The toiler. [volume] (Cleveland, Ohio) 1919-1922, 1921-03-05
Dictatorship of the Proletariat in Rus
sia and the World Revolution -


the Sove is of marist type To the pedant these things
may appear moous Crimes but they must be sacred laws of
action for every revouonist who has to work under the
dtions imposed by circumstances upon Party
AT this very moment the Russian prOletaria is the object
Chuch words concentrc attack the part of
fourteen states But reckon an the states which are at
war with directly indirectly the number of these brgand
organisations is considerably larger supeadd the nation
a and declared counter arrive at forceof
considerable magnitude In these circumstances the Soviet Re-
public peoTce enrenched camp and the dictatorship of
the poetara must necessarily take the form of proletaan
and marist dictatorship 1t would be impossible for to
countenance dsntegrang clements within the sphere OF
our rule; compelled to maintain military discipline
throughout the country and in all departments of the admnsra
ton This explains everything Those among the neecuas who
swayed by foolish senmenty those in whom the
tiles of the great struggle sudde those who filled
with fear mingled with disgust remng in their attacks
against the poetaran egme-for the simple that they
utterly unable to understand the conditions of the struggle
and the active will which the historical conditions demand
The best Illustration of the need for such regime is furnish
ed by the organisation of Party Everyone of its
bers considers himself mobshed for active service At The first
of Central Committee the member of our Party
wherever he be- must the post assigned to him He
must leave his family and make his way to the 'front.' rifle or
shoulder he must do observation work from aeropae over
the enemy lines he must visit of the enemy countries:
or must give nights and days to whatever he is ordered to
undertake In these respects, there difference between
military and civil life.
the members of Party work overtime work holidays
forming special Communist detaments they load wood unload
trucks abour in factories and workshops setting example of
fraea discipline Nothing of the kind has ever been
known before and nothing of the kind possible yet outside
Russia Here is absolutely necessary And for every violation
Of this Party discipline re strict and extremely dis
agreeable penalties.
From these considerations may draw number of
cusons 1t obvious that cannot give free hand to
Opposition which, in the situation that Obtains could
within twenfour hours transform itself into counter-revo
ton Such opposition must be ruthlessly crushed.
here 99l only result In the internal dsor9an
saton OF the whole apparatus Free controversy in conditions
such prevail in Russia would not lead to the truth but
to the victory of the counterrevolution.
In like manner at the 'front.' where predetermined plan has
be carried out and where rapid action essential cannot
tolerate discussion of the Parliamentary type Mutatis muta-
dis the reasoning applies many other branches of our
activity applies because the Soviet Republic is enenched
camp
But will dictatorship of this sort be permanently requisite?
Certainly not The acuteness Of its form depends upon the
situation of the Soviet Republic in relation to tile outer world
the terrorist policy of the Montagnards Justified
the position of the French Republic at home and abroad Ia
FACT which Kautsky he historian would do we'll to call to
nnd the Russian Soviet power had failed to set up
regime noerabe weaknerved individuals would have been
opportst lamb and would long this have been
pieces by the Imperiaist wolf.
Before the War; the comparison CT the fighting poetara
army aroused criticism We used to speak of the pro
earian army of the soldiers of the revolution and
Yet that the movement has when in stern reality and
longer merely paper have to be the soldiers of the
oution of these sometime soldiers prove to be deserters
md stkebreakers while not few (nay the majority far
the SocialDemoats concerne) actually find their way
nto the camp of our foes.
1t is perfectly clear that the pressure from with
ut relieved may and should result from the international
revolution the forms of the dictatorship will be "mgated
ultimately when enemies have been rendered powerelss
for ALL when they have mingled with the ranks of the work.
these enemies will become citizens They will acquire equal
lights with the workers of prOetarm stus That status itself
Will then to exist being nsensy replaced by Com
nuns society which knows nothing Of status class