Since first discovering the decades of prolific work by veteran, long-exiled Russian Marxist theorist and historian Mikhail Pavlovitch while doing this project, he has since become a looked-for reference in getting to grips with the events that shaped the generation of 1917. While–at least this Trumpian week–the United States and Britain are not on the verge starting a World War, that was not always so. Understanding the conflict between those two powers–between a waning British and a rising U.S. Empire-which engulfed much of the imperialist globe after the First World War, cannot but help to illuminate some of today’s realities, while also exposing past dynamics of a ‘multi-polar’ capitalist world that did eventually lead to a catastrophic global War.

‘England and America in Struggle for World’s Domination’ by Mikhail Pavlovich from Workers Council. Vol. 1 No. 4. April 1, 1921.

While the French press is full of attacks and bitter reproaches towards England and is already bringing up the question of the end of the Entente, the same press is full of praise for the United States and is emphasizing the rapid growth of the war, marine and economic might of the United States.

France is a country with a small population, weakened by the war, having in the East an enemy in Germany, which if not today will tomorrow show its teeth again and the only reliable Ally of the Continent is Belgium, not counting Poland of the “Schlachta” (Landlords)–France would never have dared to begrudge England if she would not feel behind her a support of some considerable force. Lately the French press is full of articles regarding the English-American rivalry. This rivalry is first of all manifested in the struggle for the domination of the seas. The items which the French press has recently printed (Temps of Aug. 8th) show indeed the tremendous success of the United States in the struggle for the domination of the oceans.

In the year 1914, just before the war started, the United States was in her merchant marine (steamers) behind Germany, France, Japan and Italy. The tonnage of the American fleet was almost ten times less than the tonnage of the marine of the Queen of the seas–England. But after the period of 1914 to 1920 the tonnage of the American steam fleet grew six times and now the United States in its merchant marine is far ahead of Germany, France, Italy and Japan and is now occupying the second place after England.

In the year 1914 the English fleet was equal to 18,000,000 tons, the American 2,000,000 tons. In the year 1920 the English marine had 18,100,000, the American 12,400,000 tons. The English fleet decreased, owing to the submarine war, by 800,000 tons. The American, however, increased to 10,380,000 tons, i.e., 500%. The United States has taken up seriously the question of becoming the dominator of the seas and putting England second. The efforts of the United States to overtake England in war marine armaments are even of a more intense character. The English Government has announced more than once that the English fleet under all circumstances must always be equal to the combined fleets of two of the strongest maritime governments in the world.

This position is considered the axiom of the English war marine policy and has been sanctioned more than once in the House of Commons and the House of the Lords. But the United States decided not to consider the predictions of the Dominator of the seas. In the last report of the American Naval Department we find the following lines:

“The Naval Department has established a policy according to which the fleet of the United States must become equal in its force to the strongest navy which any country in the world may have; therefore we shall increase our fleet yearly in accordance with our resources. This we must attain by all means not later than 1925.”

The French Temps remarks that the only fleet to which the American Secretary of the Navy has alluded is the English fleet which is of course the strongest in the world. Now England is menaced by a danger.

The items which the French press brings up show

that America has a chance of overtaking England in the tonnage of the war marine in the year 1923, which is two years before the expected time, if England will not put forth its utmost efforts. The official organ of the French government concludes with a remark:

“With deep emotion and apprehension we are tracing the movement of the fleets of both countries. The struggle for the domination of the seas has begun.”

The French press tries to hide its joy over the open fight which has begun between the United States and England for domination of the seas, but it cannot hide the joy, and indeed this struggle will have important consequences. We note why and how the conflict between Germany and England has begun. England demanded that Germany stop naval armaments, having nothing against the armaments of Russia, Belgium or France. The endeavor of Imperialistic Germany to create by all means the strongest navy, the building of the greatest number of high type warships, the works over the Canal of Kiel, etc., all this was the most important factor which excited all England and which made the dominating classes of Great Britain join Russia and France with whom however, England had serious controversy in America and in Asia. Now in place of Germany there appears a much more dangerous competitor for England in the shape of the United States.

The French bourgeoisie hopes to profit by the English-American conflict the same as they did in the German-English conflict. This is the explanation of the courage and daring with which the French press is attacking England. It is interesting to note that the French press is trying to brush aside the role played by the English and especially Russian army at the beginning of the war and which practically saved France from being utterly demolished. But instead of it the French press praises the merits of the “remarkable, heroic” American army, which chased away the barbarous Germans. When we read the articles in some French papers about America’s army and navy it reminds us of the same articles which were written before the war in regard to the Russian army and the might of Czarist Russia. These articles seem to say to every citizen:

“Do not be afraid of our conflicts with England. We play one hundred per cent sure. America will carry us through. By the time Great Britain will have made up her mind to attack us the American fleet will be the first in the world.”

In the growing English-American conflict French diplomacy sees the best means to raise the “world” significance of France as a country whose friendship or hostility is of importance to everyone of the rival countries which are about to begin in the near future a bloody war. Bourgeois France begins to feel itself the master of the situation, but the International proletariat will crush these hopes together with the whole capitalistic building and under the ruins of the latter the remnants of the French, English and American bourgeoisie will be buried. If not we shall soon be witnesses of another world war, where millions of proletarians of all countries of the world will perish again for the sake of the French exchange and for the sake of raising the dividends of dynamite and gun kings. The English-American struggle for the world domination is first of all a struggle for the domination of the Pacific Ocean, in other words the yellow continent.

The Worker’ Council purpose was to win the Socialist Party of America to the Third, Communist, International and later to win locals and individuals. Published (mostly) weekly by the International Education Association in New York City, Workers Council included important members of the SP, mainly from its Jewish Federation like. J. Louis Engdahl, Benjamin Glassberg, William Kruse, Moissaye J. Olgin, and J. B. Salutsky, editor of the radical Jewish weekly, Naye Welt. They constituted the Left Wing that remained in the Socialist Party after the splits of 1919 and were organized as The Committee for the Third International. Most would leave the SP after its1921 Convention, joining the Workers (Communist) Party after a short independent existence later that year.

PDF of full issue: https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/workers-council/01-workers-council-1921.pdf