The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-03-26

peaceful" neutrality-suspicious.? If we give the
of utra-imperialism to the international coal
ton of national imperialisms Tor, more correctly
of imperialism divided according to states) which
might" the petty bourgeois from the con-
flicts which particularly unpleasant and exct-
ing to him and which disturb his peace such as war
and political upheavals-c we not avoid the
epoch of Imperialism, which has already set in,
which is already with us, which is unstable and full
of conflicts, by innocent dreams of an "utra-im-
perialism" which is comparatively peaceful, COM
paratively free from catastrophes and conflicts?
Would it not in the way be possible to avoid
the urgent" tasks which have been set and are
being set by the imperalist epoch, by deuding our
selves with the idea that this epoch may possibly
not last long and that it is conceivable that it may
be followed by comparatively peaceful" ultra
rmperialist" era, which demands no rigorous" tao
tics? Kautsky actually says: Anyhow, new
phase of capitalism of this kind (ultra-imperialst)
is thinkable We lack sufficient preliminary evil
dence to decide whether it can be realized" ("Neue
Zeit" ,.
There is not the least trace of Marxism in this
endeavor to avoid the imperalist era on which we
have entered and to lose ourselves in dreams of an
unknown something, perhaps of an "ultra-imperial-
ISM which may be realized In this construction,
MarScsm is recognized only for that new "phase
of capitalism" with regard to which its inventor
himself could not guarantee that its realization was
possible. In the phase OF development, which has
already set in in which living today, petty
bourgeois and thoroughly reactionary endeavor to
sfhoothe out contradictions, is being dished up in
stead of Marxism. Kautslsy gaveshis promise to
be MarXist in the future full of catasrophes and
conflicts, which he could not fail to foresee and
the coming Of which he admitted unreservedy when
in 1909, he wrote about the future. Today, when
it cannot be denied that this time has come Kautsy
again merely gives his promise to be Marsist in
the future, in an ultra-imperialist era which will
perhaps never be realized Briefly he makes MANY
promises to be a Marxist, but at some other time
not today, not under present circumstances not in
the present epoch Marxism on credit, Marxism
as promise, MarXism-tomorrow, but today a
petty bourgeois, opportunist theory-and not theory
alone-of smoothing down contradictions This is
a kind of export internationasm" which is so
widespread nowadays" which the enthusiastic-and
how enthusastic-international and Marxists
sympathize with any expression of internationalism
lin the camp of their opponents, wherever you like
as long as it is not in their house, not amongst
their own allies; they sympathize with democracy
AS long as it remains nothing but promise
OF the allies; they sympathize with the self
determination of the peoples" with the excep-
ton of that which depends on the nation to which
the sympathizers in question belong In brief.
one of the thousand and one species of hypocrisy.
Can anyone dispute that after Imperialism new
capitalist phase of development can be Imagined"
in the abstract? No, we at least imagine such
a phase in the abstract In practice however it
means becoming an opportunsJ VINO SHUTS his eyes
to the urgent tasks of the present in order to in
dulge in vague dreams about Tess urgent" tasks
in the future In theory this means that they do not
rely on the development as it actally exists, but
detach themselves from it for the sake of these
dreams. There can be no doubt that development is
tending towards the formation of an alI-embracing
world trust which will include all undertakings
and all states without exception. This development
however, is proceeding at such rate, in such cir
cumstances, with such contradictions, conflicts and
upheavas-not only economic but also of political
national etc-that even before we arrive at an
Contemporaries" world alliance of national finan-
cial capital Imperialism will inevitably collapse and
capitalism will turn into its opposite.
December 1915