The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-05-09
By L. HELLER.

THE world revolutionary upsurge mas mani
tested itself with particular force in the
colonial and sem-colonial countries. Along with
the former centers of the colonial revolutionary
movement-China, India, Indonesia, Korea, also
the Arabian East-Syria, Palestine, Trans
Jordania-is awakening; and ever more and
more are new countries, like Indo-China, For
mosa, the Philippines, etc. being drawn into
the movement. sOf particular significance is
the developing movement of the oppressed mass
es of Africa. During the course of the past
year a series of uprisings can be recorded IN
the French Congo, in Kenya, Sudan, Nigeria,
Madagascar, as we'll as the strike movements
In South Rhodesa, Gambia, etc, while the
strike movements in the South African Union
are taking a very violent form and are
of a clearly-expressed political character.
Strikes and revolts do not cease also in the
countries of Latin-America Along with those
countries into which imperialism had pene-
trated long since, like Mexico, Argentina and
Brazil, the revolt movements embrace also such
countries like Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador,
Haiti, and others, which have comparatively
only recently become the object of imperialist
exploitation.
Sharp Crisis in Colonies.
The economic crisis which began in the fall
of last year and which has involved the whole
of the capitalist world, has, with particular
force affected the economy of the colonies,
pressing itself first of all in the sharp de-
probation of raw materials of the colonies.
wheat, Indian corn, flax, cotton, jute, silk, su-
gar, tea, coffee, rubber, colored metals "copper",
zinc tin, lead, sver), the prices of which fell
during the course of the last few months by
Is to 40 per cent. In result, we witness the
pauperization of the peasantry, curtailment of
markets, crisis in industry and in the first
turn, in the weaker national industries (China,
India), a tremendous growth of unemploy-
ment. At the same time the competition and
pressure brought to bear by the imperialists,
who are conducting a relentless fight for the
curtailed colonial markets, both among them
selves and against the native bourgeoisie, are
continually intensifying. In their endeavors
to strengthen their competing power and to
lower the costs of production, the colonial
bourgeoisie are also having recourse to ration
alization methods greater exploitation, are in
tensifying and frightening the working day,
lowering the already miserable starvation
wages of the workers, and az a whole worsen-
ing the labor conditions of the toiling masses.
This inevitably leads to an extreme sharpening
of class contradictions, to continuous strikes
of the colonial proletariat, to uprisngs, peasant
revolts, the peasants being more and more
forced to leave the rich plantations by the i'm
perialist farmers and thrust far back into the
Africa, Latin America).
Role of India.
As far as the swing and power of the revo-
lutionary movement is concerned, the primary
role is played by India. Despite the fact that
in this countr.- there is no crystallized Commu-
mist Party, the vanguard of the working class
succeeded in reinforcing its position, in squeez-
ing out the bourgeois and Right elements, who
were formerly the leaders of the labor move
ment, and succeeded in taking over the leader
ship into their hands. The Indian workers. in
whole number of mass strikes Bombay
Calcutta, Jamshedpur, Gomuri) not only
proved their splendid militancy and class soil
darity in economic struggles, but took up the
relentless fight for the hegemony of the ma
tional revolutionary movement. The imperial
lists, through the British Labor Government
are adapting the most brutal repressve meas
ures against the Indian toilers; the Left Wing
of the native bourgeoisie are endeavoring to
deceive the confidence of the Indian workers
by means of Left phrases; Gandhi and his fol-
lowers, specializing with the religious super
stitions, which have not yet been overcome by
certain sections of the artisan workers. the
town poor, and particularly by those living
among the peasants, are doing their utmost to
get the native masses to leave the road of
struggle, and enter upon the road of "passive
resistance" that 1t, in actual fact, not to put
up any IeSlSIence dC ALL however, during the
course of the last few years the working class
has matured and hardened in the struggle the
experiences gained in connection with the be-
trayals of Gandhi and his followers in the past
have not yet been forgotten by the Indian work
ers. Neither Gandhi, nor the Left National
ists therefore, able to get the Indian pro-
letariat to leave the road of the class struggle
Wave of Revolt in China
Today, China is on the eve of fresh revo-
lutionary upsurge, which can already be evil
denced. This can be borne out by the widely
extended peasant uprisings, involving practi-
cally one-half of China, and bringing about
the establishment of Soviet Centers in whole
number of regions. This is also borne witness
y by the growth of the strike movement in the
industrial centers Shanghai, Tientsin, Wuhan.
Tsindao) and in the basic branches of indus
try (textile, mining, and railroad). Whereas
in India the vanguard of the working class
went far ahead and the peasant movement is
not able to catch up to it, we have in China
just the opposite phenomenon violently and
extensively has the peasant movement spread,
while the vanguard of the working class is
relatively tagging behind.
The intensive growth of the economic and
political crisis, the collapse of the Kuomintang
and the Marking Government, the disappoint
ment keenly felt by the petty and even middle