Manifesto of the Fourth International For Defense of the Soviet Union

August 1941
Adopted: August 1941 First Published: October, 1941 Source: Fourth International, New York, Volume II No. 8,

October 1941, . !!9"#1. Author: $ean %an &ei'enoort (accor)ing to *obert Ale+an)er,s &istor-.. Transcribed/HTML Markup: /aniel 0ai)o an) /a%i) 1alters, /ecember, !223 Public Domain: 4eon 5rotsk- Internet Archi%e !223. You can 6reel- co -, )istribute, )is la- an) er6orm this work7 as well as make )eri%ati%e an) commercial works. 8lease cre)it the 9ar+ists Internet Archi%e as -our source, inclu)e the a))ress o6 this work, an) note the transcribers an) roo6rea)ers abo%e. 5he 6ollowing mani6esto, issue) b- the :+ecuti%e ;ommittee o6 the Fourth International, is re rinte) From the International <ulletin 8ress =er%ice. 5he =o%iet >nion is at war? 5he =o%iet >nion is in mortal )anger? In his )es erate struggle to o en the worl) to 0erman im erialism, &itler has turne) to the east, ho ing b- a @uick %ictor- to strengthen his militar- an) economic ositions. At this hour o6 su reme )anger the Fourth International roclaims what it has constantl- sai) to the workersA /e6en) the >. =. =. *.? 5he )e6ense o6 the =o%iet >nion is the elementar- )ut- o6 all the workers true to their class.

1e know %er- wellBbetter than an-oneBthat the resent go%ernment o6 the >.=.=.*. is %er- )i66erent than the =o%iet ower o6 the 6irst -ears o6 the re%olution, but we ha%e something to )e6en) an) we )e6en) it against the class enem- in)e en)entl- o6 all the mis)ee)s o6 its resent lea)ers. 5he =o%iet workers accom lishe) a tremen)ous re%olution which change) the 6ace o6 a %ast countr-. 5he- stoo) alone, the- lacke) the 6orces to realiCe all their ho es, an) the- ha) to tolerate on their necks %ile usur ers. <ut now &itler comes to annihilate e%er-thing. 5hat, neither the eo les o6 the >. =. =. *. nor the worl) working class can ermit. &ow to )e6en) the >. =. =. *.D 5o answer this @uestion we must be6ore all know wh- the 6irst workers, state, the 6irst e+ eriment in roletarian ower, stan)s at the e)ge o6 the ab-ss. I6 a catastro he is ossible at this )ate, a6ter almost a @uarter centur- o6 sur%i%al, the cause lies abo%e all in the internal )egeneration o6 the workers, state, now rule) o%er b- a arasitic bureaucrac-. Stalinism Responsible for the Catastrophe A little more than twent- -ears ago, the =o%iet >nion came through the ci%il war, ha%ing %ictoriousl- re ulse) the attacks o6 the im erialist brigan)s o6 the whole worl). I6 to)a- the =o%iet >nion has been lunge) into the most terrible o6 wars, i6 to)a- its %er- e+istence is threatene), the res onsibilit- 6or its light 6alls 6irst an) 6oremost u on =talin. 5he secon) im erialist war an) the attack against the =o%iet >nion coul) occur onl- a6ter the re%olutionar- 6orces o6 the worl) roletariat, an) abo%e all its :uro ean section, ha) been )isorganiCe) b- the =taliniCe) ;omintern. 5he =o%iet >nion su66ere) a )e6eat each time that the workers, ranks were smashe) as a result o6 the treacherous olicies o6 =talinism. 5he =o%iet >nion su66ere) a )e6eat when the ;hinese re%olution was strangle) b- ;hiang Eai"shek, rotFgF o6 =talin, in 19!G7 when the =o%iet bureaucrac- crushe) the 4e6t O osition, e+iling an) e+terminating the 6lower o6 the <olshe%ik art-7 when &itler came to ower in 0erman-, thanks to the 6atal olic- o6 the 0erman communist art- ins ire) )irectl- b- =talin. 5he =o%iet >nion su66ere) a )e6eat when =talin sol) the French working class

to the bourgeoisie as a-ment 6or a militar- act7 when the heroic = anish *e%olution was le) to its )e6eat b- =talin,s agents, who 6ought 6or the maintenance o6 ri%ate ownershi o6 the lan) an) 6actories7 when the horrible 9oscow trials, stage) b- =talin, alienate) the s-m athies o6 workers 6rom the =o%iet >nion. 5he resent attack against the =o%iet >nion b- &itler is the last link in a large chain o6 )e6eats su66ere) b- the 6orces o6 the working class throughout the whole worl), an) the res onsible author o6 these )e6eats was the ;omintern, acting un)er or)ers o6 the =o%iet bureaucrac-. &itler is himsel6 a ro)uct o6 the )ecline o6 the roletarian re%olution, carrie) through b- the great saboteur whose name is =talin. 1e ha%e o6ten state)A without a =talin there coul) be no &itler? O%er the resent )eca)ence reigning in :uro e, with its untol) miser- 6or the working masses an) their great ho es lost, mo%es the black sha)ow o6 =talin, the great organiCer o6 working class )e6eats? The Bureaucracys Foreign Policies 5he =o%iet >nion remaine) isolate) as a result o6 the betra-al bthe ;omintern o6 the re%olutionar- interests o6 the working class. 5he ruling bureaucrats en)ea%ore) to a%oi) the conse@uences o6 their crimes towar)s the workers b- e66ecting )i lomatic combinations with im erialist owers. <ut in the backgroun) o6 )estro-e) working class 6orces, the- coul) go onl- 6rom 6ailure to 6ailure. 5he )isarra- o6 the Eremlin, 6ace to 6ace with the results o6 its own olicies, was ne%er more a arent than on the )awn o6 $une !!, when &itler o ene) his cam aign against the =o%iet >nion. 5he 6oreign olicies o6 =talin )uring the last 6ew -ears were in no wa- su erior to those o6 ;hamberlain. An) 6or the same reasonA the- were both the olicies o6 weakness. A6ter the 9unich act ;hamberlain romise) the worl) a Hnew era o6 eace.I 5his HeraI laste) less than a -ear. A6ter the 0erman"=o%iet act 9oloto% boaste) that the agreement between the Htwo eo les,I *ussian an) 0erman, woul) guarantee unlimite) eace to the =o%iet >nion. 1ith the militar- smashing o6 France an) the 0erman a)%ances

into the <alkans, =talin 6oun) it necessar- to gi%e &itler a series o6 Hwarnings,I which )i) not e+cee) the limits o6 small )i lomatic maneu%ers. &owe%er, a warning which is unaccom anie) b- real 6orce changes into its o osite, that is to sa-, instea) o6 restraining the enem-, it incites him to rocee) 6urther. <- all these acts =o%iet )i lomac- )emonstrate) onl- one thingA that the Eremlin was mortall- a6rai) o6 war. 5hat coul) onl- encourage &itler to un)ertake )ecisi%e action. 5o what e+tent the =o%iet lea)ers were %ictims o6 their own olicies is shown b- the s eeches o6 9oloto% an) =talin. All that the Hgenius"like lea)ershi I coul) think o6 sa-ing in the 6ace o6 the &itler attack consiste) o6 iti6ul 'eremia)s about the )ishonest- o6 the aggressor. Stalin Stifles the Revolutionary Struggle 5he war can onl- intensi6- the ro6oun)l- conser%ati%e olicies o6 the bureaucrac-. Internall- =talin has alrea)- strengthene) the mechanism o6 olice )ictatorshi at the e+ ense o6 militarinterests. 5he bureaucrac- lets it be known in this wa- that it mabe willing to )e6en) the =o%iet >nion but it is 6irst an) 6oremost concerne) with )e6en)ing its ri%ilege) osition in the countr-. :+ternall- the rinci al concern o6 the bureaucrac- is to a ear like a genuine member o6 the Anglo"American im erialist cam . It is in the name o6 this rogram that the Eremlin maintains an unbroken silence on e%er-thing which might call to min) the roletarian re%olution. 5he countr- where Hsocialism has 6inall- trium he)I is at war, but the %er- wor) socialism has )isa eare) 6rom the %ocabular- o6 s okesmen o6 the bureaucrac-. 5he Eremlin, with its mercenarwriters, re%i%es all the atriotic memories o6 ;Carist *ussia. It )oes not e%en )are recall to the =o%iet masses the great e%ents o6 the ci%il war. 5here are two reasons 6or thisA 6irst, not to )isturb ;hurchill with burning memories an) new 6ears, an) secon), because it is itsel6 in mortal 6ear o6 the re%olutionar- tra)itions o6 the masses. 5he ;ommunist International la-s )ea). In the countries o6 the H)emocraticI cam , the =talinist arties ma)e an instantaneous about"6ace. 5heir alrea)- long e+ erience in this sort

o6 )rill ste ma)e it ossible to carr- it out without the slightest inci)ent. 5he imme)iate all- o6 the =o%iet >nion is the 0erman working class which has the same enem- )irectl- in 6ront o6 itA 0erman im erialism. <ut e%en now, when resse) b- the armies o6 &itler, the bureaucrac- )ares not a eal to it. 5he bureaucrac- has a eale) to the 0erman eo le, inclu)ing Hhonest National" =ocialists,I in a mani6esto which contains not the slightest roletarian note but is 6ille) instea) with iti6ul an) ri)iculous lamentations. For the )estruction o6 0erman im erialism, roletarian internationalism is a 6ar more ower6ul 6orce than an- ai) which 9oscow ma- be able to get 6rom 4on)on or 1ashington. 4enin o6ten re eate) that it was that 6orce which re%ente) the im erialists 6rom strangling the *ussian re%olution )uring its heroic )a-s. <ut in that erio) the =o%iet lea)ers knew how to s eak to the workers in a re%olutionar- tongue. 5he resent Eremlin lea)ers can onl- whine to 0erman sol)iers in the language o6 *ussian nationalism7 the- are com letel- inca able o6 o ening a re%olutionar- ers ecti%e to them. It i)enti6ies its war aims with those o6 ;hurchill an) *oose%elt, an) thereb- ser%es onl- to strengthen 0erman nationalism an) in the en) to hel &itler. It calls u on the :nglish an) American workers to su ort their im erialists an) thereb- cannot 6ail to tie the 0erman workers to their lea)ers as well. 5he sti6ling o6 the re%olutionar- struggle in one cam makes its )e%elo ment more )i66icult in the other. 5he bureaucrac- con)ucts the war with its own characteristic metho)s. 5he- are the metho)s o6 a ro6oun)l- conser%ati%e caste o6 ar%enus, which grew u 6rom an) was nourishe) b- the )ecline o6 the re%olution. 5he lea)ers in the Eremlin ha%e man- times 'usti6ie) the long series o6 their betra-als o6 workers, struggles on the groun)s o6 the )e6ense nee)s o6 the =o%iet >nion. In realit-, thanks to the =taliniCe) ;omintern, the working class was )e6eate) an) the =o%iet >nion 6oun) itsel6 more isolate) than e%er. 5o)athe results are ob%ious. Yester)a- the Eremlin 6awne) u on the

0erman- o6 &itler 'ust as to)a- it gras s )es eratel- at ;hurchill an) *oose%elt. 1hat has been achie%e) b- thisD 1here has it le)D The Spirit of the Soviet Masses 5he balance sheet o6 =talinist olic- shows an enormous )e6icit. 5he resent catastro he is onl- the bankru tc- o6 this whole olic-. <ut i6 at the )ecisi%e hour the lea)ers in the Eremlin coul) onl- re%eal their con6usion, the =o%iet masses, on the other han), were able to )emonstrate their courage an) )aring. 5he 6irst weeks o6 war ha%e shown the )e%otion an) s irit o6 sacri6ice o6 the =o%iet troo s. 5hat is the 6un)amental 6act o6 the cam aign u to this time. 5he *ussian sol)iers ha%e been able to o ose the terri6-ing metho)s o6 0erman militarism with bol)ness an) initiati%e. 5he)o not 6ight H6or =talin,I 6or the hate) bureaucrats who o ress them, but the- un)erstan) 6ull- the )i66erence between =talin an) &itler. 5he- are aware that &itler )i) not enter u on this 6ormi)able cam aign in or)er to liberate the countr- 6rom the arasitic bureaucrac-7 that he comes on the contrar- to com lete the latter,s task, to ut a )e6initi%e en) to a re%olution alrea))ee l- woun)e). 5he =o%iet eo le, b- its 6erocious struggle, ha%e shown the worl) that there still remains something to )e6en) an) that it e+ ects to )e6en) it to the en). /es ite all the crimes o6 the bureaucrac-, the October re%olution, which brought a new li6e to all the eo les o6 *ussia, is not -et )ea). 5he worker an) collecti%iCe) easant are 6ull- aware o6 what a &itler %ictor- woul) meanA seiCure o6 the econom- b- the 0erman trusts an) cartels, trans6ormation o6 the countr- into a colon-, the en) o6 the 6irst e+ eriment in lanne) econom- outsi)e the ro6it s-stem, the en) o6 all ho es. 5he- )o not want to allow that. Tasks of the Working Class 5he Fourth International has unceasingl- roclaime) what the =o%iet worker has gras e) b- his class instinctA uncon)itional )e6ense o6 the =o%iet >nion?1e )e6en) the =o%iet >nion regar)less o6 the betra-als b- the bureaucrac- an) )es ite these

betra-als. 1e )o not )eman) this or that concession b- the =talinist bureaucrac- as a con)ition 6or our su ort. <ut we )e6en) the =o%iet >nion with our own metho)s. 1e re resent the re%olutionar- interests o6 the working class an) our wea on is the re%olutionar- class struggle. 5he im erialist allies o6 the Eremlin are not our allies. 1e go on with the re%olutionarstruggle, e%en in the H)emocraticI cam .5o su ort the im erialist masters o6 :nglan) or the >nite) =tates woul) mean to ai) &itler in maintaining his hol) o%er the 0erman workers. Our stakes are wagere) on the re%olution, an) the best metho) o6 assisting the re%olutionar- 6uture o6 the 0erman workers is to con)uct an) intensi6- working class struggles in the o osing cam . In 0erman- an) in the :uro ean countries occu ie) b- 0erman troo s, )e6ense o6 the =o%iet >nion means )irectl- the sabotage o6 the 0erman militar- machine. 0erman workers an) easants in sol)iers, uni6orms, the Fourth International calls u on -ou to ass o%er with -our arms an) e@ui ment into the ranks o6 the *e) Arm-? 0erman workers an) easants now in the 6actories, on the railroa)s, an) on the 6arms, an) ensla%e) eo les o6 :uro e, aral-Ce in e%er- ossible wa- the march o6 0erman militarism? You will not onl- b- this means )e6en) the =o%iet >nion, but -ou will also be re aring -our own liberation, not the HliberationI which ;hurchill or *oose%elt hol)s in store 6or -ou, but -our own, whereb- -ou will be able as 6ree men to buil) a new worl). In the =o%iet >nion, the Fourth International calls u on the =o%iet workers to be the best sol)iers at their combat stations. Our organiCation li%es u on the teachings o6 the lea)er o6 the *e) Arm- in the )i66icult 6irst -ears o6 the re%olution, 4eon 5rotsk-, assassinate) b- the Eremlin,s hangman, but whose memor- must now be recurring e%ermore 6re@uentl-, in this hour o6 su reme )anger, to the min)s o6 all the 6ormer artici ants in the ci%il war. &is e+am le an) the tra)itions o6 that great erio) must now be ins iring the sol)iers, sailors an) a%iators? <ut the miracles o6 heroism o6 those )a-s were ren)ere) ossible onl- because the workers an) easants clearl- un)erstan) what the- were )e6en)ing. In or)er to re eat these miracles o6 )aring,

which are so necessar- i6 &itler is to be )e6eate), the best wea on is the restoration o6 the )emocrac- o6 the =o%iets. 1ar )oes not ut an en) to our struggles against the bureaucrats but, makes it more im erious than e%er. For the )e6ense o6 the =o%iet >nion, 6orm so%iets o6 workers, easants, an) sol)iers? 5hat is our rall-ing cr-. <ut our struggle against the bureaucrac- remains subor)inate) to the war against im erialism. 5hat is true on the olitical lane, where we consi)er our criticism o6 the arasitic oligarch- as the metho) o6 best arming the countr- against im erialism, an) it is also true on the militar- lane where ractical actions against the bureaucrac- are subor)inate) to the nee)s 6or )e6ense o6 the countr-. >n)er wartime con)itions all the roblems o6 the regime are ose) more shar l- than e%er in the min)s o6 the =o%iet workers. 5he 6irst task o6 the resent hour is the 6ormation o6 ca)res an) the organiCation o6 the =o%iet section o6 the Fourth International. Stalinism s !oome"# In a more or less brie6 erio), the bureaucratic regime, now li%ing on a com romise between the roletariat an) im erialism, cannot sur%i%e the war. :%en in case o6 %ictor-, the )a-s o6 the =talinist cli@ue are numbere). A %ictor-, e%en in the 6orm o6 rolonge) resistance, woul) awaken all the ho es o6 the =o%iet masses, an) woul) )estro- the accumulate) a ath- engen)ere) b- the -ears o6 )e6eats. 5he workers an) collecti%e 6armers woul) increasinglo ose the arbitrar- actions o6 bureaucrats. <esi)es, the 6ailure o6 the 0erman armies woul) ine%itabl- ro)uce what =talin )rea)s the mostBworkers, insurrections throughout all :uro e. On the burning terrain o6 the re%olution, =talin woul) lose his 6ooting an) 6ollow &itler straight into the ab-ss. 5he turmoil o6 war now resoun)s through the whole worl). All the im erialists are working 6e%erishl- 6or the annihilation o6 humanit-. A tremen)ous wa%e o6 reaction is swee ing be6ore it all the liberties an) all the con@uests o6 -ester)a-. &itler, ;hurchill an) *oose%elt are eager ri%als in this terrible contest. =talin seeks

onl- to con6orm to the H)emocraticI robbers an) his greatest 6ear is that he ma- let sli some re%olutionar- wor). As 6or us, we can well continue to be o timists. 1ithin the )e ths o6 the masses a re%olt is ri ening which nothing will be able to restrain. 5he 6irst im erialist war o6 1914"1918 now a ears as a sim le rehearsal 6or the resent war, an) the re%olutionarwhirlwin) which will come out o6 the resent war will )war6 the re%olutionar- crises o6 191G"19!2. 5he resistance o6 the =o%iet masses to the 0erman a)%ance cannot but hasten the e+ losion. 5hat is wh- all the eo les o6 the worl) must su ort that resistance, each accor)ing to the articular metho)s which we ha%e in)icate). /e6en) the =o%iet >nion an) -ou thereb- )e6en) -oursel%es, -ou will hasten the hour o6 -our liberation? For )e6ense o6 the =o%iet >nion? 4ong li%e the 1orl) =ocialist *e%olution? :+ecuti%e ;ommittee o6 the Fourth International August, 1941.