Evening star., 1928-12-09
COMMUNISTS ARE LOSING
THEIR POWER In EUROPE
Masses of Common People Wooed for So
Long by Russians, Pictured as Re-
naming Cold to Doctrine.

British unions, as their Russian leaders
direct them to do at all costs, they Will
have less opportunity to express thenl-
selves than in the past and will oe
powerless to impede the present trend
of British labor toward policy OF CO.
operation with employerS-a policy
fiercely condemned by the Communists
throughout the world. The British La
Dor party has not heSitated to take the
step, which the trade-union movement
is trying to avoid, of refusing Com
munists the right to participate in its
affairs. Vexed with Communist tactics
within the party, the British Labor po-
litical movement ousted the Communist
leaders, and today British Labor cam
didateS are generally opposed by Com
munist candidates as well as by Liberals
and Tories. The British Communist or
ganization is. like nearly all Communist
efforts, a we'll disciplined and efficient
movement, but very small and quite un-
important. because 1t evokeS no wide
spread response among the masses.
German Reports Too High.
The German. Communists have suf-
fered much from internal dissension in
past years and today their appeal falls
on deaf ears for the most part. In the
membership of the Red Trade Union
International for 1927 Secretary Losov-
sky reported lone million" German
members whom he described as Com
munists belonging to the various Ger
man trade unions. Inasmuch as those
unions are SocialiStic and affiliated with
the international trade-union move
ment, which is uncompromisingly op-
posed to Communism, this figure can
not be given too great Importance. Nor
{e Ch0W thot
Communism is influential among the
German workers today. The Commun-
ist minority seems as impotent to mod
ify German trade-union policy as 1t IS
to affect in any way the course pur-
sued by the American Federation OF
Labor.
In France the Communist and nom
Communist trade unioniStS fought for
years for the control of the French
equivalent of the American Fedora
ton of Labor and in the end split into
two federations-one Communist ana
one nti-Communist. The principal
effect has been to weaken the position
of trade unionism in French industry
and to enable employers to pit one
group against the other. The Moscow
international has spent much time and
money in an effort to improve the
position of its French group, but 1t can
not be said that the bourgeoisie OF
France lose much sleep over the pros
poets of Communism in this country
At the last meeing of the Red Inter
national Secretary Losovsky found 1t
necessary to rebuke his French lieu
tenants for launching strikes with no
prospect Of carrying them to a sue
cesSful conclusion-a procedure slightly
disturbing to the smooth functioning of
the industrial machine, it is true, but
far more serious in its effect on the
morale and well-being of the working
men called out on fruitless strikes.
Reds Active Elsewhere.
From time to time the italian poll,
report the discovery of Communist ac
tivities in Italy. The special tribunal
for dealing with such cases DEGREES
prison sentences of from 3 to 90
years to convicted Communists. but the
number of underground" members of
the Italian Communist movement is
not large enough to constitute any Sc
rious force in italian affairs.
In Hungary for brief period
right after the war there was a Soviet
regime under Bella Kun. The reac-
tionary regime in Hungary has many
affinities with Fascism and is equally
severe on such Communists as come
within its clutches. Socialist Austria
is more lenient, but hardly more tole-
rant, for there as elsewhere the hatred
of Socialist for Communist and Com
munist for Socialist is more intense, if
possible. than that of bourgeois and
Communist.
The recent troubles in Greece gen.
orally are attributed to Communist ac-
tivities and Communists are in evidence.
but again it seems to be momentary
phase rather than a serious force in
political or economic affairs. Reports
from observers in the various Balkan
and Baltic countries agree that the
Communist movement there is diSinte-
grating rather than growing. The
nascent trade union movements which
the Communists struggled to control in
those countries seem to be disintegrat-
ing along with the Communists.