Strategy of the Communists/Foreword
FOREWORD
The letter which appears in the following pages was addressed to the Communist Party of Mexico by the Executive Committee of the Communist International.
Under ordinary circumstances a communication to a party in another country, dealing with the problems of that country, would not be of sufficient interest for publication, but this is not true of the document contained in the following pages.
In advising the Communist Party of Mexico as to the policy it should adopt in the class struggle in that country the Communist International has outlined the strategy of the Communists in all countries.
The united front policy explained in detail to the Mexican party is a problem of the Communists in this country as well. In the form of the struggle for a labor party this question presents itself as one of the most important questions of policy of the Workers Party.
How Communists must make use of the different interests of groups within the capitalist class and the clashing interests of big capitalists and the small business men and professional groups is another problem which is dealt with at length in this letter. This question is of particular interest to Communists in this country in view of the developing third party movement in the United States. What shall be the policy of the Communists if the small business men and well-to-do farmers form a third party to fight the old capitalist parties? The Communist International answers the question in advising the Mexican party what it shall do in a similar situation.
American imperialism has reached out into the West Indies, Central and South America and is subjugating the countries of these parts of the Western Hemisphere in the interest of Wall Street. How the workers shall fight against American imperialism is outlined by the Comintern.
Since this letter deals with the actualities of the struggle rather than a theoretical situation the policies laid down are all the more illuminating. No worker who wishes to understand the fundamental strategy of the Communists should omit it from his reading.
C. E. Ruthenberg.