10 Propositions on the War
Clement Greenberg and Dwight Macdonald
1.
This war is 'different' from the last one.
This war is not 'essentially' a repetition of the 1914-1918
conflict. There are decisive differences-in economy, politics,
war aims-between the two sides. The writers are not agreed as
to whether these differences go so far as to constitute a new kind
of society in Germany, but they do agree on their existence. The
Kaiser's victory would not have meant a
break
in our civilization.
Hitler's would.
2.
Fascism is less desirable than democratic capitalism.
Fascism in general and Nazism
in
particular do not repre–
sent the kind of revolution the bourgeoisie led against feudalism,
but a union of advanced technology with reactionary social con–
cepts. A Nazi-dominated Europe will be politically enslaved, eco–
nomically impoverished, culturally barbarous.
3.
The issue-not war but revolution.
Modern politics revolve on the axis of War. But the real issue
is not the war itself-'for?' 'against?'-but the war in relation to
social revolution. The choice is not whether to De£end America by
Aiding the Allies or to Keep America out of War. Neither for–
mula
in itself
will advance us one step nearer the only real solu–
tion, which is to deflect the current of history from fascism to
socialism.* In the war or out of it, the United States faces only
one future under capitalism: fascism. The socialist alternative:
i.e., to win the war without losing democracy, can he realized only
by revolutionary mass action.
4.
Isolationism is provincial inanity.
The argument of the Keep America Out of War Committee,
which unites pacifists, liberals and Norman Thomas socialists on
an isolationist platform, is that if we go in, we will go totalitarian
ourselves. Agreed. But if we keep out and Hitler wins, how does
the future look? Immediate: competition in the world market
with a totalitarian Europe, building a huge 'defensive' war machine
-undertakings which, under capitalism (and the Committee takes
*'Socialism' we define as collectivised property plus political democracy.
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