File spoon-archives/marxism-general.archive/marxism-general_1997/marxism-general.9709, message 142


Date: Sat, 20 Sep 1997 23:40:47 -0400 (EDT)
From: Louis N Proyect <lnp3-AT-columbia.edu>
Subject: M-G: Re: M-TH: Wall street pathognominics


Bedggood:
Why should Trotsky oppose  "Bolshevisation" since that was what was
necessary? The German revolution failed ultimately because of the lack of
a Bolshevik party. But to merge the form and content 
of Bolshevisation in order to then say that Trotsky did not oppose the
bureaucratisation of the Comintern under Zinoviev, Bukharin etc is
bullshit. 

Louis P:
Nobody opposes "Bolshevization" in the sense of needing a revolutionary
party. Why are you evading the point I am making? The "Bolshevization" I
am referring to is the organizational principles adopted at the 1924 World
Congress of the Comintern. They codify the wretched practices that had
become commonplace in the preceding 3 years in which the Russian
Communists, especially Trotsky, thought that it was normal to dictate to
other Communist Parties what should go on the front pages of their
newspaper, etc. He also instructed the head of the German Communist Party
what date that a bid for power should be launched. This is not the way to
build Bolshevik Parties. It is the way to nip them in the bud. Trotsky's
imperious attitudes and Zinoviev's organizational guidelines were adopted
wholesale by the Fourth International. Healy's madness doesn't come from
bad genes. It comes from the ordinary madness incubated in the Comintern
well before Stalin's assumption of power.

Bedggood:
Relying upon "national" impressions and not the Comintern instructions led
to a second abortive adventure in 1921.  Then the failure of the leading
figures of the Comintern[excluding Trotsky] to understand the potential
for revolution in 1923 led to the final defeat of the German revolution.  

Louis P:
What a pack of lies. The German party certainly DID RELY on Comintern
instructions. Early in 1921, the German Communists received a surprise
visit from a three emissaries from the Comintern, who were led by Bela
Kun, who had led an unsuccessful revolt in Hungary 2 years earlier and was
now on official duty in Germany to give the Communists there the benefit
of his wisdom.

The party, Kun advised, must take the offensive even it had to resort to
provocative measures. Once the Communists launched an offensive, 2 to 3
million German workers were bound to follow their bold lead. When he
revealed his ideas to veteran Communist Clara Zetkin, she was shocked. She
went immediately to Paul Levi and stated that a witness must be present at
all future conversations with Kun, who she regarded as an adventurer
despite his Comintern credentials.

The 1921 uprising was defeated. Then, the entire Comintern--NOT JUST
TROTSKY--decided a year and a half later that Germany was ripe for
revolution. The plan was submitted by Karl Radek and everybody but Stalin
was enthusiastic. Zinoviev wrote in October 1923, "in the cities the
workers are definitely numerically superior and" and "the forthcoming
German revolution will be a proletarian class revolution. The 22 million
German workers who make up its army represent the cornerstone of the
international proletariat."

The German revolution became the dominant theme of Russian politics from
that moment on. Workers agreed to a wage freeze in order to help subsidize
the German uprising. Women were asked at public meetings to donate their
wedding rings and other valuables for the German cause. Revolutionary
slogans were coined, like "German Steam Hammer and Soviet Bread will
Conquer the World!"

Everybody in Russia was sold on the plan. Unfortunately, the head of the
German Communist Party, a mediocrity by the name of Brandler, was not.
Trotsky talked him into the plan. Trotsky, you see, was a very powerful
figure and Brandler was easily swayed. The problem, however, is that
easily swayed people are not very good at leading the masses. As it turned
out, the German masses in 1923 pretty much ignored the CP.

You might ask yourself how the German Communists ended up with a
mediocrity like Brandler running things. There had been much more talented
people in the leadership before Brandler. But they got on the wrong side
of the Comintern brass and lost their jobs. This is not the way to build
revolutionary parties. It is the way to build sects. Every Fourth
International has functioned in exactly the same top-down manner as the
early Comintern. Healy ran his gang that way; so did Pablo. Bedggood would
run the LCMRI in exactly the same way, but history has moved on. Instead
of a new Fourth International arising out of the dozen or two people in
Bedggood's gang, what you are much more likely to see is efforts to build
revolutionary parties that are much more in harmony with the genuine
Bolshevik party rather than the Zinovievist caricature Bedggood clutches
to his bosom.





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