Max Weiss - The Struggle Against Trotskyism

(A supplement to the article by Max Weiss in the February issue of Political Affairs )

Introduction

Since the end of the war the offensive of reaction has against been accompanied by an increase in Trotzkyist disruptive activity in the ranks of labor and progressive movements. Working to divide, disorientate and defeat the efforts of the American people to bring to fruition the aims for which the war was fought, the Trotzkyist fifth column of fascism is desperately trying to secure a foothold in the unions, among the Negro people, the youth and the veterans in order to be of better service to the forces of reaction:

Exposed and driven out of major sections of the labor movement during the war, the Trotzkyites have donned an "anti-fascist" mask and adopted new slogans and tactics in an effort to blur the memory of the labor movement of their nefarious work in behalf of fascism.

The struggle against Trotzkyist influence in the labor and progressive movement must again be placed as a central task before all Party members. Our Party is in the best position to expose their true aims and role and thus be of tremendous service to the labor movement and to peoples movements generally.

In order to do that most effectively it is necessary to eliminate from our ranks certain conceptions that may exist which have always proven to be an obstacle to the struggle against Trotzkyism.

1. Because of the treason trials and the exposure of Trotzkyism during the war, its rejection by the labor and progressive movement will be automatic and therefore presents no problem. This reasoning forgets that the Trotzkyites are trained and adept at adopted new masks with every new situation, and that it does not sail under its own flag when operating in mass organizations.
   
2. The Trotzkyites are insignificant organizationally and therefore cannot do much damage. This conception fails to take into account the material aid which the Trotzkyites receive from the reactionary forces with whom they are in constant collusion, as well as the fact that it does not take large numbers to destroy and disrupt.
   

In addition to the above, we may find, (among new members especially and those who are not acquainted with the role and activities of the Trotzkyites) a tendency to regard Trotzkyism as a section of the revolutionary movement, with a fantastic and unrealistic program, but nevertheless still a section of the working class movement. This conception leads to treating the Trotzkyites as a trend in the labor movement, with its attendant liberalism towards them, personal contact and discussions, and the danger, of unsuspecting members being influenced by, and "borrowing", their revolutionary sounding slogans, as well as enabling the Trotzkyites to secure access to information about the Party, etc.

Finally, there is a failure on the part of many Party members to realize that the Trotzkyites are constantly attempting to infiltrate into the Party to do their dirty work. This, coupled with an inability to recognize the Trotzkyist "line" and lack of knowledge of Trotzkyist methods of work, leads to relaxing of vigilance and endangers the security of the Party. Our past revisionist policies undoubtedly were a major factor in permitting "rotten liberalism" and lack of vigilance to develop.

Just as, in order to wage a successful struggle against fascism, it was necessary for the Communists and the working class movement to have a comprehensive understanding of its basis, its ideology and its methods, so must we understand the aims and methods of the agent of fascism and reaction, Trotzkyism, if our struggle to smash it is to be successful.

The following material is intended to help arm our members in this struggle and should be used as a supplement to the article by Max Weiss "Oust the Trotskyites from Labor's Ranks" in Political Affairs February, 1946.

Some suggested questions for discussion based both on this material and the Weiss article are also appended.

(A supplement to "Oust the Trotskyites from Labor's Ranks" by Max Weiss, Political Affairs February 1946)

Issued by:

State Education Committee

Communist Party of California

942 Market St. San Francisco

February 25, 1946

I. What is Trotzkyism?

Central to an understanding of the role of Trotzkyism, and to an effective struggle against it is the point made by Stalin in 1936, following the trials of the Trotskyist wreckers, in a critical analysis of the mistakes made by some Party members in dealing with Trotskyism.

"In carrying on the struggle against the Trotskyist agents, our Party comrades did not notice, they overlooked the fact that present day Trotskyism is no longer what it was, let us say, seven or eight years ago; that Trotskyism and the Trotskyites have passed through a serious evolution in this period which has utterly changed the face of Trotskyism; that in view of this, the struggle against Trotskyism and the method of struggle against it must be utterly changed. Our Party comrades did not notice that Trotskyism has ceased to be a political trend in the working class, that it has changed from the political trend in the working class which it was seven or eight years ago into a frantic and unprincipled gang of wreckers, diversionists, spies and murderers acting on the instructions of the intelligence services of foreign states.

"What is a political trend in the working class? A political trend in the working class is a group or a party which has its own definite political face, platform, and program, which does not and cannot hide its views from the working class, but on the contrary, openly and honestly carries on propaganda for its views in full view of the working class, does not fear to show its political face to the working class, does not fear to demonstrate its real aims and tasks to the working class, but, on the contrary, goes to the working class with open visor to convince it of the correctness of its views. In the past, seven or eight years ago, Trotskyism was one of such political trends in the working class, an anti-Leninist trend, it is true, and therefore profoundly mistaken, but nevertheless a political trend.

"Can it be said that present day Trotskyism, the 1936 Trotskyism, let us say, is a political trend in the working class? No this cannot be said. Why? Because the present day Trotskyites are afraid to show their real face tot he working class, are afraid to disclose their real aims and tasks to it, and carefully hide their political face from the working class, fearing that if the working class should learn of their real intentions, it will curse them as an alien people and drive them from it."

Stalin, Mastering Bolshevism , pp. 14-15

In order to understand this characterization fully, let us briefly review the actual development of Trotskyism from an anti-Leninist political trend into the agent of fascism which it has become.

II. Trotzkyism versus Leninism

A. In Russian, in the pre-revolutionary years, Trotskyism was an anti-Leninist trend in the working class movement which came into sharp conflict with the views of the Bolsheviks from 1903 on .

1) Denial of the revolutionary role of the peasantry

"First, Trotskyism is the theory of permanent (uninterrupted) revolution. And what is permanent revolution in its Trotskyist conception? It is revolution which fails to take the poor peasantry into account as a revolutionary force. In the words of Lenin, Comrade Trotsky's permanent revolution moans 'skipping' the peasant movement, means 'playing at seizing power'. Wherein lies its danger? In that such a revolution, if an attempt were made to realize it, would inevitably end in failure, for it would sever its all, i.e. the poor peasantry, from the Russian proletariat. This, too, explains the struggle which Leninism has been waging against Trotskyism ever since 1905. How does Comrade Trotsky evaluate Leninism from the point of view of this struggle? He regards it as a theory which contains 'anti-revolutionary 'features'. Upon what is this sullen opinion about Leninism based? It is based ont he fact that Leninism used to defend and successfully upheld at the time (1905) the idea of the dictatorship of the proletariat and of the peasantry . However, Comrade Trotsky does not confine himself to this sullen opinion. He goes further and asserts that: 'The whole structure of Leninism is at present based on lies and falsification and harbours the poisonous germs of its own decomposition' "....