The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-07-15
The Little Nations and the War
Policy of British Imperialism
By B. SMERAL.

By B. SMERAL.
Capitalistic Great Britain is at
present engaged in a desperate fight
to retain its position Of power. 1t was
a vanguard Of European capitalism in
the historic period of its prime. 1t
is now passing through an acute
phase Of the process of decline and
decay of the capitalist system. The
British bourgeoisie is now conscious
where the greatest enemy of capital
ism is.
The rage of British capitalism
against the Soviet Union, the prepar-
alton for a new large-scale war is
not mere accidently and temporary
phenomenon. For a number Of years
capitalistic Great Britain will play in
world politics the role of the principal
active power of international Reac-
ton, the centre Of systematic organi-
sation of the world counter-revolu-
ton, the enemy of the Soviet Union
and of the instigator of fresh con-
flagration of war In order to prevent
this crime, the proletariat and the
oppressed of the whole world must rise
in singleness of purpose.
1t is the old tradition Of the foreign
and military policy of the British
bourgeoisie not to pursue its own
ends with it's own means, but at the
cost of foreign property and with the
help of foreign blood Ever since the
| Napoleonic wars capitalistic Great
Britain has always concentrated its
attention chiefly upon that country
which it regarded as next to itself
in point of power and consequently
as its greatest opponent. Against
this country it. has then constantly
sought by means of hypocritical slog-
ans to incite as many other countries
as possible to join in the fight. AS
far as possible it has held itself in
reserve, saving its strength for the
moment to come when the booty
should be divided and preparing to
violate and break the instruments of
its policy. One could only expect that
the British bourgeoisie would try at
the present time to employ these tao
tics against the Soviet Union.
All the steps taken by British dip
lomacy indicate that one of the means
upon which capitalistic Great Britain
/ IS reckoning on the vassalage of the
little States of the Balkans, of Central
Europe and on the Baltic. Will these
countries enter the service of this
crime? The bourgeoisie of the little
States is naturally capable and pre-
pared, against payment, to allow the
population to die for foreign interests.
But the toiling masses are beginning
to grasp the consequences of British
policy and. under the influence of
class-conscious workers, will not al
low themselves to be led into the
wanton adventure of new war. The
true interests of their countries mill
tate against it.
This is not question of the class
interests of the proletariat. 1t is
clear and natural that these are COM
pletely opposed to the war policy of
British imperialism. But what have
the little nations as such to expect
in the perspective of the policy of
capitalistic Great Britain? In i'm
portant strata of the population of
the little States the national consider
alton, the consideration of national
! i11janerdapoo ,o1oxrc
The British capitalists would gladly
erect in the Soviet Union in place of
the Soviet regime the Czarist, ma
tionalistic regime of big landowners,
generals and capitalists. Would such
Russia be more advantageous than
the Soviet regime for the national in
dependence of the little nations along
its frontier? The little nations in the
| Balkans, in Central Europe and in
Eastern Europe rely for their national
independence upon the principal of
self-determination. In the whole
world Of today there is, however, no
great power which must oppose the
principle Of the national right Of self
determination 70 forcefully as capital
istic Great Britain, threatened, as it
is, by the liberation movement of the
oppressed colonial peoples. On ac-
count of its general position, Great
Britain is compelled to hamper the
! Industrial development II the little
States in the Balkans, in Central |
Europe and in Eastern Europe and to
fierce them down to the lowest rank
of agrsrian countries, i'll order that |
they may not be industrial competi-
tors but markets and colonies.
n e #
The distant perspective OF British |
policy are, however. much more dang |
circus for the little countries. II |
British capitalists really succeed in
destroying the industry Of the little |
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