Page:Resolutions and Decisions of the Third Congress of the Red International of Labor Unions (1924).pdf/71

 when it was necessary to induce millions of toilers to go to the slaughter? Everything written by the capitalist and social-patriotic press during this period remains as a memorial of the great corruption and degradation of the statesmen and their socialist lackeys in all countries. The victory of "justice" led to the montrous Versailles Treaty. The victory of "culture" revealed the shameless aridity of the victors. "The last war" became the starting point for new, hitherto unparalleled armaments, and the "destruction of Prussian militarism" led to the blossoming of Franco-British imperialism, to a new feverish race for armaments. Science and war technique are engaged in bringing out new inventions, in working out plans of aerial warfare, war chemistry opens new "glittering," truly terrifying vistas before humanity.

Ten years have passed since the outbreak of the "great" and "liberating" war. Six years of the Versailles Peace, and the economic life of all countries, with the exception of Soviet Russia, is in disintegration. Europe is losing its industrial, economic and financial hegemony. The centre has been transferred to the United States, where a powerful capitalism, under cover of Wilson's "fourteen points," developed feverish energy in every field of industrial and financial activity. Decaying Europe is faced with full blooded American capitalism, which finds its own continent too limited, and searches through the Pacific for new markets, coming up against weakened but still powerful Japanese capitalism. Dependent economically upon America, Europe continues to struggle in the grip of the reparations problem.

After six years of peace, plenty of dynamite has accumulated in Europe, ready to explode at any moment. One has but to watch the feverish work of the French, British, Czecho-Slovakian, Polish and Austrian armament factories in order to realize the impending danger. What are the professed leaders of the working class doing in the face of the danger? Where are all the champions of the last war? In the Second and Amsterdam Internationals they continue their old policy of fooling the masses, of spreading pacifist illusions at the very time when everywhere preparations for new wars are being made. At the last congress in Vienna, the Amsterdam International adopted a resolution against war. It was voted for by the very same men who never raised a finger to organize resistance to French imperialism in the Ruhr. The hypocritical character of this talk is best proved by the fact that all these gentlemen adopted the experts' report, which, if put into effect, would threaten the world with new conflicts and upheavals. These pitiful prattlers and hypocrites speak pathetically of peace, at the same time adding fuel to the militarist and imperialist fires. Who are these Vienna peace makers, what did they do to further peace during the war? During the war they were all in the service of their bourgeoisie. They preached "war to the victorious end", they fought against the least expression of internationalism in thought and action; they used the machinery of the labor organizations to stifle every protest. The same gentlemen whose hands are stained with the blood of millions of workers, are now making pacifist speeches, after sanctifying the monstrous, shamelssshameless [sic] robbers' peace of Versailles and after accepting the plan of the experts for the choking of the German proletariat. They may declaim against war, though each knows full well that immediately war breaks out they will all again don the livery of their masters and preach the old "pacifist" slogan: "Workers of the World, cut each others' throats."

The years of black reaction have generated much discontent among