How to Give Political Content to Strikes

Because of the concentration of capital and the practice of the bourgeoisie and reformists to replace strikes by obligatory arbitration, every strike acquires political character. This does not mean that all the workers understand the political, i.e., the general class significance of the current economic struggles. In this situation, it is the task of the adherents of the Profintern to teach the masses politics on the basis of the everyday struggle. This means it is necessary to issue slogans at each stage of the struggle, on the basis of the demands, which will raise the fight to a higher level.

To give political content to strikes does not mean to talk about politics in the abstract, but it means to connect up the immediate demands with demands of a more general character.

The majority of strikes suffer from repression, government protection of strikebreakers, obligatory arbitration, etc. The principal thing is to have the worker understand from his experiences in the struggle that the government is protecting the employers against the workers, that the courts, press, church, etc., which are supposed to be beyond the classes, are also in the pay of the employers. The workers must realize that every large economic conflict means the placing of class against class. It is important not to put forth too many slogans at one time and to remember that only that political slogan will be of any value which is closely connected with the development and the circumstances of the given economic conflict. Militant political slogans (demands) flowing from a, given strike, may in their entirety comprise that united political platform upon which the workers of all political beliefs (including the non-Party workers) may unite.

The enthusiasm prevailing among the masses during strikes should be utilized for strengthening the campaign for the defense of the Soviet Union. Every worker must understand the very close connection between the preparations for war against the proletarian state, and the intensification of all means of exploitation, repression and terror which capitalism is forcing upon him for the sake of capitalist stabilization. During strikes the revolutionary trade unions must give especial attention to mobilizing the workers in those industries which can easily be converted into war industries. Also, among the railway workers it is necessary to popularize the slogans of the general strike, mass strikes and tying up of transportation in war time. In the struggle against imperialist war it is necessary to fight against all forms of military organizations and militarization functioning in the shops and factories.

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