The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-04-16

.AP11G sra, 1850.
IT, ECONOMIC CRISIS AND THE THIRD
PERIOD.
The third point that we want to examine
somewhat is the question of the relation be-
tween the economic crisis AMI the third period
of the general POSTWAR crisis of capitalism.
This is dealt with at great length in the first
draft and in the process of shortening our
thesis much of this will have to be loft out
because it is in the nature of discussion. But
leaving this out does not mean that we want
to lessen the Importance of this question be-
cause this is a key question to the proper
analysis of the present situation and perspec
tives of future development.
There are two tendencies that are wrong
in this respect. There is a tendency to see
the U. S. as something Acknowledgements
from the general world crisis of postwar capt.
talism This is the conception of two crises
existing and developing independently OF one
another and only incidentally affecting one an
other, an economic crisis and the general post
war crisis. We must say that there is only
one crisis and there cannot be such thing
as two separate crises of this capitalist sys-
tenn There is one crisis but many factors
enter into the development of this crisis.
There was crisis before the downward de-
velopment of economic lfe-of production and
all other features of economic life There is
an agrarian crisis which has certain special
features of it's own, and there is the economic
crisis, but these are all merely special aspects
of the development Of the general crisis OF
capitalism. The economic crisis has special
peculiarities. 1t has the characteristics of the
classical crisis of the capitalist cycle of pro-
duction but it is taking place within the post
war period of capitasnl-a different environ
ment-a different background. 1t is taking
place at time when it becomes stage in
development of the general crisis of the whole
capitalist systematic post war crisis of capt.
talism. 1t is a cyccal crisis taking place in
a period of the decline of capitalism-the de-
cay of capitalism-the dying of the capitalist
system This general crisis of the period of
capitalist decay includes within itself the eco
nomic crisis; the economic crisis becomes a
part of it, and the general period determines
the character and depth of the economic crisis
This we have tried to make clear-this inter-
weaving of all elements of crisis into one
crisis Of capitalism. We tried to make this
clear in the first draft of the thesis and in the
final draft reduced it very much for the pur-
pose of smplificaton, and not of reducing
emphasis upon the Importance of this point.
III. UNEMPLOYMENT AND THE CRISIS
The factor of unemployment in the crisis
is one that we must also analyze little fur
ther We must emphasize two aspects of I'M
employment in our analysis of the economic
situation. G) The aspect of unemployment as
a factor in the rehabilitation of the workers.
In this respect, it is hard to over-emphasize
the Importance of the factor of unemploy
ment. The issue of unemployment becomes
a sort of lever whereby we can set into motion
the entire working class, not only unemployed
but employed as well. Unemployment becomes
the starting point of the development of this
present period. not only If the movement of
the unemployed workers but also of the radi-
calization of those remaining in the shops who
are working under pressure of tremendous I'M
employment outside of the shops (2> Second,
unemployment as factor which itself is
deepening the economic criss--a factor for