The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-02-27
BY d. 2. MANUILSKY
Article VIII

Aftlcie VIII
social-DemOcracy Defends Capt.
talist Rule
Every political party, whatever It
may say about itself, If 1t stands
for capitalism, Is a party Of bOur-
geois dictatorship, no matter
whether the form be fascist or par
aamentary. And ne have to judge
Of sOcial-democracy and its Aus
trian leader, Otto Bauer, not by
their declarations on socialism"
but by their deeds. In reality, the
S0oiaI-democrats are a party which
stands for the conservation Of cap
3talism. An their postwar history
shows IT,
After the revolution Of 1918, the
German and Austrian social-demo-
Gratis were in power, but the existing
order did not change an iota. The
basis of capitalism remained IN
touched and the means of produc-
kion remained in the hands OF the
old ruling classes. Did the bour-
geoisie in England lose their priv
neges because the Labor Party was
in power TWEEN 1924 and IN
1s29-si7 On the contrary, everybody
knows that the Labor government
carried through series Of measures
whose aim was to lower wages and
reduce insurance benefit, sweeping
away all that the British working
class had gained during the number
Of years.
cOCIAL-DEMoCRATTC workers are
} often at loss to know why we
Communists speak of Social-democ-
racy as the party Of social-fasciSm.
But this description does not contain
q shade Of polenic OF exaggeration.
It is merely the statement Of his
torical fact in the general evolution
Of sociaI-democracy. If in the epoch
OF the general crisis Of monopoly
capitalism, its general tendencies
lead to fascination, /. e., to the aboli-
ton of the social and political gains
of the working class, to an increased
resorting to methods Of political ter
ror and the growth Of reaction, a
party which In practice repudiates
the proletarian revolution, and there
FORE stands for capitalism, cannot
help passing through the whole OF
capitalisn'S process Of evolution,
together with it.
Why did Austrian sOcial-democracy
declare that the famous Twenty
Eighth Decree, which cut down the
already meagre unemployment benefit
was victory for its policy OF the
lesser eviI?" II explains this meas
ure by stern necessity occasioned by
the difficult situation Of Austrian
capitalism. Capitalism Is passing
shrough a crisis. 1t must maintain
its accustomed profits, and for this
purpose it makes attacks on wages
and social insurance. Social-democ-
racy, like a convict chained to cart,
passes through the whole gamut OF
difficulties" together with decaying
capitalism, endeavoring to persuade
the workers to accept every new re-
duction Of their standard Of living
without a murmur But this posi-
ton expresses the historic fact Of
the fascination of social-democracy.
Under the circumstances Of a
severe world crisis, the bourgeoisie
are deliberately allowing social-denl-
ocracy to take power as a result of
parliamentary elections in number
of countries, so that they will be able
10 carry out the reforms" which the
oourgeoisie require in order to main
tain their profits, not BY their own
hands, but through the agency of
social-democracy Such was the case
in England, such is the case at the
present time in Sweden, where a
Social-democratic government was
formed few months ago. Whereas,
the pre-war reformism Of social
democracy consisted in an attempt