Comrade Hector
16th May 2008, 22:35
Help Finland (?) Democracy in Finland is in Danger (?), Support the Finland Financial Appeal' (?)
A Danish Trotskyist statement on the Finnish Winter War of 1939-40 (undated).
Translated by Mike Jones.
Workers:
This is the sound of the slogans of Social Democracy and the trade unions today. Should we follow them?
Stalin has attacked Finland. Even though Mannerheim, like the Finnish capitalists and their class brothers the world over, were and are the deadly enemies of the USSR, he and the Finnish bourgeoisie were far too weak to attack and beat the USSR alone. What the Stalinists tell us about the threats to the sea approaches to Kronstadt is pure demagogy. Only the present Stalin government has an interest in this war, in order to ensure its own bureaucratic position in power. Stalin’s war provocations are a crime against Socialism and the working class.
At the start of the Russo-Finnish conflict the Finnish capitalists had only thought of protecting their national independence militarily and by diplomacy. But today they manifest a new flowering of anti-Bolshevism. Supported by capitalists from the whole world, the Finnish capitalists are becoming the military vanguard in the imperialist war against the Soviet Union.
“Let us turn Leningrad back into St Petersburg!” This is the war-cry of the capitalists which the French capitalist press has already mouthed. “Crusade against Bolshevism!” is the slogan of the Holy See to the world.
The capitalists in England, France and America are not thinking of helping the Finnish workers to attain liberty and democracy. They want to destroy the USSR in order to force through its division and capitalisation, because thereby they will overcome their own crisis. Even the few gains of the October Revolution yet remaining are in danger from the world’s capitalists. Furthermore, the capitalists know quite well that one fine day Stalin will be swept away by the Russian workers. The Soviet Union will then become once more the champion of the world revolution and Socialism. These considerations are the reasons for the world’s sympathy for the threatened Finnish ‘democracy’.
How is democracy faring in Finland?
Already today there is no longer a democratic government in control in Finland but a military dictatorship, which in the course of the war will expose itself as being still more brutal. Mannerheim dictates in Finland. The Finnish worker has been disappointed in, and misled by, Social Democracy, worked up into nationalism and chauvinism by his own leaders and the crimes of Stalin. That is why the Finnish workers today still put up meekly with this dictatorship, and it is only because of that, therefore, that one can loudly whine all over the world about Finnish democracy.
We know who Mannerheim is. Mannerheim – the dictator of Finland – an old Tsarist general – was the executioner of the Finnish working class and the revolution of 1918.
The ‘democrat’ Mannerheim in 1918 let 16,000 workers be slaughtered by courts martial. The ‘democrat’ Mannerheim let 15,000 workers freeze and starve to death in concentration camps. The ‘democrat’ Mannerheim let 72,500 workers be condemned to lengthy sentences of hard labour by special courts.
After the slaughter of the Finnish workers who had risen up for democracy and Socialism, so many workers were murdered and imprisoned that the Finnish capitalists had to beg Mannerheim for an amnesty, as they lacked labour. The ‘democrat’ Mannerheim wanted to put a German prince at the head of a kingdom of Finland, and was only prevented by the outbreak of the German revolution and the diplomacy of the Entente. Such was the birth of Finnish democracy.
After 1918, the Socialist workers of Finland were persecuted and their organisations, trade unions included, were banned insofar as they put forward class politics. Under Finnish ‘democracy’ the Fascist Lappo movement emerged and flourished and was let loose upon the revolutionary workers. In later years the Social Democrats were tolerated in the government, because they were no longer a workers’ party but a tool in the hands of the capitalists for betraying the working class.
The Finnish government is not democratic, although Tanner and some of his cronies are to be found in it. These Social Democrats do not represent the interests of the working class, but are the bourgeoisie's administrators. Even though the worst excesses of the anti-revolutionary laws have been removed, the Finnish workers are tied and their rights are very limited. The prisons are still filled with revolutionary workers. The banner of the working class – the red flag – is prohibited. The song of the working class – the Internationale – is banned.
The Finnish Social Democratic leaders have agreed to the limitations on personal liberty. The Finnish government admits that is has allowed 70 spies to be shot in the Petsamo district alone. Naturally Mannerheim would describe every revolutionary worker as a spy, and allow him to be shot. Such is the shape of democracy in Finland.
If Mannerheim wins in the fight against Stalin, the last traces of democracy will vanish.
If Mannerheim wins capitalism and counter-revolution will also win for a long time in Finland.
If Mannerheim wins in the vanguard of an intervention, supported by the world’s capitalists, it will not be only Stalin who falls but the Soviet Union, a victim of imperialism.
If Stalin wins the Finnish workers will lose their political and trade union rights.
If Stalin wins the revolutionary Finnish workers will be deported and shot by the GPU in the style of the Moscow Trials.
If Stalin wins the counter-revolutionary Stalinist bureaucracy will, against the interests of the world revolution and the world working class, be reinforced and be able to continue to exercise its power to demoralise.
A third way is available. This is the way shown to the working class by Marx and Engels – Lenin and Trotsky.
The Finnish workers must carry out, to the utmost of their ability, a daily and decisive struggle against Mannerheim, with the aim of overthrowing him and his clique and establishing a workers’ government. Once the revolution has been won in Finland, Stalin, weakened by his earlier defeats, will be unable to continue to incite the Russian workers and peasants against their Finnish brothers. The Russian workers will overthrow Stalin and again join the ranks that fight for world revolution.
This is the only way, which every honest and revolutionary worker must desire. It is the duty of every worker to help our Finnish and Russian brothers to find this way.
How?
Not through the Finland Financial Appeal and supporting Scandinavian chauvinism.
Fight everywhere and everyday against nationalism and chauvinism!
Down with the volunteers for Mannerheim!
Down with the Finland appeal!
Recognise that in the chaos that the capitalist catastrophe creates, and in which Finland is only a tiny part, there is only one revolutionary solution:
The revolutionary class struggle – the creation of a workers’ government.
Fight with the Fourth International against war and chauvinism!
Prepare together with us the Scandinavian Association of Revolutionary Workers’ States!
A Danish Trotskyist statement on the Finnish Winter War of 1939-40 (undated).
Translated by Mike Jones.
Workers:
This is the sound of the slogans of Social Democracy and the trade unions today. Should we follow them?
Stalin has attacked Finland. Even though Mannerheim, like the Finnish capitalists and their class brothers the world over, were and are the deadly enemies of the USSR, he and the Finnish bourgeoisie were far too weak to attack and beat the USSR alone. What the Stalinists tell us about the threats to the sea approaches to Kronstadt is pure demagogy. Only the present Stalin government has an interest in this war, in order to ensure its own bureaucratic position in power. Stalin’s war provocations are a crime against Socialism and the working class.
At the start of the Russo-Finnish conflict the Finnish capitalists had only thought of protecting their national independence militarily and by diplomacy. But today they manifest a new flowering of anti-Bolshevism. Supported by capitalists from the whole world, the Finnish capitalists are becoming the military vanguard in the imperialist war against the Soviet Union.
“Let us turn Leningrad back into St Petersburg!” This is the war-cry of the capitalists which the French capitalist press has already mouthed. “Crusade against Bolshevism!” is the slogan of the Holy See to the world.
The capitalists in England, France and America are not thinking of helping the Finnish workers to attain liberty and democracy. They want to destroy the USSR in order to force through its division and capitalisation, because thereby they will overcome their own crisis. Even the few gains of the October Revolution yet remaining are in danger from the world’s capitalists. Furthermore, the capitalists know quite well that one fine day Stalin will be swept away by the Russian workers. The Soviet Union will then become once more the champion of the world revolution and Socialism. These considerations are the reasons for the world’s sympathy for the threatened Finnish ‘democracy’.
How is democracy faring in Finland?
Already today there is no longer a democratic government in control in Finland but a military dictatorship, which in the course of the war will expose itself as being still more brutal. Mannerheim dictates in Finland. The Finnish worker has been disappointed in, and misled by, Social Democracy, worked up into nationalism and chauvinism by his own leaders and the crimes of Stalin. That is why the Finnish workers today still put up meekly with this dictatorship, and it is only because of that, therefore, that one can loudly whine all over the world about Finnish democracy.
We know who Mannerheim is. Mannerheim – the dictator of Finland – an old Tsarist general – was the executioner of the Finnish working class and the revolution of 1918.
The ‘democrat’ Mannerheim in 1918 let 16,000 workers be slaughtered by courts martial. The ‘democrat’ Mannerheim let 15,000 workers freeze and starve to death in concentration camps. The ‘democrat’ Mannerheim let 72,500 workers be condemned to lengthy sentences of hard labour by special courts.
After the slaughter of the Finnish workers who had risen up for democracy and Socialism, so many workers were murdered and imprisoned that the Finnish capitalists had to beg Mannerheim for an amnesty, as they lacked labour. The ‘democrat’ Mannerheim wanted to put a German prince at the head of a kingdom of Finland, and was only prevented by the outbreak of the German revolution and the diplomacy of the Entente. Such was the birth of Finnish democracy.
After 1918, the Socialist workers of Finland were persecuted and their organisations, trade unions included, were banned insofar as they put forward class politics. Under Finnish ‘democracy’ the Fascist Lappo movement emerged and flourished and was let loose upon the revolutionary workers. In later years the Social Democrats were tolerated in the government, because they were no longer a workers’ party but a tool in the hands of the capitalists for betraying the working class.
The Finnish government is not democratic, although Tanner and some of his cronies are to be found in it. These Social Democrats do not represent the interests of the working class, but are the bourgeoisie's administrators. Even though the worst excesses of the anti-revolutionary laws have been removed, the Finnish workers are tied and their rights are very limited. The prisons are still filled with revolutionary workers. The banner of the working class – the red flag – is prohibited. The song of the working class – the Internationale – is banned.
The Finnish Social Democratic leaders have agreed to the limitations on personal liberty. The Finnish government admits that is has allowed 70 spies to be shot in the Petsamo district alone. Naturally Mannerheim would describe every revolutionary worker as a spy, and allow him to be shot. Such is the shape of democracy in Finland.
If Mannerheim wins in the fight against Stalin, the last traces of democracy will vanish.
If Mannerheim wins capitalism and counter-revolution will also win for a long time in Finland.
If Mannerheim wins in the vanguard of an intervention, supported by the world’s capitalists, it will not be only Stalin who falls but the Soviet Union, a victim of imperialism.
If Stalin wins the Finnish workers will lose their political and trade union rights.
If Stalin wins the revolutionary Finnish workers will be deported and shot by the GPU in the style of the Moscow Trials.
If Stalin wins the counter-revolutionary Stalinist bureaucracy will, against the interests of the world revolution and the world working class, be reinforced and be able to continue to exercise its power to demoralise.
A third way is available. This is the way shown to the working class by Marx and Engels – Lenin and Trotsky.
The Finnish workers must carry out, to the utmost of their ability, a daily and decisive struggle against Mannerheim, with the aim of overthrowing him and his clique and establishing a workers’ government. Once the revolution has been won in Finland, Stalin, weakened by his earlier defeats, will be unable to continue to incite the Russian workers and peasants against their Finnish brothers. The Russian workers will overthrow Stalin and again join the ranks that fight for world revolution.
This is the only way, which every honest and revolutionary worker must desire. It is the duty of every worker to help our Finnish and Russian brothers to find this way.
How?
Not through the Finland Financial Appeal and supporting Scandinavian chauvinism.
Fight everywhere and everyday against nationalism and chauvinism!
Down with the volunteers for Mannerheim!
Down with the Finland appeal!
Recognise that in the chaos that the capitalist catastrophe creates, and in which Finland is only a tiny part, there is only one revolutionary solution:
The revolutionary class struggle – the creation of a workers’ government.
Fight with the Fourth International against war and chauvinism!
Prepare together with us the Scandinavian Association of Revolutionary Workers’ States!