pean radicals and Mensheviks, Social Democracy of Europe... Social Democracy has been issued an - and i do not at all sa) this for polemical purposes render pollical ala capitalism in placing Europe on rations.
What is the Social Democracy of Germany, of France now actually doing? What Lne throughout Europe study this closely and ponder over it.
They themselves and they are trying to instill in the working masses the religion of Americanism.
They teaching, or trying to teach, the toiling mases that Europe cannot maintain herself without the pacifying role of American capitalism and its loans. They are leading the opposition to their own bourgeoisie, as, exalloic. do the Cerman socia patriots - an opposition not from the standpoint of the proletarian revolution, nor from the standpoint of some sort of reforms, but from the standDUllil of exposing the bourgeoisie as intemperate, incapable CHaT VIISEC reaching an agreement humane, democratic, capitalism of America.
This is now the central question of une pollucal lite or curope. especially of Germany. In words, the democracy is becoming, very eyes, the political American capitalism.
Is this development expected or unexpected? If we recall _ and it is hardly a case that calls for recollection that the Social Democracy is the agency of the bourgeoisie, clear that the Deconc degeneration, become the agency of the strongest and most powerful bourgeoisie, bourgeoisie of bourgeoisies. This is the American bourgeoisie.
To Lne that Can las undertakes Lne 'unifying' Europe, Europe and 'educating' Europe how to cope with the questions of reparations, and so on, and to the extent that the purse is in the hands of the American bourgeoisie, to that extent the entire dependence of the German social Democracv upon the German bourgeoisie, and of the French Social upon their bourgeoisie in France is gradually transferred to the chief master. American Yes, a great master has come to Europe, American capitalism. And it only natural that the democracy should assume a position politıcally dependent on the master of its masters. This is the basic fact for present condition and the present policy of the Second Those who grasp this clearly will fail to understand the of today cyclis tomorrow and will keep sliding on the surface, subsisting on generalities.
vote that: deserves another! The prepares une American capitalism; it runs ahead of the chariot, talks of the salutary role of American capitalism. sweeps the road, cleans away the bestows blessings. This is not unimportant work!
Imperialism is accustomed to sending missionaries ahead. The savages in the colonies usually shot the priest, and sometimes ate him. Then the warrior was sent to avenge the saintly one, and hard on the heels of the warrior came the merchant and the administrator.
order to colonise turope. to transform the latter into an American dominion of a new type, capitalism has no need of sending priest-missionaries to Europe. On the on the curopean there is a political party whose entire educating German greedy, social with the Trotskv pacifist other social before our of it will social is bound to the American asK 'pacifying own social do not of alla service social rubbish, task consists in people the gospel rings or in ideone writings Chicago STOCK Menshevism.
German Social Democracy American Cultucil. shown the violence with which inter-imperialist competition can politics. Less clearly understood on the left however is the way in shaped by the relation and competition between the imperialist United States in particular which have been the key international development shaping the politics of the European social democratic parties. This is perceptively discussed in the followCommon benefits from the imperialist powers. The colossal economic power of the United States after World War I led the European social democratic parUnited States to the policy of their A similar development took place after World War Il when the United Dues democratic leaders such as Gaitskell looked directly to an alliance with the United States — and US presidents Kinnock proclaiming to the seeking, according Woodrow Wilson, the evangel accorthe holy markets. precisely the mission of present-day But. I repeat. one service deserves another! The Mensheviks gain not a Anally nue inereby. As a maller or lace, te German not so long ago had to assume the direct armed defence of its own bourgeoisie, the same bourgeoisie that marched nonder to shoulder win me asciss. Noske is, after all, the figure that VOU symbolises the postwar policy of the Renaudel, Blum, Noske looked to US presidents such as Woodrow Wilson equivalent of Marshall Aid after World War I was the Dawes plan to But with the relative decline of the economic power of the United States powers to striking blows against them Kennedy was the last American president to enjoy mass popular supimperialist competition between the Market outed.
Italy, Gonzales in Spain, Kinnock in to look towards the EEC, and not the United States, for their base of supdon a cloak of 'anti-Americanism' to gain popular support. By these means SIDOr. dination of the West European working classes to the West European ruling classes. In a number of cases this involved direct coalition with proMitterrand German Social Democracy.
And today? Today it has a different role. Today the German Social Democracy permits itself the luxury of being in an opposition. It criticises its own bourgeoisie and thereby keeps a certain distance between itself and the parties of capitalism.
does criticise its own bourgeoisie? It says: You are selt dull-witted, cunning, here is a bourgeoisie on other side of the Atlantic which is, first of all, rich and powerful; secondly, it is humane, reformist and pacifist, and it has again come to us and wants to give 800 million marks cash in order to restore the currency And this sounds very well in Ger- the gold mark! But you, the bourgeoisie, al l obstreperous. After you have pulled our dear fatherland up to its ears in the swamp of poverty, how dare you be so stubborn before the American bourgeoisie? we shall expose mercilessly the eves of ine popular masses of Germany!.
The 'Euro-Tories' of the type of Owen, Steel, and others found their equivalent in the 'Euro-socialists' of Craxi or Gonzales.
The following speech given by Trotsky in 1923 entitlPerspectives Revolution, graphically illustrates the mechanisms by imperialist only ruling class but also working politics.
Owen This is spoken almost in the tones of a revolutionary defense of the American bourgeoisie. This is the paradox of the German Social Democratic Party The same thing applies to France. Of course, political situation in France, and in consonance with the more respectable reputation O1 but everything in this country takes place on the sly and in modulated tones. But essentially the same thing is being done there 1o0.
Blum, Renaudel and Jean Longuet bears full responsibility for the Versailles Peace and for the occupation of the Ruhr territory.
After all, as we all know, it is already incontestable loday inal ine Herriot government, the Socialists, stands for maintaining the occupation of the Ruhr. But now the French Socialists are enabled 1o say their ally Americans clear the Ruhr under such and such conarions: doll... croach Renaudel, bourgeoisie working class. subjecting the French bourgeoisie to the will of the American bourgeoisie. It ought not to be forgotten that the bourgeoisie owes 3,700 dollars lo ine American bourgoisie. This means something!
Ac catal! topple the French time pleases. Of course, the American bourgeoisie will not encroach on the franc. Oh, no! After all, the American bourgeoisie has come to Europe to restore order and not to bring ruin. It will not en. but it can encroach, if it so wishes. Everything is in its hands.
against the background of this debt of almost four billion dollars, the arguments of Blum and others have a rather convincing ring in the ears of the French bourgeoisie At the same time the Social Democracy in Gerisa enabled an oppose cos ories enabled oppose carry on 'oppositionist' policies on some concrete questions, and thereby regain the confidence of a certain section of the