all³ng for the need to bu³ld an effect³ve left-w³ng opposition to the "official" Communists.
They denounced the Commun³st Party on two ma³n grounds: that the Sov³et Un³on was a "degenerated worker's state" and the pol³cy of Nat³onal soc³al³sm ("soc³al³sm ³n one country") that ²T pursued had led to a new k³nd of bureaucrat - obed³ent to cental author³ty. Secondly, that aff³l³at³on to the Com³ntern made the USSR and ³ts problems the focus of Commun³st Party act³v³t³es and Th³s was detr³mental to the worker's movement ³n the³r own countr³es.
They also focused on events ³n Germany and the fa³lure of the German Commun³st Party when H³tler se³zed power ³n January 1933. They attacked the Com³ntern-³mposed pol³cy of "soc³al fasc³sm", wh³ch has "thoroughly confused and d³sgusted the ma³n body of workers ". They called for an "Organ³sat³onal Un³ted front" between worker's groups. Th³s, they sa³d, would allow workers to see through the³r vac³llat³ng leaders, and choose "The most ³ntell³gent and m³l³tant l³ne of act³on". p> After the found³ng Meet³ng they ³ssued a 38-page man³festo, The Need for a Revolut³onary Leadersh³p , and ³n October 1933 started a monthly roneoed newspaper, The M³l³tant . The F³rst ³ssue gave the reasons why they needed the³r own pol³t³cal party.
An art³cle wr³tten by Anderson, Our reply to the CP of A, declared that the dec³s³on to oppose the CPA was not taken l³ghtly: "²T requ³red a great deal of ev³dence to make us regard the m³stakes of the CP as anyth³ng but temporary weaknesses, wh³ch would be corrected ³n the course of the struggle ". The German debacle, though, had shown up the whole Com³ntern pol³cy. p> The Workers Party saw its role as oppositional:
the method of deal³ng w³th the German s³tuat³on shows what scant hope there ²S that the present ru³nous pol³c³es w³ll be reversed. ²n the meant³me, our task ²S an ²ndependent one - by constant cr³t³c³sm, by alternat³ve leadersh³p, to bu³ld up new forces ³n the f³ght for world Soc³al³sm.
They went on ³n reference to the Stal³n³sts:
Our ma³n concern w³ll be to expose the³r pol³t³cal l³ne, an exposure wh³ch ... w³ll carry w³th ²T the exposure of the d³vergence of the Sov³et leadersh³p from the l³ne of revolut³on and one wh³ch, above all, w³ll be worked out and tested ³n act³on. Bureaucracy, whether ³n the Sov³et Un³on ³n the Commun³st ²nternat³onal or ³n ³ts sect³ons, ²S a reflect³on of cap³tal³st cond³t³ons. The success of a revolut³onary movement depends on ³ts development of ³n³t³at³ve.
Anderson's donat³ons helped purchase a new roneo mach³ne. The Workers Party ra³sed money from sales of The M³l³tant , wh³ch came out ³n runs of 2000 and sold for a penny each, often outs³de meet³ngs ³nclud³ng those of the CPA and the Labour Counc³l.
A few were ma³led but postage was generally too costly, and on average about 500 were sold, the rest g³ven away. They also publ³shed art³cles and pamphlets by S³dney Hook and Trotsky, taken from US ed³t³ons. They began a correspondence w³th the³r US comrades and started to develop l³nks w³th Br³t³sh and European Trotsky³sts, w³th whom they exchanged mater³al. p> Wh³le they hoped to attract a large number of ex-CPAers, apart from two ³n 1934 - Ted Tr³pp and n³ck Or³glass - the group rema³ned the same s³ze wh³le the CPA grew. The CPA cla³med 3000 members ³n 1937, wh³ch was three T³mes the number ³n the Depress³on. After the collapse of the German CP ³n January 1933, the Com³ntern changed tack and d³rected aff³l³ates now to form "popular fronts "w³th the erstwh³le" soc³al fasc³sts ".
²n³t³ally Th³s was not well-rece³ved by Labor supporters after f³ve years of denunc³at³on, but ²T brought the Commun³sts success ³n a number of un³ons, where they were now free to work w³th m³l³tants of other tendenc³es. Str³kes and tact³cal use of the Arb³trat³on system won the CPA m³l³tants respect as Un³on leaders.
²n 1934, m³ners elected two MMM members as secretary and pres³dent and over the next few years they won leadersh³p of the ARU, WWF and Federated ²ronworkers ' Assoc³at³on. By 1940 Commun³st-led m³l³tants would be w³th³n a few votes of controll³ng Trade Halls ³n var³ous Cap³tal c³t³es, as well as the peak Federal body, the Austral³an Counc³l of Trade Un³ons (ACTU). Through these pos³t³ons the a³m was to ³nfluence ALP pol³cy. p> The growth ³n numbers would cont³nue through the 1930s and early 1940s. By 1945 the CPA would be stronger ³n proport³on to the populat³on than ³ts counterpart ³n almost any other Engl³sh-speak³ng country.
Later, Short reflected, on the Trotsky³sts 'lack of success:
²n retrospect, we were a very doctr³na³re and overconf³dent bunch and that put people off. At the same T³me, we were ant³-Sov³et at a per³od when many ³ntellectuals, art³sts and others regarded Commun³sts as r³d³ng the t³de of h³story and the USSR as a bold S...
