CHAPTER VII THE BALKAN WARS AND THEIR SEQUELS THE SPECIAL INTERNATIONAL SOCIALIST CONGRESS AFTER the Stuttgart Congress of 1907, the special Congress of Basel, held in 1912, during the First Balkan War (November 24th and 25th), is perhaps the most important international meeting of Socialists. For the various parties of the Continent were all menaced at that time by a grave and immediate danger and were compelled to confine their resolution to realities. As at Stuttgart, the resolution was passed unanimously, and it unquestionably represents the point reached, as well as the limit reached, by the overwhelming majority of Socialists at the outbreak of the present war, as to the general issues it involves. The resolution begins by the reiteration of the two most important passages of the resolutions of the Stuttgart and Copenhagen Congresses. It will be noted that it emphasizes, as a preventive of war, the threat of revolution. At its Congresses in Stuttgart (1907) and Copenhagen (1910), the International Bureau laid down the following principles for the war against war: "In the case of war being imminent, the working classes and their parliamentary representatives in the countries concerned shall be bound to do all they can, assisted by the International Bureau, to prevent the war breaking out, using for this purpose the means which appear to them the most efficacious but which must naturally vary according to the acuteness of the class war and of the general political conditions. "Should war nevertheless break out, it would be their first duty to intervene in order to bring it to a speedy termination and to employ all their power to utilize the economic and political crisis created by the war in order to rouse the masses of the people and thereby to hasten the downfall of capitalistic class domination." The Balkan crisis which is already responsible for so many calamities, if allowed to spread, would become the most frightful danger to civilization and the workers. It would likewise be one of the most scandalous events which has ever taken place in history, because of the disproportion between the immensity of the catastrophe and the triviality of the interests invoked in justification of it. For this reason the Congress rejoices that all Socialist Parties and labor unions of all countries are unanimous in their desire to make war upon war. By simultaneously rising in revolt against imperialism, and every section of the international movement offering resistance to its government, the workers of all countries are bringing public opinion to bear against all warlike desire. Thus a splendid co-operation of the workers has been brought about which has already contributed much to maintain the threatened peace of the world. The fear of the ruling classes that a revolution of the workers would follow the declaration of a European war has proved an essential guarantee of peace. The Congress therefore asks all Socialist Parties to continue their efforts with all means that appear to them efficacious. Each Socialist organization will be asked to do its own part in furthering common action. The Balkan Socialists The Socialist Parties in the Balkan peninsula have a difficult task. The Powers of Europe, by systematically postponing all reforms in Turkey, have contributed to the growth of intolerable economic, national, and political conditions, which necessarily led to unrest and to war. The Balkan Socialists with great courage have fought against the use of these conditions as an excuse for war in the interests of the dynasties and the middle-class capitalists, and have demanded the establishment of a democratic federation of the Balkan states. The Congress urges them to persevere in their admirable endeavors, believing that the Socialists of the Balkans will leave no stone unturned after the war to prevent these states being robbed of what they have gained at such heavy cost by the dynasties, the militarists, and capitalists of the Balkans, ever thirsting for expansion. The Congress above all calls on the Balkan Socialists to oppose everything likely to lead to a renewal of the old animosities between Servians, Bulgarians, Roumanians, and Greeks, as well as to all violence against those Balkan peoples whom they are at the present moment fighting-the Turks and Albanians. The Socialists in the Balkans should also strongly oppose any depriving of rights of these peoples and proclaim the fraternity of all Balkan peoples, including Turks, Albanians, and Roumanians as against any national jingoism that may have been let loose. Austria and Italy The Socialists of Austria-Hungary, Croatia, Slavonia, Bosnia, and Herzegovina must continue with all their strength their successful efforts to prevent any attack of the Austrian monarchy upon Servia. They must continue to resist in the future as they have done in the past any attempt to take by force from Servia the fruits of war or to transform that country into an Austrian province, and thereby to embroil the peoples of Austria-Hungary and other nations of Europe. in conflict in the interests of the ruling dynasty. The Social Democratic Parties of Austria-Hungary will also have to struggle in the future to secure democratic autonomy for all the southern Slav nations within the frontiers of AustriaHungary and at present governed by the Hapsburg dynasty. The Socialists of both Austria-Hungary and of Italy will have to give special attention to the Albanian question. The Congress admits the right of the Albanians to autonomy, but recognizes the danger that, under the guise of autonomy, Albania might become the victim of Austro-Hungarian and Italian ambitions. This would not only constitute a danger for Albania herself, but might in the near future threaten the peace between Austria-Hungary and Italy. Albania can only become really independent as an autonomous unit in a democratic federation of the Balkan states. Therefore, the Congress calls upon the Austro-Hungarian and Italian Socialists to combat any action of their respective governments which aims at drawing Albania within the sphere of their influence and to persevere in their efforts to consolidate the peaceful relations between Austria-Hungary and Italy. Russia The Congress heartily congratulates the Russian workers who organized protest strikes, as proving that the Russian and Polish workers are beginning to recover from the blows received during the Czar's counter-revolution. The Congress recognizes these strikes as a guarantee against the criminal intrigues of Czarism, which, after having shed the blood of the Russian people and after having so often betrayed and delivered the Balkan nations to their enemies, is now wavering between dread of the consequences that a war would mean for itself and the fear of a renewed national uprising which it has itself created. If Czarism is once more pretending to play the part of liberator of the Balkan nations, it is in order to reconquer by means of this pretext Russian predominance in the Balkans. The Congress expects that the town and country workers of Russia, Poland, and Finland, now recovering their strength, will tear asunder this fabric of lies, will oppose all bellicose Czarist undertakings, and resist every Czarist attack, whether upon Armenia or Constantinople, by concentrating all their energy towards a renewal of their revolutionary fight for freedom against Czarism. As Czarism is the hope of all reactionary forces in Europe, so it is also the most inexorable enemy of democracy and of the peoples under its rule, and to bring about its downfall is one of the first duties of the international movement. Germany, France, and Great Britain The most important task of the international movement falls to the lot of the workers of Germany, France, and Great Britain to demand from their governments at the present moment an undertaking to refuse all support to either AustriaHungary or Russia and to abstain from all intervention in the Balkan trouble, and in every respect to observe an unconditional neutrality. A war between the three leading civilized nations over the question of an outlet to the sea, concerning which Austria and Servia are in dispute, would be criminal folly. The workers of Germany and France do not recognize that any secret treaties make it necessary for them to interfere in the Balkan conflict. Remedies If, however, as a consequence of the military defeat of Turkey, the downfall of the Osman dominion in Asia Minor became inevitable, it would be the duty of British, French, and German Socialists to oppose with all their might a policy of conquest in Asia Minor, since the result would lead straight to a European war. The Congress is of opinion that the greatest danger to European peace is the artificially-fostered animosity between Great Britain and Germany. It therefore welcomes the workers of both countries on their efforts to improve the situation. It believes that the best means of removing friction would be an understanding between Germany and Great Britain concerning the arrest in the increase of their respective navies and the abolition of the right of capture of private property at sea. The Congress invites the Socialists of Great Britain and Germany to continue their agitation for such an understanding. To overcome all outstanding differences between Germany on the one side and France and Great Britain on the other, would be to remove the greatest danger to international peace. It would weaken the powerful position of Czardom, now profiting by these differences, it would render impossible an attack on Servia by Austria-Hungary, and it would finally secure the peace of the world. To this end, above all, the efforts of the international movement must be directed. The Congress notes with satisfaction that Socialists of all nations are agreed as to these main lines of foreign policy. It calls upon the workers of all countries to pit against the might of capitalism and imperialism the solidarity of the international labor movement. It warns the ruling classes in all countries to put an end to the economic misery produced by the capitalistic system and not to increase it by warlike action. It insists on its demand for peace. Governments must not forget that, in the present frame of mind of the workers, war will not be without disaster for themselves. They must remember that the Franco-German War resulted in the revolutionary movement of the Commune; that the Russo-Japanese War put into motion the revolutionary move |