November 29th, 1919 THE COMMUNIST Payo The Masses and The New Faith MIXED crowd of men, women, and children crowded the platform, and as Special Budapest Correspondent course, had shut down on the collapse of the Manchester Guardians.
they stood they sang. It was the first train Soviets. Eventually the Rumanians spoiled to Budapest after Bela Kun fall, the first this calculation and gave a final touch of who had accepted their conscription as pas catastrophe by gutting the factories of their for quite a long period. The city itself sively under the Reds as they had done un plant.
was still some few miles away, for the der the Hapsburg. No inan felt himself station belonged to one of those outer safe. Even among the bourgeoisie that had of working class mentality even after the will give a piquant instance of the state industrial suburbs that characterise those hailed the fall of Bolshevism with delight overthrow. What do you think of BolCentral European capitals that are all fact there eventually entered the same fear. De shevism? asked bluntly of a chief waiter ories and slums. Distant rifle shots and an nunciation was indiscriminate.
at the Ritz, an efficient, deferential man who occasional thud signalled the gradual ap Amid this atmosphere of dread and sus had served for years in one of the greatest proach of the dreaded Roumanians from picion men became afraid even to speak to London hotels. Most of the other guests, the parent city, of which they were by you. found it almost impossible, for ex by the way, were English and American offithen in occupation. Under the flickering ample, to extract a statement from Mr. Peidl, cers. The hotel was a part of the Mission lamps one could see the strained expression the Socialist non Bolshevik leader, whose headquarters. The answer was smoothly upon the faces of these poor working folk short Prime Ministership after the Commu spoken, but just as blunt. No doubt it was as they anxiously stood there and waited. nist collapse and splendid effort to rally all bad, sir. But am a working man, and There was no talk. All were singing. They parties was brought to an abrupt end by things were much better than now. Then sang with intense earnestness, and the chant the entry of our allies.
worked only eight hours a day and got good was repeated again and again. It was the Yet throughout all this hard time the wages and time to live for myself. Now the Internationale. The passengers, leaning working class remained stalwart. They held proprietor has told us there is no limit of out of the windows, listened quietly and un aloof from the anti Semitic fury. Jew, of hours, and we must go on working so long sympathetically. They were exclusively bus whatever class, was as safe in the working as there is work to do; in practice, the whole iness men returning to Budapest in the hope quarters as he would be in London, though day. Then got as much to eat as other. how illusory events have shown of re for a Jew to enter the aristocratic Burg folks. Now serve food to others that trieving their lost fortunes.
in Buda, where the Allied Missions had cannot get myseslf. He added that he had Heard in England the Internationale their headquarters and their soldiers, was not tasted meat for weeks and that his sounds strange and somewhat revolting to court death. Every effort was made to family was starving. Cynically regarded, with its banal melody and almost unintel crush their spirit. First, their out of work the waiter answer indicated a completely ligble sentiment. On the Continent of Eur pay was cut off. This was not a Bolshevik egoistic standpoint. It is a typical answer ope in the year 1919 it catches the ear very institution, but of much older standing. Nor which almost any Hungarian worker gives.
differently. You recognise it as the Mars was it cut off for purposes of economy. Short hours and high wages would seem at eillaise of a tremendous and dangerous Then followed the devaluation at a stroke first to be their only standard. So with the revolutionary movement that, unlike that of of their money; that is, the so called white workers of Berlin and Munich and every over a century ago, seems to know no front money in which their wages had been paid. other city of Central Europe. Everywhere iers and to be unconscious of nationalism. The blue money of the Austro Hungarian they are accused of lack of any will to work It becomes unpleasantly familiar, and Bank was held exclusively by the rich and and of an immeasurable appetite for wages.
can speak for myself always brings a the peasantry. All the laws and regulations Thus crudely stated, this charge is untrue.
certain sensation of fear. had heard it governing the hours and conditions of work What has happened in fact throughout all in the streets of Paris on the First of May, were swept aside. Wages went down with a these countries is a sort of servile rebellion, when masses of workmen in the Place de la swoop. Instead of the equal rationing of now definitely crushed in Hungary, but simRépublique had barked it hoarsely and food in a starving town, the little that came mering elsewhere.
savagely into the faces of the Cuirassiers; in in went principally to the rich who could The mass psychology has undergone a Berlin again and again, sometimes to the acpay for it.
In a short time the workers, vast transformation. It has lost its old companiment of machine gun fire; in Ham moneyless, foodless, workless, and hopeless, allegiances and faith in authority, whether burg.
would, as it was thought, be cowed enough of masters or of Government. Freedom is Here it had a pathetic note. It was, al to take their old place innder the old disci its dominating motive; freedom to live, most certainly, the last time it was to be pline in the reopening factories that, of which means shorter hours and more leisure, sung in this unhappy country; it was, as and freedom to live a full life, which means it were, Bolshevism swan song. Behind us wages enough to permit enjoyment of leiwe had left the White Terror raging in its It may be egoism, but it has its good full fury. White Guard officers had raided side. The worker is hardly conscious of our train up the line for Red fugitives. At any change of mentality. He believes in his Raab the hue and cry was still on. In front right to freedom and a full life just as innoof us lay the occupied city. few hours cently and unself consciously as he formerly later even this last pool of Bolshevism acepted his relatively inferior human status.
was to be scorched dry.
Nor can he understand any denial of this The incident, slight as it is, has this imright. Such a mass psychosis is a far more portance. It testifies to the sincerity and formidable fact than the rise or fall of a Bolstrength of the Bolshevik or whatever shevik Government. It is universal in Cenother word one cares to use faith among tral and Eastern Europe. It is spreading these working masses. During the next few westwards. Proletarian Governments may weeks had many opportunities of testing be crushed or fall by their own weight. But working class feeling in Budapest. All the a mags psychology is not so easily dealt leaders were in prison or fugitives. Life with. On the contrary, it has to be taken was made hideous by the ceaseless and into account if social stability is to be rethorough search for arms and for suspects gained.
that went on day after day in the poor The pathetic singing the Internationquarters of the town. by the tide of denunale in the outer suburb of Prvest that ciation and espionage, by the fierceness of night was symptomscic.
lass the Terror. You would suddenly find whole of Hungary is face with a blocks of the town shut off by a cordon out factories there can be JOIN of Rumanian troops. Within the cordon no the workers will perish of hunger or they one was allowed to go out of doors, while will drift away into the countryside or to a houise to house search went on. Well dresRussia or Roumania. They were already sed Hungarian civilians or officers often acbeing drafted off, partly by force, partly as companied the Rumanian search with lists indentured labor, when left Budapest. But in their hands. Issuing from the cordon, wherever they go they will carry their Inone would see groups of men being marched ternationle, their new and simple ethic with off. Occasionally a band of Red Guard soldiery would trail through the streets under them. Probably they will find it already in NICOLAI LENIN existence wherever they are likely to arrive.
heavy escort; simple boys, most of them, recent snapshot in the yard of the Kremlin This is Bolshevism.
sure. ze: