The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-04-14
l. TIE Gro,0h of Hunger Fascism, and the Danger of
ImpertaIist Var

1888 the capitalist world increased its produce
ton in all countries, whereas previously the
course had been downward from year to year.
This fact has been joyously hailed by capitalist
spokesman as heralding the end of the crisis,
the beginning of recovery, the promise of re-
turning prosperity. This conclusion is also sup
ported by the Socialist Party leaders and the
reforrnist trade union bureaucrats. What is the
true significance of this fact?
A clear answer was already given to this ques-
ton by Comrade Stain at the 18th Congress,
Suppementing and further developing the
Thesis of the 18th Plenum of the Executive
Committee of the Communist International
Comrade Stain said:
ut means that, apparently, industry in the
principal capitalist countries had already
passed the lowest point of decline and did not
return to it in the course of 1888.
Some people are inclined to ascribe the
phenomenon to the influence of exclusively
artificial factors, such as a war-inflation
BOOM There cannot be any doubt that the
war-infiation boom plays not an unimportant
role here. 1t is particularly true in regard
to Japan, where this artificial factor is the
principal and decisive force in some revival
principally in the munition branches of in
dustry. But it would be a crude mistake to
attempt to explain everything by the war;
imitation boom. Such an explanation would be
wrong, if only for the reason that the changes
in industry which l have described are OBJ
served, not in separate and chance districts,
but in all, or nearly ALL industrial countries,
including those countries which have stable
currency. Apparently, side by side with the
initiation boom, the operation of the in
ternal economic forces of capitalism also has
effect here.
Capitalism has succeeded in somewhat
easing the position Of industry at the expense
OF the workers-increasing their exploitation
by increasing the intensity of their labor; AT
THE EXPENSE OF THE FARMERS - by
pursuing policy of paying the lowest
prices for the products of their labor, for
foodstuffs and partly for raw materials; at the
expense of the peasants in the colonies and
in the economically weak countries-by still
further forcing down the prices of the prod
ucts of their labor, principally raw materials,
and also of foodstuffs.
"Does this mean that we are witnessing
transition from a crisis to an ordinary de-
preston which brings in its train new boom
and fiourishing industry? No, it does not
mean that. At all events at the present time
there are no data, direct or indirect, that
indicates the approach Of an industrial boom
In capitalist countries. More than that, judg.
ing by all things, there cannot be such data,
at least in the future. There cannot be,
because all the unfavorable conditions which
prevent industry in the capitalist countries
from rising to any serious extent still continue
to operate. 1 have in mind the continuing
general crisis Of capitalism in the midst of
which the economic crisis Is proceeding, the
chronic working OF the enterprises under ca
pacity, the chronic mass Unemployment, the
Interviewing Of the industrial crisis with the