The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-05-21
THE COMMUNIST, theoretical or
gan of the Communist Party of
the U. S. May, 1884. Price zoe.
Reviewed by
]. MINDED


Reviewed by
]. MINDED
THE May issue of The Communist
i is devoted largely to the major
decisions adopted at the Eighth
Convention of the Communist Party
of the U. S. A. in Cleveland, April
%.
The three resolutions of the con-
vention are prefaced by an intro
ductory editorial giving us a graphic
picture of the makeup of the del
egates, who came from all parts of
the country and represented 24,500
dues-paying members. OF the 233
regular delegates, 119 came from
basic industries, las were native
born American workers, and 80 were
Negroes.
These resolutions embody the gist
Of Earl Browders thorough report,
Analysing the achievements and
shortcomings of the Party, and
outlining the tasks facing the Party
and the American working class.
The chief resolution: "The pres
ent situation and the tasks Of the
Communist Party in the U. S. A."
analyses the general crisis of cap
italisrn expressed in the struggle
between the two-world systems
the Socialist system Of the Soviet
Union where a half-continent Of
So nations is being lifted out Of
poverty into material well-being and
rich cultural life; and the capital
list world swept by a great wave Of
class struggles" In consequence
of the multiplying aritagonisnl
among the irnperialist powers, the
upsurge of the proletariat in several
major countries, and the struggle
of oppressed peoples for national
liberation, "the world stands on the
brink Of revolutions and wars"
Dealing with the crisis Of cap
italism here in the United States
the resolution emphasizes that "the
United States has been stripped of
its last shred of 'exceptionalisrn'
stands fully exposed to the fury of
the storms of the crisis Recent
increases in production, it points
out, we're brought about mainly by
expenditures for war preparations,
subsidies to industry and agricul-
ture, initiation and slashes Of
workers wages. Improvement in
the situation for capital was
achieved at the expense of the
working class, the poor and middle
farmers, and the middle class.
The brutal suppression Of the
struggles of the workers and farm
ers by the manifold government
apparatus proves that the Roose-
welt regime is not, as the liberals
and the Socialist Party leaders
claim, a progressive regime, but is
a government serving the interests
Of finance capital and moving
towards a fascist oppression Of the
workers movement"
FACE to face with the growing con-
flicts between the United States,
England and Japan, the resolution
cites from the Thesis of the XIII
Plenuin of the E. c.. G. l.:
'The greatest historical task of
international communism is to
mobilize the masses against war,
even before the war has begun,
and thereby hasten the doom of
capitalism Only BoIshevik
struggle before the outbreak of
war for the triumph of revolution
can assure the victory of revolu-
ton that breaks out in connection
with war"
Next comes the analysis of the
policies of Roosevelt's New Deal
leading to the fascination of the
American government. The inten-
sified attack upon the working
class and the Negro masses with
the aid of Social Fascism - the
S. P. and A. F.. of L. leadership, the
Negro reforfnists, and the Music
group, help the capitalist class in
the offensive against the toiling Sec
lions of the population.
The Status of the Communist
Party
During the period since the last
convention, ''the Party itself has
been cleansed of opportunists and
liquidators Oovestonites, Trotsky-
ites), and has unified and con-
solidated itself on the line of the
Communist international" At the
Eighth Convention the Party faced
it's problems as unified section of
the Comintern. AS Section V puts
them, the central tasks of the Party
are
ito organize and lead the fight
against the offensive Of the cap
italist class, against developing
fascism and the threat Of i'm
perialist war, and TO develop these
struggles on the basis of the
fight for the immediate partial
demands OF the workers into gem
eral class battles for the over
throw of the capitaIist dictator