Evening star., 1921-08-28
DIGEST OF FOREIGN PRESS
The Birth Of q Revolution.

Arc revolutions the work of fire
bugs. or are they due to spontaneous
combustion? A writer in the Paris
communist organ LHumanite (Which,
incidentally. is among the first half
dozen dailies of Paris in point Of cir
culation) argues that they are not
plotted and planned, but that they
burst out anonymously" and are
frequently as surprising to "revolu-
tionaries" as to anybody else. HIS
reasoning follows:
himself q realist said to me smilingly
the other day: The revolution busi-
ness is not going very well. The
crumbling to pieces Of the labor
forces is progressing. Moscow is fer
menting division among the revo-
lutionary syndicalists. There is not
much doing at present
And I answered: Revolutions are
not the work OF leaders. Revolutions
are not made like Instructions. by
a bold enterprise prepared before
band. Revolutions break out quite
they upset all calculations. The
leaders only appear and exercise au-
thorfty over them when once they
have broken out. For example, the
French revolution and the Russian
revolution.
'In 1888 there were no parties and
no press In France. There were no
signs OF plots or ORGANIZATIONS. 1t
Is quite In vain that some reaction
ary historians have tried to prove
the contrary. 1t is enough to read
the correspondence OF royal agents,
subdelegated persons and governors
TO FORM an idea of the tremendous
suodenness of an irristible movement
which struck them with stupor and
made them powerless. The leaders
VINO headed the bands OF peasants to
assault castles. crowds of artisans
assaulting the town halls or the
municipal toll Offices. are all obscure
known. e"
The Russian revolution was much
leaders who directed It later on were
az that time in prison in foreign
countries. Lenin was awaiting
events in Switzerland. II was not
me cadets Of the douma who gave
me sne signal for fnsurrection. They
Vaded douma could only register ac-
complished facts. The leaders Of the
first soviets, where workmen and
soldiers fraternized. are just as un-
Known as the peasants who rose in
rebellion In Provence. Bretagne. Al
SAGE, Dauphiny ana ten other prov
inces from January to July, 1883.
This fs a natural consequence OF
things" says the writer. 'The lead
ers, precisely because they are lead
ers: feel their responsibility. Before
acting, they reflect. They want to
leave nothing to chance. The ..-.r
failure. The unknown future weighs
neavny on their holiness In April,
lIs2, only four months before August
~. when the throne was upset, Marat,
cess.
What characterizes q revolution
ana distinguishes II from an insur-
rection 10 the impetus Of anarchy.
when carrtes II along. An insur-
rectton consists Of the men Of q party.
revolution etirs UP the unorganixed
masses. The day for an insurrection
Is nxed In advance. 1t is Impossible
70 foresee the date OF q revolutionary
| explosion.
This does not mean. Of course, that
| Il Is impossible to recognize by cer-
tain symptoms that the time is ap-
proachtng. When the leisured classes
begin themselves to doubt of their
| right. when they multiply at the same
time concessions and strong meas
ures, when they prove themselves
incapable OF remedyinG the state evils
and. ON the other hand, when the
masses, which they no longer hold,
| show collectively their discomfort.
1 when agitation becomes rife. when
the dock no longer obeys. then tho
sobserver can make his diagnosis"