The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1932-01-11

NGiASCApCS 4AOh4 OIL dIG1ClG WIltGSu NOVt1nOeE l,
1914)
THE bourgeosie is fooling the masses by
spreading the cloak OF the old theology of
national war" over the imperialist plumber. The
proletariat exposes this swndle in that it raises
the slogan Of Transforming the imperialist war
into civil war. This very slogan was suggested
by the Stuttgart and Basic resolutions, which
had in mind not war in general but precisely
the present war, and which spoke not of the
"defense Of the fatherland" but of Fastening
the collapse of capitalism" of utilizing for th'
aim the crisis created by the war, and Of the
ample Of tbs Commune. The Commune was a
transformation of war between peoples into civil
war.
Such transformation, OF course, is not easy,
and cannot be accomplished by the individual
parties at will. Such transformation however,
is inherent in the objective conditions OF capt.
taliSm in particular. In this and only in this
direction must the Socialists conduct their work.
To refrain from voting for military appropria-
t1ons TO refrain from aiding and abetting the
chauvinism OF "our" country (and its allied
tons, to fight in the first place against the
chauviniSm of "our" bourgeoi5ie without being
confined to the legal forms of struggle when the
crisis has set in and the bourgeoise itself has
done away with the legality created by it-this
is the line OF work that leads to civil war, and
that will bring it about at this or that moment
OF the al-European conflagration
The war is not accident not "sin," as is
the idea OF the Christian ministers (who preach
patriotism, humanitarianism and peace no less
eloquently Than the opportunists); it is in
evitable stage Of capitalism it is form of capt.
talst life as natural as peace. The war of our
days is a peoples war. 1t does not follow from
this truth that one must swim with the "popu-
lar current Of chauvinism; on the contrary
even in war times, in the war itself the same
class antagonisms that rend the peoples will
continue to exist and will manifest themselves
in a military way. The idea of refusing to
serve in the army, of strikes against the war
etc. is mere foolishness, it is the miserable and
cowardly dream of an unarmed struggle against
an armed bourgeoisie, it is a weak yearning for
the abolition OF capitalism without desperate
civil war or a series OF wars. Propaganda Of
class struggle even in the midst of war is the
duty Of a Socialist; work directed toward trans
forming the war of the peoples into a civil war
Is the only Socialist work in the epoch of an
imperialist armed conflict OF oourgeoise OF all
nations. Down with the sentimental and foolish
preachers warnings for peace at any price!"
Leu us raise Inc banner OF civil war! Imperial
ism has put the fate of European civilization at
stake; this war, If there does not follow a
series Of successful revolutions, will soon be fol-
lowed by other wars; the fable of the '1ast war"
is an empty, harmful fable, philistne myth"
Ito use the correct expression OF the Golos) If
not today, then certainly tomorrow If not dur
Ing the present war; then after it; If not In this
war, then in the following one, the proletarian
banner Of civil war will rally not only hundreds
Of thousands OF enlightened workers, but also
millions OK semi-proletarians and petty bourgeois
who are now being fooled by chauvinism and
who, besides being frightened and oenumbed by
the horrors Of the war will also be enlightened,
taught, aroused, organized, hardened and pre-
pared for against the bourgeoisie both Of
their own" and Of the foreign" countries
Overwhelmed by opportunism, the Second IN
ternational has died. Down with opportunism,
and long live the Third International purged
not only of "deserters" las the Goloe would wish
it, but also Of opportunism!
The Second International did its full share of
useful preparatory work in the preliminary Or
ganizaton OF the pro1etarian masses during the
long peaceful" epoch of most cruel capitalist
slavery and most rapid capitalist progress in
the last third of the nineteenth and in the be-
ginning Of the twentieth century. The Third
International is confronted with the ask Of Or
ganizing the forces of the proleteriat for a rev.
olutionary onslaught on the capitalist govern
nents for civil war against the bourgeosie OF
all countries, for political power for the victory
c. scclaIar1,