The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-07-15
Soviet Union and the Intellectuals
By QUIRT

mands upon the capitalists by more militant
defense of capitalism and increasing attack
upon the awakening working class. To these
elements the Soviet Union operates as a red
flag to bull
The socal-fascist trend ranges from liberals
tinctured with radical phrases to "lefts" of the
Scott Nearing type. This new current, al
though primarily in the worsening economic
conditions of the petty -bourgeoisie as a class
is being intensified by the influence of the
Soviet Union. Naturally, the tremendous
reality of the growing socialist system is not
lost upon such intellectuals. On the contrary,
they are especially coming forward as ardent
admirers and friends" of the Soviet Union.
They are also usually advocates of third
or labor" party. This social-fascist trend
becomes more and more manifest in the flood
of articles, speeches, ETC., from professors,
engineers, economists, etc., "favorably" COM
mentlng upon the progress of socialist con-
struction in the Soviet Union. The universe
ties and colleges also begin to show traces of
it. While all this general tendency cannot be
called social-fascist in the strctest sense of
the term, its drift is in that direction. 1t is
crassly opportunist, revisionist dettante.
These intellectuals almost instinctively real
ize the profound effect that the Russian Revo-
luton is exerting upon the working class and
3
and to utilize its great prestige in the service
of their class, the y-bourgeosie, which
means in the end, the service of the capitalists.
They are trying to adapt" the Russian eXper-
fence to this country, to bolster up the sickly
capitalism, to use it in defense of their petty
bourgeois conceptions, to make it appear that
the lesson to be drawn from the Soviet Union
is that we must support in this country not
a revolutionary but an evolutionary" pro-
gram-that is, engage in hopeless attempt
to remodel capitalism.
Finally, there is revolutionary trend
among the intellectuals This is very weak as
yet, but it will surely grow stronger with the
deepening of the economic crisis, the sharp
enng of the class struggle, and the continued
upsurge of the Soviet Union We may be
certain that a small per cent of these intel
lectuals, especially those with proletarian
background, will become genuinely revou-
tonary and real Communists. To these ele-
ments, of course, the Russian Revolution is a
real inspiration and guide Now the ques-
ton Isl what shall the Party do about this
whole development.
OF course the Party must aggressively fight
the openly fascist intellectuals But its most
dangerous enemies are those of the social
fascist type, The natural Ravens of such ele-
ments are the suclslis Dorty. the Music aroun
and the Lovestone organizations But some
viii gravitate in and around the fringes of our
Party. Originators am stimulators of oppor-
tunist tendencies, hey will be theological feed
ers and natural allies of the right danger with
in the Party.
But pointed out above. these rev cur.
rents among the intellec;uals cannot be en-
; tirely minus quantity. There will also be
plus factors. There win be some rood c!e.
ments and the Party must, even in thee iaid.t
of its growing mass carnp.ipn among the
workers, take the necessary steps to bring
them within the sphere OF its influence and
to make such use Of them as may be possible.
1t would be an error to conclude off-hand
tNat The whcle tgerG must nhly 90 10
the profit of fascisn and social-fas,em. The
Party must nav more attention to this entire
problem