The toiler. [volume] (Cleveland, Ohio) 1919-1922, 1921-03-19

the population OF Japan, which proflted
much by remaining outside the actual con-
flict, seizing the Asiatic continent, is So
100000; the population of England which
profited very much in the colonial sense, is
50,000000, making total of 200000,000.
Let us add few neutral States with small
populations, which became particularly rich
during the war, and we have quarter of a
billion. Thus you have a picture of the
dividing up of the entire earth as the re-
suit of the imperialistic war A billion and
a quarter of population of oppressed colonial
countries, which are partitioned alive like
Turkey, China, and Persia, and not more
than quarter of billion of population,
in countries which have maintained their
position in part in southern and central
America and in part of Europe, but which
have fallen into economic dependence on
America.
81 draw you this picture in detail because
all the fundamental contradictions Of i'm
perialism and capitalism which lead to rev.
olution, yes, and all the fundamental contra
dictions in the workmen's movement which
have led to the bitter fight against the II
International and have ended in our victory
(about which our president, Comrade Zinc
view, told you)--all this is closely bound up
with this dividing up of the earth, which is
Illustrated by these figures only in its
fundamental outlines.
Comrades, it is natural that on the
basis of such dividing up Of the earth the
exploitation Of financial capital, of capital
istic monopoly, should develop. Not only
the colonial and defeated countries are fal-
ling into position OF dependence but with
in each victorious country all these capital
site contradic' IONS also have deyeopel
Increase of Debts.
II shall show you this fact in brief out
line by certain examples Take, for example,
the debts. You all know how debt cbliga-
tions have increased. During the period
1914-1920 the debts of the most important
European States increased no less than
seven times. In this connection a paper by
an English diplomat, Keynes, entitled The
Economic Consequences of the Peace, is
most valuable.
Keynes, on instructions of his Govern
ment took part in the negotiations at Ver-
sailles, studied and observed the peace con-
ference from a purely bourgeois point of
view; and having studied it in detail, parti-
cipated as an economist in all its sessions
He came to a conclusion which is more
forceful, clear and constructive than any
conclusion Communist Revolutionary
might have reached. For an acknowledged
bourgeois, pitileSs opponent of Bolshevism,
makes these conclusions, and Boshevsm
presents itself to him, an English bourgeois,
in its most ridiculous and monstruous forms.
Keynes came to the conclusion that Europe,
by the Versailles peace, will bring the en-
tire world to bankruptcy, and he resigned
hurling his book as his farewell to his
Government and saying, You are doing a
senseless thing
He brings out the following figures Q
translate them into gold rubles, reckoning
pound sterling at 10 rubles) The United
States has assets of twelve billion rubles
Other countries are now its debtors, while
before the war United States owned Eng
land. Comrade Levy in his report at last
Congress in Germany, April IA, 1920, just
said, There remain in the entire world only
two countries which stand out as independ-
ent-England and America. OF these two
powers only America is absolutely independ-
ent financially. All other powers are in its
debt
England's Debt
"England's assets are seventeen billions
and her liabilities eight; that is, she has
becomd so per cent. debtor, in part, to
America. Further, England's assets include
six billion of the debt which Russia owes
her, Russia's debt for the Russian war con-
tracts filled by England. Quite recently,
when Comrade Krassin was talking with
Lloyd George about the commercial treaty,
Comrade Krassin declared to the leaders of
the English Government: If you expect to
receive anything on this debt, then you
are very much mistaken (Applause.) OF
course it is not that the Russian revolu-