11.
The Politics of Wonderlan.d
Stripped of irrelevancies, the fundamental issue between Merian
and me is whether democratic socialists should support the war against
Hitlerism. He believes they should not; that Roosevelt and Hitler are
equally "armed class opponents" of the labor movement; that it makes
relatively little difference which side wins the war, for capitalism will
break down in any event; and that a revolutionary upsurge will inevitably
carry the masses to socialist victory even if the Axis is triumphant
This is plain foolishness and no gaudy ideological ribbons can conceal
it.
Merian's position is a revival on the international field of the old
Stalinist line in Germany: "Nach Hitler, kommer Wir." ("After Hitler,
comes our turn.") This view likewise held that neither democratic nor
fascist Germany could solve the problems of capitalism; :that Hitler's
regime would necessarily fall like Stresseman's and Bruening's; and
that the labor movement would come into its own. Everybody knows what
happened. One may doubt whether Hitler stabilized German economy;
there can be no doubt of what he did to the labor and socialist movement
One may doubt whether Hitler can stabilize European economy if he wins;
but there can be no doubt of what will happen to the European labor
and socialist movement. To believe that it must spring up again after
Hitler consolidates his military victory is to believe in a mystical au·
tomatism foreign both to intelligent Marxist theory and common sense.
The only shred of evidence Merian offers in denying my thesis
("If
Hitler wins, democratic socialism has no future; if he is defeated, it at
least has a chance"), testifies eloquently against his own. He points
to the resistance Hitler is now meeting in the countries he has overrun.
But he is blind to the obvious facts that this resistance is
nationalist,
not socialist; that it is supported by the
military
war against Hitler waged
by the democracies-a war Merian refuses to support; and that such
resistance will be smashed if Hitler is victorious. Is it not significant
that the most serious opposition to Hitler manifested itself after his
African defeat?
If
Merian welcomes this opposition to Hitler, should
he not support the effort to insure a final military defeat for Hitler which
will unleash revolutions against him throughout Europe?
A Fascist victory, on the other hand, will be followed by Fascist
governments in all countries of the world. This will make practically
certain the liquidation of the labor and socialist movement in our time
because of (1) the development of modern instruments of repression (2)
the new use of hunger as a weapon of intimidation and control, and
(3) total monopoly of economic, cultural and educational agencies
in
the hands of the Fascist state which will crush the older generation of
democrats and wean the young generation away from all democratic
traditions. Merian consoles himself that Fascists will have to employ
the
word
"socialis,n" to make their rule palatable. By this token the
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