The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-12-10
WAR AND REVOLUTION

Editors Note.-Every day until
publication has been completed, the
DAILY WORKER will publish a
new chapter from the book. Len
in: The Great Strategist of the
Glass War; by A. Losovsky, secre-
tary Of the Red International Of
Labor Unions. The twentieth chap
ter is entitled, "War and Revolu-
ton"
IRON the very beginning Lenin had
clear conception of ethe interna-
tional nature of the class struggle.
Long before the war he already felt
himself a stranger at the internation-
al socialist parades where the phrase
reigned supreme and where no action
was to be seen. AS a result Of his
appearance at international congresses
(Stuttgart, Copenhagen there was
formed small and loosely allied left
wing. This Russian sectarian" was
treated condescendingly by the leaders
Of European reformism. Some Of them
looked upon Lenin's activities as a
sort Of sectarian madness, others con-
sidered it q result of the mystical
traits of his Slavic character. Very
few realized the significance of this
coming leader Of tho international
working class movement. Only few
radical Germans, Polish social-demo-
Gratis, and several comrades of other
countries, stood in close political rela-
tions towards Bolshevism. Clara Zet-
kin relates the following story: At the
congress in Stuttgart, held in 1907,
Rosa Luxembourg, while pointing out
to her the place occupied by Lenin,
said: See that man? Just watch the
characteristics of his head. He looks
as if he were ready to crush the whole
world, that he would rather break
his head than surrender"
Lenin knew the international work
ing class movement well for many
years. But the international labor
movement began to know Lenin only
after the October revolution. And here
VIC approach one Of the most interest
ing questions connected with the the
DRY and practice of the labor move
ment. How many people are familiar
with the giant of scientific socialism
whose name was Marx? A few hun
dreds Of thousands. On the other
hand, how many have heard of Lenin I?
Hundreds of millions. How is this to
be explained? Marx forged the weap-
on Of criticism for the struggle against
the capitalist system, while Lenin en-
ployed this criticism as a weapon to
strike the enemy over the head. The
oppressed millions have gotten a very
clear conception of the significance
Of what Lenin was doing, while the
materialistic conception of history, the
theory of the specialization Of produc-
tion, could be understood by limited
number of people. But the expropria-
ton of land, factories, and banks, the
abolition of exploitation, the annul-
ment of debts-such propaganda by
action appealed to and was understood
by the widest sections of the working
class.
One Of the French bourgeois pa
pers wrote after Lenin's death: "His
thoughts were grey and theologically
monotonous" For the bourgeois world
the ideas of Lenin were really grey
But how did the international working
class movement respond to his ideas?
Millions of people understood his
thoughts because they were simple
and within the craps of the masses.
They were in harmony with the class
instincts of these masses, if not al
ways with their conscious understand
ing. But the true greatness of Len
ms grey ideas" could be seen only
after these ideas had been transform
ed into red actions"
When at the end of 1914 Lenin
spoke Of the necessity of putting up
he civil war against the imperialist
war, not even the left wing could fol-