The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-09-11
FASCISM AND SOCIAL REVOLT
TION. BY r. Palme Dutt. Inter
tional Publishers. 29e PIP. S1.75.
Reviewed by
uAppv CANNES
HARRY CANNES


Paine Quits book on fascism-"In-
comparably the best book on fas-
cism that has yet been written.
For us in the United States this
mastery work comes at a very OPP
perfume time. With holder and
bloodier steps the Roosevelt regime
treads the road to fascism. The OBJ
jective economic and political forces
drive the dictatorship of American
finance-capital towards the brutal,
savage suppression of the working
class. Even Francis T. German in
the textile strike, and the Chicago
Federation Of Labor, are forced to
cry out against the murderous and
brutal attacks on strikers and A. F.
of L. members. Glass battles be-
con-, sharper. At the same time,
from every avenue of the oppress-
ing class. the fascist forces con-
sciously take shape, loom into the
reality of every day life.
We have lacked a well-Tounded.
Marxist-Leninist exposition of fas-
cism within the bounds of one vol
urne, summing up the broader
background of fascisn. it's concrete
historical development in Italy
Germany and Austria; the class
forces involved, and above all, the
role of social democracy and the
tasks in fighting the advent of fas-
cism by the united front and by
the path of proletarian revolution.
Quits book supplies that lack
and does it splendidly. 1t is a tren-
chant weapon which not only pene-
trates TO the economic and histo-
rical roots of fascism, but in its
brilliance flashes as revolutionary
weapon in the struggle against fas-
cism and for the victory Of the
proletarian revolution.
Analysing the economic roots OF
fascism, Dutt points out that fas-
cism appears on the political hori-
zon on the eve of the proletariar
revolution, in the period of decaying
Imperialism. He writes:
ut Is this eliminating stage of
capitalism thst we are at present
living through, the stage of i'm
perialiSm or capitalism in decay,
and, more particularly now since
1914, the stage Of the general ori-
sis of capitalism, or final phase
within imperialism, when the
forces Of production are in ever
more violent conflict with the
cramping letters of the existing
property relations of production,
when capitalism In more and
more obvious decay is faced with
the advance to victory Of the pro-
letarian social revolution, and
when capitalism in decay is re-
sorting to every device and expe-
dent to maintain its power"
In this situation, the world i
faced with two alternatives: one il
the throttling Of productive forces
and an attempt to maintain decay.
ing and degenerate capitalism b.
the most violent, savage means, b,
butchery Of the revolutionary work
ing masses, and by criminal wars
or, the breaking of the death griI
of capitalism, and the organization
Of a socialist society, achieveabl
only by the road to proletarian rev,
olution under the leadership Of thu
Communist Parties.
THE capitalist way out, typified IL
! its most insane form in fascis
countries. and grewingly evident IL
all capitalist countries particularly
the United States 'is organized col
lective destruction of wealth ant
the productive forces" We nov
have a combination of Mammei
and Juggernaut. This process i
aided by the Social Democrats
where they share power with tn,
capitalist rulers. Dutt cites the ex
ample Of the Danish social demo
cratic government voting credit
for the destruction of cattle.
The working out of all the new
policies Of capitalism under thu
stress of the world crisis is TIN
major destruction. "the advance II
a second world war"
The trend of all capitalist power
In this period is towards faseisn
and within the womb of capitals
demoeracies the infant fascist bra
kicks with more or less vigor II
England. France and the Unite,
States. When the proletarian revo
luton threatens to prevent its brit
by destroying CAPITALISM, the Sooia
Democrats hold back the assault O
the unified proletsriat, to allow 1t
delivery.
But here our smile Is weak be
cause faseism does not come int
power at one major stroke, but de
velops and is nurtursd by capital
ist democracy. Dutt takes tn
greatest pains to analyze clearl
and historically the elass-basis an
the class-role and aims of faseisn
The June 80 bloody events il
Germany have made clearer wha
the Communist International main
tanned years before. That Will
fasoism recruits its forces from th
petty bourgeoisie and DECEASED ele
ments, driven to an insane fury b
the crisis, its class content is tina
of the most ehauvinist. the mos
brutal and desperate finance CAPT
talist striving by murder and saw
agery to save capitalism from over
throw. The slaughter of Roehm 1
Co., and the disarmament of NOR
than 100000 Storm Troopers il
Germany shows the centradictio
between fascism and its mass bas:
EASCISM, Dutt shows, does no
"eenauer bower" but is grocme
for its ruling task. on the one hanr
by the leading finance capitalist
and the democratic Governments
and on the other, by the class col
liberation of the Social Democrat!