BolshevismBourgeoisieCapitalismCommunismCommunist ManifestoDemocracyMarxRussian RevolutionSocialismSovietWorking Class

10 THE REVOLUTIONARY AGE July 12, 1919 The Treaty of Versailles THE Versailles peace treaty signifies not By Chicherin class antagonisms. Germany is brought to peace but a further continuation of war.
Russian Soviet Commissar for Foreign Affairs such finanial exaustion that the German people It creates a condition that can produce nothing even if they worked day and night, could not else than a continuation of the war. Besides, in the Entente nations; but conditions have recover from this condition. As to the other this is the purpose of the framers of the treaty; lieve the stories told them for such a long entirely unable to pull itself out of the condichanged. The mob has already ceased to be aspects of economic life, Germany is made order to be in a better position to combat the time, and all that demagogy on the League of tion into which it is put. All this leads only working class movement. The present de facto Nations is already somewhat stale. am con to the result that the antagonism of interests oligarchy keeps itself in power by inciting the vinced that it will not delay for one moment in the international field will take a most workers of different countries against one the rapidly spreading revolutionary movement lingering, sharp, and serious character.
another. It is obvious that the capitalist goin the Entente countries.
Lorraine and the Sarre Basin constitute a vernments formulated such a peace as signiBesides the very fact of a continuing prize of war, and through this acquisition the fies a continuation of war. It is a war in so existence of a military coalition shows that the French hope to gain a large stake for their far as it drives certain workers into conflict conditions created at Versailles are but a new own pocket. The working class has nothing to with others; it is a peace in so far as, by the form of prolongation of the war; it shows gain on this, but it is a fact, on the contrary, continuation of bloodshed, it does not kindle that the old world is not in a position to solve that French capital is afraid of the revolutionrevolutions. Thus, in the last analysis, calcu either the contradictions formed by it, or the ary traditions of the French workers, and lates the oligarchy. Whether their calculations problems which it establishes for itself, and therefore frequently shows the inclination of are correct that is another question.
hat the moment has arrived for the new so fastening itself on a foreign labor market.
One instrument of the unbroken warfare ciety to take the legacy which it alone is in In the department of Meurthe and Moselle, seems to be the League of Nations, which, a position to manage.
French capital has to deal not with the French under the Treaty of Versailles, implies a conAs to general disarmament, it is only a new working class, but with a motley mass of worktinuation of the coalition, not a peace orga manoeuvre to continue the rule of the oligar ers of all sorts of nationalities. The French nization for whose foundation Imperialism is chy. Universal military obligation prepared capitalists thus strengthen their class condiclearly not fitted. But even this coalition can the masses for revolution. The workers used tion and still less than before reckon with the not exist for long; on the first contact with the arms put into their hands to threaten their Parisian workers and their revolutionary inreality it will, of itself, fall to pieces.
masters. Therefore the oligarchy is obliged to clinations.
The only purpose of the League of Nations turn to the system of voluntary service and, In general, what is done at Versailles is not is to serve as a demagogic cover under which instead of the national militia, there are orga in a position to bring a condition of quiet; it is hidden the continued coalition of the En nized bands of White Guards.
only drives the workers into the street. This tente powers against their German rivals. The This program of disarmament is also a new still born treaty of the Allied powers turns League of Nations used to be a demagogic clemonstration that the Treaty of Versailles is over a new leaf in history for mankind: a revmeans to work up the patriotism of the masses hurrying to reconcile not only national but olutionary period of storm and attack.
Aspects of the Russian Revolution. Continued from page 9)
the working class, the acts and decisions of Foiled in their game of tearing Marxian of their own class. This Government the the Proletarian Dictatotship will not be based phrases from their context, the moderates, Dictatorship of the Proletariat will take on democracy, but on the class position of the whenever they come across something in Marx away capitalist property and disfranchise all proletariat against the capitalist class position. that doesn agree with their theories, explain who do not work. When the capitalist class In Russia the Proletarian Dictatorship could that the old gentleman wrote it in a moment is eliminated, the war between the workers not last an hour unless it kept continually in of aberration. Dictatorship of the Proletaand the capitalists will be over, classes will touch with the revolutionary masses through riat, for example, was written casually have disappeared, and democracy will follow, the Soviets, leading yet controlled by the merely a phrase; Marx really didn mean it.
based upon equality and the liberty of the in great popular will.
Apparently the moderates don know where dividual.
Moderate Socialists and the bourgeoisie, the phrase occurs, so they hint that it is part Real democracy must act in accordance with accuse the Bolsheviki of advocating immedi of the Communist Manifesto, written in 1847.
the interests of society as a whole. Our own ate, complete and perfect Socialism. What They may quote some sentences torn from form of Government is a striking example of an absurdity! The Dictatorship of the Prole their context, by the way from The Civil a Government designed to uphold the interests tariat must last until Capitalism is abolished. War in France, written in 1870, to prove that of a minority the capitalist class. Apparently Capitalism is international; world Capitalism Marx changed his mind.
democratic in form, the Constitution of the must disappear before the Proletarian Dictat As a matter of fact, Dictatorship of the Proletariat occurs in a document five years United States was deliberately framed, by orship of any one country is ended.
landlords, traders and speculators, to establish Karl Marx said, The victorious proletariat later Critique of the Gotha Program of 1875.
and maintain their property rights and to cannot seize the ready made machinery of the Marx was then tolerably mature; he was not thwart the will of the majority of the people. State and use it for its own purposes. It searching for strong idioms; he wanted to Revolutions are never precipitated by the must build new organizations, based not on the express himself clearly and definitely and he majority of a people even the American Re government of men, but on the administration did, as follows: volution was not begun by a majority but of things. Between the capitalistic society and the they must possess the power to overthrow the In Russia it is undeniable that the great communistic lies the period of the revolutionruling class. In the past, successful revolu masses of the people wanted Peace, Land, and ary transformation of the one into the other.
Workers Control of Industry. In the sense This corresponds to a tions have always replaced the rule of one political transitionminority class by another minority class. The that it has no other purpose than to give the period, in which the State cannot be anything characteristic of the Social Revolution now in people their desires, the Proletarian Dictator else but the dictatorship of the proletariat.
This exactly defines the Russian Soviet Govprocess is that it does away with every form ship is profoundly democratic. In the sense ernment.
of class rule.
that it refuses to ask the opinion of militarists, As Marx says: But even the Social Revolution will notlandlords and manufacturers upon these mat They (the proletarians) have nothing of cannot be started by a majority. It is begin ters, the Proletarian Dictatorship rejects democracy.
their own to secure and to fortify; their misby a mass of class conscious and resolute prosion is to destroy all previous securities for and letarians, and the course of the Revolution itinsurances of individual property.
self awakens ever greater and greater masses The Dictatorship of the Proletariat is poli In one word you (bourgeois) reproach us of workers to an understanding of their in tical power. Its purpose is simply to abolish with intending to do away with your property.
terests, and draws them into the vortex of the capitalist class. The political power of Precisely so; that is just what we intend.
revolt.
the capitalists cannot abolish the workers for The abolition of bourgeois individuality, There is no reason why the revolutionary the workers are essential to society; but the bourgeois independence and bourgeois free forces should represent an absolute majority. Dictatorship of the Proletariat can abolish the dom is undoubtedly aimed at.
Even when they embrace the vast majority of capitalists, for they are unnecessary.
And also bourgeois democracy.