The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-02-11
UNIONS, BASIS
OF new ORDER,
NEED A PARTY
Craft and Industrial
Union Limitations
BY N. LENIN.


and trade distinctions among the
workers, it, at the same time brings
out the trade unions within which,
in time, can and viii develop broader
Industrial forms embracing whole in
dustries; and which will abolish all
trade and craft distinctions, eventually
bridge the gulf between intellectual
and manual labor. The workers then
become universally educated, trained
and equipped to accomplish all their
necessary tasks.
Communism tends toward and must
accomplish this, but thru a long
process Of development. To go into
raptures over this inevitable growth
and to expect these industrial unions
Of themselves to grow into a full
| hedged and perfect Communist society
is as criminally foolish as to expect a
/ four-year-old girl to become a mother.
At the best, this is ridiculous and
puerile, and at worst, nasty crime.
Realism Needed-Not Fantasy.
We should and must begin to con-
struct Communist society, not out of
fantastic notions nor from artifcially
and man-created materials, but from
such materials as are at hand and
inherited from capitalist society. 1t
is self-evident that this is a difficult
task to accomplish, but any other
means to achieve this end is pure cir
convention and unworthy Of serious
consideration.
The trade unions IN the early period
of capitalism represented a great ad-
vance by the working class. during
the transition from their helpless and
unorganized condition to the begin
ming of class unity.
When higher form of class unity
Of the proletariat begins to develop
the revolutionary political party of the
proletariat would be unworthy of it's
name if it failed to understand how
to connect their leaders with the
working class and the masses in one
integral whole.
1t is inevitable that the trade un-
ions will show reactionary craft
narrowness and conservative charac-
teristics. But there can be no other
process Of development of the probe
tarlat than thru the trade unions and
the reciprocal influence of the work
ing class party.
! Functions of Communists In Trade
Unions.
The conquest of political power by
the proletariat is a tremendous step
forward. The mission of the party is
to educate the trade unions to use
new tactics instead of old ones to
lead them, and at the same time to
remember that the unions are and will
be for a long time schools of Com
munism" and preparatory schools for
the realization Of the proletarian
dictatorship.
The unions are necessary TO achieve
the solidarity of the workers in order
to take over the administration of all
the industries of the entire country
by the working class as a whole and
not by the individual trade or indus
trial unions.
Patient Leadership Required.
Even under the proletarian dfuta,
torship some forms Of reaction are
unavoidable within the trade unions.
Not to understand this means not to
have the slightest conception of the
fundamental conditions obtaining in
the transition period from capitalism
to Communism.
To fear this backwardness Of the
trade unions, to attempt to oircum-
vent 1t, to try to escape, is NONSENSE.
cal and indicates a lack of faith in the
role which the proletarian vanguard
must assume as the instructor, the
leader, and the beacon which attracts
TO the new life the lowest strata and
the backward elements of the masses,
the working class and peasantry.
To postpone, however, the realixa,
ton OF the dictatorship Of the prole.
tariat, until the last reactionary trade
unionist or workingman relinquishes
his craft or trade union bias, would
be a profound mistake.
The Art Of Politics.
The art Of politics, the proper IN.
Outstanding by Communists OF their
problems, consists in correctly consid-
ering and diseounting the conditions
and the moment when the proletarian
vanguard may successfully conquer
political power; TO be able to imme.
diately obtain sufficient support from
the non-proletarian elements OF the
laboring masses. and afterward to be
able TO safeguard and maintain their
power and to extend It, educating,
leading and attracting the whole labor.
ing masses.
Help Insure