# A Brief Review of the Labour Movement in Japan/Part 1/Chapter 2

CHAPTER II.
Socialist movement (1901–1910).
The history of Socialism in its wider sense can be traced far back into the radical movement of bourgeois Liberalism of 1877–1900. It was, however, not until 1901 that scientific Socialism took a form and programme as „The Social Democratic Party“. But the Party was an unfortunate child. It had no sooner come nut than the government suppressed it. Then in 1908, „The Plebs League“ was formed by a dozen intellectuals for the purpose of study and Socialist propaganda. This was the father of Modern Socialism in Japan. It was the League ​which sowed the seeds of revolutionary Marxism in the soil of Japan. It was also the followers or remnants of the League who have been to-day the leaders of Communist movement in our country The period of 7 years from 1903 to 1910 was in fact the history of the League.
At the begining of Russo-Japanese War (1904), the League sent comrade Katayama as a delegate to the Congress of the „Second International“ held then at Amsterdam and, on the other hand, made the most energetic agitation against the War, in which many members were sent to prison and their paper suppressed.
In 1905 the League itself was forced to dissolve.
The years following the Russo-Japanese War are marked by a series of important social events,—on the economic side, the great expansion of commercial markets, the astonishing growth of industrial (particularly Iron and Steel) Capitalism, the enormous advance of prices; on the political side, the „national“ upheaval against the „compromised“ peace terms with Russia, to which the government answered with Martial Law, and the first appearance of the „genuine” bourgeois cabinet;abroad, the first Russian (proletarian) Revolution, and, at home, desperate struggles of Socialists, and incessant persecutions upon them.
It is of importance to notice the fact that there already appeared three main currents of thought in the Socialist movement: that is, Marxism ed by Sakai, which always predominated over the rest; Anarchism (Kropotkin) led by Kotoku, one of the greatest thinkers Japan has ever produced; thirdly, Christian Socialism. In the practical movement, however, those sections always united against their common enemy which had prepared to sweep away by every forcible means all obstacles from the paths of bourgeois exploitation.
In 1907 they published the first Socialist Daily, called „The Pleb's Paper“, although soon prohibited.
In the next year, „Red Flag Demonstration“ took place, in which more than 50 active Socialists were arrested.
At last in 1909 occurred one of the most tragical events in the Socialist history of the world. Twenty four comrades were arrested under a false charge of „Anarchist Conspiracy“; and half of them (including Kotoku and Oishi) were hanged and another imprisoned for life.
The earlier history of our Socialist movement ended in such a tragical catastrophe. Surviving Socialists (mainly Marxists) have been kept under the extremest watch of police, chased by the hatred, calumny ​and threats of the possessing classes. A few of them fled to foreign countries, and a few went over to enemy.
This is but the path through which all social martyrs had to and shall pass bofore their final goal could be attained. One thing, however, is regretful to the utmost,—they died, before they were able to attract the working masses to their Red banner, and before the masses would experience such a proletarian revolutionary rehearsal as the Russian workers experienced in 1905, the French in 1871, the British in Chartist movement. But nobody can blame our earlier Socialists by this reason when taking into consideration the economic and political conditions of the time, which were far from being ripe for social revolution.
At any rate, from 1910 to 1918, the whole Socialist movement went underground. Not a single protest against the capitalist robbery was heard. And the whole of the oppressed classes seemed to be thrown into the whirlpool of bourgeois Social-bettermentism or Class-harmonism.