The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1932-02-18
PART 1

terested himself in trade union
questions during the whole Of his
revolutionary activities. His literary
legacy gives completed theory, fin
i5hed foundations, on questions of
theory and tactics. Not q single rev.
dictionary, working in 1.-THE T U
movement in capitalist countries, can
afford to be without the feminist
theory for the trade union move
nent, just as it is impossible to be
without it in the conditions Of the
Proletarian Dictatorship.
Lenins teachings and the entire
practice of Bolshevism in the trade
union movement differs fundament-
ally from the theory and tactics of
reformism, or present-day social
fsScism.
AS far back as in 1899, in the
struggle against the Russian reform
lists, Lenin pointed out that the ire
mendous significance of the working
class economic struggles and the
need for this struggle was admitted
and that Marx and Engels as long
ago as in the forties polemised
against the Utopian socialists, who
denied the Importance of this
struggle Lenin, however, in COM
plste accord with Marxism, stated
that the objects of the trade unions
should not be narrow, restricted,
"the trade unions should strive for
the general emancipation of the OPP
pressed millions of working people.
Marxism bound into one INSOFAR
able whole the economic and polit-
ical struggle of the working class"
(Sse protest of the Russian Social
democracy, Collected Works, vol IL
we must not ignore the workers
struggle for their interests Of to-
day, and it is imperniSSible to re-
strict the tasks of the trade unions
to this overthrow of the capitalist
order. Such was the drift of Lenin's
polemics against the opportunists,
against til refornlisvs, as far back
as in the late nineties.
Relation of Party to Trade Unions
A second point is inseparably con-
nectcd with this rule in the Lenin-
isl teaching on the trade union
NO. cmeut; the relations between
the working class Party and the
trade unions.
The revolutionary working class
Party is the highest form of class
organization The Party is the
closely welded vanguard of the
working class in its struggle against
capitalism, armed with revolution
airy theory. 1t unites the most mill
tsnt workers, who have fully real
ICED the historical revolutionary role
of their class, the need to fight for
socialism, which can be achieved by
the working class only under the
leadership Of it's revolutionary Party.
The trade unions, on the other hand
unite the broad working masses, who
come together on the basis of their
industrial needs and demands. The
task of the revolutionary Party is to
raise the masses of workers to real
i've the contradictory nature be-
tween their interests and the in
terests Of the capitalist class, to Or
aanize and lead them in the struggle
against capitalism, for the Proleta-
rian Dictatorship. Hence the lead
ing role Of the Party in the trade
Ox@I IT,, ktafe
sible to prevent the T. o. movement
from falling into the rut of trade
unionism,' bringing it out onto the
broad field Of the revolutionary
struggle.
The revolutionary social-democracy
nov they are the Communist Par
ties) lead the working class strug-
gle not for advantageous conditions
in selling their labour power, but
for the abolition of that social or
der which compels the unpropertied
to sell themselves to the rich
We must actively undertake" said
Lenin, 1.-The political education of
political RESPONSIVENESS "The
struggle for economic demands and
for reforms must be subordinated, as
a part of the whole, to the revolu-
tionary struggle for socialism" Oe-
nin Collector Works. Rus. ed. vol. ~.
What is to be Done?"). Moreover,
THE ideologist only deserves to be
called an ideologist if he marches
ahead of the spontaneous move
ment, pointing out the way, if he is
able sooner than others to solve all
theoretical, political tactical, and
organizational questions 1t is
necessary to be able to point out the
dangers and shortcomings Of the
spontaneous movement, it is neces-
sary to be able to raise spontaneity
TO ss-consciousness." Genin, "A
Chat with the Defenders of Econo-
mism." Collected Works, Russ. ed.
Vol, ", page 34D.
Hence Lenins reputation OF the
neutrality" of trade unions. The
advocators of trade union neutral
ity (reformists in the West, Men
sheviks in RUSSIA endeavoured to
wrest the trade union movement
from Party leadership, to establish
the equality between the Party and
the trade unions. In other words, the
reformists advocated reformist lead
ership of the trade unions. AS the
result of several reasons which we
eDa 4fatr nj