TROTSKY’S CANDOUR

Evening Star, Issue 18716, 19 August 1924, Page 6

TROTSKY’S CANDOUR

COMM EXI ST PARTI' WEAKNESS. Extracts from a memorandum by Trotsky on (lie Russian Communist Party, taken from ‘ Vorwarts,’ aro given in tlm current issue of tho British paper ‘ Justice.’ Trotsky says: The cxLraorclinarv deleriorntion in t.lie internal condition of 'be party is to lie ascribed to two causes;—(n) Tho regime in the party, false in its core and unhealthy; (b) tho discontent, of workers and peasants on account of their difficult economic position, which has arisen not only from objective difficulties, but also by obvious basic faults of tho economic policy. The immense disproportion of prices compared with tho incidence of tho land tax, which is severely felt through its incompatibility with tho existing economic relations, has once more created extreme discontent among the peasants. Tho policy Ims reacted directly and indirectly upon the disposition and temper of the workers. Finally, the change in, the workers’ disposition lias now also affected the party. Opposition groups have come into toeing, and they are gaining in strength. In the last eighteen' months there has thus arisen a particular secretarial psychology, the main feature of which is the conviction that a secretary is in a position to decide upon any and every question without knowing anything about the matter. At every step and point wo sec how comrades who showed no organising or administrative capacities, whilst at the head of a Soviet body, decide in a dictatorial manner economic and other questions tho moment they arc appointed to a secretarial post. By tho application of theso “secretary methods” (he hureaucralisation of the party apparatus has developed to an enormous extent. ily endeavors during the last eighteen mouths have had no results. The party therefore may be surprised by crises of extraordinary violence. The ,most important feature of the present position is that the monstrous discrepancy between the prices of agricultural produce and the prices of industrial commodities means tho breakdown of the New Economic Policy, for to tho peasants, who form tho basis of that policy, it is a matter of utter indifference what arc tho reasons that they cannot purchase commodities, whether trading in them is prohibited by decrees or whether they have to faco tho fact (hat for two boxes of matches they have to give a pood (401 b) of grain. The most important economic questions are decided in tho Central Committee hastily without previous preparation and without any coherent plan. There is no guidance of the economic life; the chaos comes from above.