50 MARXIST MISCELLANY

" To-day, to speak seriously of drastic curbs on monopoly
capital leading towards the breaking of its power, and imposed
upon monopoly capital against its will ; is merely another form

of proposing the immediate transition to socialism.....v

(Teheran and Amejica, p. 23).

In his closing speech to the plenary session of the C.P. Cen-
tral Committee in January, 1944. Browder tried to base himself
on 'theoretical' arguments to justify the change of course of
the American C.P. Also he expressed his concept of Marxism
and its application under present conditions.

Browder thinks that by pronouncing the dissolution of the
C.P. and creating the C.P.A.. the American Communists are fol-
lowing a correct path, resolving problems which have no parallel
in history and demonstrating how Marxist theory should be
applied in practice.

" Marxism never was a series of dogmas and foimulas ;
it never was a catalogue of prohibitions listing the things
we must not do irrespective of new developments and new
situations ; it does not tell us that things cannot be done ; it
tells us how to do the things that have to be done, the things
that history has posed as necessary and indispensable tasks.
Marxism is a theory of deeds, not of don'ts. Marxism is
therefore a positive, dynamic, creative force, and It is such a
great social power precisely because, as a scientific outlook
and method, it takes living realities as its starting point. It
has always regarded the scientific knowledge of the past as a
basis for meeting the new and unprecedented future. And
the largest problems today are new in a very basic sense.

*4 We have more than ever the task to refresh ourselves
in the great tradition of Marxism, completely freeing our-
selves from the last remnants of the dogmatic and schematic
approach. ...

" True, according to all of the text books of the past, we
are departing from orthodoxy, because none of our text books
foresaw or predicted a long period of peaceful relations in
the world before the general advent of socialism." (Teheran
and America, pp. 43-45).

The new political course outlined by Browder found but
few adversaries among the leading militants of the C.P.U.S.A. At