HY SOCIALISTS ARE AGAINST A UNITED FRONT WITH THE COMMUNISTS
SHUB, DAVID
By Socialists Are Against a United Front With the Communists An Exposition of Communist Policy Here and Abroad—Comintern's Continued Efforts to Wreck Socialist and Labor Movement —An 'Answer...
...The Communist leaders boasted that the Communists in these countries (where their influence is quite insignificant, as has been repeatedly shown in The New Leader) were organizing the masses for struggle against the "reactionary" Social Democratic ministers and leaders of the Social Democratic parties and trade unions...
...For jthe same seasons "Statin is for the moment interested in the preservation of the existing democratic regime in Chechoslovakia, France's military ally...
...For this reason the Comintern is now ready to sacrifice the old Communists line in Poland for a broad, anti-fascist or, rather, anti-Pilsudski "people's front," which would embrace even the arch-reactionary, anti-semttic Popularists-Democrats...
...It is this, war danger* that prompted the Soviet government to join' Ibe League of Nations, which it had previously denounced as a bourgeois deception and a conspiracy against Soviet Russia...
...We quote from his speech, published in this country under the title "Working Class Unity—Bulwark Against Fascism...
...No less is his concern for the maintenance and extension of the' military power of Franco...
...Of course, as a leading member of the League of Nations, Soviet Russia, will now have to join in sanctions against Italy, because it is not to the interests of Moscow to offend the League of Nations, upon which Soviet Russia relies in the event of a German or a joint Germane— Japanese attack...
...This, too, was a Stalin discovery...
...His interest in German democracy particularly is a new event, for until the advent of Hitler he aad his Comintern did everything possible to destroy democracy ia Germany, as they are still doing, ia ether countries...
...The strongest supporters in France of the military alliance with Russia are the Radicals, who constitute the most important element in the government...
...The Comintern has finally declared itself ready to defend the "remnants of bourgeois democracy" wherever they are threatened by fascism...
...But as all Ckecfa parties, even due most conservative, are bitterly hostile to Hitler Germany and stand firmly for the country's alliance with France, the Comintern cares little ss to which of these parties constitute the government in Czechoslovakia...
...It has abandoned also the corollary to this idea, namely, that Communists most not interfere with the progress of the fascist movement in any given country, since the triumph of fascism facilitated the ultimate victory of Communism...
...Comintern were to order also the Communists in Germany to abandon .their old policy and tactics and sot up is "people's front/* as in France, bat with an even more conservative program...
...Should this come to pass, the new "people's front" would be governed not by the interests of the German workers and international Socialism but by the simple fact that Soviet Russia is for the moment gravely concerned with the necessity of setting up in Germany an organisation friendly to Soviet Russia and embracing all elements opposed to the Nazi government...
...This was clearly demonstrated by delegates from democratic countries at the seventh congress of the Comintern, none of whom failed to emphasize that the aim of their parties remains, as before, the establishacent of a Soviet dictatorship...
...Ks a great mistake to HSgar, as we shall show, HBi his Comintern are Hprested in bringing BJh the international Is-' Bat and securing the Baf democracy in ALL Htar has the Comintern H sua of destroying the Hf labor movemeata, Hread carefully all the Hot at the seventh conH Comintern as publishHtsseow Pravda and in UT Communist InternaHji organ of the CominHto^eaiyjN^Mrthened Kby-sny geuaiae desire Kltoraatfoaal <Socldtom Bpttag '«ree behind the BBdront maneuver of the' pedienta aad necessity of Soviet diplomacy...
...The relations between-Moscow~hnd Mussolini have been/ friendly and cordial all these years, as the world knows...
...This war danger is also responsible for the conclusion by Soviet Russia of a military alliance with France and her efforts to win the friendship an cooperation of countries allied with France...
...This was openly advocated at the seventh congress of the Comintern...
...This unification Is possible only: "First, on condition of their complete independence of the bourgeoisie and the complete rupture of the bloc of Social Democracy with the bourgeoisie...
...In Poland, where a semi-dictatorial government is now in power, friendly to Germany and hostile to Russia, Moscow faces a different situation...
...Wo would not be surprised if Stalin's...
...By suitable tactics it is entirely possible to create a united front with the Social Democratic workers against their leaders sad the Social Democratic ministers'' (Pravda, August 7.19...
...The fact that they are opposed to Germany is quite sufficient for Stalin...
...The Motives of the Comintern ¦Mora is now ealliag K parties of all connHaiti J front with the K to joint defense of Kb* civil liberties...
...But we have not heard of Soviet Russia taking the lead in demands for sanctions against fascist Italy...
...He b ready to ally himself with these reactionaries, who are more important so far as the requirements of Ruesiat national policy are con eemed than the left wing Socialists of Poland...
...By Socialists Are Against a United Front With the Communists An Exposition of Communist Policy Here and Abroad—Comintern's Continued Efforts to Wreck Socialist and Labor Movement —An 'Answer to Dimitroff—Communism As 'Ally of Fascism and Reaction—Let Vs Have a United Front With Organized Labor—Milwaukee...
...This explains also Moscow's orders to the French Communists to enter into a united front not only with the Socialists bat also with the bourgeois radicals for "defease of the liberty and welfare of the French people...
...So is the extreme reactionary, semifascist party of Popularists-Demecrats, which for nationalist reasons, fearing Germany's power and distrusting her policy, is hostile to Germany and favors alliance with France.-It is extremely important for Soviet Russia to wean Poland from' Germany...
...Kaoogreas of the CoHp into the waste has-' Kcjr the entire philos¦ttnam upon which the H organizational policy Km was founded...
...Hwtem has abandoned Hat fascism paved the way for Communism...
...That is why the Communists in Czechoslovakia ding to their old policies,' although the possibility is not excluded that Stalin may find it advisable to adopt the same tactics for Czechoslovakia now in force in France...
...The Polish Socialists and peasant parties are opposed to their government's policy...
...For the first time in more than fifteen years Soviet Russia is contronted with a real, not' an imaginary, war danger...
...These are the three countries whose internal affairs affect profoundly the national interests af Russia...
...In similar vein were the remarks of the Communist loaders of Denmark, Norway and- Iceland (sea TProtxfa, August 1, 8 and 11, 1935...
...Comrade Dimitroff is quite right," said the leader of the Swedish Communist party, "when he points out that the existence of a Social Democratic government need not constitute an obstacle to the Communists in seeking to establish contact with the Social Democratic workers and trying to win them over to united action...
...opvid Shub Lsfave of the Labor BeHst International HJeeted the CominKal for a united Eve some who canHp this action...
...The Hjs abandoned the foun^pauranism as embodied Hjp twenty-one points Balaam in 1919...
...No longer does the Comintern cling to the policy that Communists must not interfere with the work of the /¦¦fiats for the destruction of democracy...
...Bridgeport and Reading Point the Way...
...In all these countries the united front remains an instrument for the destruction of the labor movement and the luring ol the working masses into the Communist party This is also frankb ed at the seventh congress of the Comintern...
...Heaee the great ceaasarn evinced by Statin in the preservation of the "remnants of bourgeois democracy" in France...
...kcent seventh ccnvHjboraintern open the Hp action between the W\ add Socialists t ¦Me /he fratricidal, ¦ere is a. way offered Emu of the questions ¦Je favoring a anit*4 l'r-r" th« speeches M)£ sido^AG^k oat fcfao HJT of the Comintern Bj former congresses, belled to agree with Ritalin is now eagagmSj liquidating ComEhf old Leninist form...
...The Soviet rulers are in deadly fear of an attack by Nazi Germany or a joint assault by Germany and japan...
...Have Bpmouinists changed BT on certain vital Hanpte and policy...
...The rise of a fascist government in France would create the serious danger of a Franco-German understanding at the expense of Russia, For Russia this would be a veritable catastrophe...
...Speaking at the congress, the Communist leaders of Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Iceland, in which countries Socialists are now directing the government, declared that these Socialist governments were supporting the capitalists aad "kulaks" and suppressing the workers...
...This was the policy which Stalin and his Comintern had preached in Germany, as owjwhaao else, before the advent of Hitler to power, a policy which contributed fundamentally to the victory of Hitlerism...
...Should the Nazi government, on the other hand, abandon its program of aggression against Soviet Russia, Moscow would let Germany alone entirely, which has been its policy with respect to fascist Italy...
...All italics are DimitrofTs...
...This "was also expressed clearly by Dimitroff, Stalin's new viceroy over the Comintern, in his speech before the congress...
...Stalin would not hesitate to conclude a united front with the German nationalists -and monarchists if they declared themselves opposed to the foreign policy of the Nazis...
...Moscow has even been supplying Italy with huge quantities of wheat, oil, coal tar and other products for use of the Italian armies in Ethiopia...
...Second, on condition that unity of action be first brought about...
...H* certain countries, the Km even declared itself Hjport coalition governHfhe Socialists sad even Kris liberals in order K nught be saved...
...This explains the orders wsaed tg SteMp to Jhe French visit to Moscow te atop their opposition to military preparedness and the armament program of the French government...
...Third, on condition that the ! necessity of the revolutionary overthrow of the rule of the bourgeoisie and the establishment of the dictatorship of the proletariat in the form of Soviets be recognised.'' As this passage clearly demonstrates, Stalin and the Comintern have no intention whatever to liquidate the Communist movement or give up their war upon the Socialist and labor movements in countries like England, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Holland, Belgium, CsechoslowakU or the United States...
...Stalin is not concerned about the archreactionary, anti-Semitic position ol the Popularists-Democrats in Poland...
...Stalin is not concerned with the fate of democracy anywhere, except in France, Germany and Poland...
...The Comintern has abandoned also the theory of "social fascism," i. e. the theory that the Socialists, too, were fascists, and that the Socialist parties constituted merely "the left wing of fascism...
...Reply to Dimitroff's Arguments Said Dimitroff: . "While it is sufficient for the establishment of the united front of the Communist and ' Social Democratic parties to have an agreement to struggle against fascism, the offensive of capital and war, the achievement of political unity is possible only oa the basis of a number of definite conditions htvolving principles...
Vol. 18 • November 1935 • No. 77
