Bolshevism: The Enemy of Political and Industrial DemocracySpargo, John
History
Bolshevism: The Enemy of Political and Industrial Democracy
Spargo, John
Communism -- Soviet Union; Soviet Union -- History -- Revolution, 1917-1921
What will German victory bring to western Europe? After all we
have already said, it is needless to expatiate on how many of the
unmerited economic calamities it will bring to the people of the
western countries allied to Russia. We wish to draw your attention
to the following: England, France, even Belgium and Italy, are, in
a political sense, far ahead of the German Empire, which has not
as yet grown up to a parliamentary regime. German victory over
these countries would be the victory of the old over the new, and
if the democratic ideal is dear to you, you must wish success to
our Western Allies.
Indifference to the result of this war would be, for us, equal to
political suicide. The most important, the most vital interests of
the proletariat and of the laboring peasantry demand of you an
active participation in the defense of the country. Your watchword
must be victory over the foreign enemy. In an active movement
toward such victory, the live forces of the people will become
free and strong.
Obedient to this watchword, you must be as wise as serpents.
Although in your hearts may burn the flame of noble indignation,
in your heads must reign, invariably, cold political reckoning.
You must know that zeal without reason is sometimes worse than
complete indifference. Every act of agitation in the rear of the
army, fighting against the enemy, would be equivalent to high
treason, as it would be a service to the foreign enemy.
The thunders of the war certainly cannot make the Russian
manufacturers and merchants more idealistic than they were in time
of peace. In the filling of the numerous orders, inevitable during
the mobilization of industry for war needs, the capitalists will,
as they are accustomed to, take great care of the interests of
capital, and will not take care of the interests of hired labor.
You will be entirely right if you wax indignant at their conduct.
But in all cases, whenever you desire to answer by a strike, you
must first think whether such action would not be detrimental to
the cause of the defense of Russia.
The private must be subject to the general. The workmen of every
factory must remember that they would commit, without any doubt,
the gravest mistake if, considering only their own interests, they
forget how severely the interests of the entire Russian
proletariat and peasantry would suffer from German victory.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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