The Daily Worker Newspaper, November 29, 1924, Page 5

“The idea becomes. power when it pene- trates the masses.” —Karl Marx. —— Speech of Comrade Zinoviév at the Opening of the Course of Instruction for Party Functionaries. I should like to make a few: observa- tions regarding the most urgent ques- tion of world politics—the Anglo- Russian relations. “Democracy” and MacDonald. The MacDonald government took office about nine months ‘ago. It was the day of the death of Viadimir I- ytch. The whole Second International endeavored to characterise the taking _ over of the government by MacDonald as a tremendously important histor- ical event. One of the so-called “so- cialists,” the “democratic” president of the Czecho-Slovakian~ Republic, Massaryk, regarded it as symbolic that MacDonald entered office on the . Same day on which Vladimir Iyitch died. .He said: “That is the replacement of one sys- tem by another.” “I noted in my diary on the 21st of January the news re- garding the voting. in the English - parliament, which decided the entry of MacDonald into office: On the 22nd _ of this month I noted the news of the - death of Lenin. Lenin departed precisely on the day on which the - vote. took place if} London over the “Rew government... In England, social democracy triumphed without a bloody revolution, in Russia it tion. That ‘is. to’ say, - Marxian tactics were victorious, But ‘in England there triumphed the more mature Marx. -The revolutionary of the ‘old tactics’ the tactics of blood departed. The revolutionary of the ‘new’ (bloodless) tactics arrived.” This idea is common to many states- men of “democratic” Europe and of the whole Second International. They all believed that the entry of the labor “ party into office really opened up a new era, and that its rule would tics of the Communist International. the advantages of the so-called peace- ful democratic tactics’ of tive” socialism. However the inlaiboiohhets elections may end, there is not the least doubt that they will mark a certain conclu- sion to the past nine months. MacDon- ald himself has for long been an ap- ostle of petty-bourgeois, or as he him- self calls it, “constructive socialism.” He was often ridiculed by Vladimir Ilyitch and subjected to a’ merciless and cutting criticism: The représen- tatives of this ‘constructive social- ism” have only overlooked a trifling thing, and that is, that MacDonald succeeded to power, not through the will of the working clase, -conscious capitalism, but by the. “will of: the . bourgeoisie, and that: therefore his rule Could not be otherwise than ex- ‘tremely uncertain: Whenever Bald- win and Lioyd- George usly- desired it, they only had to wink— and MacDonald was no more. Lloyd George and Baldwin have often at- , tempted to bec » not only with the 6, but also, ey bags, war § Setbetana! oceupation troops men be _ to -y remove,” not a sham labor mint, bu€! the *real aoytnh t Bh gj 23 yeti They for aes +e had with us th Se] with, Hs 2 7p othe moots of oun Or ES Ee iced: thi + me tle" ey eave to fn the eyes Of the workers and tried to kid them that the MacDonald gov- lc ocenesoeenmeantnenencenmeneneenamnmmensmiennenemmnaiimeramedipemm inate anaemic an anaiantene tare REE Oe RE De ne eae aS ‘triumphed by means of bloody revolu- | in England | mean the greatest blow for the tac-. _ They wished clearly to ‘demonstrate | by the example of this event in Eng-|. land, the richest country in Europe, |. “construc: |. the conservatives and the liberals in- of its interests.and victorious - over. SPECIAL MAGAZINE SUPPLEMENT THE DAILY WoO! ew tema NOVEMBER 29, 1924. power: by the working class. They characterised a peculiar parliamen- tary combination, originating in the special English conditions, as the vic- tory of a new peaceful tactic of “con- structive socialism.” did the liberals and conservatives. Engels and also Lenin in a more con- crete form often pointed out the fact that the English bourgeoisié, which in consequence: of the enormous profits derived from the colonies, was How the “Labor Government” Camelin a more privileged position than into Power. Parliamentary elections have taken place rather frequently of late in England;.in. the years 1922, 1923 and now in 1924. In 1922 the conseryatives were. victorious. In the elections in 1923 the conservatives lost 89 seats. This was the direct -consequence of the conflict which had arisen be- tween them and the liberals... The conservatives obtained 257 seats, the jabor..party 192, the liberals 156. At this time the policy of the con- servative party, the personification of which was the notorious Lord Curzon, began. to create great indignation among the masses of English people. It was impossible to continue the pol- icy of ‘the brutal, arch-reactionary, big landowner Lord Curzon. In con- Sequence of this the cleavage between creased. In consequence of the squabbles of these two chief parties, who for decades past, on the basis of ‘the famous two-party system, have al- ternately gucceeded one another, it ‘was decided to make a venture and give MacDonald a chance of govern ing, as. both parties were firmly con- viniced that he would not betray them. place the support of the liberals, as he had no majority in parliament and as he was not accustomed “to revol- utionary measures. This experiment {doles lasted about nine months. Why Was MacDonald Turned Out? _The- Bago Bar now arises why the "tana out at | s, although : n que Ss was. ndiat. 5 ers un MacDonald recived in the first | that of‘ other European countries and could allow itself the luxury of em- ploying a few. ‘crumbs from these: ex- tra profits in order to bribe the high- er strata of the working class. MacDonald did not even allow him- self his luxury. The Home Policy of the Labor Gov- ernment. As regards fihancial policy, MacDon- ald practically carried through the Curzon budget. He put forward the excuse to the workers that he had ae SECOND SECTION This magazine supple- ment will appear every Saturday in The Daily Worker. The Lessons of MacDonaldism of five dreadnoughts ‘because that provided. work for 2000 workers. Whereupon an old worker, the secre- tary of a trade. union, asked whether he would perhaps declare a little war in order tO employ a further number of unemployed: The Prognostication of the Comintern has Proved to be Correct. How do things stand with regard to foréign politics? In this connection I will quote from an article I wrote on the 23rd of February, 1924 entitled “Five Years of the Comintern.” With reference to the fate of the MacDon- ald government I indicated four pos- sibilities: “1. The MacDonald government will only remain for a short period, and will be overthrown in a short time “no time” to prepare a budget for|py a simple adverse vote, leaving this year: The reformist leaders of the English trade unions. who are not THE GIANT AND THE PIGMY. hard to satisfy accepted this excuse. The second most important question of English home policy and which con cerns all members of the trade unions is that of umemployment. It was ex- pected that the MacDonald -govern- ment would help the unemployed. Mac- Donald greatly disappointed the work- wages, limitation of output, not only jare not socialism, but may mislead the spirit and the policy of the socialist. movement.” This shows that “he was ted also ‘against industrial strikes in or- er that he might help the English ie as much» ‘as possible, ; He granted money for the building five dreddnoughts, he continued the licy, of militarism, instead of mak- ; gradually noticeable traces however behind it. “2. MacDonald and Co.may adap! themselves to such an extent to the decisive groups of English imperial- ists, that the latter may deem it ad- visable to let them remain longer in office in order to carry on imperialist policy, and that at the same time thoroughly to discredited the present “labor” party in the eyes of the Eng- © lish working class and thereby to cause disappointment and confusion in its ranks. “2. A process of differentiation can also set in within the working class itself. The left wing will become stronger, the working niasses will exert pressure upon the “Jabor” government and enforce ef- fective” measures for the alleviation of the Iffe of the workers. MacDonald, Clynes and Henderson will of course offer resistance to the demands of the workers. All this will create the pre- requisites for the formation of a Com- munist mass party in England. “4; The ‘labor’ government, in spite of the incapability and the counter-revolutionary character of its. , members will, under the pressure of ' the..masses, to a certain extent ex- | press the mood of the lowér strata of | the workers. tween the labor government of MacDonald and the bourgeoisie which can ® a relatively short: time mark | the beginning of the sharpening of the crisis in England into a revolu- tionary crisis. “In so far as itis possible to predict the develapment of events, it is highly improbable that the first and the fourth perspective will be realized. It , is more probable that the second and | third prospective will be realized.” We have come very near the truth. If you follow the foreign policy of MacDonald you will see that the re- ‘sult ofthe first nine months of his ’ government fulfill the two possibil- fties predicted by us, "|The English Bourgeoisie Wanted, by . Means of MacDonald, to Compromise thé. Labor Party in the oy 4 the” rs Colonial Peeples. : There ke, the 1 com that the ' ‘played ith MacDonald as 4 a with a mouse, this is particularly the case with regard to foreign policy. In 1923 Curzon made himself im- possible, chiefly because he conduc- ° a too open and brutal foreign pol- . iy, especially towards the Soviet Re-- public and the English colonies. In _ the English colonies especially in In- diay upon which the fate of England | depends, great hopes have been set for many years upon the labor party. an end of it-as he promiséd. be-|/The masses of the Imdian people said: the, elections. And when he was|““When the labor party comes into proached with this at the confer-|power they will carry on another ions. As regards the. warhiig class /ence of the labor party he sheltered | policy in India. Then India will be policy, he often represented the cause | himself behind the unemployed and able to breathe freely.” _ornment signified an actual seizure of of the working class much worse than|declared, he sanctioned the building | (Continued on page 8) A struggle is arising be- i