The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-01-06
From Strike to Revolution.

From Strike to Revolution.
1t seems a little strange that the
official organ of the Industrial Work
ers of the World, which supported
the strike of the Chinese seamen in
1922 and other great strikes in other
industries since that time when the
working class was the base and the
driving force of the nationalist move
ment directed against Imperialism,
should now be taking potshots at
these same workers and their revolu-
tionary party-which is the Commu-
mist Party-when their struggles have
developed to higher forn-that Of
open fighting against the capitalists,
landlords and militarists who have
sold out their country to the i'm
perialists, struggle in which work.
ers and peasants have joined and in
which they oppose their state instru-
ment - Soviets against the state
power of the imperialist agents.
Another Misconception.
But this attitude of Industrial Soil
darity does not seem so strange if
we read carefully the article in ques-
ton and find the writer saying that
there was "a controversy in the Rus
sian Communist Party, as TO whether
they had bet on the wrong horse in
supporting what is fundamentally a
bourgeois nationalist movement
(Chiang Kai-shek.)
The inference here is that basic
question of policy was involved and
that the question at issue was whether
nationalist movements in the colonies
should be supported by Communists
and the Communist International.
The Case and the Policy.
This was not the case. So far as
this question entered into the discus
sion at all it was relative to the
method and extent of the support
which should be given in this speci-
fic instance and the relationship of
class forces involved.
| The policy of the Communist Inter
national on the question of it's rela-
tons to nationalist revolutionary
movements was adopted at the Sec
ond Congress in 1920 and was for
INFLATED by Lenin. We quote some
extracts having a direct bearing on
the matter we are discussing:
Foreign Imperialism, imposed or
the Eastern peoples, prevented them
from developing socially and econo-
mically side by side with their fell
lows in Europe and America. Owing
to the imperialist policy of prevent
ing industrial development in the col
onies, proletarian class, in the
strict sense of the word, could not
come into existence there until re.
Gently.
The great bulk of the population
was kept in state Of illiteracy. As
a result of this policy, the spirit Of
revolt latent in every subject people
found it's expression only through the
small, educated middle class" (Oul
emphasis.)
The Role of the Middle Class.
We see then that the fact that ma
tionalist movements against imperial
ism usually are led by middle class
elements in their beginning is no
due to some arbitrary reason but hal
a historical foundation.
To continue the quotation from tn,
theses:
Foreign domination has obstructet
the free development of social forces
therefore, its overthrow is the frs
step towards revolution in the col
onies. So to help to overthrow tn,
foreign rule in the colonies is not t,
endorse the nationalist aspirations o
he native bourgeoisie, but to ope,
he way to the smothered proletaria
there. (Our emphasis.)
Here we see that Communists d.
not support nationalist movements
because they are fooled by the ma
tionalist leaders into believing tina
they are proletarian leaders but be