New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1917-12-19
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Who And What Is Lemime?

Who And What Is Lemime?
Who is Nicolai Lenine? What is his
character, his capacity? What are his
aims, his beliefs? These questions are
answered editorially by the Pioneer
Press as follows:
In the first place, he is not Nicolai
Lenine. - His real name is Nicolai nvitch
Ulvanov. He is not workman or a
peasant. He belongs by birth to the
Russian land-owning nobility.
Lenine is: not man Of crude mentality
or of sudden Towering from the oppressed
masses. Of Russia. He is an intricate
thinker, the author of several books and
the leader of the Bolshevili party since
its birth in 1908. Whatever there may
be to the charge that he is in collision
with the Germans, his psychology is of
sufficient popularity to account for his
recent actions without the element of
treason. The fact that he has strong
intellectual convictions argues against
the probability of his being conscious
betrayer of his country.
As described by Moissaye J. Oglin,
author of an authoritative article in the
December issue of "Asia", the chief
and originator of the Bolshevists elves
in an imaginary world in which he mis-
takes the creations of his mind for
realities He is theorist and acade-
mician Of whom there is no parallel in this,
if in any other, country His exact
political tenets, then, become difficult
of explanation.
Paradoxical as it appears, Lenine,
while espOusing the extreme rule of the
people, harbors for the masses peculiar
distrust, He does not believe they can
find their own way in the maze of the
modern social life. He maintains that
the workingmen need guide, an in
atellectual star, to light their road to a
Socialist order.
'The workngmen," he writes, "can
have no Social-Democratic consciousness
of their own. This consciousness can be
brought to them only from WITHOUT.
The history of all countries proves that,
by itself, thru it's own powers, the work.
ing class can develop only trade-union
consciousness, an understanding of the
necessity of organization, of economic
struggle against employers, of factory
laws, etc. AS to the doctrine of social
ism, it has grown out of the philos0phic,
historic and economic theories worked
out by the educated representatives Of
the propertied class, the intellectuals."
Nevertheless, for the political power
of the bourgeoise, or middle class, Lenine
has mo time. Any compromise with
that class, he holds, means proletarian
defeat. go.
But the. raost interesting and para
doxical Of 1nnine's traits is his adherence
to czarisic and undemocratic methods
in politics. In the Social Democratic
convention Of 1908 the party split into:
two factions due to the fact that Lenine
demanded a thoroughly centralized party
where all activities are directed from
central body practically not responsible
to the organization. Such was his in
fuence that, when the split came, he
managed to carry with him the majority
ef his party. Thus the name Dol
shevild," meaning members of the
majority" was created. The 'enaer-
hers of the minority" were styled "Men-
shivik:." The parties are known also
as fMaximslists" end t'Minimalists."
Leaine's inclination toward dictator
ship, as typifed in the foregoing, throws
Aght upon some Of the peculiar acts and
policies Of his government in recent
weeks. It may, to some extent, explain
bis receptiyeness toward the German
government which is almost such an
autocratR socialism, inspired from above,
as would seem to satisfy Lenine's Pc
culiar apd eclusive ideal of government.
When Il comes to food conservation
there is no doubt but. that there are
hundreds. of NUTS in every community
That would he better off IF thew wero