November 20, 1918 THE REVOLUTIONARY AGE The Revolutionary Age Chronicle and Interpretation of Events in Europe. GIS TWO STRUGGLES aggressively aimed to broaden and deepen the revolution, powerful communist movement developing in favor of a ERMANY is in the throes of a revolutionary convulsion social and economic revolution. This fundamental tendency. that is the one definite impression conveyed by the aroused the violent and murderous opposition of the bourEditor meagre and often contradictory news of events. RevLOUIS FRAINA geois class. The masses through the much maligned Terror olution and counter revolution are struggling for supremacy. which the savior of the bourgeois democratic phase EADMONN MACALPINE Associate Editor One must tread his way through the uncertain reports pf of the Revolution, even) conquered temporarily; but they Contributing Editors events by means of Socialist theory, and the social and could not retain power, being dispersed by the counter rev.
Scott NEARING LUDWIG LORE olution and crushed by Napoleon.
Socialist alignment of forces in Germany.
JOHN REED SEN KATAYAMA The correspondents are quite clearly hypnotized by the These two struggles were apparent, in a minor expression, HOURWICH WEINSTEIN activity of the provisional governments, three or four of during the abortive 1848 Revolution in Germany and the ISSUED EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SATURDAY which have been organized since the Revolution marched successful 1848 Revolution in Paris.
In a Socialist expression, these two struggles determined 885 Washington St. Boston, Mass. on to action. Organizing provisional governments seems to the destiny of the Russian Revolution, which developed de be the favorite industry of the bourgeois liberals and the Wednesday, November 20, 1918 finitely into a proletarian revolution initiating the reconstpetty bourgeois Socialists in Germany, as in Russia. There ruction of society on a communist Socialist basis gainst provisional governments are apparently organized by cliques, the moderate, political and democratic tendency of the bour STARVING THE REVOLUTION!
the Reichstag having disappeared; what power they possess geois liberals and the moderate petty bourgeois Socialists. A note to the Swiss Minister, acting for the is due to the fact that things have not come to a head, and These two struggles, these two irreconcilable conceptions German Government, Secretary of State Lansing their only real power is the power of appeal to a people of the Revolution, are for the moment engaged in a desperate on November 13, in answer to Chancellor Ebert being revolutionized by events.
grapple in Germany. The issue is clear, but the strength of appeal for food stuffs, declared that the Amrican gothe struggling forces is still obscure.
The news of the All Socialist Provisional Government vernment is ready to send food stuffs into Germany The political tendency, represented by the boargeois liberwithout delay.
recently was greeted enthusiastically by the radical and als and the moderate Socialists, particularly by Scheidemann, This is well; the fearful misery must be assuaged. gloomily by the conservative. But this government was so Ebert Co. aims to reconstruct the government, to transcialist only in name; it included the utterly reactionary Ebert, form the old autocracy into a democratic parliamentary re But the note adds that President Wilson will take up the matter immediately with the Allied GovernScheidemann Co, together with Haase, Ledebour and public. The old regime Kaiserism has been shattered by Dittman of the Independent Socialists, and the Spartacus opportunity for organizing a democratic republic, and this the revolutionary action of the masses; this has created at unents, provided he can be assured that public order is being and will continue to be maintained in Ger revolutionary Socialist Barth, who for some reason accepted is the task of the Provisional Government and the mothe portfolio of social policy. Barth status in the governmany and that an equitable distribution of food can derate Socialists genermily. But this democratic rept republic ment was and still is uncertain. The A11 Socialist govern would be a bourgeois republic, with Capitalism retaining inbe clearly guaranteed.
ment arose out of some obscure impulse of compromise, dustrial and consequently political supremacy. It might be Why the provision about order being maintained, and was clearly a temporary shift. But the status of this a radical republic, it might even continue for an indefinite and what is meant by order. Does it mean that period a republic graced or disgraced by the Socialist aagovernment itself is still more uncertain, since the news of if the German Revolution continues on its course mouflage of Scheidemann, Ebert Co. but it would still relentlessly and to the complete overthrow of Cap including Dr. Dernburg and other unflinching representatives the appointment of the government department heads, be a bourgeois republic, still the republic of the capitalist and the financier, of the sweater of labor.
italism, that this might be interpreted as disorder of the bourgeoisie. Is this an expression of a definite counter The moderate Socialists, in Germany and in Russia, justify and the attempt be made to starve the Revolution revolutionary trend, or is it simply the stupidity and treason this attitude by declaring that conquest of political democracy into submission? This interpretation is being made: of Scheidemann Co. Socialists of revolutionary persuasion is necessary before the definite struggle for Sociali may is it the conception of the government?
will not assume responsibility for such a government, all begin. But you had bourgeois democracy under the Russian Revolution necessarily means a certain amount the more since the titular head of the government, Social Ebert, Kerensky: you have bourgeois democracy under the of disorder, since it mplc change of ist Chancellor Ebert, is using the threat of anarchy to German, Kerensky, Ebert: the struggle may begin for the fundamental industrial democracy of Socialism, particularly society and arouses violent antagonisms. Every rev discourage the revolutionary masses. The revolutionary So as the revolutionary action against autocracy has created olution the American Revolution, the French Rev cialist can only fight this government.
a breach in the old order through which the Socialist olution, the Russian Revolution, and now the German But these provisional governments represent the appearproletariat may emerge for revolutionary action and Revolution is characterized by disorder, a disorder ance of reality, and not reality itself. The actual destiny the conquest of power. Bourgeois dernocracy is a feter out of which arises the order of a new society and a of the revolution is being decided by election of the masses, upon the action of the revolutionary proletariat; it is not, er life, under the conditions of Imperialism, any phase of the Socialby the movement and tendency represented by Karl LiebShall the control of the food of the world be used ist struggle. The slogans of democracy of bourgeois de knecht, Otto Ruhle, Rose Luxenburg and Franz Mehrng.
to crush the German Revolution, which is now the mocracy are counter revolutionary, in Germany as in RusBut scarcely any news is transmitted of these real events sia. The moderate Socialist policy in Germany abandons and hope of the world? We do not know if this is prebeing made by the masses, of the tendency and movement betrays the great hopes aroused by the proletarian revolucisely the meaninng of Secretary Lansing words, tion in Germany.
but our fears are aroused by the systematic press of the revolutionary proletariat, precisely as in Russia, during the period of Lvov, Kerensky Co. scarcely any news The democratic republic is accomplished in Germany campaign in favor of intervention in Germany should came of the action of the masses, of the movement and tend.
therefore, on with the revolutionary struggle against Capitalthe revolution definitely develop into a Socialist Revism and for Socialism. this is the general policy of the ency represented by Lenin and Trotzky, until they conquered olution. The Revolution is the test of the American revolutionary Socialist, of the economic and social tendency power.
pledge of self determination of peoples. Self deof the proletarian masses. This tendency, instinctively in revolution is made by the action of the masses. It is termination is for Socialist nations as well as Capitalaction during the French Revolution, the conqueror in Russia, this elemental mass action, breaking loose against the oppo is now in Germany mobilizing the masses for the revolutionary ist nations.
sition of the moderates and the government, that casts aside struggle against Capitalism and Imperialism. The RevoluMoreover, at this time, we must remember that for fears and hesitation, topples over the imposing enginery of tion must become definitely a proletarian revolution: upon one year the Allies have been starving the Russian that depends the destiny of Socialism in Europe. This revoauthority, mobilizing the revolutionary energy and initiative people as a means of starving out the Russian Rev.
lutionary tendency struggles for a dictatorship of the proleof the people for the assault against the old order and the olution and destroying the Soviet Government. Their tariat, for a new state of the organized producers, for the conquest of power. This tendency characterizes all revoluexpropriation of capital and once in power, this tendency policy has been based on the assumption that if the tions. Another characteristic is that the immediate revolution would accomplish its Socialist task much more easily and Russian people starved enough they might make a counter revolution and annihilate the Soviet Governary task accomplished, bourgeois representatives and the old swiftly, immediately proceed further in the direction of ment.
radical moderate opposition come into power and act against actual Socialism, than in Russia, because of the superiority of industrial and technological development. The policy of For one year Soviet Russia has been cut off from the revolutionary masses, precisely as the Socialist Chanrevolutionary Socialism builds upon the accomplishments the world, blockaded and completely isolated. Comcellor Ebert is now doing by discouraging the onward march of Russia, seeks to conserve and extend the conquest of the munications, intellectual and commercial, have been of the revolution through cajolery and threats of anarchy Russian revolutionary proletariat.
broken. While Germany prevented egress by way of and disaster should new revolutionary action develop. But Every real revolution sets the masses in motion, loosens the Black Sea and Constantinople, the Allied soldiers this new revolutionary action is absolutely indispensable to their energy and initiative. The masses must not only act initially, they must continue to act, to develop from instruand fleets prevented egress by way of Archangel and accomplish the real task of the Revolution. The struggle Vladivostok. Russia could not communicate with the of the masses now becomes a struggle against their own ments of revolutionary act:. into the masters of revolutionary government of their own government. The Rev.
world; Russia could not secure food or agricultural moderate representatives. These representatives try to disolution must broaden and deepen itself in the action and the machinery from other nations, for which it was will perse the masses, to discourage any new revolutionary action, consciousness of the masses; the provisional government.
to limit the revolution within the deadening bounds of the ing to pay in gold or raw materials, and which were the policy of the moderate Socialists, deaden this necessary indispensable in the great task of reconstruction. The parliamentary bourgeois state as a purely political revolution revolutionary action and consciousness, while the policy of Russian people have been starving and suffering and and to prevent this political revolution from developing de the revolutionary Socialists in Germany broadens and vitaldying, but they have refused to run against their Rev finitely into a social and economic revolution.
izes this action and consciousness. The expression of the olution. All the sympathy they have received have been This alignment characterizes not only the proletarian revrevolutionary masses, in Germany as in Russia, are the screeds in the newspapers describing terrible hunger olution in Russia and Germany, but in lesser force characterCouncils of Workmen and Soldiers Delegates. These exist in Russia and blaming the Bolsheviki! But this isolaized previous revolutions, the bourgeois democratic revoluin Germany; but the two struggles are proceeding within tion and blockade of Russia largely responsible for the Councils as in society at large. In the Councils, as in the tion.
the scarcity of food.
government, the moderates at first control, the proletarian The French Revolution, historically and in accomplishments revolutionary tendency is still unclear: but clarity develops In addition to this blockade, there was the Czecho bourgeois revolution, was made by the dynamic mass action under the pressure of events and revolutionary propaganda.
Slovak adventure. The Czecho Slovaks were to be of the people: the bourgeoisie acted only under the impulse How far the Revolution has actually penetrated the mases, come the centre of a counter revolution; all they of the revolutionary energy and initiative of the masses. But fundamentally and dynamically upon this depends the accomplished was to cause more misery and starvation the middle class came into power, through the National course of events in Germany. The Councils must be revolu in Russia, to demoralize the railways and the food Assembly and the Constituent Assembly representing a tionized.
purely political tendency, desiring no fundamental change supply system, with terrible consequences to the Rus government, much less in society, temporizing with the The two tendencies, the two struggles, are there, actively sian people.
monarchy and against a democratic republic. It was the action counter revolutionary and actively revolutionary. The one of the masses that compelled drastic political changes, that would cstablish a democratic republic, with Capitalism in The blockade of Russia must immediately cease. annihilated the monarchy; struggle between the authority and the threat of restoration of autocracy: the The Soviet government must be allowed to purchase masses and the middle class liberals was bitter, intense, fun other would annihilate Capitalism, start the process of introfood. And there shall be no starving of the German damental. But there was another and more determining ducing Socialism, and in that way climax the magnificent Revolution. phase of this great struggle: the masses instinctively and achievements of the proletarian revolution in Russia.
in