The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1926-11-11
Stains Speech

Reporting on the question of the opposition and
the situation within the party Stain laid bare the
history of the formation of the opposition bloc The
underlying ideas of that bloc were brought forth
for the first time by ZinOviev at the 14th Party
Congress and carried into effect in the July
Plenum The first attempts at preparatory I'M
derground work were blocked whereupon the OPP
position started its activities at the end of Sep
TENDER and the beginning of October in the factory
groups in Leningrad and Moscow.
Having suffered decisive defeat the opposition
then the 18th of October presented the Central
Committee with the wellknown statement admit
ting errors. The Central Committee agreed to ac
cept this statement althO it did not believe in the
sincerity of the signers The refusal of the opposi
ion to recognize the incOrrectness of their views
forced the Central Committee to call upon the
party to continue the theological struggle against
The opposition.
Lack of Principle.
Stain pointed out the utter lack of principles
of the opposition bloc, whose participants Zinoviev
ana Kameney only very recently looked upon
frOtskyism as a variety of menshevism, while
Trosly on the other hand, looked upon his present
allies opportunist. Stain emphasized that such
lack of principles must inevitably lead to the de
composition and the final breakup of the opposi
ton bloc.
The statement of Medvedev and Shliapnikov,
wherein they recognize their mistakes, is evidence
of further differences within the bloc and adds
another factor for its eventual decomposition.
The opposition is now merely awaiting favor
able moment to again act against the party. The
main question of difference between the party and
the opposition bloc is the question of the possibility
of a victory of socialism in the u S. s. r. Stain
quoted Lenins works proving that there existed for
a long time a divergence of concepts between Lenin-
ism and Trotskyism.
LeninIsm VS.. Trotskyisn.
Unlike Trotskyism, Leninism believes in the
possibility of the victory Of socialism in one
try 1t is convinced that the proletariat in Russia
having seized power, cannot only hold it, but can
use it to organize socialist economy On the ques-
ton Of the possibility Of the victory of socialism
in the U. S. S. r., Trotskyism is approaching the
views of sOcial-demOcracy. For this reason,
TrOtslxy's and the opposition blocs views are char
acterized in the theses of the Central Committee
a drift toward social democratic views.
Leninism also rejects the theory of TrOtskyism
which maintains that there exists an inevitablity
Of conflict between the workers and the peasantry.
Leninism, the contrary, admits the possibility
Of socialist construction in alliance with the peas
antry, and under direction of the working class.
Stain emphasizes the possibility of victory of
socialist construction in the u s. s. r., but pointed
TO the dangers of military interference of the cap
italist countries with view to hquidate by force
the internal socialist progress of the country.
Weakens Dissemination.
Trotskyism weakens the revolutionary deter
minatioh of the proletariat. Without confidence
in the possibility of the construction of socialism,
the workers cannot consciously take part in this
construction. Any slowing up Of revolutionary
struetion in the U. S. s. r. by the loss of revolu-
tonary confidence of the workers will also retard
the Development of international revolution. ="
The opposition also denies the partial stabiliza-
ton Of capitalism, and puts forth the slogan that
the Communists in the western countries must ig-
more or even quit the trade unions They demand
the dissolution Of the Anglo-Russian committee.
They also demand the industrialization Of the U.
S. S. r. within six months. From this originates
the adventurous noicy of the opposition bloc