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

SPHNA NS'AAASS NAANOhS VI S<ANSPNiOiA-
alism.
The social roots of this theory
indeed may be found not only in
the influence of the bourgeoisie and
petty bourgeoisie upon the prole-
tariat, but also amid the petty bour-
geois immigrant population, who are
readily impressed with the technical
equipment and superficial appear
ance of American capitalism. 1t cam
not strike any deep root in the fac
tory proletariat of America who
feel the increased drive, the inten-
sive exploitation, and who see clear
ly the contradictions of capitalism in
the United States of America and
the approaching crisis. Elements of
this distortion of the line of the
Sixth World Congress were correct
ed in the Open Letter to the Sixth
Party Convention. The full ex-
posure of the opportunist theory of
exceptionalism was set forth (not
mentioned" as Lovestone falsely
puts it) in the Address of the Com
munist International. Today, in the
present Appeal to the Tenth Plenum
of the ECCI, Lovestone still does
not recognize his errors. He sums
up finally by taking the attitude that
the Communist International is in
error and that Lovestone is correct
(shown in his demand for the with
drawal by the CT of the Address,.
The theory also appears throughout
the Appeal in a reiteration of his
errors. A few examples of this will
suffice.
The feminist Theory of Uneven
Development.
Lovestone attempts to justify his
eXceptionalism with Lenin's theory
of the uneven development of CAPT.
talism. To make this feminist theory
serve his purpose he distorts it by
implying that. it proves that capital
ism can very well be fundamentally
healthy in one part of the world and
fundamentally unhealthy in another.
But Lenin's theory of uneven devel-
opment implies nothing of the sort,
but rather emphasizes the co-rela-
ton and inter-dependence of the de-
velopment of capitalism of the diff
ferent countries. World capitalism
as a whole is in the crisis of the
Third Period. The character of this
crisis is not modified for any section
of world capitalism because of the
uneven development of capitalism.
The very uneven development itself
subjects the Strong" sections of
world capitalism to the ravages of
capitalism's constitutional disease,
its irreconcilable inherent contradic-
tons. Anyone who denies this must
explain why capitalism of Great
Britain, in the act of defending its
world hegemony against its enemy,
capitalism of Germany, lost it to it's
ally, capitalism of the United States.
In face of the fact that capitalism
of Great Britain became a victim"
Of the crisis of world capitalism just
because of its strength" and domin-
ating position in the world, Love-
stone cannot convince anyone that
the strength and dominating posi-
ton of American capitalism will ex-
empt it from the crisis. This is not
Leninism; it is social democratic OPP
portunism, pure and simple.
Inner Contradictions and Outer
Contradictions.
Already in his October speech
Lovestone defines his position in
terms that are Enthusiastically clear.
He says: "The key to the present
situation is to be found in the ex-
ternal contradictions, "but lest any
one should imagine this was a mere
question of misplaced emphasis, he
goes on to say: "These, of course,
are intertwined with the inner con-
contradictions which grow out of the
outer contradictions" This stand
point he repeats once more in his
speech of mid-December, printed in
the January February COM
MUNIST:
"What are the relations between
inner and outer contradictions
1t is clear that they are mutually
interdependent. 1t is clear that in
the present world situation the
! primacy, the center of gravity lies
in the world antagonism of capital
! ism.
For instance, in the United
States: why the attack on the
workers? They are part of the
war preparations"
Finally, in his Appeal he again
mentions the question of the "prim-
acy of outer contradictions" adding
thereto parenthically, presumably as
proof, the ords "war danger"
Long ago, in the third volume of
Capital, Marx clearly explained that
the so-called external contradictions
result from the internal contradict
tons of the capitalist system. To
Lovestone, however, the external
contradictions do not result from the
internal contradictions. Here we
have one of the manifestations of
his under-estimation of the internal
contradictions - underestimation
consequently, of rehabilitation, I'M
derestimation of the sharpening