The following is a part of the advice that
Leon Trotsky offered to the Prench Commmist Party.
The following extract is of far more than purely
historical interest =- his arguaments carry weight
today with regard to the problema of today. a. $|OTho teok sf the Commnist Party is ta leit the praletsrinn revolution, In ortear ts sweon the praletcrint for the “drcet cmovest f power ont t». cohieve 4t the Coc mnmist Party aust base itself an the overwholting sicjurity 2f the warking clres. §3 long a3 it toes sot bole thin n-jority, the perty uunt fieht to win It.
Tho porty enn -ehieve this ooly by roccining on sbsslutely incepen= tent urgnnigntion with 2 clecr procrenm -n” atrict intornsl ‘iseipline. That is the receon why tho porty wos buun! to Breck itcalsgienlly en. eenisationclly with the rofurvists ant tha eantrists who 49 not strive for tha prsletaricn revolution, wha poaness neither the enp.city nor the Sosire ts propor: the tneses for rovalutisn, oni who by their entire Conluct thycrt this wirk.
ny nenber af the Catimist Porty whe been the =plit with tho contrists in the sscue of “unity af fareces" of “unity of front thereby ‘aionstente tliat they “s not tnaterstcn? the ABC Jf Cxtouniad nt tact thoy theisulves boppen to ba in the Caoncunist Porty sniy br neecicont. fs Ftor cecuring itsalf of tha exipleto in'apon tenes am! Lleslogiesl hon ogeneity of ita romks, the Cocunist Party fighta for influence. »ver the tirjarity if the working class. This struggle con be ceeeler-te! or rotor‘a* ‘onen*ing upjn sbjective cirewistinecs «sn. the axe iency of tho taeticos eiployo!.
nut 2t. is porfietly aclf-ovilont thet the éleacs.1life of the proléetarint is not suspen ‘ie? Quring this perio” prep ratory ts. the revsluticn. Cleehes with incustrinlicts, with the bourresiaic, «ith the ot:to power, mm the initistive af one site or the other, run their cue course.
In these clsshea = insofar ss they invilve the vitel igteresta >f the cntire working clrss, sf ite Srjority, ur this of that Gbettisn = the working -irsees sense the nevd of unity in cetion, of unity in reciating the anclsught of eapitalian or unity in trking the sffansive cpcinct it, my porty which mech:nicrlly counterpwcs iteslf ts this neest af the Working clioes’ Por ainity in cetion will tnfoailiorly ba -toncoina: in tha mints of the workers,
Gonsecuently-the aueetion af the unite. front ta not ct all, aither in point of origin sr substoance, « cuecticn of the reeiproesl relations between the Connunict porlisuentory freetisn one thet sf the Sacinlists, or between the Contral Gurmittec 2f the two parties, or botwoen l'Huucnite ond Le Populaire. The prablen cf the united front = decpite the fact ot o oplit io inevitebla in this epoch
ic . G = grows out of the urgent need : ing class the possibility of
6 wnited front in the struggle sgainet enpitclion. For thaise wh>..lo not. unlerstoan? thic task, the p rty is snly - Prapeecn!+ asciety antl nat en ore cnizgestisn fFsr nnes cetiin. Bog ae 5 ae in cases whoru the GCotiumlet Party Still rewcing, an orgamiectiono of po nunericclly insignificrnt tdnosrity, the euestion sf 1t4. cin cuct mm. the iceo=-otrugpiso front. Doo not hese on Jetisive proetie-1 ont sFferniastiinnl slenificcncsa, In auch convitling, cao ootionea reisin uncor the les tership sof the 217 sorgonigotionr wich by frenson af their still powerful tre “itions continue ta pley the lacisiva role, ditdiiorly the prablen uf the united front “jon not crise in evuntrics where, < ia in DBolecrig, for cxaople = the, Socmnlet rorty is the axle Len ing afpctlention sf the tai2inge soseas, But wherever the Caicmmist Party clres ly. eonatitutes.« big, orgon= igel, Paliticel force, but mot the “oeiocive fienitu'o: wiercrar the party eo brceos sargriizctionelly, let us eny, one-fourth, one-thir?, ar even © Lorger proportion of the orgenize® praletorircn vugucr:, it -is eunfronte: with the enmestion of thé unite: front in -11 ite ceutcenesc. If the porty ocbrsteo me-thir® or ono-hrif of the vrolutcrircn vooeucr’, then the Peucining b-1f or two-thir.'s ore wresenise? by the reforaista ar centrista, It ia perfectly sbviwus, hawever, that oven those warkera Who atill aupport the roefarciscte on’ the centrista cra vitally interestad iB Frimtrining the highest forind stn nro of living ond the grestest possible froecon far struggle. We oust coneeruently, 46; ‘evise sur trotic a8 to prevent the Colriunist Berty, which will on the .ofrow anbicee tha entire three=-thit’s of the working cliss, fron turning inta = .2n% oll, the fsro Go, frou cotuclly being = on arernigstion:1 sbat-cle in the wey of the current atrupzie of the pralotarist. Still ore, the Mrty oust saswoo the initintive in sceuring unity in thease current atrugglos, Only in thia wey will the porty (rew closer t9 those two-thir’s who "3 not ne yet follow ite lec“ership, who. io not ni yet trust tho porty baorupe they 2:1 nit unlerstrn! it. Only an this Woy Cen the porty win then over. he if the Caiunist Perty lat not broken Jrostic:lly «nd irrevocobly with the S3cial Desierata, 16 woauls ast have beesoon the perty of. the proletaricn revaluti in. t 65012 not hove token the first oorious atepa on the ford ty revolution, It wild hove fer evar raininec > perlisontary sofotyevolve cttnchel ts the baurgeaic statu. Hhpever (a6 Dit wn ersten this i not kata the firet Letter =f tha SBC or Gibunter. If the Cotummioat' Party 410 not .goecsk for orgeonigetisn-] ovonues t3-the ent Ehst ot etary piven gxiont jsint, coorsino te! <eflen botwoon the
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