The Daily Worker Newspaper, July 4, 1925, Page 9

The World Historical Importance of the Events in Shanghai By GREGORY ZINOVIEV. E movement began with the most modest economic demands—the Chinese workers demanded the eight- hour day for juvenile workers, the ten-hour day for adults, and one day’s rest in seven; demands which the workers of the advanced capitalist countries put forward half a century ago. The movement became a profound political event, which has assumed world historical importance. From the demand for the eight- hour day to the demand for the evac- uation of China by the foreign troops! For this the Chinese workers needed in all only a few days. The working masses in Russia—after a long period of preparation—likewise traversed an analogous road at a very rapid pace, The troops of the English and Japan- ese imperialists have now furnished the Chinese workers with just a les- son as, in their time, the reactionary troops of Nicolas Romanoff, who was spattered with the blood of the peo- ple, gave to the Russian workers. EH Russian workers in their time learned thru painful and bloody experience the connection between economics and politics. And the strug- gle of the Russian workers became converted more and more into a poli- tical struggle, and ever louder and louder resounded the “cry of the peo- ple’: down with despotism! The Chinese workers are now learning by ; painful and bloody experience, mot only the connection between econom- ics and politics in general, but also the connection between economics in China and international politics, the politics of bloody imperialism. The troops of the English and Jap- anese imperialists have shot down dozens of Chinese workers and also students who suppoterd them. The English gendarmes have arrested workers employed in the electric pow- er stations and water-works in Shang- hai., These sections of the workers of ai have been compelled to work at the mouth of the revolver— in the literal sense of the word. Not- withstanding, the strike is extending to a general strike and the movement is spreading and growing. The slo- gans of the fight against international imperialism are growing louder and more powerful; the workers of Shang- hai are coming forward more and more decidedly as the leaders of the general movement of the broad mass- es of the people of China. HE English, Japanese and Ameri- can imperialists are sending-ur- gent war signals to their warships and are dispatching them to the “scene of action.” One need not be a prophet in order to predict that the hate of the hundreds of millions of Chinese people against the foreign capitalist robbers will become all the more deep- er and that their:demand: “Clear out of China” will resound all the louder. INGLISH and Japanese imperial- ism, and especially the first, can- not live without plundering the colon- ies and semi-colonial countries. With- out the predatory plundering of such countries as China there would be no excess profits, there would be no pos- sibility of. bribing the labor aristoc- racy in their own countries. There are only two alternatives: either plundering of the colonies or hasten- ing the proletarian revolution in its own country, This is the issue which faces English capitalism. The dia- lecties of history are working in such a manner that it is precisely the pressure upon the colonies which is hastening the ripening of the national liberation movement in the east and which, in turn, is also expediting the proletarian revolution in imperialist England. “Fifty-one per cent of the proleta- riat are less than 20 per cent when, among the 51 per cent there exists imperialist infection .and petty bour- geois resistance.” So wrote Lenin in a sketch on the dictatorship of the proletariat. HE reason why for a long time the revolutionary weight of the Eng- lish proletariat was so insignificant, was precisely because with the Eng- lish working class there existed many elements of “imperialist infection” and petty bourgeois opposition to the idea of the proletarian revoltuion. The present rapid revolutionizing of the English working class which has just set in, is bound up in the closest man- ner with the commencing decline of English imperialism. The growth of the revolutionary self-consciousness of the working class in the suppressed countries (colonies and _ semi-colon- ies), and the decline of “imperialist infection” in the proletariat of the suppressing countries, is a parallel process. The working class in China repre- sents a much smaller portion of the population than 20 per cent (six mil- lion among 400 million). But it is clear that, under favorable conditions, the Chinese working class can and will become the leader of the whole great national liberation movement of China, when one takes into consider- ation the following: 1. The working class, thanks to its situation, cannot be infected with the “great power” ideas of imperialism, on the contrary, the entire situation compels it to take over the role of leader of the whole of the people against the foreign capitalists who are oppressing them. 2. The advance-guard of the Eu- ropean proletariat who are led by the| Communist International, recognize the enormous importance of the Chin- ese working class, and illuminate for it its historical way with the torch of Leninism. 3. revolution (the Soviet Union) consti- tutes an ideal revolutionary point of support for the growing revolutionary movement in all colonies and depend- ent countries, among them being China, 4. In all the prominet centers of China (Shanghai, Hankau, Pekin, Tsingtao, Nanking, etc) the Chinese proletariat constitutes a numerically important group. In Shanghai, for ex- ample, there are over 200,000 workers. 5. The majority of the population of China is keenly interested in throw- ing off the foreign imperialist yoke, and ever greater masses of the peo- ple of China are awakening to the conscious struggle against world im- ' perialism, 3 The first victorious proletarian |: The Chinese peasantry in par- gus are being driven by the whole | situation to support the working class, N view of the general situation | | | which has arisen in China and the level already attained by the national | liberation movement, the reprisals of | English and Japanese imperialism will only add fuel to the flames, Executive of the Comintern was ab- solutely right when, foreseeing the al- teration of the line of march of the proletarian world revoltuion, pointed out that the revolutionary events in the east were ripening with much greater rapidity than was to be ex-| pected, and that*no partial “stabiliz- ing” of the capitalist west would be capable of postponing the victory of the proletarian revolution for any great length of time. The events in Shanghai serve as an example of the events in the whole of China, in India, Java, etc. In India, among a population of 350,000,000, THE FATAL BITE It’s More Than He Can Chew. there are eight million workers; in Egypt, among a population of 20 mil- lion, one and one-half to two million workers; in Java two and a half mil- lion workers among a population of over 30 millions. Im all these coun- tries there exist to a greater or less degree those six conditions which we indicated above. In all these colonial and dependent countries, the work- ing class, if conditions are in any way favorable, will certainly succeed in impressing their stamp upon the great liberation movement of these countries. HE revolt of the proletariat against the bourgeoisie of its own country, plus the revolt of the peoples in the colonies and in the de- The recent session of the Enlarged pendent countries’—this, delcared Comrade Lenin, was the essence of the international revolution. Now this formula is being clothed more and more with flesh and blood. The time is no longer distant when there will begin the great appeal petween Shang- hai and Calcutta, Hankau and Madres, Tsingtao and Cairo, Pekin and Alex- andria. And at the same time the revolutionary appeal between these centers of the colonial and dependent countries on the one hand, and the proletariat of London, New York, Tokio and Paris on the other hand, | | | will grow and become stronger. China and in Egypt the affair has a ready come to the occupation of fac- tories anc works by the workers. In India the movement of the workers is growing and extending. ‘The sheet- lightening of the revolutionary move- ment in the east is piercing the dark- ness of black reaction which is hang- ing over all countries. The demand of the workers of Shanghai for the evacuation of China by the foreign imperialist troops will find a powerful response, not only in Moscow and Leningrad, but in all the capital cities of the world. The Eng- lish trade unions are beginning to ful- fill their international proletarian duty. The more European capitalism, which is being “stabilized,” scorns and oppresses the workers of “its own” country, the more will the European proletarians cast aside the narrow- ness of European “provincialism” and give more attention and support to 7 on the revolutionary movement in the colonies and semi-colonies. T is not so many weeks since the Communist International for the first time pronounced the word “stab- ilization” (partial “stabilization” of capitalism in Europe). The events which have occurred in the few weeks that have passed since that time have shown with sufficient clearness to what a great extent the political stab- ilization of the world situation is only relative. The war in Morocco, the events in Shanghai, the increase of unemploy- ment in England, the victory of Hin- denburg in Germany, the events in Bulgaria, the signs of a financial crisis in France, etc.—all this goes to show that capitalism is doomed to decay, and that the international proletariat led by he Communist International, will be its grave-digger. “The cause of the workers in Shang- hai is our cause,” the advance-guard of the European proletariat will say. The textile workers, the printers, the railway workers of Shanghai, the Chinese proletarians, are occupying the front ranks in the proletarian world war. We are heart and soul with the Chinese workers. Give this copy to your shop-mate. _————