10 PROPOSITIONS
275
Britain were afraid to encourage a revolution in Italy at the time
of the Libyan reverses because they knew that such a revolt could
only come from the Left, under the banners of socialism. And so
British airplanes dropped leaflets on the Italian countryside which
read: "REMEMBER GARIBALDI'S CURSE: WOE TO HIM
WHO FIGHTS AGAINST ENGLAND!" (Those dropped in Ger·
many are most likely copies of Schiller's poem on the defeat of
the Spanish Armada.)
As long as Churchill.Roosevelt and their class conduct the
war against Hitler, the masses everywhere can hope for little
for
themselves
from Hitler's defeat. Only a program which promises
a real reorganization of society can inspire the peoples in the
conquered countries to dare to revolt, to take the risks involved by
widespread and constant sabotage. And only workingclass social·
ism can offer them such a program.
7.
The involvement of Russia in the war does not change the
zssues.
Now that Hitler has attacked Russia, we may expect to see
one more indication that the political line of the American Com·
munist Party is simply a reflex of Soviet foreign policy. Already
the Stalinists' fraudulent anti·war propaganda is yielding to ever
louder calls for all aid to the 'workers' fatherland.' Tomorrow
they will be the most ardent supporters of Roosevelt's war policy
-if he gives such aid. But the issues of the war are still the same
in the sense that without socialist revolution, fascism will triumph
in one form or another. The writers disagree as to whether or not
Soviet Russia should be supported against Hitler, but they agree
that the struggle against the present conduct of the war and for
socialism in this country cannot be relaxed one jot, regardless of
the effect on aid to Russia.*
8.
Social revolution in England or America would not necessarily
'open the gates to Hitler.' It would most probably be short and
relatively peaceful and lead to an immediate intensification of
the war effort.
It is likely that the revolution, if it comes at all during this
war, will be neither a protracted nor an especially violent struggle.
~y
position here, I admit, is a difficult one and open to serious misunderstand–
ing, but no matter: as Trotsky said,
"If
we theoretically admit war [involving the
Soviet Union] without revolution, then the defeat of the Soviet Union is inevitable."
If
we admit this present war without revolution, the defeat of humanity is inevit–
able.-C.G.
