The Daily Worker Newspaper, November 5, 1924, Page 7

“The idea becomes power when it pene- trates the masses,” —Karl Marx. SPECIAL MAGAZINE. SUPPLEMENT THE DAILY WORKER. NOVEMBER 5, 1924. ‘Russ HE fact that the Russian revolu- tion started 140,000,000 people on the highroad to emancipation gives it most tremendous importance. For centuries the masses in Russia suf- fered hopelessly under the iron boot of the czars. Then came the histori¢ upheaval of 1917 and swept this tyr- anny aside with an irresistible flood. The revolution is the greatest thing in the whole life of the Russia people. But of far more importance than its effect upon the Russian people is the influence of the revolution upon the proletariat of the world. This is pro- found, far-reaching, and epoch-making. It is what gives the Russian revolu- tion its real significance and erects it into the supreme event in history) In many ways the Russian revolu tion has deeply affected the course of the world labor movement. But in this short article only three of these can be indicated: (1) the establish- ment of a living symbol of proletarian revolution; (2) the creation of a clear- ly-defined, well-organized world revo- lutionary organization; (3) the reali- zation of a tremendous fund of revo-- lutionary experience. These three phases are of the very greatest conse- quence to the international working class. : , 1. The Symbol of Revolution. Until 1917 the program. of prole- tarian emancipation rested pretty much in the realms of theory.. The workers of the world talked of it, dreamed of it, and speculated about it. But it lacked reality, It was but _& scientific calculation and an inspir- ing hope. It was only by the advent of the Soviet government in Russia that the concept of revolution took on flesh and blood. Then it became a living, vibrant thing and an ispira- tion to the workers of the world. The masses learn best from con- crete facts; they require definite ob- ject lessons. They cannot be satis- fied with theory alone. To them in- comparably the best argument for the ‘world revolution is to see a workers’ ‘Tevolution take place successfully in some country. The, Russian revolu- ~ tion has provided them with that yitally necessary ebject lesson. It is a tremendous demonstration of the . possibility and practicality of the pro- letarian revolution. It is the world symbol of the working class victor- When the Russian workers and peasants gave the death thrust to Russian czarism and capitalism, a thrill went thru the world workers. They were deeply inspired and heart- ened, not to sit idly by and hope for the Russians to bring about the world revolution, but to wage war similarly against the exploiters in their own es. And as the Russian revo- Intion has progressed, overcoming the wnheard of difficulties confronting it and gradually consolidating its power, it is driving deeper and deeper into the hearts of tli® workers the convic- can and must also over- H fm similar fashion. The facts that the ~ ‘Russian workers have broken the united front of capitalism and estab- lished one proletarian government, that they have forced the world to recognize this governamen and that they are unquestionably mak- fmg the new preletarian success, constitute a revolutionary _ facter of high importance national working class. Mach ef the early stimulative _ et the Russian revolution was most countries were dominated by soctal-democrats and other who choked back the rising tionary spirit of the workers. Russia is now entering tmto a ade RES LT stimulative period, after the long and depressing era of hunger and eco- nomic chaos, Industry is improving and the workers’ standards of living are rapidly rising. In all othér coun- tries the workers’ standards arc {fall- ing. This contrast, of a growing pros- perity in proletarian Russia, and an increasing poverty in capitalist coun- tries, always before the workers’ eyes, ia bound to exert a powerful effect ani to greatiy stimulate revolutionary discontent and action. Russia ia the living embodiment of the new society. It is the inspiring symbol of the prole- tarian revolution. As such it is of vast significance to the international ing .class. Il. The Communist International. But the Russian revolution has fur- nished the workers of the world with: not only the greatest example of nx sucecssful proletarian society, but also sith a powerful revolutionary organi- sation. The Communist International \< la and the World Revolution - - tries had to rely upon the leadership of yellow social-democrats, who domi nated their organizations and who lec the masses into the brutal slaughter. And in 1918, when the wofkers, dis- ilusiened by the war, surged all over Europe in a revolutionary wave, these same social-democrats, still controll- ing the workers’ political and indus trial organizations, dissipated , the revolutionary movement and saved capitalism, But. since those. times something important has happened, the most im- portant thing that has taken place since the end of the war. This was the formation of the Communist parties’ in the various countries and their unification into the Communist International. The ‘significance of this will be apparent in the next great crisis of international capitalism. If this crisis does not come before, it is bound to come with the beginning of the new world war which is now in In November, 1917 is the most important working class, organization in the history of the world. It is a direct outgrowth of the Russian revolution and is intimately bound up with the latter's fate. The Communist International is a world organization in the most real sense of the word. It is highly cen- tralized and disciplined. Its various sections are animated by the same conceptions of Communism. It is in an altogether different class than the Second International, which has au- tonomous, undisciplined, and individ- ualistic national sections. It is the militant, fighting vanguard of the in- ternational proletariat. As first condition for the effective | tnactioning of such an organization as the Communist International is that aye « qhinesepememagncc ecient -wemtnatmcsmatit. tit AY WR Pee Sah shine the making. When the capitalists of the world attempt to force the work- ers into another murdérous war like that of 1914-18, they will have to deal, not with treacherous social-democrats, bat with a militant Communist move- ment. In this crisis the Communist International will raise its counter- slogan of a war against capitalism; it will deal the capitalist system a death-blow and establish the interna- tional proletarian dictatorship. Then will be appreciated the present build- ing up of the Communist International which is so greatly aided by revolu- tionary Russia. il. Revolutionary Experience. Far more important, however, than even the establishment of a living ex-] ample of successful proletarian revo- lution and providing a world ravolu- tionary center, the Russian revuluticn has been the means of the workers accumulating a tremendous fund of revolutionary experience. This is erormous in extent_and incalculable in value. Before the Russian revolu- tion, proletarian revolutionary experi- ence was meager. It was little beyond that gained in the Paris Commune. Nearly everything was theoretical. But the revolution in Russia has changed this. Its vast experience has shown the workers of the world the broad outlines of the way all prole- SECOND SECTION This magazine stpple- ment will appear every Saturday in The Daily Worker. By Wm. Z. Foster tarian revolutions will have té“take and the forces they will have to con- tend with. Russian revolutionary experience is so stupendous that hardly the faintest outlines of it can be indicated here. No longer is the working of the dic- tatorship of the proletariat a matter of speculation. The Russiara_ revolu- tion has made it thoroly understood. Likewise, the part. the Communist Party has to perform, with its iron discipline and elaborate nuclei sys- tem, in maintaining the dictatorship. The principles underlying the Soviet form of govetnment are now an open book. The true petty-bourgeois char- acter of the social-democratic, anar- chist, and syndicalist movements has been demonstrated as clearly as day. The enormous resistance.of the capi- talists and their intelligentsia hang- ers-on has been learned, Their in- stinctive campaigns of Sabotage and counter-revolution have been experi- euced and ways devised to check them. A vast fund of information has been accumulated as to the relations between the workers and farmers and of the need and manner of the work- ers taking the lead in the revolution- ary struggle and in the work of social reconstruction. In the realms of industry the Rus- sian workers have gained an enormous experience. They have tried out al- most every conceivable system of inanagement and tested all of them. They are solving the problems of de- veloping the spontaneous discipline and incentive to work, to take the piace of the capitalist slave-driving methods of the past. They have wors- od out the principle of the new eco- nomic policy, and they know its dan- gers and advantages. Lifewise, the Russians have learned the true func- tions of the trade unions, the co-opera- tives and other working class organi- zations, before, during, and after. the revolution. They have also mastered the principles. of proletarian military organization, after a bitter and san- guinary experience. They have learn- ed the most valuable lessons as to the psychology of the masses during the revolution and its attendant hard- ships. They have solved the questions of proletarian justice, control of the press, and a thousand others that were not even dreamed of before the rer>- lution. This tremendous fund of revolu- tionary experience, gained at such great cost by the Russian workers, is at the disposal of the world prole- tariat. All of it, of course, cannot be applied in every country, but a vast amount of it can. It shows the right way for the workers to go and the pit- falls they must keep clear of. Profit- ing by the errors and accomplish ments of the Russians, the workers in other countries will same them- selves endless hardships and suffer- ing. The Russian revolution marks an epoch in the history of the work- ing class. To Marxism, or socialism in theory, it has added Leninism, or s0- cialigm in action. It has blazed the for the world revolution. On this Seventh Anniversary of the ussian revolution the active Com- munists thruout the world should call to mind the. three above-mentioned phases of the world-significance of the great 1917 upheaval. They should be stimulated by the example of the Rus- sian revolutioi to make redoubled ef- forts in their own countries, they should diligently strive for the up- building of the Commupist Interna- : tional, and they should study and * absorb the great lessons taught by the vast experience of the heroic Russian working class, Thus they will realize in some degree the world importance of the Russian revolution. )