Page Six THE ADVOCATE September 22 ,1939 ‘To Defeat Hitlerism, Make Democracy Work’ Buck TORONTO, Ont.—Grave responsibilities, democratic people, Tim Buck, general sive weekly here. Pointing out that the war was initiat secretary of the Communist party, Europe, Buck declares that “‘the working class of Canada,_in common with historic importance.’’ “The Communist party of Canada,’ the solemn responsibility dev working class movement, urges > he says, “emphasizing olving upon it and the entire the workers and democratic people everywhere to join hands in a supreme effort to make this criminal war that imperialist scheming has unloosed upon the people a genuine anti-fascist war of human liberation and to open the road for anew era of social progress by a lasting demo- cratic peace.” The war is the result of the whole course of deveiopment of the past decade. Acquiescence in Japan’s violet seizure of Man- churia, desertion of Ethiopia and scuttling of the League of Wations, loans and other aids to Hitler's rearmament program, the Anglo-Italian gentlemen’s agreement, the treacherous farce of ‘non-intervention’ by which democratic Spain was martyred for the satisfaction of German and Italian fascism, the shameful betrayal of Czechoslovakia at Munich and, finally, sabotage of the Anglo-French-Polish-Soviet negoitations are signposts mark- ing the path by catastrophic situation. The Communist party consist enily and energetically opposed the policy upon which the above outlined systematic concessions to the fascist a=eressors were based. The Communist party has warned the working class and democratic people consistently, that, unless the policy of “appeasement” were Gefeated and deliberate strength- eninge of the fascist aggeressors re placed by policies based upon col- lective action for peace, world war would resuit We Communists have reiterated that warning at every possible opportunity. Our position, sincerely held and actively advocated, was that the 4 . way in which peace could be main- | tained was by unequivocal agree | ment among non-fascist states for concerted action to prevent a2g- #ression—or decisively defeat any ageressce who provoked wer. The present war is the fruit of “ap- peasement” The way to invasion of Poland was opened at Biunich. Possibility of preventing the outbreak of war was finally re- jected by the pro-fascist Polish bourgeoisie who refused to accept | military aid from the Soviet Union and were supported in their re— fusal by the British government. | Thus ,achievement of 4 mutual as- sistance pact which would have united Britain, France, Poland and the USSR in an alliance pledged to prevent ageression was | blocked and the Rome-Berlin- Tokio axis given aimost 2 free hand for military operations te- | wards the East of the pro-fascist Polish landlords Stubborn refusal | to accept military aid irom the | USSR was, in effect, an extension of Chamberlain’s policy of strens- thening the aggressors while striv- ing to direct their aggression against the USSR. Fortunately for eracy, | struction | direction which Europe was brought to the present play the role allotted to her by the men of Munich. On the contrary, her unshakeable peace policy, backed by military preparedness and political sagacity enabled the Soviet government to play a de- cisive independent role. As a re- sult, the Axis was smashed and Hitler was seriously weakened— politically as well as in @ military sense—by the Soviet-German non- a@geression pact. The war in its present stage, a5 the maneuvers which preceded it, has a profoundly contradictory character. A war between imper- jialist powers, an extension of the second imperialist world war, it is conditioned by the existence of the mighty socialist USSR and all that it implies and by the deepen- ing general crisis of capitalism ex pressed in fascism and the rising Gemocratic and socialist struggles of the masses. Thus imperialist aims are conditioned by fear of the consequence of collapse or dc struction of the Nazi regime. Dan- ger of a “war Munich” is ever present as long as men who favor “appeasement” are at the helm of governments. On the other hand, while reac- tionary finance-capitalist interests represented by the Chamberlain government are averse to destruc- tion of the Nazi regime—prefer- ring rather a military stalemate and political compromise, and re- of German fascism against the Soviet Union — the great mass of democratic people demand the decisive military de- feat of Hitler and complete de- of the Nazi regime. These factors differentiate the present situation from the situa- ed by ruthless Nazi invasion of Poland and has a | tion prevailing at the outbreak of | j-war in i914 and dictate different world demo | the Soviet Union did not ment. tasks for the working-class move- Working People Want Hitlerism Destroyed The working people have noth- ing in common with the imperial- | ist interests and aims which brought on this conflict. perialist character of this conflict of interests was revealed and em- phasized by the sabotage of the negotiations for an Angio-French- Soviet pact. Working people want the mil- tary defeat of Hitler and the complete destruction of the Nazi regime. The working elass de- mands this: not only because the ruthless invasion of Poland must be smashed and the people ef Czechoslovakia and Austria set free but also because demo- cratic people everywhere now realize that destruction of the bestial Nazi regime and every last trace of fascism is a2 sSu- preme necessity if civilization is to endure. Trade unionists who prize their organizations and democratic people who recognize the trade- union movement as a bulwark of democracy in the capitalist state realize that fascism must be de- stroyed. Tf the labor movement is to survive it must stop the growth of fascism. Every lover of all who stand for social progress peace, every man and woman who values freedom of conscience and all who stand for social progress realize now that Hitler must be defeated and the entire Wazi sys- tem of barbarous action destroyed. The Communist party has been the most consistent opponent 9f Hitler and the Nazi regime and the most consistent fighter against fascism in ali its forms and manifestations in Canada. The position of the Communist party has been stated clearly and unequivecally on numerous occa- sions. The Communist party has opposed “appeasement.” We con- demned the betrayal at Munich and warned that it epened the road for war. The Communist party has pointed out repeatedly that Hitler’s aim and the drive of fascist aggression in general was not simply to secure pessession of a city here and there but to bring The im- | about a decisive territorial re-divi- sion or the earth. It is a drive for world power. We have insis*- ed that fascist aggression could be prevented by genuine collective security by concerted action of a2 sufficiently powerful combination of powers which desired peace. Systematic efforts are being made by unscrupulous elements to create an impression that the Communist party will obstruct the defeat of the Nazi regime. All such statements and insinua- tions are false; entirely wthout foundation in fact and ealculat ed only to distract and divide the Canadian working class in this hour of world crisis when the supreme need is eool, united consideration of the problems confronting Canada as a result of the war. It is significant that the two sources of this lying dis- ruptive propaganda are the re- actionaries who were noted until recently for their admiration of the Nazi regime and the news- papers through which their in- fluence is extended. The Communist party empha- sizes that the Nazi drive will be defeated in Europe only by men who are the enemies of Nazi ideas at home also. Hitler will not be | defeated by governments compos ed of admirers of the Nazi regime and men whose entire policy has been based upon the dream of in- stigating Hitler fascism to destroy the first Socialist state are not the ones to lead a genuine anti-fascist war. If Hitler is to be decisively defeated the politicians who con- ceived of Munich must go. It is clear that the most reac- tionary circles of imperialist fin- ance Capital still dream of a “war Munich” and of re-directing Hit- ler’s aggression against the Soviet Union. The emphasis upon “a long war,’ the emphasis upon what is termed economic warfare, no apparent military aid to Poland, the perspective of a virtual stale- mate in the West while Hitler’s legions are busy conquering Po- land, all provide cause for deep concern to democratic people. We stern Front Still Quiet ; > ETB a Gal fe Re pis eee 5) NORTH SEA ft] naveurs ~~ = oc BREMEN —_ = = is) =e x = __ROTTERDAM, BERLIN® Ue a | {1 z= LCNPOoN— | Dunkerque < af a] | tol bay ae ; el ~~ Se fq | Gl ees SS