BolshevismCapitalismCommunismDemocracyLeninMarxismSocialismSovietSyndicalismWorkers PartyWorking Class

December 7, 1918 THE REVOLUTIONARY AGE a which today, no The Fundamentals of Bolshevism IN considering the greatest of revolutions the Hourwich proletariat and the proletarian peasantry: it is appropriate to attempt to give at least in all It efforts of short characterization of Bulshevism, hic that democratic discipline into unity of action. The puritical faitli one might say, philosophic con: difference is only in the character of that cen.
common will, which is being changed through ſend the per the revolution, write enin the in 1903: and this defend is ception of the world which is destined to play tralism: While capitalist centralism is autocratic, honing than the revolutionary dictatorship of the role of the first importance, as recent events in the not only in the Russian, but in the centralism of the suppression of the will of proletariat and peasantry! The provisional rev: the coming Brief characterizations, limited to formulas, tion centralism should be the democratic central sheviki as a means to realize the login ordic the majority by a united minority, our organiza olutionary government (the government of workare. Xrhaps, suited to a text book, are, ism of a united majority. But we must not sac.
rifice Socialism, the true democracy of to mor revolutionary government assumed the form of tatorship in revolutionary activity. Later this generally speaking, insuflicient. superficial and such brief definition of the nature of Bolshe sle for Socialism for the deceptive, painted de of our organization.
The Mensheviki at that period would have risen vism, we would reduce it, in our opinion, to the Nigerile must learn how to combine together the against any such participation in the provision: Bolshevism, or to be more exact, the Bolshevist meeting democracy of the toiling inasses, full of missable for a party For Social Demoxrul: to. com: two be inad.
Party, is first of all a party of revolutionary ac spring stormy nature, with iron discipline, says mit such vulgarity of a Jaures type; as regaris tion, a party of dynamic Socialism, if we may Lenin in the revolutionary slogan, long live the resolu. ict Government. This combination of denoc tionary government, the organ of the Menshestant aim of this revolutionary activity of the racy with centralism, of democracy with iron dise wiki nt that time, Iskra. instructively wrote: Bolshevist or equally of its programme and of its tactics, 19 ship, but equally a necessary condition of achievperiod of realization of its clictator overnment is a blasphemy.
revolutionary seizure the renlization of the dictatorship of the proleing this dictatorship.
Only 13 years have pilased, and the revolutiontariat, as an inevitable and necessary conditionization formula advanced by the Bolsheviki of this fraudulent uncompromising of the Mell. Democratic centralism such was the organ ary events in Russia give us the opportunity of for the accomplishment of the transition from during the period of 1903.
Inflexible, knowing no periods of weakness and And in this secmingly insignificant organizasheviki. The participation of workers and pas struggle towards the revolutionary seizure of an nature of Bolshevism expressed itself: The all sorts of counter revoluton:dry coalition governwaging the proletarian class tion problem, the general revolutionary proletari ants in a revolutionary government they considcomplete government thing else its final revolu gists of small deeds, who because of the trees mients this they found to be their silwhich puts above tionary aims, and by these measuring all daily see not the wood, may assure us that the origi cred duty. revolutionary coalition of workers activities such is a brief characterization of nal controversy between the Bolsheviki and Menand peasants for the purpose of defending in dem ocratic revolution is inadmissable, is an unwhat is known as Bolshevist theory, or the Bolsheviki was of an insignificant, certainly not of a of conscious betrayal of the irterests of the proleshevist Party the left revolutionary wing of the fundamental character.
former Russian Social Democratic Labor Party.
ful and penetrating thinker will already recogs tariat! But a union with the counter revolutionFor anyone who is acquainted with the ele.
ary bourgeoisic for the purpose of crushing the nize in this government, is.
apparently insignificant controversyprocwtion. ments of scientific Socialism and the Socialist the embryonic elements of those vital, fundi. saving the movement in different countries, there is nothing mental differences which now in some countries have already, and in others are about to, split the Thus, new or specifically Russian in these characterin the revolutionary stress of events, istics. He will recognize in then the familiar Socialist parties into two uncompromising camps which has forged into a steel sword the truefeatures of revolutionary Marxism which has rev tionary stepped out of the bulky volumes and become re tunists, the social patriots, social reformers and of others has scattered into it counter revolutionary fragments.
alized in life. Bolshevism is revolutionary all sort of social insipids.
preaching translated into revolutionary deeds.
In the insignificant slogans of organization Give me the fulcrum and will overturn the At the dawn of the history of the Russian So advanced by the Bolsheviki as early as 1903, are who! universe, exclaimed Archimecies once cial Democracy, during the period of its forma to be found already the clements of that great upon a time.
tion into a political party, when it faced organiz slogan, dictatorship of the proletariat, which was Give me the proletarian dictatorship will ation problems first of all, this revolutionary na. introduced by them later in 1905, and, finally, acoverturn the capitalist work, the world of slava ture of Bolshevism found its expression in the complished in the form of the Soviet Government cry and tears, and on its ruiny will build the demand for a strictly centralized organization. in 1917.
glorious commonwealth of freedom and happi We are, essentially, a party of revolutionary The attitude on this question was characteris. ness, the Socialist society. now the rer.
action, not merely of revolutionary education pre tic of the two factions of the former Russian So olutionary proletariat rallying under the banner pared for many years to come this was the cial Democratic Labor Party, the Bolsheviki and of Bolshevism.
reply usually given by the Bolsheviki. to the Men the Mensheviki, the latter of whom have now fin From democratic centralism in organization, sheviki, who were demanding more democratic ished their circle of development by a union with a means of promoting the final revolutionary organization. Our foe, Capitalism, and its chief the Czar generals and international imperialists. aims of the proletariat, 10 the dictatorship of the instrument in its struggle against us the gov.
ernmental machine are powerful just because of etariat, aware of the dynamic role which the prol sedlitious revolutionary party. to the rule of their centralism. If we intend to defeat this ene etariat was fated to play in the coming revolution, yovernmental party in the first Socialist repubmy of ours, if we desire to bring our struggle to the Bolsheviki stood for participation in the pro lic on carth such is the course of development.
a successful revolutionary seizure of the state visional revclutionary government. And then the sweep made by revolutionary Socialismpower, we should be equally centralized, demo they advanced their slogan dictatorship of the Bolshevism in Russia.
The Struggle in Australia WHILE little is heard from the Commonwealth the heavy sentences imposed on the twelve advo dispatch make repeated assault: upon the citaci!
of the antipodes events are marching with in cates of industrial unionism some time ago. The of Capitalism, choosing our own time and our credible swiftness there. Australia is commonly Australian arm of the Industrial Workers of the own battlefields, culminating vizantie supposed to be a workingman paradise owing World had for some time previous been very act struggle between the organizul portes of capital to the fact that the labor unions virtually control ive in their advocacy of the One Big Union, but and labor, when, if successiul, we will then 10 the country, but the Socialistic tendencies of the it was not until they turned their attention to able to take control of industry and stablish the Australian government exists much more in the the unions, themselves, and worked within these Socialist Conimonwealth: imagination than in reality. It is true that the bodies in favor of the more revolutionary form At the beginning of the war. in 13ralia. is of unionism that they began to make the weight was the case in all the countries involver, the siderable extent, but, when it is remembered that of their agitation feit. While they constituted a Socialist and Imbor movements split on the ques the present premier is a product of such control, weak minority they were left to carry on their tion of war. One section of the party brolic away Socialists may well pause to enquire as to the propaganda in comparative peace, but with their and called itself the National Party. This real rise to power the labor government adopted the body fused with the liberals and ingrather they The rapprochment between capital and labor same attitude that the interests of Capitalism succeeded in riding into ollice in Australia has been found to be the complete every where assume towards those who threaten But gradually they lost favor, in the Odi.
Safety. The became anathema, the cial Labor Party dominates the fil. It is this scut unions, founded on a craft basis, are the instru. press waged the same campaign of vilification ion, in alliance with the Socialista, wir livor the ments of the workers insofar as they make for against the organization that it has elsewhere establishment of the One Big Onion. Among the shorter hours and what is euphemistically termed But with the jailing of the leaders the propa. simon pure political actionists, who have labore fair day wage for a fair day work, but out ganda, as has been the case elsewhere, received ad so long to unite capital and labor, the New side of is it mens people in Australia are in the same position as the report that the majority of the big unions in relegating politics to al secondary luce.
elsewhere. The control of the unions is merely the state of New South Wales has decided to To further quote a news dispatch one of the the control that any fairly well organized body of adopt the industrial form of organization and that industrial leaders says: The wlitical arm of voters exercise over the political state.
the indications are that the unions in Victoria labor must always derend. to le successful at It is not surprising that under these conditions will shortly follow suit. The leaders of the indust. elections, upon the unitachell vote of the middle the revolutionary section of the working class, in rialists are frank in their statements that when man, the moderates of the community: Therefore the land of the Kangaroo, have turned their atten they have accomplished the industrial form of the political wing of the moveniront is in reality tion more and more to industry and and less organization they will then wage war against the governed by the moderates. It cannot march, by to politics. It was this tendency that resulted in capitalist system, or to quote from a newspaper the very nature of things, to labor final goal.
as