The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-04-12
By BITTELMAN and CANNON

Olgln on the Workers Party policy
in the elections for 1924 is based
upon two fundamental errors.
IA mis-conception of the stra-
tegy and tactics Of the Communist
International.
IA wrong analysis of the eco
nomic and political forces operating
within the framework of present.
day America.
Strategy and Tactics of the Com
munist international
The strategy of the Communist In
ternational consists of the mODiliza-
ton Of the working class and all
other oppressed groups that can be
allied with it for an aggressive strug-
gle against capitalist exploitation, for
the destruction of the capitalist state,
and the establishment of the Dictat-
orship of the Proletariat.
From this it follows that a Com
munist Party, which is the one to
carry on this strategy, must itself be
a fighting organization linked up
with every phase of the class strug-
gle and moving along consciously
and persistently in the direction of
the final proletarian struggle for
power.
The class struggle does not de-
velop along straight lines. Its ways
are devious and complicated. AS
Trotzky said, ''In politics the short
est distance between two points is a
zig-zag." The thesis does not follow
the method of Lenin when it at
tempts to speak of Straight, and
"direct" and "unyielding'' policy as
opposed to a policy of devious ways,
political Vaccinations or obscure
paths.
A policy is correct. Com munist
and revolutionary if it promotes,
deepens and intensifies the class
struggle; if it accentuates class
divisions and solidifies the working
class as against the capitalist class
and if it strengthens the Communist
Party and broadens its influence over
the laboring masses.
A policy which satisfies the above
requirements is a good Communist
policy, irrespective of whether the
line of its path is straight, broken
or circular. The shape of the line
of our tactics is determined, not by
our free will but by the prevailing
conditions of the class struggle.
The thesis is wrong and non-Marx-
ian, and manifests a failure to I'M
derstand the fundamentals of Com
munist strategy, when it attempts to
du mp all n-proletarian groupings
into one reaetionsry heap which is to
be condemned and fought against al
ways in the same measure and with
the same tactics. The established
strategy of the Communist Interna-
tional, which is based on a MARKHAM
conception of capitalist society, al
ways differentiates between the i'm
mediate interests of the various
groups and strata of the non-prole-
tartan classes for the double purpose,
of % mobilizing at given moment
the greatest possible force of anti
capitalist opposition, and (2) win
ming over all the exploited and op-
pressed elements to the proletarian
cause thereby bringing about the iso-
lation of the capitalist class. The
thesis sins heavily against this prin-
ciple of strategy and also against the
actual facts involved in the third
PARTY movement when it proposes to
treat this movement, which is a re-
volt against big capital, precisely as
we treat the republican and demo-
cratic parties, which are the parties
of big capital.
And, lastly, the whole thesis is
pervaded with spirit of pessimism,
passivity and fear of tackling a
complicated situation, which is alto
gether out of proportion to and I'M
justified by the known facts of the
present situation and the established
policies of the C. ]. This spirit is
peculiarly reminiscent of an attitude
formerly shared by certain sections
of our movement that the beginning
and end of all Communist activities
is propaganda of Communis m
straightforward, unyielding preach
ire Of Communist principles. II is