Saturday, March 1, 1919 THE REVOLUTIONARY AGE sition.
we suffered sun Terribly severe is our struggle. In many of your but isolated and in fact accidental violations of hu in all capitalistic countries has hecome a reality in expressions concerning the revolution we found proof maneness by the masses the timid will go hand in hand Russia making the masses a partner in the enjoy.
piness, your irritation, your amazement and sometimes enels with the clique of great possessors of property one, are the leader of this great work of civilization.
with the social wolves, whose conception of humanity collected during the centuries. And you, fortunate We felt the torture of your mind and heart, when the and whose sense of justice consists in the mutual divirevolution, victorious and yet perplexed in its titanic sion of the spoils.
attempts to withstand its enemies, adopted methods ces and inartyrs whom we have honored, are already public called upon you for such an extraordinary poHow many of the great Russian philosophers, fight and for the results we expect from your work. We and brought into practice means which Socialism had torn by the same tortures, we suffered as you suffered. mies of humanity: Kropotkin, Plechanov, BreshkovAnd as the Russian proletariat was our teacher in We felt the same agony of the breach, the terrible skaza? Should we lose you also. the use of the mass strike and in the mass refusal of difference, between the dream and the reality. Fear concerning this greatly agitated us. But since military service, so it is now our teacher in the SocialBut more on account of you, you to we know that you have offered your services to the ist reconstruction of society. And we hope to learn whom we have always looked with such plicit trust. We were afraid that your op and im Soviet Government we are at ease and rejoice. You in which way. by what methods we can best serve the revulsion for saw the danger, you realized where the swinging be spiritual uplifting of the masses. We rejoice from the the rough, severe and sometimes really hideous forms of the revolution would blind you to its golden kernel tween the parties would lead you. You understood bottom of our hearts for the Russian people, that the the loval of your fine, sparkling, strong humaneness with its deepest being, its glorious liberating power. We lution, you conquered your wavering. High minded penetrate freely into the plastic being of their desire feared that your criticism, your wavering and accu was your action in setting aside your wrath, aroused for beauty and their craving for exaltation.
sations would bring you to the side of the enemies of by many an angry and hurtful word.
But we rejoice also for you, Maxim Gorky, that the people. We knew that the more violent becomes You saw where you belonged and took your place your heroic and high hearted stand linked your fate the class struggle, the smaller becomes the line of de amongst the leaders of the revolution, fighting for wth that of the revolution, at the moment when its markation between friend and foe, how impracticable humanity. The social revolution is unlimited in its enemies, the capitalists of all countries, multiplied their obiectives. it embraces the whole human fabric, many efforts to strangle it in an iron grip, at the moment We knew that whoever in this period of violent fold are its aspects. Alongside the violent political when they supplied fanatical assassins with weapons struggle (which had already started for Russia and and physical struggle against the enemy class, sparkles to deprive it of its most beloved leaders.
which is inevitable for the whole capitalist world) the economic and social reconstruction, the moral, edu We rejoice for you, that your name as a revolutioncloes not remain steadfast with the revolutionary cational and artistic elevation of the whole working ary author shall beam inblemished in the future and masses. despite their shortcomings and mistakes which class.
that you shall live in the memories of the coming genake this gigantic struggle irrevocable, will be forced You, Maxim Gorky, are now selected for the glor erations. We rejoice that you are saved from the into the camp of the peoples enemies whom the im ious work of promoting the spiritual uplifting of the shame of deserting the holy cause of human liberation.
perialistic rulers are endeavoring to restore and main broad masses in the Soviet Republic, of satisfying tain.
their elementary cravings for beauty and civilization, We send you. Maxim Gorky, assurance of love and warm sympathy, and we hereby solemnly vow to folOut of abhorrence for the deplorable, but histori of unlocking for them the gates of human knowledge low you to conquer our internal struggle and hesitacally inevitable excesses of the social revolution, the and leading them through its heights and depths of tation, to fulfill our duty in the great struggle which timid shall find themselves with those who in one filling their outstretched hands with the soft glowing will undoubtedly extend until it embraces all coun terrible uninterrupted carnage would sacrifice civiliza rearls and sparkling gems ripened in the work shops tries. May it be given to many of us, even as you.
tion and humanity to their demoniac desire for power of human genius.
in declicate our strength to the spiritual uplifting of and conquest. Out of indignation at some deplorable What was and is nothing but a lie and a delusion the masses. the peoples liberated by their own efforts.
Socialism and the New International By Leon Trotzky The crisis in the International is not an external, bein recognizerl ill their full political significance.
relatims. But this labor of agitation and organiza Within each country the task is not so much to supThe Socialist parties of Europe were formed at a tion lias its internal difficulties. The European Social inrt an organization that has outlived itself, as to time of comparative capitalist equilibrium and of a ist parties particularly the most powerful of them liring together the genuinely aggressive revolutionary reformist adaptation of the proletariat to national the German have already attained a certain conser elements of the proletariat, who are already, in the parliamentarism and the national market. Even in vatism, which is all the stronger where the most nu struggle against Imperialisin. gravitat. itu the the Social Democratic Party, wrote Engles in 1877, merous masses have embraced Socialism, and where front ranks. On the international fiele. task is petit bourgeois Socialism had its defenders. Even the organization and discipline of these masses is the nat to coalesce and conciliate gricreat Sncialmembers of Social Democratic Party who recog most advanced. In view of this, the Social Democ, ists at diploniatic conferences (as at Stockholm. nize the fundamental concepts of scientific Socialism but to secuire a union of the revolutionary internationand the practical nature of the demand that all means experience of the proletariat. may, at a given moment alists of all countries and the pursuit of a common of production should pass over into social ownership, prove to be immediate obstacle on the path of an course of action in the Social Revolution within each (leclare that Sibility of the realization of this demand is a pos.
open struggle between the workers and bourgeois country.
of the remote future, the precise time of reaction.
In other words, the propagandist Sociali To be sure, the revolutionary internationalists at which is practically impossible to determine. Thanks conservatism of the proletarian party may, at a given the head of the working class at present constitute, to the long drawn out character of the peaceful period, this petit bourgeois Socialism actually became dominant in the old organization of the proletariat.
for power (Nasha revolusia. 1906, 285. But it throughout Europe, an insignificant minoritiy. Bat the revolutionary Marxists were far from being fetwe Russians ought to be the last to take fright at such Tts limitations and its insolvency assumed the most of ishists with regard to the parties of the Second Inter. state of affairs. We know how quickly. in revolufensive forms, as soon as the peaceful accumulation national, no one could foresee that the destruction of tionary moments, the minority may become a major of contradictions gave way to a tremendous imperial those giant organizations would be so cruel and so itu. As soon as the accumulating resentment of the istic cataclysm. Not only the old national govern catastrophic.
working class finally breaks through the crust of govments, but also the bureaucratized Socialist parties New times demand new organizations. In the bapernment discipline, the group of Liebknecht, Luxemthat had grown up with them, showed that they were tism of fire. revolutionary parties are now being burg, Mehring, and their adherents will immediately no egual to the demands of further progress. And all verowliere created. The numerous ideologico poli2. ssume a leading position at the head of the German this might have been more or less foreseen.
tical offspring of the Second International have not, working class. Only a social revolutionary policy can The task of the Socialist Party. we wrote twelve it anpears, been in vain. But they are passing through justify a division in the organization, but at the vears ago, consisted and still consists, in revolution an internal purification: whole generations of realissame time, it makes such a division inevitable. From izing the consciousness of the working class, as the tic philistines are heiny cast aside, and the revolu a pamphlet, What Next. published in Petrograd. levelopment of Capitalism has revolutionized social tionary tendencies of Marxisin are for the first time August, 1917. The Revolutionary Movement in Ireland According to the Irish bourgeois press the end of If, however, it is proposed to institute a sustained powerful weapon of the General Strike return like the the Belfast strike has not ended industrial unrest in boomerank on those who handled it.
eneral strike, until its declared objects were attained, Ireland. In all the industrial centers strikes continue obvious limitations must be imposed on the extent of The following report deals wtih the activity of the the stoppage of work. The community must be fed, and and even in the agricultural districts strikes are wide therefore the food suppliers must keep open shop. ReSocialist Party of Ireland and is a further instance of the solidarity of class conscious workers everyspread, the laborers, the agricultural proletariat, bo sorre stocks of food are generally 1hc fiation for more than a week ahamcient to feed Therefore, where in demanding that their governments withthe mills, abbatoirs, and markets, and the lines of transfast has apparently captured the minds of the workers draw from Russia. pertinust not be interfered with. Numerous other exand the general strike looms ahead. The following ceptions will occur at once to our readers, who knowDespite the police ander prohibiting a Bolshevik demexcerpt from an editorial in the oice of Labor, the in more than a little of strikes, are not so prone as istration, the workers Dub seized the opporkademic persons to talk lightly about them.
tunity to tail the revolution in Central Europe and organ of the Irish Transport and General Workers celebrate the establishment of the Soviet Republic in nion, shows that the question is receiving much atThese suggestions of some of the difficulties of the General Strike are not intended to discourage the adRussia. The reason was the mass meeting in the Duh tention. lin Trades Hall on Sunday, December 1, when the vocates of the proposal, and when we suggest further organised a rclxl gaihering to rejoice at the We welcome the current discussion on the employe that in the event of a national stoppage the existing wfall of Prnssianism. The speakers and the audimert of the general strike of labour as a political weapel alily lic dislocated, we do so, in the hope that steps ence inade it cluar leyond cavit that the Prussianism on the organised cessation of labour may lie as potit they meant was militarism, imperialison, and capitalas its organised application. Like every other weapon.
he taken to set ip in each locality an efficient repreism, and that if it has been banished from Russia and however, the general strike calls for skill in those wh. entative lody capable of undertaking the local manGermany, it is still ramuant and still ruling in Ireland would wield it, and skill in this instance demands a acement of communal affairs.
and in Great Britain. The spirit and tone of the meetwise foresight. The general strike has several intins.
Where radus Councils exist they should maintain 114 were most sulmersive the speeches were direcOur disposition in favour of it arises from the site close touch with the more mobile military organisations. ted against the real and political disorier which is which attended the emplonient of one, only of these Und with their aid take stock of local resources. In still maintained in this country. Eininently practical formis. when on April 23rd, there was a general rest the cont of a veneral strike cach parish will have to and pointed advice was given by the speakers, who infor one day only. Next way work was resuined as usua! leer. for a few days or a few weeks. Fuel suplude Ton Foran. trien. Mrs. Sheev SkerThe one day wtrike was simply the interpolation of an iirill stop along with other necessities and com rington. Trim Jolas. Si nold Hughes.
extra Sunday in the calendar. For it the wine male Withit: preliminary survey of the kind we Hector Hughes, and Tom Fennedy. The war try of due provision and the unwise suffered to incremenitev HC st. the est laid plans will go wrong, and the the meeting was: 111er 1r the Sovies moment