The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-10-25


destruction of productive forces I'M
precedented in history; it led to the
immediate humiliation Of gigantic
means of production and Of the best
living forces of humanity; it caused
an unheard Of waste Of energy as
result of the use of productive power
for unproductive purposes.
The total disorganizaticn OF the
worlds traffic thus brought about, the
chaos in the division of labor hitherto
obtaining turnout the world, the col
lapse of the reciprocal and regulated
modes Of payment, the disturbed rates
of exchange, and the unprecedented
state debts, ll'these factors intensity
still more the ruin of capitalist world
economics.
The imperialistic economic system
underwent essential changes, for the
colonial and semi-colonial countries
took advantage Of the slackening Of
the imperialist grip to gain for them
selves greater economic independence.
This circumstance undermined the
sources of the affluenee of the mother
countries, and intensified the general
crisis.
All the above stated fundamental
facts Of the war and postwar periods
are expressed in the diminution Of
the total income of society.
The diminution of the collective in
come of society led in the first place
to an acuter struggle in the re-division
of income, not only in the competitive
struggles of the colonies with the
mother countries, but in the class war
Of the proletariat against the bour-
geoise, in which the intermediate
groups display the tendency to join
the proletariat in those cases where
they have particularly SUFFERED during
the war.
The postwar position of capitalism
can in general be characterized as be-
ing absolutely unstable in every
sphere of it's existence: esonomic, pO-
htical, social, and even on the ideolo-
gical and cultural fields; for in the
background Of the general crisis there
appear obvious signs of the decompo-
sition of the bourgeoisie, the return
to religion, to mysticism, to occultism,
and so forth, which demonstrate the
coming fall of bourgeois civilization.
The period of capitalist decay will
not be kept in check by part restora-
ton of its regime and in the further
development of productive forces.
Every fresh development of capitalism
at the same time develops its contra
dictions, revealing the inevitability of
even greater conflicts, involving even
more formidable and destructive me-
thods (e. g. chemical warfare), and
meuaciDg the further existence of hui
man society.
5. The Breach In the Imperialist Front
and the Epoch of Social Revolution.
The growing intensification OF the
class war, which became apparent dur
ing the war itself, led to breach be-
ing made thru the imperialist front at
its most vulnerable spot-Russia.
The November revolution of the
Russian proletariat, which was able
to overthrow the bourgeois regime,
thanks to specially favorable fighting
conditions, started a new era of in
ternational revolution, and became the
hrst ink in the chat
The proletarian urrisings which fol
lowed the Russian revolution, and
which ended IN the defeat of the pro
letariat after brief victory FINLAND,
Hungary, Bavaria), or which remain
ed standing halfway, owing to the
treachery of the social-democrats who
were actively engaged against reyo-
lutionary Communism austria, Ger
many, formed stages in the general
development Of international revolu-
tion-stages in which the bourgeois
illnsions are being shattered and the
forces of Communist revolution are
being modified and consolidated.
1t is just for the above reasons that
the mere fact Of the existence of the
Soviet Union is of such significance
as an organizing center of the proIe-