Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1918-03-08

the interests of the middle classes who would nat
urally be opposed to radical measures directed
against property and commerce. The extremists,
the other hand advocated quick, direct action,
the establishment of communism by confscating
all land and industry at once. A vote was taken,
and the extremists won by single vote. Hence
they took the name of Bolsheviki, which means
the majority party while the moderate minority
became the Mensheviki.
The present dominance of the Bolsheviki over
their various rival radical parties, according to
the member of the party is due principally
to the fact that they took steps to meet the Popu
lar demand in a policy. The slogan of tie
Russian bread and peace The sincerity
and ideals of the Kerensky government failed to
hold popular support, apparently. not because
Kerensky failed to make peace, but because he
judged it inadvisable to take any immediate steps
leading toward peace. The people wanted action.
When the Bolshevik leaders called the peace
conference at Brest-Ltovsk, the world concluded
that they would make peace at any price
Subsequent developments indicate that this is not
the In fact they have taken rather I'M
compromising stand. If they familiar with
conditions in Germany where many of them had
lived, they must have realized that their terms
stood scant chance of acceptance Why, then,
did they offer them?
Their course, according to members of the
party, was dictated by two considerations First,
the remote possibility that popular pressure at
home would compel the German autocracy to
Weld. and second the absolute necessity for put
ting the war on a new basis if it to be con-
tinued at all. The Russian troops hated every
thing that savored of the old regime in Russia.
The war they were fighting had begun under the
car and been msmanaged by the old bureaucracy
They were tired of it.
The effect of the peace conference may be to
begin another which will have the support or
the Russian people. If the German militarists do
not agree to peace based on the principle OF the
characterization of all natiOnalitles, large or
small the Bolsheviki say they will declare new,
revolutionary German autocracy. Ensign
Krylenkos call for volunteers is regarded as the
first move in preparation for such a war 1t is
said that thousands of Russians now in the United
States will return to Russia to fight in the revolu-
tionary armies, and the Bclshevki look for new
popular fervor Russia is convinced that Ger
man imperial ambition is all that stands IN the
way of peace.
Just how effective such revolutionary war
would be from the standpoint of the military sit
uation as a whole is conditioned by certain other
views of the Bolshevik Along with the rest of
the allies. they take the view that they are not
fighting the German people, but they carry this
idea so far that it is probable that they VIII not
undertake aggressive military operations against
the German armies. They more likely to con-
duct vigorous campaigns of revolutionary propa-
ganda among such portions of the German people
and armies as they reach. AT least, however,
a revolutionary would result in the continued
closing of the Russian frontiers, and shut Ger
MANY out from the Russian food supplies and her
economic resources