BolshevismBourgeoisieCapitalismCivil WarCommunismCommunist ManifestoDemocracyLeninSocialismSovietStrikeTrotskyWorking Class

July 12, 1919 THE REVOLUTIONARY AGE a had denounced as a senseless imperialistic Several months ago the seventy Constituent as no other international Social Revolution slaughter. At the bidding of the Allies and Assembly members who held together, with comes to our assistance with its armies. But the Russian imperialists, they countenanced the President, Victor Tchernov, joined the So these armies exist, they are stronger than the July offensive, which was contrary to the viet Government. No opposition to Bolshevism ours. They grow, they strive, they become very principles of the Revolution, and resulted based on the Constituent Assembly is valid more invincible the longer Imperialism with in the demoralizaton of the Russian army. De any more.
its brutalities continues. Working men the pending on the capitalists, they were reduced Bolshevism is sweeping Europe. In every world over are breaking with their betrayers, to begging the Russian and Allied imperialists country in the world it has captured the im with their Gomeperses and their Scheidemanns.
to renounce their imperialistic aims and were agination of conscious workers. It smashed Inevitably, labor is approaching Communistic contemptuously ignored.
Imperial Germany; said the German General Bolshevik tactics is preparing for the proleOn the other hand, the moderate Socal. Hoffman, in a recent interview, We did not tarian revolution that alone is capable of ists in the Government could not accomplish use Bolsheivsm. Bolshevism used us! preserving culture and humanity from destanything toward the settlement of the probruction.
lems of Land and Industry. In fact, their We are invincible. The proletarian Revdependence on the capitalists forced them to Any discussion of the Brest Litovsk Peace olution is invincibl.
act against the masses: Socialist Minister is now purely academic. It accomplished its Proletarian Dictatorship and Democrwy.
Kerensky reintroduced capital punishment in purpose in giving Soviet Russia a respite in The Social Revolution has arrived. The first the army; Socialist Minister Avksentiev which to prepare for the Revolutionary war battle of the working class for control of the sent Cossacks to suppress agrarian revolts a war of propaganda which finally resulted world is now being fought in Russia. Lenin against the land lords; Socialist Ministe Ni in the defeat of Imperial Germany, ani has said, before the Fourth Congress of Soviets, kitin broke the railway strike; Socialist Min won back for Russia all the surrendered March, 1918: ister Skobeliev tried to dissolve the Workers territories which have not been invaded or The civil war brought about by the desCommittees.
held by Governments subsidized by the Allies. perate resistance of the propertied classes, Thwarting the will of the popular masses, There was nothing else for the Bolsheviki who are well aware that this is to be the last, the moderate Socialists gave the capitalists to do but make peace. When the Soviets came the determining conflict for the retention of an opportunity to organize and attempt the to power, thanks to the criminal policy of the private ownership of land and of the means of overthrow of the Revolution by force, the Provisional Governments, there was no Rus production, has not yet reached its climax. In Kornilov counter revolution.
sian Army.
this conflict the victory of the Soviets is cerThis destroyed the last faith of the masses This was recognized by all parties; by Ker tain, but for some time our intensest efforts in the moderate Socialists. Behind Kornilov. ensky Minister of War, General Ver will still be required. period of disorganwas plainly visible the mailed fist of the pro. Kovsky, when, on November he an ization is inevitable that is the case in all pertied classes; and yet, in the face of the bit nounced that the Russian army could fight wars, all the more so in a civil war before ter resentment of the whole country, the mo ro longer; by Dan, representing te moderate the resistance of the bourgeoisie is broken.
derate Socialists insisted on forn. ing a new Socialists at the last meeting of the old Until this resistance is broken until the Government with the same propertied classes. Central Executive Committee of the Soviets capitalist class is eliminated through the conWhen the Bolsheviki seized the power in on November 6, when he said, Unfortunately, fiscation of its property and the abolition of November, the army was starving and demo Russia can no longer support the continuation private ownership, democracy is impossible.
ralized; there was no food in the cities; trans of the war. There is going to be peace, but The Dictatorship of the Proletariat is the only portation had practically ceased; strikes, lock not permanent peace not democratic means by which this can be accomplished. And outs, and agrarian troubles were everywhere; peace; and finally by the lamented Consti as soon as the capitalist class has disappeared, the capitalists, in the Council of the Russian tuent Assembly itself.
the Dictatorship automatically ceases.
Republic, were stronger than before; and the The first acts of the Bolshevik Government In all countries state of war exists bet moderate Socialists were telling the people were te propose to all nations, three distinct ween the working class and the capitalists. In We can do anything but wait for the Con times, to enter negotiations for a general demo most countries the Dictatorship of the Capitalstituent Assembly. cratic peace. This invitation was contemptu ists keeps the workers down by force, but canThe Bolsheviki said to the people: ously ignored, leaving the only resource of the not abolish them, for the workers are indis The Mensheviki and Socialist Revolution Soviet Government to make a separate peace pensable. In Russia, the Dictatorship of the aries promised you Peace, Land and Indust with Germany.
Proletariat is abolishing Capitalism for the rial Control eight months ago. Now they tell Trotzky wanted to drag out the negotiations capitalists are not necessary to society.
you to wait for the Constituent Assembly. as long as possible, so that, first, the Allied Political Democracy is a fake. Like the Provisional Government, the Con peoples might see the sincerity of the Soviet Modern nations have two governments; the stituent Assembly is an expresson of existing Government and force their Governments to political government, in which every man theclass relations. If the capitalists control Rus join the Conference; and second, that the Ger oretically has a vote and the economic govsia, the Constituent Assembly will do their man proletariat might be roused to revolution.
ernment, in which the few who own industry will or be dispressed. If the working class Lenin theory was: The Allies are domin and control production are autocrats over controls Russia, the Constituent Assembly ated by Imperialsts. The German proletariat millions of workers. The policies of demo must do our will.
is not yet ready to rise. We must sign a peace cratic governments are dictated by the in The whole Governmental structure is in the end. If we do not accept the first peace terests. Woodrow Wilson, in his New Freebuilt to serve and protect Capitalism; it can do terms offered, then we shall have to accept dom, indicates this when he points out that nothing else.
worse ones later. And no matter how many the United States Government is in the hands You must seize the power, destroy the en people believe in our sincerity, the moment we of the great corporations.
tire political edifice, and build a new one, con sign the inevitable peace treaty we shall be Political democracy simply means that trolled by yourselves alone, and fitted to serve called German agents by the bourgeoisie of everybody may vote for a Government which the working class only. Fortunately you have the world.
must serve the interests.
one ready to hand the Soviets. All power Trotzky plan was adopted and Lenin Political power, properly so called, says to the Soviets prophesy came true.
the Communist Manifesto, Is merely the orOn November 7th, 1917, the Soviets which Says Lenin: We were forced to sign a Til ganized power of one class oppressing anin the meanwhile had developed a Bolshevik sit peace. The Peace of Tilsit (Napoleon, other. The institutions of modern demomajority took over the Government. And 1807) was Germany greatest humiliation, and cratic governments are designated to protect the Provisional Government, supported by the at the same time the turning point toward the and enforce the exploitation of the workers by moderate Socialists, was unable in all Russia greatest of national revivals.
the capitalists. Therefore, even if the working to rally to its aid more than a handful of Cos Because the Anglo French and Ameri class should capture the political power by a sacks, junkers, and White Guards!
can bourgeoisie hoped to re establish the East majority of votes, that power could only go on The Constituent Assembly, elected from lists ern front by once more drawing us into the exploiting the workers unless industry were of candidates made up four months before, whirlpool of war, they refused to attend the taken out of the hands of the capitalist class.
accurately reflected the coalition of capital peace negotiations, and gave Germany a free The capitalists would resist this by force as ists and moderate Socialists which was in hand to cram its shameful terms down the they have in the past as they are doing in power at that time. It refused to ratify either throat of the Russian people. It lay in the Russia and Germany today.
the People Government of Soviets, or the power of the Allied countries to make the But it is impossible for the workers to get popular demands. So the people dissolved it Brest Litovsk negotiations the forerunner of control of the state through the machinery of and the dissolution provoked not a ripple of a general peace. It ill becomes them to throw political democracy. They must forcibly seize protest among the Russian masses; only the the blame for the Russo German peace on our industry, abolish the present form of governSocialist intellectuals and the New York shoulders.
ment, and set up a new one in the interests Times objected. We are in a beleaguered fortress as long (Continued on page 10)