TheWorkers Abroad
Khimoy, Mark
TheWorkers Abroad An International Review of the Socialist and Labor Movement of the World —¦— By; Mark KJimoy ' "Denmark for the People!" I II 'JIM li| MAN certainly started something when...
...It winds up with a general call to fight for the slogan, "Denmark for the People...
...The present time demands the elaboration of a program for the constructive work of the immediate future, the foundations of which have already been laid through the practical work which has been done...
...But the party is "convinced that this demands a continuous development, which allows of no short cuts...
...The'latter were long ago divided from the Moscow International and recently even gave op their Com munlst name...
...It reached in January, 1933, the gratifying total of 312,798 and is still increasing...
...Their cooperation has been both loyal and thorough commendable in every way...
...The Socialist Premier, Per Albln Hansson, does not control a majority in either of the two houses...
...This week's mail brought a number of such news items...
...At the ensuing election the Social Democrats won a signal victory, and a democratic majority came into being in Parliament, embodying, in addition to the Social Democratic Party itself, a smaller party of liberal-minded Democrats, supported by certain classes of intellectual workers and small farmers in the country...
...Moreover, the quota system and other measures intended to regulate trade with foreign markets have necessitated a further reduction and alteration of our output...
...The most important among them is the Danish Program of Action, modeled on the De Man Plan, and was unanimously adopted last month at a joint meeting of the enlarged Central Executive Committee and the Socialist members in the Chamber of Deputies and Senate...
...We have passed a number of bills enacting extra financial benefits after the period of ordinary Statesupported unemployment insurance, as well as bills to grant certain quantities of meat and margarine at reduced prices to the poor and destitute...
...Assuming, evidently, that "government ownership" is not the same as Socialism and may, under certain conditions, simply mean "state capitalism," the Program demands the socialization of all the existing state owned or controlled industrial and commercial undertakings, such as sugar and alcohol factories, the production of raw products from beet and potatoes, the production of cigars and cigarettes, the brewing of beer, and the wine and spirits trade...
...The Stockholm local increased its membership during 1933 from 56,505 to 58,536 and the number of affiliated organizations from 147 to 153...
...I'inally the Danish Social Democratic Party expresses its belief on a policy based on legality and democracy...
...It will be a long time before we are in a position to view intelligently what has happened to our movement, and a much longer time before we in the United States get our diplomas and graduate into the teaching class...
...which came to consist of nine Social Democrats and three Democrats (the official name of the latter being the Radical Left Party...
...It is characteristic of the present situation in the world, and is also a tribute to the courage of our Danish comrades, that they now formulate their attitude on this question as follows: "The development we have experienced during recent years is directed in the opposite direction and 6ar« the political road which we considered as the only correct one...
...But even though we must for a time renounce our hopes for a peace based on a general reduction of armaments, there is no occasion for an increase in Danish armaments...
...I II 'JIM li| MAN certainly started something when he * * succeeded in lining up the Socialist Party of Mel gitim for his now famous Action Plan...
...T* of the elected P women...
...Widespread unemployment set in, of course, simultaneously with the crisis, and raised delicate problems and many difficulties...
...But the Socialist government receives the more or less loyal rapport of the 86 farmers and 8 Communists...
...Arthur Henderson, secretarytreasurer of the Labor Party, tendered his resignation but was persuaded to hold it over until the October conference...
...It may be added that the May issue of the youth organ, Frihet, achieved a circulation of 70,000...
...The plan is embodied in a pamphlet called "Forward to Socialism" and will be presented to the conference of the British Labor Party in October...
...a Socialization Plan lor Great Britain "Tin British Socialist League, a ¦ propaganda organisation of militant Socialists within the Labor Party, with a membership of 8,000, has just endorsed a Five-Year Plan for a Socialist government...
...Sofl day schools hi" most of them ? of organisation was given op to tral Committee'' cils of the Vft women...
...Out of 230 members of the lower house 104 are Socialists...
...Much has been done also by other means to increase the amount of work available...
...The prohibition does not include associations recognized by the government with a view to assistance in national defense or strengthening the action of the police in maintaining order...
...Far more important is that of finding work...
...But the most magnificent proof of the vitality of Swedish, Social Democracy has been given by the Social Democratic youth movement which advanced from 79,668 to 98,605 members in the period from January 15, 1933, to January 15, 1934, advancing in the number of affiliated branches from 1,408 to 1,599...
...Arthur Greenwood and Herbert Morrison are in line for Henderson's post as party leader...
...placed at <lisp with the object during these ci finally, the varii into being by buying less li upon the loss 5,000,000 krone* ing export prt considerable incre dustries, and a w employment...
...and I have befell their accompli!* year...
...The form of production at which the Socialist movement is aiming will undoubtedly replace capitalism," says the Program...
...I speak of England especially because as this is being written the fifteenth "National Convention of Labor Women" Is opening in Cheltenham, and I have before me the report of their accomplishmenU for the post year...
...After due consideration, the two parties agreed that the safest plan to follow would be to form a Coalition Ministry...
...In such a holocaust as the World War and the Versailles Treaty—and I don't know which was worse— it should be an occasion for wonderment that anything but savagery remained in those countries which were vitally affected...
...In all, some [about ?105,<X...
...The fact that some of their old teachers are admitting their "mistakes" is not as significant as it may seem...
...This has, indeed, been carried out, and upon a considerable scale...
...Disarmament, Dictatorship and Democracy 1 IKK its sister party in Holland, the Social Democratic Party of Denmark has always been an enthusiastic pioneer of disarmament...
...In this field, and in order to assist the farming trade, direct crisis benefits have been granted, and much relief has been given, by allowing certain tax exemptions, by special reductions of mortgage installments, and by special regulations to raise and stabilize prices on the home market...
...The introduction is followed by • an elaborate list of "socialization plans" on the industrial, financial, commercial, agricultural, labor, cultural, social and political fields...
...The first M»" ference was s ", gates from W«<" Labor Parties" ganizatim...
...It declares its sharpest opposition to all forms of dictatorship, whether Communist or Fascist...
...It advocates continued cooperation with the nations which stand on the basis of democracy, and above all with the peoples of the North (Sweden, Norway...
...It must therefore be acknowledged that there is no sufficient basts for isolated disarmament at present...
...The Program begins with an appeal to all sections of the population who suffer under the capitalist economic crisis—to the workers in industry and agriculture, to the farmers and small holders, to fishermen, tradesmen, craftsmen and officials, to all workers by hand and brain — to give their support to a constructive Socialist policy...
...The great financial world crisis set in shortly after the election of the second Stauning Ministry...
...Our valuable agricultural export trade was threatened with total extinction by failing markets and falling prices...
...Which leaves me still in the grammar grades trying to learn what I can from the organisation and agitation methods of our comrades abroad...
...There are **f report which *jj tive women M envy...
...At the rat* the workers »»« locking to it now, it will r«*ek the 200,000 mark before the end of the year...
...The Conservatives displayed their fascist leanings by opposing the bill in favor of corps whose formation was due to social motives...
...But they remained alone in their opposition to the bill, which was adopted in both Houses May 30...
...There if Sections in the* them in the tt*W for Socialism" • ing waged...
...In another part of the introduction to the Plan the party declares "that this is not a suitable time for working out theories and programs which extend into an unknown future...
...This new Plan is of special importance because it come* from a Socialist Party that controls the government...
...Space does not permit me to enumerate them...
...It fell on the question of supporting industrialization and combating unemployment, and the resultant appeal to the nation yielded an attenuated majority to the two partes now in Opposition (the Conservatives and the Liberals...
...Socialists Prohibit Armed Corps in Sweden TPHE Social Democratic govern* ment in Sweden has finally secured the elimination of private armies in Swedish politics by the adoption of a bill prohibiting associations and organizations whose object is to act as defense corps for a political party or similar body, or who aim at undertaking the tasks of military bodies or police forces...
...The work must now be carried on within the I/oague of Nations on an international basis and we must consider it as our obligation to continue our support of the work for disarmament and peace through the organs which seek to solve these problems...
...There were elected fourteen Socialists, 1 Communist and thirtythree represenatives of the capitalist parties...
...During the Ave years of the Socialist participation in the Danish government, the party has Increased its memWship by 41,000, ao that IU total is now 100,070...
...and that same farmer class, which for generations has sworn by Liberalism, has now to petition ns for State intervention to institute real planned economy...
...The Social Democratic Women's Federation gained about 2,000 members—now about 13,000 in all —and another 100 local branches, the total now reaching 865...
...A completely democratic program was drawn up, and for the last five years extensive democratization has been carried out, incorporating, during the crisis, an effective regulation by the State, of productive output, trade and money matters, etc...
...The figures for January, 1934, are not coplete yet, but the following, isolated, cases show the trend...
...A number of public works, such as bridges, roads, improvement of railways, shipbuilding, and so forth, have been set in hand, and the building of dwelling houses has been greatly arceler...
...The party membership of Sweden, a country with a population of a little elver six millions, has grown constantly since a Socialist "minority" government was organized 20 months ago...
...cial support...
...It is therefore the next aim of the Social Democratic Party to guarantee a permanently controlled production and distribution during the transformation" from a capitalist to a Socialist society which is constantly taking place...
...This partly Conservative Ministry was in office for two and a half years, but fell when one of the coalition parties broke away...
...During its participation in the government it has brought about a sharp reduction in military expenditure and an almost complete elimination of standing army and navy...
...It is sufficient to say that, like the Belgian Action Plan, the Danish Plan contains, among other things, the determination to push through legislation for the socialization of all the banks and insurance companies and for the stricter control of all ^cajntalist corporations, their dividends and price policy...
...TK local and eonrtl groups, Coope" Trade Union Gr "The victory part of tto «po< in labor's?**"' lated the labor flout the worlA congratulation!.» tion of women i» ministration...
...Since October, 1931, amounts up to 130,000,000 kroner [about $27,000,000 at present rate of exchange] have been granted for extra help to the unemployed, besides ordinary unemployment insurance benefits...
...but whereas the attendance at the official demonstrations, notwithstanding the government's terrorism, was poor, and whereas—what is more significant—these demonstrations passed off entirely without any enthusiasm, the demonstrations organized by the Socialist Youth movement on the previous day were splendidly attended and manifested a spirit of confident militancy...
...At seven different points in the various districts of Vienna the young people assembled without warning, unfurled red flags, sang fighting songs, and broke into rousing shoots of "Freedom I" The police broke np the meetings, bat not before these surprise demonstrations had produced their affect, I The British Labor Annual J DON'T belong with those students of European Socialist movements who, by absent treatment and because of a catastrophe which rocked the world, feel qualified to criticise, condemn and teach their former teachers...
...14 Socialists, 1 Communist Win in Luxemburg | UXEMBURG, a Grand Duchy four-fifths the six* of Rhode Island, situated between Germany, Belgium and France, with a population of 300,000, held parliamentary elections Sunday,, June 8. The result again demonstrated the strong hold Socialism has over the workers of this little country...
...Since last Christmas, when the De Man Plan of immediate, although partial, socialization was adopted, there hardly passes a„ week without one or another European Socialist J'arty either adopting such a plan or starting a discussion about its elaboration and adoption...
...From April, 1924, to December, 1926, I had the honor of heading the first Social Democratic Ministry...
...Denmark's Soci< For Five Years Socialists of i Fought the Effect and for / ¦y Tkor void Stanaia9 Socialist Premier of Denmark TIJK present Cabinet was appointed on April 30, 1929, and has thus been in office over twelve years, broken only by an election which served further to consolidate their position, in that the Social Democratic Party gained on that occasion a further increase of 60,000 votes...
...The I* lished monthly' ducted an e**J subjects as Ijl...
...The universally accepted policy of higher customs and higher tariffs necessitated an alteration of our old free trade policy, and, as the condition necessary to retain an opening abroad for our agricultural output was the purchase of foreign goods in fixed proportion to our sales, it became necessary to regulate and control foreign trade by means of special State measures...
...England's wavering policy in money matters, her abandonment of the gold standard, and of settled commercial conditions generally, forced Denmark to lower the value of her krone...
...During the fii were in power i came ever more minating, in Jan figure totalling Young People's Demons tratons in Vienna According to information received from Vienna, the Dollfuss government organized a number of demonstrations for young people, to be held on May 27th...
...TheWorkers Abroad An International Review of the Socialist and Labor Movement of the World —¦— By...
...This is, however, only one side of the question...
Vol. 17 • June 1934 • No. 25
