The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1926-11-06

before the October revolution the
- best prophets of the western coun-
tries looked across to Russia and de-
clared: Anarchy will soon triumph
there"
This prophecy was not fulfilled. Or
der was victorious; the power of or
ganized labor.
And how often since then has Soviet
Russia belied the best prophets of the
western countries by the skill with
which it has cut the Gordian knot,
whether by the sharply whetted sword
OF theory or by the sword Of Alexander
the Great.
The western prophets fall into the
same error again and again. There is
one factor which they invariably for
get: the Bolsheviki. The rest of their
calculations have been very correct.
1t is true that General Ludendorff
might have captured Petrograd in
1913. But the Bolshevih concluded
the peace Of Brest Litovsk. 1t is true
that the first of General Kraznov's
troops, or the Czecho-Slovakian le-
gions, might have occupied MOSCOW
If the Bolsheviki had not organized
the Red Army. And the masses Of the
peasantry might have followed the
prophecy Of Karl Kautsky, and trans
formed the proletarian revolution into
temporary and chaotic peasant in
surrecdon, a mere episode in bour-
geois evolution, had the Bolsheviki
organized no proletarian class struggle
in the country.
RolsheViks Upset Calculations.
TIME Bolsheviki, with weapons or
l. tools in their hands, the Bolsheviki
with written and spoken word, with
diplomatic notes and trade agree
ments, the Bolsheviki with food taxa
ton and party purging again and
again have arrived on the scene and
upset the calculations of the paid
prophets of capitalism, from Kautsky
to the last Menshevik, from Krasnov
to Petlyura and Pilsudsh.
This was practically the case in
October, 1917.
It has been said that the Bolsheviki
had an easy victory at that time. This
may be so, but the victory was not so
easy that It could have been won with
out q struggle.
It is true that at that time the OBJ
jective prerequisites for the proleta-
rian revolution were mature and IA
vorable. No doubt 1t was easy to see
that the Kerensky soap bubble was
bound to burst speedily, that the bour-
geoisie had mere takers In their con-
stitutional assembly, and no real
power and that czarist reaction had
no more powerful forces at its dis
posal than few bandit chiefs Of the
type of KOrnilov.
The Alternatives.
THE victory of the proletarian revo-
l. luton was therefore possible. And
yet it might have failed to come
about. Without the Bolshevid it
would undoubtedly have failed to come
about. Matters might have turned out
very differently: anarchy, or the die
tatorship of the white generals. or
fresh attempts at a coalition with the
bourgeois parliament or the dismem-
berment of the country into multi
tude of conflicting republics and the
of the proletarian class
struggle into a chaos of confused sepa-
rate struggles in town and country.
Amy one of these eventualities was
historically as possible asathe victory
of the proletarian revolution.
The Bolsheviki stepped in at the
decisive moment and directed the
course of history. The moment had
not yet arrived when the struggle for
power was inevitable. Yet the Boil
Iheviki interviewed. Their struggle,
md their leadership Of the struggle,
converted the possibility OF victory
into actually.
The Finnish Example.
THAT this issue was by no means a
l. matter of course may be seen from
the object lesson Of events in Fin
land The Russian October revolution
was Immediately followed by revo-
situation in Finland. Gen
eral strike. Vague but great expecta-
lions among the masses. Of the work
ing people. Parades and drills Of the
unarmed Red Guards. Long nights of
among the party and trade
union leaders. Irresolute vacillation
for many days and nights. And then
the calling off of the general strike.
In those days the victory Of the
workers revolution in Finland would
have been possible. sui the struggle
was not absolutely unavoidable and
was avoided There were no Boil.
sheviki.
A few months later and the position
in Finland was reversed Now the
struggle was inevitable, but victory
no longer possible.
What Were BolshevIki in 1877
LNIIIAT were the Bolshevilti in Octo-