Page:Resolutions and Theses of the Fourth Congress of the Communist International (1922).djvu/54

 necessary for its exploitation remains in Germany, in the Ruhr. She had hoped to bring order into her disturbed finances by means of the German reparations payments. All financial experts agree that Germany cannot pay the sums necessary to stabilise French finances. The only way that remains open to the French bourgeoisie is the reduction of the standard of living of the French proletariat to the level of that of the German. The hunger suffered by the German workers will to-morrow be suffered by the French proletariat. The deliberate depreciation of the franc by certain circles of the French heavy industry will be the means to shift the burden of the war upon the French proletariat after the Versailles Peace. Treaty has proved useless.

England.

Thanks to the World War, England has been able to unite its colonial empire from the Cape to Egypt, Arabia and India. The most important entrances to the world seas have remained in her possession. By concessions to her Anglo-Saxon colonies, she is attempting to create an Anglo-Saxon world empire.

In spite of the adaptability of the British bourgeoisie, and its determined attempts to conquer the world market, it became apparent that the conditions created by the Versailles Treaty made the further progress of England impossible. England cannot maintain its existence as long as Germany and Russia have not been economically restored. This sharpens the conflict between France and England. England wants to send her goods to Germany, but is prevented by the Versailles. Treaty; France wishes to obtain from Germany greater sums for reparations, which, of course, destroys the purchasing power of Germany. This is why England demands the reduction of the reparations. France conducts a masked war against England in the Near East in order to force her to yield on the reparations question. While the proletariat of England is paying for the war in the form of unemployment, the bourgeoisie of France and England always unite at the cost of Germany.

Central Europe and Germany.

The most important object of the Versailles Peace Treaty is Central Europe, the new colony of the imperialist predatory States. Broken up into a countless number of small countries incapable of independent economic existence, which, of course, cannot conduct an independent policy, they have sunk down to colonies of French and English capital. They are incited against each other according to the changing interest of the large Powers. Czecho-Slovakia, cut off from a unified economic territory of 60 million people, is in a state of chronic crisis. Austria has shrunk down to a dying State, which maintains its political independence only on account of the conflicting desires of her neighbours. Poland, which received a great number of foreign territories, has become one of the