The daily worker., 1929-07-26

Organized Soldiers
Special attention must be paid to
organizing the soldiers for the pro-
lection of their interests, in alliance
with the revolutionary proletariat,
prior to their being called up for
service (recruits' leagues, mutual
aid clubs), during the period of mil
itary service (soldiers' councils)
and also after the conclusion of mil
itary service revolutionary ex-ser-
vicemen's leagues). 1t must be the
special task of the trade unions to
maintain contact with their members
in the army and to help them to
form the above mentioned organiza-
tionS.
The conditions for revolu-
tionary work in volunteer armies
differ from the conditions for such
work in conscript armies. In volun-
teer armies it is usually much more
difficult to carry on agitation in
support of partial demands like those
mentioned above. Nevertheless, the
work must be undertaken. The fact
that in a majority of cases voIun-
teer armies are recruited from
among the proletariat (the anem-
ployed) and from among the poor
peasants, provides a social base for
mass work among the soldiers. The
forms of this work must be carefully
adapted to the social composition
and the special features of the
troops. Strenuous agitation must
be carried on among the masses
against the special forces the bour-
geoisie organize for class struggle
against the proletariat (gendarmes
and police) and especially against
their volunteer forces (the Fascists).
The reformists who talk loudly about
the "public utility" of these forces,
about the national police" and
about Fascist Equality" must be
relentlessly combated with particu-
lar energy, and every effort must be
made to rouse passionate hatred
among the people towards these
forces and to expose their real char
acter. But every effort must be
made to stimulate social differentia-
ton even among these forces and
to win over the proletarian elements
in them.
9. Revolutionary work in the
army must be linked up with the
general revolutionary movement of
the masses of the proletariat and
poor peasantry. If an immediate
revolutionary situation prevails, and
if the industrial proletariat is be-
ginning to establish Soviets, the
slogan: establish soldiers councils,
assumes immediate practical impor-
tance and facilitates the work of
uniting the masses of the soldiers
with the proletariat and the poor
peasantry in their struggle for
power.
Wherever circumstances permit,
the Communists must try to organ
ize the masses of the soldiers in vol
unteer armies under the slogan of
soldiers councils, and mobilize them
for the fight against the officers
and the bourgeoisie. Where the So
cial composition of certain units do
not permit of this being done, the
Communists muSt demand the i'm
mediate disarming and dissolution of
such military units.
B. The Military Question During the
Proletarian Revolution.
The main slogans upon which
the democratic partial demands are
based are: disa-m the bourgeoisie;
arm the proletariat.
The arming of the proletariat as
sumes various forms at various
stages of the revolution. In the
period prior to the seizure of power,
and in the first period after the
seizure of power, it takes the form
of a proletarian militia,--a militia
of the toilers, the Red Guard, and
also Red Guerilla detachments. The
Red Army is the form of military
organization of the Soviet Govern
ment, i.e., it is the army of the die
tatorship of the proletariat.
The demand for proletarian mil
tia consisting Of toilers. "a workers
and peasants militia) in an imperi-
alist country is merely another way
of formulating the demand for arm
ing the proletariat and can be put