The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-08-21

quered, IL soon became evident that
Russia was backward, where the evo-
luton of Socialism was concerned.
These two circumstances are closely
related to one another. The COM
parative backwardness and lack of
economic development in Soviet Rus
STA, lie, the large proportion of pea
SAINTS to industrial workers, produced
the peculiar character of our revolu-
ton, namely the union of the prole-
tariat with the peasants. 1t was this
union which made the country ripe
for revolution, and it is also this un-
ion which is producing the greatest
difficulties in the present period of
transition to Socialism.
To turn now to the agrarian ques-
ton. The commission received a de-
tailed report on the agrarian program
in its relation to the general program.
Lenin's theses on the agrarian Ques-
ton at the Second Congress, and the
theses of the Fourth Congress, were
taken as a foundation. The points
discussed were the following:
The attitude which should be adopt
ed towards the various bourgeois pro-
jects for agrarian reform, such as that
of dividing up large estates for the
benefit of poor peasants. The ques-
ton was asked, what should be the
attitude of the Communist program
to bourgeois plans of this kind?
The Communist Parties cannot af-
ford to take up an attitude of neutrali-
ty or of opposition to plans of this
kind, least of all when they have al
ready gained hold on the masses;
but neither must they be dragged
along at the heel of a movement of
this kind, they must take up the only
possible attitude, which is to drive
such movements further forward, and
to put forward demands which will
force them on towards revolution. For
instance, in relation to the bourgeois
schemes for agrarian reform, the de-
mand should without any compensa-
ton being paid for it to the owners
of the large estates. 1t is typical of
all these bourgeois projects Of agrar-
ian reform that the division OF land
is never suggested except in exchange
for compensation. We must hold firm
ly in our program to the demand that
distribution of land should always
take place without compensation.
Study Slow and Fast Tempo.
1t was further discussed whether
this attitude was equally suitable to
a slow and fast revolutionary tenn
pc, whether it was required because
a slowing down in the tempo of revo-
luton had been accepted. The COM
mission decided here that this was not
the case. The fact that we are obli-
ged to DIN in these movements is
dictated by the revolutionary situa-
ton itself. Then the question of
small and large scale farms was dis
cussed, with special reference to the
views represented by revisionists like
David. Specifically it might appear
that by supporting the division of
land at the present moment, we were
approaching, in some respects, the
point Of view of these revisionists.
but that is not the case. We look at
things from the point of view of revo-
lutionary strategy. David looks at
them from the point of view of re-
formist politics. We define our own
attitude by declaring that we take
our whole stand on the necessity for
large scale farming. In agriculture as
In other forms of production, we aim
at the development of large-scale pro-
duction. This means of course, that
We do everything that is possible, po-
litically and economically for this end,
but we must lay stress upon it as our
fundamental standpoint, because it is
the standpoint necessary for the de-
velopment of Socialism.