Ten Days That Shook the World | Page 7

must be fought by their own weapon-economic organisation. Typical of the Group:
Lianozov, Konovalov.
3. Populist Socialists, or Trudoviki (Labour Group). Numerically a small party, composed
of cautious intellectuals, the leaders of the Cooperative societies, and conservative
peasants. Professing to be Socialists, the Populists really supported the interests of the
petty bourgeoisie-clerks, shopkeepers, etc. By direct descent, inheritors of the
compromising tradition of the Labour Group in the Fourth Imperial Duma, which was
composed largely of peasant representatives. Kerensky was the leader of the Trudoviki in
the Imperial Duma when the Revolution of March, 1917, broke out. The
Populist
Socialists are a nationalistic party. Their representatives in this book are: Peshekhanov,
Tchaikovsky.

4. Russian Social Democratic Labour Party. Originally Marxian Socialists. At a party
congress held in 1903, the party split, on the question of tactics, into two factions-the
Majority (Bolshinstvo), and the Minority (Menshinstvo). From this sprang the names
"Bolsheviki" and "Mensheviki"-"members of the majority" and "members of the
minority." These two wings became two separate parties, both calling themselves
"Russian Social Democratic Labour Party," and both professing to be Marxians. Since the
Revolution of 1905 the Bolsheviki were really the minority, becoming again the majority
in September, 1917.
a. Mensheviki. This party includes all shades of Socialists who believe that society must
progress by natural evolution toward Socialism, and that the working-class must conquer
political power first. Also a nationalistic party. This was the party of the Socialist
intellectuals, which means: all the means of education having been in the hands of the
propertied classes, the intellectuals instinctively reacted to their training, and took the
side of the propertied classes. Among their representatives in this book are: Dan, Lieber,
Tseretelli.
b. Mensheviki Internationalists. The radical wing of the Mensheviki, internationalists and
opposed to all coalition with the propertied classes; yet unwilling to break loose from the
conservative Mensheviki, and opposed to the dictatorship of the working-class advocated
by the Bolsheviki. Trotzky was long a member of this group. Among their leaders:
Martov, Martinov.
c. Bolsheviki. Now call themselves the Communist Party, in order to emphasise their
complete separation from the tradition of "moderate" or "parliamentary" Socialism,
which dominates the Mensheviki and the so-called Majority Socialists in all countries.
The Bolsheviki proposed immediate proletarian insurrection, and seizure of the reins of
Government, in order to hasten the coming of Socialism by forcibly taking over industry,
land, natural resources and financial institutions. This party expresses the desires chiefly
of the factory workers, but also of a large section of the poor peasants. The name
"Bolshevik" can not be translated by "Maximalist." The Maximalists are a separate group.
(See paragraph 5b). Among the leaders: Lenin, Trotzky, Lunatcharsky.
d. United Social Democrats Internationalists. Also called the Novaya Zhizn (New Life)
group, from the name of the very influential newspaper which was its organ. A little
group of intellectuals with a very small following among the working-class, except the
personal following of Maxim Gorky, its leader. Intellectuals, with almost the same
programme as the _Mensheviki Internationalists, except that the Novaya Zhizn_ group
refused to be tied to either of the two great factions. Opposed the Bolshevik tactics, but
remained in the Soviet Government. Other representatives in this book: Avilov,
Kramarov.
e. Yedinstvo. A very small and dwindling group, composed almost entirely of the
personal following of Plekhanov, one of the pioneers of the Russian Social Democratic
movement in the 80's, and its greatest theoretician. Now an old man, Plekhanov was
extremely patriotic, too conservative even for the Mensheviki. After the Bolshevik coup
d'etat, Yedinstvo disappeared.

5. Socialist Revolutionary party. Called Essaires from the initials of their name.
Originally the revolutionary party of the peasants, the party of the Fighting
Organisations-the Terrorists. After the March Revolution, it was joined by many who had
never been Socialists. At that time it stood for the abolition of private property in land
only, the owners to be compensated in some fashion. Finally the increasing revolutionary
feeling of peasants forced the Essaires to abandon the "compensation" clause, and led to
the younger and more fiery intellectuals breaking off from the main party in the fall of
1917 and forming a new party, the _Left Socialist Revolutionary party. The Essaires,_
who were afterward always called by the radical groups "Right Socialist
Revolutionaries," adopted the political attitude of the Mensheviki, and worked together
with them. They finally came to represent the wealthier peasants, the intellectuals, and
the politically uneducated populations of remote rural districts. Among them there was,
however, a wider difference of shades of political and economic opinion than among the
Mensheviki. Among their leaders mentioned in these pages: Avksentiev, Gotz, Kerensky,
Tchernov, "Babuschka" Breshkovskaya.
a. Left Socialist Revolutionaries. Although theoretically sharing the Bolshevik
programme of dictatorship of the working-class, at first were reluctant to follow the
ruthless Bolshevik tactics. However,