Marx and Engels on Revolution in America/Chapter 5
V.
The Role of the Marxist Nucleus Within the Working Class Party.
WE have already pointed out that Marx and Engels never wanted to give up the maintenance of a real Marxist party of the most class-conscious and progressive elements of the native and foreign-born in the working class within the great mass party. For thirty years, in their correspondence with the American Socialists, they rejected any endeavor to set up a mechanical distinction between the Marxist party and the labor party, as two opposites which exclude each other. The sectarians in the German S. L. P., who accused them of "liquidating the leading role of the Marxist party," were criticized unmercifully by them. More than that, year after year they pointed out through the results of the progressing labor movement in America that the leading role of the Marxist party can be best realized and can only be realized within the great revolutionary mass party. Only when the Marxist—or putting it in modern phraseology—the Bolshevik party fulfills this task within an extensive proletarian mass party—a labor party—can the historically conditioned backwardness of the American movement be overcome by the practical experience of the masses themselves, and can the differences and antagonisms within the working class be settled. In his letter dated November 29, 1886, Engels formulates the task of the Marxist party, "to build up within this still wholly plastic mass a nucleus of persons who understand the movement and its goals "and which later takes over the real leadership of the movement, as follows:
"But just now it is doubly necessary for us to have a few people who are thoroughly versed in THEORY and well-tested TACTICS … for the Americans are for good historical reasons far behind in all theoretical questions, have taken over no mediaeval institutions from Europe, but have taken masses of mediaeval tradition, English common (feudal) law, superstition, spiritualism, in short, all the nonsense which did not directly hurt business and which is now very useful for stupefying the masses. And if THEORETICALLY CLEAR FIGHTERS are available, who can predict for them the consequence of their own mistakes, who can make clear for them that every movement, which does not incessantly fix its eye upon the destruction of the wage system as its final goal must go astray and fail, many mistakes can be avoided and the process can be considerably shortened." (Letter to Sorge dated November 29, 1886).
In the letter of January 27, 1887 (quoted before), Engels outlined the fundamental tactical policy of the American Marxists: working along with the general movement of the working class at every one of its stages without giving up or hiding their own political position and organization.
In his letter to Sorge dated February 8, 1890, he denotes as their task "to take over through their superior theoretical insight and experience the leading role" in the masses, as events themselves drive the American proletariat forward. And he adds, in order to reassure Sorge, who fears for the preservation of the past results of the pure Marxist party:
"You will then see that your work of years has not been in vain."
Although Engels time and again points out that the working class can only learn from its own experiences, he is far from becoming a worshipper of spontaneity. In the same letter, he tells the American Marxists in connection with the successes of the miners' movement in 1890 in Germany:
"Facts must hammer it into people's heads and then things move faster, MOST RAPIDLY OF COURSE, WHERE THERE ALREADY IS AN ORGANIZED AND THEORETICALLY TRAINED SECTION OF THE PROLETARIAT…"
Finally, taking up the specific conditions in America, he foresees that in the great labor party, principally composed of native workers, "the foreign element in the nation will make its influence felt through its greater mobility." This foreign element, however, comprised and comprises of necessity in America the majority of the pure Marxist party. It is just the Communists' confining themselves to the ranks of their own supporters and those who are already in whole-hearted sympathy with them, it is just the renunciation of the formation of a mass party which leads to the spontaneity theory, to "Khvostism," to the hindrance of the Communist task of taking the leadership of the entire class in the revolution.