The First of May and Hitlerism
Baskin, Joseph
By Joseph Baskin The First of May and Hitlerism r[E international proletariat is celebrating the First of |f ay this year with a heavy heart. The advent of Hitlerism has severely shaken...
...Printers on Picket Line The Sloane Printing Co...
...and it is to guard the workers from being lost « the impending destruction that the young Socialists are acting with a reneSved vigor and an nnSnrpassing determination...
...What has the Hitler government done until now to give us a clue to the right definition of the term...
...It will not bring doubt and confusion into our ranks...
...THE VOICE OF YOUTH By Julius Umansky National Chairman of the Y.P.S.L...
...They have not, so far as can be seen, done anything that would tend directly or indirectly to the restoration of purchasing power, and the revival of trade...
...It was the one to point out the way of practicality and idealism...
...We greet our comrades this May Day, not only with an expression of our hope and faith, but »lso with a solemn pledge of unfailing support and action...
...Socialist V rty Executive Forms United Front with Police" (Daily Worker, April 24...
...The proletariat of the whole world will gather to make known the fact that despite the unbridled terror now raging in Germany, it will not cease its endless struggle to preserve the Culture and civilization which humanity, through its ablest representatives, helped to create in the years of its existence...
...Hitlerism is the expression of medievalism, brutality and inquisition...
...The public and semi-public jobs are just simply handed to them, all tall and blonde and proud, and they are delighted and convinced that national socialism is a perfectly sound social-economic proposition...
...A systematic picket line Is being maintained by HebrewAmerican Typographical Union, Local 83...
...It is aware of the origins of Hitler's rale...
...No Policy The government has not announced that wages are to be raised, profits limited, and production started on state socialist lines...
...While they come to confer for a united May Day, they have circulars ready and are distributing them which attack those with whom they want to unite...
...For this reason the First of May will not be celebrated this year as a day of festivity, but rather as a day of protest, a day of rage...
...Now I would like to ask, what does Mr...
...As for the workers—they keep right on working...
...The bigl German capitaiisU appear to be I perfectly satisfied with their new Regierung...
...The Young People's Socialist league of America believes more firmly than ever that its members will see Socialism in their time, notwithstanding the makeshifts of a desperate capitalism to perpetrate its powe r and life...
...On the contrary, this First of May must raise the slogan of an ever more determined and unceasing struggle, a battle on all fronts, against the black monster of reaction everywhere around us...
...The middle class are quite hopeful of the future, and have many sons, cousins, nephews and even uncles and fathers in brown uniforms, mostly still quite new, and drawing pay and enjoying all sorts of little immunities and privileges...
...There is no domestic market...
...Likewise most left officials of sick and death societies, cooperative banks and so forth have been summarily removed...
...Everything they do Is done collectively...
...Then, life has been made miserable for all Jewish doctors, lawyers, musicians, actors, librarians, professors, etc., and most of them have either been ousted from their professional jobs or at least been forced to accept humiliating terms...
...In spite of salary and wage cuts, 1 and utmost economy, the railroads ' are almpst bankrupt and no large > new sources of income are in sight...
...Capitalism has completely demonstrated its inefficiency...
...Persecution The Jews and lefts are persecuted, the unemployed promised jobs, the free press destroyed, opposi' i inn meetings forbidden, individral liberties restricted almost to zero, Germans forbidden to leave Germany, murderers and robbers pardoned if they wear the swastika on their arm bands (unless, of course, they are Communists wearing the swastika as a blind in which case they are put to death) —and all this is done collectively in the name of national socialism...
...Likewise, music is forbidden that is not "close to the people" and "of a fighting kind...
...By means of shameful idtrigue, race-hatred, and demogogy, Hitler forced his way into power, and with the iron heel of a tyrant trampled down all that was beautiful and good in Germany...
...of 175 Clinton St...
...And as long as these classes and class-privileges remain they really shouldn't call It any kind of "socialism" because that might give the workers a false impresslr . and a false hope, and that would be a pity...
...That is only the necessary preparatory housecleaning...
...It knows its meaning...
...They have not even raised a capitaflevy to start idle factories producing on the old capitalistic profitmaking lines...
...Despite ail difficulties which confront it, despite the obstacles which have been placed In ita path...
...But the persecution of the Marxists and other radical elements who refused to jump on the Hitler bandwagon followed soon enough...
...Only Socialism can aave the world from a terrible catastrophe In addition to the slogans and watchwords which were proclaimed with such burning paasion by the workers of the world in the May Day festivities of past years, there must be raised this year, with all the vigor at our command, the mighty battle-cry against Hitlerism and Fascism sverywhere...
...The Worker on Wednesday, April 26, has an article on the front page in which they, say: "This is not the first time that Green, Woll and Kaufman were responsible for instigating attacks on left-wing union members.'' They assert that there is a joint responsibility of the bosses and the A. F. of L. in the "murderous attack" on the left-wing Fur Workers* Union...
...In other words, while they talk of a united front, they stab the labor unions and the Socialist Party in the back...
...Hitler and his cohorts came into power, on the one hand, doe to the Ignorance of the middle classes, and on the other, because of the open support given him by the big capitalists who sought to crush the growing development of the Socialist movement...
...International Socialism will continue to march forward te victory...
...All municipal officials, judges, and other public officers belonging to the left parties and many of the Catholic party have been dismissed from office, and their pensions cancelled...
...German Social Democracy was the pathblazer and the shining hope of the International...
...The masses became bitter and despairing in the face of growing poverty and unemployment...
...To it must belong the final victory...
...House Cleaning Very good...
...Nothing has yet been done that seems to lead to any kind of a program of socialization as readers of The New Leader usually understand that term...
...And it was the one to guarantee, so far as was in its power, of the existence ef the German Republic...
...He made the Jews, the smallest minority groups in the country, his first victim...
...Hitler mean by "national socialism...
...pilE Hitler government has been advertising itself as a "national socialist" government, and only yesterday, April 11, the energetic chancellor announced to the German people that 1933 would see "national socialism" deal a final crippling blow to "democratic liberalism" in every part of Europe...
...The advent of Hitlerism has severely shaken the world and bat dealt a heavy blow to the strongest wing of international Socialism...
...By Joseph Baskin The First of May and Hitlerism r[E international proletariat is celebrating the First of |f ay this year with a heavy heart...
...But the class divisions remain, and the special profit-taking privileges remain that make a continuous cycle of production and consumption impossible...
...There is no foreign market...
...Next item: The railroads are to take on four hundred thousand workers before winter...
...To prove their sincerity for the united front, their publications daily attack the Socialist Party, its officers and committees...
...rather does it flow in greater intensity, with the realization that service te the cause of the working class must be given now, while time yet remains to stave off and even destroy the insidious threat of Fascism...
...came to the Socialist Party office to confer on a United May Day Demonstration...
...It was the one to blend the two jnto perfect harmony...
...Under the pressure of these disheartening events, in an atmosphere of hate, rage, and vindictiveness, there arose this pest, this creature known as Hitlerism...
...HitlerLini in\all He forma and manifestations is a negation ef the beautiful ideals and longings of mankind...
...But of what value to society is this shift of jobs...
...How about the next-following constructive steps...
...The Interests of the AmerIican and English bankers apparently remain untouched...
...The temporary failure of a part of the Socialist movement by no means indicates the failure of the idea itself...
...Every move is initiated at the top and enforced on those at the bottom...
...i So far it is difficult to find any | practical proposals—and certainly | accomplishments—of the Hitler i government that could be called i "socialist" in any accepted sense of . the word, unless one can call every . collective measure forced through ; af the point of the pistol "social. ist...
...For that purpose let the proletariat employ every means and weapon at its disposal...
...Such is the united front proposals by the Communists...
...The "United Front" Of the Communists COR the past few weeks the Communists of New York have been bombarding the Socialist Party branches with circulars and even sending committees for a united front for this, that or the other thing...
...It is almost impossible to picture world Socialism without its mighty leader, the German Social Democratic Party...
...Hfllil May Day presenting a picture of a sadly troubled world, the courage of workingclass youth does not ebb...
...Maybe...
...They say, the class struggle has been abolished...
...r Only a widespread general recovery of producli could possibly . bring1 in the money to pay hunI dreds of thousands of new railroad , workers, nnd no such recovery can ( be expected...
...When the committee departed they left a circular attacking the Socialist Party...
...Fascism Is merely the last flush of a consumptive social order...
...Fine I But ' no one has yet answered the ques• lion how these men are to be paid...
...The brutal treatment received by Germany at the hands of the Allies, and their mad determination to render her economically and politically hi-lpless, left the country a heap of ruins...
...have locked out their printers...
...A cartoon , shows the Socialist Party and police riding a horse carrying a banner May Day (Daily Worker, April 23...
...National Socialism" the New False Hope (From a New Leader Correspondent) Hamburg, April 12...
...For the moment, many small dark officials and professional men having been removed, their presumably tiller and blonder rivals are enjoying a period of lessened competition...
...A committee of Communists, the I.W.W., and the C.P.L.A...
...As for the unemployed—they keep on hoping that some day jobs will be provided for them...
...There is a real united front, and that is the unity of the working class through their unions and the Socialist Party...
...Norman Thomas Sympathizes with British Spies" (Daily Worker, April 26...
...Let us see...
...The proletariat of the world is aware of these facta...
...He sought to appease the hunger of the masses by throwing them a bone...
Vol. 15 • April 1933 • No. 17
