it a t i ve leader shipt r ives t o r ed uce fa ct ion a l fr ict ion t o a m in imum . Th is iseved by a correct pol icy tes ted by col lect ive exper ience;y a loy a l a t t it ud e tow a r d t he oppos it ion ; by t he gr a dua llyn cr ea s in g a u th or it y of t h e lea d er sh ip; but n ev er by pr o-bi tion of fa ct ion s, s ometh in g wh ich cannot f a il t o in ves te s tr ugg le w it h a h ypocr it ica l a n d pois on ou s ch a ra ct er .

    ever proh ib i ts fact i ons thereby l i qu idatespar ty democ-cy an d t ak es t he fi r st st ep t ow ar d a t ot al i tar i an regime.ilding cellsP iver t n ext dem a nds of t he Tr ot sky it es t ha t t hey r e-unce bu ilding ce ll s commanded from outs ide. The pos-ibilit y it self of such a dema nd a rises from a gla ringon fus ion of concep ts. P iver t h imsel f doubt less ly cons iderst t hq dut y of ever y P . S .O. P . m ember t o or ga nize cells ine t ra de un ion s t o w in over t he m ajor it y of t he w or ker s.o t he ext en t t ha t t hes e cells a r e a t t a cked by t he J ou hau xliq ue, S ta lins spies a n d t he S ur et + Na t iona le, t hey a r eompel led to lead an undercover ex is tence. The P . S .O.P . ,a pa r t y, r et a in s, I believe, t he lea d er sh ip of t hes e cellsn it s h ands fr om ou t si de . Were th e P . S .O. P . t o r en ounceuch met hods of w ork w it hin t he t ra de unions, w it hinums pa r t y a n d S t a lin s pa r t y, it w ou ld t her eby a ba n done st ruggle for hegemon y of t he w or king cla ss, t ha t issa y, it s revolut iona ry mission. I hope t ha t is not t hea se ! Wher e t hen a re t he differ ences? P ivert is simplyca r in g h im self a n d s ca r in g t h e p a rt y w it h t he bog ie of t heshev ik method of cel ls w i thou t h av ing ref lectedupong is t of t h e prob lem .B ut perha ps i t is not a q uest ion of t ha t a t a ll, but ra t herf Trot skyit e cells w it hin t he P . S.O. P . it self? We a reh en merely con fr on t ed w i th a r es t a t emen tof t h e ch a r ge offa ct ion a lism. I n t h is ca s e, h owever , it is a l t og et h er w ron gspeak of bui ld ing cel ls , s ince i t i s open pol it ica l col labora-t ion w hich is in volved, a nd a n eq ua lly open ideologica ls tr uggle betw een two t en den cies . Ass ur ed ly , if t he id eo-log ica l s t ruggle we re to be rep laced by bureaucra t i c repres-

    but dut y-boun d in my opin ion t o r esor t t o t he m et hodundercover cells. A l a guwr e comme d l a guer re! B utresponsibi li t y f or the ex is tence of undercover cel ls woin t ha t ca s e fa ll sq ua r ely u pon t h e s hou ld er s of t he t ottar ian bureaucracy .Commanded from OutsideJ u st w ha t is implied by comma nded from out sidlHere, too, P iver t men t ion s no persons , no ins t itu t ion s

    no f act s (apparent l y in the in teres t sof pol it eness). We ma s sume, h owev er , t ha t h e w is hed t o s a y: C omman dedTr ot sky . Ma ny , for la ck of ser ious a rgumen ts, h a vesor t ed t o t his insinua tion . B ut just w ha t does t he tcomm an d sign ify in t his ca se? Th e S t alin bur ea uccommands by din t of pow er a n d mon ey . B lum s m achcomma nds by dint of it s t ies w it h t he bour geoisie.Trot sky it es h avene ithermoney , nor a G .P .U . , nor t i es wthe bourgeoisie . How then ca n they comma nd? Is imply a ques t ion of s olid a r it y on fund amen t a l ques t iWhy th en th e in sin ua t i on ?Nor is t h e expr es sion from outside in a ny w ay hpier . Is t ha t a n a llusion t o people out side t he pa rt y?foreigners? of w ha t crime a re t hese foreigners guiO f expres si ng t h eir opin ion s an d off er in g ad vice? Wheser ious st ruggle occur s w it hin a r evolut iona r y pa r tyinevita bly engenders interna tionalrepercussions.The res en ta t iv es of on e a n d t he s ame t en den cy in va r ious cotr ies natura l lyseek to suppor t each other. What is mal icor cr im in a l a b out it ? On t he con tr a ry , it is a m anifes taof intern a t ion a l ism. In stead of ch id ing the Trot sky iton e s hou ld lea r n fr om t hem !An Example of Comradely ToneP ivert t hen goes on t o dema nd of t he Trot skyit es

    t hey a ba n don t heir mean s of pr es sur e ( ?) or cor rup( ??) or syst ema tic denigra t ion. . . Wha t is impliedthe expression mean s of -pr es su re ? The appa r a t u sofpa rt y is in P ivert s ha nds, a nd t he met hods of presperm it t edby th a t appa r a t u sa r e b y no mean s a l ien t o P i vTh e oppos it ion h a s n ot hin g a t it s d is pos a l, sa v e it s idD oes P iver t w ish t o pr oh ibit t he exer cise of ideologpressure? The term cor rupt ion h a s a ver y pr ecis e min g in t he la n gu a ge of polit ics : br iber y, ca r eer ism , et cmy opin ion t he F our t h I nt er na t ion a l is t h e la s t or ga nt ion on e cou ld pos sib ly a ccu se of such s in s. There r emsys temat ic den igra t ion . Exper ien ce h a s d emon st rt ha t t he va guer t he view s of a polit icia n, a nd t he lesendu res cr it icism, t h e more r ead ily d oes a t r en ch ant amen t s eem t o h im den igr a t ion . An exces s of s en sitis a s ymptom of in ner la ck of con fid en ce.As a pa r t y leaP i ver t s hou ld s et a n example of tr us tfu l colla b or a ta nd y et he permit s him self t o spea k of cor rupt ion.us h old t ha t P iver ts pen slipped a n d t ha t h e h im selff ind occas ion to make the cor rect i on .Bolshevismand FactionsAft er r efus in g t h e oppos it ion t h e r igh t t o st r ugglea ma jor it y (h egem on y) in t he pa r ty , a n d in a ccor dwi th th is proh ib it ing f act i on s, th a t i s, t r ampling underthe elemen ta ryp r in ciples of a democra t i c r6g ime, P iveimpruden t en ou gh t o cou nt er pois e t he d emocr a cy of

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    October 1939 THE NEW INTERNATIONAL P a gThe en t ir e h is t or y of Bolshev ismwas on e of t h e f ree s t ru g-g le of t endenciesand f act i on s. I n d if feren t per iod s, Bo lshe-v ism passed th rough the s t ruggle of pro- and an t i -boycot t -ists, otzovists, u lt imat i sts , conci li a t ion ists , par t i sans ofproletar ian cu ltu re, par t i sansa nd opponen ts of the armedin su rr ect ion in Oct ober , pa r t is a ns a n d oppon en ts of t heBres t-L i tovsk trea ty , lef t-communists , par t i sans and oppo-nen ts of the of ficia l mil itary pol icy , etc., etc. The BolshevikCen tr a l C ommit t ee n ever d reamed of d emand in g t ha t a noppon en t a ba n don fa ct ion a l met hod s, if t he oppon en theld t ha t t he policy of t he C ent ra l C ommit tee w a s fa lse.P a t i en ce and loy a lt y t owa rd th e oppos it ion were among th emos t impor t an t t r a it s of L en in s lead er sh ip.I t is t rue t ha t t he B olshevik pa rt y for ba de fa ct ions a tt he Ten th P a r t y C on gr es s in Ma r ch 1921, a t im e o f mor t a lda nger . One ca n a rgue w het her or not t his w a s cor rect .The subseq uent course of development ha s in a ny ca sepr oved t ha t t his pr ohibit ion ser ved a s on e of t he st a rt ingpoi nt s of t h e pa r t y s d eg en er a t ion . The bu reau cr a cy pr es -ent ly ma de a bogie of t he concept of fa ct ion , so a s nott o permit t he pa rt y eit her t o t hink or br ea t he. Thus w a sf ormed th e t ot a l it a r ia n r6g ime wh ich k illed Bolshev ism.I s it n ot a st on ish ing t ha t P iver t w ho so loves t o t a lk a boutd emocr a cy , f reedom of cr it icism, et c., s hou ld bor r ow notf rom th e v it a l, v ig or ou s and cr ea t i ve d emocr a cy of youngBolshev ism, but r a t her fr om th e home of d ecad en t Bolshe-vism t a ke h is bu rea ucr a t ic fea r of fa ct ion s?Discipline in ActionThe cor rect ive for fa ct iona l st ruggle is d i sci p l i ne i n

    action. The pa rt y is not a socia l club but a comba t gr oup.I f P i ver t h a d s ta t ed t ha t t he Tr ot sky it es w er e viola t in gd is ciplin e i n a ct ion , t ha t w ou ld h a ve been a s er iou s a r gu -m ent . B ut P iver t ma kes n o such cla im, w hich m ea ns t ha tt his is n ot t he ca se.Piverts FactionTh e dem a nd t o a ba nd on fa ct ion a l m et hods is a ll t hemor e in a dm is sible s in ce P i ver t h im self h a s wh olly a t h isdisposa l hegemony, w it hout d ou bt h is own fa ct ion a ls o,h is own undercover meet ing s (f or example, in the s t rugglea g a in st Trot sky ism), et c. The on ly d iff er en ce lies in t h is ,t ha t Trot skyism dea ls it s blow s a ga inst t he r ight a ndP iver t a g a in st t he left .

    The Fourth International and FactionsI n complet e con tr a dict ion w it h r ea lit y , P iver t d epict st h e r6g ime in th e Fou rt h I n terna t i on a l a s a r dg imeo f mon -olit hism an d blin d s ubm is sion . I t w ou ld be h a rd t o in ven t

    a car ica ture more fan tas t ica nd less scrupulous .The FourthI nt erna t iona l ha s never prohibit ed fa ct ions a nd ha s noin ten tion of doin g so. F a ct ions h ave exist ed a nd d o existamon g us . C on tr over sy occu rs a lw a y s ov er t he con ten t oft he id ea s of ea ch fa ct ion , but n ever over it s r igh t t o exist -ence. From t he st a ndpoint of B olshevik idea s on pa rt ydemocracy I would cons ider i t an ou t r ight scanda l to accu sea n oppon en t, w ho h a ppen ed t o be in t he minor it y, of em -ploy in g fa ct ion a l met hod s, in st ea d of en ga g in g in d is -cu ss ion w it h h im over t h e g is t of t h e qu es t ion . I f t h e d if fer -ences a re ser iou s ones then f act i on a l methods a re ju st i fi ed .

    f ind h imsel f d is cred it ed . The f act i on a l s t ruggle canon ly in a mor e pr ofoun d pr incipled fusion or a splion e yet h a s in ven t ed anoth er a l t er na t i ve, i f we leavethe tota l it ar ian r igimes .Verification of a Concrete QuestionOn t he ques tion of en tr y in to t he P . S .O. P ., for exaon e could lea st of a ll discover among t he Tr ot skymon olit hism or blin d su bm iss ion . Ou r F ren ch

    r a des for a lon g t im e pa s sion a t ely d is cu ss ed t he qua nd in t he end t hey split . Wha t w a s my per sona l a tin t he ma tt er? Let me st a te fra nklyI hesit a ted. Amont hs a go I expr essed m yself in a pr iva t e let t er rn ega t ively . Th is d id n ot pr even t a n in flu en tia l g rouFrench comrades under the leader shipof ROUSf romin g t he P . S .O. P . I believe t hey h a ve been pr oved coA pa rt of our French sect ion ha s obviously revor ga n iza t ion a l con ser va t ism an d s ect a r ia n ism. I t wbe an as ton ish ing th ing i f under presen t pol it ica l condsuch t enden cies d id n ot man ifes t t h emselv es amongof t he h ou nd ed a n d per secu ted ext r eme left . I rr efuf act s t es t if y th a t the Fou r th In tern a t ion a l s t ruggles agsect a r i an ismand moreover w i th increas ing success. Ais of cou rs e a r egr et t a ble epis od e, bu t n ot hin g mor ea n epis od e. I f t h e P . S .O. P . con tin ues t o ev olv e in a r et ion a ry d ir ect ion (a n d we h ea r t ily h ope t ha t it w ill), id raw in t o it s r a nks t he d is sid en t s ect ion of t he Tr oi t es . I f under the pressu reo f the bou rgeoi si e, soci a lot s a n d S t a lin is ts t he P . S .O. P . expels t h e Tr ot skyunit y w i ll b e r ees t a bl is hedou t sid e of t h e P . S .O.P .Leader-Party*Gen er a lizin g h is view s on t he pa r t y P iver t w r it es :t h e con cept ion of a lead er -pa r t y , a kin d of cen t ra l iz edwh ich prepare sunder cover of con spi rac ies a so-ca l ler evolut ion ar y a ct ion w e pr efer t he con cept ion of aw i de open t o t h e r ea l mass movemen t an d of fer in g t holu t ion a r y v angua rd a l l t h e pos sib ili ties of d ir ect cow it h t h e w id es t pos sible la y er s of t he wor ker a n d pepr olet a ria t . As a lw a ys, P iver t r ema ins in t he reaabs t rac t ion s and nebulous formulas . Wha t leader-pis referred t o here? Is it t he old B olshevik P a rt y? Iwh y isnt t h is s t a t ed open ly ? I s it pos sib le t o educa t ewers by anonymous a l lu sion s? Fu rthermore, these a l lua r e f a ls e t o t h e cor e. There h a s n ever b een a pa r t y in hw it h a pr ofound int erna l democr acy, w hich w a s dgui sh ed by such awa r en es s, b ol dn es s an d f lexib ilit y ipr oa ch in g t he m a sses a s t he B olsh evik P a r ty . P iverca n only pr om ise t o est a blish cont a ct w it h t he br opossible l ayer s ; wh i le the Bo lshev ik Pa r t y un ited miin a ct ion for v ict or y. I ncid en t ly , of wh a t under coverspir a cies d oes P i ver t speak so con t emptuou sly ? I s ih a ps t he pr epa r a t ion of t he Oct ober in sur rect ion ? Bth a t ca s e h e is merely r epea t i ngwh a t h a s a lw ay sbeenta ined by liberals , Mensheviks, and Social-RevolutionBolshevismAlone Built the Revolutionary POrg aniz a t ion a l con cept ion s do not of cou rs e pos seindependent cha ra ct er . B ut t hrough t hem, a nd t hthem a lone, i s the prog rammat i c and t ac t ica l pos it i onplet ely expr es sed . To d ilet t a nt es of t he former P amaga z in e, Mus ses , an d th eir ilk, or gan iz a t ion a l qu e

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    P a g e 298 THE NEW INTERNATIONAL Octobera re reduced t o a ssur ing t heir hegemony over a lit tlemaga z in e and of prot ect in g t h emselv es fr om d is a gr eeab lecr it icism-fur t her t ha n t ha t t hey d o n ot go. Th e or ga n iza -t ion of t he S ocia l D emocra cy w a s a nd rema ins ent irelya d a pt ed t o elect or a l t a sks. To t his d a y B ols hevism a lon eh a s been a b le t o fin d or ga n iza t ion a l forms su it a ble for t h er evolut iona r y st ruggle for pow er . To w a ve B olsh evisma sid e b y m ea ns of clich& w it hout h avin g beh in d on e a nyother revolut ionary exper ience is inadmiss ib le, f r ivolous ,a nd ignoble. Tha t is n ot t he w a y t o educa t e w or ker s!Rosa LuxembourgTo pr op up his or ga niza t iona l view s (mor e exa ct ly ,th ei r absence) P iver t of cou rse ci t es Luxembourg. Bu t th a tdoes not a dva nce us grea t ly . Much ca n be lea rned fr omRosa ; but her org an iz a t i on a lv iews we re the weakes t point sin h er posit ion, for in t hem w a s summed up h er er ror s int he sph er e of t heor y a n d polit ics. I n G erma ny , R osa w a su na b le t o bu ild a r evolut ion a ry pa r t y or a fa ct ion a n d t hiswa s on e of t h e cau ses f or t h e f ounder in g of t h e 1918-1919R evolut ion (on t his poin t see t he a r ticle of Wa lt er H eldin U twm JVor t). As for t he P olish P a rt y of Rosa Luxem-

    bou rg , under t h e in flu en ce of t h e even t s of t h e r evolu t ionit w a s compelled t o reconst ruct it self on t he B olshevikmodel. These h is t or ica l f a ct s a r e f a r more impor t an t t h anquotat ions!Trotskyism in 7904I n 1904 I w rot e a brochure, OW politicalreks, whichin t h e or ga n iz a tion s ph er e d ev eloped view s ver y clos e t ot hose of R osa L uxembour g (S ouva r ine q uot es t his br o-chure w it h sympa t hy in his biogra phy of S ta lin). H ow -ever , a l l s ubsequen t exper ien ce demon st r a t ed t o me th a tL en in wa s cor r ect in t h is qu es t ion a s a g a in st Ros a Luxem-bourg a nd me. Ma rcea u P iver t count er poises t o t he

    Trotskyism of 1939, t he Trot skyism of 1904. B uta f t er a l l s in ce t h a t t ime th ree r evolu t ion s h ave t ak en pla cein R ussia a lon e. H a ve w e r ea lly lea r ned not hing dur in gtheset hirty-f ive years?Libertarian PromisesThe bet te r to recommend h is spi ri t of democracy , P iver tpr om is es t ha t h is met hod of build in g s ocia lism w ill n otbe a ut hor it a ria n but liber ta r ia n. I t is impossibleot tosm ile sa dly a t t his pompous a n d va gue phr a se. D oes t his

    formula of liber ta r ia n socia lism signify a na rch y, t ha tis, r eject ion of t he dict a torship of t he prolet a ria t ? B utP i ver t con sid er s h im self a Ma r xis t a n d n ot a P r ou dh on is tor B a kuninist . Th e dict a t or ship of t he pr olet a ria t by it sver y es sen ce i s a ut hor it a r ia n , ot h erw is e it w ou ld n ot bea d ict a t or sh ip. I t goes w it hout s a yin g t ha t t her e a r e lim it sto au thor it a r i an ism , t ha t is, w ithin t he r6gime of thed ict a t or sh ip t her e a r e d iffer en ces . I f P iver t w is hes t o s a yt ha t he w ould st rive t o ha ve t he S oviet s a s t he orga ns ofd icta t orsh ip preserve the broades t poss ib le in terna l democ-racy , then he wi ll on ly be repea t ingwha t the Trot sky it es ha ve st ruggled for since 1923. H ow ever, for P ivert spr om ise t o r in g m or e convincingly he sh ould n ot n ow bet ra mpling int erna l pa rt y democra cy under foot in t hemanner of L&onB lum and Pau l F aur e, r efu sin g t h em inor -i t y i t s mos t l eg it ima te r ight s , proh ib it ing oppos it i on a l f ac-t ions a n d pr eser vin g hegemon y a s a monopoly for his

    on e-t en th of t h a t d emocr a cy wh ich d is t in gu ished th esh evik P a r t y u nd er C za r is t illega lit y a n d d ur in g t heyea rs of t he S oviet rt fgime. As long a s t his is not sopr om ise of liber t a ria n ben efit s in t he in defin it e fuca r ries lit t le va lue. I t r eca lls somewha t t he pr om isr ecompen sebeyond th e g rave for suf fer in gs in t h is w***

    S uch a r e t he or ga niza t ion a l view s of P iver t. Th eynify in effect a brea k w it h pa rt y democra cy a nd t hes t i tut ion of bureaucra t ic centra l i sm for democra t ic cenism, t h a t is , t h e h eg emony of t h e appa r a t u sover id ea ssha l l s ee pr es en t ly t h a t in t h e sph er e of d oct r in e, pr oga n d polit ics, t hings d o n ot go much bet t er .A Unilateral DemandP i ver t d emands , a s we know a l read y , t ru st fu l colr a t ion w it h a l l t h os e elemen t s wh ich h ave cou rag eoubroken wi th socia l pa tr iot i sm and nat ional-communismpr inciple w e a r e pr epa r ed t o a ccept such a dema n dun for tun at ely P iver t him self viola t es it a nd in a fa st ha t cr ies out . B ols hev ism br oke w it h a ll s pecies of pot ism a q ua rt er of a cent ur y befor e t he P . S.O. P . P ih owever , d oesnt a t a l l r ev ea l a t ru st fu l a t t i t ud e t owBolshev ism . The Trot sky it es , who have demons t ra terevolut i on a ry character of thei r intern a t ion a l ism th ra long st ruggle a nd w it h innumera ble vict ims, a rebound t o t rust P ivert ; but P ivert is not a t a ll obliget rus t t h e Tr ot sky it es. P iver ts r ule ist r us t for t h et hr ea t s a nd r epr ession s for t he left . B ut t his is t heof L 60n B lum , sh ift ed only a few degr ees.

    The Break with Social PatriotismIn ternat ional ism is indubitab ly the fundamenta l prefor colla bor a t ion . Ou r F ren ch com ra d es h a ve t a kenaccount v er y s er iou sly t h e P . S .O.P . S b reak w i th t h e spa t riot ic pa rt y of B lum, ot her wise t hey w ould notent er ed t h e P . S.O. P . B ut t o depict t he ma t ter a s if aw i th a pu t rif ied pa r t y au t oma t ica l ly s olv es a l l ques t ioincorr ect . Aft er t he brea k it is necessa ry t o ela borr evolu tion a ry pr ogr am an d t o d et ermin e exa ct ly whones fr iends a n d on es en em ies. Th e lea der sh ip ofP . S .O.P . h as n ot y et don e t his. An d t his is n ot a ccidI t is st ill a long w a y from ha ving cut complet ely t humbilical cord.

    FreemasonryThe m isfor tune is t ha t t he lea der s of t he P . S .O. P .

    not b roken cou rageously w i th soci a l-pa t r i ot i sm , forh a ve n ot br oken w it h F reema son ry , t ha t impor t a nt rvoir of imper ia l is t pa t r iot ism. The oth er d a y I r eceiv eexcellen t pamph let of P ier re B a i lly Yes , Freemasona Dange~ . Reject ing a l l psycholog ica l and ph ilosophogwash , wh ich hasn t the s ligh testva lue s ince in the cof it s en tir e d ev elopmen t F reema son ry h a s con t rinot hing eit her t o scien ce or philosophy , t he a ut hoproches t he q uest ion in a Ma rxist ma nner, t ha t is,t he cla ss st a ndpoint . On t he ba sis of t he documenF reem asonr y it self h e h as ir refut a bly dem on st ra t eimper ia li st , reac t ionary and demoral izing r61e**Toa voidany misunderstan dinget us poin tou t tha t Freemhas playeda differentoZU i caZrole in different countries at diepochs., But we are considering,here cOntempOrarYFrance w$putrefying capitalism and putreymg democracy; contemporary

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    October 1939 THE NEW INTERNATIONAL P a geB a illy s pamph let is , in ciden ta lly , t he bes t pr oof of t hefa ct t ha t in cont ra st t o a ll ot her fa ct ions a nd gr oups ourcomra des know how t o a pproa ch a complex pr oblem a sprol et a r ian r evolut ion is t s. E ven th e m inor fa ct t h a t N iko-I it ch s pamph let , h ollow and load ed w it h bou rg eoi s s en t i-men t a lit y , i s v er y well pr in t ed wh ile B a i lly s s er iou s workis mimeographed i llus t ra teswe ll enough the socia l pos it ionof cen t ris t a n d r evolu t ion a r y id ea s .

    Social PacifismNo, P iver t ha sn t a t a ll broken coura geously w it hsocia l pa tr iot i sm and i ts var ia t ion , socia l paci fi sm,-other-w ise h e w ould n ot h a ve con cluded a n a llia nce a ga in st L~ sw i th Maxton , the leader of the B r i t ish Independen tLabou rPa r t y . Be tween revolut ion a ry Marxi sm and the imper ia l is tpa cifism of Maxt on t her e i s a n a by ss . F en ner B r ockw a y iss lig ht ly t o t h e left of Maxt on . Bu t , a s t h e en t ir e e xper ien ceof t h e I n dependen t L abou r P a r t y h a s d emon st r a t ed ,Max-ton a t every cr it i ca l occas ion th rea tens to res ign and FennerB r ockw a y immedia t ely flops on h a nds a n d kn ees befor eMa xt on. One ma y shut ones eyes t o t his. B ut t he fa ct sr em ain. L et P iver t expla in t o t he w or ker s just w ha t lin ksh im w it h Maxt on a g a in st t h e F ou rt h I nt er na t ion a l. Tellme w ho your friends a re a nd I w ill t ell you w ho y ou a re.

    Sneev/ietP ivert ma rches ha nd in ha nd w it h S neevliet , w hoseent i repol it ics in recen t years has beenwith God s help !not t o pr ov oke t he a n ger of t he Dut ch gover nmen t a n d n ott o d epr ive h is s ect a r ia n t r a de u nion or ga n iza t ion of gov-ernment subsidies. D ozens of t imes w e dema nded t ha tSneev li et s pa r t y el abora te a pol it i ca l pl a t form , th a t Sneev-liet a s a member of pa r liamen t a d va n ce figh tin g s log a ns,t ha t a g it a t ion amon g t he ma ss es be con du ct ed in a r evolu -t ion a r y spir it . S n eev liet s ys t ema t ica l ly equ ivoca t ed so a snot t o br ea k w it h h is con ser va t ive gover nment . I t is bestn ot t o r eca ll t he t on e w hich t his dem ocr a t employ ed ind is cu ss ion s w i th young comrad es . When th e Con fer en ceof t he F our th I nt er na t ion al fina lly con ven ed a n d a t la stt ook up t he ques tion of t he Dut ch s ect ion , S neevliet q uitour or ga n iza t ion a n d n a tu ra lly beg a n compla in in g a bou t

    our ba d m et hods. B ey on d doubt , P iver ts m et hods a r emuch bet te r: he keeps s il en t abou t the cap itu la to ry pol it i csof Sn eev liet an d d ir ect s h is b lows ag a in st t h e Trot sky i t es .

    The P.O.U.M.*P i ver t s t riv es t o d ef en d th e per son a l memory of AndresN in ag a in st b a se ca l umnies an d th is is of cou rs e excellen t .Bu t when he depict s N in s pol it i cs a s a revolut i on a ry modelt hen it is im permissible t o ca ll t his a ny th ing but a cr imea ga inst t he pr olet a ria t . I n t he h ea t of r evolut ion ar y w a rb etween th e cla s ses N in en t er ed a bou rg eois g overnmen twh os e goa l it w a s t o d es tr oy t h e wor ker s commit t ees , t hefoundation of proletarian governmen t . When th is goa l wasr ea ch ed ,N in wa s d riv en ou t of t h e bou rg eois g overnmen t .I nst ea d of r ecognizin g a ft er t his t he colossa l er ror com -m it t ed , N in s pa r t y d emanded th e r e-es t a blis hmen tof t h ecoa l it i on wi th the bou rgeoi si e. Does P iver t d a re deny th is ?I t is not w or ds w hich d ecide but fa ct s. Th e polit ics of t he

    g eois ie a t a l l cr it ica l t imes , a n d not by t h is or t h a t qu ot afrom a speech or a rt icle by Nin. There ca n be no grecrime than coal i ti on m -th the bour geoi sie i n a femosocialist revolut ion.I n st ead of mer ciles sly expos in g th is fa t a l policy P irepr int s in it s just ifi~ t ion a ll t he old a rt icles of KLa ncla u. Like Nin, La nda u fell vict im t o t he G .P .U .t h emos t a r d en t s ympa th y f or t h e v ict ims of S t a lin s ex

    t ion er s d oes n ot f ree on e f rom th e ob lig a t ion of t ellin gworkers the t ru th. Landau , l ike Nin , represen tedone ofva r iet i es of l ef t -Menshev ism, was a d iscipleof Mar tovn ot of L enin. B y suppor tin g Nin s mist a kes, a n d n otcr it i ci sm of thesemist akes ,Landau , l ike Victor Serge,Sn eev liet , like P i ver t h imself, pla y ed a r eg ret t a b le r ot he S pan is h r evolu tion . Wit hin t h e P .O.U . M. a left osit ion is n ow beg in nin g t o r a is e it s h ea d (J os 6 Rebullhis fr iends). The dut y of Ma rxist s is t o help t hem dthe f in a l conclus ion s f rom thei r cr it ici sms. Yet P iver tpor t s the w orst conserva tives in t he P .O.U .M. ofG or kin t y pe. No, P i ver t h a s n ot d rawn t he con clu sionhis br ea k w it h B lum !Practical ResultsI t is w it h a disda in sufficien tly out of pla ce t ha t Pspeakso f the pract i ca l resul t s achieved by Trot sky isfa r t oo insignifica nt t o for ce him t o cha nge his poinview . B ut just h ow in our epoch of univer sa l r ea ct iona r evolut iona r y pa r ty become a m ass movem en t? Atpr esen t t im e ow in g t o t he a vow ed ba nkr upt cy of t heformer In tern a t ion a l s, th e s itu a t i on i s becoming moreor ab le f or t h e r e volu t ion is t s.One of t h e s ig ns is t h e splt he P . S .O.P . fr om B lums pa r t y. B u t w e bega n t h e s t rua lon g t im e b efor e t ha t . I f P i ver t t hou gh t in a cr it ica l m

    ner h e wou ld under st an d tha t w i th ou t t h e lon g prepa r awork of t h e Trot sky is t s in a ll pr oba bilit y he w ouldyet h ave broken w i th B lum . F rom th e b road h is t or ica llook, t he P. S.O.P. as a w hol e i s only a by-p rod u ct ofst ruggle of Tro tsky i sm. Can it b e t h a t P i ver t con sid er sprac t ica l resu lt insign if ican t?Reaction and TrotskyismThe fa ct t ha t t h e S t a lin is ts, a s w ell a s t he bou rg eoislice, la b el ever y left w a r d t en den cy a s Tr ot sky ism sht ha t in t he la st a na lysis t he ent ire force of w or ld reabea t s dow n upon t he F our th I nt er na t ion al. The G .Pm ain ta in s a la r ge st a ff of a gen ts on t he on e h an d for eona ge, fr ame-ups a nd mur der s a nd on t he ot her forvoking conflict s a n d split s in our r an ks. Never beforh is tory has there been a revolut i on a ry tendency sub jeto such persecu t ion as ou rs. Reac t ion unders t andson lyw ell t ha t t he da nger is t he Fourt h Int erna tiona l. Ot ha nks t o t he r elent less cr it icism a n d pr opa ga nda ofF our t h I nt er na t ion a l h a ve t he cen tr is ts beg un t o st irlef t centr i s ts to separa te themselves f rom the r igh t cen tt h e la t t er t o d ema r ca t e t h emselv es fr om th e avowed spa t riot s. S ever al yea rs a go P ivert st a ted corr ect lys t ru gg le a g a in st Trot sky ism was a cer t a in s ig n of r ea c

    S a d t o sa y, h ow ever , t his r ea ct icm is dr a win g him intranks.

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    p~g~ 300 THE NEW INTERNATIONAL OctoberThe /nner Power of the Fourth InternationalThe intern a t ion a l org an iz a t ion of B rand ler , Loves tone,et c., wh ich appea r ed t o be many t imes more power fu l t h anou r or ga n iza t ion s h a s cr umbled t o du st . Th e a llia n ce be-t w een Wa lch er of t he Norw egia n L abor P a r ty a n d P iver thimself bur st in t o fra gment s. The London B ur ea u ha sg iven u p t he gh ost . B u t t he F our t h I nt er na t ion a l, d es pit ea l l t h e d iff icu lt ies an d cr is es , h a s g rown unin t er rupt ed ly ,h a s it s own organ iz a t ion s i n more th an a s cor e of count r ies ,

    a n d wa s ab le t o con ven e it s Wor ld Congr es s under t h emos td if fi cu lt ci rcums tances , the ter ror of the G .P .U . (murder ofK lemen t !), a nd t o ela bor a te i ts pr ogr am, t o w hich n o on eh a s yet count erpois ed an yth in g equ iv a len t . L et P i ver t a t -t empt t o en umer a t e Ma r xis t publica t ion s wh ich in t heirtheoret ica l level can be p laced alongside THE NEWINTER-NATIONAL,Clove, Unser Wor t , a nd ot her orga ns of theFour th In ternat ional .All t he left groupings w hich gr avit a te in t he orbit ofthe London Bureau or thereabou ts represen t hete rogeneoussplin t ers of t he pa st w it hout a common progra m, w it hsen il e rou t ine and incu rablema l ad ies .The Four th In tern a-

    t iona l is developing a s a grouping of new a nd fresh ele-ments on t he ba si s of a commow prog ram g row ing ou t ofthe ent i re past expenence,itzcessantlychecked and renderedmore precise. I n t he select ion of it s ca dr es t he F our th I n-tern a t ion a lh as g rea t advan t ages over the Th ird . These ad-va n t a ges flow pr ecis ely fr om t he d ifficu lt con dit ion s ofs t ru gg le in t h e epoch of r ea ct ion . The Th ir d I n terna t i on a lt ook shap e sw ift ly becau semany lef ts ea s ily an d r ead ilyadh er ed t o t h e v ict or iou s r evolu t ion . The Fou rt h I n terna -t ion a l t a kes form un der t he blow s of d efea t s a n d per secu -t i on s . The ideolog ica l bond crea ted under such cond it i on sis ext ra ordina rily firm. B ut t he t empo of grow th, a t a llev en t s in t h e in it ia l per iod , r ema in s a s low one.A Dilettantes CriterionVict or S er ge s a ys : You cannot cr ea t e a worker s I nt er -na t iona l w or thy of t he name just by w a nt ing it . Wha t asmug a n d a t t he sam e t im e h ollow st a t em en t! On e mightim a gin e t h a t S er ge ca r ries in h is ba ck pocket a ll t he mea s -urement s for a n Int erna tiona l, exa ct ly a s for a pa ir oft rousers. And ca n a na t iona l pa rt y w ort hy of t he namebe built just by w ant ing it ? D oes t he P . S.O.P ., for ex-amp le, cor respond to Serges measu remen ts? People whoapproa ch th e ma t t er w it h such super ficia l cr it er ia t h er ebydemon st ra t e t ha t for t hem t he int er na t ion al is a solemn

    and pompou s in st it u tion , s ometh in g in t h e n a tur e of a t em-ple. When the magni fi cen t ed if ice sh a ll h ave been bui lt (Bywh om ? How?), t hen t h ey w ill en t er it s a r ch . We appr oa chit in a d iffer en t m ann er . Th e I nt er na t ion a l is for u s, like anat ional par ty , an indispensab leins t rument of the proletar-ia t . This ins t rument must be constructed, improved , sharp-ened. This is just w ha t w e a re doing. We do not w ait fors omeon e els e t o d o t his wor k for us . We ca ll u pon a ll r evo-lut ion ist s t o t a ke pa r tr ig ht n ow , immed ia t ely , w i th ou tlosin g a n h our . When t he F ou rt h I nt er na t ion a l becomesw or th y of t he nam e in t he ey es of Messr s. L it er at t eur s,D ilet t a n t es , a nd S cept ics , t h en it w il l n ot b e d iff icu lt t o ad -h er e t o it . A Vict or S er ge (t his on e, or a not her ) w ill t henw r it e a book in wh ich h ew i ll pr ov e (w it h ly ricism an d w it ht ea r s !) t ha t t he best , t h emos t h er oic per iod of t he F our t h

    I n terna t i on a lwa s t h e t ime, when ber eft of for ces , it wa s t ru gg le a g a in st in numer able en em ies , in clu din g pbourgeois sceptics.Our Section in the U.S.A.P iver t shou ld beware of h as ty conclus ion s! The P . S .is st ill fa r from being a ma ss pa rt y a nd ha s not yet haoppor tunit y of t est ing t he pow er of it s resist a nce t opressu re of imper ia l ism. On t he ot her ha nd our va

    s ect ion s h ave not on ly proved th eir v ia b ilit y but h aveen ter ed t h e a r en a of m a ss s tr uggles . I n t he Un it ed St he mos t power ful ca pit a lis t cou nt r y in t he wor ld , t hcia lis t Worker s P a r t y, fr om a pr opa g a nd a cir cle, whh a d been for a n umber of y ea r s, is t ur nin g befor e ou rey es int o a milit a nt fa ct or in w or king cla ss polit ics.st r uggle a g a in st fa s cism an d t he s tr uggle a ga in st w ah ead ed by th e Amer ican s ect ion of t h e Fou rt h I n ternaa l . One of t h e ch ief f a scis t a g it a t or s, F a t h er Cough linr ecen tly compelled t o d ev ot e on e of h is r a dio s peechou r Amer ican s ect ion and it s s t ru gg le t o build workerfen se gua r ds. Th e S ocia lis t Worker s P a r t y is en ga gs er iou s wor k in t he t r a de un ion s, publis hes a n exctwice-weekly newspaper ,a ser ious month ly journal, a npa per for t he y out h (issued t w ice mont hly ) a n d r eimpor t an t ideolog ica l and mater ia l a s s is t an ce to othetions.In BelgiumOur sect ion in B elgium , a lm ost w holly pr olet a ricomposit ion , rece ived some 7,000 votes in the las t e lecE ach vot e in t h e pr es en t b a ckg round of r ea ct ion andv in ism is wor t h a hundred vot es ca s t for r ef ormis t pL et P iver t n ot be t oo h a st y in d raw in g a ba la n ce s heeh im r a t her a t t en tively r ea d t he d ecla r a t ion is su ed b

    B elgia n com ra des elect ed a t F ldnu. B ut a la s! I nst eseek ing t ies wi th the Be lg ian Revolut ionary Socia l is t PP i ver t len ds h is ea r t o ba n kr upt s a n d s ect a r ia n s. I s ieeck en t og eth er w it h Sn eev li et an d Vict or S er ge whhew a highw a y t o t he ma sses?A Voice From SaigonI n connect ion w i th t h e elect ion s t o t h e Col on ia l Ch eld Apr il 30 of t his y ea r, t he B olsh evik L en inistw rit t en m e fr om S a igon (I nd o-C hin a ) : D espit e tf amous coa l it i on between the S t a l in is t s and bou rgeoi scolor s, we h ave g a in ed a b rillia n t v ict or y. Th is v ict or

    a ll t he more ha rd-w on beca use t he minds of t hew er e befuddled for m on ths by t he foggy pr opa ga n dcen tr is t gr ou p ca lled Oct ober . . . . We ma rch ed ins t ru gg le w it h t h e b ann er of t h eFou rt h I n terna t i on aunfurled. . . . Tod ay, more th an ever b efor e, t h e l et t et inues , we unders t and the s igni fi cancenot on ly of thgr am of t h e F our t h I nt er na t ion a l, b ut a ls o of t he stof 1925, 1926, 1927, and 1928 aga ins t the theory andt ice of socia lism in on e coun tr y, t he st ruggle a ga inAn t i-Imper ia l is t L eague and oth er pompou s pa r ad emit tees , Amsterdam-Pleye l and tu t t i quan t i .Th is v oice of t he r evolu tion a ry wor ker s fr om S a iinf in it el ymore impor t an t th an the voi ces of a l l th e LB ur ea us a nd pseudo-Ma r xist cen ter s. The a dvwor ker s of a n oppr es sed coun tr y r a lly t o a per secut

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    October 1939 TH E NEW INTE RNATI ONAL P a get er na t ion a l. F rom t h e exper ien ces of t h eir own s tr ug glest hey h a ve com e t o u nd er st a nd our pr ogram a n d t hey w illknow how t o ch ampion it . E s pecia l ly p reciou s a nd impor t -a n t is t he decla ra t ion t ha t t he a dva n ced S a igon w orker su nd er st a n d t h e mea n in g of t h e s tr ug gle of t h e L eft O ppo-s it ion dur in g t h e yea r s f rom 1925 t o 1928. Only con t inu it yof id ea s cr ea t es a r evolu t ion a r y t r a dit ion , w i thou t wh ich apolit ica l pa r ty s w a ys like a r eed in t h e w in d.In England and FranceI n t h e old colon iz in g coun tr ies , E ngla nd a nd F ra n ce, t h ela b or bur ea ucr a cy , d ir ect ly in t er es t ed in colon ia l s uper -pr of it s , is mor e power fu l a nd con ser va t iv e t h a n a nywher e

    eke in t h e w or ld , a n d t h e r evolu tion a ry m a ss es fin d it ver yd if ficu lt t h er e t o r a is e t h eir h ea d s. Th is is t h e exp la n a t ionfor t h e ext remely s low d evelopmen t of t h e s ect ion s of t h eFour th In te rna t iona l in thesecount r ie s. Upon the evolut ionof t h e P . S .O. P . d epen ds t o a la r ge ext en t w h et h er t h e r ev o-lu t ion is t s w ill s ucceed t her e in f or cin g a s er iou s b rea ch int he w a ll of bet ra y al a n d t rea ch er y in t he com in g mon th s.B u t n o ma tt er h ow t h in gs t ur n ou t in t h is r es pect , t h e g en -era l course of development leaves no r oom f or doubt . Whent h e mos t oppr es sed s tr a ta in E n gla n d a n d F ra n ce er upt t ot he sur fa ce, t hey w ill n ot t arry a t h alfw a y posit ion s butw ill a dopt t ha t progr am w h ich gives a n a n sw er t o t he pr o-fund it y and sha rpnes sof t he socia l con t r a d ict i ons .DogmaJP i ver t eit h er r ef us es or is un a ble t o under st a nd t h a t ou r

    invincible s t reng th l ie s in our theoret i ca l thoroughness andirreconcilability. Trot sky a llow s in his orga niza t ion,w r it es P iver t, on ly t h os e member s w ho a ccept a s d ogma( ?), a nd con sequen t ly w i thou t d is cu ss ion (?) a s ys t ema t icr ef er en ce t o t h e pr in ciples ela b or a t ed in t h e f ir st f ou r con -g res s es of t he Communis t In t erna t iona l .Our concep t ion oft he pa rt y is a lt oget her d iffer en t. S ubject t o a ll sor ts ofdub ious in fluences,P ive rt a t t empts to reduce the movementof t he Four th In t erna t iona l t o a s ing le i nd iv idua l: Trot skya llow s in h is or ga n iz a tion . . . . P iv er t cou ld nt pos sibly b eig nor a nt of t h e fa ct t ha t t h e L eft Oppos it ion fr om t h e v er yfir st embr a ced t h e flow er of t h e B ols hev ik P a r t y: r ev olu -t ion is t s t emper ed in illeg a lit y , h er oes of t h e civ il w a r , t h ebes t r epres en t a t i ves o f t he younger gener a t i onhundred supon h undreds of exem pla ry Ma rxist s w ho w ould h aved on e h on or t o a n y pa rt y. Ten s of t hou sa n ds of Trot sky -it es died a lin ger in g dea th . Wa s it rea lly on ly beca useTr ot s ky a llow s or d oes n t a l low ? Such g ib ber is h s hou ldbe left t o B ra n dler , Wa lch er , L oves ton e, S neevliet a n dot her cynics . . . but let us ret urn t o dogma . In t he B ol-shev ik Pa r t y d if fer ences a r os e a f t er t he f ir s t f our cong res s -es of t h e Com in t er n whos e d ecis ion s wer e ela b or a t ed w it ht h e mos t d ir ect pa r ticipa t ion of t h e fu tu re lea d er s of t h eL eft Oppos it ion . A s ha r p t ur n t ow a r ds oppor tu nism w a ss a n ct ioned b y t he F if th Congr es s. Wit hou t r enouncing t h er evolu tion a ry t ra d it ion , t h e g rea t es t in t h e a n na ls of h is -t ory , w e h a ve n ever th eles sn ot m a de of t he fir st fou r con -g r es ses more than our s t a r t ing point, nor havew e res t r ict edou rs elv es t o t h em . We ha ve ob ser ved , s t ud ied , d is cu ss ed ,cr it iciz ed , wor ked ou t s log a ns a nd ma r ched a hea d . I m ig htcit e a s pr oof ou r t h eor et ica l jou rn a ls , in t er na l bu llet in s,s cor es of pr og ramma t ic b ooks a nd pamph let s i s sued in t h ela s t f if t een yea r s. P e rh qps P i ver t ca n men t ion a s in gle s er i-

    ou s crit ica l w ork of ou r oppon en ts w h ich r em ain s us w er ed by u s? P er ha ps P iv er t h im self a n d h is fr ien dsa cr it icism of t h e d ecis ion s of t h e f ir st f ou r congr es secon sid er ed by u s? Wher e is it ?I n t h e ver y s ame a r ticle, P iv er t d ema nd s o f Tr ot skt ha t t hey a ccept t he ch a rt er (of t he P . S .O.P . ), it s st u re, it s s t a t ut es , t h e d ecis ion s of t h e ma jor it y , a nd othemsel ves t o ful fil l t hem wi thou t r emis s. Th is demaleg it ima t e in it s elf b ut d oes t h is mean t h a t t h e cha r t er oP . S . O. P ., it s s tr uct ur es , s t a tu tes , et c. a r e d ogma ?it s olely t h e pr og ramma t ic d ecis ion s of t h e fir st fou rg res s es t ha t a r e dogma ?Make-believeP iver t r ea son s a s follow s: We must fin d, u ncoverr eject t hos e t r a it s , t hos e pecu li a r it ies and shor t comincla s sic B ols hev ism wh ich S t a lin ism sub sequen t lyupon . Th is r ea s on ing is f orma l is t ic a nd lif eles s. S t ad id nt a t a ll forma lly s eiz e a l w a ys upon t h e w or st t raBo ls hev ism . Se lf -s a cr if ice i s a magn if icen t qua l it y of

    olut ion ist . S om e of t he defen da nt s in t he Moscowwer e undoubt ed ly g uid ed b y t he s pir it of s elf -s a cr if ig iv e t heir liv es a n d even t h eir r epu ta t ion s for t h e s adefen se of t he U . S . S.R . D oes t his im ply t ha t in plasel f-s acr if ice i t i s necessa ry t o inculca te egoi sm? To thmight r ep ly it i s neces sa r y t o devel op cr it ica l in s igh tt ha t is a commonpla ce. Th e B ols heviks w er e by n o mles s capab le of cr it i ca l i ns igh t t han their l a t t er -d a y cBu t ob ject i ve h is t or ica l cond it i ons a r e more powe rfult he subject ive ones , When a new bureaucr a cy i n an i sa nd ba ckwa rd coun tr y r is es a b ove t he r evolu t ion a r yand s t r angl es i t s v angua rd, of neces s it y i t u t il iz es t heu la s a n d t ra d it ion s of B ols hevism, q ua lit ies a n d mein cu lca t ed by it , bu t it ch a rges t hem w it h a diam etoppos it e s ocia l con t en t. L en in follow in g Ma rx t a ugt ha t dur in g t he first st ages of socia lism elem en ts oequa li t y wi l l inev it ab ly s t i ll r ema in . The bureaucracyformed th is i dea i nt o jus t if ica t i on of i t s g angs t er p ri viMus t we, b eca u se of t h is a bus e, uncondit ion a lly r ejecor rect id ea of M a rx?The d ia l ect ic of t h e cla s s s t ru gg le t h roughou t t h e lof h is t or y h a s a ccomplis hed s im ila r t r a n sf orma t ion ss t it u t ion s, a nd t r a n sf ig ur a t ion s.Th is w a s t h e f a t e of Ct ia n it y , P r ot es t a nt ism, d emocr a cy , et c. Th is in pa r tw a s t h e fa t e o f F reema son ry . I t or ig in a t ed in t h e 17t ht ury a s a r ea ct ion of t he pet ty bou rgeois ie a ga in st t hcompos ing spir it of cap it a l is t ind iv idua lism and a t t et o r esurr ect t he i dea l iz ed mor a li t y of gu ild br otherhI n t h e cou rs e of t h e cla s s s t ru gg le it la t er b ecame an im en t in t he h a nds of t he big bou rgeoisie for discipa nd s ubor din a t in g t h e pet t y b ou rg eois ie t o it s own a imis impermis sib le t o a ppr oa ch pr in cip les ou t sid e ofr ea l it y , ou t s ide of t hos e cl a ss es wh ich suppor t t hem.The cr it icism of Bo lshev ism which P i ver t devel opsw a ke of Vict or S er ge a n d ot h er s d oes n ot con t a in a n ioMa rx ism. I t s ubs t it u t es f or a ma t er ia lis t ic a n a l ys is aof make-bel ieve.For the Hegemony of Scientific ThoughtA ser ious r evolu t ion is t who for es ee s the g ra ve decw h ich t he pa rt y must m ake in cr it ica l t im es, feds a

    h is r espons ib ili t y i n the prepa r a t or y per iod , pa ins t ak

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    e 302 THE NEW INTERNATIONAL October 19ulouslyana lyzeseach fact , each concept, each tendency.t his r espect a r evolut ionist r esem bles a sur geon whores t con ten t wi th commonplaces concern ing anat omyt must kn ow exa ct ly t he a r ticula t ion of t he bon es, t hescles , th e nerves and the tendons and thei r interconnec-on, so a s not t o ma ke a single fa lse movement w it h hisa lpel .The archi tect , the phys ician , and the chemis t wouldgard indignan t ly any proposa l aga ins t render ing scien t i ficncepts and formulas more precise, aga ins t cla iming heg-

    n y for t he law s of mech anics , ph ys iology , or ch em is -y , in fa vor of a con cilia t or y a t t it ude t ow a rd ot her view sma t t er h ow er r on eou s. Yet t h is is pr ecis ely P i ver t s po-t ion . With ou t plumbin g th e g is t of pr og ramma t i c d iff er -es , he repea t s commonplaces on the impossibi li t y ofy one t endency cla iming t o incorpor at e in it self a llt h . E r go ? L iv e and l et liv e. Aphor isms of t h is t ype can -t t eacha n advancedw orker any th ing worthwh il e; ins teadcou rage and a sen seof responsibi li t y they can on ly ins t il li fferencea nd weakness .The Fourth In ternat ionalw agesst ruggle agahst quacker yfor a s cien t if ic a t t i t ud e t o-t h e prob lems of prolet a r ian polit ics . Revolu t ion a r yor in t h e s tr ug gle for socia lism is in sepa r a ble f rom in -l lectu a l a rdor in the s t ruggle for t ruth .shevismor Menshevism?

    To P ivert it seems t ha t w e a re t he repr esent a tives ofgma t i sm and rou t inew hereas he i s a proponen t of cr it i ca lough t. As a ma t t er of fa ct in h is cr it icism of Tr ot sky -m P iver t merely repea ts the hoa ry formula s of then sh ev ik s w i th ou t addin g t o t h em one or ig in a l s ylla b le.t Menshevism w a s a lso put t o a t est , a nd not a minor. The Bolshevik Pa r ty v ictor ious ly led the grea t es t revo-ion in h is tor y. F in din g it self isola t ed , it w a s un a ble t ot and the pressu reof hos t il eh i stor ica l f orces . I n other

    r ds Russia n B olshevism found it bey on d it s pow er s t ob st it u t e it s el f for t h e in t erna t i on a l workin g cla s s. Men -ev ism on the con t r a ry con t r ibuted noth ing to the revolu-n except pros t r a t ion and per fi dy . Lef t Menshev ism in ther son of Ma r t ov s ig nified s in cer e per plexit y a n d impo-n ce. The h is t or ic t a sk posed by October h a s n ot b een r e-lved . The fundamenta l forces par t icipa t ing in the s trugg le

    a r e t h e s ame. The choice is n ot b etween Trot sky ism at he P . S .O.P . but bet w een B olsh evism a n d MenshevisFrom t he st art ing point of B olshevism w e a re rea dyma rch for wa r d. We r efuse t o cr a wl ba ck.The Program of the Fourth InternationalP iver t finds it necessa ry in J u ne 1939 t o ret ur n t ofour congresses, but we have succeededa l ready in maring fa r a h ea d. La st a ut umn, a y ea r a go, our in ter na t io

    con ference adop ted the prog ram of Tran s it i on a l Demancor r espondin g t o t h e t a sks of ou r epoch . I s P i ver t f amilw it h t his program ? Wha t is his a t tit ude t ow a rds it ? Four pa r t w e a r e desir ous of n ot hin g so much a s cr it icisIn a ny t one you plea se, b ut get ting t o t he hea rt of tma t te r !H er e is a concr et e pr oposa l w hich I t a ke t he liber tymake fr om ou t sid e ; t o proceed immed ia t ely t o a d is csion a n d a n ela b or a t ion o f a n in t er na t ion a lpr ogr am ofprolet a r ia t an d t o cr ea t e a speci a l publica t i on f or an in tna t iona l discussion on t his q uest ion . As a ba sis for tdiscussion I pr opose t he pr ogr am of t he F our th I nt ert ion a l, Th e Dea t h Agon y of C apit a lism an d t he Ta s kst he F our th I nt er na t iona l. I t goes w it hout sa yin g, h oever , t h a t ou r I nt erna t i on a l is pr epa r ed t o a ccept a s a b afor d is cu ssion a n ot her d ra f t if it is for t hcom in g. P er haP iver t a n d h is fr ien ds w ill a ccept t his pr opos a l? I t w ouundoubt ed ly b e a g rea t s t ep f orwa rd!

    * * *I ha ve a n aly zed P iver ts a r ticle w it h a m et iculousnwh ich m igh t a ppea r t o s ome a s s uper flu ous a n d t ir es omTo ot her s t he t on e m igh t a ga in a ppea r t oo sha r p. B ubel ieve, never theles s, th a t a det a i l ed expl an a t ion , preca n d clea r , is fa r gr ea t er ev id en ce of a d es ir e for colla bot ion than d ip lomat ic equivocat ions supplementedby thre

    an d in sin ua t i on s. I s hou ld lik enot on ly Ma rceau P i ver t ba l so Dan iel Guer in t o r efl ect on th is . I t is n eces sa r y t o ceaf eed in g on th e empt y f ormu la s of y es t er da y . I t is n eces st o t a ke t he r oa d of ser ious a nd honest discussion of tpr ogr am an d s tr a t egy of t he n ew I nt er na t ion a l.J u ly 15, 1939 L. TROTSKY

    The Friendsof the War ReferendumD efen d m e fr om m y fr ien ds; I can t ake car e of my

    enemies myself.Ma recha lVillar s.(Th y f~i endsh i po ft h as made my hea r t to ache:Dobe my enemy , for f r i endsh ip s sake.WilliamBlake,To Hay ley .

    OT TH E LEAST OF TH E obst acles to a n effect ivean t i-wa r s t ru gg le a r e t h eman if old fr ien ds of pea ce.e spea k h er e n ot only of such em in en t pea ce-lover s a sa n klin D . Roos ev elt , w h o a n noun ces t ha t I H a t e Wa r t h a s grea t gust o a s w hen he ca lls for a couple of morellion s for t he a dmir a ls , o r a ppoin t s Mor ga n s men t o t hea r D ict a t or sh ip Boa rd .Th er e is a n ot her gr oup of men in Wa shin gt on wh o pla yd iffer en t, but a s impor ta n t , a r ole in s ide-t r a ckin g a r ea li-w a r figh t. Th ey appea r befor e t he people a s s in cer e

    measu res ; th ey seek to be recogni zed as the mou thpieceCongr es s of t h e d es ir e o f t h e people f or pea ce. They a r eforma l ly g rouped a s t h e isol a t ion is t or neu t r a li t y bin Congress . Their most prominent representa t ivesare Sea t ors Nye, La Follet te, B one a nd C la rk, a nd in t he ot hhou se, Repres en t a t iv eLou is Lud low of I n di ana . They ama in ly fr om th e Wes t an d Middl e Wes t . Ther e is n o douth a t in t h eir own d is t or t ed way th ey r epr es en t t h e pr es suof t h e popu la r mass es f or an t i-wa r a ct ion .

    Ther e i s a l so no doubt t hat t h ei r a ct im t i es a r e obj ect i velan i nt egr al par t of the preparat ion of t hepeop l e for accei ng t he com i ng w ar .There is n o bet t er illu st r a t ion o f t h is fa ct t h an th eir rin t h e pr es en t movemen t f or g iv in g t h e peopl e t h e r ig htvot e in a dir ect r efer en dum on whet her t he Unit ed S t a

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    October 1939 THE NEW INTERNATIONALBetraying a ProgressiveDemandWe r a is e n o q ues tion of t he h on es ty of t h es e C on gr es s-men in t h eir pr ocla im ed d es ir e t o keep Amer ica ou t of a n ywa r , b ecause the re i s no psychoana l y t ica l da t a av a i lab leont his poin t. I t is a q uest ion of t heir polit ics. S ena t or Nye( for example), a s t he ch airma n of t he S en a te Mu nit ion sI n ves t ig a t in g Commit t ee, per formed a v a lu a ble job in ex-

    pos in g t h e I ndu st r ia l Mobil iz a t ion P l a n a s a blu epr in t fordictatorship; y et w hen h e in tr od uced h is ow n t a ke-t he-profit-out-of-war bill in t he S en a te, h e in clu ded som e oft he w or st fea t ures of t ha t sa me pla n. I f