Democratic Socialism Marches to Victory

...In Denmark, Sweden and Norway the governments are composed either entirely of Social Democrats or of a majority Of Social Democrats...

...De Man is a member of the present coalition government in Belgium, as is Spaak, former leader of the left wing in Belgium, upon whom "revolutionary*' Socialists in all countries had placed so much hope...

...Both in Czechoslovakia and Belgium the majority of the ministers are liberals and radicals, but the Socialists in these countries play a great role in the governments and their influence is constantly increasing...

...The French Socialist Party is in a state of great confusion...

...But the same sanation, by a majority of 9? ~o»« 69, rejected the propositi:, ef ft* leftists tor a united front via p Communists...

...This was to have been expected...

...The Communists, who proclaim themselves as more revolutionary than the - Socialists and had millions of voters behind them, found themselves in the same helpless situation in which the Socialists were caught...

...This was interpreted in some left circles as a renunciation of "reformism" and a turn to the left...

...Genattn who was re-elected editor ofJb botnik, central organ of the jure The leadership of the pMQr-h...

...to strengthen their force-,, teles' pare energetically for ow -an general election, in order teak ture a majority together withm other republican p* pointed out that the workaaa Spain were a distinct naaato, that Spain could not ounpatl dictatorship of the pnoietsna But the majority of the aeeatht Party followed Cabeuere...

...Whatever may happen to the united front in France, a peculiarly French concoction, dictated by Moscow and Its immediate interests, the fact is that «e Trench Socialist Party, so far as its own policy is concerned, is now much more to the right in practice, however much it may continue to utter "revolutionary^ phrases...

...To be sure, bad the Communists cooperated with the Socialists in the years preceding the advent of Hitler instead of helping the Hitler movement fight the Socialists and the republic, history would have taken a different course and fascism would have been averted...

...supported by the aahek...

...In Denmark the Social Democrats have been the ruling party for the last seven years...

...Events since the upheaval in Germany have disproved the contentions of the left...

...All right wing members were re-elected to the Ceato Committee of the party...

...Treedosr...

...Some of its leaders, ojEe ColCNare turning more and more toward the right...

...In France, the Socialist Party has always been more to the left than the Socialists of other countries...

...But the situation as developed under this united front has resulted in the Socialist Party being pushed under Communist pressure more and more to the right...

...There is no disagreement among Socialists in fascist and semifascist countries on the necessity of conducting a revolutionary struggle against fascism...

...In Sweden and Denmark the labor movement is marching from victory to victory under the banner of democratic Socialism...

...The left wing elements in England are negligible...

...Both the Czech and German Social Democratic parties in Czechoslovakia have always been firm adherents of democratic Socialism...

...What is the position of leftwing "revolutionary** Socialism in the fascist and semi-faseist countries ? It is true that some German Socialists swung to...

...In Czechoslovakia and Belgium the Social Democrats are also represented in the governments, where the Socialist ministers are a minority, however...

...Atom attempt at forcible setae.-* bound to strengthen the res*}** and crest* s real basis far fsscha Under the influence of fa events in Germany sad Austa leftist tendencies had become men pronounced also in the Polish Socialist Party (PJVS...

...They have raised the power and prestige of Socialism to higher degree than ever before...

...They proved that any mass of workers seeking to stand up against a well armed government, supported by considerable masses of the people ignorant of their own best interests, are bound to meet with defeat and disappointment...

...The prime ministers of all three countries are Social Democrats...

...The Norwegian Labor Party has abandoned all talk of armed revolution and similar nonsense and, functioning' as it is in a democratic country, it has abandoned also all talk of "workers' democracy," which is merely a camouflage for the famous or infamous "dictatorship of the proletariat...

...At the same congress, bowever, the party declared that it would never again enter into coalition with bourgeois parties, but would concentrate its energies on propaganda for the De Man plan...

...wl Until 1934 the Spanish Seaaa...

...The leftists everywhere were sure that their day had come...

...Norway Swings Right In Norway, where "leftism" had been in the saddle for a number of years until recently, we observe the same evolution...

...The resntfa* a tragic defeat af the veaaa Julian Besteiro and nhst ak ciaust right wing .eases tat warned against the acveahaeq1 the uprising...

...But in' a short time the Belgian Labor Party discovered that it could not dodge government responsibility without injuring seriously the interests of the working class...

...The Social Democratic Party of Holland has never wavered from its allegiance to democratic principles and policies...

...A Fatal Poiicy In October...

...This is not leit afe 'SeeUltsm hot right wh*g3 Detaeeraey...

...The Socialist League has not been able to muster a membership of more than 8,000...

...In the ejfl tlon of 1934 the conservathaV liberal parties won a <»nsiaaS majority in parliament...

...Socialist Revolts Doomed It would be criminal from the point of view of the best interests Lof Socialism to deny the sad fact that in Austria and Spain the majority of the people were against the Socialist uprisings...

...It is, likewise, an undeniable fact that had the German Socialists tried to oppose Hitler by force and to prevent his appoinment as Chancellor, they would have met with defeat...

...But all these reforms, except the last, were carried oat in Russia by the Provisional Government immediately after the downfall of Curiam and no one ever thought of calling that government a "dictatorship of the proletariat...

...Restoration ef a democratic constitution in place of the criminal dictatorship new in power" is the basic demand of the German Social Democracy...

...the left immediately after the triumph of Hitleriam and declared that after the downfall of Hitler the dictatorship of the proletariat would be established in Germany with the purpose of immediately introducing Socialism...

...To achieve this the Social Democrats are ready to saito with all tWMNMal parties apposed to Kaaiaa Z dictatorship...

...After the failure of the Austrian and Spanish uprisings and the growing realisation on the part of the world as a whole that fascism as a social and economic experiment was a ghastly failure, even such left wing Socialists as Robert Grimm of Switzerland were compelled to admit that the only alternative the Socialists in all countries had open to them was not capitalism versus "workers' democracy" bat "freedom or force, tew or lawlessness, slavery or the free development of peoples...

...It is probably the mast rightist patty la the Socialist International...

...fascist revolution, that tat oi way to avoid the victory of fisdn was to join in a united froaT-iS the Communists and other *nm lutionsry elements," to seke 90** through sn armed sprishif at establish the "dictatorship "efX proletariat...

...All other leftist resolutions were voted dews br trsr...

...By David Shub *pHE victory- of fascism in Germany brought a painful crisis in the ranks of world Socialism...

...Party was dominated V'nq a Ike tight wing but under SI fluence of the tragic evaakkS Germany and Austria :t nana sharply to the left...

...Thinking workers everywhere have realized |hat without the support of the majority of the nation and control of the armed forces of the state, the organized Socialist working class cannot assert itself victori'anjtjr...

...During the early period of the present economic crisis a left wins...

...It concluded with the words: "Through freedom to Socialism and through Socialism to freedom r Demand Democracy That the German Social Democracy remains the party of freedom and equality for all citizens is constantly emphasised by the "Neuer Vorwarts" and other official organs of the German Social Democracy...

...The policies of the Norwegian Labor Government and the methods of the Norwegian Labor Party differ little, if at all, from those of the Social Democratic parties of Sweden and Denmark...

...They urged tht#> cialists and trade unionists to |a> band their resources, to rnaoa...

...They have also perceived, in greater measure than ever before, that in democratic countries, where the workers have the means of bringing about a Socialist majority, armed uprisings are both superfluous and suicidal...

...The reason for this is obvious: in all countries in question the left wing has become absorbed by the Communists...

...Vital Tasks Ahead "Net the realization of Socialism Is oar immediate task, bat the defense of the rights of the people against those who waat to tike them away and destroy them, for the rights of the people are the foundation of the proletarian movement," declared the Zurich Volks stimme last year, official organ of the Swiss Social Democracy, which had previously taken a pronounced 'leftist'' position...

...True, the program declared that such a parliament would be convoked only after the old reactionary officials and judges will have been dismissed, equality of race and religion restored, the property of the junkers and landowners confiscated and divided smortg the poor peasants and cooperatives af agricultural i workers, and the heavy industries taken from their owners and socialized...

...A left wing group, which broke away from the party some years ago, has never been able to make the slightest impression, even after it had combined with the Communists...

...At the recent senatorial elections the French Socialists entered into a coalition not only with the, radicals but with even much more moderate bourgeois groups...

...Nor are the Communists a formidable force in the two countries mentioned, except as instruments for mischief...

...In Sweden the "reformist" Social Democrats have been advancing steadily to power...

...At a special congress the party adopted the now famous plan of action developed by De Man...

...Democratic Socialism Marches to Victory Workers in Nearly All Countries Repudiate Ideas and Methods of Dictatorship—Democracy and Freedom Embraced by Toilers as Instruments Essential to Emancipation—A Review of Recent Developments in the International Socialist Movement—Experience Demonstrates Superiority of Social Democracy Over Left-Wing Illusions...

...democratic j viewpoint and now it is more than ever pledged to democracy as the, instrument for the realisation of Socialism...

...But this confusion and bewilderment have disappeared...

...In such countries democracy cannot be restored by peaceful means...

...At one time it was even affiliated with the Communist International, but in the last few years there has been a steady drift in the direction of democratic Socialism, which brought the Norwegian Labor Party to control of the government, although, as in the other Scandinavian countries, it has not yet won a majority...

...With the elections oi «i hi rusry the Spanish Scciahtttaai left-liberal parties h»v mhanj to power...

...The new program of the German Social Democracy did not reject the idea of democracy...

...The only difference would have been that the number of victims would have been much greater in Germany...

...The victory off fascism in the surrounding countries has confirmed them more than ever in the truth and efficacy of democratic Socialism and has strengthened their love of freedom, their hatred of dictatorship of any kind and their conviction that the growth of the Socialist and labor movement and the victory of Socialism are possible only under a democracy, through democratic means...

...We have no space here to discuss the reasons...

...Of a* eleven members of the nev Intra 1 Committee only one bad a been a member of the »M On tral Committee...

...At s invention held in Warsaw twe jap ago, the party adopted a rem tion favoring the "dictate rskiyf the proletariat in the trsasfl period from capitalism to a cialism...

...The crisis and accompanying widespread unemployment served as fertile soil for the propaganda of the left wing elements...

...As a consequence, we witness the anomaly of the French Socialist Party being pushed to the right in internal policy while negotiating for "organic unity" with the Communists on the basis of acceptance of the dictatorship of the proletariat...

...This is also the position, with Creator emphasis than ever, of ¦mat other Socialist parties...

...Until recently the Norwegian Labor . Party was very much inclined to the left...

...The uprisings in Austria and Spain, which followed after the Hitler counter-revolution in Germany, proved to the workers in all countries the impossibility of successful armed insurrection in the present advanced state of military technique...

...Democratic Socialism is gaining the upper hand almost everywhere ever left wiag illusions...

...It was the first Socialist Party to begin the practice of constructive coalition with the advanced liberal parties...

...This is in accordance with the needs of the Stalin dictatorship in Russia, which has a military alliance with France...

...19*4, these n** were put into effect by taala Wingers, Anarchists, Syodhmfat and Communists...

...am Socialism are bound together, m freedom is one of our most MOV demands," wrote Nledstolkndi member of the Centra...

...The Independent Labor Party is in the last stages of disintegration...

...Their ehetoas tadtaet be the consolidation of 1 net ato through political means...

...In all these conntries, whh the sole exception of France, the left wings are negligible...

...tendency appeared in Belgium, with the demand that the Labor Party renounce Us "reformism" and go in for "revolutionary" tactics...

...The German Social Democrats have no intention of abandoning the program and policies of democratic Socialism...

...Their immediate goal, however, is not the dictatorship ef the proletariat but restoration of a free, democratic Germany...

...We see, therefore, that in all democratic countries in Europe, with the single exception of France, the Socialist parties are now "reformist," i.e., that they continue to be opposed to any form Of dictatorship and keep their faces set firmly against any irresponsible adventures with armed insurrection or aspirations to minority rule...

...In the elections last year the party received 46 per cent of the total vote...

...The great majority of the membership of the Socialist Party indorsed this as necessary to the defense of the country ajrahwt w% encroachments ef fascism...

...The so-called "revolutionary" Socialists declared that Hitler's victory in Germany was the consequence of .the -false," "reformist" tactics of the German Social Democracy and that if the Socialist workers of * other countries wished to avoid die fate that befell the German workers they would have to renounce "reformism" and follow a revolutionary program and tactics...

...Hence the German Social Democrats are organizing the masses for revolutionary struggle against Hitler...

...The British Labor Party has re«*uned steadfast in.it...

...This fact, combined with the fact that the opponents of the Socialists had at their disposal overwhelming military resources, doomed the Socialist uprisings to failure, however heroic we Socialists may consider them to have been...

...The trench Socialist Party is the only party operating in a democratic country which has entered into a united front with the Communists...

...It not only re-entered the government but is pursuing the same policies which have led to the Socialist successes in Sweden, Denmark and Norway...

...Yet the new program evolved by the German Social Democracy two years ago declared clearly that the revolutionary government that would succeed Hitler would convoke a parliament based upon "general, equal, direct and secret franchise...

...And in all countries, with the exceptions of .France and Czechoslovakia, the Communist movement itself is of no significance...

...tlS Csbalkro and his left wfarV "lowers thereupon leclaraj at Spain was on the verge ^p...

...At the parliamentary elections in Switzerland last year the Social Democratic Party emphasised both in its platform and campaign that it believed only in democratic aims and methods for the realization of its program, that it aimed at the establishment of Socialism through democracy...

...With the downfall of the German Social Democracy the opponents of Socialism in all countries declared triumphantly that international Socialism had received an irreparable blow from which it could not recover...

...remained firmly in the >.*aii <L democratic Socialist* and tbt Mjg has demonstrated clearly fhd t has no intention of breakta* »9> from other democratic # ments of Poland or suoruasunp...

...To be sure, the victory of Hitler fascism in Germany had, at first, crested great confusion and bewilderment in the ranks of international Socialism...

...Reformist1* Socialism The Belgian Labor Party was always a "reformist" party...

...majorities...

...Hitler and his henchmen would have had an added excuse in saying that they saved the country from Bolshevism and from civil war and that the Socialists were responsible for the bloodshed...

...Oat again the lessen was rnpenaai that a minority, novevsr has* and karate, cannot stoat a again: the weapons of e nana stat...