The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-11-01


We are approaching the fourth an
niyersary Of the November revolution.
The farther we go from this great
day. the clearer do we grasp the sig
nifcance OF the proletarian revolution
in Russia, and the deeper do we APP
preciate the experiences of the gener-
al struggle. These could be stated
in very brief form as follows:
The immediate and direct task Of
the revolution in Russia, was of
bourgeois democratic nature-that is,
to overthrow the remnants of the mid
die ages. to clear Russia Of this bar
barism, disgraceful and greatest OBJ
stacle to any kind Of progressive de-
velopment in our country.
We have all grounds to be proud
OF the fact that we in Russia have car
ried out the addition of feudalism in
a much more radical, determined and
sweeping way than has been done by
the great French revolution over one
hundred and twenty-five years ago.
The anarchists and petty-bourgeois
democrats chat is, the mensheviks
and socialist-revolutionari as the
Russian representatives Of this inter
national social type) have peen say
ing and continue to say all kinds Of
things about the relations between a
bourgeois democratic revolution and
q socialist proletarian revolution. The
past four years Of the Russian revo-
luton have proved the correctness Of
our understanding of Marxism with re-
gard to this point. We have complet-
ed the bourgeois democratic revolu-
ton to its very end. At this moment
we continue to move ahead, determin-
eddy and energetically to the socialist
revolution, realizing at the same time
that there is no Chinese wall between
the bourgeois democratic revolution
and the socialist revolution, and that
only in the process of actual strug-
gle viii it be determined, how far we
shall succeed in moving ahead, what
portion of our great task we shall
succeed in accomplishing, and how
much OF it we shall be able to re-
tain. We shall live and see. But
even now, we already find, that we
have accomplished gigantic changes
changes to the better for our ruin
ed and backward country on the road
on to the up-building Of socialist or
der Of society.
Marxians should have no difficulty
in understanding the significance of
a ourgeois-democratic revolution. For
further illustration, we should take
few concrete examples. To carry thru
bourgeois democratic revolution
means to clear the social relations OF
Q country from institutions Of the
middle ages, from chattel slavery and
feudalism. Now. what were the main
characteristics of these remnants of
feudalsm in Russia in 1917? The
answer is: The monarchy, the then
existing system Of land ownership
the social position of women. the Of
fetal status of religion and the posi-
tion Of the oppressed nationalities.
Take any of these manifestations of
feudalism, which, by the way, can be
found in a goodly measure in any or
the bourgeois democratic countries
which had their revolutions hundred
and twenty-five and more years ago.
and you will find that our revolution
had cleared these manifestations com
pletely out of existence. In the course
OF about ten weeks, from November
z, 1917. to January 5, 1918, we have
done in this respect thousand times
more than have the petty-bourgeois
democrats and liberals during the
eight months that they have been In
power.
These towards. empty phrass-mon-
gers. these little stags-Hamlsts. arm