The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-10-07
The Tactics of Class Against Class


come opportunist passivity in the Communist
ranks? This cannot be said. In many cases,
even in the best Parties, we still have residues
of opportunism The Party officials frequently
lag behind the new revolutionary non-Party
workers in revolutionary activity. For example,
in Austria the workers who came over from the
Social Democrats to the Communist Party are
frequently a much better and more militant ele-
ment than the Communists of long standing in
the Party. In order that the fight against
Social Democracy may be successful the Com
munist Parties must first of all concentrate their
forms in which 1t may appear.
Glass Against Class Tactics Do Not Eliminate
United Front Tactics
Secondly the Communists frequently forget
that the tactics of "class against class do not
negate the tactics of the united workers front.
On the contrary, they imply primarily the
widest application of the latter tactics, as the :
tactic of class struggle. By the very fact that
we are fighting, we expose Social Democracy by
facts by practice, by experience, taken from the
struggle of the working class This is the Ian
guage that is understood by the masses of work
ers, and not theses on the fascination of Social
Democracy. In order to expose Social Demo-
cracy successfully we must think the thoughts
of these masses. We must learn to put Social
Democracy in such position that facts would
more eloquently reveal to the workers its
treachery than the most fiery Communist speech
the task of which is to generalize the thoughts
and deductions of the workers. Yet the meth
DDS of our agitation among the Social Demo-
avf,. civ to5 TXyn to1lr -
them as if we were faced with Communist
audience for whom the treacherous character
of Social Democracy is perfectly clear, or as
if they had already broken with the ideas of
Social Democracy and only needed slight push
to join the ranks of the Communists At Party
congresses and conferences, we try more to con-
vince each other of the fascination of Social
Democracy than to work out speeches to be de-
livered to the non-Party and Social Democratic
masses If a worker does not leave the Social
Democratic Party it shows that he is not con-
WINGED of its treachery, that he thinks that the
path Of compromise and class collaboration is
more expedient than the class struggle We
must show him the reverse by systematic and
persistent work with him; we must approach
him with agitation on a level with his under
standing.
Learn To Listen To Arguments of Takers
AT the same time the Communists must or
ganize the united workers front This means
we must keep in constant contact with the rank
and file Social Democratic masses in the fac
tories; we must organize joint meetings with
them, and conferences; we must work out a
program of demands jointly with them and nom
Party delegates; we must convince them, argue
with them; we must learn to listen to the argu-
ments Of rank and file Social Democrats so as
to smash them the more easily. This means
that we must discuss with factory trade union
delegates, who have not discredited themselves
as spies and lickspittles of the factory manage
ments, questions which agtate the workers for
the purpose Of organizing activity jointly with
the Social Democratic workers This is Of spe-
cial Importance at the present time when the
Social Democratic apparatus Is in many places
beginning to crack from below.
This means, further, that the approach to the
struggle for the independent leadership of class
struggles of the proletariat in the various coun-
tries must vary IN the respective countries in
accordance with the varying Importance of the
Communist Parties and with the varying rate of
rehabilitation of the masses and their loss Of
faith in the Social Democrats We must not
mechanically transfer the methods of assuming
independent leadership of class struggles from
the German Communist Party, for example, to
the British American Communist Party.
Ito Be Concluded m Subsequent Issue.)