The daily worker., 1929-07-26

belonging to the exploiting class
must not be permitted to serve in
the ranks.
C. The Proletariat's Attitude To-
ward Armies in Colonial and
Semi Colonial Countries.
With the opening of the pc
riod of national revolutions and wars
of oppressed nations against impe-
rialism, the military question as
sumed decisive Importance in all CO.
lonial and semi-colonial countries.
This is true of countries which are,
or have been, in a state of war. with
imperialism (China, Morocco, Syria,
Nicaragua) as well as of those coun-
tries in which open war is not yet
being conducted (India, Egypt, Mex
leo, the Philippines, Korea). Clearly,
the military question in relation to
national wars against Imperialism
must be formulated differently from
that in relation to imperialist states.
1t must not be forgotten that two
altogether different types of armies
exist in these countries at the pres
cnt time. On the one hand we have
national armies (Which are not al
ways revolutionary armies) and on
the other hand we have imperialist
armies (which are either expedi-
tionary forces dispatched from the
home country or armies consisting
of natives of other colonial coun-
tries or else armies recruited in the
given colonial country. In China
we have both types of armies and
also an example of how national
armies become practically converted
into imperialist armies. After Chang
Kai-shek's coup, the Southern ma
tional army became transformed
into an army practically serving i'm
perialist aims, Obviously, the at
titude of the proletariat and of the
revolutionary toiling masses toward
these two types Of armies must be
different. With regard to the ma
tional armies, the military program
of Marx and Engels of 184S-1870,
i. e., the characterization of these
armies for the purpose of convert
ing them into revolutionary armies,
must be applied with certain modi-
fications. In regard to the imper-
ialist armies, we can apply only the
defeatist program, i. e., disintegra-
ton from within. In the event of
special officer units or bourgeois
class military organizations exist
ing, efforts must be made to isolate
and liquidate them, i. e.. the pro-
gram which must be applied in i'm
perialist countries must be applied
here.
From the point of view of tactics
there exists third type of army in
colonial and semi-colonial countries
in addition to the two types already
mentioned, j. e., the army COM
manded by the imperialists, and in
which struggle is proceeding be-
tween the national movement and
the imperialists (India. Egypt, Indo-
China, Syria, Algiers, Tunis, etc.,.
In such cases, the elements of both
programs must be combined accord
ing to concrete circumstances, i. e.,
the defeatist program must be ap-
piled to the armies, or certain units
Of these armies which are under the
command of the imperialists, and at
the same time the slogans of the
armed nation (militia) and a ma
tional army must be advanced.
The slogan for national army
must be advanced when the con-
crete situation is suitable for it and
put forward in such way as to
prevent it being misused by the i'm
perialists and their flunkeys (com-
plete independence of the army
from the imperialists, organization
CT tne army on the widest demo-
cratic basis, election of officers
etc..
The slogan: withdraw the imper-
ialist armies from the colonies; with
draw the imperialist cadres and Of
ficers from native armies, must be
advanced in colonies as well as in
| the home countries.
Consider Political Role
In order to determine the attitude
to be taken toward the military sys-
tenn in colonial and semi-colonial
countries, consideration must be