WORLD POLITICS.

Evening Star, Issue 22723, 10 August 1937, Page 7

WORLD POLITICS.

TO THE EDITOE. Sir, —At the present day, in the midst of lowering international clouds on all sides, it is not necessary to emphasise the urgency of the problems of world polities. It is sufficiently' clear to all that we are faced with questions which this generation must solve on pain of destruction. In every sphere, economic and political, antagonisms and conflicts are advancing to bursting point. The menace ot a new world war overhangs the present world situation. On all side:: the world is felt to be drifting to catastrophe without control, yet the majority of political leaders and statesmen have no solution to offer. What must be done? Can a" new world_ war be prevented? How? This question tears at the hearts of the masses of the population in every country. The relations of Capitalism and Socialism have ’ undergone a profound change with the establishment of the Soviet Union and its building of the first Socialist economy. The Soviet Union daily grows in strength, and now occupies the position of the second world Power in economic political weight. This is a situation to which previous history knows no parallel. On the basis of its growing'strength, the Soviet Union is able to exercise an increasing influence in world politics. The relations of the Capitalist world and of the Soviet Union, and in particular the efforts of the reactionary and Fascist sections of Imperialism to promote war against the Soviet Union and of the Soviet Union to build np a world front for peace, raise far-reach-ing questions for the future. But this growing transformation in the relations of Capitalism and Socialism is expressed also directly in the Capitalist world, and has produced a profound awakening and growth of strength and consciousness in the working class through all the world-shattering events since 1914, an awakening which has affected also all the lower and middle strata of the population and undermined the basis of the old social order. , Capitalism in decay has turned increasingly to methods of violent reaction and" repression, and in an increasing number of countries to a Fascist dictatorship to maintain its rule. This in turn has led to the growth of the working class united front, and in some countries a “ people’s front.” The battles in recent years in Austria, France, Poland, South America, India, and especiallv Spain and China show that the world stands not only on the eve of a menacing new world war, but also on the eve of a series of revolutionary struggles which are likely to lead to big transformations—either to light and progress or still further hack to savagery and extinction. The old dominant world social order jyhioh.

found its culmination in the Imperialist era since the beginning of the twentieth century met its first shattering in the events which began with 1914, the catastrophe let lose by its own hand, and since then has found no peace or recovery. The year‘l9l4 sounded the historic signal for basic change from the old bankrupt Imperialist order to the new world Socialist order. In part of the world that change has begun in the events leading out of the first world war.' Over the greater part of the world the attempt was still made to rebuild the old, and. now the old problems of this cruel and immoral, obsolete Capitalist world again demand temporary relief in war. We youth who are living to-day, and with the best part of our lives to live,' are faced with big issues in the coming years. They are world issues. We cannot cut down or limit our outlook from facing them, as they must be faced. The next 20 years are likely to be decisive for ■ the future of the world.. Are we equipped and ready to meet them?—l am, etc., . B.G.E.W, August 10.