The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1926-05-01
Psychology of Revolution
BY D. Kvitko.
FOURTH ARTICLE.
The Rebel and the Soldier.

'~SAo@A PSJ SHOtOSJ anu whose eyeSlgnI
Is not totally DETECTED from the too
bright light shining forth from our
seats Of learning, are advised to COM
pare the two attitudes of DR.. Nc
Dougal to the revolutionary mass and
army, and plumb their depth, for he
is an Oxford, Harvard, etc., sage. This
Is what he writes:
1--WE may sum up the psychology
cal character of the unorqanized or
simple crowd by saying that it is
excessively emotional, impuIsive,
violent, tickle, Inconsistent, lrreso-
Lutte and extreme in action, display
Ing only the coarser emotions and
the less refined sentiments; ex.
tremely suggestibIe, careless in de-
liberation, hasty in Judgment, in
capable of any but the simpler and
Imperfect forms Of reasoning; easily
swayed and led, lacking In seif-con-
seriousness, devoid of self-respect
and of sense of responsibility, and
apt to be carried away by the con-
seriousness Of it's own force, so that
It tends to produce all the manifes-
tations we have learnt to expect of
any irresponsible and absolute
power. Hence its behavior is like
that Of an unruIy child or an I'M
tutored passionate savage in a
strange situation, rather than like
that of its average member; and in
the worst cases it is like that of a
wild beast, rather than like that Of
human beings. All these character
lsties of the crowd were exemplified
on great scale in Paris at the time
Of the great Revolution. :" (Wm.
McDougal, The Group Mind.)
And further about the army:
"The formal continuity of its ex-
lstence enables the organization inn
pressed upon it by external author
lty to acquire all the strength that
custom alone can give; while its
material continuity enables its or
ganization to generate, in the indi-
viduaI soldiers, habits through
which the inferior members are
raised, as regards the moral quail
ties required for efficiency In the
field, towards the level of the best.
It is important to note that,
in the case of such an army as we
are considering the private soldier
in the ranks remains a FREE
AGENT PERFORMING TRULY
VoLITIoNAL ACTIONS; that he
in no sense becomes a mechanical
agent or one acting through en-
forced or habituaI obedience merely.
He Wills the common end; and, be-
lieving that the choice of means to
that end is best effected by the ap-
propriate part of the whole organi-
zation, he accepts the means chosen,
makes of them his proximate end,
and wills them" (The Group Mind.
My emphasis.)
Many would suppose that these lines |
we're written by some army scribe |
Who regards every civilian as an Ia
erior being, and that this wisdom is |
for barrack consumption |
Few would suspect that an Oxford |
nd Harvard professor could give out |
his bunk as psychology. Yet to dis
redit revolutionary activity and to
oost militarism all means seem to be |
God. 1t is commonplace knowledge |
hat when one joins the army he be-
ONES a screw of big machine; that
soldier may not speak his mind but
aust listen TO command; that he must
q all attention and obedience. 1t is
knowledge that a sol
Ter is just as much consulted about
he army plans as an automaton is,
hat he is no more free to disobey the
rider of his superior, unless he rebels.
han marionette to dance its own
ray. But rebel is no more soldier
@ is luckless prisoner. How can a
older be a free agent and perform
olitional actions, If the general staff.
he army commander the regiment
hicer down to the corporal predeter-
line his activities? Once his actions
re predetermined they cannot be