The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-09-13
CONTINUED from previous issue)

various Sections Of the Comintern in
connection with this question are due
to the fact that many of our comrades
are not yet rid of social democratic
theology. These mistakes can be said
to be Of four fundamental types, all
of which are survivals of the attitude
Of the Second International on the
national question. The first type of
these mistakes is personified in the
attitude of some Yugo-Slavian com
rades, especially of comrades Sima
Markovitch and Miliokovitch who are
now in prison. have already given
you fe,ures of the national compost
ton of the Yugo-Slayian Communist
Party. And yet, according to the op-
Unions of comrades Markovitch and
Miliokovitch the national question in
Serbia is purely bourgeois inven-
ton. According to comrade Marko-
witch the question as to whether
Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes are three
nations or one, is only a purely theo-
retical question which should not in
fluence the practical policy of the
party. Comrade Milikovitch goes
even further than that. He aserts
that in Yugo-Slavia there are no ma
tons, but only linguistic differenta-
tions. In his pamphlet National
Question in the Light of Marxism"
and in number Of articles published
in the organ Of the Yugo- SIavian Com
munist Parties, "Radnik," Comrade
Markoyiteh brings forward, as a prac-
tical slogan for the Communist Party,
the fight for the revision Of the con-
stitution, that is to say, he places the
whole question of national self-deter-
mination on constitutional basis.
Very characteristic is Comrade Mark
oyitch's attitude towards the Mace
DOMAIN question. You know that
Macedonia plays at present, after its
partition between Serbs, Greeks and
Bulgarians, the very same role in the
Balkans that the Balkans play in Eu-
rope. A fierce fight is being waged
around Macedonia, and especially
oAOuA40 LAAO 4uCOtAOAA VI du OutlCt lQlO
the Aegean Sea and the fight for the
port Of Salonica between the small
robbers in the Balkans. At the same
time, there is in Macedonia a strong
national movement for the re-estab-
lishment of an independent state
What is Comrade Markovitch's atti-
tuude to this national movement? In
his articles he expresses the opinion
that the Macedonian question is not
by any means Balkan but a Europ-
can problem, which cannot therefore
be finally solved before victory of
the European proletariat over the
bourgeoisie has been achieved. If the
question is put in this way, what will
be the result? Only passive atti-
tude Of the Communist Party to one of
the most burning questions which are
agitating the various Balkan nation
alities at present. A careful study OF
the situation will show you that the
origin of this kind Of view is to be
sought in the Second international.
Markovitch holds the view that the
proletariat must accept the bourgeois
state such as it has been created by
a series Of wars and violations. We
find signs Of this theory in the inter
probation of the national question by
the famous" Austrian school of thot.
lotto Bauer and Renner). In connec-
ton with the national question this
Austrian school of thot insisted on the
preservation OF the frontiers of the
former Austrian Empire at all cost.
Therefore. the entire national ques-
ton resolved itself for this school of
thot in country with as many ma
tionaIities as the former Austro-Hun-
gary, into fight for the revision of
tho constitution. Comrades, we know
that our Russian school of thot on the
national question declared war to the
knife on the Austrian school of thot on
that question. And nevertheless