FRANZ BORKENAU

[Popular Front policy] implied a wholesale overthrow of the basic principles of communism. Instead of the class struggle, cooperation with the bourgeoisie. Instead of the Soviet system, eulogy of democracy. Instead of internationalism, nationalism.

Depressions, and especially an economic depression of such a scope as that of 1929-33, do not create readiness for every sort of fight. The masses of unemployed, who determine, more and more, in such a situation the views and actions even of those how have remained at work, are little adapted to continual, methodical fights for determined aims. They waver between short, wild, desperate outbreaks and complete apathy.... They leave in millions their old organizations ... mostly because they feel that these organizations are powerless to help them. Here, then, is the point to where left-wing extremism of the type of 1929 meets admirable the mood of the workless. If the communist agitators tell the unemployed that the trade unions have betrayed him and are no good, he is ready to believe them. If they tell the worker who is still employed that the union – by betrayal, of course – cannot protect either his wage or his job, he feels that the communists are right – and leaves the union. Thus the turn of the Comintern to the left, which had originated in internal feuds rooted in its pervious history, found and unexpected response among the workers as a result of the crisis.

[Popular Front policy] implied a wholesale overthrow of the basic principles of communism. Instead of the class struggle, cooperation with the bourgeoisie. Instead of the Soviet system, eulogy of democracy. Instead of internationalism, nationalism.

Depressions, and especially an economic depression of such a scope as that of 1929-33, do not create readiness for every sort of fight. The masses of unemployed, who determine, more and more, in such a situation the views and actions even of those how have remained at work, are little adapted to continual, methodical fights for determined aims. They waver between short, wild, desperate outbreaks and complete apathy.... They leave in millions their old organizations ... mostly because they feel that these organizations are powerless to help them. Here, then, is the point to where left-wing extremism of the type of 1929 meets admirable the mood of the workless. If the communist agitators tell the unemployed that the trade unions have betrayed him and are no good, he is ready to believe them. If they tell the worker who is still employed that the union – by betrayal, of course – cannot protect either his wage or his job, he feels that the communists are right – and leaves the union. Thus the turn of the Comintern to the left, which had originated in internal feuds rooted in its pervious history, found and unexpected response among the workers as a result of the crisis.