The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-04-03
LOSOVSKY WRITES
ON REFORMISM IN
PRE-WAR UNIONS
The Third Kind Of Union
theology
BY A. LosovsKY.
General Secretary Of the Red Inter-
national Of Labor Unions.

national OF Labor Unions.
Finally. we have the third move
ment, the social-democratic trade
union movement. the most represen-
tative of which has been the German
and Austrian trade unions What are
the characteristics of this type Of
trade union organization? 1t has to a
certain degree been between trade
unionism and anarcho-syndicalism. In
theory the social-democrati trade
union movement arose from the ne
cessity of creating new social order.
Therefore, it has been different
than the pure trade unionism in that
it had as it's aims the problem Of
creating new society, or the destruc-
tion-under certain conditions-of
capitalism. 1t was socialistic in the
sense that it had socialistic ideas.
But we would be greatly mistaken If
we would mix the socialist ideas, or
in other words the socialist theory
and resolutions about socialism, with
the everyday practice-with the pre-
paration of the coming Of socialism.
The "oradualist" Idea.
The characteristic of the pre-war So
cial-democratic trade union movement
was the thought of the possibility of
arriving at the new society by gradual
transition, separate victories and sep
arate changes Of society. In this way,
the overthrow of capitalism was not
the aim of these unions, but the grad
ual change of society. And this de-
velopment of socialist from capital
list society they visioned as devel.
oped form of democracy, a developed
democratic society which spreads it's
democracy to the maximum. 1t is the
development from political democracy,
gradually becoming an economic and
social democracy.
This is the basis of the theory Of
the social-democratic trade union
movement. Socialism, from their point
Of view, is the legal son Of democracy.
1t should gradually grow out Of the
development Of democratic forms.
.Reformism and It's Aliases.
And now we see that the character
istic Of the social-democratic trade un-
ion movement which differentiates 1t
is what we call graduation" or slow
evolutionary steps from one form into
another. This idea has different
names In different countries, but in
general and more correctly it may be
understood as ''reformism," which
means the idea of gradual change OF
society by means of reforms.
In France that which we call grad.
uation" has had the name of ''pos-
siblism." In England the same thing
has been called "Fabianism," adopted
by the so-called Socialists who are for
slow, gradual transition from one
system into another.
General Strike is Party Business"
The social-democratic trade union
movement stands separate from the
socialdemocratic party. 1t believes
somewhat in a division of function:
The party has to do with politics, we,
the trade unions, have to do with eco
Monies. The general problems of the
labor movement are under the juris-
diction of the party, but we, the trade
unions, should only have to deal with
economics.
And it is interesting tnat there were
many cases where the trade unions of
Germany refused to consider the Ques-
ton of a general strike under the pre-
text that il was not under their juris-
diction, that it was the business of
the party.
The Three Main Streams Of Thought.
We have, therefore, three ideologi.
cal factions in the worlds trade union
movement, which, before the war,
were often in conflict with each other.
These conflicts were mostly conflicts
of leaders OF different countries, not.
withstanding the fact that these fac.
lions existed in every country. In
Germany, where the socialist move.
ment was most influential, the an.
archo.syndicalist movement was very
weak and mostly in so-called local
unions"
In France, where the anarcho-syn.
dicalist movement was the stronger,
alongside with It there existed a pow.
erful reformist trade union movement
OF pure German type. In America, and
England where they have a specific
type OF trade union movement, other
forms Of the trade union movement
also existed.
The above is an excerpt from Los
ovsky's famous book entitled, 1.-THE
Worlds Trade Union Movement" a
book Of 1926 pages which ls lnvalu-
able TO all who wish to understand
the labor movement II can be OBJ
tslned for so cents, postpaid, from
the 7. v. E. L., t1f3 Washington
Blvd, Chicago, III.
Carpet Weavers on p