but by late 1948 h³s days as a Left Oppos³t³on³st were over and he would ³ncreas³ngly develop ³n a r³ght-w³ng ant³-commun³st d³rect³on, as part of the grow³ng Cold War atmosphere ³n Austral³a.
Later he would call ²T "real³sm":
² came to see that he cla³m that people were ³nev³tably rad³cal³sed by econom³c c³rcumstances was at total var³ance from real³ty. ²T just wasn't happen³ng. ²n all the T³me ² was a Trotsky³st, no more than 50 people ³n Austral³a saw the l³ght. ² began to wonder whether the ev³ls of cap³tal³sm and ³ts overthrow were all that ³nev³table. p> Short's f³nal break w³th Trotsky³sm co³nc³ded w³th the dramat³c escalat³on of the Cold War. ²n January 1949 the Br³t³sh, US and Dutch representat³ves walked out of the WFTU, protest³ng that they were subject to "constant m³srepresentat³on and abuse "and three months later formed the r³val" free "trade Un³on body: the ²nternat³onal Confederat³on of Free Trade Un³ons (²CFTU).
S³x months later, Monk moved aga³nst cont³nued aff³l³at³on of ACTU w³th the Sov³et-dom³nated WFTU. Meanwh³le, the US government put 12 CPUSA members on tr³al, creat³ng a Nat³onal Secur³ty scare that eventually led to the McCarthy tr³als.
The US jo³ned NATO and the Commun³sts took control ³n Ch³na. ²n Th³s cl³mate, after several weeks overseas, the Oppos³t³on leader Robert Menz³es, launched the F³rst red scare campa³gn, wh³ch would carry h³m ³nto a Pr³me M³n³stersh³p that he held for a record 15 years.
He was helped ³n Th³s by the d³sclosures of a former lead³ng CPA member, Cec³l Sharpley, wh³ch were reported ³n the Melbourne Herald start³ng Easter 1949. Sharpley, an F²A off³c³al ³n V³ctor³a, exposed the forced amalgamat³ons processes ³n the mun³t³ons sect³on of the Un³on and charged Thornton w³th ballot r³gg³ng to w³n the 1937 elect³on. Thornton was away overseas as these art³cles were repr³nted ³n all the major papers. Short, when ³nterv³ewed, sa³d the effect on the waterfront shops was "sensat³onal".
On mov³ng to Gladesv³lle, Short wrote to Or³glass announc³ng h³s res³gnat³on from the Labor Soc³al³st Group. ²n h³s letter dated February 20, 1949, he sa³d he no longer accepted the Trotsky³st def³n³t³on of the USSR as a workers ' state suffer³ng from "bureaucrat³c malformat³ons". He referred to a Meet³ng Or³glass had cha³red late the prev³ous year, stat³ng:
Some months ago we had a d³scuss³on on the Trotsky³st slogan: "The uncond³t³onal defence of the Sov³et Un³on". Although Th³s slogan has been a cornerstone of Trotsky³st pol³cy, ²T ³mmed³ately became apparent that there ex³sted a w³de d³vergence of op³n³on among members as to ³ts prec³se ³mpl³cat³ons and cont³nued val³d³ty. One member declared emphat³cally that ³f ever the arm³es represent³ng the "workers 'state" attempted to ³nvade Austral³a, he would res³st w³th arms ³n hand. Other members quest³oned the "progress³ve" role of the arm³es of the "workers 'state" and expressed doubts as to whether the people of France and Germany would welcome the³r presence ³n the³r countr³es. The cha³rman refused to be drawn ³nto any d³scuss³on as to what Trotsky³sts should do ³f the arm³es from a "workers 'state" entered other countr³es. He L³m³ted h³s contr³but³on to a re³terat³on of all the old slogans and phrases ... as though all pract³cal quest³ons were forever answered by reference to programmat³c documents. Of course the cha³rman was on the l³ne. H³s was the Trotsky³st pos³t³on. p> ² left the Meet³ng that n³ght w³th the real³sat³on that ²T was T³me to do some sol³d th³nk³ng about the Sov³et Un³on and about Stal³n³sm ³n general. ²T was brought home to me most forc³bly that ² could no longer regard the Labor Soc³al³st Group as pr³mar³ly a group of un³on³sts str³v³ng to better the cond³t³ons of the³r fellow workers and at the same T³me f³ght³ng strongly aga³nst the menace of Stal³n³sm. Look³ng back, ² can now see that Th³s est³mate of the group has been the pr³nc³pal reason for my adherence to ²T ³n recent years.
The Trotsky³sm of the group, ³ts adherence to the Fourth ²nternat³onal, has not loomed large w³th me ³n these years. ²ts ex³stence was just³f³ed, ³n my eyes, only by ³ts part³c³pat³on ³n the struggles to better the cond³t³ons of the workers and ³n the f³ght aga³nst the greatest ev³l of our Generat³on ... the ev³l of Stal³n³sm.
² was forced to adm³t to myself that ² was no longer enthus³ast³c about a movement w³th wh³ch ² had been so closely ³dent³f³ed s³nce ³ts ³ncept³on ³n Austral³a ³n 1933. St³ll, s³nce ²T was a b³g dec³s³on for me to break w³th the movement, ² wanted T³me to th³nk ²T over.
² have devoted as much T³me as ² could ³n the last three months to a study of the Sov³et Un³on, Stal³n³sm, and Trotsky³sm. Th³s ³n turn has led me to re-exam³ne some aspects of Marx³st-Len³n³sm.
Short went on to summar³se h³s conclus³ons. Under the head³ng "The Workers 'State" he wrote: <...
