THE REVOLUTIONARY Saturday, January 18, 191 The Background of the German Revolution said: FUNDAMENTAL issue of the Russian Rev.
By Louis Fraina reached Trotzky, he badgered the Austro German dip olution had been the issue of peace. On this lomats into postponing the Conference for a week, III hoping that the movement would broaden and deepen.
the imper. alistic bourgeoisie had to continue the ina fraternization objected to by the imperialists on all but in Austria, majority Socialism, in spite of not perialistic war, because its interests and its worldsides, sincs was a revolutionary tareat to ali. At having acted to produce the movement, placed itself relations were bound up with it; the revolutionary the All Russian Soviet Congress on November 8, a at the ad and betrayed it into legal action. The proletariat and the impoverished peasantry had to peacc decree was adopted, proposing an armistice and movement spread to Germany, where hundreds of struggle for the end of ine war, as war was devouring appealing to the proietariat of Germany, France and thousands of workers were involved; but again the the Revolution and multiplying misery and oppres Great Britain to decisive and energetic action, union bureaucracy and majority Socialiam acted gunized on November 7, issued an offer to all belhg the fight for peace, and at the same time the liberation the strikers back to work, preached incessantly against which will help us bring to a successful conclusion against the movement. Majority Socialism ordered erents for an armistice on all fronts as a preliminary of all the working classes from slavery and exploitaa revolutwn, betrayed the Gernian proletariat and the to concluding peace on the basis of no annexations tion. Simultaneously, a proclamation was issued to Russian proletariat, the cause of Socialism and peace.
and no indemnities. The Bolsheviki recognized that the German soldiers, announcing that Socialism and he movement was not broken by the government, but their program was not realizable through an appeal to the proletariat in Russia had conquered all govern by counter revolutionary Socialism: that is the great iact.
anments, but only through an appeal to meni power: the proletariat for pressure upon the governments and Our program, to the execution of which the Government Isolated, abandoned equally by the proletariat and the revolut. onary struggle against Capitalism and has immeu. ately proceeded, consists in the proposal Socialism in au belligerent nations, the Bolsheviki at immediate den. cratic Peace, which has already been comImperialism the revolutionary struggle against all Brest Litovsk were overwhelmed. But again Trotzky municated to the belligerent nations and their Governments, refused to accept the imperialistic treaty imposed by Imperialism was the means of securing peace, im in the transier without compensation of all the land to the mediate, real permanent peasants for their use, and the realization of Workers Gerinun Imperialism, and turned to the desperate at Control of industry.
pedient of a declared peace. that is, the Bolshevik The German Government accepted the armistice Soldiers, Isrothers! We ask you to stand by Socialism delegation refused to sign the robbers peace, but for purposes of its own, tule Alucd Goveruments re with all your might in the struggle for immediate peace, as decared the war at an end: a final appeal to the world, jected the ai misce 1or purposes of the. own. And that is the only cans to secure just and permanent peace for the working class of all countries, and to heal the wounds and particularly to German Socialism. But Austria on this issue of the armistice, as on the issues of ture which the present most criminal of all wars hus inflicted on and Germany insisted upon signing the peace, and sent war, majority Socialism again dividid on nacionalishumanity.
their soldiers to invade helpless Russia. This was in tic lines German majority Social. sm tavoied the Bureau of International Revolutionary Propa. February. Two currents developed in Russian BolArmistice, majority Socialism in france, Belgium and ganda was established by the Soviet Government, and shevism one favoring a revolutionary war, however Great Britain repudiated the arinistice. The gover ULUWU luns approach to assist ievo. uuonary desperate, the other insisting upon ratifying the peace, ments had because the arbiters of Socialist policy.
Socialism in all belligerent nations. series of daily and waiting for the proletarian revolution in GerLenin represented this latter attitude, and The Allies refused, equally, to enter into general papers for revolutionary propaganda, in German, many peace negotiations; and inperial Gerinany and Soviet Hungarian and other languages, which were circulated by the millions among the Austro German sol The Russian Revolution, reaching a culminating point Russia engaged in a peace conference at Brestdicrs while the delegates were discussing at the peace in November, when the proletanat secured the reins of GovLitovsk in December, 1917. The Bolshevik deleconference. One of the appeals to the German ernment, was bound to pass through a period of civil war and rutos offered proposals for a general peace, all the soldiers read as follows: internal disorder, because the propertied classes could not be expected to give up their privileges without a struggle.
while appealing to the Allied proletariat and Social Brothers, German soldiers! The great example of your Therefore the war with reactionary organizations (the ism to compel thir governments to accept peace ne comrade Karl Liebknecht, the most eminent leader of Inter fight against the sabotage by which the intelligentsia tried decisive response. national Socialism, the persevering and long continued to overthrow the Soviet Government by breaking the state The abstention of the Allies allowed Germany to struggle which you have conducted by pubishing newspapers machinery. must continue until the bourgeoisie see the and pamphets, by numerous demonstrations and strikes, the hopelessness of further resistance and surrenders unconforce separate peace negotiations upon Russia. The struggle for which your Government has thrown into prison ditionally.
Austro German delegates acceptod the forniula of no hundreds and thousands of your comrades, and lastly, the This means the necessity for the Soviet Government to annexations and no indemnities in words, but repudi heroic revolt of your sailors of the Fleet serve as a guar concentrate all its forces on the internal struggle.
ated it in fact, ins. sting upon indemnities and the an antee to us that the mass of the working class of your nation is ready to enter the recisive struggle for peace.
The policy of the Russian Revolution must be based nexation of the Baltic Provinces in veiled forın. Hasten to our assistance! In the name of the Workers on the general international situation namely, the Trotzky and the other Bolshevik delegates exposed and Feasants Governmem we guarantee that our solidiers PODOL or improwad. cy of the outbr. ak of Social the sinister imperialistic aims of the Austro German shall not move one step forward if you decide to take into Revolution in the rest of Europe; but the chances of delegation, but to avail: German and Austrian Im your hands the flag of peace, and even if the gruggle for of this in the immediate future are slight. Therefore peralism, with the tacit approval of me majority So peace inside your own country takes away part of your forces from the front.
it is a mistake for the Russian Revolution to base its had determined to impose an imperialistic peace of violence upon the Soviet Republic The proletarian revolution in Russia, in its struggle policy on uncertain eventualities: for peace and for its own complete success, had to In Gerniany the reaction has temporarily triumphed, setThe Bolshevik delegates used the forum of Brestting before the Russian Revolution the alternative of further struggle for the international revolution. It issued, war or an annexationist peace.
Litovsk to speak to to the proletariat of Germany and accordingly, the clear call to class action, to the prole. To sign a peace with German Imperialism is not objectAustria, and of the Allied nations. Their policy at tarian revolutionary struggle: by this sign alone could ively speaking, treason to international Socialism.
Brest was supplemented by an intensive agitation it When workmen are beaten in a strike, and have to accept among the Austrian and German Soldiers for revoThe Brest negotiations proceeded.
The aims of bad terms from employers, they do not betray their class because they cannot get all their demands at once. They lutionary action against the war. This Austro German Imperialism were clearly revealed, only accept bad conditions in order better to prepare for the German and were in turn revealed to the Austro German solstrmed gigantic proportions; and wlien Kopaganda another struggle later an.
delegation insisted that this propaganda should cease, diers by nieans of revolutionary proclamations, pam If the Russian Rerolution continued the war in alliance Teotzky answered that the armistice terms did not blets and papers. He German revoit did not mawith Anglo French Imperialism against Austro German fortid freedom of press and propaganda. and when Imperialism on the basis of the old secret treaties recently terialize; Austro German Imperialism became even the Bolshevik delegation officially crumpled, the prop more brutal and inscent.
The revolutionary published and not openly repudiated by the Allies, then it would be prostituting itself to foreign imperialists.
aganda went on.
Socialists in Germany, in spite of all disadvantages, As long as there is no Social Revolution in England and This revolutionary propaganda among the Austro supplemented the Bolshevik propaganda at the front Germany, the Russian Revolution must seek the most pro German terus had been going on for months pre by a revolutionary propaganda of their own. Many fitable conditions in existence, relying as little as possible revolutionary appeals were issued, of which this is on the English or German governments negotiating one viously. When, due to counter revolutionary treachone issued by the Spartacus Group: against the other.
ery, Riga was captured in September, the Army Com It is not true that the Russian Revolution is deserting mitter of the Twelfth Russian Army, uson evacuat The Ge. nan Government has denonstrated by means of Socialist comrades in England and Germany by signing ing the city, issued a proclamation to the German the negotiations at Brest Litovsk. that it wishes to throw separate reace. It takes them longer to do what Russia has dust in the eyes of the masses and to aggravate the death soldiers: The Russian soldiers of the Twelfth Army donc because their Imperial Governments are stronger than struggle of the warring penples. Its pretended love for the old Russian Imperial Government. Nevertheless, the draw your attention to the fact that you are carrying peace is merely a mask. its statement that a partial peace material weakness of Russia forces her to recuperate for on a war for autocracy against revolution freeilon would bring us rearer to a general peace, is a lie and im internal reconstruction.
posture.
and justice. The victory of Wilhelm will be death It would be a rash adventure to enter upon a holy to democracy and freedom. We withdraw from separate peace with Russia would increase the fury war against German Imperialism, even if Russia were of the war and consequently, increase the slaughter. The Riga. but we know that tl e forces of the Revolution sufferings of the Gernian people would not be ahated.
able to do so, on the chance of revolution in Germany will ultimately prove more powerful than the force of It becomes the city of the German working class to breaking out in the next few months, for meanwhile cannons. We know in the long run that your con battle unceasingly for a general peace.
defeat would mean more onerous conditions for the science will overcome everything, and that the German There is only one cans af putting an end to the present future developments of the Russian Revolution: soldiers, with the Russian Revolutionary Army, will bulchery and iscry of the workers the overthrow of the Russia, if she has peace, can become the envy of all march to victory and freedom. In October. a for gorrain. It ad the bonecois class, in he say that this an do: in Russin. l! is solely by ass effort. by the realt lands, and the centre of gravity of the Socialist world. By midable mutiny broke out in the German fleet at Kiel.
crncluding a separate peace Russia can utilize the fact that of the nurses. mass strik raral sing all covomic and the sailors of the Russian Baltic fleet sent their acticily and all vor industries: it is sollya resolution the Anglo German imperialists are too much engaged in a berly struggle to attend seriously to her. Sive can theregreetings: and the retablishment of a pople republic in Germany by and for the coworking class. Talal cad may be put to the fare concentrate on the internal development of the Rev. The revolutionary sailors of the Baltic Fleet send their slowoliter of the toilers of all lands, that is general peace fraternal greetings to their heroic German comrades who If Russia. under present conditions, attempts hoth entercan be achicard.
have taken part in thç insurrection at Kiel. The Rassian sailors are in complete possession of their In lantary and February. 1918, all this agitation exprises internally to read the full fruits of the Revolution, ind externally to carry on the contlict against foreign Imbattleships. The Sailors Committers are the High Courmand pressed itself in action. Creat strikes and denionThe yacht of the former Czar. Polar Star is now the head strations against the war and for peace broke loose in quarters of the Feet Committee. which is composed of common sailors, one nian from cach ship.
Germany and Austria. This action verged on revolu After the strike novement had been killed, Dr. Drews, tion. In Austria, in one district alone, 90. 000 were on Trussian Minister of the Interior, sail the strikes had served Since the Revolution, the Russian Fleet is as busy as formerly, but the Russian sailors will rot use the Act to strikc, and the total must have been over a million.
Germany comics, and accused the Social Democratic Party fight their hrothers, but everywhere to fight under the Red It was the initial mass action of the proletariat, out of encouraging the strikes. To this the Berlin Vortunerts, Flag of the International for the freech of the proletariat crpan of mainrity Socialism, answered by quoting Prime of which might have emerged reneral revolutionary Mirister von Bandic of Bavaria as having thanked the throughout all the world.
action against war, against Capitalism and ImperialSocial Democratic lealers in a speech in the Bavarian ChamFor months the soldiers had Iron fratrrnizins on ism. The strikes and demonstrations in Austria broke lier of Deatpis io cetiring control of the strike movethe eastern front, the Russians spreading revolution loose against the orders of the union bureaucracy and ment. as thereby the strike was forced into normal channels.
ary ideas among the Germans and the Austrians. Could furnitude and treason to Socialism reach tower deptha the majority Socialism: when the news of these strikes than this?
conquer.
lution.