The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1929-07-23

InlS PROFOUNDLY erroneous line Not
at all.
The Communist Party of the USA
has understood this theory of ex-
ceptionalism, has realized how wide
spread it has been and to what
series of opportunist errors it has
given birth. In tka resolutions of
unit after unit, in the self-criticism
carried out in articles in the DAILY
WORKER and other papers, the
criticism of the theory of exception
alisn has been conspicuous. From
the whole of the Enlightenment
Campaign it is clear that the Party
members understood and know this
rotten opportunist theory for what
it is. Does Lovestone understand it
No, he does not. In his Appeal he
speaks of the "bogey of exception
alism," and seeks to present his OPP
portunist estimation of American
as a "Marxist-Leninist
method of seeking to analyze the
specific objective conditions in the
country" Here Lovestone stands
the Marxiet-Leninist method on its
head. The Marxist-Leninist method
means that on the basic of gen.
eral conception of the present stage
of the world capitalist system we
should seek out the specific objec-
tive conditions, but Lovestone seeks
out the specific conditions in order
to upset this general conception.
Lovestone seeks every
where to find these specific condi-
tions, especially in the past. For
example, he states: "There is rela-
lively no feudal background in the
United States, except in the South
with its slave past" instead of de-
voting attention to the new specific
features, which more and more serve
to exemplify the general line set
forth by the Comintern. True,
Lovestone not only does not recog-
nize his exceptionalist errors, but
seeks to hide them by his explana-
ton of specific conditions, by mis-
use of the law of unequal develop
mental wit, the object of pre-
serving in its pristine splendor his
opportunist theory of exception
alism.
Clearly, the outer and inner con-
tradictions a-a dialectically linked
together. The outer contradictions,
called forth by inner contradictions,
react N turn and provide a rein
forcement of the internal antago-
nism. Does Lovestone correct his
error here? No, he still insists upon
the "primacy" of the outer contra
dictions.
What is the Social Democratic
conception? The Social Democratic
conception denies the sharpening Of
internal contradictions, denies the
sharpening of the class struggle,
and instead puts forward its con-
ception of industrial peace. The
Social Democrats speak only of the
danger of war arising through ex-
ternal contradictions. They see
these external contradictions per-
sonified in the action of the selfish"
groupings of the bourgeoisie, head
ed by a Baldwin or a Poincare, etc.,
etc. II order t, get rid of the dam
ger of war arising from external
contradictions, it is only necessary,
according to the Social Democratic
theory, to get rid of the Baldwins
and Poincares and substitute the
Muellers, the MacDonalds, ETC., etc.
If the war danger could only be
eliminated by such diplomatic or
governmental changes of personal,
by Locarno-like pacts, then for
Social Democracy (and also for
Lovestone) there remains no other
source for internal struggles, for
increasing clash between workers
and capitalists. 1t is but a short
step theoretically from this to the
advocacy of industrial peace.
Rehabilitation.
Nowhere does the theory OF ex-
ceptionalism show itself more seri-
ously than in the treatment of
radicalizations. Under the domin-
ance of the exceptionalist theory the
Majority theses underestimate the
degree of rehabilitation, while the
Minority theses sought to find it
where it did not exist leg, in the
vote for AL SMITH. Yet much has
happened since the Sixth World
Congress, which should make those
who did not understand it when it
was formulated now grasp its sig
nificance. Since the Sixth World
Congress there have been the great
strike of LODI in Poland, the gigan-
tic struggles in the Ruhr, the strike
offensives amongst the French
workers and in Czechoslovakia, and
the May Day fighting in Berlin, to-
gether with the undefeated, heroic
struggle of the Bombay workers.
Do these thinks make Lovestone
understand? No, he does not under
stand. Why? Because his theory
is bound to deny rehabilitation, and
if the facts of the Ruhr, of May
Day in Berlin, do not conform to his
theory, then so much the worse for
these facts, says Lovestone. So far
from understanding the forms in
which the new sharpening of internal
contradictions is bound to express
4 e. L