NEW MILITANT SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 1935 PAGE The Art of Insurrection By LEON TROTSKY If of (From Volume III of the History of prived in the nature of things of cism has been directed against both popular masses and the progressivevelopment of the nation. revolu Russia in October, 1917. revolu could rely upon a genuine majority the Russian Revolution by Leon Trotsky) tionary proletariat can count only Blanquism in regarding insurrec. ita vanguard, between the novleta in case the society contains new The Toast stable of the premises or not to be understood in coulorimod People do not make revolution on its numbers, its solidarity, itation as an art, Engels discovered and the party, between Insurrection class capable of taking the lead in revolution is the mood of the been taken on the question of the not only the subordinate place on and conspiracy.
eagerly any more than they do war. cadres, Its oficial staff.
But if it is true that an Insur history. The process of preparing bona crisis the petty bourgeolate extremely contradictory and uncer the petty. a There is this difference, however, Just as a blacksmith cannot cupled by Insurrection in a revoluthat in war compulsion plays the de seize the red hot iron in his nakertion, but also the declining role ofrection cannot be evoked at will revolution consists of making the follows that class which inspires tan results. And a readiness to cisive role, in revolution there is no hands, 50 the proletariat cannot be barricade in an insurrection, and that nevertheless in order to objective problems involved in the confidence not only in words but support the revolution is far from Engels criticism had nothing in win it must be organized in ad contradictions of industry and of deeds. Although capable of impul stances. revolution takes place have an organization accommodat revolutionary method in favor ofers are presented with a task of sciousness of living human masses, lutionary tury, the petty bourgeoisie Moreover, the answer would have compulsion except that of circum directly seize the power; it has to common with a renunciation of the vance, then the revolutionary lead classes find their way into the con sive enthusiasm and even of revo Identical with an ability clearly to formulate the necessity for It.
only when there is no other way out. ed to this task. The coordination pure parliamentariam, as the phil correct diagnosis. They must feel change this consciousness and cre lacks endurance, easily loses heart depended to a vast degree upon the And the insurrection, which rises of the mass insurrection with the listines of the German social democ out the growing insurrection in good ate new correlations of human under reverses, and passed from manner in which the question was above a revolution like a peak in the conspiracy, the subordination of racy, in cooperation with the Hoh Beason and supplement it with a forces.
mountain chain of its events, can no conspiracy to the Insurrection, the enzollern censorship, attempted in compracy. The interference of the which more be evoked at will than the organization of the insurrection their day to pretend. For Engels midwife in labor painshowever their practically manifested inca the mood of the petty bourgeoiale put it more simply, the class which The ruling classes, as a result of these sharp and swift changes in conducted the referendum or, to elated hope to discouragement and presented the Institutions revolution as a whole. The masses through the consplracy, constitutes the question about barricades re this image may have been abused pacity to get the country out of its lend their instability to every revo held the power.
before they make up their minds to Dartment of revolutionary politics technical elements of an uprising this conscious intrusion into an the old partles fall to pieces; tarian party is not decisive enough The Limits of Democratic the final assault.
which Marx and Engels called the The reformists have attempted to elementary procese Herzen once bitter struggle of groups and cliques to convert the hopes and expectatrasted to insurrection as the de correct general leadership of the Inter from his rejection of the del accused his friend Bakunin of in prevalls; hopes are placed in mir tons of the popular masses into Conspiracy le ordinarily con art of Insurrection. It presupposes Methods cisive importance of the barricade variably in all his revolutionary acles or miracle workers. All this revolutionary action in good season, liberate undertaking of a minority masses, flexible orientation be rejection of revolutionary vio enterprises taking the second month constitutes one of the political prem the food tide is quickly followed by There is a limit to the application to spontaneous movement of the changing conditions, a thought out sence in general. That is about the of pregnancy for the ninth. Herzen roes of the revolution, to very importance to be the intermediate strata of democratic methodsen en To to victorious insurrection, which in technical preparation, and a darins militarism from considerations of even in the ninth that pregnancy bitter hostility to the existing olution and seek savior in the what type of car they like to ride. turn away their eyes from the rev.
only be the act of a class called to blow.
the probable decline in importance existed. In February the question order and a readiness to venture oppoeing camp. And just us atn, but it is impossible to guest on stand at the head of the nation, is of trenches in future warfare.
widely separated both in method Limits of Spontancous of determining the date of birth upon the most heroic efforts and Hood tide the proletariat draws them as to whether to apply the The organization means by which hardly arose and historie significance from a Insurrection the proletariat can both overthrow rectlon flared up unexpectedly with country out upon an upward road during the ebbe the petty bourgeoislespeed and accident threatens governmental overturn accomthe old power and plabed conspirators in concealit, tout centralized leadership. But ex. this is the new political conscious draws after it considerable layers the saving operation carried out ment from the masses.
give the name of spontaneous Insur came a matter of historie expert not go to those who had accom constitutes the most important ac lecture of the communist and fascist approval of the passengers is guarrection to a movement of the masses ence, but was up to the October plished the insurrection, but to tive premise of a revolution.
Conspiracy and Inwaves observable in the political anteed in advance.
Parliamentary consultations These two fundamental campe, evolution of Europe since the war.
surrection against the old regime, but not hav resting to be sure, upon the prelim. It was quite otherwise with the however the big property holders the people are carried out at a ing a clear aim, deliberated meth inary experience of 1905. The so second Insurrection. This was con and the proletariat do not exhaust upon the assertion of Marx that no revolution the different layers of Attempting to ground themselves single moment, whereas during a In every class society there are ods of struggle of leadership vlets are organs of preparations of sciously prepared by the Bolshevik the population of a country.
enough contradictions so that a consciously showing the way to be the masses for insurrection, organs party. The problem of correctly tween them lie broad layers of the history until it has exhausted all conclusion one after another and conspiracy can take root in its tory. This spontaneous Insurrection of insurrection, and after the vie seizing the moment to give the sig retty bourgeoisle, showing all the its possibilities, the Mensheviks de les inevitable, though sometimes cracks. Historic experience proves, is condescendingly recognized by tory organs of government. nal for the attack was thus lala Colors of the economic and political nied the legitimacy of a struggle very slight intervals.
however, that a certain degree of official historians at least those of At the mo.
However, the soviets by them upon the Bolshevik staff.
rainbow. The discontent of these for proletarian dictatorship in back ment when the advanced detachsocial disease is necessary as in democratie temperas necessary Spain, for instance, or Portugal or evil, the responsibility for which selves do not settle the question. When Is the Time Ript pointment with the poliey of the far from exhausted itself. This ar impatience, the backward layers intermediate layers, their disap ward Russia where capitalism had ment is burning with revolutionary South America to supply continu falls on the old regime. The real They may serve different goals acal nourishment for regime of con reason for their attitude of indul cording to the program and leader for the Action ruling class, their impatience and gument contained two mistakes, have only begun to move. In Petindignation, thefr readiness to sup both fatal. Capitalism is not a narograd and Moscow all the mass spiracles. pure conspiracy even gence that spontaneous insur shly. The soviets receive their Moment here is not to be taken port a bold revolutionary Initiative tional but a world wide system. The organizations were under the leadwhen Victorious can only replace rection cannot transcend the frame the soviets in revolutionary condi too literally as one clique of the same ruling class work of the bourgeois regime.
tions and apart from revolution day and hour, Physical definite on the part of the proletariat, con imperialist war at the capitaliserahip of the Bolsheviks.
and its consequencIn the by another or still less, merely The social democrats take a simi births also stitutes the third political premise es demonstrated that Tambov province, which has over they are impossible comprise the present a considerable period of up of a revolution. It is partly passive system had exhausted itself on a three million population that is, a alter the governmental personages. lar position. They do not reject whole class with the exception of certainty their limits interesting in that it neutralizes the upper world scale. The revolution in Rus little less than both capitals put toOnly mass insurrection has ever revolution at large as a social cat its altogether backward, inert or not only to the art of the midwife, strata of the petty bourgeoisie but sia was a breaking of the weakest Eether. Bolshevik faction first brought the victory regime over another. Periodical sect earthquakes, volcanic of one social astrophe, any more than they re: demoralized strata, the revolution, but also to the casuistics of the partly also active, for it impels the link in the system of world wide appeared in the Soviet only a short erupary party represents the brain of surrogates court. Between the mo lower strata directly into the strug capitalism.
conspiracies are commonly an ex. tions, eclipses and epidemics of the the class. The problem of conquer ment when an attempt to summon gle side by side with the workers.
time before the October revolution.
pression social stagnation and plague. What they do reject callThat these predecay, but popular insurrections on ing it Blanquism, or still worse, The syllogisms of the objective Falsity of Menshevik development are far from coincidthe contrary come usually as a re Bolsheviam Is the conscious premises condition Conceptions ing day by day with the syllosult of some swift growth which paration an overturn, the plan, each other is obKisms of the thought process of the has broken down the old equilibrl. the conspiracy. In other words, the vious. The more But the falsity of this Menshevik masses. And when a great prac ume of the nation. The chronte social democrats are ready to sanedecisively and conception appears also from a na tical decision becomes unpostpon revolutions of the South American tion and that only ex post factoconfidently the tional point of view. From the able, in the course of events, that republies have nothing in common those overturns which hand the proletariat acts, standpoint of economic abstraction, is the very moment when a refer with the permanent. revolution. power to the bourgeolsle, but they the better will it it is indeed possible to affirm that endum is impossible. The differ.
they are in a sense the very oppo implacably condemn those methods succeed in bring. capitalism in Russia has not exence in level and mood of the difsite thing which might alone bring the power ing after it the bausted its possibilities. But eco ferent layers of the people is overThis does not mean, however, to the proletariat. Under this preintermediate lay nomic processes do not take place come in action. The advance fay.
that popular insurrection and contended objectivism they conceal a ers, the more 18o in the ether, but in a concrete hisers bring after them the wavering spiracies are in all circumstances policy of defense of the capitalist lated will be the torical medium. Capitalism is not and isolate the opposing. The amutually exclusive. An element of society.
ruling class, and an abstraction, but a living system fority is not counted up, but won conspiracy almost always enters to the more acute its of clans relations requiring above all over. Insurrection comes into be some degree into any insurrection.
The Significance of demoralization things a state power. That the ing at exactly that moment when Being historically conditioned by a Blanquism And, on the other monarchy, under whose protection direct action alone offers a way out certain stage in the growth of a hand, a demoral. Russian capitalism developed, had of the contradictions revolution, a mass insurrection is from his observations and reflecization of the rul exhausted its possibllities is not Although lacking the power to never purely spontaneous. Even tions upon the fallure of the many ers will pour wat denied even by the Mensheviks. The draw by themselves the necessary when it flashes out unexpectedly to insurrections he witnessed or took er into the mill of February revolution tried to build political inferences from their war the revolutionary up an intermediate state regime against the landlords, the peasants a majority of its own participants, part in, August Blanqui derived a class it has beerf fertilized by those ideas number of tactical rules which if We have followed its history in the had by the very fact of the agrarian in which the insurrectionaries see violated will make the victory of The proletariat course eight months it exhausted insurrection already adhered to the a way out of the difficulties of ex any insurrection extremely difficult can become im itself completely. What sort of insurrection of the cities, bad istence. But a mass insurrection if not impossible. Blanqui demandthe state order could in these conditions evoked it and were demanding it.
can be foreseen and prepared. Ited these things: a timely creation confidence neces guarantee the further development They expressed their will not with can be organized in advance. In of correct revolutionary detach sary for a govern of Russian capitalism?
the white ballot, but with the red this case conspiracy is subordi ments, their centralized command mental overthrow The bourgeois republic, defended cocka more serious referendum, nate to the insurrection, serves it, and adequate equipment, a well calonly if clear only by socialists of moderate ten Within those limits in which the smoothes its path, bastens its vicculated placement of barricades, prospect opens belencies, finding no longer any sup support of the peasantry was nec tory. The higher the political level their definite construction, and a fore it, only if it port in the masses. could not essary for the establishment of a of a revolutionary movement and systematic, not a mere episodic, dehas had an oppor maintain itself. Its whole essence soviet dictatorship, the support was the more serious its leadership, the tense of them. All these rules, de tunity to test ont had evaporated. There remained already in hand. The dictatorship greater will be the place occupied riving from the military problems in action a corre only an external shell. This ac. Lenin answered the doubters by conspiracy in a popular insur of the insurrection, must of course lation of forces curate definition belongs to Malluwould give land the peasants rection.
change with social conditions and which is changing kov. The fate of this evaporated and all power to the peasant comIt is very necessary to understand military technique, but in them Leon Trotsky in exile on the island of Prinkipo.
to its advantage, system was necessarily, according mittees in the localities. How can the relations between insurrection selves they are not by any means. only if it feels to his words, the same as that of you in your right mind doubt that and conspiracy, both as they oppose Blanquism in the sense that this ing the power can be solved only an insurrection must inevitably above it a far righted, firm and the Czarist monarchy: Both pre the peasants would support that and as they supplement ench other. word approaches the German by a definite combination of party prove premature and lead to a rev. confident loadership. This brings pared the ground for a revolution, dictatorship? In order that the It is especially so, because the very putschism, or revolutionary ad with soviets or with other massolutionary miscarriage, and the mo us to the last premise by no means and on the day of the revolution soldiers, peasants and oppressed nause of the word conspiracy, even venturiem. Insurrection is an art, organizations more or less equiva ment when a favorable situation the last in importance of the con neither could find a single defen tionalities, foundering in the snowin Marxian literature, contains a and like all arts has its laws. The lent soviets.
must be considered hopelessly, quest of power: the revolutionary der.
storm of an elective ballot should superficial contradiction due to the rules of Blanqui were the demands missed, there exists a certain period party as a tightly welded and temrecognize the Bolsheviks in action, fact that it sometimes implies an of military revolutionary realism. The Importance of. it may be measured in weeks, and pered vanguard of the class. Kornilov or Lenin. it was necessary that the Bolsheindependent undertaking initiated Blanqui mistake lay not in his The Soviets sometimes in a few months in the Thanks to a favorable combina viks seize the power.
No Other Road course of which an insurrection tion of historic conditions, both by the minority, at others a prepar. direct but his inverse theorem.
ation by the minority of a majority From the fact that tactical weak When headed by a revolutionary may be carried out with more or domestic and international, the RusAs early as July and August MilLenin on Dynamics insurrection.
ness condemns an insurrection to party the soviet consciously and in les chance of success. To discrim sian proletariat was headed by a tukov characterized the situation by of the Majority The Role of Spontaneity servance of the rules of Insurrec quest of power. Accomodating it. iod and then choose the definito ino clarity and unexampled revolution names. Kornilov or Lenin? But But what correlation of forces in Social Crises tionary tactles would itsell guarself to changes in the political situ. ment now in the more accurate ary temper. Only this permitted Kornilov had now made his experi was necessary in order that the. History testifies, to be sure that point on is it legitimate to contrast it gets ready the military basis of for the last blow. constitutes the out a historic task of unprecedented able failure. For the regime of To have at the decisive moment, in certain conditions a popular in Blanquism with Marxisın. Conspir the insurrection, unites the shock most responsible task of the revolu: proportions. It is indeed the sen Kerensky there was certainly no at the decisive point, an overwhelm.
surrection can be victorious even acy does not take the place or in troops upon a single scheme of actionary leaders. It can with full eral testimony of history the Paris place left. With all the varieties of ng superiority of force, wrote without a conspiracy. Arising surrection. An active minority of tion, works out a plan for the of Justice be called the key problem. Commune, the Germani and Aus mood, says Sukhanov, the one Lenin Inter, interpreting the Octosal inalienation, the scattered peo organized, cannot seize the power and this means bringing organized tion with the technique of insurrec. revolutions in Hungary and Bavar for the Kerensky regime. Just as military success is also the law of tests, demonstrations, strikes, street regardless of the general conditions conspiracy into mass insurrection. tionrendoit needless to add that the Italian revolution of 1918, the Czarist monarchy had toward political success, especially in that fights. an insurrection can draw in tortor mas un condemned is branquista. more than once, and long before the ation of politics with other instru Chinese revolution of 1925 27, the eyes of the nobility or grand dukes, which is called revolution The forces of the enemy, and overthrow His affirmative theorem retains all October revolution, to refute accu ments.
the old power. To a certain degree its force. In order to conquer the sutions of conspiratism and BlanIntuition and experience are nec to now the weakest link in the came odious even to the direct in biggest centers of trade and industhis is what happened in February power, the proletariat needs more quism directed against them by essary for revolutionary leadership, chain of necessary conditions has spirators of his regime, the grand try. decide to a considerable same picture is presented by the de. needs suitable organization, it waged a more implacabile struggle tive activity. But much more than or all his for the working class 16 duke of the compromisist upper degree the political fate of the In this universal dissatis people that is, of course, on condi The art of the create a revolutionary organization faction, this sharp political nerve tion that the centers are supported tro Hungarian revolutions of the Such is the Leninist view of this acles than Lenin. The opportunl magician can also successfully rely capable of rising to the height of tension of all classes, we have one by sufficient local rural forces, alAutumn of 1918. Since in these question.
ists of the international social de upon intuition and experience. Po its historie task. In the older and of the symptoms of a ripe revolu though this support need not be mevents there was no party at the mocracy more than once defended litical magic is adequate, however, more civilized countries powerful tionary situation. In the same way mediate. It was in this dynamic head of the insurrectionaries imEngels on Barricade the old Social Revolutionary tactie only for epochs and periods in forces worked toward the weaken every muscle, nerve and fiber of an sense that Ieniu spoke of the mabued through and through with the Fighting of individual terror directed against which routine predominates. An ing and demoralization of the revo organism is intolerably tense just jority of the people, and that was interests and aims of the insurrecthe agents of Czarism, when this epoch of mighty historic upheavals lutionary vanguard. An important before an abcess bursts. The reso the sole real meaning of the con tion, its victory had inevitably to Engels criticism of the fetishism tactie was ruthlessly criticized by has no use for witch doctors. Here constituent part of this work is the lution of the July congress of the cept of majority.
transfer the power to those parties of the barricades was based upon the Bolsheviks with their insistence experience, even illumined by intui. struggle of the social democrats Bolsheviks, while warning the work which up to the last moment had the evolution of military technique upon mass insurrection as opposed tion, is not enough. Here you must against Blanquism. by which ers against premature encounters, themselves with the thought that been opposing it.
and of technique in general. The to the individual adventurism of hafea synthetie doctrine comprename they designate the revolu bad at the same time pointed out the people following the Bolsheviks To overthrow the old power is insurrectionary tactic of Blanquism the intelligentzia. But in refuting hending the interactions of the tionary essence of Marxism. that the battle must be joined were mere raw material, mere his one thing: to take the power in corresponded to the character of all varieties of Blanquism and an and no save historie riallistic metod per: Corditions Coincide for crists and the divers mass enthusl to be these same emocrats acting ones own hands is another. The the old Paris, the semi handicraft archism, Lenin did not bourgeoiste may win the power in proletariat, the narrow streets and ment bow down to any stcred mitting you to discover, behind the Victory in Russia asm have created conditions favor. in cooperation with the educated able to the going over of the poor bourgeoisie. Can these people a revolution not because it is rev. the military system of Louis Phil spontaneousness of the masses. He moving shadows of program and lutionary but because it is hour. Ippe. Blanqul mistake in principle thought out before anybody else, slogan, the actual movement of so Notwithstanding the number of people of the city and country to see, asked a Menshevik paper, geols. It has in its possession was to identify revolution with in and more deeply, the correlation becial bodies great social and political crises, the side of the workers. That that the Petrograd proletariat and property, education, the press a surrection. His technical mistake factors in a revolution, between the revolution is that the existing social necessary to a victorious and stable October.
tween the objective and subjective The fundamental premise of a coincidence of all the conditions moment arrived in September and garrison were never before so lao lated from all other social atrata?
hierarchy of Institutions. Quite was to identity Insurrection with spontaneous movement and the structure has become incapable of proletarian revolution has so far the insurrection was thenceforth The misfortune of the proletariat otherwise with the proletariat. De the barricade. The Marxian eritt policy of the party, between the solving the urgent problems of de occurred but once in history: in able to believe in its success, for it (Continued on Page 5)
LILITANT with