Page:Solomon Abramovich Lozovsky - The World's Trade Union Movement (1924).pdf/109

 Rh to seize, how to conduct movements, whom to send to the other world, which districts are most dangerous, etc. In Germany, where the danger is very great, on the basis of struggle against Fascism we succeeded in creating a big movement for workers' defense groups.

But here we meet with opposition from the reformists. They are against such workers' defense groups, because, on some fine day, these self-defense groups may turn to attack. If the workers are armed, the class logic pushes them ahead, for the old strategic rule says, "The best method of defense is attack."

The reformists understand that out of these self-defense groups there may arise such organs which will lead the struggle against the whole capitalist system. No wonder, therefore, that the first action of the reformist Social-Democratic unions of Germany was aimed against the creation of such groups. But when a mass movement began among the workers, and the Communists succeeded on the basis of creating such groups. to unite workers of different views, the Social-Democracy proclaimed a slogan for the creation of purely Social-Democratic groups.

This was purposely to exclude the Communists because groups in which there are Communists cannot be anti-Communist, but purely Social-Democratic groups may be anti-Communist. The Social-Democrats of Germany figured that they would have to fight with arms in hand against the Communists, and the German Social-Democratic cabinet ministers and government leaders are taking every precaution against the creation of such self-defense groups, especially against such mixed groups.

Beside creating the self-defense groups and active agitation and propaganda, we advocated the creation of anti-Fascist Committees of Action. These Committees of Action, according to our opinion, had to embrace the workers of all tendencies, because, war and Fascism are of equal interest to the working class as a whole and to all its political groupings. But this idea of creating Committees of Action, the strong agitation and propaganda, the pressure of the whole international proletariat against Fascism—always meets with opposition from the Social-Democrats.

We now confront the fact that just as Bolshevism calls forth sympathy in the working class of all countries, creating similar organizations for struggle, so does Fascism, in the countries where it conquered, play the role of organizer for international reaction.

It became an international phenomenon which is in complete opposition to Bolshevism. Therefore, the struggle against Fascism should be conducted nut only on a national but on an. international scale. The attention of the working class of all countries, should be concentrated