Joel A Lewis Youth Against Fascism.pdf

DEMOCRACY
of freedom, the slogan of peace, and the slogan of the fight for democracy. It is therefore
only natural that doubts have arisen on this question in the minds of many of our
comrades.... The comrades who have these doubts fail to realize that times have
changed, that slogans are not petrified things, but that their living content changes in accordance
with time and circumstance. 29
Kuusinen told the YCI if they applied this "new tactical orientation" that they would
achieve "great successes in every sphere of our world movement." 30 Wolf Michal closed
his speech to the YCI highlighting similar themes stating:
We have inscribed on our banners: Democratic liberties and rights of the people and
their youth, against fascism and imperialist war, for peace. We march together with all
enemies of reaction and friends of freedom, with all enemies of imperialist way and
friends of peace, with all who are prepared to fight for a place under the sun for the
younger generation. 31
Traditionally such slogans were denounced by the YCI for breeding "democratic illusions."
The Popular Front posited that democratic slogans were the key to facilitating
broad anti-fascist unity. 32
The new Soviet "Stalin Constitution" of 1936 played a vital role in facilitating Popular
Front propaganda. 33 Communists shifted their rhetoric from positive statements defending
proletarian dictatorship into negative statements condemning dictatorship. Dimitrov
confidently accessed this transition boasting, "The Stalin Constitution is an attractive
mobilizing force for the masses of the people in the capitalist countries." 34 Dimitrov's
description of the Stalin Constitution was framed in both communist language and more
traditional democratic rhetoric of citizenship and equality:
The Stalin Constitution demonstrates to the whole world the victory of socialism, giving
legislative form to the socialist society which is already built in the U.S.S.R., a society
without antagonistic classes, without exploitation, without crises or unemployment. The
Stalin Constitution does not limit itself to a formal proclamation of democratic liberties,
the equality of all citizens of the U.S.S.R., equality of rights for all races and nations and
the right to work, rest and education, but actually assures the necessary material conditions
and means for giving effect to these rights and liberties. 35
Maurice Thorez, General Secretary of the French CP, commented that the new Constitution
guided "the development of the dictatorship of the proletariat into a socialist democracy
of the whole people." 36
Britain and the United States had long democratic heritages that were integral to their
political culture and national identity. Much of the Anglo-American propaganda of WWI
had centred on democratic rhetoric and the promise of prosperity and expanded citizenship
after the war. 37 Dimitrov asserted that the destruction of these democracies, which
was on the Nazi horizon, would have profound impacts on international politics; the
victory of British and American democracy was essential to the struggle against fascism.
On the subject of Britain, Dimitrov asserted:
England plays a tremendous role in the whole of the political life of the world. Her position
most definitely influences a number of bourgeois democratic countries and the international
situation in general.... The English working class won democratic rights
earlier than the working people of other countries. The democratic regime they won has
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