stalin russia and the crisis in socialism-max eastman-1940-281pgs-pol
TRANSCRIPT
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STALIN'S RUSSIAand T h e C r i s i s i n S o c i a l i s m
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STALIN'S RUSSIA
and T h e C r i s i s i n S o c i a l i s m
by MAX EASTMAN
New York: W •WNORTON & COMPANY • Publishers
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Copyright, I94o, byWW. NORTON & COMPANY, INC .
7o Fifth Avenue, New York, N . Y .
First Edition
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICAFOR THE PUBLISHERS BY QUINN & BODEN COMPANY, INC.
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FOREWORD
CONTENTS
PART ONETHE FAILURE OF THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION
PART TWOSOCIALISM RECONSIDERED
7 . THE PREDICAMENT OF THE WORD "SO-CIALISM" 1 , 4 9
8 . SOCIALISM AS PHILOSOPHY OR SCIENCE 1 6 1
5
7
1 . THE END OF SOCIALISM IN RUSSIA 1 7
2 . THE MEANING OF THE MOSCOW TRIALS 5 2
3 . STALIN BEATS HITLER TWENTY WAYS 8 1
4 . THE DEATH AGONY OF AN IDEA :AN OUTLINE OF THE COMINTERN 9 5
5 . TROTSKY'S DIVORCE OF ENDS AND MEANS 1206 . THE MOTIVE-PATTERNS OF SOCIALISM 129
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6 CONTENTS9 . DEFECTIVE BLUE-PRINTS
10. TRUTH IN THE MARXIAN WORLD-VIEW11 . THE ROLE OF PERSONALITIES12 . THE DOCTRINE OF CLASS STRUGGLE13 . WHAT TO DO NOW
APPENDIXINDEX
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FOREWORD
THIS book is the fruit of long and anxious study, first
of Marx's th eor eti cal philos ophy, s econd of Lenin's im-
petuously practical application of it, third of the gradu-
ally developing resu lts of the r evolutionary e xperiment
se t goi ng under Lenin's gui dance .
I never thought the Marxian phil osophy s cientific,
and I had begu n to formulate my objecti ons to it i n
some articles in the old Masses long before the Russi an
revolution . When I went to Russia in 1922 to study the
Bolsh evik expe ri ment at first h and, I found thi s phi -
los oph y establis he d as a state re li gion and bowed down
to on all s ides with Byzantine obse quiousness . This
seemed to contrast strangely with the intensely practical,
expe rime ntal, and in many ways skeptical, good se nse of
Lenin. I was enamore d of that practi cal good sense . I
though t Lenin's h ere tical way of goi ng at the conquest
of power and the building of socialism a great deal more
scie ntific than orth odox Marxi sm . I thought too th at
orth odox Marxi sm, enthr oned as a state re li gion, was
7
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8 FOREWORDi m p e d i n g t h e p r o g r e s s o f L e n i n ' s e f f o r t . I t s e e m e d t o m e
t h e m o s t i m p o r t a n t c o n t r i b u t i o n I c o u l d m a k e w o u l d b e
t o c r i t i c i z e t h e p h i l o s o p h y , a n d s h o w t h a t L e n i n ' s m o d e
o f p r o c e d u r e w a s a d e p a r t u r e f r o m i t i n t h e d i r e c t i o n
o f s c i e n t i f i c m e t h o d .
I n s t e a d o f w r i t i n g a S o v i e t t r a v e l o g u e , t h e r e f o r e ,
w h i l e I w a s i n R u s s i a a n d a f t e r , I w r o t e a t h e o r e t i c a l
b o o k c a l l e d Marx and Lenin, the Science of Revolution .
P a r t I i s a c r i t i c i s m o f t h e M a r x i a n s y s t e m , i n w h i c h I
w o u l d m a k e b u t f e w c h a n g e s t o d a y . P a r t I I i s a n e x p o s i -
t i o n , a n d e n d o r s e m e n t , o f t h e s c i e n c e o f r e v o l u t i o n a r y
e n g i n e e r i n g w h i c h L e n i n b a s e d u p o n , o r e v o l v e d o u t o f ,
Marx . T h a t t o o , s o f a r a s t h e e x p o s i t i o n g o e s , s t i l l s e e m s
v a l i d t o m e . B u t I t h i n k , i n t h e l i g h t o f s u b s e q u e n t r e -
s u l t s , t h a t m y e n d o r s e m e n t o f i t w a s a m i s t a k e . I a m n o t
s u r e b u t t h a t L e n i n , i f h e w e r e a l i v e n o w , a n d s a w h o w
f a r c r u d e h u m a n n a t u r e h a s r u n a w a y w i t h h i s s o v i e t
s t r u c t u r e a n d m i l i t a r i z e d p a r t y l e d b y " p r o f e s s i o n a l r e -
v o l u t i o n a r i e s , " w o u l d c o n c l u d e t h a t t h e r e m u s t h a v e
b e e n s o m e f u n d a m e n t a l e r r o r i n h i s m e t h o d .
T o m e , a t a n y r a t e , a s t h e c r i m i n a l t y r a n n i e s o f
S t a l i n i s m h a v e p i l e d u p - a n d o f f a s c i s m a n d N a z i s m t o o
- t h e i r c o n n e c t i o n w i t h t h a t w o n d e r f u l l y p r a c t i c a l s y s -
t e m o f " r e v o l u t i o n a r y e n g i n e e r i n g " i n v e n t e d b y L e n i n
h a s g r o w n m o r e a n d m o r e o b v i o u s . I t w a s i n d e e d p r a c -
t i c a l a s a s y s t e m f o r s e i z i n g p o w e r a n d o v e r t h r o w i n g t h e
r u l e o f t h e b o u r g e o i s i e . B u t f r o m t h a t p o i n t o n , i t w a s
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FOREWORD9
u t o p i a n . I t t r u s t e d t o o m u c h i n e d u c a t i o n , t o o m u c h i n
t h e r e a s o n a b l e a n d k i n d a n d t o l e r a n t a n d f r e e d o m - l o v -
i n g q u a l i t i e s o f h u m a n n a t u r e . O r m o r e a c c u r a t e l y , p e r -
h a p s , i t t r u s t e d t o o m u c h i n t h e b e n i g n i n t e n t i o n s o f a
d i a l e c t i c u n i v e r s e . L e n i n r e a l l y b e l i e v e d t h a t h i s r e v o -
l u t i o n a r y p o w e r - m a c h i n e w o u l d " d i e a w a y " a f t e r i t s
w o r k w a s d o n e . H e b e l i e v e d t h a t a l l p o w e r - m a c h i n e s , a l l
o r g a n s o f c o m p u l s i o n , t h e s t a t e i t s e l f , w o u l d " d i e a w a y . "
E v e n w h i l e e n d o r s i n g h i s s y s t e m , I d i d n o t s h a r e
t h a t b e l i e f . I d i d b e l i e v e , h o w e v e r , t h a t a s o c i a l i z a t i o n
o f l a n d a n d c a p i t a l w o u l d " t r a n s f o r m t h e i n s t r u m e n t s
o f p r o d u c t i o n , w h i c h s e r v e t o d a y m a i n l y t o e n s l a v e
a n d e x p l o i t l a b o r , i n t o s i m p l e i n s t r u m e n t s o f l a b o r
f r e e l y a s s o c i a t i n g . " I a g r e e d t h a t t h e p r o l e t a r i a t , b e i n g
t h e l o w e s t c l a s s i n s o c i e t y , " c o u l d n o t e m a n c i p a t e i t -
s e l f w i t h o u t e m a n c i p a t i n g a l l s o c i e t y . " I t h o u g h t , a s
a l l s o c i a l i s t s d i d , t h a t t h e r e w o u l d b e l e s s g o v e r n m e n t ,
t h a t t h e r e w o u l d b e m o r e l i b e r t y a n d m o r e i n d i v i d u a l -
i t y , a s w e l l a s a t r u e e q u a l i t y o f o p p o r t u n i t y , a f t e r t h a t
a c t o f c o l l e c t i v i z a t i o n , w h i c h w o u l d m a k e e v e r y b o d y a
p r o l e t a r i a n , a n d e l i m i n a t e t h e w h o l e b u s i n e s s o f r e n t ,
p r o f i t a n d i n t e r e s t . I b e l i e v e d e s s e n t i a l l y i n e d u c a t i o n ,
a n d I t h o u g h t t h a t e d u c a t i o n o n l y n e e d e d t h a t c h a n c e .
S i n c e I f e l l f o r a l l t h e s e t h i n g s w i t h o u t t h e s u p p o r t o f
a b e n i g n l y d i a l e c t i c u n i v e r s e , I m i g h t p e r h a p s b e c o n -
d e m n e d a s m o r e g u l l i b l e t h a n t h e o r t h o d o x M a r x i a n s ,
n o t l e s s s o .
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1 0 FOREWORDA t a n y r a t e I w a s g u l l i b l e . I t h o u g h t t h a t b o u r g e o i s
d e m o c r a c y w a s s o m e t h i n g o n c e f o r a l l a c h i e v e d , s o m e -
t h i n g w e c o u l d a f f o r d t o k i c k o u t f r o m u n d e r u s a s w e
t o o k t h e f u r t h e r s t e p t o w a r d i n d u s t r i a l d e m o c r a c y . I
t h o u g h t t h a t t h e d e g r e e o f i n d e p e n d e n c e a c h i e v e d b y
m e n u n d e r t h e b o u r g e o i s d e m o c r a t i c r e g i m e s w a s m o r e
p r i z e d b y t h e m , o r p r i z e d b y m o r e o f t h e m , t h a n i t i s . I
h a v e l e a r n e d f r o m S t a l i n ' s R u s s i a a n d H i t l e r ' s G e r m a n y
a n d M u s s o l i n i ' s I t a l y h o w m u c h i n f a n t i l e a n d p r i m i t i v e
s a v a g e y e a r n i n g f o r d e p e n d e n c e , f o r e x t e r n a l a u t h o r i t y ,
f o r t h e s o v e r e i g n - f a t h e r , t h e r e i s i n t h e a v e r a g e h u m a n
h e a r t . T h e p o l i t i c a l i n s t i t u t i o n s , a n d s t i l l m o r e i m p o r -
t a n t , t h e s o c i a l h a b i t s , o f d e m o c r a c y a r e i n d a n g e r
now, and I am for defending them on all fronts .
W h e t h e r i n a r e v o l u t i o n a r y c r i s i s , o r i n m o r e d e s u l t o r y
s t r u g g l e s , I t h i n k t h e y s h o u l d b e r e g a r d e d , n o t a s a s t e p
t o t r a n s c e n d , b u t a s a f o u n d a t i o n t o b u i l d u p o n . I a m
n o l o n g e r w i l l i n g t o t h r o w a w a y m y o w n l i b e r t i e s o n
t h e t h e o r y t h a t I h a v e n ' t a n y . A n d I f e e l t h e s a m e w a y
a b o u t t h e l i b e r t i e s , h o w e v e r q u a l i f i e d b y e c o n o m i c
s t r a n g u l a t i o n , w h i c h a r e i n d u b i t a b l y p o s s e s s e d i n d e m o -
c r a t i c c o u n t r i e s b y t h e m a s s e s o f m a n k i n d .
A s l a t e a s M a r c h 2 9 , 1 9 3 0 , I w a s s t i l l p r a i s i n g a n d
d e f e n d i n g L e n i n ' s o r g a n i z a t i o n a l s y s t e m . I n a s p e e c h t o
t h e F o r e i g n P o l i c y A s s o c i a t i o n I s a i d :
" T h e R u s s i a n c o m m u n i s t p a r t y i s n o t l i k e a n y o r -
g a n i z a t i o n t h a t e v e r e x i s t e d a n y w h e r e i n t h e w o r l d b e -
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FOREWORD 1 1
f o r e . I t c o m bi n e s t h e e s s e n t i a l f e a t u r e s o f a p r o f e s s i o n a l
a s s o c i a t i o n , a s c i e n t i f i c s o c i e t y , a n e t h i c a l b r o t h e r h o o d ,
a n a r m y a n d a p o l i t i c a l p a r t y i n t h e m o d e r n s e n s e . M o r e -
o v e r , t h e c o m p o s i t i o n o f t h i s o r g a n i z a t i o n , a n d t h e r e f o r e
i t s e q u i l i b r i u m i n t h e g e n e r a l p o p u l a t i o n , i s d e t e r m i n e d
b y d r a w i n g c e r t a i n p r o p o r t i o n s f r o m a l l t h e d i f f e r e n t
e c o n o m i c c l a s s e s o f w h i c h s o c i e t y i s c o m p o s e d . And
m o r e o v e r a g a i n , t h e s e p r o p o r t i o n s a r e a l t e r e d f r o m t i m e
t o t i m e a c c o r d i n g t o t h e p a r t i c u l a r p h a s e w h i c h t h e e x -
p e r i m e n t i s d e e m e d t o b e p a s s i n g t h r o u g h . B e s i d e s t h a t ,
t h e p a r t y i s s u r r o u n d e d b y a w h o l e g r o u p o f g r a d u a t e d
o r g a n i z a t i o n s w h i c h l e a n o n i t , a n d w h o s e r e l a t i o n s t o i t ,
b o t h p s y c h o l o g i c a l a n d l e g a l , a r e a d j u s t e d s o s u b t l y t h a t
i t i s n o t a f i g u r e o f s p e e c h b u t a f a c t t h a t t h i s p a r t y e x -
t e n d s i t s r o o t s c l e a r d o w n t o t h e p o l i t i c a l l y u n c o n s c i o u s
b o t t o m l a y e r s o f s o c i e t y . I t w a s b y m e a n s o f t h i s s u b t l e
a n d a l t o g e t h e r n e w p o l i t i c a l i n s t r u m e n t w h i c h h e c r e -
a t e d , a n d w h i c h h e p r o g r e s s i v e l y a d j u s t e d w i t h a s u b l e t y
n o o u t s i d e r s d r e a m o f , t h a t L e n i n b r o u g h t i t a b o u t
t h a t w h e n h e s e i z e d t h e p o w e r a n d s a i d h e w a s s e i z i n g
i t i n t h e n a m e o f t h e m a s s e s , h e r e a l l y w a s s e i z i n g i t i n
t h e n a m e o f t h e m a s s e s , a n d a l t h o u g h h e h e l d i t i n h i s
s i n g l e h a n d , a l l t h e p o w e r s i n t h e w o r l d c o u l d n o t o v e r -
throw him . "
N o t h w i t h s t a n d i n g t h i s e n t h u s i a s m f o r t h e m e t h o d ,
I w a s a l r e a d y t r o u b l e d a b o u t t h e r e s u l t s . I c o n t i n u e d :
" T h e R u s s i a n c o m m u n i s t p a r t y , w h i c h n o w c o n t a i n s
o v e r a m i l l i o n m e m b e r s , o c c u p i e s a p o s i t i o n i n t h e
S o v i e t s o c i e t y s i m i l a r t o t h a t o c c u p i e d b y t h e t s a r u n d e r
t h e o l d r e g i m e . T h e r e l a t i o n o f i t s m e m b e r s t o t h e
d i f f e r e n t c l a s s e s o f s o c i e t y , a n d m o r e p a r t i c u l a r l y t h e i r
r e l a t i o n t o e a c h o t h e r w i t h i n t h e p a r t y , i s t h e e s s e n t i a l
p o l i t i c a l q u e s t i o n . I t i s t h e q u e s t i o n o f t h e l o c a t i o n o f
t h e s o v e r e i g n t y . I t i s j u s t h e r e t h a t I t h i n k t h e p o l i t i c a l
s i t u a t i o n i n t h e n a r r o w s e n s e i s u n s a t i s f a c t o r y . . . . "
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1 2 FOREWORDT h e r e t h e c h a i r m a n s t o p p e d m e . B u t f r o m t h a t p o i n t
- h e l p e d o n b y S t a l i n ' s b u t c h e r i e s , a n d H i t l e r ' s e m p l o y -
ment of the same system for an oppos ite end-my
t h o u g h t s t r a v e l e d s t e a d i l y . T h e y w e r e h e l p e d o n a l s o , I
m u s t a c k n o w l e d g e , b y t h e h e r o i c c o n d u c t o f t h e d e m o -
c r a t i c s o c i a l i s t s i n V i e n n a i n F e b r u a r y 1 9 3 4 , a n d o f t h e
A s t u r i a s m i n e r s i n O c t o b e r o f t h e s a m e y e a r . Whe n
" y e l l o w " s o c i a l i s t s m a n n e d t h e b a r r i c a d e s i n d e f e n s e o f
t h e d e m o c r a c y t h e y b e l i e v e d i n , a n d " r e d s " a b a n d o n e d
t h e a r m e d r e v o l u t i o n t h e y b e l i e v e d i n a t a s h o u t f r o m
t h e d i c t a t o r , i t b e c a m e e a s i e r f o r t h o s e w h o s e h e a r t s h a d
b e e n w i t h t h e " r e d s " t o t h i n k w i t h t h e i r m i n d s o n l y
a b o u t t h e t w o b e l i e f s .
I n o w t h i n k t h a t t h i s b r i l l i a n t d e v i c e f o r e n g i n e e r i n g
a s e i z u r e o f p o w e r , i n v e n t e d b y L e n i n w i t h a s u p e r -
d e m o c r a t i c p u r p o s e , h a s s h o w n i t s e l f t o b e i n f a t a l c o n -
f l i c t w i t h t h e p u r p o s e . I t h i n k t h a t a n a r m e d s e i z u r e o f
p o w e r b y a h i g h l y o r g a n i z e d m i n o r i t y p a r t y , w h e t h e r
i n t h e n a m e o f t h e D i c t a t o r s h i p o f t h e P r o l e t a r i a t , t h e
G l o r y o f R o m e , t h e S u p r e m a c y o f t h e N o r d i c s , o r a n y
o t h e r s l o g a n t h a t m a y b e i n v e n t e d , a n d n o m a t t e r h o w
i n g e n i o u s l y i n t e g r a t e d w i t h t h e m a s s e s o f t h e p o p u l a -
t i o n , w i l l n o r m a l l y l e a d t o t h e t o t a l i t a r i a n s t a t e . " T o -
t a l i t a r i a n s t a t e " i s m e r e l y t h e m o d e r n n a m e f o r t y r a n n y .
I t i s t y r a n n y w i t h u p - t o - d a t e t e c h n i q u e . A n d t h e e s s e n c e
o f t h a t t e c h n i q u e i s a r e v e r s e u s e o f t h e v e r y t h i n g u p o n
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FOREWORD 1 3
w h o s e f o r w a r d a c t i o n L e n i n u l t i m a t e l y r e l i e d , t h e m a -
c h i n e r y o f p u b l i c e d u c a t i o n .
I p u t t h i s m u c h o f m y b o o k i n t h e i n t r o d u c t i o n , b e -
c a u s e i t s e e m s t o m e t h a t w h e n a p e r s o n c h a n g e s h i s
m i n d u p o n a b a s i c q u e s t i o n , h e o u g h t t o s t a t e t h e f a c t ,
a n d m a k e t h e n a t u r e o f t h e c h a n g e e x p l i c i t b o t h t o h i m -
s e l f a n d o t h e r s . M u c h u n n e c e s s a r y c o n f u s i o n r e s u l t s
f r o m t h e h a b i t i n t e l l e c t u a l s h a v e o f p r e t e n d i n g w h e n
t h e y l e a r n s o m e t h i n g t h a t t h e y k n e w i t a l l a l o n g .
Max EastmanJANUARY, 1 9 4 0
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PART ONET h e F a i l u r e o f t h e R u s s i a n R e v o l u t i o n
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THE END OF SOCIALISM INRUSSIA
IT WAS a str ange e xper ie nce, for one who h ad li ved
through these twenty-five years as a Marxian socialist, to
se e how in proporti on as the Soviet re gime dropped
overboard one by one every vestige of socialism, the l ib-
eral scholars and litterateurs of the whole world, in so
far as they were at all flexible, "came over" to socialism,
and rallied with extr eme e motion to the " defense of the
USSR ." Maxim Gor ky, Romain Rolland, George Soule,
Waldo Frank, Rockwell Kent, Malcolm Co wley , Sidney
and Beatrice Webb, Harold Laski-the lis t could be e x-
tended indefinitely of those representative intellectuals
who, having re mained cold to the efforts of the Bolshe -
vik party under Lenin and Trotsky to establish a work-
ers' and peasants' republic, sub stantially swallowed
down "Marxis m" as soon as th e official " Marxis m"
ceased, eithe r within the Soviet Union or anywhere els e,
to mean business about working-class power, or contain
any fighting threat to the existing distribution of wealth .
z7
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1 8 STALIN'S RUSSIAI t w a s a s t r a n g e e x p e r i e n c e , a n d f o r o n e w h o r e s t s h i s
f i n a l h o p e u p o n h u m a n i n t e l l i g e n c e , a s a d o n e . A p r i m e
f a c t o r i n t h e w i s d o m o f K a r l M a r x w a s h i s p e r c e p t i o n o f
t h e d i s c r e p a n c y b e t w e e n t h e i d e a s w i t h w h i c h m e n c o m -
m o n l y m a k e a n d w r i t e h i s t o r y a n d t h e a c t u a l f o r c e s i n
p l a y , t h e a c t u a l c h a n g e s t h a t a r e i n p r o g r e s s . H e c a l l e d
t h e s e l o o s e - f l o a t i n g i d e a s i d e o l o g i e s , a t e r m o f c o n t e m p t
which he borrowed from Napoleon Bonaparte, and
w h i c h f r e e l y t r a n s l a t e d i n t o A m e r i c a n m e a n s " a p p l e -
s a u c e . " A n d h e m a d e h e r o i c e f f o r t s t o d e l v e d o w n u n d e r
a l l i d e o l o g i e s a n d u s e h i s m i n d i n t h e m a k i n g o f h i s t o r y
a s a m e c h a n i c d o e s i n t h e m a k i n g o f b r i d g e s o r a u t o m o -
b i l e s . I t w a s b y u s i n g h i s m i n d i n t h i s a r d e n t l y m a t t e r -
o f - f a c t w a y t h a t L e n i n g u i d e d t h e R u s s i a n w o r k e r s ' a n d
p e a s a n t s ' r e v o l u t i o n t o v i c t o r y a n d l a i d w h a t s e e m e d t o
b e t h e f o u n d a t i o n s o f s o c i a l i s m .
S i n c e L e n i n ' s d e a t h , i d e o l o g y h a s p r e v a i l e d i n t h e
r u l i n g c i r c l e s a n d t h e c o n t r o l l e d p r e s s o f S o v i e t R u s s i a
t o t h e p r a c t i c a l e x c l u s i o n o f s c i e n t i f i c s t r a i g h t - t h i n k i n g
a b o u t s o c i e t y a n d p o l i t i c s . T h e a s s e r t i o n s t h a t t h e y a r e
" b u i l d i n g a c l a s s l e s s s o c i e t y , " a n d y e t m o r e t h a t " s o c i a l -
i s m i s f i n a l l y a n d i r r e v o c a b l y a c h i e v e d i n t h e S o v i e t
U n i o n , " a r e b u t c r o w n i n g i n s t a n c e s o f t h i s p r o c e s s o f
u n i v e r s a l s e l f - d e c e p t i o n , s a m p l e s o f a p a r t i c u l a r l y s u b -
l i m e " a p p l e s a u c e " u n d e r c o v e r o f w h i c h t h e e x a c t l y o p -
p o s i t e p r o c e s s i s i n f u l l f l i g h t - t h e r e s t o r a t i o n o f c l a s s
p r i v i l e g e a n d t h e s o a k i n g o u t o f t h e f o u n d a t i o n s o f
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END OF SOCIALISM IN RUSSIA 1 9
s o c i a l i s m . T o m y m i n d t h e r e i s n o t a h o p e l e f t f o r t h e
c l a s s l e s s s o c i e t y i n p r e s e n t - d a y R u s s i a . I n s i d e o f t e n
y e a r s , b a r r i n g r e v o l u t i o n a r y c h a n g e s , t h e S o v i e t U n i o n
b i d s f a i r t o b e a s r e a c t i o n a r y a s a n y c o u n t r y w h i c h h a s
e m e r g e d f r o m f e u d a l i s m . *
THE C ULTURAL REACTION
I n t h e s u m m e r o f 1 9 3 4 I w r o t e a n a r t i c l e s a y i n g e v e r y
g o o d t h i n g t h a t I c o u l d f i n d t o s a y o f t h e s o c i a l i s t e x p e r i -
m e n t i n R u s s i a . T h e t h e m e o f m y a r t i c l e w a s t h a t i n t h a t
c o u n t r y , b e c a u s e o f t h e s o c i a l i z a t i o n o f i n d u s t r y a n d t h e
r e m o v a l o f c l a s s p r i v i l e g e , p r o g r e s s h i t h e r t o c o n s i d e r e d
u t o p i a n w a s b e i n g m a d e " i n e v e r y s p h e r e i n w h i c h r a d i -
c a l r e f o r m e r s a n d w h a t w e c a l l d r e a m e r s a r e w o n t i n o u r
c o u n t r y t o b e a t t h e i r b r a i n s o u t a g a i n s t a c o l d r a m p a r t
o f c y n i c i s m a n d i n d i f f e r e n c e . " I s u p p o r t e d t h i s b y q u o t -
i n g o u r o w n l e a d i n g a u t h o r i t i e s w h o h a d g o n e t h e r e a n d
s e e n w h a t w a s b e i n g d o n e , e a c h i n h i s o w n s p e c i a l f i e l d
o f i n t e r e s t - e d u c a t i o n , p r i s o n r e f o r m , p u b l i c h e a l t h ,
w o m e n ' s f r e e d o m , s e x a n d f a m i l y r e l a t i o n s , b i r t h c o n -
t r o l , p r o s t i t u t i o n , y e l l o w j o u r n a l i s m , d r u g a d d i c t i o n , a l -
c o h o l i s m , r i g h t s o f n a t i o n a l m i n o r i t i e s , e l i m i n a t i o n o f
a n t i - S e m i t i s m , m e n t a l h y g i e n e , a d m i n i s t r a t i o n o f j u s t i c e ,
p e a c e , w a r a n d p a t r i o t i s m , e c o n o m i c p l a n n i n g . M y t h e s i s
w a s t h a t t h e p r o p r i e t a r y e n j o y m e n t o f w e a l t h b y a p r i v -
* This chapter was written in the s pring of 1936 and first pu blis hed
as an article in Harpe r's Magazine, January 1937 . Some of its s tate-ments may seem too moderate now .
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2 0 STALIN'S RUSSIAi l e g e d f e w i s w h a t b l o c k s p r o g r e s s o n a l l t h e s e f r o n t s a n d
m a k e s t h e e f f o r t s o f t r u l y s o c i a l - m i n d e d i d e a l i s t s i n c a p -
i t a l i s t c o u n t r i e s a l l b u t f u t i l e .
I i n t e n d e d t o f o l l o w m y a r t i c l e w i t h a n o t h e r s a y i n g
t h e b a d t h i n g s t h a t f r o m t h e s a m e s t a n d p o i n t a n h o n e s t
m i n d m u s t s a y a b o u t t h e S o v i e t U n i o n - c h i e f l y , t h a t
t h e s e b l e s s i n g s o f a c h i e v e m e n t , a n d y e t m o r e o f h o p e ,
h a d b e e n a c c o m p a n i e d b y a c o n c e n t r a t i o n o f p o l i t i c a l
p o w e r a n d p r i v i l e g e i n t h e h a n d s o f a b u r e a u c r a t i c c a s t e
s u p p o r t i n g a n a u t o c r a t m o r e r u t h l e s s t h a n t h e t z a r s h a d
been . I i n t e n d e d t o p o i n t o u t t h a t t h i s s i t u a t i o n , h a t e -
f u l i n i t s e l f , w a s a l s o a m o r t a l d a n g e r , a n d i f c o n t i n u e d ,
c e r t a i n d e a t h t o t h e w h o l e s y s t e m . B u t I w a s s t i l l a s s e r t -
i n g t h e e x i s t e n c e o f t h e s y s t e m .
A f t e r w r i t i n g t h e f i r s t a r t i c l e , h o w e v e r , r e a d i n g i t t o
a g r o u p o f f r i e n d s , a n d s h o w i n g i t t o o n e e d i t o r , I p u t
i t a w a y i n m y d e s k a s a n a n a c h r o n i s m . T h e c o n d i t i o n s
i t d e s c r i b e d w e r e d i s a p p e a r i n g w h i l e I w r o t e . O f t h e
f u n d a m e n t a l o n e s , t h o s e t h r e e w h i c h s t a n d i n m o s t v i t a l
r e l a t i o n t o t h e p r o p e r t y s y s t e m a n d t h e f u t u r e - e d u c a -
t i o n , w o m e n ' s f r e e d o m a n d t h e f a m i l y , p e a c e , w a r a n d
p a t r i o t i s m - t h e r e i s n o w l i t t l e b u t a m e m o r y a n d a c l i n g -
i n g t o t h e m e m o r y l e f t .
I n m y s e c t i o n a b o u t e d u c a t i o n , I q u o t e d f r o m M i s s
L u c y W i l s o n , w h o m a d e h e r p i l g r i m a g e t o R u s s i a i n
1 9 2 5 a n d s t a y e d t o 1 9 2 7 , a n d f r o m J o h n D e w e y , w h o
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END OF SOCIALISM IN RUSSIA 21followed her a year later, s uch ecstatic testimony to the
lib eration of Russian schools and children from socially
irr ele vant and spiri t-killi ng regime ntation that they
sou nded like another News From Nowhe re . "Almost i n-
credibl e to me, an eye-witness ," s aid Miss Lucy Wilson .
And John Dewey : " I cannot convey i t ; I lack the neces-
s a r y l i t e r a r y s k i l l . "
Thes e u topi an conditi ons were fou nded upon mani-
festos and decree s of th e Lenin gover nment adopted
shor tly after the s eizure of power, containing phr ases
such as these :-"P upils of the older classes in the secondary schools,
must not, dare not, consider thems elves chil dren, and
govern their desti ny to su it th e wish es of parents and
teachers . . . . Utilization of a system of marks for esti-
mating the knowledge and conduct of the p upi l i s abol-
ished . . . . Dis tri bution of medals and insignia is abol-
ished . . The old form of discipl ine which corru pts
the entire l ife of the schoo l and the untrammele d de-
velopme nt of the p ers onali ty of the chi ld, cannot be
maintained in the Schools of Labor . The process of
labor itse lf develops th is i nternal discipline without
which coll ecti ve and rational work is unimaginabl e .
. . . All punish ment in school is forb idden . . . . Al l
examinations-entrance, gr ade and graduation-are abol-
ished . . . . The wearing of school uniforms is abol-
ished . "
All this was swept from the earth, letter and spirit, by
a "D ecre e on Academic Reform," is sue d by the Stalin
government on September 4, 1935 5, and by i nstructions
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22 STALIN'S RUSSIAf o l l o w i n g i t , o f w h i c h t h e f o l l o w i n g p h r a s e s w i l l c o n v e y
t h e d r i f t :-
" I n s t r u c t a c o m m i s s i o n . . . t o e l a b o r a t e a d r a f t o f a
r u l i n g f o r e v e r y t y p e o f s c h o o l . T h e r u l i n g m u s t h a v e a
c a t e g o r i c a n d a b s o l u t e l y o b l i g a t o r y c h a r a c t e r f o r p u p i l s
a s w e l l a s f o r t e a c h e r s . T h i s r u l i n g m u s t b e t h e f u n d a -
mental document . . . w h i c h s t r i c t l y e s t a b l i s h e s t h e r e -
g i m e o f s t u d i e s a n d t h e b a s i s f o r o r d e r i n t h e s c h o o l a s
w e l l a s t h e r u l e s o f c o n d u c t o f p u p i l s i n s i d e a n d o u t s i d e
o f s c h o o l . . . . I n t r o d u c e i n a l l s c h o o l s a u n i f o r m t y p e
o f p u p i l s ' r e p o r t c a r d o n w h i c h a l l t h e p r i n c i p a l r u l e s
f o r t h e c o n d u c t o f t h e p u p i l a r e t o b e i n s c r i b e d . Es t a b -
l i s h a p e r s o n a l r e c o r d f o r e v e r y p u p i l . . . . E v e r y f i v e
d a y s t h e c h i e f i n s t r u c t o r o f a c l a s s w i l l e x a m i n e t h e m e m -
o r a n d u m , w i l l m a r k c a s e s o f a b s e n c e a n d t a r d i n e s s i n i t ,
a n d w i l l d e m a n d t h e s i g n a t u r e o f t h e p a r e n t u n d e r a l l
r e m a r k s o f t h e i n s t r u c t o r . . . . U n d e r l y i n g t h e r u l i n g
o n t h e c o n d u c t o f p u p i l s i s t o b e p l a c e d a s t r i c t a n d
c o n s c i e n t i o u s a p p l i c a t i o n o f d i s c i p l i n e . . . . I n t h e p e r -
s o n a l r e c o r d t h e r e w i l l b e e n t e r e d f o r t h e e n t i r e d u r a -
t i o n o f h i s s t u d i e s t h e m a r k s o f t h e p u p i l f o r e v e r y
q u a r t e r , h i s p r i z e s a n d h i s p u n i s h m e n t s . . . . A s p e c i a l
a p p a r a t u s o f C o m m u n i s t Y o u t h o r g a n i z e r s i s t o b e i n -
s t a l l e d for the surveillance of the pupil inside and out-
side of school . T h e y a r e t o w a t c h o v e r t h e m o r a l i t y a n d
t h e s t a t e o f m i n d o f t h e p u p i l s . . . . E s t a b l i s h a single
form of dre ss f o r p u p i l s o f t h e p r i m a r y , s e m i - s e c o n d a r y ,
a n d s e c o n d a r y s c h o o l s , t h i s u n i f o r m t o b e i n t r o d u c e d t o
b e g i n w i t h , i n 1 9 3 6 , i n t h e s c h o o l s o f M o s c o w . . . .
[ I t a l i c s m i n e . ]
N e e d l e s s t o d w e l l u p o n t h e d i f f i c u l t y I e x p e r i e n c e d i n
basing an argument upon John Dewey's raptures of
1 9 2 8 , w h e n s u c h a b a c k - j u m p t o t h e c o m p l e t e t e m p e r o f
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END OF SOCIALISM IN RUSSIA 23
e d u c a t i o n u n d e r t z a r i s m - s p i r i t u a l p r i s o n u n i f o r m s , p o -
l i t i c a l s u r v e i l l a n c e a n d a l l - w a s a l r e a d y i n t h e w i n d .
I n t h e s p h e r e o f s e x a n d f a m i l y r e l a t i o n s , o r , i n o t h e r
w o r d s , u p o n t h e p r o b l e m o f t h e f r e e d o m a n d r i g h t s o f
w o m a n a n d t h e r e l a t e d p r o b l e m o f p o p u l a t i o n c o n t r o l ,
t h e c o u n t e r - r e v o l u t i o n i n t h e S o v i e t U n i o n i n t h e p a s t
t w o y e a r s * h a s b e e n s o c r u d e l y p u t o v e r t h a t e v e n o u r
s e r e n e s t i d e o l o g u e s b e c o m e u n e a s y i n t h e i r d r e a m s o f
" b u i l d i n g s o c i a l i s m i n o n e c o u n t r y ." Everybody who
m e a n s b u s i n e s s a b o u t s o c i a l i s m i n a n y c o u n t r y k n o w s
t h a t a s t o p p a g e o f t h e p r e s s u r e o f p o p u l a t i o n o n t h e
m e a n s o f s u b s i s t e n c e i s e s s e n t i a l t o t h e b e g i n n i n g s o f i t .
I n a c o u n t r y l i k e R u s s i a , w h e r e m o t h e r s i n h u n d r e d s o f
t h o u s a n d s a r e u n a b l e t o p r o d u c e , o r b u y , m i l k f o r t h e i r
b a b i e s , a n d t h e p r o b l e m o f h o m e l e s s c h i l d r e n i s o p e n l y
a c k n o w l e d g e d t o b e u n s o l v e d e v e n i n t h e c a p i t a l , t o
c o m e o u t w i t h a p r o c l a m a t i o n a d v o c a t i n g - o r m o r e a c -
c u r a t e l y , d e c r e e i n g - l a r g e f a m i l i e s a n d w h o l e s a l e h u m a n
b r e e d i n g , i s n o t o n l y r e m o t e f r o m s o c i a l i s m , b u t f r o m
s a n e h u m a n k i n d n e s s a n d s o u n d r e a s o n i n a n y o f i t s
f o r m s . I t i s t h e m a d n e s s o f m i l i t a r y n a t i o n a l i s m i n a
p o w e r - c l i q u e w h i c h l o o k s u p o n t h e m a s s e s o f t h e p o p u -
l a t i o n a s i t s c a t t l e a n d i t s c a n n o n f o d d e r .
I t i s n e e d l e s s t o r e m a r k t h a t t h e " h o l y i n s t i n c t o f
motherhood" has once more come into its own as a
w e a p o n o f t h i s r e a c t i o n (P ravda, M a y 2 8 , 1 9 3 5 ) , a n d
* 1 9 3 5- 3 6 .
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24 STALIN'S RU SSIA
a l s o t h e p r o p o s i t i o n t h a t " w o m a n h a v i n g r e c e i v e d r i g h t s
h a s t h e r e w i t h r e c e i v e d d u t i e s " (Pravda, J u n e 7 , 1 9 3 5 )-a c o n c e p t i o n o f " r i g h t s " k n o w n o n l y t o t h o s e w h o s e
p e r m a n e n t p r e r o g a t i v e i t i s t o g i v e a n d w i t h h o l d t h e m .
I t i s s o m e w h a t m o r e s u r p r i s i n g t o s e e " c h i v a l r y , " a n d
n o t o n l y " c h i v a l r y " b u t " k n i g h t l i n e s s " - a w o r d o f b i t t e r
e x e c r a t i o n t o a l l R u s s i a n r e v o l u t i o n i s t s f o r a c e n t u r y -
n o w s o l e m n l y b r o u g h t f o r w a r d i n t h e c a u s e o f w o m a n ' s
r e - e n s l a v e m e n t . W e l e a r n t h a t , h a v i n g a c c e p t e d t h e
a b o v e d u t i e s a s w e l l a s r i g h t s , w o m a n h a s " p u t m a n
u n d e r t h e o b l i g a t i o n t o c a r e f o r h e r w i t h s p e c i a l k n i g h t -
l i n e s s . " A n d t h i s n e w k n i g h t l i n e s s i s t h u s d e f i n e d :
" E v e r y g i r l m u s t b e t r e a s u r e d n o t o n l y a s a t e x t i l e
w o r k e r , a b o l d p a r a c h u t e j u m p e r o r a n e n g i n e e r , b u t a s
a f u t u r e m o t h e r . T h e m o t h e r o f o n e c h i l d m u s t b e t r e a s -
u r e d a s t h e f u t u r e m o t h e r o f e i g h t . " (P ravda, J u n e 7 ,
1 9 3 5 . )J u s t h o w f a r t h e m o t h e r o f e i g h t c h i l d r e n w i l l g o
a s a n e n g i n e e r o r a p a r a c h u t e j u m p e r , i s w e l l k n o w n t o
t h o s e w h o u s e t h e i r b r a i n s w h e n t h e y t h i n k .
T o g i v e t e e t h t o t h i s r e a c t i o n a r y d e c r e e , a n d m a k e
c l e a r t h a t i t r e l a t e s o n l y t o t h e i l l - p a i d m a s s e s o f t h e
w o r k e r s a n d t h e p e a s a n t s , i t i s e n f o r c e d b y r a i s i n g t h e
c o s t s o f d i v o r c e a n d a l i m o n y b e y o n d t h e r e a c h o f t h e s e
h u m a n c a t t l e , a n d m a k i n g a b o r t i o n , o n e o f w o m a n ' s f e w
r e a l g u a r a n t e e s o f l i b e r t y , o n c e m o r e a c r i m e . T h a t i t
w i l l n o t b e a c r i m e t o t h o s e w h o h a v e m o n e y a n d a r e i n
t h e k n o w - t h o s e m o s t p a r t i c u l a r l y w h o i s s u e t h e d e c r e e -
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END OF SOCIALISM IN RUSSIA 25
i s p e r f e c t l y w e l l u n d e r s t o o d b y a l l w h o u n d e r s t a n d a n y -
t h i n g . I t i s c l a s s l e g i s l a t i o n a n d d i s c r i m i n a t o r y s e x l e g i s -
l a t i o n i n i t s f o ul e s t f o r m . I t i s t h e a b s o l ut e e n d o f t h a t
u t o p i a n r e i g n o f f r e e d o m , j u s t i c e , a n d m a t u r e i n t e l l i -
g e n c e u p o n a l l q u e s t i o n s r e l a t i n g t o s e x a n d f a m i l y r e -
l a t i o n s w h i c h l e d C i c e l y H a m i l t o n , r e t u r n i n g f r o m h e r
p i l g r i m a g e t o M o s c o w i n 1 9 3 3 , t o r e p o r t " t h e m o s t i m -
p o r t a n t a d v a n c e . . . w h i c h h a s b e e n m a d e s i n c e t h e
r a c e d e v e l o p e d f r o m b r u t e t o h u m a n . "
A s t o t h e f o u n d a t i o n l a i d b y L e n i n o f a r e v o l u t i o n a r y
p o l i c y a n d h i g h p u b l i c t e m p e r u p o n t h e p r o b l e m s o f
p e a c e , w a r , a n d p a t r i o t i s m , t h e r e i s n o t t h e s h a d o w o f i t
l e f t . E v e n i n m y a r t i c l e I w a s c o m p e l l e d t o p o i n t i n t o
t h e p a s t f o r t h i s . I t w a s o n M a y 2 9 , 1 9 3 4 , t h a t L i t v i n o v
a n n o u n c e d i n G e n e v a t h a t t h e S o v i e t s w o u l d a b a n d o n
t h e i r a n t i - w a r a l l i a n c e w i t h t h e w o r k e r s a n d o p p r e s s e d
p e o p l e s o f t h e e a r t h , a n d p l a y t h e g a m e o f m i l i t a r y d i p l o -
m a c y w i t h t h e c a p i t a l i s t n a t i o n s . I t w a s n o t l o n g a f t e r
t h a t S t a l i n h i m s e l f i s s u e d a j o i n t s t a t e m e n t w i t h t h e
F r e n c h p r e m i e r L a v a l i n w h i c h h e " f u l l y a p p r o v e d t h e
n a t i o n a l d e f e n s e p o l i c y o f F r a n c e i n k e e p i n g h e r a r m e d
f o r c e s o n a l e v e l r e q u i r e d f o r s e c u r i t y . " T o " v o t e w a r
c r e d i t s , " e v e n a f t e r a w o r l d w a r b e g a n , w a s t h e c r i m e o f
t r e a s o n t o M a r x i a n p r i n c i p l e w h i c h c a u s e d L e n i n t o
a b a n d o n t h e S e c o n d I n t e r n a t i o n a l a n d t h e w o r d " s o c i a l -
i s m , " a n d f o r m a T h i r d f o r w h i c h h e t o o k t h e u n c o r -
r u p t e d t e r m " c o m m u n i s m " f r o m t h e b a n n e r s o f t h e c i v i l
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26 STALIN'S RUSSIA
w a r s o f 1 8 4 8 . I n t h e n a m e o f L e n i n , t h e T h i r d I n t e r n a -
t i o n a l n o w s u p p o r t s t h e a r m i e s o f i m p e r i a l i s t i c g o v e r n -
m e n t s i n t i m e o f p e a c e . H a v i n g h a n d e d t h e p o w e r t o
H i t l e r w i t h o u t s h a k i n g a f i s t , t h i s " L e n i n i s t " o r g a n i z a -
t i o n m a k e s H i t l e r a p r e t e x t t o e n t e r a g a i n t h e o l d s y s t e m
o f m i l i t a r y a l l i a n c e s w h i c h t u r n e d E u r o p e i n L e n i n ' s
e y e s i n t o " o n e b l o o d y l u m p . " A n d t o b a t h e t h i s c h a n g e
i n t h e a p p r o p r i a t e e m o t i o n s , P r a v d a , t h e o f f i c i a l o r g a n
of Lenin's party, hauls down the Marxian banner,
" W o r k e r s o f t h e w o r l d u n i t e ! " a n d r u n s u p t h e s l o g a n
o f a l l m a d d o g s o f w a r : " D e f e n s e o f t h e f a t h e r l a n d i s t h e
s u p r e m e l a w o f l i f e . " L e t u s t a s t e a f e w s e n t e n c e s f r o m
P r a v d a ' s e d i t o r i a l o f J u n e 9 , 1 9 3 4 : -" F o r t h e f a t h e r l a n d ! T h a t c r y k i n d l e s t h e f l a m e o f
h e r o i s m , t h e f l a m e o f c r e a t i v e i n i t i a t i v e i n a l l f i e l d s
in all the realms of our rich, of our many-sided
c o u n t r y . . . .
" F o r t h e f a t h e r l a n d ! T h a t c r y r a i s e s t e n s o f m i l l i o n s
o f t o i l e r s t o t h e d e f e n s e o f t h e i r g r e a t f a t h e r l a n d a n d
p u t s t h e m i n f i g h t i n g r e a d i n e s s .
" M i l l i o n s a n d t e n s o f m i l l i o n s o f p e o p l e a c c l a i m i n
o u r b r a v e f l i e r s g r e a t p a t r i o t s o f t h e i r f a t h e r l a n d , f o r
w h o m t h e h o n o r , g l o r y , m i g h t a n d p r o s p e r i t y o f t h e
S o v i e t U n i o n i s t h e s u p r e m e l a w o f t h e i r l i v e s . . . .
" T h e d e f e n s e o f t h e f a t h e r l a n d i s t h e s u p r e m e l a w o f
l i f e . . . .
" F o r t h e f a t h e r l a n d ! F o r i t s h o n o r , g l o r y , m i g h t a n d
p r o s p e r i t y . "
C o m p a r e t h a t w i t h t h e l a n g u a g e o f L e n i n :-
" T h e e s s e n t i a l t h i n g i s f o r u s t o b e , e v e n w h e n t i m e s
a r e m o s t t r y i n g , r e a l i n t e r n a t i o n a l i s t s i n d e e d . . . .
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END OF SOCIALISM IN RUSSIA 2 7
T h e r e i s o n e a n d o n l y o n e k i n d o f r e a l i n t e r n a t i o n a l i s m :
h a r d w o r k a t d e v e l o p i n g t h e r e v o l u t i o n a r y m o v e m e n t
a n d t h e r e v o l u t i o n a r y s t r u g g l e i n o n e ' s o w n l a n d , a n d
s u p p o r t ( b y p r o p a g a n d a , s y m p a t h y , m a t e r i a l a i d ) o f
s u c h , a n d o n l y s u c h , s t r u g g l e s a n d p o l i c i e s i n e v e r y c o u n -
t r y w i t h o u t e x c e p t i o n . "
Compare the two and you have a measure of the
c h a n g e s i n c e L e n i n d i e d .
A n d i f y o u w a n t a m e a s u r e o f t h e e x t r e m e s t o w h i c h
i d e o l o g y c a n g o w h e r e c r i t i c i s m i s s t i f l e d , y o u n e e d o n l y
b e i n f o r m e d t h a t t h e a b o v e a f f i r m a t i o n o f u n i v e r s a l
h y s t e r i c p a s s i o n f o r t h e f a t h e r l a n d w a s t h e p r e f a c e t o a
decree-printed immediately below it-making it a
c r i m e o f t r e a s o n t o " e s c a p e o v e r t h e b o r d e r " o f t h i s s a m e
f a t h e r l a n d , a n d p u n i s h i n g t h i s c r i m e b y " s h o o t i n g a n d
c o n f i s c a t i o n o f a l l p r o p e r t y ." M o r e o ve r , i f i t i s a s o l d ie r
w h o t h u s " e s c a p e s a b r o a d " - f o r " a b r o a d " a n d " o v e r t h e
b o r d e r " a r e t h e s a m e w o r d i n R u s s i a n - t h e g r o w n m e m -
b e r s o f h i s f a m i l y w h o k n e w o f h i s i n t e n t i o n a n d d i d n o t
n o t i f y t h e p o l i c e , s o t h a t h e c o u l d b e s h o t b e f o r e h e
w e n t , g e t f i v e t o t e n y e a r s i n p r i s o n w i t h c o n f i s c a t i o n o f
p r o p e r t y ; a n d t h o s e who did not know o f it , b u t l i v e d
w i t h o r w e r e s u p p o r t e d b y h i m a t t h e t i m e o f h i s c o n -
t e m p l a t e d a c t , m a y b e " d e p r i v e d o f c i t i z e n s h i p a n d e x -
i l e d f o r f i v e y e a r s t o a r e m o t e r e g i o n o f S i b e r i a . "
I t i s o n l y n e c e s s a r y t o a d d t h a t t h i s a b a n d o n m e n t o f
e v e r y ve s t i g e o f L e n i n ' s p o l i c y o f s o c i a l i s t i n t e r n a t i o n a l -
i s m h a s b e e n f o l l o w e d b y a r e o r g a n i z a t i o n o f t h e a r m y
8/2/2019 Stalin Russia and the Crisis in Socialism-Max Eastman-1940-281pgs-POL
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28 STALIN'S RUSSIAo n t h e W e s t e r n p l a n , a b o l i t i o n o f t h e m i l i t i a s y s t e m ,
r e s t o r a t i o n o f t h e t i t l e s , r a n k s , a n d p r i v i l e g e s o f o f f i c e r s ,
a n d r e v i v a l o f t h e u n i f o r m s a n d s p e c i a l r i g h t s o f C o s -
s a c k t r o o p s .
I n e e d n o t g o t h r o u g h t h e w h o l e i n d e x o f m y u t o p i a n
article, and examine to what extent the cultural
c o u n t e r - r e v o l u t i o n h a s a f f e c t e d e a c h o n e o f t h o s e i d e a l
r e f o r m s , o r m a n i f e s t a t i o n s o f u n f e t t e r e d s o c i a l i n t e l l i -
g e n c e , u p o n w h i c h I w a s p r o p o s i n g t o b a s e s o g r a n d a n
argument . T h e s e t h r e e a r e v i t a l - e d u c a t i o n , s e x a n d f a m -
i l y r e l a t i o n s , a n d t h e s t a n d o n p e a c e a n d w a r . W i t h h i g h
i n t e l l i g e n c e a b r o g a t e d i n t h e s e s p h e r e s , w e c a n c h e r i s h
f e w e x t r e m e h o p e s i n o t h e r s . W h e t h e r m y a r g u m e n t i s
a b s t r a c t l y v a l i d o r n o t , i t n o l o n g e r a p p l i e s t o t h e S o v i e t
Union .
POLITICAL TYRANNYT h e f a c t t h a t t h e s e r e a c t i o n a r y d e c r e e s a r e b e i n g i s -
s u e d o n t h e t h e o r y o f a " c o m p l e t e t r i u m p h o f s o c i a l i s m "
i n t h e p o l i t i c a l a n d e c o n o m i c s p h e r e s , a n d o n t h e p l e a
t h a t w h a t i s o p p r e s s i v e i n a c a p i t a l i s t s o c i e t y i s p r o g r e s -
s i v e u n d e r s o c i a l i s m , t h a t w h a t i s t y r a n n y h e r e i s f r e e -
d o m t h e r e , m e r e l y r e v e a l s t h e d e g r e e t o w h i c h c r i t i c a l
t h i n k i n g a b o u t r e a l f a c t s h a s b e e n s u p p l a n t e d b y i d e o l -
o g y , h o n e s t y b y c r u d e d e c e p t i o n .
I n t h e s p r i n g o f 1 9 3 5 S t a l i n ' s g o v e r n m e n t i s s u e d a d e -
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END OF SOCIALISM IN RUSSIA 29
c r e e w h i c h m a d e t h e d e a t h p e n a l t y f o r t h e f t - a d o p t e d f o r
a d u l t s t h r e e y e a r s b e f o r e - a p p l i c a b l e t o m i n o r s f r o m t h e
a g e o f t w e l v e . W h e n t h i s f a c t w a s a n n o u n c e d a t a c o n -
g r e s s o f t h e F r e n c h T e a c h e r s ' F e d e r a t i o n i n A u g u s t o f
t h e s a m e y e a r , t h e S t a l i n s t s i n t h e F e d e r a t i o n i n d i g -
n a n t l y d e n i e d i t . B e i n g s h o w n a c o p y o f I z v e s t i a ( A p r i l
8 , 1 9 3 5 ) c o n t a i n i n g t h e d e c r e e , t h e y l a p s e d i n t o s i l e n c e ,
b u t t h e y w e r e r e a d y n e x t d a y w i t h t h e i n f o r m a t i o n t h a t
" u n d e r s o c i a l i s m c h i l d r e n a r e s o p r e c o c i o u s a n d w e l l
e d u c a t e d t h a t t h e y a r e f u l l y r e s p o n s i b l e f o r t h e i r a c t s " 1
I t i s b u t a r e f l e c t i o n o f t h e m a n n e r i n w h i c h t h i s i d e o l -
o g y i s b e i n g s t r e t c h e d t o c o v e r e v e r y s a d d e s t t h i n g i n
R u s s i a .
I n v i e w o f s u c h a d e c r e e , o n e b l u s h e s a l m o s t t o r e c a l l
t h a t a c c o r d i n g t o M a r x i a n t h e o r y t h e s t a t e a s a n " i n s t r u -
m e n t o f c o m p u l s i o n " w a s s u p p o s e d t o " d i e a w a y " w i t h
t h e t r i u m p h o f s o c i a l i s m , a n d t h i s p r o c e s s w a s t o b e g i n
t h e v e r y m o m e n t t h e i n d u s t r i e s o f a c o u n t r y w e r e s o -
c i a l i z e d . T h i s m i n o r d e t a i l h a s b e e n s o f a r f o r g o t t e n b y
t h e a d h e r e n t s o f S t a l i n t h a t t h e y t h e m s e l v e s b o a s t i n t h e
s a m e b r e a t h t h a t s o c i a l i s m h a s " c o m p l e t e l y a n d i r r e v o -
c a b l y t r i u m p h e d " a n d t h a t S t a l i n h e a d s " t h e s t r o n g e s t
g o v e r n m e n t o n e a r t h . " W h e n c o n f r o n t e d w i t h t h i s i n -
c o n s i s t e n c y , t h e y e x p l a i n i t b y a l l u d i n g t o t h e " c a p i t a l i s t
e n c i r c l e m e n t . " B u t t h a t d i d n o t t r o u b l e t h e m w h e n a s -
s u r i n g u s i n 1 9 25 t h a t " s o c i a l i s m " c o u l d b e b u i l t i n o n e
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30STALIN'S RUSSIA
c o u n t r y . * T h e y w e r e a l r e a d y t a l k i n g i d e o l o g i e s a n d n o t
f a c t s .
T h e w o r d s " s o c i a l i s t " a n d " c o m m u n i s t " a r e c h a n g i n g
t h e i r m e a n i n g j u s t a s t h e w o r d " C h r i s t i a n " d i d . Ju s t a s
h e r e t i c s w e r e b u r n e d b y t h o u s a n d s i n t h e n a m e o f t h e
l o v e o f t h e n e i g h b o r , s o p e a s a n t s h a v e b e e n s t a r v e d b y
m i l l i o n s i n t h e n a m e o f t h e w o r k e r s ' a n d p e a s a n t s ' r e -
p u b l i c . T h e c r u d e a n i m a l e g o i s m s o f m e n a n d c l a s s e s o f
m e n t h u s g r a b i d e a s a n d u s e t h e m , n o t a s h e r o i c l i g h t s
t o a c t i o n , b u t a s b l i n d s t o h i d e i n a c t i o n o r a c t i o n s t h a t
a r e t o o b a s e . L e n i n a b a n d o n e d t h e w o r d " s o c i a l i s m " b e -
c a u s e i t h a d b e c o m e a s m o k e s c r e e n f o r a p o l i c y o f p l a c e -
h u n t i n g a n d a c c o m m o d a t i o n t o c a p i t a l i s m , a n d s e i z e d
t h e o t h e r w o r d t o c l e a n s e a n d r e n e w t h e i d e a o f p r o l e -
t a r i a n r e v o l u t i o n . S t a l i n ' s i d e o l o g i s t s h a v e i n v e n t e d t h e
s c h e m e o f m a k i n g s o c i a l i s m m e a n a " f i r s t s t a g e " i n t h e
d e v e l o p m e n t o f c o m m u n i s m , t h u s e l a b o r a t i n g t h e s m o k e
s c r e e n a n d m a k i n g i t p o s s i b l e t o p u t o v e r i n t h e n a m e
o f " s o c i a l i s m " p o l i c i e s o f r e a c t i o n t h a t w o u l d h o r r i f y t h e
* T h e r e w a s n o t r u e d i s a g r e e m e n t a b o u t w h e t h e r s o c i a l i s m c o u l d
b e b u i l t i n o n e c o u n t r y . A l l s a n e a n d s i n c e r e c o m m u n i s t s , w h e t h e r
S t a l i n i s t o r T r o t s k y i s t , w a n t e d t o b u i l d a l l t h e s o c i a l i s m t h e y c o u l d
in Russia-and how much the y could, nobody knew . T h e i s s u e w a s
whethe r meanwhile Russia should abandon her alliance with the
r e v o l u t i o n a r y w o r k i n g - c l a s s m o v e m e n t s o f o t h e r c o u n t r i e s , o r j o i n h e r
o l d i m p e r i a l i s t a l l i e s i n t h e g a m e o f m i l i t a r y p o w e r . H a d T r o t s k y b e e n
a l e s s p h i l o s o p h i c a l M a r x i s t , o r a m o r e a s t u t e p o l i t i c i a n , h e w o u l d
n e v e r h a v e b e e n m a n e u v e r e d i n t o d e f e n d i n g t h e n e g a t i v e s i d e o f a n
u n r e a l q u e s t i o n .
8/2/2019 Stalin Russia and the Crisis in Socialism-Max Eastman-1940-281pgs-POL
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END OF SOCIALISM IN RUSSIA 31m o s t c o n s e r v a t i v e a n t a g o n i s t s o f L e n i n , p o l i c i e s t h a t ,
b u t f o r t h e s m o k e s c r e e n , w o u l d h o r r i f y e n l i g h t e n e d
o p i n i o n i n e v e r y c o u n t r y o f t h e g l o b e . I f y o u r w a y w a r d
c h i l d s t o o d u n d e r t h e t h r e a t o f b e i n g s h o t f o r t h e f t a t
t w e l v e , i t w o u l d m a t t e r l i t t l e w h e t h e r h e w e r e s h o t o n
t h e t h e o r y t h a t p r o p e r t y h a s b e e n " s o c i a l i z e d " a n d n o w
b e l o n g s t o e v e r y b o d y .
When you remember that Marx placed at the very
b a s i s o f h i s s y s t e m t h e a s s e r t i o n t h a t t h e p r o l e t a r i a t , b e -
i n g t h e l o w e s t c l a s s i n s o c i e t y , c o u l d n o t e m a n c i p a t e i t -
s e l f w i t h o u t e m a n c i p a t i n g a l l m a n k i n d , a n d d e s c r i b e d
s o c i a l i s m i n c o n s e q u e n c e a s " t h e s o c i e t y o f t h e f r e e a n d
e q u a l , " y o u s e e h o w d e e p i s t h e d e g e n e r a t i o n o f t h i s
t e r m . W i t h i n t h e s a m e y e a r W a l t e r D u r a n t y w r o t e a n
a r t i c l e d e s c r i b i n g R u s s i a a s a c o m p l e t e l y " r e g i m e n t e d
l a n d " i n w h i c h " t h e p r i n c i p l e o f s t a t e c o n t r o l o v e r t h e
l i v e s o f i n d i v i d u a l s h a s b e e n f u l l y a n d f i r m l y e s t a b -
l i s h e d , " a n d a n o t h e r a r t i c l e a s s e r t i n g t h a t " t h e b a t t l e f o r
s o c i a l i s m i n t h e U S S R i s d e f i n i t e l y w o n . " Y o u m a y c l i n g ,
a s a s t r i c t M a r x i a n , t o t h e o p i n i o n t h a t t h i s h e a r t l e s s
t y r a n n y h a s a p p e a r e d i n p l a c e o f t h e p r o m i s e d f r e e d o m
o n l y b e c a u s e R u s s i a i s a b a c k w a r d c o u n t r y w i t h a n e c o n -
o m y o f s c a r c i t y t o w h i c h , i n i s o l a t i o n , s o c i a l i s t t h e o r y
d o e s n o t a p p l y ; o r y o u m a y p r o p o s e t o r e v i s e t h e t h e o r y .
B u t y o u c a n n o t a s a t h i n k i n g s o c i a l i s t a s s e n t t o t h i s g l i b
j o u r n a l i s t i c t a l k .
8/2/2019 Stalin Russia and the Crisis in Socialism-Max Eastman-1940-281pgs-POL
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32 STALIN'S RU SSIA
I h a v e m y s e l f n e v e r b e e n a s u f f i c i e n t l y o r t h o d o x a n d
t r u s t f u l M a r x i a n t o b e l i e v e i n t h e h a p p y l e g e n d o f h o w
m e n , o n c e w e a l t h - p r o d u c i n g p r o p e r t y i s o w n e d i n c o m -
m o n , w i l l f i n d t h e m s e l v e s l i v i n g t o g e t h e r i n n a t u r a l c o -
o p e r a t i v e b r o t h e r h o o d a s a n g e l s l i v e . I t r e s t s , m o r e t h a n
m o s t o f M a r x ' s j u d g m e n t s , u p o n t h e r e l i c s o f H e g e l i a n
m y s t i c m e t a p h y s i c s . I h a v e b e e n a l l t h e m o r e k e e n l y
a w a r e , h o w e v e r , t h a t i n t h e p r o p o s e d n e w s o c i e t y t h e
l o c a t i o n o f t h e s o v e r e i g n t y i s t h e s u p r e m e p o l i t i c a l q u e s -
t i o n , a n d t h a t i f p o w e r i s p e r m a n e n t l y s h i f t e d f r o m t h e
r a n k - a n d - f i l e o f t h e w o r k i n g c l a s s a n d s e l f - s u p p o r t i n g
p e a s a n t s , o r g a n i z e d i n f r e e l y a r g u i n g a n d d e m o c r a t i c a l l y
c o n t r o l l e d i n s t i t u t i o n s , t o a p r i v i l e g e d a n d b u r e a u c r a t i c
r u l i n g c a s t e , t h e e x p e r i m e n t i n s o c i a l i s m w i l l n o t l a s t
l o n g . A n d e v e n f r o m t h e s t a n d p o i n t o f t h i s m o r e m o d -
e s t d e m a n d , y o u c a n n o t s a y t h a t p o l i t i c a l l y t h e b a t t l e
f o r s o c i a l i s m i s " d e f i n i t e l y w o n i n t h e U S S R . " Y o u m u s t
s a y , i f y o u a r e t a l k i n g s t r a i g h t f a c t s , t h a t t h e b a t t l e i s
d e f i n i t e l y l o s t . T h e p o w e r h a s p a s s e d i r r e v o c a b l y - e x c e p t
b y r e v o l u t i o n - f r o m t h e w o r k e r s ' a n d p e a s a n t s ' o r g a n i z a -
t i o n t o t h e o r g a n i z a t i o n s o f a p r i v i l e g e d b u r e a u c r a c y .
T h i s p r o c e s s b e g a n l o n g b e f o r e L e n i n d i e d , a n d t h e
f i g h t a g a i n s t i t , t h e f i g h t f o r " W o r k e r s ' D e m o c r a c y "
a g a i n s t b u r e a u c r a t i s m , o c c u p i e d h i s l a s t m o n t h s a n d
d a y s a n d h o u r s a s a l e a d e r . I t w a s i n t h e c r i s e s o f t h i s
f i g h t t h a t h e a t t a c k e d S t a l i n a s r u d e , d i s l o y a l , c a p r i c i o u s ,
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END OF SOCIALISM IN RUSSIA 33
n a t i o n a l i s t i c , a n d s p i t e f u l * - a s c o m p l e t e a c h a r a c t e r i z a -
t i o n ( i f y o u c h a n g e " r u d e " t o " b r u t a l " ) a s h i s t o r y w i l l
a s k - a n d r e c o m m e n d e d t h a t h e b e r e m o v e d f r o m h i s p o -
s i t i o n a s G e n e r a l S e c r e t a r y o f t h e P a r t y . U n d e r S t a l i n ' s
l e a d e r s h i p t h e p o w e r h a s b e e n w i t h d r a w n c o m p l e t e l y
f r o m t h e w o r k e r s a n d p e a s a n t s . T h e s o v i e t s h a v e b e c o m e
b u t t h e r e l i c o f a r o u g h d r a f t o f p r o l e t a r i a n s e l f - g o v e r n -
ment. T h e p o w e r i s i n t h e h a n d s o f a d i c t a t o r a n d a n
o r g a n i z a t i o n o f b u r e a u c r a t s , s t i l l c a l l e d t h e c o m m u n i s t
p a r t y , b u t b y c o n t i n u a l a b u s e o f " p u r g e s " a n d p e r i o d i c
" v e r i f i c a t i o n s o f c r e d e n t i a l s " c l e a r e d a n d c l e a n e d o f
e v e r y t r a c e o f i n d e p e n d e n t a c t o r e v e n d i s c o u r s e q u e s -
t i o n i n g t h e r u l i n g c l i q u e , o r i n c l e a r t e r m s d e n y i n g t h e
i n f a l l i b i l i t y ( w h i c h i s l i t t l e b u t t h e d i v i n e r i g h t ) o f t h e
d i c t a t o r .
E l l a W i n t e r , w h o r a n k s j u s t a b o v e L o u i s F i s c h e r a n d
A n n a L o u i s e S t r o n g a s o u r m o s t n a i v e i d e o l o g i s t o f t h e
" w o r k e r s ' r e p u b l i c , " s a y s o n p a g e 281 o f h e r f e r v i d b o o k ,
Red Virtue : " A l l r e s t r i c t i o n s a g a i n s t i n t e l l e c t u a l s o f
b o u r g e o i s o r i g i n w e r e a b o l i s h e d b y S t a l i n i n t h e s p e e c h
o f J u n e 23, 1931 . " T h a t i s t r u e . T h a t i s h o w R u s s i a i s
g o v e r n e d - b y s p e e c h e s f r o m t h e t h r o n e . A n d t h i s s h i f t
o f s o v e r e i g n t y , n u r t u r e d w i t h u n c e a s i n g v i g i l a n c e s i n c e
1924, h a s r e a c h e d i t s c u l m i n a t i o n i n t h e n e w " d e m o -
* T h e c i t a t i o n s w i l l b e f o u n d i n m y b o o k S i n c e L e n i n D i e d , p p . 2 1
and 2 2 , and in the document called " The Tes tament of Le nin"
p r i n t e d i n t h e a p p e n d i x t o T h e R e a l S i t u a t i o n i n R u s s i a by Leon
T r o t s k y .
8/2/2019 Stalin Russia and the Crisis in Socialism-Max Eastman-1940-281pgs-POL
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34 STALIN'S RUSSIA
c r a t i c " c o n s t i t u t i o n , w h i c h i s n o t h i n g b u t a s w e e p i n g
o u t o f t h e r e f u s e o f w o r k e r s ' r u l e t o m a k e w a y f o r a t o -
t a l i t a r i a n s t a t e n o t i n e s s e n c e d i f f e r e n t f r o m t h a t o f H i t -
l e r a n d M u s s o l i n i . T h e p r e l u d e t o t h i s c o n s t i t u t i o n w a s
a d i s s o l u t i o n o f t h e " S o c i e t y o f O l d B o l s h e v i k s , " a n d a
reorganization of the "Communist Youth," raising
t h e i r u p p e r a g e l i m i t t o t w e n t y - f i v e , a n d a t t h e s a m e
t i m e , b y a s i g n i f i c a n t l o g i c , r e m o v i n g t h e m f r o m a l l p a r -
t i c i p a t i o n i n p o l i t i c a l I t s o t h e r p r e l u d e w a s t h e r e c e n t
s h o o t i n g o f t h e o l d c o l l e a g u e s o f L e n i n - o f w h i c h m o r e
l a t e r - a n d t h e s i m u l t a n e o u s p o l i c e c l e a n - u p o f t h i n k i n g
B o l s h e v i k s , c a l l e d " T r o t s k y i s t s " o r " Z i n o v i e v i s t s , " i n
e v e r y b r a n c h o f t h e S o v i e t e x i s t e n c e , f r o m t h e c o t t o n
h a r v e s t t o t h e K a m m e r n y T h e a t e r a n d t h e A s t r o n o m i c a l
O b s e r v a t o r y . W i t h t h e s e p r e l u d e s i n m i n d , l e t u s e x a m -
i n e t h e c o n s t i t u t i o n .
O n t h e p l e a t h a t s o c i a l i s m i s a c h i e v e d a n d t h a t t h e r e
a r e n o l o n g e r a n y c l a s s e s i n R u s s i a , t h a t w e a r e n o w v e r -
i l y i n t h e s o c i e t y o f t h e f r e e a n d e q u a l , S t a l i n h a s d i s -
s o l v e d , n o t t h e c o m m u n i s t p a r t y a n d i t s m o n o p o l y o f
p o l i t i c a l a c t i o n a n d o r g a n i z a t i o n , a s o n e m i g h t e x p e c t
f r o m t h o s e e x a l t e d p r e m i s e s , b u t t h e s o v i e t s b a s e d o n
f a c t o r i e s a n d t h e e l e c t o r a l s u p e r w e i g h t o f t h e i n d u s t r i a l
w o r k e r s - t h e s o l e r e l i c s l e f t o f t h e i d e a o f a d i s t i n c t l y
p r o l e t a r i a n d e m o c r a c y , t h e s o l e t h i n g s i n t h e w h o l e p o -
l i t i c a l s e t - u p t h a t r e a l l y p o i n t t o s o c i a l i s m . A g l a n c e
t h r o u g h t h i s " m o s t d e m o c r a t i c c o n s t i t u t i o n i n t h e
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END OF SOCIALISM IN RUSSIA3 5
w o r l d " i s s u f f i c i e n t t o s h o w t h a t i t s r e p r e s e n t a t i o n a l
s c h e m e s a r e t o o c o m p l i c a t e d a n d t o o s l o w o f m o v e m e n t
t o h a v e e f f i c a c y i n e x p r e s s i n g t h e " w i l l o f t h e p e o p l e "
e v e n i f t h e y f o r m e d t h e r e a l s t r u c t u r e o f t h e s t a t e . T h e i r
c o n t r a r y o p e r a t i o n i s i n d e e d a s s u r e d , a s A l b e r t G o l d m a n
h a s p o i n t e d o u t , b y t h e r e t e n t i o n o f t h e b i c a m e r a l s y s -
t e m i n w h i c h t h e u p p e r c h a m b e r , l i k e a H o u s e o f L o r d s
o r S e n a t e , b e i n g b a s e d o n t h e f u n c t i o n a r i e s o f t h e v a r i -
o u s r e p u b l i c s , f o r m s a n i n t e g r a l p a r t o f t h e b u r e a u c r a t i c
a p p a r a t u s , a n d h a s t h e p o w e r a t a n y t i m e o f b r i n g i n g
a b o u t t h r o u g h " d i s a g r e e m e n t " a l e g a l d i s s o l u t i o n o f
them both . A l l s o c i a l i s t s a n d a l l r a d i c a l d e m o c r a t s h a v e
a l w a y s o p p o s e d t h i s s u p e r - p a r l i a m e n t a s a b u l w a r k o f
p r i v i l e g e , e v e n w h e n i t h a d n o t t h i s p o w e r , a n d e v e n
w h e r e t h e t w o p a r l i a m e n t s r e a l l y f o r m e d t h e l e g i s l a t i v e
s t a t e . T h e r e a l s t a t e u n d e r S t a l i n ' s c o n s t i t u t i o n i s s t i l l
t o b e t h e c o m m u n i s t p a r t y , n o w n o t h i n g b u t a p y r a -
m i d o f b u r e a u c r a t s s u p p o r t i n g S t a l i n , w h o w i l l o p e r a t e
t h i s u n w i e l d y " p a r l i a m e n t a r y " m o n s t e r , a n d m a k e i t
p r o d u c e v o t e s j u s t a s a t t h e c o u n t y f a i r a c a r d b o a r d c o w
p r o d u c e s m i l k .
W h a t i s t h e " s e c r e t b a l l o t " w h e n o n l y o n e p a r t y c a n
r u n c a n d i d a t e s f o r o f f i c e , a n d t h a t t h e p a r t y i n p o w e r ?
W h a t i s " f r e e p r e s s a n d a s s e m b l a g e " w h e n n o m a n c a n
f o r m , a d v o c a t e , o r s u p p o r t t h e p l a t f o r m o f a n y b u t t h e
g a n g i n p o w e r , a n d w h e n t e n t o t w e n t y t h o u s a n d * o f
* H u n d r e d s o f t h o u s a n d s n o w .
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36 STALIN'S RUSSIAt h o s e w h o h a v e d o n e s o a r e i n j a i l o r e x i l e w h i l e y o u
t a l k a b o u t i t ? W h a t i s t h e w h o l e t a l k u n d e r t h e s e c o n d i -
tions about how "we" are going to "give t h e R u s s i a n
p e o p l e " ( s i c ! ) t h e m o s t d e m o c r a t i c c o n s t i t u t i o n o n e a r t h ?
I s t h e r e a n y t e r m i n t h e A m e r i c a n l a n g u a g e t o d e s c r i b e
i t e x c e p t " a p p l e s a u c e " ?
L e t u s t u r n f r o m t h i s u n e d i f y i n g p o l i t i c a l s i d e s h o w -
a s s a s s i n a t i o n o f t h e p h a n t o m o f p r o l e t a r i a n d e m o c r a c y
b y t h e c a r i c a t u r e o f r e p r e s e n t a t i v e g o v e r n m e n t - t o t h e
e c o n o m i c f a c t s w h i c h u n d e r l i e i t .
ECONOMIC EXPLOITATIONS o c i a l i s m m e a n s a c l a s s l e s s s o c i e t y , a n d a c l a s s l e s s s o -
c i e t y m e a n s t h a t a p r i v i l e g e d m i n o r i t y o f t h e p o p u l a -
t i o n a r e n o t i n a p o s i t i o n t o e n j o y t h e n a t i o n a l w e a l t h ,
w h i l e t h e m a j o r i t y l i v e o n l y i n t h e i r l a b o r t o p r o d u c e i t .
I t m e a n s e s p e c i a l l y t h a t p r i v i l e g e d i n d i v i d u a l s w h o d o
h a v e e x c e s s i n c o m e c a n n o t i n v e s t i t i n t h e i n s t r u m e n t s
of production with which others work, thus reducing
t h e m t o a p o s i t i o n o f f i x e d s u b s e r v i e n c e . I t m e a n s a n
e n d o f r e n t , p r o f i t , a n d i n t e r e s t o n s t o c k s a n d b o n d s , a n
e n d o f " s u r p l u s v a l u e , " a n e n d o f t h e e x p l o i t a t i o n o f
l a b o r . T o a l l t h o s e o t h e r c u l t u r a l g o o d s o f w h i c h w e
h a v e b e e n s p e a k i n g , t h i s e c o n o m i c c h a n g e w a s r e g a r d e d
b y s o c i a l i s t s a s p r e r e q u i s i t e a n d f u n d a m e n t a l .
T h a t b e i n g t h e c a s e , i t i s o b v i o u s t h a t i f R u s s i a w e r e
a s o c i a l i s t s t a t e , o r i f i t s s o v e r e i g n s h a d t h e s l i g h t e s t i n -
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END OF SOCIALISM IN RUSSIA 37
t e n t i o n o f a l l o w i n g i t t o b e c o m e o n e , w e s h o u l d k n o w
e x a c t l y w h a t i s t h e d i s t r i b u t i o n o f t h e n a t i o n a l i n c o m e
a m o n g t h e d i f f e r e n t c a t e g o r i e s o f t h e p o p u l a t i o n a n d
i n w h a t d i r e c t i o n i t i s t r a v e l i n g . We should know how
m u c h o f t h a t i n c o m e g o e s n o t o n l y a s s a l a r y , b u t i n t h e
f o r m o f u n p a i d p r i v i l e g e s , t o t h e c a p t a i n s o f i n d u s t r y
a n d o f f i c e - h o l d e r s o f t h e s t a t e , t r a d e u n i o n s , c o - o p e r a -
t i v e s , c o l l e c t i v e f a r m s , a n d c o m m u n i s t p a r t y . W e s h o u l d
k n o w h o w m u c h o f i t i s g o i n g t o t h e p a y m e n t o f 7 a n d 8
p e r c e n t i n t e r e s t t o t h e h o l d e r s o f g o v e r n m e n t b o n d s a n d
s a v i n g s - b a n k b o o k s , w h o c o n s t i t u t e n o t o n l y a p r i v i l e g e d
c a s t e , b u t t o t h e e x t e n t o f t h e i r h o l d i n g s c a p i t a l i s t s i n
t h e e s s e n t i a l l y i m p o r t a n t s e n s e o f t h e t e r m . We know
n o t h i n g a c c u r a t e l y a b o u t a l l t h i s , a n d f o r t h e v e r y g o o d
r e a s o n t h a t a c c u r a t e s t a t i s t i c s a r e o f a l l t h i n g s l e a s t c o m -
p a t i b l e w i t h t h e f r e e p r o l i f e r a t i o n o f i d e o l o g i e s .
E v e n w i t h o u t t h e s e s t a t i s t i c s w e c a n g l e a n e n o u g h t o
p r o v e t h a t w h e n o u r r e c e n t l y M a r x i f i e d l i b e r a l s c o m e
h o m e f r o m a b r i e f t o u r o f t h e S o v i e t s t e l l i n g u s h o w w e l l
" s o c i a l i s m w o r k s " i n R u s s i a , t h e y a r e r e a l l y o n l y t e l l i n g
u s t h a t l i f e t h e r e i s n o t r a d i c a l l y d i f f e r e n t f o r p e o p l e o f
t h e i r c l a s s f r o m w h a t i t i s h e r e . * A m o n g t h e r e a s s u r i n g
p r a c t i c a l i t i e s o f l i f e u n d e r t h e S o v i e t s r e p o r t e d b y
* T h e y a r e t e l l i n g u s , t o o - a n d t h i s i s o n e o f S t a l i n ' s t r u l y s u b t l e
d i s p e n s a t i o n s - t h a t l i f e i s m o r e l u x u r i o u s f o r w r i t e r s i n S o v i e t R u s s i a
t h a n i t h a s e v e r b e e n b e f o r e i n a n y p l a c e . G e n e r a l e d u c a t i o n h a s m a d e
p u b l i c i t y a s i m p o r t a n t a w e a p o n o f d e s p o t i s m a s t h e a r m e d f o r c e s .
I n S o v i e t R u s s i a t h e F o u r t h E s t a t e h a s a l m o s t r e p l a c e d t h e S e c o n d .
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3 8 STALIN'S RUSSIAG e o r g e S o u l e , f o r i n s t a n c e , a p r o m i n e n t p l a c e w a s o c c u -
p i e d b y t h e n e w s t h a t i t h a d b e e n f o u n d " n e c e s s a r y t o
s t i m u l a t e e n t e r p r i s e a n d a b i l i t y b y d i f f e r e n t i a l r e w a r d s , "
a n d t h a t " t h e r e i s n o r e s e n t m e n t o f t h e f a c t t h a t s o m e
p e o p l e d r e s s b e t t e r t h a n o t h e r s . " T h a t M r . S o u l e i n t h i s
p a r t i c u l a r v o y a g e w a s n o t f u n c t i o n i n g a s t h e k e e n -
m i n d e d e c o n o m i s t h e i s , m a y b e s e e n i n t h e f a c t t h a t h e
r e p o r t e d n o i n q u i r y a s t o t h e m a g n i t u d e o f t h i s " d i f -
f e r e n t i a l r e w a r d , " o r t h e d e g r e e o f t h i s d i f f e r e n c e o f
d r e s s - h o w k e e n l y i t c a n b e f e l t , f o r i n s t a n c e , b y t h e
p e r i p h e r a l n e r v e - e n d i n g s i n t h e l o n g R u s s i a n w i n t e r .
H e r e a r e a f e w f i g u r e s a s t o t h i s " d i f f e r e n t i a l r e w a r d " -
f i g u r e s g l e a n e d f r o m a s t u d i o u s s c r u t i n y o f m a t t e r
p r i n t e d i n t h e S o v i e t p r e s s t h r o u g h i n a d v e r t e n c e , o r
w h e n t h o s e i n t e r e s t e d i n t h e d i s t r i b u t i o n o f w e a l t h w e r e
n o t s u p p o s e d t o b e l o o k i n g . I q u o t e L e o n S e d o v , w r i t -
i n g o n t h e S t a k h a n o v i s t M o v e m e n t i n The New Inter-
n a t i o n a l f o r F e b r u a r y 1 9 3 6 :-
" T h e r e i s h a r d l y a n a d v a n c e d c a p i t a l i s t c o u n t r y w h e r e
t h e d i f f e r e n c e i n w o r k e r ' s w a g e s i s a s g r e a t a s a t p r e s e n t
i n t h e U . S . S . R . I n t h e m i n e s , a n o n - S t a k h a n o v i s t m i n e r
g e t s f r o m 400 t o 5 0 o r u b l e s a m o n t h , a S t a k h a n o v i s t
m o r e t h a n i , 6 o o r u b l e s . T h e a u x i l i a r y w o r k e r , w h o
d r i v e s a t e a m b e l o w , g e t s o n l y 1 7 o r u b l e s i f h e i s n o t a
S t a k h a n o v i s t a n d 40o r ub l e s i f h e i s ( P r a v d a , N o v . 1 6 ,
1 9 3 5 ) - t h a t i s , o n e w o r k e r g e t s a b o u t t e n t i m e s a s m u c h
a s a n o t h e r . A n d 1 7 o r u b l e s b y n o m e a n s r e p r e s e n t s t h e
l o w e s t w a g e , b u t t h e a v e r a g e w a g e , a c c o r d i n g t o t h e d a t a
o f S o v i e t s t a t i s t i c s . T h e r e a r e w o r k e r s w h o e a r n n o m o r e
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END OF SOCIALISM IN RUSSIA 39
t h a n 1 5 0 , 1 2 0 o r e v e n l o o r u b l e s a m o n t h . . . . T h e e x -
a m p l e s w e g i v e b y n o m e a n s i n d i c a t e t h e e x t r e m e l i m i t s
i n t h e t w o d i r e c t i o n s . O n e c o u l d s h o w w i t h o u t d i f f i c u l t y
t h a t t h e w a g e s o f t h e p r i v i l e g e d l a y e r s o f t h e w o r k i n g
c l a s s ( o f t h e l a b o r a r i s t o c r a c y i n t h e t r u e s e n s e o f t h e
t e r m ) a r e 20 t i m e s h i g h e r , s o m e t i m e s e v e n m o r e , t h a n
t h e w a g e s o f t h e p o o r l y - p a i d l a y e r s . A n d i f o n e t a k e s t h e
w a g e s o f s p e c i a l i s t s , t h e p i c t u r e o f t h e i n e q u a l i t y b e -
c o m e s p o s i t i v e l y s i n i s t e r . O s t r o g l i a d o v , t h e h e a d e n g i -
n e e r o f a p i t , w h o m o r e t h a n r e a l i z e s t h e p l a n , g e t s 8 , 6 o o
rubles a month ; a n d h e i s a m o d e s t s p e c i a l i s t , w h o s e
w a g e s c a n n o t , t h e r e f o r e , b e c o n s i d e r e d e x c e p t i o n a l .
T h u s , e n g i n e e r s o f t e n e a r n f r o m 8 o t o i o o t i m e s a s
m u c h a s a n u n s k i l l e d w o r k e r . "
T h e w h o l e s t a n d a r d o f l i v i n g o f t h e R u s s i a n p e o p l e i s
e x t r e m e l y l o w b y c o m p a r i s o n w i t h o u r s , a n d t h a t h e l p s
o u r i d e o l o g u e s i g n o r e t h e f a c t r e p r e s e n t e d b y t h i s l a s t
f i g u r e . " T h e d i f f e r e n c e s o f i n c o m e . . . , " says Edmund
W i l s o n , " a r e , f r o m t h e A m e r i c a n p o i n t o f v i e w , v e r y
s l i g h t ; b u t t h e y a r e , f o r R u s s i a , v e r y c o n s i d e r a b l e . " T h e
d i f f e r e n c e s o f s a l a r y , i n s o f a r a s t h i s f i g u r e r e v e a l s t h e m ,
a r e a l i k e i n R u s s i a a n d A m e r i c a . I t i s p r o b a b l y , a s t h e
a u t h o r s a y s , n o t a n e x c e p t i o n a l f i g u r e . B u t a s s u m i n g
t h a t i t i s , l e t u s c o m p a r e i t w i t h e x c e p t i o n a l A m e r i c a n
f i g u r e s .
I n t h e New Republic f o r J u l y 1 5 , 1 9 3 6 , t h e r e a p -
p e a r e d a t a b l e c o m p a r i n g t h e s a l a r i e s o f o f f i c e r s i n s o m e
o f o u r w e a l t h i e r A m e r i c a n c o m p a n i e s w i t h t h e a v e r a g e
w e e k l y w a g e o f t h e w o r k e r s e m p l o y e d b y t h e m . I l e a r n
f r o m t h i s t a b l e , p i c k i n g i t u p a t r a n d o m , t h a t M r . C . F .
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40 STALIN'S RUSSIAK e l l e y o f t h e C h i l e C o p p e r C o . r e c e i v e s $ 5 0 , 6 0 0 a y e a r ,
h i s a v e r a g e w o r k e r $ 2 3 . 5 8 p e r w e e k - a d i f f e r e n c e o f i t o
41 . Mr. G e o r g e H o r a c e L o r i m e r o f t h e C u r t i s P u b l i s h -
ing Co . h a s b e e n r e c e i v i n g $ 9 0 , 5 0 0 a y e a r a n d h i s a v e r -
a g e w o r k e r $ 3 3 . 6 8 p e r w e e k - a d i f f e r e n c e o f i t o 5 1 . I f
w e t a k e 1 7 o r u b l e s a m o n t h a s t h e w a g e o f a R u s s i a n
w o r k e r - a n d b e i n g b a s e d o n r a t h e r s h a m e f a c e d s t a t i s t i c s
t h i s i s a v e r y h i g h e s t i m a t e o f t h e a v e r a g e - a n d c o m p a r e
i t w i t h t h e s a l a r y p a i d t o M r . O s t r o g l i a d o v , w e h a v e a
d i f f e r e n c e o f i t o 5 0 . W e a r e e v i d e n t l y a m o n g t h e s a m e
magnitudes .
We need only assume that Mr . O s t r o g l i a d o v ' s l a b o r e r s
a r e f o r t h e m o s t p a r t u n s k i l l e d , a n d r e c e i v e t h e l o w b u t
b y n o m e a n s u n u s u a l w a g e o f i o o r u b l e s a m o n t h , t o s e e
t h a t h i s s a l a r y o f 8 , 6 o o r u b l e s c o m p a r e s f a v o r a b l y w i t h
t h a t o f M r . H . F . S i n c l a i r , a n o f f i c e r o f C o n s o l i d a t e d O i l ,
w h o r e c e i v e s a n a n n u a l w a g e o f $ 1 2 6 , 6 5 9 w h i l e h i s w o r k -
e r s g e t a l o n g o n $ 2 9 . 5 3 a w e e k . T h e r a t i o h e r e i s i t o 8 2 .
T h a t i n t h e c a s e o f M r . O s t r o g l i a d o v , i t o 8 6 .
I t i s n o t n e c e s s a r y t o c a r r y t h e c o m p a r i s o n f a r t h e r i n
o r d e r t o s h o w t h a t t h e " d i f f e r e n t i a l r e w a r d " u n d e r w h a t
i s c a l l e d " s o c i a l i s m " i s n o t r a d i c a l l y d i f f e r e n t , i n s o f a r a s
s a l a r i e s a r e c o n c e r n e d , f r o m t h a t u n d e r A m e r i c a n c a p i -
t a l i s m . ' *
* A decree of August 2 9 , 1 9 3 8 , set an upper limit to salary payments
o f 2 , 0 0 0 rubles a month, except by special decree of the Council of
Commissars . T h i s w o u l d l e g a l i z e u n d e r n o r m a l c i r c u m s t a n c e s a " d i f f e r -
e n t i a l r e w a r d " o f t or 2 t o 2 0, a n d p r o v i d e f o r s u c h e x c e p t i o n a l f i g u r e s
as those discussed above .
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END OF SOCIALISM IN RUSSIA 41T h e l o w l e v e l o f a l l i n c o m e i n t h e S o v i e t U n i o n i s
w h a t m a k e s l i f e s e e m s o d i f f e r e n t . A c c o r d i n g t o r e c e n t
o f f i c i a l c l a i m s a r u b l e i s w o r t h t w e n t y c e n t s , a n d a t t h a t
r a t e M r . O s t r o g l i a d o v ' s s a l a r y w o u l d e q u a l a n a n n u a l
s t i p e n d o f $20,640 a y e a r . H e r e a g a i n , h o w e v e r , o f f i c i a l
c l a i m s a r e o p t i m i s t i c ; I d o u b t i f t h e r e a l s a l a r y , a s i d e
f r o m " p r i v i l e g e s , " i s m u c h m o r e t h a n h a l f o f t h a t . And
t h i s m a k e s h i s " d i f f e r e n t i a l r e w a r d " s e e m , t o p e o p l e a c -
c u s t o m e d t o r e g a r d s u c h s a l a r i e s a s s m a l l , a s i g n i f i c a n t l y
d i f f e r e n t t h i n g f r o m M r . S i n c l a i r ' s .
I t i s r e a l l y i n l a r g e p a r t t h e b a c k w a r d n e s s o f R u s s i a
t h a t o u r l i t e r a r y t o u r i s t s l o v e . T h a t m e d i e v a l l e i s u r e a n d
i n v i t i n g o f t h e s o u l , e s p e c i a l l y w h e n c o m b i n e d w i t h a
c h i l d l i k e a n d e a g e r e n t h u s i a s m f o r t h e b e g i n n i n g s o f
m o d e r n i s m , t h e j o y o f a n a t i o n a l i n d u s t r i a l b i r t h a n d
r e b i r t h , i s i r r e s i s t i b l e . T h e y l o v e R u s s i a m u c h a s J o h n
R e e d d i d w h e n h e w e n t t h e r e b e f o r e t h e r e v o l u t i o n , and
c a m e h o m e e x c l a i m i n g : " R u s s i a n i d e a l s a r e t h e m o s t e x -
h i l a r a t i n g ; R u s s i a n t h o u g h t t h e f r e e s t , R u s s i a n a r t t h e
m o s t e x u b e r a n t ; R u s s i a n f o o d a n d d r i n k a r e t o m e t h e
b e s t , a n d R u s s i a n s t h e m s e l v e s a r e , p e r h a p s , t h e m o s t i n -
t e r e s t i n g h u m a n b e i n g s t h a t e x i s t . " * O u r t o u r i s t s l i n k
u p t h e s e c h a r m s o f a n a g r a r i a n b a c k w a r d n e s s w i t h t h e
m y t h o f a u t o p i a n l e a p i n t o t h e f u t u r e , a n d w i t h t h e
a c t u a l r e l i c s o f t h e w o r k e r s ' r e p u b l i c , a n d b e c o m e t h e
* Q u o t e d b y G r a n v i l l e H i c k s i n h i s Joh n Reed, the Making of a
Revolutionary .
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42 STALIN'S RUSSIAmore e a s y d u p e s o f S t a l i n ' s i d e o l o g y . T h e y h a v e t h a t
much excuse .
L a s t w i n t e r , a t t h e t i m e o f h e r l e c t u r e i n L o s A n g e l e s ,
I a s k e d A n n a L o u i s e S t r o n g , o n e w h o s o l o v e s S t a l i n ' s
R u s s i a t h a t s h e " c h a n g e d w o r l d s " t o b e a p a r t o f i t ,
w h e t h e r i t i s t r u e t h a t P i l n y a k , t h e n o v e l i s t , r e c e i v e d
s o m e y e a r s a g o a n a n n u a l i n c o m e o f 30,000 r u b l e s a y e a r
- t h a t i s , s o m e t w e n t y t o t w e n t y - f i v e t i m e s t h e p r e s e n t
w a g e o f a n u n s k i l l e d w o r k e r - a n d s h e a n s w e r e d , a l m o s t
w i t h a s p e r i t y : -
" I d o n ' t k n o w s p e c i f i c a l l y a b o u t P i l n y a k , b u t I d a r e
s a y h e d o e s . I c o u l d , i f I w a n t e d t o t u r n m y m i n d t o i t . "
I q u o t e t h i s t o s h o w h o w l i t t l e M a r x ' s i d e a o f a s o c i e t y
o f t h e f r e e a n d e q u a l i s r e a l l y t r o u b l i n g t h e s e i d e o l o g u e s ,
a n d a l s o b e c a u s e i t a d d s o n e m o r e d r o p o f a r i t h m e t i c t o
o u r c o n c e p t i o n o f t h o s e " d i f f e r e n t i a l r e w a r d s . " I t c a s t s a
l i g h t , t o o , u p o n H a r o l d D e n n y ' s d i s p a t c h t o t h e N e w
York T i m e s o f M a y 8 , 1 9 3 6 , w h i c h a p p e a r e d u n d e r t h e
a p p r o p r i a t e h e a d l i n e s : " L e i s u r e d W o m e n U n i t e i n M o s -
c o w " - " N e w I d l e C l a s s G a t h e r s t o S e t U p S o c i e t y t o
Help Workers Culturally"-"Aim Is to Make Life
Brighter and Provide Useful Work for Executives'
Wives . "
A n o t h e r A m e r i c a n S t a l i n i s t r e c e n t l y r e t u r n i n g f r o m
M o s c o w , t o a n i n q u i r y a f t e r t h e h e a l t h o f V i c t o r V a k s o v ,
o n c e h e a d o f t h e M e t a l W o r k e r s ' s e c t i o n o f t h e R e d I n -
t e r n a t i o n a l o f L a b o r , s a i d : " H e h a s d o n e p r e t t y w e l l b y
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END OF SOCIALISM IN RUSSIA 43
h i m s e l f . H e i s n o w h e a d o f o n e o f t h e t r u s t s i n t h e a u t o -
m o b i l e i n d u s t r y , h a s a f i n e h o u s e w i t h t w o s e r v a n t s , t w o
o f f i c i a l c a r s a t h i s d i s p o s a l , a n d a P a c k a r d o f h i s o w n
b o u g h t i n A m e r i c a . " T h a t i s a s i g n i f i c a n t s t a t i s t i c , w h e n
b r o u g h t i n t o r e l a t i o n t o t h e t h i r t y - o d d d o l l a r s a m o n t h
p a i d t o m e t a l - w o r k e r s , a n d s h o u l d b e e a s y t o v e r i f y .
F o r f u r t h e r s t a t i s t i c a l l i g h t I w i l l q u o t e t h i s p a r a g r a p h
f r o m a b o o k o n S o v i e t R u s s i a , The Revolution Be-
t r a y e d , b y Leon Trotsky :-
" T h e r e a l e a r n i n g s o f t h e S t a k h a n o v i s t s o f t e n e x c e e d
b y t w e n t y o r t h i r t y t i m e s t h e e a r n i n g s o f t h e l o w e r c a t e -
g o r i e s o f w o r k e r s . A n d a s f o r e s p e c i a l l y f o r t u n a t e s p e c i a l -
i s t s , t h e i r s a l a r i e s w o u l d i n m a n y c a s e s p a y f o r t h e w o r k
o f e i g h t y o r a h u n d r e d u n s k i l l e d l a b o r e r s . I n s c o p e o f
i n e q u a l i t y i n t h e p a y m e n t o f l a b o r , t h e S o v i e t U n i o n
h a s n o t o n l y c a u g h t u p t o , b u t f a r s u r p a s s e s t h e c a p i t a l i s t
c o u n t r i e s ! "
T h e S t a k h a n o v m o v e m e n t , i t s h o u l d b e e m p h a s i z e d ,
i s n o t o n l y t h e a d o p t i o n o f A m e r i c a n a n d G e r m a n m e t h -
o d s o f l a b o r o r g a n i z a t i o n a n d e f f i c i e n c y . I t i s t h e b u i l d -
i n g u p o f a n e w p r i v i l e g e d c a s t e , a n a r i s t o c r a c y o f l a b o r ,
w h o t o g e t h e r w i t h t h e h i g h l y p a i d f o r e m a n a n d m a n -
a g e r s c a n b e r e l i e d o n t o s u p p o r t t h e d i c t a t o r .
W i t h t h e s a m e d i s r e g a r d o f t h e r e a l a i m s o f s o c i a l i s m ,
t h e " c o l l e c t i v i z a t i o n o f a g r i c u l t u r e " i s b e i n g t u r n e d i n t o
a g o v e r n m e n t a l g r a n t o f s p e c i a l p r i v i l e g e s t o v a s t c o r -
p o r a t i o n s p r o s p e r i n g a t t h e e x p e n s e o f t h e m a s s e s o f t h e
p e a s a n t s . N o t h i n g c o u l d e x c e e d t h e b r u t a l i t y , c a p r i c e ,
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44 STALIN'S R U SSIA
a n d d i s l o y a l t y t o s o c i a l i s m w i t h w h i c h S t a l i n h a s h a n d l e d
this problem of problems . E x p r o p r i a t i n g t h e w e l l - o f f
p e a s a n t s c a l l e d " k u l a k s " a t t h e p o i n t o f t h e b a y o n e t ,
s h i p p i n g t h e m t o S i b e r i a i n c a t t l e c a r s b y h u n d r e d s o f
t h o u s a n d s , h e r d i n g t h e r e m a i n d e r i n t o c o l l e c t i v e s b e f o r e
e v e n t h e m a c h i n e r y f o r l a r g e - s c a l e f a r m i n g w a s m a n u -
f a c t u r e d , h e l a i d w a s t e a l l f e r t i l e R u s s i a l i k e a b a t t l e -
f i e l d . T h e n a f t e r a y e a r o r t w o h e b r o u g h t m a n y o f t h e
d e p o r t e d " k u l a k s " t r u n d l i n g b a c k a n d s e t t l e d t h e m o n
t h e f a r m s w i t h p r i v a t e a l l o t m e n t s a l o n g s i d e f o r t h o s e
s t i l l e n e r g e t i c e n o u g h t o t i l l t h e m . And now he has
t u r n e d t h e w h o l e s y s t e m i n t o a r e s e r v o i r o f s p e c i a l p r i v i -
l e g e b y g r a n t i n g t h e l a n d " i n p e r p e t u i t y " t o t h o s e c o l -
l e c t i v e s w h i c h , b e c a u s e o f g o o d s o i l , g e o g r a p h i c a l l o c a -
t i o n , e t c . , h a v e s i g n a l l y p r o s p e r e d . T h a t i s , h e h a s g i v e n
a w a y f r a n c h i s e s t o v a s t f a r m i n g c o r p o r a t i o n s , d e e d i n g
t h e m t h e h e r e d i t a r y r i g h t f o r m e r l y p o s s e s s e d b y t h e a r i s -
t o c r a c y t o c u l t i v a t e f o r t h e i r o w n p r o f i t t h e m o s t f e r t i l e
a n d a d v a n t a g e o u s p o r t i o n s o f t h e R u s s i a n s o i l . I t i s h a r d
t o s a y w h e t h e r t h i s a c t i s c h a r a c t e r i z e d m o r e b y i r r e l e -
v a n t " c a p r i c e " o r b y s y s t e m a t i c " d i s l o y a l t y " t o s o c i a l i s m .
I t i s a c o n s i s t e n t s t e p o n l y i n t h e b u i l d i n g u p o f s o c i a l
s u p p o r t f o r a B o n a p a r t i s t c l i q u e .
T r o t s k y f o r s o m e r e a s o n f a i l s t o n o t e w h a t s e e m s t o
m e t h e m e a t o f t h i s w h o l e s i t u a t i o n - t h e f a c t , n a m e l y ,
t h a t t h e s e h a p p y b e n e f i c i a r i e s o f " t h e t r i u m p h o f s o c i a l -
i s m , " t h e o v e r s e e r s , s p e c i a l i s t s , b u r e a u c r a t s , a n d l a b o r
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END OF SOCIALISM IN RUSSIA 45
a n d c o l l e c t i v e f a r m a r i s t o c r a t s , a r e a b l e t o i n v e s t t h e i r
i n c o m e s , n o t , t o b e s u r e , i n r i s k y s h a r e s a n d d e b e n t u r e s
p r o d u c i n g o n t h e a v e r a g e i f t h e y a r e l u c k y 4 o r 5 p e r
c e n t o f i n t e r e s t , b u t i n g o v e r n m e n t b o n d s w h i c h p a y 7
p e r c e n t , o r f a i l i n g t h a t , t o d e p o s i t t h e m i n s a v i n g s b a n k s
w h e r e t h e y a r e e x e m p t f r o m b o t h i n h e r i t a n c e a n d i n -
c o m e t a x e s , a n d e a r n 8 p e r c e n t o f i n t e r e s t . T a k i n g t h i s
i n t o c o n s i d e r a t i o n , i t s e e m s c l e a r t h a t a l a r g e p r o p o r t i o n
o f t h e c a p i t a l i s t s o f A m e r i c a c o u l d p r o f i t a b l y c h a n g e
p l a c e s w i t h t h e m , i f t h e g e n e r a l l e v e l o f w e a l t h i n t h e
t w o c o u n t r i e s w e r e e q u a l .
T h a t o u r l i b e r a l s c h o l a r s a n d l i t t e r a t e u r s s h o u l d b e
c o n v e r t e d t o a " s o c i a l i s m " o f t h a t k i n d i s n o t s u r p r i s i n g .
I d o n o t m e a n t h a t t h e r e i s a n y e q u i v o c a t i o n i n t h e i r
m o t i v e ; a n d I m u s t a d d t h a t t h e i r z e a l , i n d u s t r y , a n d
d e v o t i o n , l i k e t h a t o f m a n y o f t h e p a r t y c o m m u n i s t s , a f -
f o r d o n e o f t h e f e w s i g n s o f l i f e i n a s u f f i c i e n t l y d e a d
p o l i t i c a l l a n d s c a p e . B u t i t i s i m p o s s i b l e f o r o n e w h o h a s
a c c e p t e d , e v e n t o t h e e x t e n t t h a t I h a v e , t h e M a r x i a n
v i e w o f t h e r o l e o f i d e a s i n h i s t o r y , n o t t o s e e t h a t t h e
c h a n g e t h e y a r e b r i n g i n g a b o u t i s e t y m o l o g i c a l r a t h e r
t h a n e c o n o m i c . T h e y a r e p l a y i n g t h e i r p a r t i n t h e p r o c -
e s s o f d e l u d i n g m a n k i n d a n d t h e m s e l v e s w i t h a n o t h e r
i d e o l o g y - a " s o c i a l i s m " w h i c h m e a n s a s l i t t l e i n r e a l f a c t
a n d a c t i o n a s " C h r i s t i a n i t y " d o e s t o a b u s y a n d p r o s p e r -
o u s C h r i s t i a n .
A f t e r m a k i n g t h e r e m a r k q u o t e d a b o v e a b o u t " d i f -
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46 STALIN'S RUSSIA
f e r e n t i a l r e w a r d s , " M r . S o u l e a s k s h i m s e l f a p e r t i n e n t
q u e s t i o n :
" W e l l , t h e n , w h y d o n o t t h e m o r e s u c c e s s f u l g e t a l l
t h e p o w e r a n d r o b t h e l e s s s u c c e s s f u l , j u s t a s i n c a p i -
t a l i s m ? "
A n d h e m a k e s t h i s r e p l y :-
" T h e a n s w e r i s t h a t t h e i r m o n e y d o e s n o t g i v e t h e m
a n y p o w e r o v e r t h e s y s t e m , s i n c e t h e y c a n n o t o w n f a c -
t o r i e s , m i n e s , f a r m s , a p a r t m e n t h o u s e s , n e w s p a p e r s ,
r a d i o s t a t i o n s , s t o r e s o r r a i l r o a d s - a n y o f t h e m e a n s o f
p r o d u c t i o n . T h e y c a n n o t e m p l o y l a b o r i n b u s i n e s s e n -
t e r p r i s e s . T h e r e a r e n o s h a r e s , d e b e n t u r e s , p r i v a t e b o n d
i s s u e s , s t o c k m a r k e t s o r c o m m o d i t y e x c h a n g e s . . . .
T h e y c a n b u y g o v e r n m e n t b o n d s o r p u t t h e i r m o n e y i n
a s a v i n g s b a n k . T h e r e w a s m u c h p r i d e i n t h e g r o w t h o f
s a v i n g s a c c o u n t s t h i s y e a r . T h e y c a n t r a v e l . S o c i a l p r e s -
s u r e w i l l n o t a l l o w t h e m , h o w e v e r , t o l i v e o n t h e i r s a v -
i n g s w i t h o u t w o r k i n g . . . .
O m i t t i n g s o m e m i n o r m a t t e r s , t h e n , l i k e a h i g h i n -
h e r i t a n c e t a x a n d " s o c i a l p r e s s u r e " a g a i n s t l o a f i n g ( b o t h
d e c l i n i n g r a p i d l y ) , t h e s u b s t a n t i a l d i f f e r e n c e b e t w e e n
" s o c i a l i s m " a n d c a p i t a l i s m s e e m s t o b e t h a t u n d e r " s o -
c i a l i s m , " i n s t e a d o f i n v e s t i n g y o u r m o n e y a t y o u r o w n
d i s c r e t i o n , a n d y o u r o w n r i s k , y o u l e t t h e g o v e r n m e n t
i n v e s t i t f o r y o u a n d g u a r a n t e e y o u a 7 a n d 8 p e r c e n t
r e t u r n o n y o u r i n v e s t m e n t . T h a t d o e s i n d e e d p r e v e n t
t h e a m a s s i n g o f p r o d i g i o u s f o r t u n e s , a n d m i g h t b e d e -
s c r i b e d a s a k i n d o f P o p u l i s t o r B r y a n i t e u t o p i a , s o l o n g
a s i t m a y l a s t . B u t i t h a s v e r y l i t t l e t o d o w i t h t h e g u l f
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END OF SOCIALISM IN RUSSIA 47
b e t w e e n t h e p r o l e t a r i a t a n d t h e o w n i n g c l a s s a s a w h o l e ,
o r w i t h t h e a i m s o f s o c i a l i s m . A n d j u s t w h e r e M r . S o u l e
t h i n k s t h a t " s o c i a l p r e s s u r e " i s c o m i n g f r o m a s t h e s e t a x -
e x e m p t i n v e s t m e n t s o f p r i v a t e c a p i t a l c o n t i n u e t o p i l e
u p , i s a m y s t e r y . I t w o u l d b e i n t e r e s t i n g t o k n o w w h a t
a M a r x i s t o f t h e v i n t a g e o f 1 9 3 5 t h i n k s " s o c i a l p r e s -
s u r e " i s .
T h a t a n o t e d e c o n o m i s t , e v e n o f " b o u r g e o i s " t r a i n -
i n g , c o u l d b e s o n a i v e o n c e h e t h r u s t s h i s h e a d i n t o t h e
m i s t s o f t h e S o v i e t i d e o l o g y w o u l d b e a s t o n i s h i n g w e r e
i t n o t f o r t h e e x a m p l e o f S i d n e y a n d B e a t r i c e W e b b ,
w h o a r e s u p p o s e d t o k n o w s o m e t h i n g a b o u t e c o n o m i c s
f r o m a s o c i a l i s t s t a n d p o i n t . T h e y s t a t e t h a t t h e r e i s n o
" u n e a r n e d i n c o m e " i n t h e c o u n t r y , i n t h e v e r y s a m e
t h r e e l i n e s i n w h i c h t h e y d i s c u s s t h e b o r r o w i n g o f m o n e y
a t s t u p e n d o u s r a t e s o f i n t e r e s t b y a g o v e r n m e n t w h i c h i s
a v a s t c o r p o r a t i o n o w n i n g a n d o p e r a t i n g a l l i n d u s t r y .
" I n f l a t i o n , " t h e y s a y , " . . . a m o u n t s t o a d i s g u i s e d
c u t i n e v e r y b o d y ' s w a g e s , w h i c h h a s h i t h e r t o b e e n r e -
g a r d e d a s a n o b j e c t i o n a b l e f o r m o f t a x a t i o n , t h o u g h o n e
f o u n d t o b e l e s s i n j u r i o u s i n a n e q u a l i t a r i a n c o m m u -
n i t y , i n w h i c h t h e r e i s . . . a n a b s e n c e o f i n c o m e s t h a t
a r e u n e a r n e d . A p r e f e r e n t i a l e x p e d i e n t t o w h i c h t h e
S o v i e t G o v e r n m e n t u s u a l l y r e s o r t s i s a n i n t e r n a l l o a n . "
I a m n o e c o n o m i s t , b u t I t h i n k I a m n o t c r a z y . A n d i f
I a m n o t , t h e n w h e n a g o v e r n m e n t w h i c h i s r u n n i n g t h e
i n d u s t r i e s a n d e m p l o y i n g t h e l a b o r o f a c o u n t r y t a k e s
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48 STALIN'S RU SSIA
l o a n s from p e o p l e w h o h a v e e x c e s s i n c o m e , a n d p a y s t h o s e
p e o p l e 7 p e r c e n t i n t e r e s t o n t h e l o a n s , t h o s e p e o p l e
a r e n o t o n l y r e c e i v i n g u n e a r n e d i n c o m e , b u t t h e y a r e
r e c e i v i n g s u r p l u s v a l u e d e r i v e d from t h e e x p l o i t a t i o n
o f t h e c o u n t r y ' s l a b o r . A n d w h e n y o u a d d t o t h e s e b o n d -
h o l d e r s t h e " t w e n t y - f i v e m i l l i o n d e p o s i t o r s " i n t h e S t a t e
S a v i n g s B a n k s , " e n c o u r a g e d b y i n t e r e s t a t t h e r a t e o f
e i g h t p e r c e n t a n d b y t o t a l e x e m p t i o n o f d e p o s i t s f r o m
i n c o m e t a x , i n h e r i t a n c e t a x , a n d v a r i o u s s t a m p d u t i e s " -
I a m s t i l l q u o t i n g t h e f a b u l o u s W e b b s - y o u h a v e a s i t u -
a t i o n a s r e m o t e f r o m s o c i a l i s m , t o s a y n o t h i n g o f " c o m -
m u n i s m , " a s a n y t h i n g t h a t c o u l d c o n c e i v a b l y b e p u t
a c r o s s u p o n t h e m o s t g u l l i b l e m i n d a s a c y n i c a l i m i t a -
t i o n o f i t .
I f a n A m e r i c a n m a n o f m o n e y g e t s a n a v e r a g e p r o f i t
o f 5 p e r c e n t o n h i s v a r i o u s i n v e s t m e n t s h e t h i n k s h e i s
d o i n g p a s s a b l y w e l l , a n d h e s u b m i t s , w i t h o u t a n y v e r y
s t e a d y c r y o f " s o c i a l i s m , " b o t h t o a n i n c o m e t a x a n d t o
a n i n h e r i t a n c e t a x u p o n t h i s u n e a r n e d i n c r e m e n t . U n -
d e r " s o v i e t c o m m u n i s m " t h e m a n o f m o n e y i s g u a r a n -
t e e d a n i n c o m e o f 7 a n d 8 p e r c e n t o n h i s i n v e s t m e n t s ,
a n d i t i s e x e m p t f r o m b o t h i n c o m e a n d i n h e r i t a n c e
t a x e s . I t w o u l d b e h a r d t o s u g g e s t , o f f h a n d , a n e a t e r
s y s t e m f o r r e - e s t a b l i s h i n g c l a s s d i v i s i o n s i n a s o c i e t y i n
w h i c h t h e y h a d b e e n b a d l y s h a k e n u p a n d w e r e i n d a n -
g e r o f c o m p l e t e e l i m i n a t i o n .
I t i s o f c o u r s e s o m e w h a t m o r e s i m p l e f o r t h e S o v i e t
8/2/2019 Stalin Russia and the Crisis in Socialism-Max Eastman-1940-281pgs-POL
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END OF SOCIALISM IN RUSSIA 49
s t a t e , i f y o u c o n c e i v e i t a s d i s t i n c t f r o m t h e h o l d e r s o f
t h e s e b o n d s a n d b a n k b o o k s , t o r e p u d i a t e i t s o b l i g a t i o n s
t h a n i t w o u l d b e f o r a m a s s o f p r i v a t e e n t e r p r i s e s . A S t a l i n -
m i n d e d c r i t i c o f m y a r t i c l e h a s e v e n s u g g e s t e d t h a t s o m e
s u c h t r i c k i s b e i n g d e l i b e r a t e l y p l a y e d u p o n t h e R u s s i a n
p e o p l e . " I f y o u r a i s e a m a n ' s p a y a n d f o r c e h i m t o t a k e
b o n d s i n p r o p o r t i o n , t h e n p u t t h e b o n d s t h r o u g h a c o n -
v e r s i o n , a n d f i n a l l y d e v a l u a t e t h e r u b l e w i t h a p r o s p e c t
o f c a n c e l l i n g t h e b o n d s a l t o g e t h e r , i t l o o k s m o r e t o m e
l i k e a n e x t r e m e l y h e a v y t a x f a i n t l y g i l d e d w i t h p a t r i o t -
i s m , t h a n t h e e s t a b l i s h m e n t o f v e s t e d c l a s s i n t e r e s t . "
P e o p l e w h o c a n p e r s u a d e t h e m s e l v e s t h a t a g o v e r n m e n -
t a l c l i q u e w h i c h w i l l s w i n d l e p e o p l e i n t h a t r a w f a s h i o n ,
d e s t r o y i n g t h e i r p l a n s , t h e i r h o p e s , t h e i r f a m i l i e s , t h e i r
l i f e - s t r u c t u r e s b y m i l l i o n s i n o r d e r t o r u n t h e s t a t e , a r e
g o i n g t o r u n i t i n t h e i n t e r e s t o f t h e B r o t h e r h o o d o f
M a n a n d t h e C o - o p e r a t i v e C o m m o n w e a l t h , h a v e a d e t e r -
m i n a t i o n t o d e c e i v e t h e m s e l v e s w i t h w h i c h I d o n o t
know how to cope . M a r x d i s m i s s e d a s u t o p i a n t h e i d e a
t h a t g o o d m e n c o u l d b e r e l i e d o n t o b r i n g a b o u t s o c i a l -
i s m . A g r e a t m a n y S t a l i n i s t s h a v e l e a r n e d t h i s s o w e l l
t h a t t h e y a c t u a l l y b e l i e v e b a d m e n c a n b e r e l i e d o n t o
d o i t , i f t h e y a r e b a d e n o u g h .
I t s e e m s o b v i o u s t h a t i f t h e s e r a p i d l y m o u n t i n g d e b t s
a r e n o t r e p u d i a t e d , t h e n n o t o n l y d o e x p l o i t a t i o n a n d
t h e c l a s s s o c i e t y r e m a i n , b u t a l l t h e b a s i c p r o b l e m s o f
capitalism remain-the inadequate buying power of
8/2/2019 Stalin Russia and the Crisis in Socialism-Max Eastman-1940-281pgs-POL
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50 STALIN'S RUSSIA
t h o s e w h o l i v e o n w a g e s , t h e c o n s e q u e n t l a g g i n g o f d i s -
t r i b u t i o n b e h i n d p r o d u c t i o n , t h e c y c l e s , t h e d e p r e s s i o n ,
a n d i n t h e e n d t h e r a g e f o r f o r e i g n m a r k e t s . T h e s o l e
f u n d a m e n t a l n e w t h i n g l e f t i s t h e p l a n n i n g p o w e r i n t h e
h a n d s o f t h e s t a t e . T h i s m a y p r o v e a v e r y f u n d a m e n t a l
t h i n g . S o l o n g a s t h e s t a t e i s r u t h l e s s e n o u g h t o l e t f o u r
t o s i x m i l l i o n s o f t h e p o p u l a t i o n s t a r v e t o d e a t h i n o r d e r
t o b u i l d u p f o r e i g n c r e d i t , a s w a s d o n e ( i t i s n o w a d m i t -
t e d p r i v a t e l y ) b y S t a l i n ' s s t a t e i n 1 9 3 3 , i t w i l l c e r t a i n l y
be momentous . B u t f r o m t h e s t a n d p o i n t o f t h e r e v o l u -
t i o n a r y s c i e n c e , i t w i l l m e a n t h a t o n c e m o r e t h e t o i l i n g
m a s s e s h a v e t a k e n a r m s a n d f o u g h t u p o n t h e b a r r i c a d e s
a n d d i e d f o r e q u a l l i b e r t y , a n d o n c e m o r e t h e y h a v e r e -
c e i v e d f o r t h e i r p a i n s a n e w a n d m o r e e f f i c i e n t s y s t e m o f
c l a s s e x p l o i t a t i o n .
Note : C a l v i n B . H o o v e r , i n h i s Dictators and Democ-
r a c i e s , makes a comment on my discussion of Russian
bonds which, coming from an expert on such matters
a n d a v e r y j u d i c i o u s o n e , I f e e l o b l i g e d t o q u o t e :
" T h e r e c a n h a r d l y b e a n y d e n i a l . . . t h a t t h e S o v i e t
s t a t e h a s r e v i v e d e s s e n t i a l l y t h e s a m e s o r t o f d i f f e r e n t i a l s
i n i n c o m e w h i c h a r e e n j o y e d b y J o e L o u i s a n d t h e c o r -
p o r a t i o n e x e c u t i v e i n a c a p i t a l i s t i c e c o n o m y . F a c t u a l l y ,
i t i s d i f f i c u l t t o s a y w h e t h e r o r n o t t h e r e i s s u b s t a n c e t o
M a x E a s t m a n ' s c h a r g e t h a t a r e n t i e r c l a s s i s l i k e w i s e b e -
i n g d e v e l o p e d . U p t o v e r y r e c e n t t i m e s b o n d i s s u e s i n
t h e S o v i e t U n i o n w e r e c e r t a i n l y n o t s o m u c h a d e v i c e
f o r i n v e s t m e n t b y w h i c h o n e l i v e d f r o m s u r p l u s , a s t h e y
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END OF SOCIALISM IN RUSSIA 5 1
w e r e a d e v i c e f o r l o w e r i n g i n c o m e s f o r e v e r y o n e . Ev e r y -
body had a fixed amount deducted monthly from his
w a g e o r s a l a r y , w h i c h a m o u n t w e n t i n t h e o r y t o b u y a
bond. The worker who bought the bond was not al-
l o w e d t o s e l l i t . The money which was paid to the
w o r k e r i n i n t e r e s t i n s u c c e e d i n g y e a r s m e r e l y m e a n t t h a t
w a g e s w e r e t h a t m u c h l o w e r t h a n t h e y w o u l d h a v e b e e n
i f i t h a d n o t b e e n n e c e s s a r y t o p a y i n t e r e s t o u t o f t h e
c u r r e n t p r o d u c t o f i n d u s t r y . I t w o u l d h a v e m a d e l i t t l e
d i f f e r e n c e i f t h e S o v i e t g o v e r n m e n t h a d i n t h e b e g i n -
n i n g s i m p l y p a i d w a g e s a n d s a l a r i e s i n a n a m o u n t l o w
e n o u g h t o l e a v e a s u r p l u s e q u a l t o t h e s u m s r a i s e d b y t h e
b o n d i s s u e s . I t i s p e r f e c t l y t r u e t h a t t h e d e v i c e o f g u a r -
a n t e e d r e t u r n s o n s t a t e b o n d s m i g h t b e t h e m e a n s b y
which a r e n t i e r c l a s s c o u l d d e v e l o p , b u t t i m e a l o n e w i l l
t e l l w h e t h e r t h i s i s g o i n g t o h a p p e n . I d o n o t b e l i e v e
t h a t i t h a s o c c u r r e d t o a n i m p o r t a n t d e g r e e a s y e t . "
P e r h a p s t h e s i t u a t i o n c a n b e s u m m a r i z e d a d e q u a t e l y
f o r t h e p r e s e n t b y s a y i n g t h a t a m e c h a n i s m h a s b e e n s e t
u p w h i c h , i n c a s e t h e n a t i o n a l i n c o m e i n c r e a s e s s u f f i -
c i e n t l y t o m a k e a c l a s s l e s s s o c i e t y p o s s i b l e , w i l l e f f e c -
t u a l l y g u a r d a g a i n s t i t .
8/2/2019 Stalin Russia and the Crisis in Socialism-Max Eastman-1940-281pgs-POL
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THE MEANING OF THE MOSCOWTRIALS
IT WOULD h a v e b e e n c l e a r l o n g a g o t h a t t h e R u s s i a n r e v -
o l u t i o n h a d f a i l e d w e r e i t n o t f o r S t a l i n ' s s k i l l i n m a n i p -
u l a t i n g p u b l i c o p i n i o n . H i s c o u n t e r - r e v o l u t i o n h a s b e e n
t h e b l o o d i e s t i n a l l h i s t o r y . Aside from the punitive
e x p e d i t i o n s a g a i n s t p e a s a n t s , t h e c a m p a i g n s o f s t a t e -
p l a n n e d s t a r v a t i o n , t h e w a r o f e x t e r m i n a t i o n a g a i n s t
t h i n k i n g p e o p l e g e n e r a l l y , h e h a s p u t t o d e a t h m o r e s i n -
c e r e a n d l o y a l p a r t y - m i l i t a n t s t h a n e v e r d i e d b e f o r e w i t h
t h e d e a t h o f a r e v o l u t i o n . H i s w o r k m a k e s t h a t o f t h e
g u i l l o t i n e a f t e r t h e a r r e s t o f R o b e s p i e r r e l o o k p a l e i n -
deed. A n d y e t b e c a u s e o f h i s c r a f t y g u i d a n c e o f t h e
s t e a m - r o l l e r a n d t h e m a c h i n e o f p u b l i c i t y , i t r e q u i r e d
a n o p e n p a c t w i t h H i t l e r ' s G e r m a n y t o w a k e t h e w o r l d
u p t o t h e f a c t t h a t T h e r m i d o r w a s e n d e d , t h a t h e w a s
the man on horseback .
S t a l i n w a s t r a i n e d a s a " p r o f e s s i o n a l r e v o l u t i o n i s t " ;
t h a t i s w h y h i s c o u n t e r - r e v o l u t i o n s h o w s s o f e w a m a t e u r
d e f e c t s . H e k n o w s a l l t h e m o v e s t h a t c a n b e m a d e a g a i n s t
5 2
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MEANING OF MOSCOW TRIALS 53
him ; h e k n o w s a l l t h e m o v e s t o m a k e . H e h a s u s e d e v e r y
t r i c k i n t h e r e p e r t o r y o f d e m a g o g i s m i n h i s c o l o s s a l
t a s k o f p r o v i n g a l l l o y a l B o l s h e v i k s t r a i t o r s t o t h e c a u s e ,
a n d s e l l i n g h i s p e r s o n a l t y r a n n y t o t h e p u b l i c a s t h e
s u p e r - s c i e n t i f i c b e g i n n i n g s o f a m i l l e n n i u m . A n d h e h a s
u s e d o n e t r i c k n e v e r t h o u g h t o f b e f o r e - t h a t o f m a k i n g
d i s t i n g u i s h e d b a t c h e s o f t h e o l d r e v o l u t i o n i s t s " c o n f e s s "
p u b l i c l y a n d i n t h e f a c e o f d e a t h t h a t they a r e t h e c o u n -
t e r - r e v o l u t i o n , h e t h e s o l e l o y a l l e a d e r o f t h e P a r t y .
T h i s h o a x h a s h a d s o m a s s i v e a s u c c e s s , n o t o n l y i n
R u s s i a , w h e r e t o q u e s t i o n t h e c o n f e s s i o n s i s i t s e l f a c a p i -
t a l o f f e n s e , b u t a m o n g f r e e - j u d g i n g i n t e l l e c t u a l s e l s e -
w h e r e , t h a t i t m u s t b e s e p a r a t e l y d i s c u s s e d b y a n y o n e
w h o a s s e r t s - n o m a t t e r w i t h w h a t e c o n o m i c f a c t s t o b a c k
h i m - t h a t S t a l i n i s m i s t h e c o u n t e r - r e v o l u t i o n . P e o p l e
r e a d t h e p l a i n w o r d s s p o k e n i n t h e f a c e o f d e a t h b y m e n
o f s o u n d m i n d , a n d a r e o v e r w e i g h e d b y t h e m y s t e r y : " I f
t h e y d i d n o t c o m m i t t h e c r i m e s c o n f e s s e d t o , wh y d i d
t h e y s a y t h e y d i d ? "
I u n d e r s t a n d w h y , b u t t h e u n d e r s t a n d i n g i s s o b o u n d
u p w i t h m y p e r s o n a l e x p e r i e n c e o f t h e m e n t a l i t y o f t h e
c o n s e c r a t e d B o l s h e v i k t h a t I f i n d i t d i f f i c u l t t o e x p l a i n
t o W e s t e r n m i n d s . I f I w e r e a s k e d t o s t a t e i n t h e o r d e r
o f t h e i r i m p o r t a n c e t h e g r o u n d s o f m y s u r e k n o w l e d g e
t h a t t h o s e " c o n f e s s i o n s " w e r e c o n c o c t e d p a r t y l i e s , I
s h o u l d b e g i n w i t h o n e w h i c h n o o n e e l s e h a s m e n t i o n e d :
t h e w o r d s i n w h i c h t h e y w e r e s p o k e n . T o a m a n u n a c -
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54 STALIN'S RUSSIA
q u a i n t e d w i t h M a r x i a n t h e o r y a n d R u s s i a n B o l s h e v i k
w a y s o f t h i n k i n g b a s e d u p o n i t , I s u p p o s e t h e d i m e n o v e l
t w a d d l e i n w h i c h t h e s e B o l s h e v i k l e a d e r s t r i e d t o e x -
p l a i n t h e i r a b a n d o n i n g t h e t h e o r y a n d t a c t i c s o f M a r x
a n d L e n i n a n d t a k i n g u p w i t h t h e r e j e c t e d d o c t r i n e s o f
t h e Narodovoltzi i n t h e i r w i l d e s t f o r m s , m a y s e e m
p l a u s i b l e . S o m e p e o p l e h a v e n o f e e l i n g f o r s t y l e s a n d
m o d e s o f t h o u g h t . B u t a n y o n e w h o h a s , a n d w h o i s a l s o
a c q u a i n t e d w i t h t h e l i t e r a t u r e a n d h i s t o r y o f t h e R u s -
s i a n r e v o l u t i o n , c a n s e e i n a d o z e n p a g e s t h a t t h e s e
M a r x i s t s w e r e n o t d e s c r i b i n g a c h a n g e o f p r i n c i p l e a n d
t a c t i c i n t h e i r o w n m i n d s , b u t w e r e r e c i t i n g t h e p l o t o f
a m e l o d r a m a p r e p a r e d w i t h o u t r e g a r d t o t h e i r m i n d s .
T h e r e i s h a r d l y a n i n d i c a t i o n i n t h e e n t i r e p u b l i s h e d r e -
p o r t o f e i t h e r t r i a l t h a t a n y o n e o f t h e d e f e n d a n t s e v e r
r e a d M a r x , a s s o c i a t e d w i t h L e n i n , o r a c q u a i n t e d h i m s e l f
w i t h t h e i n t e l l e c t u a l h i s t o r y o f t h e R u s s i a n r e v o l u t i o n .
I t i s c o n c e i v a b l e t h a t a h i g h l y t r a i n e d B o l s h e v i k
l e a d e r , a l i e u t e n a n t o f L e n i n , m i g h t g o o v e r , u n d e r s t r e s s
o f t h e n e w c o n c e n t r a t i o n o f p o w e r , t o t h e p r i n c i p l e s o f
t h e L e f t S o c i a l R e v o l u t i o n a r i e s a n d f a r b e y o n d t h e m .
I t i s h a r d l y c o n c e i v a b l e t h a t a l l o f L e n i n ' s l i e u t e n a n t s
would . B u t l e t u s s u p p o s e t h e y d i d . T h e y w o u l d j u s t i f y
t h e m s e l v e s i n a l a n g u a g e a n d w i t h a s e t o f c o n c e p t s a s
r e m o t e f r o m t h o s e e m p l o y e d b y t h e d e f e n d a n t s i n t h i s
t r i a l a s t h e p r e s c r i p t i o n s o f a t r a i n e d p h y s i c i a n a r e f r o m
t h e j a b b e r o f a w i t c h d o c t o r .
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MEANING OF MOSCOW TRIALS 55
T h e f a c t t h a t t h e i r s t o r i e s d i d n o t j i b e w i t h t h e f a c t s ,
t h a t t h e y d e s c r i b e d a r e n d e z v o u s i n a h o t e l t h a t n o
l o n g e r e x i s t s , a t r i p i n a n a i r p l a n e t h a t n e v e r f l e w , a
m e e t i n g w i t h T r o t s k y i n P a r i s w h e n T r o t s k y w a s i n a
r e m o t e c o r n e r o f F r a n c e , i s w h o l l y i n c i d e n t a l . T o a n y -
o n e w h o k n o w s t h e i r m i n d s , i t i s o b v i o u s t h a t t h e y w e r e
p e r f o r m i n g a s t u d i e d f a l s i f i c a t i o n f r o m t h e f i r s t w o r d t o
t h e l a s t .
THE MENI n o t o n l y k n o w t h e i r m i n d s a n d t h e t r a d i t i o n s o f t h e
m o v e m e n t t o w h i c h t h e y b e l o n g , I k n e w m a n y o f t h e m
p e r s o n a l l y . T o m e t h e y w e r e n o t j u s t o u t l a n d i s h n a m e s
i n a g r u e s o m e R u s s i a n n o v e l , b u t r e a l h u m a n b e i n g s
w i t h b e l i e f s a n d f e e l i n g s m u c h l i k e m i n e . S o m e o f t h e m
w e r e m y f r i e n d s .
I w e n t t o R u s s i a i n 192 2 a n d l i v e d t h e r e a s a f r i e n d
o f t h e g o v e r n m e n t f o r t w o y e a r s . I h a d b e e n e d i t o r o f
t h e o n l y A m e r i c a n m a g a z i n e w h i c h s u p p o r t e d t h e B o l -
s h e v i k s f r o m t h e d a y t h e y s e i z e d p o w e r - t h e m a g a z i n e
w h i c h s e n t J o h n R e e d t o M o s c o w a n d p r i n t e d h i s f i r s t
a r t i c l e s d e s c r i b i n g a " T e n D a y s T h a t S h o o k t h e W o r l d . "
T h a t g a v e m e a v e r y g o o d e n t r e e i n t o t h e i n n e r c i r c l e s
o f B o l s h e v i s m - a s g o o d , I t h i n k , a s a n y o n e h a d w h o w a s
n o t a n a c t u a l d e l e g a t e t o t h e C o m m u n i s t I n t e r n a t i o n a l .
R a d e k I k n e w w e l l , a n d I h a v e t h e t e s t i m o n y i n h i s
o w n h a n d w r i t i n g o f h i s f r i e n d s h i p f o r m e . S e r e b r i a k o v
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5 6 STALIN' S RU SSIA
I k n e w f a r b e t t e r , a n d a d m i r e d a t h o u s a n d t i m e s m o r e .
A stronger-hearted, honester and braver man I never
knew . M u r a l o v w a s a h e r o i n m y e y e s . H e w a s a h e r o i n
t h e e y e s o f a l l R u s s i a . A g e n i a l k i n d - h e a r t e d g i a n t , h e
l e d t h e f i g h t i n M o s c o w t h a t l a s t e d s o m e d a y s a f t e r P e t r o -
g r a d w a s i n t h e h a n d s o f t h e w o r k e r s a n d s o l d i e r s . H e
was afterward commander of the Moscow military dis-
t r i c t - o n e o f t h e b i g g e s t , m o r a l l y a s w e l l a s p h y s i c a l l y ,
a n d o n e o f t h e b e s t - l o v e d o f t h o s e w h o f o u g h t i n t h e
f r o n t l i n e d u r i n g t h e O c t o b e r d a y s .
P i a t a k o v I r e m e m b e r a s a s l i m , g e n t l e , h i g h l y i n t e l -
l e c t u a l , d e l i c a t e l y o r g a n i z e d , f r i e n d l y p e r s o n , q u i e t l y
v e r y f i r m i n h i s o w n j u d g m e n t s , f o r h e h a d a n i n s t r u c t e d
a s w e l l a s a t h i n k i n g m i n d , b u t g e n i a l l y a t t e n t i v e t o
o t h e r s . W e w e n t t o t h e c i r c u s t o g e t h e r o n e o f t h e l a s t
S a t u r d a y s b e f o r e I l e f t M o s c o w . H i s b e i n g d r a g g e d o u t
t o d e a t h f o r a n a l l e g e d b e t r a y a l o f s o c i a l i s m c o m e s p o i g n -
antly home to me . I k n o w t h a t h e w a s n o t o n l y a f i n e ,
l o y a l a n d h u m a n e c h a r a c t e r , b u t a m a n w h o r e p r e s e n t e d ,
a s f e w o t h e r s d i d b e s i d e s L e n i n , T r o t s k y a n d R a k o v s k y ,
t h e h i g h e s t i n t e l l e c t u a l c u l t u r e t o b e f o u n d i n t h e B o l -
s h e v i k p a r t y .
Another man I knew well enough to love was Budu
M d v a n i , r e c e n t l y e x e c u t e d w i t h f o r t y o t h e r G e o r g i a n
B o l s h e v i k s . H e i s o n e o f t h e m a n y - h o w m a n y , w h o w i l l
e v e r k n o w ? - t h a t r e f u s e d t o c o n f e s s , a n d w e r e s h o t b e h i n d
c l o s e d d o o r s . A b i g , b r o a d - s h o u l d e r e d , p o w e r f u l , j o v i a l ,
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MEANING OF MOSCOW TRIALS 57
p r o d i g i o u s l y l a u g h i n g , a s t o n i s h i n g l y h a n d s o m e , v e r i -
t a b l e d y n a m o o f a m a n , o n e o f t h e w e l l - l o v e d f r i e n d s o f
L e n i n a n d T r o t s k y a n d e v e r y b o d y e l s e w h o e v e r k n e w
h i m , o n e o f t h e g o r g e o u s p e o p l e o f t h e e a r t h , a " p r i n c e "
i f t h e r e e v e r w a s o n e , a n d v a s t l y a m u s e d t o b e c o n f u s e d
w i t h l i t t l e t i t l e d p r i n c e s o f t h e s a m e n a m e . N o w h e i s
s w e p t d o w n t o o . T h e y a r e a l l g o n e , a l l t h e g r e a t B o l s h e -
v i k p a r t y m e n , t h e t r u e l e a d e r s - e i t h e r d e a d o r i n p r i s o n
o n t h e w a y t o d e a t h .
B u k h a r i n a p p e a l e d l e s s t o m e i n t e l l e c t u a l l y t h a n s o m e
o f t h e o t h e r s , b e c a u s e h e s e e m e d i n a d e q u a t e t o h i s t a s k
o f p a r t y " t h e o r e t i c i a n , " b e i n g t h o r o u g h l y t a n g l e d u p i n
a p i l e o f k n o w l e d g e t h a t w a s t o o b i g f o r h i m . B u t h e w a s
a m a n o f d e l i c a t e s e n s i t i v i t y - a n a r t i s t o f t a l e n t - a n d a
m a n w h o h a d l i v e d h i s w h o l e l i f e i n d e v o t e d l a b o r f o r
t h e s o c i a l i s t i d e a l . H e s e r v e d S t a l i n m o s t o f t h e t i m e i n a
k i n d o f b e w i l d e r e d d e s p a i r , a n d h i s a r r e s t a d d e d a n i g h t -
m a r e t o u c h t o t h o s e t r i a l s , s e l f - v i l i f i c a ti o n s a n d s h o o t i n g s
o f a l l i n R u s s i a w h o m I t r u s t e d .
S o s s n o v s k y , P r a v d a ' s c h i e f f e a t u r e w r i t e r u n d e r L e n i n ,
I w a s a s s o c i a t e d w i t h i n a n e f f o r t t o f o u n d a n e w S o v i e t
m a g a z i n e w h i c h s h o u l d b e l e s s n a r r o w l y p o l i t i c a l , m o r e
c a t h o l i c i n s c o p e , t h a n a n y t h e n e x i s t i n g . W e t a l k e d t o -
g e t h e r e n d l e s s l y a t t h e e d i t o r i a l m e e t i n g s - f o r w i t h c h a r -
a c t e r i s t i c R u s s i a n h o s p i t a l i t y I w a s a s k e d t o j o i n t h e s t a f f
o f t h e n e w m a g a z i n e - a n d I a d m i r e d a n d l i k e d S o s s n o v -
s k y a s w e l l a s a n y b o d y I m e t i n M o s c o w . A n o t h e r t r u e
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5 8STALIN'S RU SSIA
m a n , c o u r a g e o u s a n d b r a i n y , h e s t o o d o u t f o r h i s p r i n -
c i p l e s a n d s p e n t y e a r s i n a s o l i t a r y c o n f i n e m e n t p r i s o n
i n S i b e r i a f o r r e f u s i n g t o r e n o u n c e t h e p r o g r a m o f t h e
L e f t O p p o s i t i o n . H e t o o i s d i s g r a c e d a n d d e a d n o w , a l -
t h o u g h h e n e v e r s t o o d u p i n c o u r t a n d a s k e d m e t o b e -
l i e v e t h a t h e h a d b e c o m e a d e p r a v e d b e a s t .
I d o n o t b e l i e v e i t o f a n y o f t h e m b e c a u s e I k n e w
t h e m t o o w e l l . I wo u l d n o t f e e l l o g i c a l l y i m p e l l e d t o b e -
l i e v e i t , e v e n i f t h e i r c o n d u c t i n c o u r t w e r e a s m u c h a
m y s t e r y t o m e a s i t i s t o t h e u n i n i t i a t e d . F o r t h a t i s o n l y
o n e m y s t e r y . T h o s e w h o t r y t o b e l i e v e i n t h e t r u t h o f t h e
" c o n f e s s i o n s " h a v e t w o m y s t e r i e s t o e x p l a i n . F i r s t , h o w
d i d p o i s e d , t r u s t e d , l o y a l a n d i n t e l l i g e n t r e v o l u t i o n i s t s
c o m e t o c o m m i t t h e s e c r i m i n a l , i m m o r a l , i n h u m a n , s t u -
p i d a n d c o u n t e r - r e v o l u t i o n a r y a c t s ? A n d s e c o n d , h o w
d i d i t h a p p e n t h a t t h e m e r e f a c t o f b e i n g a r r e s t e d a n d
h e l d a p e r i o d o f t i m e i n i s o l a t i o n m a d e t h e m a l l r e p e n t ,
c h a n g e t h e i r p r i n c i p l e s , a n d g o o u t e a g e r l y t o v i l i f y
t h e m s e l v e s i n t h e e y e s o f t h e w o r l d a n d i n h i s t o r y f o r -
e v e r ?
I s i t n o t i m p r o b a b l e t h a t s i x t e e n , a n d t h e n a g a i n s e v -
e n t e e n , m e n , h a v i n g e n t e r e d a d e s p e r a t e p l o t , a n d h a v -
i n g g o t c a u g h t , w o u l d a l l b e h a v e i n e x a c t l y t h e s a m e
w a y ? T h a t i n i t s e l f , i t s e e m s t o m e , i s s o i m p r o b a b l e a s
t o b e i n c a p a b l e o f b e l i e f . A n d y e t t h e w a y i n w h i c h t h e y
a l l b e h a v e d i s s o u n l i k e t h e u s u a l b e h a v i o r o f m e n
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MEANING OF MOSCOW TRIALS 59
c a u g h t i n a d e s p e r a t e p l o t t h a t w e s h o u l d b e a s t o n i s h e d
i f w e r e a d i t a b o u t o n e m a n .
THE POLITICAL SITUATION
T h e c e r t a i n t y w h i c h a r i s e s f r o m m y k n o w l e d g e o f t h e
m e n i s , o f c o u r s e , r e i n f o r c e d b y m y u n d e r s t a n d i n g o f t h e
p o l i t i c a l s i t u a t i o n - a n d t h a t , n o t a s i t a p p e a r s t o a n
A m e r i c a n f e l l o w t r a v e l e r , b u t a s i t a p p e a r s t o R u s s i a n
B o l s h e v i k s , t r a i n e d a n d m o l d e d i n t h e s t r u g g l e a g a i n s t
M e n s h e v i k s o c i a l i s m . T o t h e m S t a l i n , i n a b o l i s h i n g t h e
s o v i e t s y s t e m o f g o v e r n m e n t i n t h e n a m e o f " d e m o c -
r a c y , " h a d g o n e o v e r b a g a n d b a g g a g e t o t h e M e n s h e -
v i k s . He had destroyed the chief monument of the
g e n i u s o f L e n i n , a b a n d o n e d L e n i n ' s p r i n c i p l e s , t h e p r i n -
c i p l e s o f t h e B o l s h e v i k p a r t y , a n d t h e w h o l e p o l i t i c a l
p e r s p e c t i v e o f t h e O c t o b e r r e v o l u t i o n . T h e s a m e t h i n g
w a s t r u e o f h i s s u p p o r t o f t h e " P o p u l a r F r o n t " i n t h e
S p a n i s h r e v o l u t i o n . P o p u l a r F r o n t i s n o t h i n g b u t a
Western name for what was called in Russia "Men-
s h e v i s m . "
T h e s o v i e t s y s t e m o f g o v e r n m e n t w a s s u p p o s e d , a c -
c o r d i n g t o t h e d e s i g n s o f L e n i n a n d a c c o r d i n g t o M a r x -
i a n t h e o r y , t o e n d u r e u n t i l , w i t h i n d u s t r y s o c i a l i z e d a n d
c l a s s e s a b o l i s h e d , t h e s t a t e a s a n i n s t r u m e n t o f c o m p u l -
s i o n s h o u l d d i s s o l v e a n d " d i e a w a y " i n a v o l u n t a r i l y c o -
o p e r a t i v e c o m m u n i s t s o c i e t y . A l l i n t e l l i g e n t B o l s h e v i k s
k n e w t h i s , a n d t h e y k n e w i t a s y o u k n o w t h e a l p h a b e t .
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6o STALIN'S RU SSIA
S t a l i n ' s a s s e r t i o n t h a t h e w a s r e p l a c i n g t h e s o v i e t s w i t h
a " d e m o c r a t i c " g o v e r n m e n t b e c a u s e c l a s s e s w e r e a l r e a d y
a b o l i s h e d , w o u l d n o t g o d o w n w i t h a l o y a l f o l l o w e r o f
L e n i n , t h e r e f o r e , e v e n i f c l a s s e s h a d b e e n a b o l i s h e d , a n d
even if the new government were democratic . C l a s s e s
a r e n o t a b o l i s h e d i n R u s s i a e x c e p t u p o n p a p e r , a n d t h e
n e w c o n s t i t u t i o n i s n o t d e m o c r a t i c e v e n o n p a p e r . On
t h e c o n t r a r y , i t r e m o v e s t h e l a s t o b s t a c l e t o t h e d i c t a t o r -
s h i p o f a Fuehrer-Vozhd is the Russian word-sup-
p o r t e d b y a s o c i e t y o f n a t i o n a l i s t i c b u r e a u c r a t s w h i c h
e n j o y s , j u s t a s t h e B l a c k S h i r t s d o i n I t a l y a n d t h e B r o w n
i n G e r m a n y , a m o n o p o l y o f p o l i t i c a l a c t i o n a n d o r g a n i -
z a t i o n , a n d t h e c o n s t i t u t i o n a l r i g h t t o f o r m a c o n t r o l l i n g
n u c l e u s i n e v e r y o t h e r o r g a n i z a t i o n t h a t e x i s t s ! P o l i t i -
c a l l y , e v e n i f t h e r e w e r e n o i n t e r n a t i o n a l p r o b l e m , t h e r e
i s n o m y s t e r y i n a w h o l e s a l e s h o o t i n g o f o l d B o l s h e v i k s
i n c o n n e c t i o n w i t h t h i s c h a n g e .
B u t L e n i n ' s r e v o l u t i o n a r y t h e o r y w a s i n t e r n a t i o n a l .
The Bolshevik policy was supposed to apply to every
c o u n t r y o f t h e g l o b e . T h e R u s s i a n s o v i e t s t a t e w a s s u p -
p o s e d t o t a k e t h e l e a d i n a p p l y i n g i t . R u s s i a w a s s u p -
p o s e d t o g i v e a i d t o t h e f i g h t i n g p r o l e t a r i a t o f t h e w h o l e
w o r l d , e s p e c i a l l y i n w h a t e v e r p a r t o f t h e w o r l d a r e v o l u -
t i o n a r y s i t u a t i o n a r o s e . Her aid was supposed to en-
c o u r a g e t h e p r o l e t a r i a t t o f o r m s o v i e t s a n d s e i z e t h e
p o w e r a s w a s d o n e i n R u s s i a , a g a i n s t a l l o t h e r p a r t i e s ,
r e p u b l i c a n a n d r o y a l i s t , c i v i l a n d m i l i t a r y , l i b e r a l a n d
8/2/2019 Stalin Russia and the Crisis in Socialism-Max Eastman-1940-281pgs-POL
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MEANING OF MOSCOW TRIALS 61M e n s h e v i k a l i k e . S t a l i n g a v e a d i s a s t r o u s l y b e l a t e d a n d
f a t a l l y i n a d e q u a t e a i d t o t h e r e p u b l i c a n s a n d M e n s h e -
v i k s i n t h e S p a n i s h C i v i l W a r . H e g a v e m o r e a i d , a t l e a s t ,
t h a n t h e r e i s d e m o c r a c y i n h i s c o n s t i t u t i o n . B u t a s t h e
p r i c e o f t h i s a i d h e d e m a n d e d t h a t t h e S p a n i s h g o v e r n -
m e n t r e m a i n r e p u b l i c a n , t h a t p r o l e t a r i a n s o v i e t s s h o u l d
n o t s e i z e p o w e r , t h a t a l l s o c i a l i s t a n d w o r k i n g - c l a s s p a r -
t i e s s h o u l d i n d e f i n i t e l y p o s t p o n e t h e c l a s s i s s u e a n d c o -
o p e r a t e w i t h t h e l i b e r a l s .
I t i s t h a t p o l i c y o f p o s t p o n i n g t h e c l a s s i s s u e a n d " c o -
o p e r a t i n g w i t h t h e l i b e r a l s " i n a r e v o l u t i o n a r y s i t u a t i o n
u p o n w h i c h L e n i n s p l i t w i t h t h e M e n s h e v i k s i n R u s s i a ,
a n d t h e r e b y g a v e i t s e s s e n t i a l m e a n i n g t o t h e w o r d " B o l -
s h e v i s m , " a n d t o t h e B o l s h e v i k p a r t y i t s h i s t o r i c r o l e a n d
i t s t r i u m p h . N e v e r m i n d w h e t h e r y o u t h i n k t h i s M e n -
s h e v i k p o l i c y i s " s e n s i b l e " o r n o t . L e n i n w a s a n e x t r e m e
r e v o l u t i o n a r y M a r x i s t , t h e l a s t m a n i n t h e w o r l d , i t m a y
w e l l b e , t h a t y o u w o u l d h a v e t h o u g h t " s e n s i b l e . " T h e
i n t e r n a t i o n a l p o l i c y o f t h e " P o p u l a r F r o n t " w a s j u s t a s
d i r e c t a s w e e p i n g o u t a n d t r a m p l i n g u n d e r f o o t o f t h e
w o r k o f L e n i n , a n d o f h i s p r i n c i p l e s , a s w a s t h e a b o l i -
t i o n o f t h e s o v i e t s t a t e . T h a t p o l i c y , t o o , c o u l d n o t b e
p u t t h r o u g h i n R u s s i a w i t h o u t a g e n e r a l c l e a n - u p o f t h e
l o y a l f o l l o w e r s o f L e n i n . A n d t h e s e t w o p o l i c i e s , t h e
a b o l i t i o n o f t h e s o v i e t g o v e r n m e n t a n d t h e P o p u l a r
F r o n t , w e r e b u t h i g h p o i n t s i n t h a t t o t a l s u r r e n d e r o f
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6 2 STALIN'S RU SSIA
t h e B o l s h e v i k p o s i t i o n s w h i c h I d e s c r i b e d i n t h e p r e -
v i o u s c h a p t e r .
T o t h i s m u s t b e a d d e d t h e s t e a d y s w e l l i n g o f a w a v e
o f p o p u l a r d i s c o n t e n t f o l l o w i n g t h e n a t i o n a l d i s a s t e r o f
f o r c e d c o l l e c t i v i z a t i o n , a d i s c o n t e n t w h i c h t h r e a t e n e d
t h e v e r y e x i s t e n c e o f S t a l i n ' s g o v e r n m e n t . P e a s a n t u p -
r i s i n g s , g r u m b l i n g s a m o n g t h e w o r k e r s , d i s a f f e c t i o n i n
t h e , a r m y , m a d e a n y p o l i t i c a l o p p o s i t i o n w i t h i n t h e
P a r t y d a n g e r o u s t o S t a l i n i n a n e x t r e m e d e g r e e . H i s
t h e o r e t i c a l o p p o n e n t s w e r e b e i n g c o n v e r t e d i n t o l e a d e r s
o f a m a s s u p r i s i n g , w h e t h e r t h e y w o u l d o r n o , a n u p -
r i s i n g w h i c h h a d p e r h a p s l i t t l e t o d o w i t h t h e g r o u n d s
o f t h e i r o p p o s i t i o n . T h a t m a s s u p r i s i n g m a d e a m o n o -
l i t h i c p a r t y a b s o l u t e l y e s s e n t i a l t o t h e s u r v i v a l o f h i s
p e r s o n a l d i c t a t o r s h i p . H e h a d t o p u t d o w n l i t t l e l e a d e r s
a l l o v e r t h e c o u n t r y , a n d t o a c c o m p l i s h t h a t h e h a d t o
h a v e a t r e a s o n t r i a l o f b i g l e a d e r s . A n d s i n c e t h e b i g g e s t
l e a d e r o f a l l w a s b e y o n d h i s g r a s p , h e h a d t o i m p l i c a t e
him in the crimes attributed to everyone he shot .
Trotsky has been crowned with many revolutionary
l a u r e l s , b u t n o n e m o r e e x p r e s s i v e t h a n S t a l i n ' s i n v e n -
t i o n o f a " T r o t s k y i s t t r e a s o n p l o t " a s t h e s o l e m e a n s -
e v e n w i t h T r o t s k y i n a n o t h e r h e m i s p h e r e - o f b r e a k i n g
o n c e f o r a l l t h e f o r c e o f t h e O c t o b e r r e v o l u t i o n .
T h a t w a s t h e p o l i t i c a l m e c h a n i s m o f t h o s e t r i a l s . T h a t
i s w h y m e n w e r e s h o t a s " T r o t s k y i s t s " w h o h a d l o n g
a g o r e p u d i a t e d T r o t s k y , s o m e o f w h o m h a d r e t i r e d f r o m
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MEANING OF MOSCOW TRIALS 63
a l l p o l i t i c a l s t r u g g l e a n d d i s c u s s i o n . S t a l i n n o d o u b t
f e a r e d t h e m a s p o t e n t i a l l e a d e r s o f a r e v o l t a g a i n s t h i m ,
k n o w i n g t h e y c o u l d s e e t h r o u g h t h e o f f i c i a l b a l l y h o o t o
t h e e s s e n t i a l f a c t s . H e k n e w t h a t t h e y a l l c o n s i d e r e d h i m
a m o u n t e b a n k - M a r x i s t a n d a u s u r p e r , n o m a t t e r w h a t
they thought of Trotsky, and no matter how many
" c a p i t u l a t i o n s " t h e y m i g h t s i g n . T h e r e i s l i t t l e d o u b t
t h a t h i s s t o o l - p i g e o n s h a d c a u g h t t h e m i n t h e t r e a s o n a b l e
a c t o f s a y i n g s o ; t h a t w a s t h e f a c t u a l b a s i s f o r t h e a r -
r e s t s . B u t m o r e t h a n h e f e a r e d t h e o l d l e a d e r s , h e f e a r e d
a n e w r e vo l t o f t h e r a n k - a n d - f i l e . H e n e e d e d t h e s e d e a t h s
i n o r d e r t o p u t i t d o w n . H e n e e d e d a t r e a s o n p l o t l e d b y
T r o t s k y a s a p r e t e x t f o r a w h o l e s a l e c l e a n - u p o f a l l l o y a l
a n d c l e a r - s i g h t e d B o l s h e v i k s , b o t h o l d a n d y o u n g . I f
t h e r e i s a n y p o l i t i c a l m y s t e r y h e r e , i t i s o n l y b e c a u s e s o
m a n y i n f l u e n t i a l p e o p l e h a v e f o u n d i t c o n v e n i e n t n o t
t o f a c e t h e p o l i t i c a l f a c t s .
THE CONFESSIONSA s i d e , h o w e v e r , f r o m t h e p o l i t i c a l s i t u a t i o n , y o u h a d
o n l y t o l i n e u p o n a p a g e t h e c r i m e s a n d s t u p i d i t i e s t o
w h i c h a l l t h e s e e m i n e n t m e n c o n f e s s e d , a n d s u m m o n a
l i t t l e h a r d s e n s e , i n o r d e r t o k n o w t h a t y o u w e r e r e a d -
i n g b a d m e l o d r a m a a n d n o t h i s t o r y . T h e y s a i d i n t h e
f i r s t t r i a l t h a t t h e y h a d b e e n f u t i l e l y c o n s p i r i n g f o r s o m e
s i x y e a r s t o a s s a s s i n a t e S t a l i n a n d o t h e r f o r m e r c o m r a d e s
i n a m o o d o f " s h e e r s p i t e f u l n e s s , " o u t o f a m e r e " t h i r s t
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64 STALIN'S RU SSIA
f o r p o w e r , " i n s e c r e t c o l l a b o r a t i o n w i t h H i t l e r ' s s e c r e t
p o l i c e , a n d t h i s " w i t h o u t a n y p o l i t i c a l p r o g r a m " - w i t h -
o u t a n y i d e a o r o b j e c t , t h a t i s , b u t r e v e n g e a n d p e r s o n a l
a s c e n d a n c y .
I n t h e s e c o n d t r i a l t h e y a d d e d t o t h e s e c r i m e s t h e f o l -
lowing : a c o n s p i r a c y t o w r e c k b y i n d u s t r i a l s a b o t a g e t h e
w o r k e r ' s s t a t e w h i c h t h e y h a d c r e a t e d , a n d t o b e t r a y t h i s
s t a t e i n w a r t o f a s c i s t G e r m a n y a n d f e u d a l J a p a n , a c o n -
s p i r a c y w i t h t h e h e a d s o f t h e s e r e a c t i o n a r y n a t i o n s t o i n -
v a d e t h e " s o c i a l i s t f a t h e r l a n d " a n d o v e r t h r o w t h e " s o -
c i a l i s t g o v e r n m e n t , " a p r o m i s e t o t h e m i n r e w a r d f o r
t h i s s e r v i c e o f s e c t i o n s o f t h e s a i d f a t h e r l a n d c o m p a r a b l e
t o t h e N e w E n g l a n d s t a t e s a n d m o s t o f t h e l a n d w e s t o f
t h e M i s s i s s i p p i , a n d a f u r t h e r p r o m i s e t o e n g i n e e r " m a s s
e x t e r m i n a t i o n s " o f t h e s o c i a l i s t w o r k e r s , a n d t o " s p r e a d
d i s e a s e g e r m s " i n t h e m i l i t a r y f o r c e s o f t h e " s o c i a l i s t
f a t h e r l a n d . "
T h e s e a c t s a n d p r o j e c t s m i g h t c o n c e i v a b l y b e t r u e
p s y c h o l o g i c a l l y - a l t h o u g h p o l i t i c a l l y i m p o s s i b l e - o f o n e
p a t h o l o g i c a l c h a r a c t e r i n a g r o u p o f e m i n e n t a n d t r u s t e d
men. T h e y c o u l d n o t b e t r u e o f a l l t h e b i g m e n o f a
p a r t y a n d a n e p o c h . T h e y c o u l d n o t b e t r u e o f a w h o l e
high-minded government . A n d i t i s n o t h i n g l e s s t h a n
t h e o r i g i n a l s o v i e t g o v e r n m e n t t h a t S t a l i n s h a m e d i n
this way and exterminated together with the soviet
s y s t e m .
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MEANING OF MOSCOW TRIALS 65
I t h i n k t h a t s o m e l i b e r a l s g a v e c r e d e n c e t o t h e s e f a n -
t a s t i c t a l e s b e c a u s e t h e y s t i l l i m a g i n e t h e r e i s s o m e t h i n g
i n t h e n a t u r e o f " B o l s h e v i s m " w h i c h e x p l a i n s o r m i t i -
g a t e s s u c h a c t s o f d e p r a v i t y . T h e a c t s a r e c r i m i n a l , b e s -
t i a l a n d d e g e n e r a t e f r o m e v e r y s t a n d p o i n t , b u t t h e y a r e
w o r s e , i f t h a t i s p o s s i b l e , f r o m t h e s t a n d p o i n t o f B o l s h e -
v i s m t h a n f r o m t h a t o f o r d i n a r y s a n i t y a n d m o r a l i t y .
T h e y a r e a c t s o f a b s o l u t e a n d w a n t o n t r e a c h e r y - t o s e l f ,
t o f r i e n d s , t o p r i n c i p l e s , t o p a r t y , t o t h e w o r k i n g c l a s s ,
and to humanity . A n y o n e w h o b e l i e v e d t h e m m u s t i n
s o b e r j u d g m e n t d e s p a i r o f a n d d e s p i s e t h e h u m a n r a c e .
B e f o r e e x p l a i n i n g t h e c o n f e s s i o n s a s I u n d e r s t a n d
t h e m , I w a n t t o m e n t i o n t h e f o l l o w i n g f a c t s :
I n t h e s p r i n g o f 1 9 2 5 1 p u b l i s h e d a b o o k c a l l e d S i n c e
L e n i n D i e d , i n w h i c h I e x p o s e d t h e i n n e r p a r t y f i g h t
t h a t L e n i n h a d b e e n w a g i n g a g a i n s t S t a l i n j u s t b e f o r e
h e d i e d . I c i t e d t h e l e t t e r s i n w h i c h L e n i n a c c u s e d S t a l i n
o f " n a t i o n a l i s m , " a n d o f a c t i n g i n c r i t i c a l s i t u a t i o n s o u t
o f m e r e " s p i t e f u l n e s s . " I s t a t e d t h e f a c t - s u b s e q u e n t l y
c o n f i r m e d b y Z i n o v i e v a n d b y L e n i n ' s w i f e - t h a t o n e
o f L e n i n ' s l a s t a c t s w a s t o w r i t e S t a l i n a l e t t e r b r e a k i n g
o f f a l l " c o m r a d e l y r e l a t i o n s " w i t h h i m . A n d I q u o t e d
s o m e p h r a s e s f r o m t h e d o c u m e n t c a l l e d " L e n i n ' s T e s t a -
ment . "
I n t h e a u t u m n o f 1 9 2 6 1 p u b l i s h e d t h a t " T e s t a m e n t "
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6 6 STALIN'S RUSSIAin full in the New York Time s and othe r leading news-
papers throughout the world. I t w a s a l e t t e r w r i t t e n b y
Lenin on his death-bed to his party, warning them
against Stalin's excessive power and his possible abuse
o f i t . It advised that he be removed from the office of
General Secretary and replaced by someone le ss " rude"
and "capriciou s" and more " loyal ." The existence of
this document was i mmediately denied by the Moscow
authorities, and my text was denounced as a forgery by
the Stalin communists in upward of seventeen languages
f o r t e n c o n s e c u t i v e y e a r s . A b r i e f t i m e b e f o r e t h e f i r s t o f
these treason trials, however, this "non-existent" docu-
ment-omitting only those parts which contain praise for
Trotsky-was publi sh ed by the Soviet pri nting house .
Passages from it, quoted at the time by the Chri stian
Science Monitor, coincided verbatim with my text .
I mention these facts, not only because I hope they
may enhance my credibility in what follows, but also be-
cause that Testament of Lenin contributes a small item
to my explanation of the nature of the "confessions . "
I find the explanation in four unusual things : t h e p e -
culiar ethics of Bolshevism, which commits its adherents
t o a h a b i t o f c l a s s - l o y a l l y i n g ; t h e f a c t t h a t t h e B o l s h e -
vik expe riment had failed, and the equivocal way in
w h i c h i t f a i l e d ; S t a l i n ' s p e n a l c o d e , w h i c h h o l d s t h e i m -
m e d i a t e f a m i l y o f a p o l i t i c a l o f f e n d e r p u n i s h a b l e f o r h i s
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MEANING OF MOSCOW TRIALS 67c r i m e s , w h e t h e r a w a r e o f t h e m o r n o t ; * a n d , f i n a l l y , t h e
p a s s i o n a t e l y v i n d i c t i v e c h a r a c t e r o f S t a l i n .
PARTY LYINGT h o s e o l d B o l s h e v i k c h i e f s w e r e s h o t a s t r a i t o r s f o r
t h e r e a s o n s I h a v e g i v e n . They were the big men of
t h e r e v o l u t i o n , a n d t h e y m i g h t h a v e b e e n s h o t b y a n y
c o u n t e r - r e v o l u t i o n a r y d i c t a t o r . B u t t h e s c h e m e o f m a k -
i n g t h e m p r o m o t e t h e c o u n t e r - r e v o l u t i o n b y a d e a t h -
h o u r d e c l a r a t i o n t h a t they w e r e t h e c o u n t e r - r e v o l u t i o n -
i s t s , c o u l d h a r d l y h a v e a r i s e n e x c e p t i n a p a r t y w h e r e
l o y a l t y t o f a c t u a l t r u t h h a d a l r e a d y , o n t h e o r e t i c a l p r i n -
c i p l e s , b e e n s u b o r d i n a t e d t o p r o l e t a r i a n p a r t y l o y a l t y .
T h e s e t h e o r e t i c a l p r i n c i p l e s g o b a c k t o L e n i n , a n d
t h e y g o b a c k t o M a r x , a n d t h e y g o b a c k t o t h e m y s t i c a l
s o p h i s t i c s o f G e o r g W i l h e l m F r i e d r i c h H e g e l . I n t h e
m i n d o f L e n i n t h e y w e r e o f c o u r s e o f f s e t , n o t o n l y b y
a n i m p e t u o u s h o n e s t y , b u t b y a n u n w a v e r i n g s e n s e o f
t h e n e c e s s i t y t h a t t h e w o r k i n g c l a s s s h o u l d t r u s t t h e
P a r t y a n d i t s l e a d e r s . N e v e r t h e l e s s , t h e p r i n c i p l e s w e r e
L e n i n ' s , a n d t h e s e f a m o u s c o n f e s s i o n s w e r e b y n o m e a n s
t h e f i r s t " m i g h t y a n d w e l l - f o r g e d l i e s " t o b e s o l e m n l y
r e c i t e d b y g r e a t B o l s h e v i k s i n o b e d i e n c e t o a R e s o l u -
t i o n o f t h e C e n t r a l C o m m i t t e e o f t h e P a r t y . I t w a s
g e n e r a l l y u n d e r s t o o d t h a t p e r s o n a l p r e d i l e c t i o n s i n t h e
* See page 27 .
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6 8 STALIN'S RUSSIAm a t t e r o f h o n o r , a s w e l l a s l i f e , o u g h t t o b e s a c r i f i c e d
a s " b o u r g e o i s , " a t t h a t h i g h w o r d o f c o m m a n d . T h u s ,
a l t h o u g h i t w a s n o t t h e i r s o l e m o t i v e , I t h i n k i t i s i n -
d u b i t a b l e t h a t t h e m a j o r i t y o f S t a l i n ' s v i c t i m s m a d e
t h e i r " c o n f e s s i o n s " a n d w e n t t o t h e i r d e a t h s w i t h a f e e l -
i n g t h a t a s l o y a l s o l d i e r s o f t h e P a r t y t h e y w e r e j u s t i f i e d ,
a n d , s o t o s p e a k , r e d e e m e d b y t h a t R e s o l u t i o n o f t h e
C e n t r a l C o m m i t t e e .
I t i s e a s y t o c o n f u s e a m a n ' s m i n d - a n d h i s m o r a l s ,
t o o , i f h i s p r i n c i p l e s a r e n o t e x c e e d i n g l y s i m p l e - b y
h o l d i n g h i m i n a b s o l u t e s o l i t u d e e x c e p t f o r t h e p r e s s u r e
o f c e r t a i n s t r o n g a n d c o n v i n c e d p e r s o n a l i t i e s . And when
t h a t p r e s s u r e i s p r e c e d e d b y a n a p p l i c a t i o n o f t h e " c o n -
v e y o r s y s t e m " o f m e n t a l a n d p h y s i c a l t o r m e n t , * i t t a k e s
n o t o n l y a r o b u s t , b u t a p u g n a c i o u s n e r v o u s s y s t e m t o
r e s i s t i t . I i m a g i n e t h a t t h e e f f e c t o f s u c h c o n t i n u e d t o r -
m e n t u p o n h i g h - s t r u n g a n d s e n s i t i v e t y p e s i s t o r e d u c e
t h e m t o a n a l m o s t i n f a n t i n e c o n d i t i o n . They become
l i k e b r o k e n - h e a r t e d c h i l d r e n , l o n g i n g o n l y f o r a f a t h e r
o r a m o t h e r - f o r s o m e o n e , a n y o n e , t o t e l l t h e m w h a t t o
do . I t i s t h e n t h a t t h e f r i e n d l y c o m r a d e , f e l l o w - m e m b e r
o f t h e b e l o v e d P a r t y , c a n s u c c e s s f u l l y a d v i s e t h e m t o
m a k e , f o r t h e s a k e o f t h e P a r t y , t h e f a l s e c o n f e s s i o n d e -
m a n d e d b y t h e C e n t r a l C o m m i t t e e . I t w i l l d e l i v e r t h e m
f r o m t o r m e n t ; i t w i l l p e r m i t t h e m t o d i e . I t w i l l p e r m i t
*Described with authority by W . G . K r i v i t s k y i n h i s b o o k , In Stalin's
Secret Service .
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MEANING OF MOSCOW TRIALS 69
t h e m t o d i e w i t h a f e e l i n g t h a t t h e y h a v e l o y a l l y s e r v e d
t h e P a r t y a n d t h e r e v o l u t i o n t o t h e e n d . I t w o u l d b e
t o o s i m p l e t o s a y t h e s e m e n w e r e b u y i n g d e a t h w i t h
t h e i r f a l s e c o n f e s s i o n s , b u t i t i s f a r n e a r e r t h e t r u t h t h a n
t o s a y t h e y w e r e t r y i n g t o b u y t h e i r l i v e s . T h e y c o u l d
h a v e h a d b u t t h e t i n i e s t h o p e o f l i f e ; t h e y w e r e i n a
c o n d i t i o n i n w h i c h d e a t h s e e m e d a r e l i e f .
T y p e s t o o r o b u s t a n d p u g n a c i o u s t o s u c c u m b t o t h i s
p r o c e s s o f b r e a k i n g d o w n - o r i n t h e l a n g u a g e o f t h e
O g p u , " s p l i t t i n g " - a c h a r a c t e r , w e r e n o t t r i e d i n p u b l i c .
A n d t h e r e i s n o t t h e s l i g h t e s t r e a s o n t o s u p p o s e t h a t
t h e y w e r e t r i e d i n p r i v a t e . A s K r i v i t s k y p o i n t s o u t , f o r
e v e r y one o f t h e o l d B o l s h e v i k l e a d e r s w h o " c o n f e s s e d , "
one h undred w e r e s h o t b e h i n d c l o s e d d o o r s .
POLITICAL CONFUSIONE v e n t h o s e w e a k e r o n e s w h o d i d c o n f e s s w o u l d p r o b -
a b l y n o t h a v e d o n e s o h a d t h e i r p o l i t i c a l o p i n i o n s b e e n
s i m p l e . I t i s d i f f i c u l t f o r a m a n t o s a y t h a t t h e c a u s e t o
w h i c h h e g a v e h i s w h o l e l i f e h a s f a i l e d . I t i s e s p e c i a l l y
d i f f i c u l t w h e n h e g a v e i t i n a r e l i g i o u s b e l i e f t h a t t h e
p r o c e s s o f a l l h i s t o r y a n d B e i n g I t s e l f w e r e o n h i s s i d e .
T h e r e i s n o r o o m f o r u l t i m a t e f a i l u r e i n t h e M a r x i a n
s y s t e m . F r o m a n y s i t u a t i o n i t i s a l w a y s o n l y a q u e s t i o n
o f f i n d i n g t h e " w a y o u t f o r t h e p r o l e t a r i a t . " B e s i d e s t h a t ,
i n c e r t a i n m a i n p o i n t s o f i t s p r o s p e c t u s t h e r e v o l u t i o n
h a d n o t f a i l e d . I n t h e b a s i c m a t t e r o f e x p r o p r i a t i n g t h e
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70 STALIN'S RU SSIA
p r i v a t e c a p i t a l i s t i t h a d , h o w e v e r d r e a d f u l l y , g o n e f o r -
w a r d u n d e r S t a l i n . T h e R u s s i a n i n d u s t r i e s a n d e v e n t h e
R u s s i a n f a r m s w e r e c o l l e c t i v i z e d . S t a t e p l a n n i n g w a s a
f a c t ; p r o d u c t i o n w a s i n c r e a s i n g ; t h e w o r k e r s w e r e n o t
u n e m p l o y e d o n a l a r g e s c a l e . S u p e r f i c i a l l y c o n s i d e r e d ,
o r m e a s u r e d i n m e r e q u a n t i t y , a m a j o r p a r t o f t h e s o -
c i a l i s t p r o g r a m s e e m e d t o h a v e b e e n e n a c t e d . O n l y t h e
d y n a m i c e s s e n c e a n d t h e e x p e c t e d r e s u l t w e r e l a c k i n g .
T h e p o w e r w a s i n t h e w r o n g h a n d s ; i t w a s a d i c t a t o r s h i p
o f S t a l i n , n o t o f t h e w o r k i n g c l a s s . A n d t h e r e w a s , b y
t h e s a m e t o k e n , n o s i g n w h a t e v e r o f e c o n o m i c f r e e d o m
a n d e q u a l i t y . T h e w o r k i n g c l a s s w a s s t i l l e n s l a v e d a n d
s t i l l e x p l o i t e d .
I n t h e s e c i r c u m s t a n c e s , w o u l d i t b e a s i m p l e t h i n g t o
c a l l S t a l i n ' s d i c t a t o r s h i p t h e c o u n t e r - r e v o l u t i o n ? I t
w o u l d , p e r h a p s , i f y o u h a d n o t g i v e n y o u r l i f e t o p r o -
d u c e i t . I t w o u l d , i f y o u h a d s o m e t h i n g b e s i d e s a n a r c h y
a n d a r e l a p s e t o p r i v a t e c a p i t a l i s m w i t h w h i c h t o r e -
p l a c e i t . T h e s e o l d B o l s h e v i k s h a d t r i e d f i t f u l l y t o d i s -
p l a c e i t . T h e y h a d a t l e a s t t a l k e d v i g o r o u s l y a b o u t g e t -
t i n g r i d o f " t h e b u r e a u c r a c y , " a n d r e s t o r i n g p o w e r t o
t h e w o r k e r s . T h e y h a d t a l k e d a b o u t T r o t s k y ' s c o g e n t
c r i t i c i s m s . B u t t h e y c o u l d f i n d n o w a y . T r o t s k y h i m s e l f ,
t o t e l l t h e t r u t h , h a s f o u n d n o w a y . H e a d v o c a t e s t h a t
t h e w o r k e r s o v e r t h r o w t h e b u r e a u c r a c y w h i c h h a s r e -
s u l t e d f r o m t h e o v e r t h r o w o f O c t o b e r , b u t h e d o e s n o t
s u g g e s t h o w t h i s n e w o v e r t h r o w i s t o b e p r e v e n t e d e i t h e r
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MEANING OF MOSCOW TRIALS 7 1
f r o m r e s t o r i n g c a p i t a l i s m o r f r o m p r o d u c i n g a n e w
b u r e a u c r a c y . N o , t h e s e o l d B o l s h e v i k s w e r e c o n f r o n t e d
w i t h b u t o n e a l t e r n a t i v e : e i t h e r t o p r o n o u n c e t h e i r l i f e
w o r k a f a i l u r e , o r t o a d m i t t h a t t h e r e w a s some hope f o r
s o c i a l i s m a n d t h e w o r k e r s i n t h e r e g i m e , o r a f t e r t h e
r e g i m e , o f S t a l i n . T h e y e x p r e s s e d i t i n t h e i r p r i va t e c o n -
v e r s a t i o n , w h i c h y o u m a y b e s u r e w a s f a i t h f u l l y M a r x -
i a n , b y s a y i n g : " T h e r e i s n o way out e x c e p t t h r o u g h
S t a l i n . "
T h i s e q u i v o c a l a n d c o m p l e x c o n d i t i o n o f t h e i r m i n d s
m a d e i t e a s i e r f o r t h e i r w i l l s t o w e a k e n i n t h e l o n g
m o n t h s o f s o l i t u d e , a n d t h e l o n g h o u r s o f t o r m e n t i n t h e
i n q u i s i t i o n c h a m b e r s o f t h e O g p u . The y woul d not
h a v e m a d e t h e s e c o n f e s s i o n s i f S t a l i n h a d r e s t o r e d c a p -
i t a l i s m t o R u s s i a . He confused them, and the whole
w o r l d , b y m o d e l i n g h i s c o u n t e r - r e v o l u t i o n o n t h e f a s c i s t
s t a t e s .
PHYSICAL AND MENTAL TORMENTI h a v e u s e d t h e w o r d " t o r m e n t " i n s t e a d o f " t o r t u r e . "
T o r t u r e w o u l d l e a v e i t s m a r k s , a n d w o u l d f a i l t o m a k e
s u r e o f t h e v i c t i m ' s c o n d u c t i n c o u r t . Ev e n a s i t w a s , t w o
o f t h e v i c t i m s , S m i r n o v a n d K r e s t i n s k y , d i d a t t e m p t t o
r e p u d i a t e i n p u b l i c t h e t e s t i m o n y t h e y h a d s i g n e d i n
s e c r e t . H a d t h e y b e e n m e r e l y c o w e d b y t o r t u r e a n d t h e
t h r e a t o f i t s r e n e w a l , a n y o n e o f t h e m m i g h t h a v e
screamed out the truth when brought into a public
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72 STALIN'S RU SSIA
p l a c e . T h e y w e r e n o t cowed b y w h a t t h e y w e n t t h r o u g h ,
b u t convinced-brought i n t o a c o n d i t i o n w h e r e t h e y
t h e m s e l v e s b e l i e v e d i n t h e n e c e s s i t y t o c l o s e t h e r a n k s o f
t h e P a r t y b y c o n f e s s i n g t h a t t h e i r o w n o p p o s i t i o n t o
S t a l i n h a d b e e n a m o n s t r o u s c o n s p i r a c y , c r i m i n a l a n d
d e p r a v e d . W h e n K r e s t i n s k y ' s c o n v i c t i o n w e a k e n e d , a n d
h e d i d c r y o u t i n c o u r t , a s s e r t i n g t h a t h i s c o n f e s s i o n w a s
f a l s e a n d h a d b e e n f o r c e d f r o m h i m , i t w a s , I f e e l q u i t e
s u r e , t h e o t h e r d e f e n d a n t s , h i s c o m r a d e s i n c a p i t u l a t i o n ,
w h o g a t h e r e d r o u n d h i m i n t h e p r i s o n a n d p e r s u a d e d
h i m t o g o b a c k t h e n e x t d a y a n d c a r r y t h r o u g h t h e p r o -
g r a m a s a g r e e d u p o n .
A l t h o u g h I s u b s t i t u t e t h e w o r d " t o r m e n t " f o r " t o r -
t u r e , " i t i s o f i m p o r t a n c e t o r e a l i z e t h a t t h r e a t s t o t h e i r
f a m i l i e s , a n d t h e h o p e o f s a v i n g t h o s e t h e y l o v e d f r o m
d e s t r u c t i o n , p l a y e d a r o l e i n t h i s t o r m e n t . I n t h i s c o n -
n e c t i o n t h e t r e a s o n l a w I s p o k e o f i s c r u c i a l . A c c o r d i n g
t o t h e l a w a n d c u s t o m o f t h e " s o c i a l i s t f a t h e r l a n d , " a l l
t h o s e l i v i n g i n t h e s a m e h o u s e o r a p a r t m e n t w i t h a m a n
g u i l t y o f t r e a s o n , a r e p u n i s h a b l e b y i m p r i s o n m e n t a n d
e x i l e . M y v e r y r e l i a b l e f r i e n d , M r s . Wutherspoon of
P a s a d e n a , C a l i f o r n i a , t o l d m e t h a t o n a v i s i t t o M o s c o w
s h o r t l y a f t e r t h e f i r s t t r e a s o n t r i a l s h e c a l l e d u p o n t h e
w i f e o f a w o r l d - f a m o u s R u s s i a n , a w o m a n o c c u p y i n g a
h i g h p o s i t i o n i n a S o v i e t w e l f a r e i n s t i t u t i o n . M r s . W u t h -
e r s p o o n a s k e d t h i s w o m a n h e r o p i n i o n a s t o t h e g u i l t
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MEANING OF MOSCOW TRIALS 73
o f K a m e n e v , Z i n o v i e v a n d t h e o t h e r s . H e r a n s w e r t o t h e
direct question was noncommittal, but she added :
" W h a t e v e r m a y b e t h e c a s e w i t h t h e m , s o m e t h i n g o u g h t
t o b e d o n e a b o u t t h e i r w i v e s a n d c h i l d r e n . Nobody
k n o w s w h e r e t h e y a r e - t h e y h a v e d i s a p p e a r e d f r o m t h e
e a r t h . " K a m e n e v h i m s e l f r e v e a l e d i n c o u r t t h a t a c o n -
cern a b o u t t h e f u t u r e o f h i s c h i l d r e n w a s t h e p r i n c i p a l
h u m a n t h o u g h t i n h i s m i n d . K r i v i t s k y r e p o r t s a r u m o r
t h a t Z i n o v i e v g a v e a s h i s t w o r e a s o n s f o r c o n f e s s i n g , t h e
f a c t t h a t t h e r e w a s n o o t h e r " w a y o u t " e x c e p t w i t h
S t a l i n , a n d a c o n c e r n f o r t h e s a f e t y o f h i s f a m i l y . B a r -
g a i n s w e r e u n d o u b t e d l y s t r u c k i n s o m e o f t h o s e s e c r e t
c o n f e r e n c e s o f t h e o l d P a r t y c h i e f s i n t h e L u b i a n k a
p r i s o n , a n d a l t h o u g h w e a k e n e d b y a n a l m o s t u n i v e r s a l
d o u b t o f S t a l i n ' s h o n o r , c l e m e n c y f o r t h e f a m i l y w o u l d
b e t h e s t r o n g e s t t h i n g h e h a d t o o f f e r .
T o s u m i t u p : t h e m e n w h o c o n f e s s e d w e r e s e n s i t i v e l y
o r g a n i z e d i n t e l l e c t u a l s , r e d u c e d b y s o l i t a r y c o n f i n e m e n t
a n d t o r m e n t , a n d d e s p a i r o f a n y o t h e r p o l i t i c a l c o u r s e
f o r t h e r e v o l u t i o n , t o a c o n d i t i o n i n w h i c h t h e y w o u l d
a c c e p t t h e a d v i c e a n d i n s t r u c t i o n o f t h e i r c o m r a d e s t o
d i e a s t r a i t o r s i n o r d e r t o p r e s e r v e t h e u n i t y o f t h e P a r t y
u n d e r S t a l i n . I t i s t o b e h o p e d t h a t w i t h t h e p a s s a g e o f
t i m e a m o r e i n t i m a t e l i g h t w i l l b e s h e d u p o n t h i s p r o b -
lem . F o r m y p a r t , I f e e l v e r y s u r e t h a t i t w i l l o n l y f i l l u p
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74 STALIN'S RUSSIAw i t h c o n c r e t e d e t a i l s , o r v a r y w i t h i n d i v i d u a l e x c e p -
t i o n s , t h e a b o v e g e n e r a l i z a t i o n .
STALIN'S REVENGET h e r e s t i l l r e m a i n s , h o w e v e r , o n e t h i n g u n e x p l a i n e d .
T h e r e r e m a i n s s o m e t h i n g e x t r a v a g a n t t o a p o i n t s u g -
g e s t i n g t h e m a d h o u s e i n t h e s t a t e m e n t s t h e s e m e n c o o l l y
* I do not mean to exclude the possib ility that a chemical, as well
as a physi cal and psychol ogical thir d degre e may have be en employed
in some of these cases . Walter Duranty himsel f said that Sere briakov
"spoke as if half asleep, and his voice sounded strangely dreamy-
everyb ody noticed it." After all, it i s not a long step from castor oi l
to more specific remedies . Aldous Huxley gave the pre scripti on some
time ago in his ess ay on Writers and Readers :-
"A cachet," h e says, " containing three -quarter s of a gram of chlor al
and three-quarters of a milligram of scopolamine will produce in the
pers on who swallows it a state of complete ps ychologi cal malleabil ity,
akin to the state of a subject under deep hypnosis . Any sugge stion
made to th e patient while in this artificially induced trance penetrates
to the very depths of the sub conscious mind and may produce a per -
manent modification of the habitu al modes of thou ght and feel ing .
"In France, where the te chnique has bee n in experimental u se for
several years, it h as been found that two or three cou rses of suggesti onunder chloral and scopolamine can change the habits even of thevictims of alcohol and irre press ibl e sexual addictions . A peculi arity of
the drug is that the amnesia which follows it is retrospective ; the
patient has no memories of a period which begins se veral hours b e-
fore the drug's administrations ."Catch a man unawares and give him a cachet ; he will return to
conscious ness firmly be lieving all the su ggestions you have made dur-
ing his stupor and wholly u naware of the way thi s astonishi ng con-
version has bee n effected . "That might serve at least to make educated people skeptical ofconfessions extor ted in prison . However, as a general e xplanation of
thes e confess ions it is both impr obable and unnecessary . Physical soli-
tude and psychological pressure and torment are enough. Most mencan, in prope r conditions and in due ti me, be made to " confess " to
anythi ng .
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MEANING OF MOSCOW TRIALS 7 5
made . I f S t a l i n w e r e a c t u a t e d s o l e l y b y a p o l i t i c a l m o -
t i v e , w o u l d h e n o t c o m p e l t h e m t o r e c i t e s o m e s t o r y t h a t
p e o p l e o f r e a l i s t i c c o m m o n s e n s e m i g h t b e l i e v e ? H e i s
f a r t o o s h r e w d t o s e t t h e s e e m i n e n t s t a t e s m e n o u t t h e r e
b e f o r e t h e p u b l i c a n d g i v e t h e m carte blanche i n t e l l i n g
a n y t h i n g but t h e t r u t h .
T h a t i s w h y I s a y t h a t S t a l i n ' s p a s s i o n a t e l y v i n d i c t i v e
c h a r a c t e r i s a t h i r d e l e m e n t e s s e n t i a l t o a s o l u t i o n o f t h e
problem . S t a l i n w a s n o t c o n t e n t w i t h s h o o t i n g h i s f o r -
mer comrades who went against him, and he was not
c o n t e n t w i t h d i s g r a c i n g t h e m a n d g e t t i n g a p o l i t i c a l e n -
d o r s e m e n t f r o m t h e m . H e m u s t a l s o h a v e r e v e n g e f o r a l l
t h e g a l l i n g t h i n g s t h a t h a d b e e n s a i d a b o u t h i m b y t h e m ,
a n d b y a l l t h e l e s s " r u d e " a n d " c a p r i c i o u s " a n d m o r e
" l o y a l " B o l s h e v i k s f r o m L e n i n d o w n .
H i s r e v e n g e w a s t o c o m p e l t h e m t o t a k e u p o n t h e m -
s e l v e s t h e g u i l t w h i c h t h e y h a d i m p u t e d t o h i m - s h e e r
" s p i t e f u l n e s s , " m e r e " t h i r s t f o r p o w e r , " t h e l a c k o f " a n y
p r o g r a m " e x c e p t p e r s o n a l a s c e n d a n c y , a n d " d i s l o y a l t y "
i n i t s m o s t m o n s t r o u s f o r m s .
I t h i n k i t i s n o a c c i d e n t t h a t S t a l i n p u b l i s h e d L e n i n ' s
" T e s t a m e n t " a t t h e v e r y m o m e n t o f t h e f i r s t t r e a s o n
t r i a l . I t w a s t h e s t i n g o f t h a t s u p r e m e i n j u r y t h a t h e w a s
w i p i n g o f f . B u t h i s v i c t i m s h a d a l s o t o a s s u m e t h e t a i n t
o f c e r t a i n " m a s s e x t e r m i n a t i o n s " o f w h i c h h e h a d b e e n
m o r e r e c e n t l y a n d a s j u s t l y a c c u s e d .
I a m s u p p o r t e d i n t h i s h y p o t h e s i s b y t h e m e m o r y o f
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76 STALIN'S RUSSIA
a c o n v e r s a t i o n I h a d w i t h o n e o f S t a l i n ' s m o s t c o u r a -
g e o u s v i c t i m s , L e o n i d P e t r o v i c h S e r e b r i a k o v . When he
w a s i n t h i s c o u n t r y w i t h A m t o r g i n 1 9 2 9 L e o n i d P e t r o -
v i c h c a m e o f t e n t o m y h o u s e , a n d e v e n m e t a n d t a l k e d
w i t h m e i n p u b l i c , a l t h o u g h , o w i n g t o m y d e f e n s e o f
T r o t s k y a n d m y t r a n s l a t i o n s o f h i s w r i t i n g s , I w a s s o m e -
t h i n g o f a p l a g u e s p o t t o o t h e r e m i s s a r i e s o f t h e S o v i e t
government .
I c o m m e n t e d o n t h i s o n c e , a n d S e r e b r i a k o v a n s w e r e d
m e i n t w o w a y s . H e s a i d :
" I a m n o t a f r a i d o f a n y t h i n g . D o n ' t y o u s e e t h a t I
c a n ' t c r i n g e o r s l i n k ? L o o k a t my b a c k . " H e g o t u p a n d
t u r n e d a r o u n d . " M y m u s c l e s w o n ' t w o r k t h a t w a y . "
A n d t h e n h e a d d e d , i n a n a l t e r e d t o n e :
" B e s i d e s , i t d o e s n ' t m a k e a n y d i f f e r e n c e w h a t I d o .
S t a l i n w i l l g e t m e i n t h e e n d , a n y w a y . I f h e l i v e s l o n g
e n o u g h h e w i l l g e t e v e r y s i n g l e o n e o f u s w h o h a s e v e r
i n j u r e d h i m i n s p e e c h o r a c t i o n . T h a t i s h i s p r i n c i p a l
a i m i n l i f e . H e i s c o m p l e t e l y d o m i n a t e d b y v i n d i c t i v e
p a s s i o n . H e w i l l l i e b a c k a n d w a i t t e n , t w e n t y , t h i r t y
y e a r s , s e c r e t l y p l o t t i n g t o a c h i e v e a n e x q u i s i t e l y a p p r o -
p r i a t e r e v e n g e u p o n a n e n e m y , a n d t h e n w h e n e v e r y -
t h i n g i s r e a d y h e w i l l s p r i n g . B e l i e v e m e , I a m n o t t e l l -
i n g f a i r y s t o r i e s . I h a v e l i v e d w i t h h i m , r o o m e d w i t h
h i m , c a m p e d w i t h h i m o n t h e b a t t l e f i e l d . H e i s t h e m o s t
v i n d i c t i v e m a n o n e a r t h . "
S e r e b r i a k o v t h e n t o l d m e t h e s t o r y , w h i c h I h a d
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MEANING OF MOSCOW TRIALS7 7
a l r e a d y h e a r d f r o m a n o t h e r s o u r c e , a n d w h i c h T r o t s k y
h a s r e p e a t e d i n t h e p r e s s , o f h o w S t a l i n i n a g a t h e r i n g o f
c o m r a d e s w h o w e r e d i s c u s s i n g t h e i r i d e a o f a p e r f e c t
d a y s a i d : " M i n e i s t o p l a n a n a r t i s t i c r e v e n g e u p o n a n
e n e m y , c a r r y i t o u t t o p e r f e c t i o n a n d t h e n g o h o m e a n d
g o p e a c e f u l l y t o b e d . "
Serebriakov had a young daughter whom he loved
b e t t e r t h a n a n y o t h e r t h i n g , o r p e r s o n , o r i d e a . S o i t
s e e m e d t o m e w h e n h e s p o k e o f h e r , a n d o t h e r f r i e n d s
h a v e s a i d t h i s o f h i m . A l t h o u g h I n e v e r s a w h e r , s h e i s
i n t h e p h o t o g r a p h t h a t h e l e f t w i t h m e w h e n h e r e -
t u r n e d t o R u s s i a . For her sake, perhaps, he would
" c r i n g e a n d s l i n k . " F o r n o t h i n g e l s e , I c a n h o n e s t l y b e -
l i e v e , t h a t t h i s w o r l d c o n t a i n s .
THE LESSON TO BE LEARNED
T h e r e i s a m o m e n t o u s l e s s o n t o b e l e a r n e d f r o m t h e s e
M o s c o w c o n f e s s i o n s , a n d i t c a n b e l e a r n e d o n l y b y t h o s e
w h o s e e c l e a r l y w h a t d i f f e r e n t i a t e s t h e m f r o m o t h e r
f o r c e d c o n f e s s i o n s . I t i s t h e f a c t t h a t t h e vi c t i m s h a d n o
p r i n c i p l e d o b j e c t i o n t o d y i n g w i t h a l i e u p o n t h e i r l i p s .
T h e y h a d o n l y t o b e r e d u c e d t o b e l i e v i n g t h a t i t w a s a
r e v o l u t i o n a r y l i e , t h a t t h e P a r t y d e m a n d i n g i t w a s s t i l l
t h e P a r t y o f t h e p r o l e t a r i a n d i c t a t o r s h i p . W h e n y o u r e -
f l e c t t h a t t h o u s a n d s o f s u p p o s e d l y c r i t i c a l i n t e l l i g e n c e s
i n w e s t e r n E u r o p e r e m a i n e d c o n v i n c e d o f t h i s f a c t e v e n
a f t e r t h e e x e c u t i o n o f t h e P a r t y ' s l e a d e r s , i t c a n h a r d l y
8/2/2019 Stalin Russia and the Crisis in Socialism-Max Eastman-1940-281pgs-POL
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78 STALIN'S RU SSIA
s u r p r i s e y o u t h a t s o m e o f t h e m , b y s u c h a p r o c e s s a s I
h a v e d e s c r i b e d , c o u l d b e c o n v i n c e d o f i t . Yo u r d i f f i c u l t y
w i l l b e t o g r a s p t h e d e g r e e i n w h i c h t r u t h a n d f a l s i t y
w e r e i r r e l e v a n t i n t h e m i n d s o f b o t h t o r m e n t o r s a n d t o r -
m e n t e d , i n d i s c u s s i n g t h e q u e s t i o n w h e t h e r t h e y s h o u l d
" c o n f e s s " o r n o t . Yo u c a n s e e t h i s f a c t f o r y o u r s e l f , i f y o u
w i l l r e a d K r i v i t s k y ' s a c c o u n t o f t h e " i n v e s t i g a t i o n " o f
M r a c h k o v s k y - t h e s o l e a c c o u n t y e t p u b l i s h e d o f t h e a c -
t u a l s c e n e i n a B o l s h e v i k t o r m e n t c h a m b e r . I n n i n e t y
h o u r s o f a r g u m e n t w i t h t h i s p r i s o n e r , t h e q u e s t i o n e r
s e e m s n e v e r o n c e t o h a v e t h o u g h t o f t r y i n g t o r e f u t e h i s
s t a t e m e n t t h a t h e w a s n o t g u i l t y . E v e n K r i v i t s k y s e e m s
n e v e r t o h a v e t h o u g h t o f i t . T h a t i s n o t w h a t t h e a r g u -
ment was about . I t w a s a b o u t w h e t h e r t h e P a r t y u n d e r
S t a l i n w a s t h e s o l e r e m a i n i n g h o p e o f t h e r e v o l u t i o n . I f
t h a t c o u l d b e e s t a b l i s h e d , t h e n t h e l i e d e m a n d e d b y t h e
P a r t y m u s t b e t o l d . T h e s a m e s t a t e o f m i n d b e c a m e a p -
p a r e n t i n t h e p u b l i c t e s t i m o n y o f s o m e o f t h e v i c t i m s .
T h e y w e r e f a r m o r e e a g e r t o e x p l a i n w h y t h e y c o n f e s s e d
t h a n w h y t h e y c o m m i t t e d t h e c r i m e s c o n f e s s e d t o . And
i n d o i n g s o t h e y t a l k e d f o r o n c e l i k e B o l s h e v i k s . They
j u s t i f i e d t h e i r c o n f e s s i o n s a s a c t s o f l o y a l t y t o t h e r e v o -
l u t i o n i n a m a n n e r q u i t e i m p o s s i b l e t o o n e w h o s e a c t s
h a d a l r e a d y b e t r a y e d t h e r e v o l u t i o n .
T h e m y s t e r y o f t h e M o s c o w c o n f e s s i o n s i s i n s o l u b l e
only to those who do not realize what can happen to
i d e a l i s t s w h o r e n o u n c e t h e o l d m o r t a l c o d e o f t r u t h f u l -
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MEANING OF MOSCOW TRIALS 79
n e s s , a n d a d o p t a p r i n c i p l e d b e l i e f i n p u b l i c l y i n g . A l -
t h o u g h c a m o u f l a g e d i n R u s s i a b y t h e i n t e l l e c t u a l v e r b i -
a g e o f t h e H e g e l i a n - M a r x i a n d i a l e c t i c , t h i s i s r e a l l y t h e
s a m e r e n u n c i a t i o n o f i n t e l l i g e n c e f o r a n i m a l w i l l , o f r e a -
s o n f o r b l i n d i n s t i n c t , o f c i v i l i z e d e n l i g h t e n m e n t f o r b a r -
b a r i a n " d y n a m i s m , " t h a t w e s e e i n G e r m a n y . P e t e r F .
D r u c k e r , i n h i s b r i l l i a n t b o o k , The End of EconomicMan, h a s d e s c r i b e d t h e r e s u l t a s h e o b s e r v e d i t a m o n g
t h e N a z i s :
"The Nazi leaders themselves never pretended to
s p e a k t h e t r u t h . B e g i n n i n g w i t h H i t l e r ' s f r a n k a d m i s s i o n
i n h i s b o o k t h a t l y i n g i s n e c e s s a r y , N a z i l e a d e r s h a v e
p r i d e d t h e m s e l v e s p u b l i c l y o n t h e i r d i s r e g a r d f o r t r u t h
a n d o n t h e i m p o s s i b i l i t y o f t h e i r p r o m i s e s - f o r e m o s t
among them Dr . G o e b b e l s . N o t o n c e b u t s e v e r a l t i m e s
h a v e I h e a r d h i m s a y i n m a s s m e e t i n g s w h e n t h e p e o p l e
c h e e r e d a p a r t i c u l a r l y c h o i c e l i e : ` O f c o u r s e y o u u n d e r -
s t a n d a l l t h i s i s j u s t p r o p a g a n d a ' ; a n d t h e m a s s e s o n l y
c h e e r e d l o u d e r . T h e s a m e t h i n g h a p p e n e d i n A u s t r i a ;
t h e s a m e t h i n g i n C z e c h o s l o v a k i a . "
Anybody who understands that can understand the
M o s c o w c o n f e s s i o n s . And he can understand why the
p r o d i g i o u s l i e s t o l d i n t h o s e c o n f e s s i o n s h a v e p r o s p e r e d
a m o n g t h e d e v o t e e s o f S t a l i n i s m t h r o u g h o u t t h e w o r l d .
T h e q u e s t i o n o f t h e i r t r u t h , i n k n i f e - e d g e f o r m , w a s
n e v e r r a i s e d . T h e y w e r e j u d g e d b y t h e w i l l o n l y , t h e
w i l l t o s o l i d a r i t y a n d p o w e r . T h e i r f u n c t i o n w a s t h e d e -
s t r u c t i o n o f " T r o t s k y i s m , " w h i c h i s n o w n o t h i n g b u t a
n a m e f o r a n y r i f t , o r t h r e a t o f a r i f t , i n t h a t t o t a l i t a r i a n
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8o STALIN'S RUSSIAw i l l . C o m p a r e d w i t h t h i s s u p r e m e f u n c t i o n , t h e q u e s -
t i o n o f t h e i r c o r r e s p o n d e n c e w i t h f a c t i s s u b o r d i n a t e
a l t o g e t h e r . T o s l u r t h e q u e s t i o n i s a m a t t e r o f g a n g
l o y a l t y .
T h e u n d e r s t a n d i n g o f t h i s m e n t a l a n d s o c i a l p r o c e s s ,
a n d t h e c l e a n r e j e c t i o n o f i t b y a m a j o r i t y o f m a n k i n d ,
i s n e c e s s a r y t o t h e s u r v i v a l o f c i v i l i z a t i o n . The Moscow
t r i a l s , t h e m o s t f l a g r a n t e x a m p l e o f i t , a r e t h e r e f o r e i n
s o m e s e n s e a t o u c h s t o n e o f m e n - o r a t l e a s t o f w o r k i n g -
m e n a n d l i b e r a l s . T h o s e w h o s w a l l o w e d t h e l i e s t o l d i n
t h e s e t r i a l s , o r a g r e e d t o a s s i s t w i t h s i l e n c e o r s u s p e n d e d
j u d g m e n t i n t h e i r p r o p a g a t i o n , a r e t o b e g u a r d e d a g a i n s t
a s p o t e n t i a l t o t a l i t a r i a n s . Those who denounced them
r o u n d l y w i l l p r o b a b l y d e f e n d t r u t h , j u s t i c e , f r e e d o m ,
s c i e n t i f i c e n l i g h t e n m e n t . *
* S o m e o f t h e e a r l i e r p a r t s o f t h i s c h a p t e r w e r e p u b l i s h e d a t t h e
t i m e o f t h e t r i a l s i n t h e N e w Y o r k World-Teleg ram .
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3
STALIN BEATS HITLER TWENTYWAYS
WHEN h i s t o r i a n s l o o k b a c k , I b e l i e v e t h e f a d i n g o f r e -
l i g i o u s f a i t h i n t h i s e r a w i l l s e e m a c h i e f e x p l a n a t o r y f a c -
t o r o f i t s m a d n e s s . M e n h a v e n ' t g o t u s e d y e t t o t h e
e m p t i n e s s o f t h e s k y , a n d s o t h e y w o r s h i p g o d s o f c l a y
again-what crude and bloody ones!-and believe in
m y t h s a n d p r o m i s e s o f h e a v e n o n e a r t h . S o v i e t R u s s i a
w a s f a r e n o u g h a w a y , a n d s u f f i c i e n t l y i n s u l a t e d b y t h e
l a n g u a g e b a r r i e r , t o f u n c t i o n w o n d e r f u l l y i n t h e p l a c e
of Kingdom Come . A l l y o u h a d t o d o w a s d i s m i s s a l l t h e
p l a i n f a c t s a s a t r o c i t y s t o r i e s - t h e y a r e h o r r i b l e e n o u g h
t o s o u n d l i k e i t - a n d b e l i e v e t h e w h o l e s t a t e - o w n e d
p r o p a g a n d a , a n d y o u c o u l d b e a s t r a n q u i l a m i d t h e f a l l -
i n g r u i n s o f c i v i l i z a t i o n a s a n i n f a n t i n t h e a r m s o f
J e s u s .
T h i s s t a t e o f r e l i g i o u s f e l i c i t y w a s s o w i d e s p r e a d
a m o n g A m e r i c a n l i b e r a l s , a n d t h e i r p i e t y i s s o p r o f o u n d ,
t h a t e v e n t h e S t a l i n - H i t l e r p a c t a n d t h e r a i n i n g o f h e l l -
f i r e o n F i n l a n d h a v e b a r e l y w a k e d t h e m f r o m t h e i r
8i
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8 2 STALIN'S RU SSIA
p i o u s d r e a m . T h e y a r e w i s t f u l n o w - i t i s a f t e r a l l a s a d
w o r l d - b u t t h e y s t i l l c l i n g t o t h e b e l i e f t h a t s o m e w h e r e
i n t h e b a c k g r o u n d a n g e l s h o v e r o v e r S t a l i n .
T h e f a c t i s t h a t t h e b o m b i n g o f F i n l a n d , a l t h o u g h i t
o b t r u d e s s o u n c o m f o r t a b l y i n t o o u r r e a l w o r l d , i s a
p o l i t e a n d c i v i l i z e d g e s t u r e c o m p a r e d t o t h e s u s t a i n e d
c o n t e n t o f S t a l i n ' s d o m e s t i c p o l i c i e s . The pact with
H i t l e r i s v e r y m u c h e a s i e r t o d e f e n d , e s p e c i a l l y f o r a
M a r x i a n , t h a n t h e r e g i m e t h a t S t a l i n i s l i n k i n g w i t h
H i t l e r ' s . I n s t e a d o f b e i n g b e t t e r , S t a l i n i s m i s w o r s e t h a n
f a s c i s m - m o r e r u t h l e s s , b a r b a r o u s , u n j u s t , i m m o r a l , a n t i -
d e m o c r a t i c , u n r e d e e m e d b y a n y h o p e o r s c r u p l e .
T h e r e i s t o o m u c h d i s p u t e o v e r t h e c o n n o t a t i o n o f
f a s c i s m f o r o n e s i m p l e f o r m u l a t o h o l d . W e c a n a s y e t
o n l y p o i n t t o a l l t h o s e t r a i t s w h i c h a r e c o m m o n t o t h e
r e g i m e s i n I t a l y a n d G e r m a n y , a n d n o t t o b e f o u n d i n
e v e n t h e m o s t c a s t e - r i d d e n o f d e m o c r a t i c c o u n t r i e s . I
h a v e c o u n t e d t w e n t y - t w o s u c h t r a i t s , a n d I f i n d t h a t i n
a l l b u t t w o , t h e r e g i m e o f S t a l i n e q u a l s o r e x c e e d s t h e m .
I w i s h t h e r e a d e r w h o s t i l l f e e l s a d e v o u t a n g u i s h o v e r
S t a l i n a s a s a i n t b e t r a y e d t o t e m p o r a r y s i n w o u l d g o o v e r
t h i s l i s t w i t h m e , a n d s e e i f S t a l i n i s n o t b e t t e r t o b e
d e s c r i b e d a s a s u p e r - f a s c i s t .
( I h o p e t h a t t h i s l i s t m a y a l s o h e l p t o c h e c k a c u r r e n t
w i t l e s s t e n d e n c y t o a p p l y t h e w o r d " f a s c i s m " t o c h a n g e s
made within t h e l e g a l , m o r a l , c u l t u r a l a n d p o l i t i c a l
f r a m e w o r k o f c i v i l i z e d s o c i e t y , w h e t h e r f e u d a l o r d e m o -
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STALIN BEATS HITLER 83
c r a t i c . T h a t i s p l a y i n g w i t h w o r d s , a n d p l a y i n g o n t h e
e d g e o f a n a b y s s. )
i . N a t i o n a l i s t i c e m o t i o n i s h y s t e r i c a l l y e x a l t e d .
" P a t r i o t i s m i s t h e s u p r e m e l a w o f l i f e , " w a s t h e w a y
S t a l i n ' s Pravda e x p r e s s e d i t i n 1 9 3 4 , a n d h e w a s t h e n
s t i l l h a m p e r e d b y r e l i c s o f t h e o l d s l o g a n o f M a r x a n d
Lenin : " W o r k e r s h a v e n o f a t h e r l a n d . " B y n o w p a t r i o t -
i s m i n M o s c o w m u s t b e p r e t t y n e a r l y t h e w h o l e l a w o f
l i f e .
2 . A s i n g l e p a r t y , d i s c i p l i n e d , c e n t r a l l y c o n t r o l l e d a n d
h a v i n g a m o n o p o l y o f t h e p o l i t i c a l f i e l d , t a k e s o v e r t h e
p o w e r o f t h e s t a t e . T h e s t a t e i s r e d u c e d t o t h e p o s i t i o n
o f a f a l s e f r o n t , w h o s e f u n c t i o n i s t o " r a t i f y " t h e d e -
c i s i o n s o f t h e p a r t y .
N e e d l e s s t o a r g u e t h a t t h i s s y s t e m e x i s t s i n R u s s i a ,
s i n c e i t w a s t h e r e t h a t H i t l e r a n d M u s s o l i n i l e a r n e d i t .
3 . D i s s e n t i n g o p i n i o n i s c o e r c e d b y m e a n s o f p a t r o n -
a g e a n d i n t i m i d a t i o n t o t h e p o i n t w h e r e t h e p a r t y a n d
i t s l e a d e r s c a n a s s e r t t h e m s e l v e s t o be t h e n a t i o n a s a
t o t a l i t y . T h e r e g i m e i s c a l l e d t o t a l i t a r i a n e x a c t l y b e c a u s e
i t i s n o t s o , b u t t h i s i s a t h r e a t , n o t a b o a s t . I t m e a n s t h a t
a l l d i s a g r e e m e n t o r e v e n i n d i f f e r e n c e , w h e r e i t c a n n o t
b e b r i d l e d , w i l l b e r u t h l e s s l y s t a m p e d o u t .
I n R u s s i a t h e y t a l k o f t h e " m o n o l i t h i c p a r t y " i n s t e a d
o f t h e " t o t a l i t a r i a n s t a t e , " b u t t h i s o n l y b e c a u s e t h e
s y s t e m i s s o p e r f e c t t h a t t h e s t a t e c a n b e i g n o r e d .
4 . T h e r e l i g i o n o f n a t i o n a l i s m c o m e s i n t o c o n f l i c t
8/2/2019 Stalin Russia and the Crisis in Socialism-Max Eastman-1940-281pgs-POL
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84 STALIN'S RU SSIA
w i t h s u p e r n a t u r a l r e l i g i o n . T h e c h u r c h , l i k e t h e s t a t e ,
i s p e r m i t t e d t o e x i s t , b u t i t s p r i e s t s , a n d e v e n i t s G o d ,
m u s t r e c o g n i z e t h e s u p e r i o r a u t h o r i t y o f t h e p a r t y .
Under " Socialism in One Country" -which is emo-
t i o n a l l y , e v e n m o r e t h a n l o g i c a l l y , t h e s a m e t h i n g a s
" N a t i o n a l S o c i a l i s m " - n o t o n l y r e l i g i o n , b u t p h i l o s o p h y
i s r e g i m e n t e d b y t h e p a r t y !
5 . T h e n e w r e l i g i o n f i n d s i t s f o c u s o f d e v o t i o n i n " t h e
L e a d e r , " w h o b e c o m e s t o a l l i n t e n t s a n d p u r p o s e s a G o d .
I n R u s s i a , l e s s c i v i l i z e d t o b e g i n w i t h , t h i s r e t u r n t o
p r i m i t i v e s u p e r s t i t i o n h a s g o n e f a r t h e r t h a n i n I t a l y a n d
Germany . I n m a n y m i n d s i t h a s g o n e t o t h e p o i n t o f
l i t e r a l d e i f i c a t i o n . The adulation of the "Liubimii
V o z h d , " p r i n t e d a l m o s t w e e k l y i n f u l l - p a g e h e a d l i n e s i n
t h e g r e a t m e t r o p o l i t a n n e w s p a p e r s o f R u s s i a - " O u r B e -
l o v e d , " " O u r I n f a l l i b l e , " " O u r I n c o m p a r a b l e S t a l i n , "
" O u r S e n s i t i v e S t a l i n , " " O u r T e a c h e r , " " O u r F a t h e r o f
Nations," " Our Sun," " Our Soul" -would provoke
l a u g h t e r i n a n y W e s t e r n m e t r o p o l i s .
6 . A n t i - i n t e l l e c t u a l i s m , i n a d e g r e e h e r e t o f o r e f o u n d
o n l y a m o n g g u t t e r s n i p e s , b e c o m e s a p u b l i c p o l i c y . I t
t a k e s t h e f o r m o f f l a t t e r y t o t h e i g n o r a n t a n d l a z y -
m i n d e d , p e r s e c u t i o n , j a i l , d e a t h , o r e x i l e t o t h o s e w h o
s t a n d f o r s t r e n u o u s a n d h o n e s t t h o u g h t .
B e c a u s e o f S t a l i n ' s p e r s o n a l j e a l o u s y o f t h e b r a i n i e r
l i e u t e n a n t s o f L e n i n , a n d b e c a u s e t h e p r e j u d i c e s o e a s i l y
a r o u s e d a g a i n s t h i g h b r o w s w a s u s e f u l t o h i m i n o v e r -
8/2/2019 Stalin Russia and the Crisis in Socialism-Max Eastman-1940-281pgs-POL
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STALIN BEATS HITLER 85
w h e l m i n g t h e m , t h i s p o l i c y h a s b e e n m o r e d e l i b e r a t e l y
p u t t h r o u g h i n R u s s i a t h a n i n I t a l y o r G e r m a n y . M o r e -
o v e r , w i t h o n e e x c e p t i o n , S t a l i n h a s n o t e x i l e d h i s h i g h -
b r o w s , b u t l o c k e d t h e m u p o r s h o t t h e m .
7 . A n t i - i n t e l l e c t u a l i s m a l s o t a k e s t h e f o r m o f a p h y s i -
c a l d e s t r u c t i o n o f b o o k s a n d r e c o r d s , a r e w r i t i n g o f h i s -
t o r y a n d r e v a m p i n g o f s c i e n c e t o m a k e i t f i t t h e m o m e n -
t a r y n e e d s o f p o l i t i c s .
H i t l e r m a d e a p u b l i c b o n f i r e , b u t w h a t S t a l i n h a s
d o n e i n h i s c r a f t i e r w a y t o R u s s i a n b o o k s a n d d o c u m e n t s
a n d f i l m s , a n d e v e n s p o k e n m e m o r i e s - t o a l l r e c o r d e d
t r u t h - m a k e s H i t l e r ' s b o n f i r e l o o k l i k e a n I n d e p e n d e n c e
D a y c e l e b r a t i o n .
8 . A n t i - i n t e l l e c t u a l i s m a l s o t a k e s t h e f o r m o f a n a t -
t a c k o n " p u r e s c i e n c e " - d e s c r i b e d b y t h e E d i t o r s o f t h e
New Republic a s " o n e o f t h e w e i r d e s t a s p e c t s o f t h e
w e i r d N a z i i d e o l o g y . "
E x a c t l y t h e s a m e a t t a c k o n p u r e s c i e n c e w a s m a d e ,
w i t h M a r x i a n f l o u r i s h e s a n d p o l i c e a s s i s t a n c e , b y S t a l i n ' s
P o l i t b u r o .
9 . T h e m a n i p u l a t i o n o f p u b l i c o p i n i o n i s s u b s t i t u t e d
f o r i t s e n l i g h t e n m e n t . H u m a n m i n d s a r e r e g a r d e d a s r e -
c e p t a c l e s f o r o f f i c i a l l y d e c r e e d o p i n i o n s . I t b e c o m e s t h e
f u n c t i o n o f t h e p r e s s a n d r a d i o t o p u t o v e r t h e L e a d e r ' s
i d e a s , a n d m i s r e p r e s e n t t h o s e o f h i s e n e m i e s . D e b a t e i s
a b o l i s h e d , d o g m a e n t h r o n e d . W h a t e v e r i n t e l l e c t u a l l i f e
8/2/2019 Stalin Russia and the Crisis in Socialism-Max Eastman-1940-281pgs-POL
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8 6 STALIN'S RUSSIAs u r v i v e s c o n s i s t s o f i n f e r e n c e s f r o m t e m p o r a r y p r o n u n -
c i a m e n t o s o f t h e L e a d e r .
H e r e S t a l i n b e a t s H i t l e r b e c a u s e h e i s o p e r a t i n g u p o n
a m o r e p r i m i t i v e p e o p l e .
i o . C u l t u r a l i s o l a t i o n o f t h e c o u n t r y i s e s s e n t i a l t o
t h i s o p e r a t i o n . T h e p o p u l a t i o n i s t a u g h t t o b e l i e v e a l l
s o r t s o f f a b l e s a b o u t t h e i r o w n m e r i t s a n d p r o s p e r i t i e s
a n d t h e d e s p e r a t e c o n d i t i o n o f t h e o u t s i d e w o r l d .
I n R u s s i a t h i s h a s g o n e s o f a r t h a t p r i v a t e c i t i z e n s
c a n n o t t r a v e l a b r o a d , a n d a r e a f r a i d t o h a v e f r i e n d l y r e -
l a t i o n s w i t h a f o r e i g n v i s i t o r . I t i s , a s w e h a v e s e e n , a
c r i m e o f t r e a s o n , p u n i s h a b l e b y d e a t h , t o " e s c a p e a c r o s s
t h e b o r d e r . "
i i . P a r t y c o n t r o l o f " s c i e n t i f i c f a c t " ( e x c e p t i n t h e
i n d u s t r i a l a n d m i l i t a r y s p h e r e s ) i s a c c o m p a n i e d b y a s i m -
i l a r c o n t r ol o f c r e a t i ve a r t . M u s s o l i n i d e c r e e s t h e s i z e o f
w o m e n ' s h i p s i n I t a l i a n p a i n t i n g ; H i t l e r s u p p r e s s e s a s
d e g e n e r a t e a l l t h e e x p e r i m e n t a l a r t - w o r k s o f t h e p e r i o d .
B o t h H i t l e r a n d M u s s o l i n i l e a r n e d t h i s f r o m S t a l i n ,
w h o i n a u g u r a t e d h i s a e s t h e t i c I n q u i s i t i o n i n 1 9 3 0 . ( S e emy A r t i s t s i n U n i f o r m . )
1 2 . I m m o r a l i s m t a k e s t w o f o r m s . P o l i t i c a l l y i n g a n d
g o v e r n m e n t a l h y p o c r i s y a r e a d o p t e d a s a s y s t e m . L i b e l
a n d s l a n d e r b e c o m e c i v i c v i r t u e s . Fa k e p l e b i s c i t e s , s o l -
e m n c a r i c a t u r e s o f j u d i c i a l p r o c e d u r e , p a r o d i e s o f r e p r e -
s e n t a t i v e g o v e r n m e n t , a r e a c c e p t e d a s t h e n o r m a l c o u r s e .
8/2/2019 Stalin Russia and the Crisis in Socialism-Max Eastman-1940-281pgs-POL
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STALIN BEATS HITLER 8 7
" F o o l i n g a l l t h e p e o p l e a l l t h e t i m e " b e c o m e s t h e e s s e n -
t i a l f u n c t i o n o f t h e s t a t e a p p a r a t u s .
S t a l i n ' s " m o s t d e m o c r a t i c c o n s t i t u t i o n i n h i s t o r y , "
w i t h i t s j o k e r g u a r a n t e e i n g t h e p o l i t i c a l m o n o p o l y o f
t h e c o m m u n i s t p a r t y a n d t h i s p a r t y ' s d o m i n a t i o n i n
e v e r y s o c i a l o r g a n i z a t i o n i n t h e c o u n t r y , i s t h e i n c o m -
p a r a b l e c l i m a x o f t h i s s y s t e m . I t i s t h e m o s t i n s o l e n t
h o a x i n h i s t o r y . I t n o t o n l y f o o l s t h e p e o p l e a l l t h e t i m e ,
b u t f o o l s t h e m w i t h t h e s a m e t r i c k , a n d h a n d s i t t o t h e m
h a n d - e m b o s s e d o n p a r c h m e n t a s t h e f u n d a m e n t a l l a w o f
t h e l a n d .
1 3 . I m m o r a l i s m t a k e s a l s o t h e f o r m o f s t a t e - p l a n n e d
a s s a s s i n a t i o n s , f r a m e - u p s , b l o o d - p u r g e s , R e i c h s t a g f i r e s ,
p i r a c i e s i n t h e M e d i t e r r a n e a n , e t c . T h e w o r s t c r i m e s i n
t h e c o d e o f c i v i l i z a t i o n b e c o m e t h e d a r i n g v i r t u e s o f t h e
t o t a l i t a r i a n s t a t e .
S t a l i n , w i t h h i s d e l i b e r a t e s t a r v a t i o n o f f o u r t o s i x
m i l l i o n p e a s a n t s , h i s d e p o r t a t i o n s o f w h o l e v i l l a g e s , h i s
m i l l i o n s i n c o n c e n t r a t i o n c a m p s , h i s w h o l e c o u n t i e s c o n -
s e c r a t e d t o f o r c e d l a b o r , h i s e x e c u t i o n o f p r a c t i c a l l y
e v e r y m a n i n t h e c o u n t r y w h o h a s o c c u p i e d a p r o m i n e n t
p o s i t i o n w i t h i n t h e l a s t f i f t e e n y e a r s , m a k e s H i t l e r ' s l i t t l e
b l o o d - p u r g e a n d M u s s o l i n i ' s r e g i m e n o f c a s t o r o i l t e m -
p e r e d w i t h a s s a s s i n a t i o n , l o o k l i k e a s o p h o m o r e h a z i n g
p a r t y . I f t h e s h e d b l o o d o f i n n o c e n t m e n w e r e m e a s u r e d ,
S t a l i n ' s w o u l d b e a l a k e , H i t l e r ' s a d u c k - p o n d ; M u s s o -
l i n i ' s c o u l d b e d i p p e d u p b y t h e t a n k - c a r f u l .
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8 8 STALIN' S RU SSIA
1 4. B e s i d e s i t s o w n c r i m e s , t h e s t a t e e n c o u r a g e s t h e
population to bait, torture and destroy some public
enemy . T h e h a t e a n d p e r s e c u t i o n o f t h i s i n t e r n a l e n e m y
s e r v e s a s a p e a c e t i m e s u b s t i t u t e f o r w a r , w h i c h i s n e c e s -
s a r y t o k e e p t h e p a s s i o n o f t r i b a l s o l i d a r i t y o n w h i c h
t h e w h o l e t h i n g i s b a s e d a t w h i t e h e a t .
What Hitler has done to the J ews compares palely
w i t h w h a t S t a l i n h a s d o n e t o " K u l a k s , " a n d t o p r o m i -
nent people generally . He has reversed Napoleon's
maxim : " C a r e e r s a r e o p e n t o a l l m e n o f t a l e n t ." The
p l a c e f o r m e n o f t a l e n t i n R u s s i a , g e n e r a l l y s p e a k i n g , i s
t h e b l o o d s t a i n e d c e l l a r o f t h e L u b i a n k a p r i s o n . S t i l l
S t a l i n h a s n o t - a s y e t - o v e r t l y p e r s e c u t e d t h e J e w s o r
o t h e r R u s s i a n n a t i o n a l m i n o r i t i e s . He belongs to one
o f t h e m h i m s e l f .
1 5 - I n b a i t i n g t h e J e w s , H i t l e r r e v i v e d - f r o m t h e O l d
T e s t a m e n t ! - t h e p r i n c i p l e o f t r i b a l g u i l t f o r t h e c r i m e
o f a n i n d i v i d u a l .
S t a l i n h a s w r i t t e n t h i s p r i n c i p l e i n t o t h e C r i m i n a l
Code . A s w e h a v e s e e n , h i s t r e a s o n l a w h o l d s g u i l t y n o t
o n l y t h e f a m i l y o f t h e t r a i t o r , b u t e v e r y b o d y w h o l i v e d ,
h o w e v e r i n n o c e n t l y , i n t h e s a m e h o u s e w i t h h i m .
i 6 . B e s i d e s a n o b j e c t o f h a t e , t h e t r i b a l p a s s i o n m u s t
h a v e a n o b j e c t o f l o v e . T h e r e m u s t b e s o m e r e a l g l o r y -
w o r k t o c o n s e c r a t e o n e s e l f t o . A c c o r d i n g l y , w e f i n d i n
a l l t o t a l i t a r i a n r e g i m e s a p r o c e s s o f e c o n o m i c r e v i v a l o r
r e c o n s t r u c t i o n . A b s o l u t e t y r a n n y a n d c o m p l e t e r e g i m e n -
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90 STALIN'S RUSSIAi t a r i a n r e g i m e s a r e m a l e r e g i m e s . W o m a n ' s b u s i n e s s i n
t h e m i s t o b r e e d .
H e r e , t o o , S t a l i n h a s r e p e a l e d t h e e q u a l i t a r i a n d e c r e e s
a n d p r o c l a m a t i o n s o f t h e O c t o b e r r e v o l u t i o n . H e i s t r a v -
e l i n g i n t h e a n t i - f e m i n i s t d i r e c t i o n . B u t h e i s s t i l l a g o o d
w a y b e h i n d H i t l e r a n d M u s s o l i n i .
2 0 . A l l t h r e e t o t a l i t a r i a n g o v e r n m e n t s a r e c h a r a c t e r -
i z e d b y a p a t e r n a l c o n c e r n f o r t h e w e l f a r e , o r a t l e a s t
s e c u r i t y , o f t h e t o i l i n g m a s s e s - i n s o f a r a s t h e y a r e c o m -
p l e t e l y s u b m i s s i v e . T h i s f a c t a b o u t f a s c i s t r e g i m e s h a s
b e e n l i t t l e a p p r e c i a t e d i n A m e r i c a , b u t i t i s t h e f o u n d a -
t i o n o f t h e i r s u c c e s s . I t i s t h e p r i c e a t w h i c h t h e G e r m a n
a n d I t a l i a n m a s s e s s o l d t h e i r f r e e d o m . I n R u s s i a , n o t -
w i t h s t a n d i n g t h e l e g e n d s s p r e a d b y S t a l i n ' s p r o p a g a n -
d i s t s , t h i s c o n c e r n f o r t h e t o i l e r s i s n o m o r e r e a l , a n d i s
o n t h e w h o l e l e s s e f f e c t i v e , t h a n i n G e r m a n y . T h e R u s -
s i a n m a s s e s , a c c u s t o m e d a s t h e y w e r e t o s l a v e r y , h a v e
s o l d t h e i r f r e e d o m a t a l o w e r p r i c e . I n b o t h c o u n t r i e s a l l
t h e u n i o n s a r e c o m p a n y u n i o n s , a n d t h e c o m p a n y i s t h e
s t a t e .
2 1 . A l l t o t a l i t a r i a n r e g i m e s m a k e a l i b e r a l u s e o f t h e
p h r a s e o l o g y o f w o r k i n g - c l a s s r e v o l u t i o n a g a i n s t c a p i t a l -
i s m . T h e y c a l l t h e m s e l v e s " p r o l e t a r i a n " ; t h e y d e n o u n c e
d e m o c r a t i c n a t i o n s a s " c a p i t a l i s t " ; M u s s o l i n i a s s e r t s t h a t
h e i s s t i l l a " r e v o l u t i o n a r y s o c i a l i s t " ; G o e b b e l s p r o m i s e s
a " s o c i a l i s m o f n a t i o n s " ; H i t l e r c a l l s h i s p a r t y " N a t i o n a l
S o c i a l i s t , " d e n o u n c e s t h e " J e w i s h c a p i t a l i s t w o r l d " ;
8/2/2019 Stalin Russia and the Crisis in Socialism-Max Eastman-1940-281pgs-POL
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STALIN BEATS HITLER 9 1
G o e r i n g d e s c r i b e s G e r m a n y a s a " w o r k e r s ' a n d p e a s a n t s '
s t a t e . "
S t a l i n u s e s t h i s l a n g u a g e m o r e p l a u s i b l y t h a n t h e
o t h e r s , b e c a u s e h e s t e m s f r o m a r e v o l u t i o n t h a t d i d i n -
v o l v e a r i s i n g o f t h e w o r k e r s a n d p e a s a n t s . I n s o f a r ,
h o w e v e r , a s i t i m p l i e s t h a t t h e w o r k e r s a n d p e a s a n t s r u n
t h e g o v e r n m e n t o r r e c e i v e a s l i c e o f t h e p r o f i t s o f i n d u s -
t r y , t h e l a n g u a g e i s a s f a l s e i n R u s s i a a s i n G e r m a n y a n d
I t a l y . T h e p r o f i t s a r e d i s p o s e d o f b y t h e n e w h o l d e r s o f
t o t a l i t a r i a n p o w e r , t h e c l a s s o f b u r e a u c r a t s , w h o s e p r i n -
c i p a l p u b l i c e x p e n d i t u r e i s o n m i l i t a r i z i n g t h e c o u n t r y
mind and body .
2 2 . I n a l l t o t a l i t a r i a n r e g i m e s , i n d u s t r y , c o m m e r c e
a n d a g r i c u l t u r e a r e c o n t r o l l e d b y t h e s t a t e - t h a t i s , t h e
p a r t y a n d i t s l e a d e r . " A l m o s t t h e o n l y f r e e d o m l e f t t o
t h e G e r m a n e m p l o y e r , " s a y s G e o f f r e y C r o w t h e r , E d i t o r
o f t h e London Economist, " is t o p u t h i s n a m e o n t h e
f i r m ' s s t a t i o n e r y ." And Stephen Raushenbush * adds
t h a t t h e G e r m a n " b u s i n e s s - o w n e r , " a s w e l l a s t h e " h o m e -
o w n e r , " s h o w s a " p e r f e c t o b e d i e n c e " t o t h e s t a t e b e c a u s e
h e k n o w s t h a t " i t i s p e r f e c t l y p o s s i b l e f o r t h e s t a t e t o
t a k e t h e l a s t f e a t u r e o f t h e o l d e r s y s t e m a w a y f r o m h i m . "
I n R u s s i a t h i s s t a t e c o n t r o l i s m o r e n e a t a n d a b s o l u t e ,
b e c a u s e p r i v a t e c l a i m s h a v e b e e n a b o l i s h e d a l t o g e t h e r .
C o n t r o l e x t e n d s t o t h e p o i n t o f o w n e r s h i p . No one
d o u b t s t h a t i n t h i s m a t t e r S t a l i n s t a n d s a t t h e e x t r e m e
* The March of Fascis m, 1989 .
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9 2 STALIN'S RU SSIA
t o w a r d w h i c h t h e f a s c i s t s t a t e s h a v e t r a v e l e d . I t i s i n d e e d
t h i s v e r y d i f f e r e n c e w h i c h s e e m s s o v a s t a n d b e n e f i c e n t -
and so " economic"-to our semi-Marxian intellectuals
t h a t t h e y f o r g i v e S t a l i n a l l h i s m a s s a c r e s . They think
t h a t h e h a s b u i l t a " s o c i a l i s t s t a t e , " a n d t h e y d i s m i s s a
d e a t h - t o l l s i m i l a r t o t h a t o f t h e F i r s t W o r l d W a r w i t h
the remark that "You can't make an omelette without
b r e a k i n g e g g s . "
I f w e l o o k a t t h i s d i f f e r e n c e , h o w e v e r , f r o m t h e s t a n d -
p o i n t o f e i t h e r a n a s t u t e c a p i t a l i s t o r a r e a l s o c i a l i s t , w e
f i n d i t n e i t h e r v a s t n o r b e n e f i c e n t , a n d r a t h e r m o r e l e g a l
than economic . R a u s h e n b u s h t e l l s u s t h a t i n G e r m a n y
d i v i d e n d s a r e u s u a l l y l i m i t e d t o 6 o r 8 p e r c e n t , t h a t
t a x e s o n t h e s e r u n u p t o 5 5 p e r c e n t , a n d t h a t a n o t h e r
2 5 p e r c e n t i s t a k e n a w a y i n t h e f o r m o f " v o l u n t a r y c o n -
t r i b u t i o n s . " I t s e e m s c l e a r f r o m t h i s t h a t t h e e m p l o y e r ' s
p r o f i t s h a v e n o t f a r e d a g r e a t d e a l b e t t e r t h a n h i s f r e e -
doms under National Socialism . " T h e g o v e r n m e n t f e l t
n o n e e d , " R a u s h e n b u s h s a y s , " f o r t h e l e g a l e v i d e n c e s o f
ownership . . . . A n e s s e n t i a l p a r t o f i t s d o c t r i n e i s t o
k e e p t h e f o r m o f p r i v a t e p r o p e r t y w h i l e d i v e s t i n g i t o f
a l m o s t a l l o f t h e q u a l i t i e s f o r m e r l y a t t a c h e d t o i t ." And
a c c o r d i n g t o t h e F r e n c h Yellow Book of December 21,
1 9 3 9 , a n i n t i m a t e of H i t l e r s a i d : " B e s i d e s , a r e t h e N a z i
a n d S o v i e t r e g i m e s s o d i f f e r e n t ? A r e n ' t t h e y a l m o s t i d e n -
t i c a l i n t h e e c o n o m i c f i e l d , e v e n t h o u g h w i t h u s t h e r e i s
a p l a c e f o r a c e r t a i n a m o u n t o f p r i v a t e e n t e r p r i s e ? "
8/2/2019 Stalin Russia and the Crisis in Socialism-Max Eastman-1940-281pgs-POL
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STALIN BEATS HITLER 93
T h a t i s h o w t h e d i f f e r e n c e l o o k s f r o m t h e s t a n d p o i n t
o f c a p i t a l i s m . L e t u s g l a n c e a t i t f r o m t h e s t a n d p o i n t o f
r e a l s o c i a l i s m . T h e s o c i a l i s t p r o g r a m , i n t h e d a y s b e f o r e
i t w a s t a k e n o v e r b y s e m i - M a r x i a n l i b e r a l s , w a s , i n b r i e f :
n a t i o n a l i z a t i o n o f t h e i n s t r u m e n t s o f p r o d u c t i o n a n d
a b o l i t i o n t h e r e w i t h o f t h e w a g e s y s t e m o f e x p l o i t i n g
l a b o r . S o c i a l i s t s o f t h e o r i g i n a l t y p e h a d n o p a s s i o n f o r
s t a t e o w n e r s h i p a s s u c h , n o r a n y o b j e c t i o n t o t h e e x -
c h a n g e o f g o o d s i n a f r e e m a r k e t . T h e y l o v e d f r e e d o m
m o r e t h a n t h e y l o v e d a w e l l - o r g a n i z e d e c o n o m y . T h e y
w a n t e d t o " e m a n c i p a t e t h e w o r k e r s a n d t h e r e w i t h a l l
mankind." Nobody who cared abou t freedom would
a b o l i s h f r e e t r a d e e x c e p t f o r t h e p u r p o s e o f a c h i e v i n g a
m o r e u n i v e r s a l f r e e d o m . N o b o d y w h o h a t e d t h e e x p l o i -
t a t i o n o f l a b o r t h r o u g h t h e w a g e s y s t e m w o u l d t a k e i t
o u t o f t h e h a n d s o f p r i v a t e c a p i t a l i s t s , w h o d i d i t i n a
r a t h e r a m a t e u r i s h f a s h i o n , a n d t u r n i t o v e r i n t a c t t o a
m i l i t a r y b u r e a u c r a t i c s t a t e w h i c h c o u l d d o i t f i f t y t i m e s
a s r u t h l e s s l y . T h a t i s w h a t S t a l i n h a s d o n e . H e h a s a b o l -
i s h e d t h e f r e e m a r k e t , w h i c h i s t h e p r o g r e s s i v e t h i n g
a b o u t c a p i t a l i s m , b u t p r e s e r v e d t h e e x p l o i t a t i o n o f l a b o r
t h r o u g h t h e w a g e s y s t e m , w h i c h i s t h e r e g r e t t a b l e t h i n g .
I s h a l l s a y m o r e o n t h e s e s u b j e c t s . S u f f i c e i t t o s t a t e
h e r e t h e b a r e f a c t , e a s i l y v e r i f i a b l e i n d e t a i l , t h a t f o r
l a b o r a s f o r c a p i t a l t h e r e i s l e s s f r e e d o m a s w e l l a s l e s s
income in Russia than in Germany . I n t h i s , a s i n a l l
o t h e r v i t a l r e s p e c t s , e x c e p t o n l y a n t i - f e m i n i s m a n d a n t i -
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94 STALIN'S RU SSIA
S e m i t i s m , S t a l i n i s a s u p e r - f a s c i s t . U n t i l t h e l i b e r a l a n d
l e f t w a r d d e m o c r a t i c f o r c e s g e t t h a t r i g h t , t h e i r s t r a t e g y
w i l l b e f a l s e t h r o u g h o u t . A t h o m e a n d a b r o a d t h e y w i l l
b e f o u n d s e r v i n g t h e c a u s e t h e y p r o f e s s t o d e s p i s e . T h e
e n e m y o f d e m o c r a c y a n d c i v i l i z a t i o n i s n o t a n y c o u n t r y ,
b ut t h e t o t a l i t a r i a n s t a t e o f m i n d . A n d t h a t s t a t e o f m i n d
i s b e i n g m o s t s u c c e s s f u l l y i n t r o d u c e d i n t o t h e U n i t e d
S t a t e s b y t h e a d h e r e n t s a n d f e l l o w - t r a v e l e r s o f S t a l i n .
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THE DEATH AGONY OF AN IDEA :AN OUTLINE OF THE COMINTERN
FROM 1 9 1 8 t o 1921 m y e d i t o r i a l s i n t h e L i b e r a t o r s u p -
p o r t e d a l l t h e p o l i c i e s o f L e n i n a n d t h e R u s s i a n B o l s h e -
v i k s , s o f a r a s I u n d e r s t o o d t h e m , w i t h o u t e x c e p t i o n .
T h e i s s u e o f J u l y I g 1 g g r e e t e d t h e f o r m a t i o n o f t h e
T h i r d I n t e r n a t i o n a l a n d d e f e n d e d i t s m a n i f e s t o i n e i g h t
p a g e s o f a l m o s t r a p t u r o u s a r g u m e n t a t i o n . A n e d i t o r i a l
in May 1 9 2 1 , h o w e v e r , w h e n I f i r s t b e c a m e a w a r e t h a t
t h e I n t e r n a t i o n a l h a d b e e n o r g a n i z e d i n s u c h a w a y a s
t o g i v e c o v e r t c o n t r o l t o t h e R u s s i a n c o m m u n i s t p a r t y ,
e x p r e s s e d a s t r e n u o u s o b j e c t i o n . * I c o u l d n o t u n d e r -
s t a n d t h i s n a t i o n a l i s t i c m a n e u v e r , e i t h e r f r o m t h e
s t a n d p o i n t o f M a r x i a n p r i n c i p l e o r o f p o l i t i c a l g o o d
* " I t i s t o b e h o p e d t h a t t h e d e l e g a t e s t o t h e n e x t i n t e r n a t i o n a l c o n -
g r e s s w i l l n o t b e i n s u c h a h u r r y t o e n u n c i a t e t h e t r u e p r i n c i p l e s t h a t
t h e y c a n n o t t a k e t h e p a i n s t o a d o p t a c a n d i d a n d d e f i n i t e a n d p r a c -
t i c a l f o r m o f o r g a n i z a t i o n - a n o r g a n i z a t i o n t h a t w i l l b e i n t e r n a t i o n a l
a s w e l l a s r e v o l u t i o n a r y . . . . I t w i l l b e n o m o r e p o s s i b l e t o u n i t e t h e
r e v o l u t i o n a r y p r o l e t a r i a n s o f a l l n a t i o n s i n a n o r g a n i z a t i o n d o m i n a t e d
b y R u s s i a n s , t h a n i t w a s f o r t h e R u s s i a n s t o c a r r y t h e r e v o l u t i o n i n t o
Poland . "
9 5
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96 STALIN'S RUSSIAs e n s e . I t s h o c k e d t h o s e v e r y i n s t i n c t s w h i c h h a d w o n m e
t o L e n i n a s t o n o o t h e r r e v o l u t i o n i s t i n h i s t o r y .
Thus when I went to Moscow in 1 9 2 2 , I t o o k w i t h
m e , p a c k e d u p w i t h m a n y e n t h u s i a s m s , t h i s t r o u b l e d
doubt . I h o p e d t o f i n d s o m e r a t i o n a l a n s w e r t o i t , s o m e
a t t i t u d e o f m i n d , o r f o r m o f p r o c e d u r e , a m o n g t h e B o l -
s h e v i k s , t h a t w o u l d r e a s s u r e m e a s t o t h e i n t e r n a t i o n a l -
i s m o f t h e C o m m u n i s t I n t e r n a t i o n a l . I f o u n d , o n t h e
c o n t r a r y , t h a t t h i s o r g a n i z a t i o n a l m a n e u v e r h a d b u t
m i l d l y e x p r e s s e d t h e i r n a t i o n a l r e v o l u t i o n a r y g r o u p -
e g o t i s m .
William Z . F o s t e r w a s t h e c h i e f A m e r i c a n d e l e g a t e
during a part of my stay in Moscow, and one day
Z i n o v i e v , t h e p r e s i d e n t o f t h e I n t e r n a t i o n a l , h a n d e d
h i m a l e t t e r o s t e n s i b l y a d d r e s s e d t o t h e m e m b e r s o f t h e
A m e r i c a n p a r t y b y i t s e x e c u t i v e c o m m i t t e e , o u t l i n i n g
t h e p o l i c i e s t o b e p u r s u e d . T h e r e w a s a s p a c e a t t h e
b o t t o m f o r F o s t e r ' s s i g n a t u r e a s h e a d o f t h e A m e r i c a n
p a r t y , b u t t h e l e t t e r h a d b e e n c o m p o s e d b y t h e R u s s i a n
l e a d e r s i n p r i v a t e s e s s i o n . I t w a s t r a n s l a t e d i n t o b a d
E n g l i s h a n d r e a d y f o r F o s t e r ' s s i g n a t u r e w h e n h e f i r s t
s a w i t .
I h a d a d m i r e d F o s t e r a s a r e a l l e a d e r o f t h e w o r k i n g
c l a s s , a m a n o f i n d e p e n d e n t f o r c e a n d j u d g m e n t . I e x -
p r e s s e d t o h i m m y a s t o n i s h m e n t t h a t s t a t e s m e n l i k e
L e n i n a n d T r o t s k y s h o u l d i m a g i n e t h e y c o u l d b u i l d r e v -
o l u t i o n a r y m o v e m e n t s i n o t h e r c o u n t r i e s u n d e r l e a d e r s
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DEATH AGONY OF AN IDEA 97
w h o m t h e y t r e a t e d l i k e s c h o o l - b o y s w h e n t h e y c a m e t o
Moscow .
" T h e y o u g h t t o k n o w , " I s a i d , " w h a t a s t r u g g l e f o r
s t a t e p o w e r i s , a n d w h a t k i n d o f m e n m u s t l e a d i t . "
W e w e r e a l o n e o n a s t r e e t - c o r n e r , a n d F o s t e r , w h o h a d
b e e n a r e a d e r o f t h e Libe rator a n d a l w a y s t a l k e d f r a n k l y
w i t h m e a b o u t l a b o r t a c t i c s , s a i d :
" M a x , t h e r e ' s a l o t o f t h i n g s h a p p e n h e r e t h a t I d o n ' t
l i k e , b u t w e ' ve g o t t o t a k e i t , f o r t h e p r e s e n t . T h e y h a v e
t h e p r e s t i g e , a n d y o u c a n ' t b u i l d a r e v o l u t i o n a r y m o v e -
m e n t a g a i n s t t h e m . "
H a v i n g t a k e n i t f o r t h e p r e s e n t i n 1 9 2 2 , F o s t e r k e p t
o n t a k i n g i t f o r t h e n e x t s i x t e e n y e a r s , a n d h e i s s t i l l
t a k i n g i t . F r o m b e i n g a s t r o n g , h o n e s t a n d e a r n e s t l y
t h o u g h t f u l l e a d e r o f A m e r i c a n l a b o r , h e h a s b e c o m e a
k e p t m e s s e n g e r b o y , p e d d l i n g p o l i t i c a l l i e s a n d i n e p t i -
t u d e s m a n u f a c t u r e d f o r t h e A m e r i c a n w o r k i n g c l a s s b y
M o s c o w b u r e a u c r a t s w i t h h a l f h i s b r a i n s a n d n a t i v e
f o r c e o f c h a r a c t e r .
A d a y o r t w o a f t e r m y t a l k w i t h F o s t e r , T r o t s k y t o o k
m e t o v i s i t t h e p r i s o n i n w h i c h h e h a d s t a y e d w h e n o n
h i s w a y t o S i b e r i a i n e a r l y y o u t h . A s w e d r o v e t h r o u g h
t h e s t r e e t s o f M o s c o w , I r a i s e d t h i s q u e s t i o n w h i c h s o
m u c h d i s t u r b e d m e , t e l l i n g h i m m y o p i n i o n o f F o s t e r
a n d r e l a t i n g t h e m a n n e r i n w h i c h t h i s d o c u m e n t h a d
b e e n h a n d e d t o h i m t o s i g n .
" Y o u k n o w w h a t i t m e a n s t o l e a d a r e v o l u t i o n , " I s a i d .
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98 STALIN'S RU SSIA
" H o w c a n y o u i m a g i n e t h a t r e v o l u t i o n s i n o t h e r c o u n -
t r i e s a r e g o i n g t o b e l e d b y t h e k i n d o f m e n w h o w i l l l e t
Z i n o v i e v - o r y o u , o r L e n i n , o r a n y b o d y e l s e - w r i t e t h e i r
o p i n i o n s f o r t h e m ? Y o u c a n ' t t r e a t g r o w n - u p m e n t h a t
w a y , l e a s t o f a l l r e v o l u t i o n i s t s . "
T r o t s k y ' s a n s w e r w a s :
" W e l l , w e t r e a t t h e m i n g e n e r a l , a c c o r d i n g t o w h a t
t h e y d e s e r v e . I f t h e y ' r e g r o w n u p , w e t r e a t t h e m t h a t
way . "
" Y o u d o n ' t g e t m y p o i n t , " I s a i d . " N o m a n c a p a b l e o f
l e a d i n g a r e v o l u t i o n i s g o i n g t o l e t y o u d e c i d e h o w h e
i s t o b e t r e a t e d . "
T r o t s k y w a s n o t i n t e r e s t e d . " Y o u ' l l s e e t h e P u g a c h e v -
s k y T o w e r i n j u s t a m i n u t e , " h e s a i d .
I n t h a t h e w a s n o t d i f f e r e n t f r o m t h e o t h e r R u s s i a n
B o l s h e v i k s . A l t h o u g h p r e a c h i n g a d o c t r i n e o f i n t e r n a -
t i o n a l i s m , t h e y w e r e p s y c h o l o g i c a l l y a l m o s t w i t h o u t e x -
c e p t i o n e g r e g i o u s n a t i o n a l i s t s . T h e i r h e a d s w e r e t u r n e d
- t h a t i s t h e o n l y w a y t o e x p r e s s i t - b y t h e f a c t t h a t
u n d e r t h e i r l e a d e r s h i p , e v e n t h o u g h i n a b a c k w a r d c o u n -
t r y , a p r o l e t a r i a n r e v o l u t i o n h a d a c t u a l l y o c c u r r e d . And
i n t h e o p p o s i t e w a y t h e h e a d s o f n o n - R u s s i a n r e v o l u -
t i o n i s t s w e r e t u r n e d . T h e y t h o u g h t t h a t t h e o c c u r r e n c e
o f a p r o l e t a r i a n r e v o l u t i o n i n R u s s i a h a d p r o v e d t h a t
Karl Marx was God, and the Russian Bolsheviks his
p r o p h e t s . I n p e o p l e w h o b e l i e v e d i n i n t e r n a t i o n a l i s m -
a n d d i d n o t b e l i e v e i n t h e c r i t i c a l h i s t o r i c r o l e o f e m i -
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DEATH AGONY OF AN IDEA 99
n e n t p e r s o n a l i t i e s - t h i s a t t i t u d e , o n b o t h s i d e s , s e e m e d
i n c o m p r e h e n s i b l e t o m e .
A l t h o u g h t h u s d i s h e a r t e n e d a b o u t T r o t s k y , I t h o u g h t
t h a t L e n i n w a s b e c o m i n g a w a r e o f t h e f a t u o u s i m p r a c -
t i c a l i t y o f t h i s s t a t e o f a f f a i r s j u s t b e f o r e h e d i e d . I n h i s
l a s t s p e e c h t o t h e I n t e r n a t i o n a l , I h e a r d h i m s a y : " T h e
t r o u b l e w i t h t h i s o r g a n i z a t i o n i s t h a t i t i s t o o R u s s i a n . "
A n d h e a d d e d w i t h h i s k n o w i n g s m i l e : " F o r o n e t h i n g ,
i t s r e p o r t s a n d m a n i f e s t o e s a r e s o l o n g t h a t n o b o d y b u t
a R u s s i a n w o u l d r e a d t h e m . "
I may perhaps exaggerate the superior wisdom of
L e n i n , b u t a t l e a s t I k n o w t h a t n o o t h e r b i g B o l s h e v i k
c o u l d h a v e e x p r e s s e d t h a t r e v o l u t i o n a r y t h o u g h t . L e n i n
d i e d s o o n a f t e r , a n d t h e t h o u g h t d i e d w i t h h i m . T h e
C o m i n t e r n w a s n e v e r a n I n t e r n a t i o n a l i n a n y s e n s e o f
t h e t e r m . I t w a s a n o r g a n o f t h e R u s s i a n c o m m u n i s t
p a r t y , f o u n d e d b y t h a t p a r t y a n d c o n t r o l l e d b y i t i n a
m o o d o f i m p e r m e a b l e n a t i o n a l - r e v o l u t i o n a r y e g o t i s m .
I t s i n e p t i t u d e t h u s e m p h a s i z e s o n e o f t h e m o s t g l a r i n g
f l a w s i n t h e M a r x i a n t h e o r y o f h i s t o r y , i t s f a i l u r e t o e x -
p l a i n n a t i o n s o r t a k e a n y p r a c t i c a l a c c o u n t o f t h e i m -
p o r t a n c e o f p a t r i o t i s m .
S t i l l I d o n o t t h i n k t h a t i s t h e w h o l e r e a s o n f o r t h e
u n b e l i e v a b l y f o o l i s h h i s t o r y o f t h e C o m i n t e r n . L e n i n
w a s k e e n l y a w a r e i n p r a c t i c e o f t h e u n s o l v e d p r o b l e m o f
n a t i o n a l i t i e s , a n d m i g h t h a v e o r g a n i z e d a r e a l I n t e r n a -
t i o n a l f r o m t h e s t a r t , h a d i t n o t b e e n f o r h i s d i s t i n c t l y
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1 0 0 STALIN'S RUSSIAR u s s i a n w a y o f a p p l y i n g t h e d o c t r i n e o f c l a s s s t r u g g l e .
L e n i n i n h e r i t e d t h e e s s e n t i a l t e m p e r a n d s c h e m e o f o r -
g a n i z a t i o n o f t h e Narodnaia V o l t a , an incomparably
h e r o i c , f i e r c e l y d i s c i p l i n e d , c o n s p i r a t i v e , a n d v e r y t i n y
g r o u p o f w a r r i o r - i n t e l l e c t u a l s , w h o f o u g h t t z a r i s m w i t h
b o m b s i n t h e i r f e w h a n d s , a n d c a l l e d t h e m s e l v e s " T h e
P e o p l e ' s W i l l . " T h e y w e r e a p r o d u c t o f t h e d i s i l l u s i o n -
ment of the previous decade when reliance had been
p l a c e d u p o n t h e p e o p l e t h e m s e l v e s , w h e n " g o i n g t o t h e
p e o p l e " h a d b e e n t h o u g h t t h e w h o l e d u t y o f t h e r e v o -
l u t i o n a r y i n t e l l e c t u a l s . Naive as was their faith in
b o m b s , t h e y w e r e s o p h i s t i c a t e d o n t h e s u b j e c t o f t h e
people . T h e y a s s u m e d t h a t , a t l e a s t u n t i l t h e v i c t o r y w a s
w o n , t h e p e o p l e c o u l d n o t b e e n t r u s t e d w i t h t h e t a s k o f
o r g a n i z i n g t h e i r o w n w i l l . L e n i n a b a n d o n e d t h e p h i l o s -
o p h y o f t h e Narodnaia Volta f o r t h a t o f K a r l M a r x , s u b -
s t i t u t i n g t h e p r o l e t a r i a t f o r t h e p e o p l e , b u t h e d i d n o t
a b a n d o n t h e i r s o p h i s t i c a t i o n . H e n e v e r p e r m i t t e d h i m -
s e l f t o b e l i e v e , a s m o s t W e s t e r n M a r x i s t s d i d , t h a t " g o i n g
t o t h e p r o l e t a r i a t " - t h a t i s , e n l i g h t e n i n g t h e i r c l a s s
i n t e r e s t - w a s t h e e s s e n t i a l d u t y o f t h e M a r x i a n i n t e l l e c -
t u a l . O n t h e c o n t r a r y , h e b u r s t i n t o t h e M a r x i a n m o v e -
ment, somewhat like a bomb himself, with the an-
n o u n c e m e n t t h a t t h e p r o l e t a r i a t b y i t s e l f n o t o n l y c o u l d
n e v e r a r r i v e a t s o c i a l i s m , b u t c o u l d n e v e r a r r i v e e v e n a t
t h e i d e a o f s o c i a l i s m . T h a t h a d t o b e " b r o u g h t i n " b y
t h e t i n y m i n o r i t y o f t h e i n t e l l e c t u a l s , t h e " c u l t u r e d r e p -
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1 0 2 STALIN'S RUSSIAW e s t e r n s o c i a l i s t s d i d , a b o u t L e n i n ' s d o c t r i n e o f t h e
P a r t y a s t h e w i l l , a n d a l s o i n t e l l e c t , o f t h e p r o l e t a r i a t .
T h a t c e r t a i n l y h a d t o b e " b r o u g h t i n " b y c u l t u r e d r e p -
r e s e n t a t i v e s o f t h e Russi an p o s s e s s i n g c l a s s e s , a n d i t s c o n -
f l i c t , n o t o n l y w i t h M a r x i s m a s a n o b j e c t i v e b e l i e f a b o u t
h i s t o r y , b u t w i t h t h e i n s t i n c t i v e f e e l i n g o f t h e W e s t e r n
movement that the workers must accomplish their own
e m a n c i p a t i o n , i s a s e c o n d r e a s o n f o r t h e m a d b e h a v i o r
o f t h e C o m i n t e r n .
N o t o n l y w e r e e a c h o f t h e c o n s t i t u e n t p a r t i e s o r g a n -
i z e d l i k e L e n i n ' s , w i t h w a r l i k e c o n c e n t r a t i o n a n d a w a r
p s y c h o l o g y , b u t t h e w h o l e I n t e r n a t i o n a l w a s o r g a n i z e d
in the same way . I t w a s s t r i c t l y d i s c i p l i n e d , c o n s p i r a -
torial and under command from headquarters . H e a d -
quarters being in Moscow, and the Russian communist
party having a preponderance in the Executive Com-
m i t t e e , t h e c o m m a n d i n g s t a f f o f t h e R u s s i a n p a r t y w a s
t h e c o m m a n d i n g s t a f f o f t h e w o r l d r e v o l u t i o n . I t w a s ,
s t i l l m o r e f a t a l l y , t h e m a i n s o u r c e o f i t s f u n d s . The
d e g r e e t o w h i c h t h e i n t e r n a t i o n a l p r e s t i g e o f t h e S o v i e t
revolution was enhanced by contributions from the
t r e a s u r y o f t h e S o v i e t s t a t e , i s i n a d e q u a t e l y a p p r e c i a t e d
even by those who like to play it up . I n t h i s n e w ,
M o s c o w - d o m i n a t e d m a c h i n e o f w o r l d - w i d e c i v i l w a r , t h e
" p r o f e s s i o n a l , " o r w h o l l y c o n s e c r a t e d , r e v o l u t i o n i s t - s o
n o b l y c o n c e i v e d b y L e n i n i n R u s s i a i n t h e d a y s o f t h e
u n a i d e d s t r u g g l e f o r p o w e r - t e n d e d t o b e c o m e " p r o f e s -
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DEATH AGONY OF AN IDEA 1 0 3
s i o n a l " i n a f a r l e s s a r d u o u s s e n s e . I n d e e d , a p a r t f r o m
s u c h m a t t e r s o f p e r s o n n e l , t h e t e n d e n c y o f t h e w h o l e
system was not only to dominate the revolutionary
m o v e m e n t o f t h e W e s t , b u t i n l a r g e y e t s u b t l e w a y s t o
c o r r u p t i t . A n d t h i s s t i l l m o r e r e p e l l e d t h e n a t i v e l e a d -
e r s o f a n y g e n u i n e r e v o l u t i o n i n t h e W e s t , a n d l e f t t h e
C o m i n t e r n d e t a c h e d b y t h e v e r y m e t h o d o f i t s a t t a c h -
m e n t t o t h e E u r o p e a n l a b o r m o v e m e n t .
T h e d i v e r g e n c e w a s o f c o u r s e d e e p e n e d , a n d t h e d i s -
a s t e r m a d e c o m p l e t e , b y t h e f a i l u r e o f t h e r e v o l u t i o n l e d
b y L e n i n ' s p a r t y t o l i b e r a t e t h e R u s s i a n p r o l e t a r i a t . I t
c a n h a r d l y b e d o u b t e d t h a t h a d a n y s u b s t a n t i a l p a r t o f
L e n i n ' s s h i n i n g p r o m i s e s i n h i s S t a t e a n d R e v o l u t i o n ,
a n d o t h e r w r i t i n g s o f t h e r e v o l u t i o n a r y d a y s , b e e n f u l -
f i l l e d - h a d a n y g l e a m a p p e a r e d o f t h e s u b s t a n t i a l h o p e
o f t h e i r f u l f i l l m e n t - t h e W e s t e r n m o v e m e n t w o u l d h a v e
a c c e p t e d h i s b r i l l i a n t s y s t e m o f r e v o l u t i o n a r y e n g i n e e r -
i n g , w h e t h e r M a r x i a n o r n o t . " L e n i n i s m " w o u l d h a v e
s p r e a d t h r o u g h o u t t h e w o r l d , a n d w e s h o u l d b e w e l l
f o r w a r d o n t h a t c l e a r l y p o s t e d r o a d t o w a r d t h e f r e e a n d
c l a s s l e s s s o c i e t y .
N o t o n l y d i d t h e R u s s i a n r e v o l u t i o n f a i l t o f r e e t h e
w o r k e r s a n d p e a s a n t s ; i t f a i l e d i n s u c h a w a y a s t o c a s t
t h e f i r s t a n d m o s t a l a r m i n g d o u b t o n L e n i n ' s s p e c i a l
i n n o v a t i o n s . T h e v e r y o r g a n i z a t i o n l e d b y p r o f e s s i o n a l
r e v o l u t i o n i s t s w h o s p o k e f o r t h e e x p l o i t e d m a s s e s t u r n e d
o u t , w h e n p o w e r w a s i n i t s h a n d s , a n d i t s e l f i n t h e
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1 0 4 STALIN'S RUSSIAh a n d s o f a n o r d i n a r y p o l i t i c i a n - e x c e p t i o n a l i n f o r c e
a n d c u n n i n g o n l y - t o b e t h e i n s t r u m e n t o f t h e i r a b j e c t
enslavement . The monstrous b lood-smeared misbegot-
t e n I r o n H e e l o f a t h i n g t h a t e m e r g e d i n t h e p l a c e o f
e i t h e r a w o r k e r s ' r e p u b l i c o r a r e t u r n t o d e m o c r a t i c
forms, could not but confirm the doubt in Western
m i n d s a s t o t h e p r a c t i c a l i t y o f t h e w h o l e s c h e m e . A t t h e
s a m e t i m e o r g a n i z a t i o n s d i r e c t l y c o p i e d a f t e r L e n i n ' s
began to be used in Italy and Germany and other
W e s t e r n c o u n t r i e s w i t h t h e e x p r e s s p u r p o s e o f k e e p i n g
t h e m a s s e s p a t r i o t i c a n d p e r f e c t i n g t h e i r s u b j e c t i o n t o
t h e s t a t e . S t a l i n i s m a n d f a s c i s m , t h e o n e a n o u t g r o w t h ,
t h e o t h e r a b y - p r o d u c t , o f L e n i n ' s s y s t e m , f o r m t h e t h i r d
r e a s o n f o r t h e n i g h t m a r e h i s t o r y o f t h e C o m i n t e r n .C. L . R . J a m e s , w h o s e World Revolution is a n o t h e r
u s e f u l c o n t r i b u t i o n t o t h i s h i s t o r y , s t i l l b e l i e v e s t h a t
" L e n i n i s m i s t h e o n l y s o l u t i o n o f t h e p r o b l e m s o f t h e
modern world . " " B u t , " h e a d d s , " t h e r e w a s t o o m u c h
n e e d o f L e n i n i n b o t h t h e p l a n n i n g a n d t h e e x e c u t i o n
of Leninism . " I f L e n i n i s m n e e d s L e n i n , t h e n i t i s n o t a
v a l i d p r o c e d u r e f o r c r e a t i n g o u t o f t h e g i v e n m a t e r i a l s
o f h u m a n n a t u r e a f r e e s o c i e t y . F o r L e n i n s a r e , p e r h a p s ,
o f a l l t y p e s t h e l e a s t f r e q u e n t l y g i v e n . C e r t a i n l y n o
o t h e r e x t r e m e r e v o l u t i o n i s t i n h i s t o r y e v e r p o s s e s s e d
Lenin's moral and intellectual endowment . T h e s w i f t -
n e s s w i t h w h i c h t h e c o l l a p s e o f h i s p l a n s f o l l o w e d u p o n
h i s d e a t h , t h e i m p o t e n c e o f h i s c o l l e a g u e , T r o t s k y , t o
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DEATH AGONY OF AN IDEA 105
s t e m t h e t i d a l r e a s s e r t i o n o f c r u d e p o w e r - t h i r s t y h u m a n
n a t u r e , r e v e a l e d , a s p l a i n l y a s J a m e s ' p a s s a g e o f p r a i s e
r e v e a l s , t h e f l a w i n t h o s e p l a n s . I t g r e w m o r e a n d m o r e
o b v i o u s t o t h o u g h t f u l r e v o l u t i o n i s t s t h r o u g h o u t t h e
w h o l e t w e n t y y e a r s o f t h e C o m i n t e r n ' s h i s t o r y .
L e t u s e x a m i n e n o w t h e a s t o u n d i n g c o n t o u r o f t h a t
h i s t o r y .
CRAZY ZIGZAGST h e C o m m u n i s t I n t e r n a t i o n a l , f o u n d e d h a s t i l y a n d
a l m o s t w i t h o u t f o r e i g n d e l e g a t e s i n i g i g , t o o k i t s f i r s t
i m p o r t a n t a c t i o n a t t h e s e c o n d c o n g r e s s i n J u l y 1 g 2 o .
T h e a c t i o n w a s t o s p l i t t h e w o r l d ' s l a b o r a n d s o c i a l i s t
m o v e m e n t s w i t h a n u l t r a - r e v o l u t i o n a r y p l a t f o r m - u l t i -
m a t u m o f t w e n t y - o n e p o i n t s . T h e s e t w e n t y - o n e p o i n t s ,
b a s e d o n t h e a s s u m p t i o n t h a t t h e w o r l d w a s i n a s t a t e
o f " a c u t e c i v i l w a r , " o u t l i n e d a n a s s a u l t n o t o n l y a g a i n s t
c a p i t a l i s m a n d t h e c a p i t a l i s t g o v e r n m e n t s , w h e t h e r p o -
l i t i c a l l y d e m o c r a t i c o r n o t , b u t a g a i n s t a l l s o c i a l i s t s w h o
b e l i e v e d i n p o l i t i c a l d e m o c r a c y . They demanded that
a l l W e s t e r n r e v o l u t i o n i s t s a c c e p t t h e B o l s h e v i k o r g a n i -
z a t i o n a l s y s t e m a n d t h e d i s c i p l i n a r y l e a d e r s h i p o f t h e
R u s s i a n B o l s h e v i k p a r t y ( p o i n t s 1 2 and 1 6 ) . I t s e e m e d
a l m o s t a s t h o u g h t h i s o r g a n i z a t i o n , o f f e r i n g l e a d e r s h i p
t o a m a s s m o v e m e n t d e e m e d t o b e i n a c t u a l p r o g r e s s ,
w a s d i r e c t i n g a t l e a s t h a l f i t s f i r e , n o t a g a i n s t t h e e n e m y ,
b u t a g a i n s t t h e s e d e m o c r a t i c s o c i a l i s t s w h o m i t c o n -
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io6 STALIN'S RUSSIAs i d e r e d t h e f a l s e l e a d e r s o f t h e m o v e m e n t . I f t h e y r e -
fused to sign on the dotted line beneath the whole
t w e n t y - o n e p o i n t s o f m i l i t a n t c l a s s w a r , t h e y w e r e d e -
n o u n c e d a s " s o c i a l p a t r i o t s ." A communist Trade Union
I n t e r n a t i o n a l w a s f o r m e d a t t h e s a m e t i m e a n d l a b o r
u n i o n s w h i c h r e f u s e d t o j o i n i t w e r e d e s c r i b e d a s " y e l -
low . " A f e e l i n g w e n t a b r o a d , b a c k e d b y t h e p r e s t i g e o f
t h e R u s s i a n r e v o l u t i o n , t h a t n o t o n l y p o l i t i c a l p r i n -
c i p l e s o r i n t e r p r e t a t i o n s o f M a r x i s m w e r e a t s t a k e , b u t
c o u r a g e , m a n h o o d a n d s i n c e r i t y i n t h e s t r u g g l e f o r a n
e c o n o m i c , o r p r o l e t a r i a n , o r r e a l democracy .
F i n d i n g i t s e l f i s o l a t e d b y t h e s e e x t r e m e t a c t i c s , n o t
o n l y f r o m t h e d e m o c r a t i c s o c i a l i s t s , b u t f r o m t h e w o r k -
i n g c l a s s i t s e l f , t h e C o m i n t e r n m a d e a s h a r p r i g h t w a r d
t u r n i n 1 9 2 I . I t a d o p t e d t h e s l o g a n " T o t h e m a s s e s , " a n d
r a p i d l y d e v e l o p e d t h i s i n t o t h e p o l i c y o f t h e " U n i t e d
F r o n t " w i t h y e l l o w a n d s o c i a l - p a t r i o t i c o r g a n i z a t i o n s .
T h e i d e a w a s t o j o i n t h e s e o r g a n i z a t i o n s i n a s t r u g g l e
f o r c e r t a i n s p e c i f i c e n d s , a n d b y s h o w i n g s u p e r i o r z e a l
i n t h e s t r u g g l e t o w i n t h e w o r k e r s a w a y i n g e n e r a l f r o m
t h e S o c i a l P a t r i o t s . I t w a s a m a t t e r o f " s h o w i n g u p " t h e
y e l l o w l e a d e r s a s r e a l l y l o y a l t o t h e b o s s e s , a n d o f n o
v a l u e t o t h e w o r k i n g c l a s s . I n p r a c t i c e , o f c o u r s e , t h e
showing-up was done as much by whispering campaigns
a s b y s u p e r i o r z e a l , a n d t h e c o m m u n i s t s t h u s a p p e a r e d
t o n o r m a l m i n d s t o b e n o t o n l y z e a l o u s , b u t a l s o t r e a c h -
e r o u s . T h e y w o u l d p r o m i s e l o y a l c o - o p e r a t i o n w i t h a n
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DEATH AGONY OF AN IDEA 1 0 7
o r g a n i z a t i o n w h e n t h e i r r e a l p u r p o s e w a s t o d e s t r o y i t .
T h e W e s t e r n w o r k e r s , l a c k i n g t h e m y s t i c r e v o l u t i o n a r y
a b s o l u t i s m o f t h e R u s s i a n s , f o u n d i t h a r d t o u n d e r s t a n d
t h i s d i v o r c e o f s o c i a l i s t s t a n d a r d s f r o m t h o s e o f o r d i n a r y
honorable conduct . L a r g e l y f o r t h a t r e a s o n t h e U n i t e d
F r o n t p o l i c y p r o v e d m o r e s u c c e s s f u l i n b r e a k i n g d o w n
the "leftism" of the communists than in winning the
w o r k e r s a w a y f r o m t h e r i g h t - w i n g l e a d e r s . B y 1 9 2 2 t h e
C o m i n t e r n h a d s o f a r a b a n d o n e d i t s t w e n t y - o n e p o i n t s
a s t o s a n c t i o n , i n c e r t a i n c i r c u m s t a n c e s , p a r t i c i p a t i o n i n
t h e y e l l o w " l a b o r g o v e r n m e n t s ." And by 1 9 2 3 , i t w a s
i t s e l f r e a d y t o p u t d o w n a n d k i l l w i t h " y e l l o w " p o l i c i e s
a g e n u i n e l y r e v o l u t i o n a r y r i s i n g o f t h e G e r m a n w o r k -
e r s .
E x c e p t f o r R u s s i a i n 1 9 1 7 , t h e r e h a s n e v e r b e e n , I
s u p p o s e , i n t h e w o r l d ' s h i s t o r y a m o r e p e r f e c t s e t - u p f o r
t h e s e i z u r e o f p o w e r b y a p r o l e t a r i a n p a r t y t h a n i n G e r -
many in 1 9 2 3 . N o t o n l y w e r e m i l l i o n s o f t h e w o r k e r s
a n d p e a s a n t s c o n s c i o u s l y w a i t i n g f o r i t , b u t t h e y w e r e
w a i t i n g f o r t h e e x i s t i n g c o m m u n i s t p a r t y t o p e r f o r m i t .
T o d e f e n d i t s e l f a g a i n s t t h i s r e v o l u t i o n a r y p a r t y b a c k e d
b y m i l l i o n s , t h e t o t t e r i n g g o v e r n m e n t h a d , t h a n k s t o t h e
V e r s a i l l e s T r e a t y , o n l y a h u n d r e d t h o u s a n d s o l d i e r s .
Lenin was now out of the picture, and Trotsky, too,
p u s h e d a s i d e , a n d i t w a s p r o b a b l y S t a l i n ' s l e t t e r t o Z i n o -
viev and Bukharin-"In my opinion the Germans must
b e c u r b e d a n d n o t p u s h e d o n " - w h i c h f i n a l l y k i l l e d t h e
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1 0 8 STALIN'S RUSSIAGerman revolution . S t i l l t h e g e n e r a l p o l i c y o f t h e C o m -
intern at that time was a rightward one . Whatever
Lenin might have done-or Trotsky, if he had been in
a p o s i t i o n t o i n s i s t e f f e c t i v e l y u p o n a c t i o n i n G e r m a n y
- t h e f a c t r e m a i n s t h a t t h e I n t e r n a t i o n a l o r g a n i z e d b y
him and in accordance with his system as the spear-
h e a d o f a w o r l d r e v o l u t i o n , f a i l e d m i s e r a b l y a t t h i s f i r s t
r e a l t e s t .
I t f a i l e d n o t o n l y m i s e r a b l y , b u t r i d i c u l o u s l y . B r a n d -
l e r , d e s i g n a t e d f r o m M o s c o w t o b e l e a d e r o f t h e Germ an
R e v o l u t i o n , w h e n h e s a w a G e r m a n r e v o l u t i o n a c t u a l l y
r i s i n g r o u n d h i m , c o u l d t h i n k o f n o t h i n g m o r e l e a d e r -
l i k e t o d o t h a n r u n t o M o s c o w f o r " i n s t r u c t i o n s . " T h a t
i s p i t i a b l e e n o u g h , b u t l e t u s r e a d w h a t h a p p e n e d t o
t h i s " l e a d e r " a f t e r h e a r r i v e d i n t h a t r e m o t e p l a c e . I
quote from C . L . R . J a m e s :
" F o r d a y s h e w e n t f r o m o f f i c e t o o f f i c e , b u t t h e l e a d e r s
o f t h e w o r l d r e v o l u t i o n e v a d e d h i m a n d h e c o u l d n o t g e t
a n i n t e r v i e w . A t l a s t , a t t h e v e r y e n d o f S e p t e m b e r , h e
h a d a m e e t i n g a t w h i c h S t a l i n a n d Z i n o v i e v w e r e p r e s -
e n t . T h e y g a v e h i m t h e e x t r a o r d i n a r y i n s t r u c t i o n t o e n -
ter the Social Democratic Government in Saxony and
form a Worker s' Government . B r a n d l e r r e f u s e d . He
k n e w t h a t t o d o t h a t w o u l d b e t h e d e a t h o f t h e r e v o l u -
t i o n . T h e y t o l d h i m t h a t t h e e n t r y w a s f o r t h e p u r p o s e
o f a r m i n g t h e p r o l e t a r i a t a n d s o p r e p a r i n g f o r t h e i n s u r -
r e c t i o n . H e r e p l i e d t h a t i f t h i s w a s t h e a i m , b e f o r e t h e
e n t r y t h e r e s h o u l d b e i n t e n s i v e p r e p a r a t i o n b o t h i n S a x -
ony and the rest of Germany . W i t h o u t t h a t , t h e e n t r y
i n t o a S o c i a l D e m o c r a t i c G o v e r n m e n t w o u l d b e a s i g n o f
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110 STALIN'S RUSSIAa r m i n g t h e w o r k e r s a n d o f t e c h n i c a l l y p r e p a r i n g f o r a
d e c i s i v e s t r u g g l e m u s t b e c a r r i e d o n w i t h t e n a c i t y. "
I mention Germany because Germany was central at
the moment, but it is one of the peculiar and most
d r e a m l i k e f e a t u r e s o f t h e C o m i n t e r n t h a t i t s m e a n i n g -
l e s s s h a r p t u r n s i n p o l i c y h a v e b e e n , a l m o s t w i t h o u t e x -
c e p t i o n , a p p l i e d s i m u l t a n e o u s l y , a n d r e g a r d l e s s o f l o c a l
c o n d i t i o n s , o n a w o r l d s c a l e . U n d e r t h e i n f l u e n c e o f t h i s
s e c o n d e x t r e m e s w i n g t o t h e l e f t , w h i c h l a s t e d a b o u t t w o
y e a r s , u l t r a - r e v o l u t i o n i s m a n d a n t i - d e m o c r a t i c b i g o t r y
p r e v a i l e d e v e r y w h e r e . T h e B u l g a r i a n p a r t y , w h i c h h e l d
t h e b a l a n c e o f p o w e r i n t h e c o u n t r y , s t o o d a s i d e w h i l e
Stambouliski's Peasants' Government-the most pro-
gressive thing in postwar Europe-was overthrown by
a m i l i t a r y d i c t a t o r . T h e p a r t y w a s t o o " r e v o l u t i o n a r y "
t o c a r e w h e t h e r t h e p e a s a n t s o r t h e m i l i t a r y w e r e i n
power . A t t h i s t i m e a l s o ( D e c e m b e r 1 9 2 4 ) Z i n o v i e v s e n t
a s m a l l g a n g o f R u s s i a n a d v e n t u r e r s i n t o E s t h o n i a t o o r -
g a n i z e a Puts ch . T h e f u l l a c c o u n t o f t h i s e p i s o d e a s
g i v e n b y B o r k e n a u i s w e l l w o r t h r e a d i n g , b u t M r . J a m e s
s k e t c h e s i t a d e q u a t e l y , w i t h i t s g e n e r a l b a c k g r o u n d , i n
t h e f o l l o w i n g p a r a g r a p h :
" F o r n e a r l y a y e a r C o m m u n i s t P a r t i e s a l l o v e r t h e
world, working on this directive, compromised them-
s e l v e s b e f o r e t h e w o r k e r s , a n d b y t h e i r a d v e n t u r i s m a n d
n e e d l e s s v i o l e n c e w e a k e n e d t h e m s e l v e s a n d s t r e n g t h e n e d
the growth of the Social Democracy . T h e m o s t t r a g i c
e x p r e s s i o n o f t h i s e x a g g e r a t i o n c a m e i n E s t h o n i a w h e r e
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DEATH AGONY OF AN IDEA 1 1 1
a t 5 : 1 5 A . M . on December 1 , 1 9 2 4 , 2 2 7 Communists
s t a r t e d a r e v o l u t i o n , a n d b y 9 o ' c l o c k w e r e c o m p l e t e l y
d e f e a t e d , d o i n g u n t o l d h a r m t o t h e i r o w n p a r t y a n d t h e
i d e a o f p r o l e t a r i a n r e v o l u t i o n a l l o v e r t h e w o r l d . "
S i x m o n t h s l a t e r ( A p r i l 1 9 2 5 ) , a group of Bulgarian
c o m m u n i s t s a t t e m p t e d t o d e s t r o y t h e m i l i t a r y g o v e r n -
ment, for whose existence they were responsible, by
b l o w i n g u p t h e S o f i a c a t h e d r a l w h i l e a l l i t s m i n i s t e r s ,
t o g e t h e r w i t h t h e k i n g , w e r e a t t e n d i n g s e r v i c e . They
k i l l e d s c o r e s o f p e o p l e a n d d i e d t h e m s e l v e s , b u t m i s s e d
the government . This unsuccessful adventure was
frowned on in Moscow-or more accurately, repented
of-but throughout this period anybody who was not
r e a d y f o r e x t r e m e a c t i o n o f t h e s a m e g e n e r a l k i n d w a s
p r o s c r i b e d a s a t r a i t o r t o t h e w o r k i n g c l a s s . In many
c o u n t r i e s t h e d e m o c r a t i c s o c i a l i s t s , n o w r e n a m e d " T h i r d
P a r t y o f t h e B o u r g e o i s i e , " r e p l a c e d t h e c a p i t a l i s t s a s
t h e m a i n o b j e c t o f a t t a c k .
Toward the end of 1 9 2 4 , a l l t h i s u l t r a - r e v o l u t i o n i s m
began to be abandoned . I n 1 9 2 5 another world-wide
r i g h t w a r d s w i n g o c c u r r e d , a n d t h i s a g a i n w a s more ex-
treme t h a n t h a t o f 1 9 2 2 - 2 3 . The Bolsheviks of the Red
T r a d e U n i o n I n t e r n a t i o n a l w e r e s o o n s i t t i n g w i t h t h e
B r i t i s h t r a d e u n i o n l e a d e r s , t h e m o s t " y e l l o w " i n t h e
w o r l d o u t s i d e t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s , i n t h e f a m o u s A n g l o -
Russian Committee . H e r e t h e y s a n c t i o n e d w i t h t h e p r e s -
t i g e o f t h e R u s s i a n r e v o l u t i o n t h e l i q u i d a t i o n o f t h e
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112 STALIN ' S RUSSIAB r i t i s h g e n e r a l s t r i k e o f 1 9 2 6 . A t t h i s s a m e t i m e t h e
A m e r i c a n p a r t y t r i e d t o a f f i l i a t e w i t h t h e F a r m e r - L a b o r
p a r t y o f t h e L a F o l l e t t e s . T h e P o l i s h p a r t y g a v e a l e f t -
handed help to the seizure of power by the military
d i c t a t o r P i l s u d s k i . And in China, in the name of the
" L o n g V i e w , " e v e r y p r i n c i p l e o f L e n i n , e v e r y p r e t e n s e
o f d y n a m i c b e l i e f i n t h e c l a s s p o w e r o f w o r k e r s o r p e a s -
a n t s , w a s t h r o w n o v e r . T h e f o r m a t i o n o f s o v i e t s w a s f o r -
bidden . T h e C h i n e s e r e v o l u t i o n i s t s w e r e l i t e r a l l y d i s -
armed by the Comintern, and betrayed into the hands
o f C h i a n g K a i - s h e k t o b e m a s s a c r e d .
A g a i n l e t u s p a s s o v e r t h e h a r r o w i n g d e t a i l s . S u f f i c e
i t t o k n o w t h a t o n c e a g a i n i n t h e h i s t o r y o f t h e C o m i n -
tern a spontaneous r evolutionary mass movement oc-
c u r r e d ; once again it was damped down and snuffed
o u t b y t h i s f a b u l o u s o r g a n i z a t i o n .
A n d o n c e a g a i n , i n c r e d i b l e a s i t m a y s e e m , a s s o o n
a s t h e b e t r a y a l w a s c o m p l e t e , t h e c r i s i s p a s t , a n d a l l h o p e
o f a c t i o n b y t h e m a s s e s s a f e l y d e a d , a n e w e x t r e m e l e f t
turn was made. N o t o n l y w e r e s o v i e t s a n d a r m s a n d i n -
s u r r e c t i o n c a l l e d f o r i n C h i n a , b u t i n g e n e r a l , b e g i n n i n g
i n t h e s u m m e r o f 1 9 2 7 , a n e w " T h i r d P e r i o d " o f " a c u t e
civil war" throughout the world was proclaimed from
t h e t u r r e t s o f t h e K r e m l i n . A n d h e r e a g a i n t h e l i m i t s
r e a c h e d i n t h e p r e v i o u s l e f t s w i n g w e r e f a r s u r p a s s e d .
F o r a l m o s t s i x y e a r s t h e C o m i n t e r n r e p r e s e n t e d e v e r y -
t h i n g t h a t L e n i n h a d w a r n e d a g a i n s t a s " t h e i n f a n t i l e
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DEATH AGONY OF AN IDEA 113
d i s e a s e o f l e f t i s m i n c o m m u n i s m . " E v e r y k i n d o f c o -
o p e r a t i o n w i t h d e m o c r a t i c s o c i a l i s t s a n d r e f o r m i s t o r -
g a n i z a t i o n s w a s a b s o l u t e l y b a n n e d . W h o l e s t a f f s o f o f f i -
c i a l s , i n s o m e c a s e s w h o l e m e m b e r s h i p s , w e r e e x p e l l e d
f r o m t h e c o n s t i t u e n t p a r t i e s . T h e " S o c i a l P a t r i o t s , " o r
" T h i r d P a r t y o f t h e B o u r g e o i s i e , " w e r e g i v e n t h e s t i l l
f o u l e r n a m e o f " S o c i a l F a s c i s t s . " T h e y w e r e p r o s c r i b e d
a n d v i l i f i e d i n a l m o s t u n b e l i e v a b l e l a n g u a g e , a n d n o t
p r o s c r i b e d o n l y , b u t p h y s i c a l l y a s s a u l t e d , a n d t h e i r
m e e t i n g s b r o k e n u p b y g a n g s o f t h u g s . T h e e s s e n t i a l a n i -
m u s o f t h i s " T h i r d P e r i o d " w a s d i r e c t e d , n o t a g a i n s t
c a p i t a l i s m a t a l l , b u t a g a i n s t d e m o c r a t i s m a s r e p r e s e n t e d
b y t h e s o c i a l d e m o c r a t i c p a r t i e s . T h e t h e s i s w a s p r o m u l -
g a t e d t h a t , a s b e t w e e n s o c i a l d e m o c r a t s a n d f a s c i s t s , t h e
f a s c i s t s w e r e t h e l e s s e r e v i l . I n t h e s p r i n g o f 1 9 3 1 t h e
G e r m a n c o m m u n i s t p a r t y , a c t i n g o n o r d e r s f r o m M o s -
c o w , a c t u a l l y j o i n e d H i t l e r ' s N a z i s i n a c a m p a i g n t o
o v e r t h r o w a P r u s s i a n g o v e r n m e n t i n w h i c h t h e d e m o -
c r a t i c s o c i a l i s t s h e l d a d o m i n a n t p o s i t i o n .
I n 1 9 8 3 , w h e n H i t l e r c a m e t o p o w e r , t h e c o m m u n i s t s
n o t o n l y f a i l e d t o r a i s e a f i s t a g a i n s t h i m , b u t g r e e t e d
h i s a d v e n t a s a s t e p f o r w a r d t o w a r d t h e w o r k e r s ' r e v o l u -
t i o n . T h e y c o n t i n u e d t o d e n o u n c e t h e d e m o c r a t i c s o -
c i a l i s t s a s t r a i t o r s t o t h e w o r k i n g c l a s s a f t e r t h e i r p a r t y
h a d b e e n d i s s o l v e d b y H i t l e r . T h e y a c c u s e d t h e m , w h i l e
t h e y w e r e i n c o n c e n t r a t i o n c a m p s , o f d e v i s i n g " n e w
k n a v i s h f o r m s o f c o l l a b o r a t i o n w i t h t h e b o u r g e o i s i e . "
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1 1 4 STALIN'S RUSSIAEven when a few months later, in heroic contrast to
t h e m s e l v e s , t h e A u s t r i a n s o c i a l i s t s t o o k a r m s a g a i n s t a
reactionary dictator, these communist denunciations
did not cease . The head of the Czechoslovak party
wrote :
" T h e p a r t i e s o f t h e S e c o n d I n t e r n a t i o n a l t r y t o m a k e
c a p i t a l o u t o f t h e b l o o d o f t h e A u s t r i a n p r o l e t a r i a t , t r y
t o c o v e r w i t h i t s b l o o d t h e i r i n t e r m i n a b l e b e t r a y a l s a n d
c r i m e s . B u t t h e f a c t s c o n v i c t t h e s e h y e n a s a n d t r a i t o r s ,
t h e f a c t s p r o v e i n c o n t e s t a b l y t h a t t h e A u s t r i a n S o c i a l i s t
P a r t y h a s b r o u g h t t h e p r o l e t a r i a t u n d e r t h e k n i f e o f
F a s c i s m . "
B o r k e n a u , w h o q u o t e s t h i s p a s s a g e , a s k s t h e v e r y n a t -
u r a l q u e s t i o n : " W h a t w a s t h e g o o d o f t h e w h o l e i n t e r -
n a t i o n a l s p l i t , i f t h e c o m m u n i s t s d i d n o t f i g h t a n d t h e
s o c i a l i s t s d i d ? " B u t t h e q u e s t i o n i s m o r e s e r i o u s t h a n
t h a t . T h e c o m m u n i s t s n o t o n l y f a i l e d t o f i g h t a g a i n s t t h e
r e a c t i o n ; t h e y f o u g h t w i t h i t . In that same month of
F e b r u a r y 1 9 3 4 , w h e n t h e A u s t r i a n s o c i a l i s t s w e r e d y i n g
o n t h e b a r r i c a d e s f o r d e m o c r a c y , t h e F r e n c h c o m m u n i s t s
j o i n e d t h e e x t r e m e r i g h t - w i n g r e a c t i o n a r i e s i n a n a r m e d
m a r c h o n t h e C h a m b e r o f D e p u t i e s , a t t e m p t i n g t o o v e r -
t h r o w t h e g o v e r n m e n t o f t h e r a d i c a l p a r t y , a n d n o t u n -
w i l l i n g , i f i t f e l l o u t t h a t w a y , t o o v e r t h r o w t h e r e p u b l i c .
That was the extreme point of the leftward spasm
which began in 1928 . The march on the Chamber of
Deputies occurred on February 6, 1934 . On February
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DEATH AGONY OF AN IDEA 115
1 2 , t h e F r e n c h c o m m u n i s t s i s s u e d w i t h t h e " y e l l o w "
t r a d e u n i o n l e a d e r s a j o i n t c a l l f o r a g e n e r a l s t r i k e - a n
a c t o f c o l l a b o r a t i o n w i t h " h y e n a s a n d t r a i t o r s , " w h i c h
r a p i d l y l e d t h e w a y t o a c o m p l e t e a b a n d o n m e n t , n o t
o n l y o f t h e h y s t e r i c a l a n t i - d e m o c r a t i s m w h i c h h a d l e d
t h e m i n t o H i t l e r ' s c a m p , b u t o f a l l p r o l e t a r i a n r e v o l u -
t i o n a r y a i m s , p r i n c i p l e s a n d i n t e n t i o n s w h a t s o e v e r . I t
w a s n o t a " u n i t e d f r o n t " w i t h d e m o c r a t i c s o c i a l i s t s n o w .
I t w a s a " P o p u l a r F r o n t " w i t h a l l w h o b e l i e v e d i n a n y
w a y , s h a p e o r m a n n e r i n " d e m o c r a c y " - a r e n u n c i a t i o n
o f t h e b a s i c d o c t r i n e o f c l a s s s t r u g g l e a n d t h e w h o l e
M a r x i a n v i e w o f s o c i e t y a n d h i s t o r y . T h i s r e a c h e d i t s
i n s a n e c l i m a x i n S t a l i n ' s s t a t e m e n t t o R o y H o w a r d t h a t
t h e B o l s h e v i k s h a d n e v e r w a n t e d a w o r l d r e v o l u t i o n a t
a l l , t h a t t h e w h o l e t h i n g h a d b e e n a " t r a g i - c o m i c m i s -
u n d e r s t a n d i n g . "
Under th e Popu lar Front slogan the Comintern
w o r m e d i t s w a y i n t o t h e g o v e r n m e n t a l a n d e d u c a t i o n a l
a n d p u b l i c i t y i n s t i t u t i o n s o f t h e d e m o c r a t i c c o u n t r i e s t o
s u c h a n e x t e n t a s t o b e c o m e a m i g h t y p o w e r . A n d t h e n
o n c e m o r e - f o r t h e t h i r d t i m e i n i t s h i s t o r y - a g e n u i n e
r e v o l u t i o n a r y m o v e m e n t o c c u r r e d w i t h i n i t s f i e l d o f o p -
e r a t i o n . T h e m a s s e s o f t h e S p a n i s h w o r k e r s a n d p e a s a n t s
r o s e i n a r m s , n o t o n l y a g a i n s t a d i c t a t o r , b u t a g a i n s t t h e
c a p i t a l i s t s t a t e . A n d n o w t h e C o m i n t e r n w a s n o t c o n t e n t
t o j o i n t h e s o c i a l d e m o c r a t s i n p u t t i n g d o w n a r e v o l u -
t i o n . I t w e n t f a r b e y o n d t h e m - s o f a r a s t o a t t a c k t h e m
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116 STALIN'S RUSSIAf r o m t h e r i g h t - i n i t s e n t h u s i a s m f o r t h e m a i n t e n a n c e o f
"democracy" in Spain .
T h i s p e r i o d o f u l t r a - r i g h t i s m - w h i c h i n A m e r i c a i n -
cluded voting for Roosevelt and defending the New
D e a l a g a i n s t i t s s o c i a l i s t c r i t i c s - l a s t e d f r o m 1 9 3 4 t o 1 9 3 9 .
I n t h e a u t u m n o f 1 9 3 9 , t h e c o m m u n i s t f a t h e r l a n d m a d e
i t s p a c t w i t h t h e N a z i f a t h e r l a n d , a n d t h e s l o g a n o f
democracy was again abandoned by the Comintern .
With Earl Browder's announcement in September of
a " q u i c k t r a n s i t i o n t o s o c i a l i s m , " A m e r i c a n s w e r e i n -
f o r m e d o f t h e b e g i n n i n g o f a n e w r e i g n o f " l e f t i s m , " a
F o u r t h P e r i o d , i n w h i c h ( o u t s i d e G e r m a n y ) t h e C o m i n -
t e r n w i l l f u n c t i o n o n c e m o r e , i f i t s u r v i v e s , a s a n i n s t r u -
m e n t o f v i o l e n t w o r l d r e v o l u t i o n.
I h a v e p u r p o s e l y r e f r a i n e d f r o m m e n t i o n i n g , e x c e p t
f o r L e n i n ' s d e a t h , a n y s p e c i f i c c a u s e o f t h e s e s u c c e s s i v e
" r i g h t w a r d " a n d " l e f t w a r d " l e a p s , o r t w i t c h e s , o f t h e
Comintern . T h e f a c t t h a t t h e o r g a n i z a t i o n , w h i l e p o s i n g
a s i n t e r n a t i o n a l , w a s r e a l l y c o n t r o l l e d f r o m M o s c o w , i s a
m o s t o b v i o u s c a u s e , s o f a r a s t h e l e a d e r s h i p i s c o n c e r n e d .
T h e e x i g e n c i e s o f R u s s i a n f o r e i g n p o l i c y , o r t h e r e v e r -
b e r a t i o n o f f a c t i o n a l f i g h t s i n M o s c o w , c a n b e t r a c e d i n
m o s t o f t h e s e s u d d e n s h i f t s o f p o l i c y . B u t t h e f a c t t h a t
the organization could survive them, the somnambu-
l i s t i c b e h a v i o r o f t h e r a n k - a n d - f i l e , h a s a l s o t o b e e x -
p l a i n e d . I d o u b t i f a n y o t h e r o r g a n i z a t i o n i n h i s t o r y
e v e r w e n t t h r o u c l i a s i m i l a r p r o c e s s . I h a v e d r a w n a p i c -
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1 1 8 STALIN'S RUSSIAt u r e o f i t o n t h e p r e c e d i n g p a g e , a n d a s y o u s e e , w i t h
e a c h s p a s m t h e a r c t r a v e l e d , n o m a t t e r i n w h i c h d i r e c -
t i o n , b e c o m e s m o r e a n d m o r e e x t r e m e , u n t i l f i n a l l y ,
f i r s t o n o n e s i d e a n d t h e n o n t h e o t h e r , a l l p r i n c i p l e s a r e
t h r o w n o f f , a l l t r a c e o f t h e o r i g i n a l c r e e d a n d m o t i v e o f
i t s b e i n g . I t r e p u d i a t e s t h e w o r k e r s ' r e v o l u t i o n o n t h e
e x t r e m e l e f t w a r d s w i n g b y j o i n i n g w i t h t h e f a s c i s t s , o n
t h e e x t r e m e r i g h t w a r d s w i n g b y j o i n i n g w i t h t h e a n t i -
M a r x i a n d e m o c r a t s .
I n t h i s c o n d e n s e d f o r m t h e h i s t o r y o f t h e C o m i n t e r n
l o o k s l i k e t h e d e a t h - s h u d d e r o f a n e x p i r i n g i d e a . And
t h a t , I t h i n k , i n a d e e p s e n s e , i s w h a t i t i s . T h e i d e a w a s
t h a t a h i g h e r d e m o c r a c y c o u l d b e a r r i v e d a t b y a n a n t i -
d e m o c r a t i c r e v o l u t i o n a r y p r o c e d u r e . I t w a s , a s w e h a v e
s e e n , a R u s s i a n i d e a , c r e a t e d b y g r a f t i n g t h e o r g a n i z a -
t i o n a l p r i n c i p l e s o f t h e Narodnaia V oli a u p o n t h e M a r x -
i a n s c h e m e o f p r o g r e s s t h r o u g h w o r k i n g - c l a s s s t r u g g l e .
T h e M a r x i a n p h i l o s o p h y w a s , t o b e s u r e , o f s u c h a n a -
t u r e a s t o m a k e t h e g r a f t i n g p o s s i b l e , a n d I d o n o t t h i n k
t h e R u s s i a n n e s s o f t h e i d e a , o r e v e n t h e c o n t r o l f r o m
M o s c o w , w a s t h e e s s e n c e o f t h e t r o u b l e . T h e e s s e n c e w a s
t h a t p e o p l e w h o b e l i e v e d i n d e m o c r a c y , a n d w a n t e d t o
m a k e i t m o r e p e r f e c t , u n d e r t o o k t o d o s o b y d e s t r o y i n g
w h a t d e m o c r a c y t h e r e w a s a n d d e n y i n g e v e r y d e m o c r a t i c
i n s t i n c t i n t h e m s e l v e s .
T h e m e a n i n g o f " l e f t " a n d " r i g h t " i n s u c h a s i t u a t i o n
i s n o t s i m p l e . " L e f t " m e a n s r e a d i n e s s f o r e x t r e m e a n t i -
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DEATH AGONY OF AN IDEA 119
d e m o c r a t i c a c t i o n i n l o y a l t y t o a h i g h e r c o n c e p t i o n o f
democracy. " R i g h t " m e a n s r e a d i n e s s t o c o m p r o m i s e t h e
h i g h e r c o n c e p t i o n a n d c l i n g t o w h a t d e m o c r a c y t h e r e i s .
A s f a i t h i n t h e p o s s i b i l i t y o f a c h i e v i n g a h i g h e r d e m o c -
r a c y t h r o u g h a n t i - d e m o c r a t i c a c t i o n g r e w w e a k e r w i t h
t h e f a i l u r e o f t h e e x p e r i m e n t i n R u s s i a , a p r o c e s s o f
o s c i l l a t i o n b e t w e e n t h e e x i s t i n g d e m o c r a c y a n d t h e a n t i -
d e m o c r a t i c p r o c e d u r e w a s n a t u r a l . N a t u r a l , t o o , t h a t
t h e o s c i l l a t i o n s s h o u l d g r o w m o r e a n d m o r e e x t r e m e .
N a t u r a l t h a t t h e f i n a l s w i n g s h o u l d s h a k e o f f a l l t h o s e
d e e p l y l o y a l t o d e m o c r a c y , a n d c a r r y t o t h e t y r a n t s ' c a m p
t h o s e i n f a t u a t e d w i t h t h e a n t i - d e m o c r a t i c p r o c e d u r e .
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5
TROTSKY'S DIVORCE OF ENDS ANDMEANS
IN THE f i r s t h a l f o f h i s l i f e T r o t s k y v o i c e d t h e v e r y c r i t i -
c i s m o f L e n i n ' s o r g a n i z a t i o n a l s y s t e m w h i c h i s n o w o n
t h e l i p s o f a l l s o c i a l i s t s a n x i o u s a b o u t t h e r e a l f u t u r e o f
h u m a n i t y a n d t h e w o r k i n g c l a s s . H e d e s c r i b e d L e n i n ' s
i d e a o f t h e P a r t y a s t h e s o v e r e i g n v a n g u a r d o f t h e c l a s s
a s " t h e r e p l a c e m e n t o f t h e d i c t a t o r s h i p o f t h e p r o l e t a r i a t
b y a d i c t a t o r s h i p o v e r t h e p r o l e t a r i a t , o f t h e p o l i t i c a l
r u l e o f t h e c l a s s b y o r g a n i z a t i o n a l r u l e o v e r t h e c l a s s . "
A n d o f L e n i n ' s i n t r a - p a r t y r e g i m e c a l l e d d e m o c r a t i c c e n -
t r a l i s m h e s a i d w i t h t r u e f o r e s i g h t : " . . . The apparatus
o f t h e p a r t y s u b s t i t u t e s i t s e l f f o r t h e p a r t y , t h e C e n t r a l
Committee substitutes itself for the apparatus, and
f i n a l l y t h e d i c t a t o r s u b s t i t u t e s h i m s e l f f o r t h e C e n t r a l
Committee . "
T r o t s k y s u r r e n d e r e d t o L e n i n o n t h i s o r g a n i z a t i o n a l
q u e s t i o n i n 1 9 1 7 , a s t h e a c t u a l r e v o l u t i o n a p p r o a c h e d .
O n t h e p o l i t i c a l q u e s t i o n , h o w e v e r - h i s p e r s p e c t i v e o f a
" p e r m a n e n t " r e v o l u t i o n a s a g a i n s t L e n i n ' s o f a " d e m o -
12 0
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DIVORCE OF ENDS AND MEANS 121
c r a t i c d i c t a t o r s h i p o f t h e w o r k e r s a n d p e a s a n t s " - L e n i n
s u r r e n d e r e d t o h i m . I f h e h a d t h e b r e a d t h a n d f l e x i b i l -
i t y , a n d t h e s e l f - r e l i a n c e - f o r t h a t i s h i s d e e p l a c k - t o
d e c l a r e t h a t h e h a s p r o v e n r i g h t a n d L e n i n w r o n g onboth counts, h e c o u l d o f f e r r e a l l e a d e r s h i p i n t h e p r e s -
e n t c r i s i s . H e c o u l d , i n c i d e n t a l l y , i m p r o v e t h e p i c t u r e
o f h i s w h o l e l i f e a s i t w i l l l o o k i n h i s t o r y .
B u t T r o t s k y i s t o o m u c h c o n c e r n e d w i t h p r o v i n g -
w h a t i s l e a s t o f a l l i n n e e d o f p r o o f - t h a t h e i s a r e v o l u -
t i o n i s t . S t a l i n ' s t r i c k o f d r a g g i n g u p t h e s e o l d d i f f e r e n c e s
a n d r e p r e s e n t i n g h i m a s " b o u r g e o i s " a n d " a n t i - B o l s h e -
v i k , " h a s e x a g g e r a t e d t h i s c o n c e r n . He is becoming
s t e a d i l y m o r e a n d m o r e s h r i l l a n d r i g i d i n d e f e n d i n g
t h e e x t r e m e o r g a n i z a t i o n a l d o g m a s o f B o l s h e v i s m . H e
s e e m s , i n d e e d , i n a r e c e n t a r t i c l e , * t o h a v e s e t h i s t e e t h
i n a d e t e r m i n a t i o n t o o u t - L e n i n L e n i n .
H e d i s m i s s e s t h e p r o b l e m o f w o r k e r s ' d e m o c r a c y ,
t h e r e l a t i o n o f t h e v a n g u a r d p a r t y t o t h e c l a s s , w i t h a
f i n a l i t y t h a t s e e m s t o m e f o r e i g n t o L e n i n ' s m o d e o f
t h o u g h t . A n s w e r i n g o n e w h o f i n d s t h e e r r o r o f t h e
B o l s h e v i k s i n e x c e s s i v e c e n t r a l i s m , m i s t r u s t o f i d e o -
l o g i c a l s t r u g g l e , m i s t r u s t o f t h e m a s s e s , l a c k o f t h e f r e e -
d o m - l o v i n g s p i r i t , h e s a y s :
" O n l y a p a r t y w i e l d i n g t h e a u t h o r i t y i t h a s w o n , i s
c a p a b l e o f o v e r c o m i n g t h e v a c i l l a t i o n o f t h e m a s s e s
* " M o r a l i s t s a n d S y c o p h a n t s A g a i n s t M a r x i s m , " t h e New Interna-
t i o n a l , A u g u s t 1 9 3 8 .
8/2/2019 Stalin Russia and the Crisis in Socialism-Max Eastman-1940-281pgs-POL
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1 2 2 STALIN'S RUSSIAt h e m s e l v e s . T o i n v e s t t h e m a s s w i t h t r a i t s o f s a n c t i t y a n d
t o r e d u c e o n e ' s p r o g r a m t o a m o r p h o u s ` d e m o c r a c y , ' i s t o
d i s s o l v e o n e s e l f i n t h e c l a s s a s i t i s , t o t u r n f r o m a v a n -
g u a r d i n t o a r e a r g u a r d , a n d b y t h i s v e r y t h i n g , t o r e -
n o u n c e r e v o l u t i o n a r y t a s k s . O n t h e o t h e r h a n d , i f t h e
d i c t a t o r s h i p o f t h e p r o l e t a r i a t m e a n s a n y t h i n g a t a l l ,
t h e n i t m e a n s t h a t t h e v a n g u a r d o f t h e c l a s s i s a r m e d
w i t h t h e r e s o u r c e s o f t h e s t a t e i n o r d e r t o r e p e l d a n g e r s ,
including those emanating from backward layers of the
p r o l e t a r i a t i t s e l f . A l l t h i s i s e l e m e n t a r y ; a l l t h i s h a s b e e n
d e m o n s t r a t e d b y t h e e x p e r i e n c e o f R u s s i a . . . . " [My
i t a l i c s . ]
T h e " e x p e r i e n c e o f R u s s i a " i s , o f c o u r s e , e x a c t l y w h a t
s u g g e s t s t o j u d i c i o u s m i n d s t h a t s o m e t h i n g m u s t b e t h e
m a t t e r w i t h " a l l t h i s . " I c a n n o t h e l p t h i n k i n g t h a t h a d
L e n i n l i v e d t o s e e h o w e a s i l y h i s p a r t y o f t h e v a n g u a r d
w a s t u r n e d i n t o a p a r t y o f t h e r e a r g u a r d o f t h e w o r k e r s ,
a n d t h e n c e - s t i l l " w i e l d i n g t h e a u t h o r i t y i t h a s w o n " -
i n t o t h e p a r t y o f a n e w a n d c o u n t e r - r e v o l u t i o n a r y c l a s s
of bureaucrats, he would have had new things to say
about the manner of determining its relation to the
w o r k i n g c l a s s . Lenin had an underlying fluent human
w i s d o m , a s e n s e o f t h e c o n c r e t e r e l a t i o n s b e t w e e n s o c i a l
e n d s a n d m e a n s , w h i c h w a s d e e p e r t h a n h i s p r o g r a m m a t i c
i d e a s , a n d , i n a m a n n e r o f s p e a k i n g , c o n t a i n e d t h e m .
H e w o u l d n o t h a v e i g n o r e d t h e c l o s e h i s t o r i c a n d p r a c -
t i c a l c o n n e c t i o n b e t w e e n h i s s c h e m e a n d t h a t o f t h e f a s -
c i s t s . H e w o u l d h a v e r e a l i z e d t h a t i n t h e p r e s e n t w o r l d
t h i s q u e s t i o n o f t h e s e l f - a p p o i n t e d v a n g u a r d p a r t y a s
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DIVORCE OF ENDS AND MEANS 1 2 3
a g a i n s t t h e d e m o c r a t i c s o v e r e i g n t y o f t h e c l a s s i s p o s e d
anew . H e w o u l d h a v e w a n t e d t o d o s o m e t h i n g a b o u t i t ,
o r t h i n k o f s o m e t h i n g t o d o i n t h e f u t u r e .
I n h i s T e s t a m e n t , w h e r e L e n i n n o t i f i e d h i s p a r t y t h a t
T r o t s k y w a s " t h e m o s t a b l e " o f i t s l e a d e r s , h e a l s o
w a r n e d t h e m a g a i n s t T r o t s k y ' s d i s p o s i t i o n t o b e " c a r r i e d
a w a y b y t h e a d m i n i s t r a t i v e a s p e c t o f t h i n g s . " H e m i g h t
h a v e a d d e d " b y t h e l o g i c a l r e l a t i o n s o f i d e a s . " F o r w i t h
a l l h i s b r i l l i a n t f l u i d i t y a n d m a s t e r y o f c o n c r e t e d e t a i l ,
T r o t s k y i s i n c l i n e d t o s c h e m a t i c t h i n k i n g . He often
s e e m s t o b e l i v i n g m o r e i n h i s h e a d t h a n i n t h e h u m a n
world .
P e r h a p s i n s o f a r a s d e m o c r a c y o f c l a s s i s c o n c e r n e d
T r o t s k y h a s m e r e l y e x p r e s s e d L e n i n ' s v i e w s i n a m o r e
e x t r e m e a n d a b s o l u t e f o r m . When he proceeds from
t h a t , h o w e v e r , t o t h e q u e s t i o n o f democracy w i t h i n t h e
p a r t y , a n d r e d u c e s t h i s f r o m a n o r g a n i z a t i o n a l p r i n c i -
p l e t o a q u e s t i o n o f p r o g r a m m a t i c e x p e d i e n c y , I t h i n k
h e h a s t r a n s g r e s s e d , n o t o n l y t h e i n t u i t i v e w i s d o m o f
L e n i n , b u t h i s a c t u a l p r i n c i p l e s . I q u o t e f r o m t h e s a m e
a r t i c l e : .
" T h e i n t e r n a l d e m o c r a c y o f a r e v o l u t i o n a r y p a r t y i s
n o t a g o a l i n i t s e l f . It must be supplemented and
b o u n d e d b y c e n t r a l i s m . F o r a M a r x i s t t h e q u e s t i o n h a s
a l w a y s b e e n : d e m o c r a c y f o r w h a t ? f o r w h i c h p r o g r a m ?
T h e f r a m e w o r k o f t h e p r o g r a m i s a t t h e s a m e t i m e t h e
f r a m e w o r k o f d e m o c r a c y . "
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1 2 4 STALIN'S RUSSIAC e n t r a l i s m , b e i n g a n a b s t r a c t n o u n , c a n n o t , o f c o u r s e ,
s u p p l e m e n t o r b o u n d a n y t h i n g . T h e C e n t r a l C o m m i t t e e
c a n , b u t s i n c e t h e C e n t r a l C o m m i t t e e i s e l e c t e d b y t h e
m e m b e r s h i p a f t e r f r e e d i s c u s s i o n , i t a l s o c a n n o t s u p p l e -
ment or bound democracy . T h e C e n t r a l C o m m i t t e e , i f
h o n e s t l y e l e c t e d , i s d e m o c r a c y f u n c t i o n i n g a s b e s t i t c a n
i n a p a r t y e n g a g e d i n c o m p l e x , a n d a t t i m e s c o n s p i r a -
t o r i a l , a f f a i r s . " C e n t r a l i s m , " t h e n , a s s o m e t h i n g w h i c h
c a n s u p p l e m e n t a n d b o u n d d e m o c r a c y t o f i t t h e f r a m e -
w o r k o f a p r o g r a m d e t e r m i n e d b y i t s e l f , c a n m e a n n o t h -
i n g b u t t h e b o s s o r b o s s e s , t h e P o l i t b u r o , t h e S e c r e t a r i a t ,
t h e L e a d e r a n d h i s g a n g . I d o n o t s e e w h a t o t h e r m e a n -
i n g c a n p o s s i b l y i n h e r e i n T r o t s k y ' s w o r d s .
A p p l i e d s p e c i f i c a l l y , t h i s w o u l d m e a n t h a t i n h i s f a -
m o u s f i g h t a g a i n s t S t a l i n i n 1 9 2 3 a n d a f t e r , T r o t s k y w a s
d e f e n d i n g i n t r a - p a r t y d e m o c r a c y , n o t b e c a u s e h e b e -
l i e v e d i n i t as a p r o g r a m , b u t b e c a u s e h e b e l i e v e d t h e
r a n k - a n d - f i l e a s t h e n i n c l i n e d w o u l d s u p p o r t t h e p r o -
g r a m h e a d v a n c e d . T h e f r a m e w o r k o f d e m o c r a c y , i f e x -
t e n d e d a t l e a s t t o t h e b o t t o m l a y e r s o f t h e p a r t y , h a p -
p e n e d t o c o i n c i d e w i t h t h e f r a m e w o r k o f h i s p r o g r a m .
O r , i n p l a i n U n i t e d S t a t e s , t h e p a r t y i f t h e y h a d a c h a n c e
t o v o t e w o u l d v o t e f o r h i m . H a d t h a t n o t b e e n s o , h e
w o u l d , a c c o r d i n g t o t h i s d o c t r i n e , h a v e b e e n j u s t i f i e d
i n r e p l a c i n g S t a l i n ' s " c e n t r a l i s m " w i t h h i s o w n .
I h a v e i n t h e l a s t f i f t e e n y e a r s s o o f t e n d e f e n d e d T r o t -
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DIVORCE OF ENDS AND MEANS 125s k y a g a i n s t t h i s a s s e r t i o n o n t h e p a r t o f h i s e n e m i e s , t h a t
I f i n d m y s e l f t e m p t e d t o d e f e n d h i m a g a i n s t h i m s e l f. *
B u t I c a n s e e n o w a y t o d o i t . H e s e e m s t o m e , i n t h i s
s t a t e m e n t a b o u t i n t r a - p a r t y d e m o c r a c y - " T h e q u e s t i o n
h a s a l w a y s b e e n : d e m o c r a c y f o r w h a t ? f o r w h i c h p r o -
g r a m ? " - t o h a v e c a s t l o o s e f r o m a l l m o o r i n g s , n o t o n l y
i n M a r x i s m a n d i n L e n i n ' s w r i t i n g s , b u t i n i n t e l l e c t u a l
h o n e s t y a n d g o o d s e n s e . " D e m o c r a c y f o r w h a t ? f o r w h i c h
p r o g r a m ? " i s a c o n t r a d i c t i o n i n t e r m s . I t i s u s i n g t e r m s
f o r t h e p u r p o s e o f m o r a l a n d i n t e l l e c t u a l c o n f u s i o n . I t
i s t h e d e m o c r a c y o f H i t l e r ' s p l e b i s c i t e s , o f S t a l i n ' s c o n -
s t i t u t i o n .
W e l e a r n e d f r o m M a r x t h a t i n t h e c a u s e o f s o c i a l i s m
p o p u l a r d e m o c r a c y m u s t b e a b a n d o n e d f o r t h e d i c t a t o r -
s h i p o f t h e p r o l e t a r i a t . We learned from Lenin that
p r o l e t a r i a n d i c t a t o r s h i p m u s t b e a b a n d o n e d f o r t h e d i c -
t a t o r s h i p o f t h e P a r t y . W e n o w l e a r n f r o m T r o t s k y t h a t
p a r t y d i c t a t o r s h i p m u s t b e a b a n d o n e d f o r t h e d i c t a t o r -
s h i p o f t h e C e n t e r . I t i s b ut o n e s t e p , a n d t h e s t e p i n e v i -
t a b l e , t o t h e Fuehre rpri nzip . A s i d e f r o m t h e s i n c e r e b e -
l i e f o f t h e e x i s t i n g L e a d e r t h a t h e d w e l l s i n a n u p w a r d -
* O w i n g t o m y d e f e n s e o f T r o t s k y ' s p o s i t i o n a n d t r a n s l a t i o n o f h i s
w o r k s , i t i s c o m m o n l y a s s u m e d t h a t I h a v e b e e n " a n a r d e n t T r o t s k y -
i s t. " T r o t s k y a n d I n e v e r h a d a n y m i s u n d e r s t a n d i n g a b o u t t h i s . O u r
c o n v e r s a t i o n a n d c o r r e s p o n d e n c e h a v e b e e n p e p p e r e d w i t h s h a r p e n -
counters about my Marxian heresies a n d t h e i r c o n s e q u e n c e s , a n d
T r o t s k y h a s s t e a d i l y t h r e a t e n e d t o d e v o t e a n a p p e n d i x i n h i s Life of
Lenin t o m y t h e o r e t i c a n n i h i l a t i o n . I s u p p o s e I a m n o w s a v i n g him
t h e t r o u b l e . H e w i l l d i s m i s s m e , i n t h e l i g h t o f t h i s b o o k , b y " a d -
m i n i s t r a t i v e d e c r e e . "
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126 STALIN'S RUSSIAg o i n g u n i v e r s e , a n d o n e w h i c h h a s r e v e a l e d t o h i s m i n d
t h e r o a d b y w h i c h i t i s i n p r o c e s s o f p r o d u c i n g a s u p e r -
d e m o c r a t i c s o c i e t y , a n d h i s p e r s o n a l c o n s e c r a t i o n t o
t h a t g o a l , I f a i l t o f i n d i n t h i s s y s t e m o f c o n c e n t r i c d e -
p a r t u r e s f r o m d e m o c r a c y a n y g u a r a n t e e w h a t e v e r t h a t
t h e i n t e r e s t s o f t h e p r o l e t a r i a t , t o s a y n o t h i n g o f m a n -
k i n d a t l a r g e , w i l l b e u l t i m a t e l y d e f e n d e d . I f a i l t o f i n d
a n y d y n a m i c a n d r e a l d i f f e r e n t i u m b e t w e e n t h i s n e w
p h i l o s o p h y o f " D e m o c r a c y f o r w h a t ? f o r w h i c h p r o -
g r a m ? " a n d t h a t o f H i t l e r a n d S t a l i n .
A s t h o u g h t o r e p e l t h e l a s t t h o u g h t f u l f r i e n d h e h a d ,
T r o t s k y c o n c l u d e s h i s a r t i c l e w i t h a c r y f o r " r u t h l e s s -
n e s s " o n t h e p a r t o f t h e " p r o l e t a r i a t " ( r e d u c e d t o t h i s
m i n u t e C e n t e r o f a n u n e l e c t e d v a n g u a r d ) a n d a p r o c l a -
m a t i o n o f i m m o r a l i s m t h a t i s a p r o l e t a r i a n p a r a p h r a s e
o f D r . F u n k a n d G o e b b e l s :
" T o a c c o m p l i s h t h e o v e r t u r n t h e p r o l e t a r i a t n e e d s a l l
i t s s t r e n g t h , a l l i t s r e s o l u t i o n , a l l i t s a u d a c i t y , p a s s i o n
a n d r u t h l e s s n e s s . A b o v e a l l i t m u s t b e f r e e f r o m t h e f i c -
t i o n s o f r e l i g i o n , ` d e m o c r a c y ' a n d t r a n s c e n d e n t a l m o r a l -
i t y - t h e s p i r i t u a l c h a i n s f o r g e d b y t h e e n e m y t o t a m e
a n d e n s l a v e i t . O n l y t h a t w h i c h p r e p a r e s t h e c o m p l e t e
a n d f i n a l o v e r t h r o w o f i m p e r i a l i s t b e s t i a l i t y i s m o r a l ,
a n d n o t h i n g e l s e . T h e w e l f a r e o f t h e r e v o l u t i o n - t h a t i s
t h e s u p r e m e l a w ! "
I t s e e m s t o m e t h a t a n y b o d y c h e r i s h i n g t h e i d e a l o f a
f r e e , h u m a n e a n d d e m o c r a t i c s o c i e t y w h o w o u l d , i n t h e
p r e s e n t s t a t e o f t h e w o r l d , s i g n u p t o s u c h a s e t o f p r o p o -
8/2/2019 Stalin Russia and the Crisis in Socialism-Max Eastman-1940-281pgs-POL
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DIVORCE OF ENDS AND MEANS 127s i t i o n s , i s m o r e r e c k l e s s t h a n r e v o l u t i o n a r y , m o r e m a d
t h a n M a r x i s t .
L e t u s r e a d f o r r e l i e f a n o u t l i n e o f t h e k i n d o f s o c i e t y
T r o t s k y i m a g i n e s h e c a n a r r i v e a t b y t h i s a n t i - d e m o -
c r a t i c a n d i m m o r a l i s t i c o v e r t h r o w :
" I n a s o c i e t y w h i c h w i l l h a v e t h r o w n o f f t h e p i n c h i n g
a n d s t u l t i f y i n g w o r r y a b o u t d a i l y b r e a d , i n w h i c h c o m -
m u n i t y r e s t a u r a n t s w i l l p r e p a r e g o o d , w h o l e s o m e a n d
t a s t e f u l f o o d f o r a l l t o c h o o s e , i n w h i c h c o m m u n a l l a u n -
d r i e s w i l l w a s h c l e a n e v e r y o n e ' s l i n e n , i n w h i c h c h i l -
d r e n , a l l t h e c h i l d r e n , w i l l b e w e l l f e d a n d s t r o n g a n d
g a y , a n d i n w h i c h t h e y w i l l a b s o r b t h e f u n d a m e n t a l e l e -
m e n t s o f s c i e n c e a n d a r t a s t h e y a b s o r b a l b u m e n a n d a i r
a n d t h e w a r m t h o f t h e s u n , i n a s o c i e t y i n w h i c h e l e c -
t r i c i t y a n d t h e r a d i o w i l l n o t b e t h e c r a f t s t h e y a r e t o d a y ,
b u t w i l l c o m e f r o m i n e x h a u s t i b l e s o u r c e s o f s u p e r -
p o w e r a t t h e c a l l o f a c e n t r a l b u t t o n , i n w h i c h t h e r e w i l l
b e n o ` u s e l e s s m o u t h s , ' i n w h i c h t h e l i b e r a t e d e g o t i s m
o f m a n - a m i g h t l y f o r c e ! - w i l l b e d i r e c t e d w h o l l y t o -
w a r d s t h e u n d e r s t a n d i n g , t h e t r a n s f o r m a t i o n a n d b e t t e r -
m e n t o f t h e u n i v e r s e - i n s u c h a s o c i e t y t h e d y n a m i c d e -
v e l o p m e n t o f c u l t u r e w i l l b e i n c o m p a r a b l e w i t h a n y -
t h i n g t h a t w e n t o n i n t h e p a s t . "
W a s t h e r e e v e r a m o r e d a n g e r o u s d i v o r c e o f e n d s f r o m
means?
* F r o m Literature and Revolution by L . T r o t s k y .
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6
THE MOTIVE-PATTERNS OFSOCIALISM
IN THE o l d d a y s o f f a i t h a n d p r o p a g a n d a , s o c i a l i s m
s e e m e d a w o n d e r f u l i d e a b e c a u s e i t o f f e r e d t o s o l v e s o
many probl ems at once . I t w o u l d p u t a n e n d t o w a g e -
s l a v e r y a n d m a k e a l l m e n g e n u i n e l y f r e e a n d e q u a l . B y
s u b s t i t u t i n g c o - o p e r a t i o n f o r c o m p e t i t i o n , i t w o u l d a l s o
m a k e h u m a n s o l i d a r i t y r e a l ; e v e n t h e C h r i s t i a n i d e a l o f
u n i v e r s a l b r o t h e r h o o d , a n d o f l o s i n g o n e s e l f i n o r d e r t o
f i n d i t i n t h e c o m m o n g o o d , w o u l d c e a s e t o b e m e r e l y
a t h e m e f o r S a b b a t h - d a y s e r m o n s . I t w o u l d a l s o r e l i e v e
u s o f t h e " a n a r c h y " o f c a p i t a l i s t p r o d u c t i o n , a n d m a k e
p o s s i b l e a p l a n n e d a n d s c i e n t i f i c e f f i c i e n c y i n t h e i m -
p o r t a n t b u s i n e s s o f k e e p i n g a l i v e . A n d t h e n , a l m o s t i n -
c i d e n t a l l y , i t w o u l d p u t a n e n d t o w a r s , w h i c h a r e , y o u
s e e , j u s t a b y - p r o d u c t o f t h i s u n f r e e - a n d - u n e q u a l u n -
b r o t h e r l y - u n i t e d , u n p l a n n e d a n d i n e f f i c i e n t w a y o f d o -
i n g t h i n g s .
B e c a u s e i t o f f e r e d t o s o l v e a l l t h e s e v a r i o u s p r o b l e m s ,
s o c i a l i s m a p p e a l e d t o p e o p l e w i t h w i d e l y d i f f e r i n g p a t -
12 8
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MOTIVE-PATTERNS 1 2 9
t e r n s o f v o l i t i o n . W i t h o u t p r e t e n d i n g t o b e e x h a u s t i v e ,
w e c a n d i v i d e t h e m i n t o t h r e e m a i n g r o u p s : f i r s t , t h e
r e b e l s a g a i n s t t y r a n n y a n d o p p r e s s i o n , i n w h o s e m o t i v a -
t i o n t h e c o n c e p t o f h u m a n f r e e d o m f o r m e d t h e a x i s ; s e c -
o n d , t h o s e y e a r n i n g w i t h a m i x t u r e o f r e l i g i o u s m y s t i -
c i s m a n d a n i m a l g r e g a r i o u s n e s s f o r h u m a n s o l i d a r i t y -
t h e u n i t e d - b r o t h e r h o o d p a t t e r n ; t h i r d , t h o s e a n x i o u s
a b o u t e f f i c i e n c y a n d i n t e l l i g e n t o r g a n i z a t i o n - a c e r e b r a l
a n x i e t y c a p a b l e o f r i s i n g i n t i m e s o f c r i s i s t o a v e r i t a b l e
p a s s i o n f o r a p l a n . T h e a n t i - w a r m o t i v e e n t e r e d , w i t h
d i f f e r i n g c o l o r s , i n t o a l l t h r e e p a t t e r n s . And each of
t h e m u s u a l l y c o n t a i n e d a s a s u b o r d i n a t e f a c t o r t h e m o -
t i v e t h a t w a s c e n t r a l i n t h e o t h e r t w o .
T h i s v e r s a t i l i t y o f s o c i a l i s m t h a t s e e m e d s o w o n d e r f u l
i n t h e d a y s o f i d e a l p r o p a g a n d a i s t h e p r i n c i p a l c a u s e , I
t h i n k , o f t h e c o n f u s i o n p r e v a i l i n g a m o n g s o c i a l i s t s n o w
t h a t t h e y a r e c o n f r o n t e d w i t h r e s u l t s . The Marxian
p r o m i s e w a s t h a t a l l t h r e e p a t t e r n s w o u l d a t t a i n t h e i r
" c l o s u r e " w h e n t h e d i c t a t o r s h i p o f t h e p r o l e t a r i a t h a d
e x p r o p r i a t e d t h e p r i v a t e c a p i t a l i s t s , a n d s o c i e t y a s a
w h o l e b e g a n t o c o n d u c t t h e b u s i n e s s o f p r o d u c t i o n .
S t a l i n ' s r e g i m e o f t o t a l i t a r i a n s t a t e o w n e r s h i p f r u s t r a t e s
t h e c e n t r a l m o t i v e o f t h e f i r s t p a t t e r n , s h a t t e r s i t c o m -
p l e t e l y . T o l i b e r t a r i a n s o c i a l i s t s , t h e r e f o r e , n o m a t t e r
h o w " m o n o l i t h i c " i t m a y b e c o m e , n o r h o w m u c h i n d u s -
t r i a l p l a n n i n g a n d s o l v i n g o f u n e m p l o y m e n t p r o b l e m s i t
m a y d o , S t a l i n ' s R u s s i a i s a c o u n t e r - r e v o l u t i o n a r y s t a t e .
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130 STALIN'S RUSSIAT o t h e g r e g a r i a n o r h u m a n - s o l i d a r i t y s o c i a l i s t s , o n
t h e o t h e r h a n d , t h e S o v i e t U n i o n , n o t w i t h s t a n d i n g
p r i s o n c a m p s a n d t h e m a s s a c r e o f d i s s e n t e r s - n o t w i t h -
s t a n d i n g t h e p e r f e c t e d e x p l o i t a t i o n o f t h e w o r k e r s - i s
n o w , a s n e v e r u n d e r L e n i n ' s r e s t i v e l e a d e r s h i p , t h e
p r o m i s e d l a n d .
T o t h o s e p r i m a r i l y c o n c e r n e d a b o u t b u s i n e s s l i k e
o r g a n i z a t i o n , w h i l e n o t p e r h a p s a p r o m i s e d , R u s s i a
s e e m s a t l e a s t a p r o m i s i n g l a n d . Pa r t i c u l a r l y t o t h e d i s -
i l l u s i o n e d l i b e r a l s , b r o u g h t o v e r t o s o c i a l i s t i d e a s b y t h e
c r i s i s i n c a p i t a l i s m a n d y e a r n i n g a b o v e a l l t h i n g s f o r a
p l a n , a " s o l u t i o n o f t h e e c o n o m i c p r o b l e m , " a n i s l a n d
o f o r d e r i n t h e m o u n t i n g w a v e s o f c h a n g e , S t a l i n ' s R u s -
s i a h a s a m a s t e r f a s c i n a t i o n . I t c a r r i e s t o a n e x t r e m e t h a t
v e r y p u t t i n g a w a y o f c h i l d i s h t h i n g s l i k e j u s t i c e a n d t h e
R i g h t s o f M a n a n d g o i n g i n f o r r e a l i s t i c h a r d s e n s e
a b o u t e c o n o m i c s , w i t h w h i c h t h e y t h e m s e l v e s a r e t r y -
i n g t o f i l l t h e f o r l o r n s p a c e s i n t h e i r h e a r t s . A l t h o u g h
t h e r e p r e s s e d f o r c e s u p o n w h i c h i t r e s t s a r e o m i n o u s ,
a n d i t s r e g i m e n t a t i o n o f o p i n i o n b o d e s i l l e v e n f o r t h e
P l a n n i n g C o m m i s s i o n , t h e " s o c i a l i s t f a t h e r l a n d " i s a t
l e a s t t o b e a p o l o g i z e d f o r i n o t h e r l a n d s - c e r t a i n l y n o t
d e n o u n c e d f r o m t h e s t a n d p o i n t o f a m a d d r e a m l i k e
" e m a n c i p a t i o n o f t h e w o r k e r s a n d t h e r e w i t h a l l m a n -
k i n d . "
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MOTIVE-PATTERNS 1 3 1
THE LIBERTARIAN MOTIVEI n t h o s e w h o b u i l t t h e M a r x i a n m o v e m e n t , a n d t h o s e
w h o o r g a n i z e d i t s v i c t o r y i n R u s s i a , t h a t a c t o f e m a n c i -
p a t i o n w a s t h e c e n t r a l m o t i v e . T h e y w e r e , a s s o m e a r e
p r o n e n o w t o f o r g e t , e x t r e m e r e b e l s a g a i n s t o p p r e s s i o n .
Lenin will perhaps stand out, when the commotion
a b o u t h i s i d e a s s u b s i d e s , a s t h e g r e a t e s t r e b e l i n h i s t o r y .
H i s m a j o r p a s s i o n w a s t o s e t m e n f r e e . I g n a z i o S i l o n e
h a s e x p r e s s e d t h e o p i n i o n t h a t " i n e v e r y M a r x i s t w o r k e r
t h e s t r o n g e s t b a s i s f o r h i s s o c i a l i s t f a i t h i s t h e s e n t i m e n t
o f j u s t i c e . " B u t t h a t i s p e r h a p s m a i n l y a d i f f e r e n t w a y
o f n a m i n g t h e s a m e p a s s i o n . I t i s h a r d t o s e p a r a t e f r e e -
d o m f r o m e q u a l i t y , e q u a l i t y f r o m j u s t i c e , a s a s o c i a l
aim . Eq u a l i t y o f r i g h t s a n d p r i v i l e g e s i s j u s t i c e , a n d i f
a n y a r e f r e e , i t i s j u s t t h a t a l l s h o ul d b e . N e v e r t h e l e s s ,
i f a s i n g l e c o n c e p t m u s t b e c h o s e n t o s u m m a r i z e t h e
g o a l o f t h e c l a s s s t r u g g l e a s d e f i n e d i n M a r x i a n w r i t i n g s ,
a n d e s p e c i a l l y t h e w r i t i n g s o f L e n i n , human freedom is
t h e n a m e f o r i t . T i m e a n d a g a i n d u r i n g t h e s p r i n g a n d
s u m m e r o f 1 9 1 7 , i n s p e e c h e s a n d a r t i c l e s t e n s e w i t h e x -
c i t e m e n t a n d c a r r y i n g t h e w h o l e w e i g h t o f h i s p e r s o n a l -
i t y , L e n i n r e i t e r a t e d t h i s e s s e n t i a l a i m a n d p u r p o s e o f
h i s a c t i o n s :
" D o n o t a l l o w t h e p o l i c e t o b e r e - e s t a b l i s h e d ;
" D o n o t a l l o w t h e r e - e s t a b l i s h m e n t o f t h e a l l - p o w e r -
f u l o f f i c i a l d o m w h i c h i s i n r e a l i t y n o t s u b j e c t t o r e c a l l
a n d b e l o n g s t o t h e c l a s s o f l a n d o w n e r s a n d c a p i t a l i s t s ;
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1 3 2 STALIN'S RUSSIA" D o n o t a l l o w t h e r e - e s t a b l i s h m e n t o f a s t a n d i n g a r m y
s e p a r a t e d f r o m t h e p e o p l e , s e r v i n g a s a p e r p e t u a l i n c e n -
t i v e f o r v a r i o u s a t t e m p t s t o c r u s h l i b e r t y a n d t o r e v i v e
the monarchy .
" T e a c h t h e p e o p l e , d o w n t o i t s l o w e s t s t r a t a , t h e a r t
o f a d m i n i s t r a t i o n , n o t t h r o u g h b o o k s b u t t h r o u g h a c -
t u a l p r a c t i c e t o b e b e g u n i m m e d i a t e l y a n d e v e r y w h e r e ,
t h r o u g h t h e u t i l i s a t i o n o f t h e e x p e r i e n c e o f t h e m a s s e s .
" D e m o c r a c y f r o m b e l o w , d e m o c r a c y w i t h o u t a n o f f i -
c i a l d o m , w i t h o u t p o l i c e , w i t h o u t a s t a n d i n g a r m y ; d i s -
c h a r g e o f s o c i a l d u t y b y a militia c o m p r i s i n g a u n i v e r -
s a l l y a r m e d p e o p l e - t h i s w i l l i n s u r e t h e k i n d o f f r e e d o m
w h i c h n o t s a r s , n o p o m p o u s g e n e r a l s , n o c a p i t a l i s t s c a n
t a k e a w a y . "
I n h i s d e l i b e r a t e d p r o g r a m - p a m p h l e t , p u b l i s h e d o n
t h e e v e o f t h e s e i z u r e o f p o w e r , t h e s a m e m o t i v e i s o n l y
m o r e s t u d i o u s l y s p o k e n :
" O n l y i n C o m m u n i s t S o c i e t y , w h e n t h e r e s i s t a n c e o f
t h e c a p i t a l i s t s h a s f i n a l l y b e e n b r o k e n , w h e n t h e c a p i t a l -
ists have disappeared, when there are no longer any
c l a s s e s . . . only the n ` d o e s t h e S t a t e d i s a p p e a r and one
can spe ak of fre edom . ' O n l y t h e n w i l l b e p o s s i b l e a n d
w i l l b e r e a l i z e d a r e a l l y f u l l democracy, a democracy
w i t h o u t a n y e x c e p t i o n s . A n d o n l y t h e n w i l l d e m o c r a c y
i t s e l f b e g i n t o w i t h e r a w a y i n v i r t u e o f t h e s i m p l e f a c t
t h a t , f r e e d f r o m c a p i t a l i s t s l a v e r y , f r o m t h e i n n u m e r a b l e
h o r r o r s , s a v a g e r y , a b s u r d i t i e s a n d i n f a m i e s o f c a p i t a l i s t
e x p l o i t a t i o n , p e o p l e w i l l g r a d u a l l y become accustomed
t o t h e o b s e r v a t i o n o f t h e e l e m e n t a r y r u l e s o f s o c i a l l i f e ,
k n o w n f o r c e n t u r i e s , r e p e a t e d f o r t h o u s a n d s o f y e a r s i n
a l l s e r m o n s . T h e y w i l l b e c o m e a c c u s t o m e d t o t h e i r o b -
s e r v a n c e w i t h o u t f o r c e , w i t h o u t c o n s t r a i n t , w i t h o u t s u b -
j e c t i o n , w i t h o u t t h e spe cial apparatus for compulsion
w h i c h i s c a l l e d t h e S t a t e . "
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MOTIVE-PATTERNS 1 33
T h e s e s a y i n g s r e v e a l t h e c e n t r a l m o t i v e i n m o s t p r o l e -
tarian revolutionists who come from the "educated
c l a s s e s . " A n d t h e f e e l i n g i n t h e p r o l e t a r i a n s t h e m s e l v e s
who become consciously revolutionary, although at
t i m e s m o r e f i l l e d w i t h h a t r e d f o r t h e o p p r e s s o r , i s n o t
o f t e n v e r y d i f f e r e n t . I t i s i n b o t h c a s e s a f i g h t i n g p a s -
s i o n , a n d t h e t h i n g f o u g h t f o r i s l i b e r a t i o n . T h e t h o u g h t
t h a t b y e x p r o p r i a t i n g t h e o p p r e s s o r s a v i c t o r i o u s p r o l e -
t a r i a t c a n r e m o v e t h e " a b s u r d i t i e s " o f c a p i t a l i s t p r o d u c -
t i o n a n d i n t r o d u c e a n o r d e r l y e c o n o m y , i s i n c i d e n t a l . I t
i s n o t a r e a s o n f o r t h e c h a n g e , b u t a g u a r a n t e e t h a t i t
w i l l b e p e r m a n e n t , s e e i n g t h a t i t s a t i s f i e s g o o d s e n s e a s
w e l l a s r e v o l u t i o n a r y p a s s i o n . T h e f r a t e r n a l - s o l i d a r i t y
i d e a , t o o , i s s p e c t r a l i n t h e r e v o l u t i o n a r y ' s m i n d . He
h a s n o r e a l d i s t a s t e f o r c o m p e t i t i o n , a s h i s n e g l e c t o f
t h e c o - o p e r a t i v e s , e x c e p t a s a u x i l i a r i e s i n t h e c l a s s w a r ,
p l a i n l y s h o w s . E v e n h i s h a t r e d o f i n t e r n a t i o n a l w a r i s
n o t p a c i f i s t . I t i s a h a t r e d m o r e o f m i l i t a r y r e g i m e n t a -
t i o n t h a n o f f i g h t i n g . T h e s t a n d i n g a r m y i s what Lenin
f u l m i n a t e s a g a i n s t . T h a t i s h i s p a c i f i s m . H e w a n t s t h e
w h o l e p o p u l a t i o n a r m e d l A n d w h y ? B e c a u s e i t w i l l " i n -
s u r e t h e k i n d o f f r e e d o m w h i c h n o t s a r s , n o p o m p o u s
g e n e r a l s , n o c a p i t a l i s t s c a n t a k e a w a y . "
L e n i n w a s a m a n o f i n t e n s e p e r s o n a l r e s e r v e , b u t a f t e r
h i s d e a t h , a t a m e m o r i a l m e e t i n g o f t h e M o s c o w s o v i e t
in the Great Opera House, his widow spoke frankly
a b o u t h i s m o t i v e s :
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1 3 4 STALIN'S RUSSIA" C o m r a d e s , d u r i n g t h e s e d a y s t h a t I h a v e s t o o d b y t h e
b o d y o f V l a d i m i r I l y c h I h a v e b e e n t h i n k i n g h i s w h o l e
l i f e o v e r , a n d t h i s i s w h a t I w a n t t o s a y t o y o u . H i s h e a r t
b e a t w i t h a b u r n i n g l o v e f o r a l l t h e t o i l e r s , a l l t h e o p -
p r e s s e d . H e n e v e r s a i d t h i s h i m s e l f - n o , a n d I s h o u l d n o t
s a y i t a t a l e s s s o l e m n m o m e n t . I s p e a k o f i t b e c a u s e h e
i n h e r i t e d t h i s f e e l i n g f r o m o u r h e r o i c R u s s i a n r e v o l u -
t i o n a r y m o v e m e n t . T h i s f e e l i n g i s w h a t i m p e l l e d h i m t o
s e e k f e r v e n t l y , p a s s i o n a t e l y f o r a n a n s w e r t o t h e q u e s -
t i o n : ` W h a t i s t o b e t h e p a t h o f l i b e r a t i o n f o r t h e
t o i l e r s ? ' "
THE UNITED-BROTHERHOOD MOTIVEL e n i n d i d n o t f i n d t h e p a t h o f l i b e r a t i o n f o r t h e t o i l -
e r s . H e l e d t h e m w i t h t h e r e d f l a g f l y i n g d o w n t h e r o a d
t o a m o r e d r e a d f u l t y r a n n y t h a n h e o r t h e y h a d d r e a m e d
o f . H e d i e d , s a d d e n e d b y t h e f i r s t i n t i m a t i o n s o f t h i s
t r a g e d y , a n d w i t h a w a r n i n g a g a i n s t t h e t y r a n t o n h i s
l i p s . A l l h i s c l o s e d i s c i p l e s , a l l t h o s e i m b u e d w i t h h i s
d e e p p a s s i o n f o r h u m a n f r e e d o m , h a v e b e e n k i l l e d a s
i r r e c o n c i l a b l e e n e m i e s b y t h e t y r a n t .
I t i s a p a r t o f o u r c o n f u s i o n , h o w e v e r , t h a t s o m e o f
t h e m d i e d e q u i v o c a l d e a t h s . S o m e o f t h e m d i e d c o n f e s s -
i n g t h a t t h e y , n o t S t a l i n , w e r e t h e t r a i t o r s t o t h e n e w
s o c i a l i s t s o c i e t y . T h e i r c o n f e s s i o n s w e r e i r r e l e v a n t t o
t r u t h , b u t s u c h c o n f e s s i o n s c o u l d n o t h a v e b e e n f o r c e d
f r o m s u c h m e n h a d t h e y n o t b e e n b e w i l d e r e d a b o u t t h e
t r u t h . L i k e s o m a n y s o c i a l i s t s e l s e w h e r e , t h e y c o u l d n o t
q u i t e m a k e u p t h e i r m i n d s w h e t h e r S t a l i n i s m i s t h e
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MOTIVE-PATTERNS1 35
counter-revolution or not . The ir p hil osoph y had taught
the m that a confiscation of private capital woul d lead
with historic necessity to the free society, even though
it had to pass th rough an apparently oppos ite regi me ;
perhaps it was sti ll on the way . That was one so urce of
their confusion . But the ir ph ilos ophy had also taught
th e m to e xpec t oth e r th in gs b e s id e s fr e ed om in that
ideal socie ty, a new kind of hu man solidarity, a mysti c
state of things in which all arts and activities would be-
come " coll ecti ve" -and the re with a planned economy
and an end of inte rnati onal war . Russ ia was anti-war,
and was planning he r e conomy, and was-alb ei t with the
he lp of firi ng squads and the GPU -manifes ting a su -
pernal solidarity . Maybe th ey were after all unconscious
traitors, J ohn the Baptists who cou ld not re cognize the
coming of what they th emsel ves had prophe sie d . Maybe
thei r concern for fre edom was too impatient. Maybe it
was excessive . Maybe i t was s elfish .
Something like thi s passed in the h earts of those ol d
Bolsh eviks who died utte ring the confess ions of treach-
er y dictated to them b y Stalin . In thei r socialism th e
freedom motive was pr obably le ss central th an in those
who died be hind clos ed doors , crying, " Long live the
workers' revolutionl"
It is certain, in general, that this motive has proven
les s organic, les s univers al, than was anticipated by tho se
champio ns of emancipati on who l aid the foundations of
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136 STALIN'S RUSSIAs o c i a l i s m . A n d t h e u n i t y o r s o l i d a r i t y m o t i v e h a s p r o v e n
more organic, more universal . It has proven strong
e n o u g h t o p e r m i t i n t h e n a m e o f s o c i a l i s t b r o t h e r h o o d
those same deeds of blood and torture which made
C h r i s t i a n b r o t h e r h o o d a t t i m e s a c u r s e t o E u r o p e . I t
s e e m s a s t h o u g h , w h e n e v e r p e o p l e t a l k o f a l l m a n k i n d
a s b r o t h e r s , i t i s C a i n a n d A b e l t h e y a r e t h i n k i n g o f .
A t a n y r a t e , i t p r o v e s s u r p r i s i n g l y e a s y f o r t h o s e d o m i -
n a t e d b y t h i s s e e m i n g l y s o l a r g e a n d a m i a b l e i d e a l t o
s a t i s f y i t w i t h i n a n a r r o w , b i g o t e d a n d c r u e l g r o u p .
They make their group coterminous with humanity by
t r e a t i n g a s n o n - h u m a n a l l t h o s e w h o w i l l n o t j o i n i t .
T h i s s e e m s a c o n t e m p t i b l e a n d d r e a d f u l t r i c k , b u t i t i s
undoubtedly accomplished in many cases with sincere
i d e a l i s m .
So many yes-men and clamoring lickspittl es flock
a r o u n d a s s o o n a s p o w e r i s w o n , t h a t i t i s t h e n d i f f i c u l t
t o d i s t i n g u i s h t h e s i n c e r e i d e a l i s t s o f b r o t h e r h o o d , b u t
t h e y a r e a l w a y s p r e s e n t . T h e r e i s n o h y p o c r i s y , f o r i n -
s t a n c e , i n M i c h a e l G o l d ' s d e v o t i o n t o S t a l i n ' s t o t a l i t a r i -
anism . M i s r e p r e s e n t i n g S t a l i n ' s e n e m i e s i s o n e w a y o f
e x p r e s s i n g h i s d e v o t i o n , b u t i n t h e d e v o t i o n i t s e l f t h e r e
i s n o l i e . A l l t h r o u g h l i f e t h i s J e w w i t h o u t M o n e y h a d
b e e n s e e k i n g f o r s u b m e r s i o n i n a T o t a l i t y , s e e k i n g t o
l o s e h i m s e l f i n t h e b o s o m o f a s u b s t i t u t e f o r G o d . A s i m -
i l a r t h i n g , I h a p p e n t o k n o w , i s t r u e o f M i c h a e l K a l i n i n ,
w h o h a s d i s c o v e r e d s u c h a m a z i n g s u r v i v a l - v a l u e i n t h e
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MOTIVE-PATTERNS 1 37
s t o r m s t h a t s w e p t d o w n L e n i n ' s f o l l o w i n g . I t i s t r u e o f
Harry F . W a r d , w h o s e t e s t i m o n y b e f o r e t h e D i e s C o m -
m i t t e e r e g a r d i n g t h e L e a g u e f o r P e a c e a n d D e m o c r a c y ,
o f w h i c h h e i s C h a i r m a n , w a s s o s h o c k i n g t o t h o s e a c -
q u a i n t e d w i t h t h e f a c t s . T h i s C h r i s t i a n m i n i s t e r t o o , a s
h i s b o o k , The Profit Motive, s h o w s , i s a c t u a t e d b y t h e
t h i r s t f o r c o - o p e r a t i v e e m o t i o n , f o r t h e s e n s e o f m e m -
b e r s h i p i n a t o t a l i t y. I t i s t h a t o r g a n i c p a s s i o n w h i c h
l e a d s h i m n o t o n l y t o e x c u s e t h e l i e s a n d c r i m e s o f t o -
t a l i t a r i a n i s m i n R u s s i a , b u t h i m s e l f t o p a r t i c i p a t e i n a
t o t a l i t a r i a n a t t e m p t a g a i n s t p u b l i c e n l i g h t e n m e n t i n t h e
U n i t e d S t a t e s . S t a l i n h i m s e l f i n h i s u n c t i o u s m o m e n t s
d e s c r i b e s s o c i a l i s m a s a " f e l l o w s h i p " r a t h e r t h a n a f r e e
s o c i e t y .
U n d o u b t e d l y t h i s f r a t e r n a l p a s s i o n - f o r t h a t , u n h a p -
pily, must be the name of it-formed a part of the
o r i g i n a l m o t i v e - p a t t e r n o f s o c i a l i s m . A n d t h e f a c t t h a t
i t f i n d s s a t i s f a c t i o n i n t h e t o t a l i t a r i a n s t a t e - c a p i t a l i s m o f
S t a l i n , w h e r e h u m a n f r e e d o m i s a d e a d i d e a , i s a p r i n -
c i p a l c a u s e o f t h e i n t e r m i n a b l e c o n f u s i o n , t h e n o m a n ' s
l a n d , t h e w e l t e r o f d i v i d e d m i n d s a n d s p l i t l i b i d o s , b e -
q u e a t h e d t o u s b y t h e R u s s i a n r e v o l u t i o n i n t h e p l a c e
o f a w o r l d s o c i a l i s t m o v e m e n t .
THE PLANNED ECONOMY MOTIVEA n o t h e r e l e m e n t o f c o n f u s i o n i s i n t r o d u c e d b y t h o s e
b o u r g e o i s l i b e r a l s a n d F a b i a n s w h o h a v e t a k e n u p t h e
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1 3 8 STALIN'S RUSSIAj o b o f a p o l o g i z i n g f o r S t a l i n o u t o f a n a n x i o u s i n t e r e s t
i n o r d e r l y a n d p l a n n e d e c o n o m y . F o u r o r f i v e y e a r s a g o
i n t h e N ew Rep u b l ic, Edmund Wilson made the sug-
g e s t i o n t h a t t h e l i b e r a l s s h o u l d " t a k e c o m m u n i s m a w a y
f r o m t h e c o m m u n i s t s . " * I t s e e m e d a t t h e t i m e a l m o s t a
n o n s e n s i c a l r e m a r k , b u t i t i s e x a c t l y w h a t t h e l i b e r a l s
(minus Edmund Wilson) have done . D e s p a i r i n g o f t h e
o l d f a i t h i n d e m o c r a c y a n d e d u c a t i o n , a n d s h o c k e d b y
t h e c r i s i s o f c a p i t a l i s m i n t o a s e n s e o f t h e i r o w n f u t i l i t y ,
t h e y h a v e , o n t h e w h o l e w i t h s u r p r i s i n g e x p l i c i t n e s s ,
a d o p t e d n o t o n l y t h e p r o g r a m o f s o c i a l i z a t i o n , b u t t h e
n a m e a n d , i n a m a n n e r p e c u l i a r t o t h e m s e l v e s , t h e g e n -
e r a l p h i l o s o p h y o f M a r x i s m . S i n c e t h e y e x e c u t e d t h i s
m a n e u v e r i n a k i n d o f f l i g h t f r o m t h e o l d p r i n c i p l e s o f
l i b e r a l i s m , i t i s n a t u r a l t h a t M a r x ' s e x t r e m e r c o n c e p t o f
l i b e r t y s h o u l d h a v e s m a l l p l a c e i n t h e p a t t e r n o f t h e i r
s o c i a l i s m . T h e y a r e d e f i n i t e l y n o t i n t e r e s t e d i n t h e e m a n -
c i p a t i o n o f t h e w o r k i n g c l a s s . T h e b r o t h e r l y - u n i o n c o n -
c e p t i s s o m e w h a t l e s s a l i e n t o t h e m b e c a u s e i t i s a p a r t
o f t h e r e s p e c t a b l e t r a d i t i o n o f C h r i s t i a n i t y . B u t t h e f o c a l
t h i n g i n t h e i r m i n d a n d m o t i v a t i o n , w h e n t h e y m a k e
b o l d t o c a l l t h e m s e l v e s s o c i a l i s t s a n d e v e n a p p e a l t o t h e
a u t h o r i t y o f K a r l M a r x , i s h i s e x t r e m e s o l u t i o n o f t h e
economic problem . F o r t h e s a k e o f t h a t , t h e y a r e p r e -
p a r e d t o f o r e g o , o r k i d t h e m s e l v e s a b o u t , e v e r y t h i n g e l s e
t h a t t h e y e v e r b e l i e v e d i n . I n t h i s w a y i t h a s h a p p e n e d
* Quoted from memory .
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MOTIVE-PATTERNS 1 3 9
t h a t t h e " s t r o n g h o l d s o f A m e r i c a n l i b e r a l i s m , " t h e Na-
t i o n a n d t h e New Republic, b e c a m e o u r c h i e f a p o l o -
g i s t s f o r t h e m o s t u n l i b e r a l , u n p r i n c i p l e d a n d b i g o t e d
a n d b l o o d y t y r a n n y i n m o d e r n h i s t o r y . They became
" s o c i a l i s t . " S o g r e a t a n d s o c o n f u s i n g i s t h e v a r i e t y o f
m o t i v e s a p p e a l e d t o b y t h e t o o o p u l e n t c o n c e p t o f s o -
c i a l i s m .
TOTALITARIAN LIBERALST o m y m i n d t h e s e n e o - M a r x i a n e x - l i b e r a l s a r e a t
p r e s e n t a g r e a t e r m e n a c e t h a n t h e S t a l i n i s t s t o t h e
c a u s e o f f r e e d o m i n A m e r i c a . T h e i r i n t e l l e c t u a l h u n g e r
f o r t h e s o l u t i o n o f a p r o b l e m b r i n g s t h e m i n t o a p o s i -
t i o n s i m i l a r t o t h a t o f t h e d e s p a i r i n g m a s s e s d r i v e n b y
a m o r e u r g e n t h u n g e r . T h e y h a v e n o t o n l y a p o l o g i z e d
f o r t o t a l i t a r i a n i s m i n R u s s i a , b u t t h e y h a v e h e l p e d t o
c a m o u f l a g e i t s p r o p a g a n d a - s t r a t a g e m s a n d p r e s s u r e - p l o t s
i n t h i s c o u n t r y . B y a b a n d o n i n g t h e i r f a i t h i n p o p u l a r
i n t e l l i g e n c e , i n o p e n a n d c o m p l e t e d e b a t e , b y l e n d i n g
t h e i r p a g e s t o t h e m a n i p u l a t i o n a s w e l l a s t h e e n l i g h t e n -
m e n t o f p u b l i c o p i n i o n , c o n d o n i n g p o l i t i c a l i m m o r a l -
i s m , a d o p t i n g a n a t t i t u d e o f Realpolitik w h e r e v e r s u c h
a n t i q u e c o n c e p t s a s t h e R i g h t s o f M a n a r e i n q u e s t i o n ,
a n d i n g e n e r a l o u t d o i n g M a r x i n b e i n g h a r d - b o i l e d o n
a l l q u e s t i o n s e x c e p t t h a t o f p r o l e t a r i a n p o w e r , t h e y a r e ,
w h i l e p r o f e s s i n g t h e m s e l v e s i t s f r i e n d s , g i v i n g a i d a n d
c o m f o r t t o t h e e n e m i e s o f d e m o c r a c y . T h e y a r e d o i n g
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140 STALIN'S RUSSIAe x a c t l y w h a t t h e s a m e g r o u p s d i d i n G e r m a n y b e f o r e
1 9 3 3 - b r e a k i n g t h e f a i t h i n t h e r e p u b l i c o f t h o s e w h o
s h o u l d b e i t s f i r m d e f e n d e r s , d e s t r o y i n g t h e m e n t a l a n d
s o c i a l h a b i t s w h i c h m a k e d e m o c r a t i c i n s t i t u t i o n s s u c -
c e s s f u l , e a s i n g u s i n t o t h e T o t a l i t a r i a n S t a t e o f M i n d . *
A t y p i c a l i l l u s t r a t i o n , i n d e e d a p e r f e c t e p i t o m e o f
t h i s , i s G e o r g e S o u l e ' s l i t t l e v o l u m e c a l l e d The Future
o f L i b e r t y , b u t w h i c h s h o u l d b e c a l l e d P r e f a c e t o a n
A m e r i c a n T o t a l i t a r i a n i s m . Mr. S o u l e b e g i n s h i s b o o k b y
e x p r e s s i n g h i s f e r v e n t a f f e c t i o n f o r t h e w o r d s t o b e
f o u n d i n o u r D e c l a r a t i o n o f I n d e p e n d e n c e a n d B i l l o f
R i g h t s . H e h a s , h e t e l l s u s , " a n i n e r a d i c a b l e c o n f i d e n c e
that somehow or other such words are valid ; t h a t
t h e y p r o v i d e , i f p r o p e r l y d e f i n e d a n d a p p l i e d , a n i n d i s -
p e n s a b l e f r a m e o f r e f e r e n c e a n d s t a n d a r d o f v a l u e . "
T a k i n g " l i b e r t y " a s t h e n u c l e a r w o r d i n t h e s e d o c u -
m e n t s , h e d e m o n s t r a t e s h i s n e w l y a c q u i r e d " M a r x i s m "
b y e x p l a i n i n g t h a t t h e g r o u p s w h o f i r s t e m p l o y e d i t , a n d
m o s t o f t h o s e w h o h a v e e m p l o y e d i t s i n c e , w e r e n o t e x -
p r e s s i n g a l o v e o f f r e e d o m f o r m a n k i n d a t l a r g e , b u t
w e r e s e e k i n g a f r e e f i e l d f o r t h e i r o w n s p e c i a l i n t e r e s t s .
A t t h i s p o i n t h i s M a r x i s m r e c e d e s , a n d i n s t e a d o f g o i n g
o n t o s h o w t h a t t h e f r e e d o m f o u g h t f o r b y t h e w o r k i n g
* A t t h e t i m e o f t h e s e c o n d M o s c o w t r e a s o n t r i a l I w r o t e a l e t t e r t o
t h e Nation w h i c h i t s E d i t o r s d e c l i n e d t o p u b l i s h e i t h e r i n w h o l e o r
i n p a r t . A l t h o u g h t o o d a t e d , a n d p e r h a p s t o o f u l l o f t h e m o m e n t ' s
i n d i g n a t i o n , t o h a v e a p l a c e a m o n g t h e s e m a t u r e r e f l e c t i o n s , i t s e e m s
t o m e t o d e s e r v e p u b l i c a t i o n , a n d I h a v e p l a c e d i t i n a n a p p e n d i x t o
t h i s v o l u m e .
8/2/2019 Stalin Russia and the Crisis in Socialism-Max Eastman-1940-281pgs-POL
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MOTIVE-PATTERNS1 4 1
c l a s s m u s t i n t h e n a t u r e o f t h e c a s e b e f r e e d o m f o r e v e r y -
b o d y , h e i m a g i n e s a s u s p e n s i o n o f a l l s p e c i a l i n t e r e s t s ,
a n d t a k e s u p t h e p r o b l e m o f t h e f u t u r e o f l i b e r t y u n d e r
s t a t e o w n e r s h i p , n o m a t t e r h o w i t m i g h t b e i n t r o d u c e d
o r w h o m i g h t o w n t h e s t a t e .
A l t h o u g h r e m o t e f r o m M a r x i s m i n i t s o r i g i n a l f o r m ,
t h i s i s a r e a l p r o b l e m , a n d o n e v e r y m u c h n e e d i n g t o
b e s o l v e d . A d o w n r i g h t e f f o r t t o s o l v e i t wo u l d b e g i n , i t
s e e m s o b v i o u s , b y r e c o g n i z i n g t h a t l i b e r t y m e a n s a b -
s e n c e o f g o v e r n m e n t a l r e s t r a i n t , a n d w o u l d p r o c e e d t o
i n q u i r e w h e t h e r , w i t h i n w h a t s p h e r e s , a n d t o w h a t e x -
t e n t , p e o p l e w h o m i g h t b e d e s c r i b e d a s s a n e a n d n o t
c r i m i n a l c o u l d e n j o y t h i s b l e s s i n g u n d e r a s y s t e m o f i n -
d u s t r y o w n e d , p l a n n e d a n d c o n t r o l l e d b y g o v e r n m e n t .
I t w o u l d t h e n f u r t h e r i n q u i r e b y w h a t m e a n s t h e i r e n -
j o y m e n t o f s u c h l i b e r t y c o u l d b e e s t a b l i s h e d a n d g u a r -
a n t e e d .
I n s t e a d o f s o l v i n g , o r e v e n c o n f r o n t i n g , t h i s h a r d
problem, Mr . S o u l e e l u d e s i t b y t h e s i m p l e p r o c e s s o f
" r e d e f i n i n g " l i b e r t y . A n d t h e p r o c e s s i s s i m p l e i n -
d e e d , f o r i t c o n s i s t s o f c a l l i n g l i b e r t y t h e e x a c t o p p o -
s i t e o f w h a t i t i s . L i b e r t y , M r . S o u l e i n f o r m s u s , i s t o
m e a n " s u b o r d i n a t i o n " 1 T h i s a s t o u n d i n g a n n o u n c e m e n t ,
w h i c h w o u l d p r o b a b l y n o t s t a n d u p o n a p a g e o f t y p e
b y i t s e l f , i s m a d e p l a u s i b l e b y a d d i n g " t o a c o m m o n
p u r p o s e , " a p h r a s e w h i c h f i t s i n w e l l e n o u g h w i t h C h r i s -
t i a n l o r e a n d t r i b a l i n s t i n c t s t o l u l l o u r l o g i c t o s l e e p .
8/2/2019 Stalin Russia and the Crisis in Socialism-Max Eastman-1940-281pgs-POL
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142 STALIN'S RUSSIAA f t e r e n l a r g i n g f o r m a n y p a g e s u p o n t h e v a l u e s t o b e
a c h i e v e d b y t r a n s f e r r i n g t h e n a m e o f l i b e r t y t o a c o n d i -
tion of subordination to common purpose a s s u c h , o r
any common purpose, Mr . S o u l e l e t s i t o u t a l m o s t i n c i -
d e n t a l l y - a l t h o u g h j u s t a t t h e m o m e n t w h e n o u r l o g i c a l
facultie s were b eginning to revive-that the common
p u r p o s e h e h a s i n m i n d i s n o t w a r , g l o r y , t e r r i t o r y , o r
any of those common purposes with which history has
m a d e u s s o f a m i l i a r . I t i s " a n e q u i t a b l y s h a r e d a b u n -
dance . " T h i s a g a i n s o u n d s n o b l e , a l m o s t a s n o b l e a s t h e
D e c l a r a t i o n o f I n d e p e n d e n c e , a n d a g a i n l u l l s u s i n t o
i m a g i n i n g t h a t s o m e t h i n g h a s b e e n s a i d a b o u t T h e F u -
t u r e o f L i b e r t y . *
That Mr . S o u l e i s r e a l l y p r e p a r i n g t h e i d e o l o g i c a l
p a t h f o r a n A m e r i c a n t o t a l i t a r i a n i s m i s e v i d e n t i n h i s
b l a n d i g n o r i n g o f t h e q u e s t i o n h o w t h i s new and quite
unusual purpose is to be made "common," a n d t h e s t i l l
more obvious question-to one objectively concerned
about l i b e r t y - w h a t i s t o b e d o n e with t h o s e who f a i l t o
f a l l i n w i t h i t , o r w h o h a v e d i s s e n t i n g v i e w s a b o u t h o w
i t i s t o b e a c h i e v e d ? O n t h e s e o b j e c t i v e q u e s t i o n s w h a tMr. S o u l e i s r e a l l y s a y i n g , I h o p e u n c o n s c i o u s l y , i s t h a t
* T h e s e r e m a r k s a b o u t G e o r g e S o u l e ' s b o o k w e r e f i r s t p u b l i s h e d i n
t h e Yale Law Review . My c o m m e n t t h e r e c o n c l u d e d a s f o l l o w s : " S i n c e
w e c a n n o t a t t a i n a l l t h e i d e a l s o f t h e D e c l a r a t i o n o f i n d e p e n d e n c e ,
l e t u s g u a r d a s o u r m o s t p r e c i o u s h e r i t a g e i t s m e n t a l t e m p e r . I f w e
h a v e t o s u r r e n d e r o u r l i b e r t i e s i n t h e c a u s e o f o r g a n i z a t i o n , l e t u s s a y
s o . I f w e h a v e t o s u r r e n d e r a p a r t o f t h e m , l e t u s s a y w h a t p a r t , a n d
how many . L e t u s c o n f r o n t o u r p r o b l e m s w i t h a c l e a r a n d d o w n r i g h t
mind . "
8/2/2019 Stalin Russia and the Crisis in Socialism-Max Eastman-1940-281pgs-POL
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MOTIVE-PATTERNS 1 43
p e o p l e w h o w i l l n o t f a l l i n l i n e a r e g o i n g t o b e j a i l e d ,
s h o t , s a n d b a g g e d , h e r d e d i n t o c o n c e n t r a t i o n c a m p s , o r
o t h e r w i s e p u t o u t o f t h e w a y , b u t t h a t i n s t e a d o f b e i n g
done in the name of Subor dination t o a T o t a l i t a r i a n
S t a t e o r M o n o l i t h i c P a r t y , t h i s i s g o i n g t o b e d o n e i n t h e
name of Liberty, t h e B i l l o f R i g h t s a n d t h e D e c l a r a t i o n
o f I n d e p e n d e n c e - r e d e f i n e d .
Mr. S o u l e ' s b o o k c o n c l u d e s , q u i t e n a t u r a l l y , i n a w o r d
o f p r a i s e f o r t h e t o t a l i t a r i a n r e g i m e s e t u p i n R u s s i a o n
t h e r u i n s o f t h e d r e a m o f L e n i n , a n d r a t i o n a l i z e d i n t o
t h e b e g i n n i n g s o f a m i l l e n n i u m b y s i m i l a r " r e d e f i n i -
t i o n s " o f t h e l a n g u a g e o f t h e r e v o l u t i o n a r y f a t h e r s - a n d
b y s h o o t i n g t h e f a t h e r s . E v e n t h e d e l i b e r a t e s w i n d l e o f
t h e m a s s e s p e r p e t r a t e d b y S t a l i n i n h i s " d e m o c r a t i c "
c o n s t i t u t i o n M r . S o u l e f i n d s c o u r a g e t o d e s c r i b e a s a
s i g n i f i c a n t a s p i r a t i o n . W h y i s S t a l i n ' s p h o n y c o n s t i t u -
t i o n a " s i g n i f i c a n t a s p i r a t i o n , " w h i l e H i t l e r ' s p h o n y
p l e b i s c i t e s a r e a t r a v e s t y o f p o p u l a r g o v e r n m e n t , t h e y
b o t h b e i n g i n f a c t f o u l c h e a t s a n d i n s u l t s t o c i v i l i z a -
t i o n ?
T h e r e a s o n i s t h a t i n t h e m o t i v e - p a t t e r n o f M r . S o u l e ' s
s o c i a l i s m , t h e f o c a l t h i n g i s a s o l u t i o n o f t h e e c o n o m i c
problem . S u r r o u n d i n g t h i s , a n d l i k e a C h r i s t i a n h a l o
s a n c t i f y i n g i t , i s t h e s e n t i m e n t o f s u r r e n d e r t o a s o c i a l
whole . O n l y i n t h e o u t e r f r i n g e t h e r e l i n g e r s , w i s t f u l l y ,
a r i t u a l a f f e c t i o n f o r t h e p h r a s e o l o g y o f f r e e d o m . T o p u t
more m e a n i n g , a n e c o n o m i c a s w e l l a s a p o l i t i c a l m e a n -
8/2/2019 Stalin Russia and the Crisis in Socialism-Max Eastman-1940-281pgs-POL
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144 STALIN'S RUSSIAi n g , i n t o t h a t p h r a s e o l o g y o f t h e " b o u r g e o i s " r e v o l u t i o n ,
w a s t h e c e n t r a l m o t i v e o f M a r x , a n d c e r t a i n l y o f L e n i n .
Mr. S o u l e ' s r e a d i n g o f M a r x i m p e l s h i m t o t a k e a l l t h e
r e a l m e a n i n g o u t . B u t t h i s i s n o t a t r i c k . I t i s n o t a c r a s s
p r o c e s s o f b e t r a y a l . I t i s a n i n s t i n c t i v e s h i f t o f e l e m e n t s
i n t h e t o o o p u l e n t p a t t e r n o f s o c i a l i s t m o t i v a t i o n .
LIBERTARIAN RADICALST h e s o l e w a y o u t o f t h e c o n f u s i o n i s t o d i s t i n g u i s h
t h e t h r e e p a t t e r n s , a n d m a k e m o r e d i s c r i m i n a t i n g d e c l a -
r a t i o n s o f a l l e g i a n c e . Ther e can be no truce between
l i b e r t a r i a n s o c i a l i s t s a n d t h o s e w h o m t h e f r a t e r n a l o r
g r e g a r i o u s i m p u l s e r e n d e r s t o l e r a n t o f t o t a l i t a r i a n i s m .
T h i s d o e s n o t m e a n t h a t h u m a n f r e e d o m a s a p o l i t i c a l
c o n c e p t e x c l u d e s a m o r a l a t t i t u d e , o r e v e n a n e v a n g e l ,
o f u n i v e r s a l f r i e n d l i n e s s . T h e w i s h t o e x t e n d f r e e l i f e
t o a l l m a n k i n d i s n o t a n u n f r i e n d l y w i s h . B u t t h o s e w h o
w a n t t o s e e m e n r e a l l y f r e e , e a c h t o e n j o y t h e v a l u e s o f
h i s o w n l i f e i n h i s o w n f a s h i o n , w i l l h a v e t o a b a n d o n t h e
r e l i g i o n o f t h e c o l l e c t i v e w i l l . T h e y w i l l h a v e t o d e c i d e
w h e t h e r b y s o c i a l i s m t h e y m e a n i n d i v i d u a l i s m g e n e r a l -
i z e d a n d m a d e a c c e s s i b l e t o a l l , o r w h e t h e r t h e y m e a n a
g e n e r a l s u r r e n d e r t o s o m e a u t h o r i t a t i v e c o n c e p t o f t h e
c o l l e c t i v e g o o d .
F o r m y p a r t , I h a v e n o t t h e g l i m m e r o f a d e s i r e t o l o s e
m y i d e n t i t y i n a c o l l e c t i o n , n o r w o u l d I w i s h t h i s l o s s
upon a single workingman . T h e e s s e n t i a l m e a n i n g o f
8/2/2019 Stalin Russia and the Crisis in Socialism-Max Eastman-1940-281pgs-POL
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MOTIVE-PATTERNS 1 45
t h e r e v o l u t i o n t o m e w a s t h e l i b e r a t i o n o f i n d i v i d u a l i t y ,
t h e e x t e n s i o n o f m y p r i v i l e g e o f i n d i v i d u a l i t y t o t h e
m a s s e s o f m a n k i n d . I e n d o r s e a b s o l u t e l y t h e w o r d s o f
L e n i n , p u b l i s h e d j u s t b e f o r e t h e r e v o l u t i o n : " T h e m o r e
i n i t i a t i v e , v a r i e t y , d a r i n g , c r e a t i v e n e s s a r e b r o u g h t i n t o
p l a y b y t h e m a s s e s , t h e b e t t e r " ; a n d t h e w o r d s o f T r o t s k y
p u b l i s h e d s h o r t l y a f t e r : " T h e r e v o l u t i o n i s , f i r s t o f a l l ,
a n a w a k e n i n g o f h u m a n p e r s o n a l i t y i n t h o s e m a s s e s h e r e -
t o f o r e a s s u m e d t o b e w i t h o u t i t . "
T o t h o s e s h a r i n g t h e s e a i m s , a n d y e t l a c k i n g t h e f a i t h
o f L e n i n a n d T r o t s k y i n a b e n i g n e v o l u t i o n o f t h e v e r y
f o r c e s o f p r o d u c t i o n , t h e s o l u t i o n o f t h e e c o n o m i c p r o b -
l e m h a s a l s o , o f c o u r s e , a n a b s o l u t e i m p o r t a n c e . W e c a n -
n o t m o v e t o w a r d t h i s m o r e r e a l a n d u n i v e r s a l f r e e d o m -
n o r e v e n p e r h a p s p r e s e r v e t h e f r e e d o m s t h a t w e h a v e -
u n l e s s w e f i n d o u t h o w t o d i s t r i b u t e g o o d s a n d s t i l l
c o n t i n u e t o p r o d u c e t h e m . M a r x w a s w h o l l y r i g h t i n
d e c l a r i n g t h a t m e n m u s t f i r s t k e e p a l i v e , b e f o r e t h e y c a n
o c c u p y t h e m s e l v e s w i t h h i g h e r v a l u e s . B u t t h a t i s v e r y
f a r f r o m s u b o r d i n a t i n g f r e e d o m t o e f f i c i e n c y , o r p o s t -
p o n i n g i t , o r r e d u c i n g i t t o a s p o k e n r i t u a l . T h o s e w h o
t a k e t h i s l i n e , a n d b l e s s i t w i t h a l i t t l e t h o u g h t o f
b r o t h e r h o o d , a r e a l s o m a r c h i n g , h o w e v e r l i t t l e c o n s c i o u s
o f i t , t o w a r d t h e t o t a l i t a r i a n s t a t e .
H e r e a g a i n t h e t e r m s " r i g h t " a n d " l e f t " h a v e l o s t
t h e i r s i m p l e m e a n i n g . T h e q u e s t i o n i s w h e t h e r y o u a r e
s e e k i n g p r i m a r i l y , a n d a t a n y c o s t , a s o l u t i o n o f t h e
8/2/2019 Stalin Russia and the Crisis in Socialism-Max Eastman-1940-281pgs-POL
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1 4 6 STALIN'S RU SSIA
e c o n o m i c p r o b l e m , o r w h e t h e r y o u a r e s e e k i n g a s o l u -
t i o n w h i c h w i l l p r e s e r v e t h e l i b e r t i e s t h a t c a m e w i t h
c a p i t a l i s m a n d f o s t e r t h e i r e x t e n s i o n i n t h e f u t u r e . B e -
t w e e n t h e s e t w o p o s i t i o n s , a s b e t w e e n t h e t o t a l i t a r i a n
a n d t h e l i b e r t a r i a n , t h e r e c a n b e n o t r u c e . T h e r e c a n
b e n o t r u c e b e t w e e n a c i v i l i z e d c o m m u n i t y a n d a h e r d
s t a m p e d e d i n t o a n u p - t o - d a t e c o r r a l . T h e c o n c e p t o f
h u m a n f r e e d o m , w i t h i t s c o r o l l a r i e s , j u s t i c e a n d e q u a l -
i t y , f o r m s t h e a x i s o f t h e m o t i v e - p a t t e r n o f a l l w h o c a n
b e c a l l e d r a d i c a l s .
8/2/2019 Stalin Russia and the Crisis in Socialism-Max Eastman-1940-281pgs-POL
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PART TWOS o c i a l i s m R e c o n s i d e r e d
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THE PREDICAMENT OF THE WORD" SOCIALISM"
STALINISM, a s w e h a v e s e e n , c o n t a i n s a l l t h e e v i l s o f
N a z i s m o r F a s c i s m , m o s t o f t h e m i n e x t r e m e r f o r m . B u t
t h e r e i s o n e v i t a l a n d c o m p l e t e d i f f e r e n c e . F a s c i s m , n o t -
w i t h s t a n d i n g v e r b a l b l u f f a n d b l u s t e r , h a s n o d o c t r i n e .
I t h a s n o c i v i l i z e d i d e a l . F a s c i s m i s a s h e e r d r i v e f o r
p o w e r , a n a k e d e x a l t a t i o n o f t h e t r i b a l p a s s i o n o f f i g h t -
i n g s o l i d a r i t y a n d s u b m i s s i o n t o t h e c h i e f . I t i s " a c -
t i o n f o r a c t i o n ' s s a k e , " " o r g a n i z a t i o n f o r o r g a n i z a t i o n ' s
s a k e , " * c r i m i n a l g a n g - r u l e a s t h e c h i e f e n d o f m a n - a n
o b v i o u s l y s u i c i d a l r e n u n c i a t i o n o f c i v i l i z e d v a l u e s .
S t a l i n i s m i s n o t o b v i o u s l y s u i c i d a l . S t a l i n ' s r e n u n c i a -
t i o n o f c i v i l i z e d v a l u e s j u s t i f i e s i t s e l f b y a n a p p e a l t o
Marxian theory . H i s g a n g - r u l e c l o t h e s i t s e l f i n s o c i a l i s t
i d e a l s . H e p r e a c h e s a s u p e r - c i v i l i z a t i o n , a n d p r e s e n t s h i s
t y r a n n y a s t h e b e g i n n i n g o f i t . S i n c e h i s r e g i m e d i f f e r s
* The phrases are borrowed, one from Peter F . D r u c k e r ' s Th e End
o f Economic Man, the other from Herman Rauschning's The Revolu-
t i o n o f Nihilism-two indispensable books to those who wish to un-
derstand Hitler's Germany .
1 4 9
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150 STALIN'S RUSSIAf r o m H i t l e r ' s p r i n c i p a l l y i n b e i n g m o r e s a v a g e , t h i s
m a k e s i t f a r m o r e d a n g e r o u s t o t h e o u t s i d e w o r l d . O n l y
p e o p l e i n d e s p a i r t a k e u p w i t h n a k e d g a n g - r u l e . B u t
g a n g - r u l e d r e s s e d a s t h e c l a s s l e s s s o c i e t y , t h e w o r k i n g -
m a n ' s r e p u b l i c , t h e s u c c e s s o f t h e R u s s i a n r e v o l u t i o n ,
t h e b e g i n n i n g s o f r e a l f r e e d o m a n d e q u a l i t y , a p p e a l s
a l s o t o h o p e . I t a p p e a l s t o u n c r i t i c a l i n t e l l i g e n c e . I t i s
s p r e a d i n g t h r o u g h o u t t h e w h o l e w o r l d - t h e h e a l t h y a n d
l i b e r a l a s w e l l a s t h e d i s e a s e d a n d d e s p a i r i n g p a r t s o f
i t - t h e v i r u s o f t o t a l i t a r i a n i s m . I t i s t e a c h i n g f r e e a n d
s o c i a l - m i n d e d p e o p l e t h e h a b i t o f v o l u n t a r y i r r a t i o n a l i t y
a n d i n t o l e r a n c e - a n i n t o l e r a n c e r e l a x e d c o m p l e t e l y t o -
w a r d a s i n g l e p a r t y a n d i t s l e a d e r , w h o h a v e f r e e s c o p e
o f c r i m i n a l i t y a n d h y p o c r i s y i n t h e g r a b f o r p o w e r .
T h e s u c c e s s o f t h e S t a l i n i s t s i n t h i s e n t e r p r i s e o f c o r -
r u p t i o n i s h e l p e d v a s t l y b y a c l o u d i n e s s i n t h e p o p u l a r
m e a n i n g o f t h e w o r d " s o c i a l i s m . " T h e o l d s o c i a l i s t p r o -
g r a m s h a d d e c l a r e d t h a t d e m o c r a c y , t o b e r e a l , m u s t b e
e c o n o m i c , a n d t h a t t o m a k e d e m o c r a c y e c o n o m i c , t h e
w o r k i n g c l a s s , a c t i n g t h r o u g h t h e s t a t e , m u s t t a k e o v e r
t h e l a n d a n d i n s t r u m e n t s o f p r o d u c t i o n , a n d r e p l a c e t h e
w a g e s y s t e m o f c l a s s e x p l o i t a t i o n b y a s y s t e m o f f r e e c o -
o p e r a t i o n . F o r p r o p a g a n d a p u r p o s e s t h i s w a s g e n e r a l l y
s h o r t e n e d d o w n t o s o c i a l i z a t i o n - o r n a t i o n a l i z a t i o n - o f
t h e m e a n s o f p r o d u c t i o n . T o u n c r i t i c a l m i n d s t h e d o m i -
n a n t i d e a s c o n v e y e d w e r e t h a t r e a l s o c i a l c h a n g e s a r e e c o -
n o m i c , a n d t h a t s t a t e o w n e r s h i p o f t h e l a n d a n d i n d u s -
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THE WORD "SOCIALISM" 1 5 1
t r i e s i s , o r w i l l p r o d u c e , r e a l d e m o c r a c y , r e a l l i b e r t y a n d
e q u a l i t y , r e a l h u m a n c u l t u r e .
U n d e r S t a l i n t h e i n d u s t r i e s h a v e a c t u a l l y b e e n n a -
t i o n a l i z e d , a n d t h e m a j o r p a r t o f t h e l a n d t a k e n i n t o c o l -
l e c t i v e o w n e r s h i p . And this basic change-momentous
i n d e e d t o h a v e h a p p e n i n o n e ' s o w n l i f e t i m e - q u i t e n a t -
u r a l l y s e e m s t o u n c r i t i c a l m i n d s t o b e s o c i a l i s m . I t s e e m s ,
a t t h e v e r y l e a s t , t o b e t h a t a l t e r a t i o n i n t h e " e c o n o m i c
s u b s t r u c t u r e " w h i c h t h e y h a v e l e a r n e d i s t h e p r o p e r
s c i e n t i f i c o r " M a r x i a n " f o u n d a t i o n f o r i t . W h e n t h e y a r e
f u r t h e r a s s u r e d t h a t t h e n e w r e g i m e i s a c t u a l l y w o r k i n g ,
t h a t h u m a n b e i n g s s t i l l e a t a n d s l e e p a n d l a u g h a n d
s m i l e i n R u s s i a , a n d t h a t t h e s t a t e h a s w e a l t h a n d a r m e d
p o w e r a n d s p e a k s w i t h a u t h o r i t y a m o n g t h e n a t i o n s , t h e y
f e e l t h a t t h e m i l l e n n i u m h a s b e g u n . O r m o r e a c c u r a t e l y ,
t h e y f e e l t h a t a n y s o c i a l i s t w h o d o e s n o t e n d o r s e t h i s n e w
r e g i m e , a n d e x p l a i n a w a y a l l i t s c r i m e s a s m i s s t e p s a n d
i n c i d e n t a l e v i l s , i s h i m s e l f " l o o k i n g f o r a m i l l e n n i u m . "
H e i s n o t s c i e n t i f i c , n o t M a r x i a n , n o t a p r a c t i c a l r e a l i s t .
A l l p r a c t i c a l r e a l i s t s , a n d e s p e c i a l l y t h o s e t r a i n e d i n
M a r x i s m , w i l l s u b o r d i n a t e e v e r y o t h e r i s s u e t o t h e d e -
f e n s e o f t h e S o v i e t U n i o n .
C r i t i c a l m i n d s , t r a i n e d b y a c t u a l l y r e a d i n g M a r x , a r e
a b l e t o p o i n t o u t t h a t s o l o n g a s e x p l o i t a t i o n t h r o u g h
t h e w a g e s y s t e m s u r v i v e s , a n d t h e s t a t e w h i c h h a s t a k e n
o v e r t h e i n d u s t r i e s i s i n t h e c o n t r o l o f a s i n g l e m o n o -
l i t h i c p a r t y , t h e i n d u s t r i e s a r e n o t r e a l l y n a t i o n a l i z e d -
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15 2 STALIN'S RUSSIAm u c h l e s s s o c i a l i z e d . T h e c h a n g e i s n o t s o c i a l i s t - o r i n
s o f a r a s i t i s s o c i a l i s t , i t i s n o t e c o n o m i c , b u t m e r e l y
l e g a l . I t i s a m a g n i l o q u e n t w r i t i n g o f " s o c i a l o w n e r -
s h i p " o n p a p e r , t h e v e r y k i n d o f i d e o l o g i c a l d e l u s i o n
a g a i n s t w h i c h M a r x , w i t h h i s p a s s i o n a t e i n s i s t e n c e o n
e c o n o m i c r e a l i t i e s a n d t h e r e a l i t i e s o f c l a s s p o w e r , w a s
i n r e v o l t . T h e p a r t y l e a d e r s w h o c o n t r o l t h e s t a t e c o n -
t r o l t h e i n c o m e f r o m t h e s t a t e - r u n i n d u s t r i e s , a n d t h u s
f o r m t h e a x i s o f a n e w r u l i n g c l a s s . T h i s n e w r u l i n g c l a s s
e x p l o i t s t h e w o r k e r s b y t h e s a m e t e c h n i q u e a s t h e o l d -
t h a t i s , b y p a y i n g w a g e s w h i c h d o n o t e q u a l t h e v a l u e
of the work done . A n d t h e y e x p l o i t t h e m , a s a s i m p l e
m a t t e r o f f a c t , w i t h m o r e , r a t h e r t h a n l e s s , i r r e s p o n s i b l e
r u t h l e s s n e s s . I n s o f a r , t h e r e f o r e , a s s o c i a l i s m m e a n s a
m o r e r e a l d e m o c a c y , a s o c i e t y w i t h o u t c l a s s e x p l o i t a t i o n ,
a " s o c i e t y o f t h e f r e e a n d e q u a l , " t o u s e M a r x ' s o w n
p h r a s e , t h e r e i s n o t o n l y n o s o c i a l i s m i n R u s s i a , b u t n o
b e g i n n i n g o f i t - n o s t e p t h a t a c t u a l l y l e a d s , o r c a n l e a d ,
t o w a r d i t .
P o w e r h a s b e e n t a k e n f r o m t h e w o r k e r s , a n d t h e w a g e
s y s t e m h a s n o t b e e n t o u c h e d . I t c a n n o t b e t o u c h e d n o w
e x c e p t t h r o u g h a f o r c i b l e e x p r o p r i a t i o n o f t h e n e w b u -
r e a u c r a t i c c l a s s o r g a n g . S u c h e x p r o p r i a t i o n s e e m s , a n d
m a y i n d e e d b e , m o r e d i f f i c u l t t h a n t h e e x p r o p r i a t i o n o f
a d i s o r g a n i z e d a n d a n a r c h i s t i c c l a s s o f p r i v a t e c a p i t a l i s t s .
I f t h a t i s s o , t h e n R u s s i a i s f a r t h e r f r o m r e a l s o c i a l i s m ,
n o t n e a r e r t o i t , t h a n t h e b o u r g e o i s c o u n t r i e s . I n a n y
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THE WORD "SOCIALISM" 1 5 3
c a s e R u s s i a i s o f f o n a b y - r o a d , a n d h e r g o v e r n m e n t i s
n o l o n g e r i n a n y r e s p e c t a g u i d e o r l e a d e r o f t h e s o c i a l i s t
movement . T h a t m u c h i s c l e a r t o a l l c r i t i c a l m i n d s w h o
c a r e a b o u t t h e o r i g i n a l a i m s o f s o c i a l i s m a n d u n d e r s t a n d
i t s t h e o r i e s .
B u t t h e d i f f i c u l t y d o e s n o t e n d t h e r e . T h e S t a l i n b u -
r e a u c r a t s a r e n o t m e r e l y t h e b e t r a y e r s o f a s u c c e s s f u l
r e v o l u t i o n l e d b y g e n u i n e M a r x i a n s ; t h e y a r e i t s o u t -
come . S t a l i n ' s t o t a l i t a r i a n i s m i s n o t o n l y a p a r a s i t i c
g r o w t h u p o n a n a t i o n a l i z e d i n d u s t r y ; i t i s a n i n h e r e n t
p a r t o f t h e p r o c e s s o f n a t i o n a l i z a t i o n i n t h e o n l y c a s e i n
w h i c h i t h a s b e e n t r i e d . W h e r e i t h a s b e e n h a l f - w a y
t r i e d - w h e r e o n l y t h e c o n t r o l o f i n d u s t r y h a s b e e n n a -
t i o n a l i z e d - a s i n G e r m a n y a n d I t a l y , a s i m i l a r , a l t h o u g h
l e s s e x t r e m e , r e v e r s i o n t o c r i m i n a l o r s a v a g e t r i b a l l i f e -
f o r m s h a s b e e n e n t a i l e d . T h e p r e s u m p t i o n i s a n a t u r a l
o n e t h a t t o t a l i t a r i a n g a n g - r u l e b e l o n g s i n t r i n s i c a l l y t o
t h i s p r o c e s s o f n a t i o n a l i z a t i o n . A n d t h e m o r e o n e s t u d i e s
t h e w o r k i n g s o f h u m a n n a t u r e , b o t h i n i n d i v i d u a l s a n d
i n c l a s s e s , i n R u s s i a , I t a l y a n d G e r m a n y , t h e m o r e p r o b -
a b l e d o e s t h i s p r e s u m p t i o n s e e m . F a r f r o m b e i n g a n
o f f h a n d i m p r e s s i o n , i t i s t h e i m p r e s s i o n l e f t a f t e r a m a -
t u r e a n d v a r i e d e x e r c i s e o f j u d g m e n t . A n d i t p u t s t h e
t h i n k i n g s o c i a l i s t i n a v e r y w e a k p o s i t i o n .
H e h a s t o f i g h t t h e v u l g a r i z e r s o f h i s d o c t r i n e , t h e
d u p e s o f t h e S t a l i n p r o p a g a n d a , w h o a s s e r t t h a t S t a l i n -
i s m , m e r e l y b e c a u s e i t h a s " n a t i o n a l i z e d " t h e m e a n s o f
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15 4 STALIN'S RUSSIA
p r o d u c t i o n , i s s o c i a l i s m , i n t h e s e n s e o f b e i n g a c l a s s l e s s
s o c i e t y . B u t a l l t h e t i m e h e s u s p e c t s i n t h e d e p t h o f h i s
m i n d t h a t , i n a m o r e t r a g i c s e n s e t h a n t h e y r e a l i z e , t h e
v u l g a r i z e r s a r e r i g h t : S t a l i n i s m i s s o c i a l i s m , i n t h e s e n s e
o f b e i n g a n i n e v i t a b l e , a l t h o u g h u n f o r e s e e n , p o l i t i c a l
a n d c u l t u r a l a c c o m p a n i m e n t o f t h a t n a t i o n a l i z a t i o n a n d
c o l l e c t i v i z a t i o n w h i c h h e h a d r e l i e d o n a s p a r t o f h i s
p l a n f o r p r o d u c i n g a g e n u i n e c l a s s l e s s s o c i e t y . I f h e i s
s t i l l t h o u g h t f u l , s t i l l c r i t i c a l , s t i l l h o n e s t w i t h h i m s e l f ,
h e c a n h a r d l y h e l p i n w a r d l y d o u b t i n g , a t l e a s t , l e s t t h i s
b e t r u e . T h e r e w a s n e v e r a n y t h i n g i n h i s d o c t r i n e b u t
a n i n h e r i t a n c e o f C h r i s t i a n o p t i m i s m t o p r o v e t h e c o n -
t r a r y . A n d t h a t d o u b t , b o t h i n h i s m i n d a n d i n t h e p u b -
l i c ' s , m a k e s h i m a n u n c o n v i n c i n g a d v e r s a r y o f t h e s a t i s -
f i e d t o t a l i t a r i a n s , w h o a s s e r t t h a t S t a l i n i s m i s t h o r o u g h -
g o i n g s o c i a l i s m a n d h e a b o u r g e o i s r e n e g a d e w h o , w h e n
i t c a m e t o t h e r e a l t h i n g , w o u l d n o t g o t h r o u g h .
F r o m t h i s p r e d i c a m e n t t h e s o c i a l i s t l o y a l t o t h e a i m
o f a m o r e r e a l d e m o c r a c y c o u l d s a v e h i m s e l f o n l y b y
introducing into his own program some scheme de-
s i g n e d t o p r e v e n t n a t i o n a l i z a t i o n f r o m e n t a i l i n g t o t a l i -
t a r i a n r e g i m e n t a t i o n . I t i s n o t a n e w i d e a t o h i m t h a t
t h e s e t w o m i g h t b e f o u n d i n s e p a r a b l e . T h e s o c i a l i s t p r o -
g r a m i t s e l f b u t l i t t l e a n t e d a t e s t h e " o l d a n d o f t - r e p e a t e d
o b j e c t i o n t h a t S o c i a l i s m m e a n s ` b a r r a c k s f o r t h e m a s s e s , '
' b u r e a u c r a t i c r i g i d i t y i n r u l i n g t h e m a s s e s . ' " I q u o t e
f r o m L e n i n , w h o d i s m i s s e d t h i s o l d o b j e c t i o n o n t h e
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THE WORD "SOCIALISM" 15 5
e v e o f t h e O c t o b e r r e v o l u t i o n w i t h t h e g l o w i n g p r o m i s e
o f " t h a t t y p e o f r e p u b l i c w h e r e , from t o p t o b o t t o m ,
t h e r e i s n o p o l i c e , n o s t a n d i n g a r m y , n o o f f i c i a l d o m
e n j o y i n g t h e p r i v i l e g e s o f i r r e m o v a b i l i t y , . . . p u b l i c
s e r v i c e t h r o u g h a r e a l l y u n i v e r s a l l y a r m e d p e o p l e ' s
m i l i t i a , c o m p o s e d o f m e n a n d w o m e n , a m i l i t i a c a p a b l e
o f r e p l a c i n g t h e b u r e a u c r a t s - a l l t h i s c o m b i n e d w i t h
e l e c t i o n a n d i n s t a n t r e c a l l o f a l l p u b l i c o f f i c e r s , a n d
w i t h p a y m e n t f o r t h e i r l a b o r a c c o r d i n g t o p r o l e t a r i a n
s t a n d a r d s . "
L e n i n p r o m i s e d t h i s t y p e o f r e p u b l i c a s " t h e p r a c t i -
c a l b u s i n e s s t o b e l a u n c h e d w i t h o u t d e l a y . " T h e n o n -
f u l f i l l m e n t o f h i s p r o m i s e w a s a b l o w t o s o c i a l i s m f r o m
w h i c h i t c a n n o t r e c o v e r b y m a k i n g n e w p r o m i s e s e x a c t l y
l i k e t h e o l d . A n e w p r o m i s e , h o w e v e r , i s a l l t h a t a n y
o f t h e a n t i - S t a l i n s o c i a l i s t s h a v e m a d e . T h o s e s u r r o u n d -
i n g T r o t s k y a c c e p t t h e b a s i c p r i n c i p l e s o f t o t a l i t a r i a n
g a n g - r u l e , t h e o n e - p a r t y t y r a n n y a n d i m m o r a l i s m i n t h e
c a u s e o f p o w e r , b u t p r o m i s e t h a t i n a s u f f i c i e n t l y a d -
v a n c e d c o u n t r y , a n d p r o v i d e d t h e g a n g h a s t h e r i g h t
l e a d e r s a n d a g e n u i n e p r o l e t a r i a n p o l i c y , t h e r e w i l l s t i l l
e m e r g e , e v e n t h o u g h l i k e a r a b b i t o u t o f a h a t , t h e s o -
c i e t y o f t h e f r e e a n d e q u a l . T h e d e m o c r a t i c s o c i a l i s t s
a r e m o r e p l a u s i b l e , b u t t h e y t o o o n l y a s s u r e u s t h a t t h e y
a r e n o t g o i n g t o l e t i t h a p p e n a g a i n . T h e y a r e g o i n g t o
" l e a r n f r o m t h e f a i l u r e s o f p o s t - w a r G e r m a n y a n d R u s -
s i a , a n d m a k e s o c i a l o w n e r s h i p g o h a n d i n h a n d w i t h
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15 6 STALIN'S RUSSIAi n c r e a s i n g d e m o c r a t i c c o n t r o l s . " * S o l o n g a s t h e y d o n o t
s t a t e e x a c t l y w h a t t h e y h a v e l e a r n e d a n d h o w t h e y a r e
g o i n g t o " m a k e " t h i s h a p p e n , t h e s u s p i c i o n i s i n e v i t a b l e
t h a t w h e n i t c o m e s t o a n i s s u e , t h e y w i l l s a c r i f i c e e i t h e r
d e m o c r a t i c c o n t r o l s o r t h e a c t u a l e x p r o p r i a t i o n o f t h e
c a p i t a l i s t s ( a n d m o s t p r o b a b l y t h e l a t t e r ) . I n e i t h e r c a s e ,
a s l e a d e r s t o w a r d a s o c i e t y o f t h e f r e e a n d e q u a l b a s e d
o n s t a t e o w n e r s h i p , t h e y r e m a i n , n o t w i t h s t a n d i n g t h e i r
b e t t e r m o r a l s a n d m o r e p e r s u a s i v e m a n n e r s , a s u n c o n -
v i n c i n g a s t h e T r o t s k y i s t s .
N e i t h e r o f t h e s e r e m n a n t g r o u p s i s f a c i n g t h e r e a l
q u e s t i o n r a i s e d b y t h e a s s e r t i o n o f t h e S t a l i n i s t s t h a t t h e
totalitarian tyranny which has emerged from the so-
cialist triumph of October 1917, and the subsequent
c a m p a i g n s o f n a t i o n a l i z a t i o n a n d c o l l e c t i v i z a t i o n , i s s o -
c i a l i s m .
I n t h e s e c i r c u m s t a n c e s , i t s e e m s l i k e l y e n o u g h , a n d
n o t i m p r o p e r , t h a t l a n g u a g e i t s e l f , o r t h e i n t u i t i v e w i s -
d o m o f t h e r a c e , w i l l d e c i d e t h a t t h e S t a l i n i s t s a r e r i g h t .
I t w i l l d e c i d e , I m e a n , t h a t t h e t o t a l i t a r i a n s t a t e i s t h e
p o l i t i c a l f o r m n a t u r a l t o a c o l l e c t i v i z e d e c o n o m y , a n d
t h a t t h e n a m e f o r t h i s p h e n o m e n o n i s s o c i a l i s m . The
d r e a m a b o u t t h e a b o l i t i o n o f t h e w a g e s y s t e m a n d t h e
r e t u r n t o t h e w o r k e r o f t h e s u r p l u s v a l u e o f h i s t o i l -
t h e r e a l a i m o f s o c i a l i s m t o t h o s e w h o f o u n d e d i t a n d
* Q u o t e d f r o m Keep America Out of War by Norman Thomas and
Bertram D . W o l f e .
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THE WORD "SOCIALISM" 15 7
o r g a n i z e d i t s v i c t o r y - w i l l b e f i l e d a w a y a l o n g w i t h i n t e r -
n a t i o n a l i s m a s a p a r t o f t h e l i t e r a r y Weltanschauung,
t h e s o c i a l m y t h b y w h i c h t h e g r e a t t o t a l i t a r i a n n a t i o n a l
c o n s o l i d a t i o n w a s a c h i e v e d .
This etymological outcome, which seemed probable
to me while I was writing this book, has been made
m o r e p r o b a b l e b y t h e S t a l i n - H i t l e r p a c t . T h e w o r l d i s
f i n d i n g o u t t h a t t h a t p a c t i s n o t e m p o r a r y m a n e u v e r , b u t
a vital union of two profoundly similar regimes .
W h e t h e r t h e e f f e c t o f t h e i r u n i o n w i l l b e t o c a r r y t h e
G e r m a n f a s c i s t r e v o l u t i o n c l e a r t h r o u g h t o s t a t e o w n e r -
ship, as Herr Rauschning has predicted it will go,
w h e t h e r u n d e r G e r m a n i n f l u e n c e R u s s i a w i l l r e l a x t h e
f o r e i g n t r a d e m o n o p o l y a n d g r o w m o r e l e n i e n t t o p r i -
v a t e e n t e r p r i s e , o r w h e t h e r t h e s e t w o t r e n d s w i l l m e e t
in some middle ground, depends too much upon the
i s s u e o f t h e w a r t o b e f o r e t o l d . I s u s p e c t t h a t t h e c a p i -
talists and landlords in Germany will s uffer under
Stalin's influence, and perhaps even be swept away,
b u t t h a t u n d e r H i t l e r ' s i n f l u e n c e t h e n e w R u s s i a n r u l -
i n g c l a s s , t h e b u r e a u c r a t s , w i l l b e s t r e n g t h e n e d i n t h e i r
h o l d o n p r i v i l e g e . Dr. Ley, the head of the German
Labor Front, was permitted to iss ue a proclamation
concluding : " S o c i a l i s m a g a i n s t c a p i t a l i s m ! T h a t i s o u r
battle cry! " (November 1 8 , 1939 . ) H e r e t h e i n f l u e n c e
o f S t a l i n i s m i s a p p a r e n t - e s p e c i a l l y s i n c e D r . L e y ' s r e a l
business was to announce an extension of the labor
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15 8 STALIN'S RU SSIA
day from eight to ten hours without additional pay .
On the other hand, Pr avda announced (almost on the
s a m e d a y ) t h e r e o p e n i n g o f t w e l v e p r i v a t e m a r k e t s i n
Moscowl
H o w e v e r t h a t m a y g o , t h e p r o p a g a n d a u n i o n o f S t a l i n -
i s m w i t h N a z i s m , t h e a l l i a n c e o f t h e S w a s t i k a w i t h t h e
Hammer and Sickle, in a world-wide propaganda for
" s o c i a l i s t " r e v o l u t i o n , c a n - u n l e s s t h e w a r s a y s n o - b e
c o n f i d e n t l y e x p e c t e d . T h e o f f i c i a l s t a f f s o f t h e v a r i o u s
c o m m u n i s t p a r t i e s w i l l a c c e p t t h i s n e w d i r e c t i v e , a n d
t a k e u p t h e n e w t a s k , w i t h h a r d l y a b r e a k i n t h e i r r a n k s .
The Ameri can F i i h r e r w i l l a n n o u n c e t o t h e s a m e f a i t h -
ful "twenty-two thousand" in Madison Square Garden,
with the same insolent solemnity with which he has
announced every other abandonment of principle dic-
t a t e d f r o m M o s c o w , t h a t t h e O c t o b e r r e v o l u t i o n w a s o n e
w a y o f m o v i n g t o w a r d s o c i a l i s m , t h e m a n e u v e r e d s h i f t
o f p o w e r i n G e r m a n y i n 1 9 3 3 a n o t h e r .
There is no resilience in mere names which will
e n a b l e " s o c i a l i s m " t o r e s i s t t h i s c o m b i n a t i o n o f g r e a t
powers . W o r d s h a v e n o l o y a l t y . I t i s b y c h a n g i n g t h e i r
m e a n i n g s t h a t p o p u l a r i n t e l l i g e n c e , a l t h o u g h i n c a p a b l e
o f n e w d e f i n i t i o n s , r e m a i n s f l e x i b l e a n d e l a s t i c . E v e n t o
m e , t h e p r o p o s a l o f C l e m e n t R . A t l e e , l e a d e r o f t h e l a b o r
o p p o s i t i o n i n P a r l i a m e n t , t h a t E n g l a n d a d o p t s o c i a l i s m
as a means of winning the war, sounded hollow and
u n r e a l . I t s o u n d e d a l m o s t l i k e a j o k e . E n g l a n d i s f i g h t -
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THE WORD "SOCIALISM" 1 5 9
i n g t w o t o t a l i t a r i a n s t a t e s b o t h c a l l i n g t h e m s e l v e s s o c i a l -
i s t , a n d t o w i n t h e f i g h t i s s a c r i f i c i n g a l a r g e b l o c k o f
t h o s e l i b e r t i e s w h i c h d i s t i n g u i s h h e r f r o m t h e s e s t a t e s .
I f , b e s i d e s o r g a n i z i n g t h e w a r , s h e u n d e r t o o k t o o r -
g a n i z e a n a t i o n a l i z e d i n d u s t r y a n d a g r i c u l t u r e , i s t h e r e
a n y d o u b t t h a t s h e w o u l d s a c r i f i c e t h e r e s t ? W h e r e i s t h e
g u a r a n t e e t h a t B r i t i s h M i l i t a r y S o c i a l i s m w o u l d b e a n y
b e t t e r t h a n G e r m a n N a t i o n a l S o c i a l i s m o r R u s s i a n S o -
c i a l i s m i n O n e C o u n t r y ? W h e r e , i n g e n e r a l , l i e s t h e
g u a r a n t e e t h a t g o v e r n m e n t - o w n e d o r g o v e r n m e n t - c o n -
t r o l l e d i n d u s t r y d o e s n o t a s i t s n a t u r a l p o l i t i c a l f o r m
b e g e t t h e t o t a l i t a r i a n s t a t e ? I n m y o p i n i o n i t i s t h i s q u e s -
t i o n , h a l f - u n c o n s c i o u s l y a n d b l i n d l y a s k e d b y t h e m a s s e s ,
w h i c h h a s u n d e r m i n e d t h e p r e s t i g e o f a u t h e n t i c s o c i a l -
i s m , a n d s o w e a k e n e d t h e A m e r i c a n p a r t y t h a t i t c a n n o t
h o l d i t s p l a c e o n t h e N e w Y o r k S t a t e b a l l o t . When Na-
t i o n a l S o c i a l i s m j o i n e d h a n d s w i t h S o c i a l i s m i n O n e
C o u n t r y o v e r t h e g r a v e o f P o l i s h i n d e p e n d e n c e , t h e
w o r d " s o c i a l i s m " b e c a m e , t o s a y t h e l e a s t , a l i a b i l i t y t o
a n y g e n u i n e m o v e m e n t o f l i b e r a t i o n .
I n m y p r e s e n t o p i n i o n i t b e c a m e n o t o n l y a l i a b i l i t y ,
but a misnomer . F o r I t h i n k t h e t e n d e n c y o f t h e l a n -
g u a g e i s p r o b a b l y r i g h t . I t h i n k t h a t t h e d e m o c r a t i c s o -
c i a l i s t s a n d t h e T r o t s k y i s t s h a v e f a i l e d t o s u g g e s t a n y
s c h e m e b y w h i c h t o t a l g o v e r n m e n t a l o w n e r s h i p o f i n -
d u s t r y c a n b e d i s s o c i a t e d f r o m t o t a l i t a r i a n g o v e r n m e n t
b e c a u s e t h e r e i s n o n e . I t h i n k t h a t w h e n w e f u l l y c o n -
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I 6 o STALIN'S RUSSIAf r o n t t h e w o r s e t h a n n e g a t i v e r e s u l t o f t h e R u s s i a n e x -
p e r i m e n t , a n d a s s u m e o u r i n t e l l e c t u a l r e s p o n s i b i l i t y ,
w h i c h i s t o t h i n k o u t a s c h e m e o f d i s t r i b u t i o n f o r a n
economy of abundance n o t i n v o l v i n g t o t a l i t a r i a n i s m , w e
s h a l l f i n d o u r s c h e m e d i f f e r e n t e n o u g h f r o m t h e o l d s o -
c i a l i s m t o r e q u i r e a d i f f e r e n t n a m e .
I t i s , a t a n y r a t e , o u r r e s p o n s i b i l i t y a n d o u r d u t y t o
d o t h i s t h i n k i n g .
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8
SOCIALISM AS PHILOSOPHY ORSCIENCE
THE f a i l u r e o f t h e R u s s i a n r e v o l u t i o n i s p e r h a p s t h e
g r e a t e s t t r a g e d y i n h u m a n h i s t o r y , t e r r i b l e i n t h e
b r e a d t h o f i t s i m p a c t , t e r r i b l e i n t h e d e p t h o f i t s s i g n i f i -
c a n c e , t e r r i b l e i n i t s p e r s o n a l d e t a i l s . O t h e r r e v o l u t i o n -
a r y m a r t y r s h a v e b e e n p e r m i t t e d a h e r o i c d e a t h ; t h e
h e r o e s o f t h e R u s s i a n r e v o l u t i o n h a v e b e e n s h o t l i k e
d o g s i n t h e c e l l a r . I f t h i s t r a g e d y , w h e n a t l a s t i t i s f a c e d
b y l o y a l a n d t h o u g h t f u l m e n , i s n o t t o t h r o w t h e m b a c k
i n t o c y n i c i s m o r d e s p a i r , i t m u s t b e f a c e d a s t h e u n -
h a p p y r e s u l t o f a l e g i t i m a t e e x p e r i m e n t . T o c r y " S o -
c i a l i s m i s d e a d ! L o n g l i v e s o c i a l i s m ! " m a y s a t i s f y a
m o m e n t a r y i m p u l s e , b u t w i l l n o t l o n g s u s t a i n a t h i n k -
i n g w i l l . W h e n a n e x p e r i m e n t f a i l s , i n t e l l i g e n c e d e -
m a n d s t h a t w e r e - e x a m i n e t h e t h e o r i e s u p o n w h i c h i t
w a s c o n d u c t e d , a n d r e c t i f y t h e m i n t h e l i g h t o f t h e
r e s u l t . T h e w h o l e r e s u l t o f t h e R u s s i a n d e v e l o p m e n t i s
o f c o u r s e n o t y e t i n s i g h t , b u t p l e n t y i s i n s i g h t t o
s h o w t h a t i t w i l l h a v e l i t t l e i n c o m m o n w i t h t h e a i m s
I6I
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162 STALIN ' S RUSSIAo f s o c i a l i s t s , w h e t h e r u t o p i a n o r s c i e n t i f i c . P l e n t y i s i n
s i g h t t o w a r r a n t a r e - e x a m i n a t i o n o f t h e p r i n c i p l e s f r o m
w h i c h i t s e t o u t . *
T r o t s k y , t h e a b l e s t e x p o n e n t o f t h e t h e o r y a n d n a t u r a l
c r i t i c o f t h e e x p e r i m e n t , d e c l i n e s t o t a k e t h i s s t e p . I n
The Revolution Betrayed h e r a i s e s t h e q u e s t i o n o f " r a d -
i c a l l y r e v i s i n g o u r t r a d i t i o n a l v i e w s o f t h e s o c i a l i s t s o -
c i e t y , " b u t o n l y t o d e c i d e a g a i n s t i t . A s s e r t i n g t h a t t h e
p r o d i g i o u s s u c c e s s o f t h e S o v i e t U n i o n i n i n c r e a s i n g p r o -
d u c t i o n h a s d e m o n s t r a t e d t h e " p r a c t i c a b i l i t y o f s o c i a l i s t
m e t h o d s , " h e b l a m e s i t s e q u a l l y p r o d i g i o u s f a i l u r e t o
s h o w t h e b e g i n n i n g s o f f r e e d o m a n d e q u a l i t y u p o n " l a c k
o f t h e m e a n s o f s u b s i s t e n c e r e s u l t i n g f r o m t h e l o w p r o -
d u c t i v i t y o f l a b o r " i n a b a c k w a r d c o u n t r y . T h a t a n d t h e
" t a r d i n e s s " o f t h e r e v o l u t i o n i n m o r e a d v a n c e d c o u n -
t r i e s a r e f o r h i m a d e q u a t e e x p l a n a t i o n s o f t h e w h o l e d i s -
a s t e r . A n d h e h a s d r a w n t h e v i g o r o u s m o r a l : " A l l t h o s e
f o r w h o m t h e w o r d s o c i a l i s m i s n o t a h o l l o w s o u n d b u t
t h e c o n t e n t o f t h e i r m o r a l l i f e - f o r w a r d ! "
S o c i a l i s m i s n o t t h e c o n t e n t o f m y m o r a l l i f e . I h a v e
a l w a y s r e g a r d e d s o c i a l i s m a s a n e f f o r t t o s o l v e a s p e c i f i c
p r o b l e m a n d o n e o n l y o f t h e e n g r o s s i n g p r o b l e m s t h a t
confront our human nature . A n d t h i s p e r h a p s e m b o l d -
* T h i s c h a p t e r a n d t h e n e x t w e r e w r i t t e n b e f o r e t h e t w o p r e c e d i n g .
T h e y w e r e p u b l i s h e d a s a n a r t i c l e , " R u s s i a a n d t h e S o c i a l i s t I d e a l , " i n
H a r p e r ' s M a g a z i n e for March 1938 . I t m a y p r o s p e r m y t h o u g h t s i n
t h e r e a d e r ' s m i n d i f h e r e m e m b e r s t h a t . I n p a r t i c u l a r , I h a v e n o t t r i e d
t o w e a v e i n t o t h e s e c h a p t e r s t h e p s y c h o l o g i c a l a n a l y s i s o f s o c i a l i s t m o t i -
v a t i o n u n d e r t a k e n i n C h a p t e r 6 .
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PHILOSOPHY OR SCIENCE 1 6 3
e n s m e t o p e r c e i v e a l i t t l e m o r e a d e q u a t e l y t h a n T r o t s k y
d o e s t h e s c o p e a n d s i g n i f i c a n c e o f t h e R u s s i a n f a i l u r e .
I d o n o t b e l i e v e , e i t h e r , i n t h e M a r x i a n l e g e n d o f u n i -
v e r s a l " u p w a r d " e v o l u t i o n , w h i c h s u p p o r t s h i m i n h i s
s o m e w h a t c u r s o r y r e a c t i o n t o t h i s c o l l a p s e o f o u r h o p e s .
M o r e o v e r , I a m c o m p l e t e l y d e t a c h e d f r o m p a r t y s t r u g -
g l e , a n d n o t v i t a l l y c o n c e r n e d a b o u t r e v o l u t i o n a r y p r e s -
t i g e . I a m i n a p o s i t i o n t o r e g a r d S t a l i n a n d h i s d i c t a t o r -
s h i p , n o t a s a n e n e m y , b u t a s a r e s u l t . Fo r t h e s e r e a s o n s ,
a l t h o u g h n o t i n s o m e w a y s e q u i p p e d a s T r o t s k y i s f o r
t h e t a s k , I a m g o i n g t o s u g g e s t w h a t s e e m t o m e t h e m a i n
p o i n t s i n t h a t " r e v i s i o n o f o u r t r a d i t i o n a l v i e w s " w h i c h
h e d e c l i n e s t o m a k e .
THE PHILOSOPHICAL BELIE F
I h a v e s p o k e n o f t h e R u s s i a n r e v o l u t i o n a s a n e x p e r i -
ment . B u t i t w a s n o t a n e x p e r i m e n t t o t h o s e b e l i e v e r s i n
t h e M a r x i a n p h i l o s o p h y w h o s t o o d a t t h e h e a d o f i t . T o
t h e m i t w a s a s t e p i n a g e n e r a l p r o c e s s o f w h o s e " h i s t o r i c
n e c e s s i t y " t h e y w e r e c o n v i n c e d i n a d v a n c e . O n l y i t s d e -
t a i l s w e r e e x p e r i m e n t a l . A g r e a t m a n y o f t h e i r m i s c a l -
c u l a t i o n s w e r e d u e t o t h i s f a c t , s o m a n y t h a t w e m u s t
b e g i n o u r r e v i s i o n o f t h e s o c i a l i s t t h e o r y b y r e m o v i n g
f r o m i t t h i s e l e m e n t o f p h i l o s o p h i c a l b e l i e f . We must
r e s t a t e t h e t h e o r y i n t h e f o r m o f h y p o t h e s i s , b e f o r e w e
c a n r e v i s e i t w i t h a f r e e m i n d i n t h e l i g h t o f e x p e r i m e n t .
M a r x i n h e r i t e d h i s p h i l o s o p h i c a l b e l i e f f r o m H e g e l .
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164 STALIN ' S RUSSIAI t i s a b e l i e f t h a t t h e w o r l d i s e v o l v i n g o f i t s o w n n e c e s -
s a r y m o t i o n , a n d b y a " d i a l e c t i c " p r o c e d u r e , " f r o m t h e
l o w e r t o t h e h i g h e r . " H e a t t r i b u t e d t h i s k i n d o f e v o l u -
t i o n t o a w o r l d w h i c h h e c a l l e d , i n o p p o s i t i o n t o H e g e l ,
" m a t e r i a l . " B u t h e d i d n o t , a n d c o u l d n o t , d e f i n e t h e
w o r d " h i g h e r " m e r e l y i n a m a t e r i a l s e n s e . He meant by
" h i g h e r " m o r e i d e a l . * A n d t h e i d e a l h e h a d i n m i n d , s o
f a r a s c o n c e r n s h u m a n s o c i e t y , w a s t h a t o f t h e u t o p i a n
s o c i a l i s t s . I t i s t h e s i m p l e c o n c e p t i o n o f m e n l i v i n g t o -
g e t h e r r e a s o n a b l y , g e n e r o u s l y a n d j u s t l y , w i t h o u t c l a s s
e x p l o i t a t i o n , w i t h o u t w a r , a n d w i t h f r e e d o m f o r e v e r y -
b o d y a n d a f a i r c h a n c e t o g r o w . S u c h a s t a t e o f a f f a i r s i s
a p p r o x i m a t e d i n a n y g o o d - n a t u r e d a n d h a p p i l y s i t u a t e d
f a m i l y , a n d t h a t i s w h y i t s e e m s s o n a t u r a l a h o p e f o r
h u m a n i t y a t l a r g e . T h e C h r i s t i a n e v a n g e l a n d t h e d o c -
t r i n e o f " n a t u r a l r i g h t s " h a v e m a d e i t s e e m s t i l l m o r e
axiomatic to many minds, but I think Thomas More
i n d i c a t e d t h e d e e p s o u r c e o f t h e s o c i a l i s t i d e a l w h e n h e
p r o p o s e d , i n h i s U t o p i a , t o d r a w t h e p i c t u r e o f a w h o l e
n a t i o n t h a t l i v e d " l i k e a s i n g l e f a m i l y . "
M a r x a s s u m e d , o n n o o t h e r b a s i s b u t a t u r n i n g o t h e r -
s i d e - u p o f H e g e l ' s p h i l o s o p h y , t h a t t h e w o r l d a b o u t h i m
w a s i n p r o c e s s o f r e a l i z i n g t h i s i d e a l . H e w a s s t u d i o u s
* E n g e l s , i n a n e x p o s i t i o n o f t h e i r c o m m o n p h i l o s o p h y r e a d a n d
e n d o r s e d b y M a r x , r e p l a c e d t h e w o r d " h i g h e r , " i n e u l o g i z i n g t h e
d i a l e c t i c u n i v e r s e , b y " m o r e m a g n i f i c e n t . " " T h e c e l e s t i a l b o d i e s , l i k e
t h e f o r m a t i o n s o f t h e o r g a n i s m s . . . a r i s e a n d p e r i s h a n d t h e c o u r s e s
t h a t t h e y r u n . . . t a k e o n e t e r n a l l y m o r e m a g n i f i c e n t d i m e n s i o n s . "
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PHILOSOPHY OR SCIENCE 165
b o t h o f b o o k s a n d o f e v e n t s ; h e w a s r i c h i n i d e a s ; h e
made many contributions to knowledge ; b u t h e n e v e r
q u e s t i o n e d t h a t a s s u m p t i o n . H e n e v e r t h e r e f o r e r e a l l y
t r i e d t o p r o v e i t . T h e e s s e n t i a l l a b o r o f h i s m i n d w a s t o
d i s c o v e r how a m a t e r i a l a n d y e t d i a l e c t i c w o r l d w o u l d
evolve from capitalism toward a family-like mode of
s o c i a l l i f e , a n d t o f i n d h i s p l a c e a n d t h a t o f a l l s e r i o u s -
m i n d e d s o c i a l i s t s i n t h e p r o c e s s . A n d t h e r e s u l t o f h i s
labor, to summarize it briefly and therefore inade-
q u a t e l y , w a s t h i s :
A d i a l e c t i c p r o c e s s , a c c o r d i n g t o H e g e l , i s a p r o c e s s o f
a d v a n c e b y i n n e r c o n f l i c t o r s e l f - c o n t r a d i c t i o n , a n d t h e
r e s o l u t i o n o f t h i s c o n f l i c t i n a " h i g h e r u n i t y ." In human
s o c i e t y t h i s i n n e r c o n f l i c t i s t o b e f o u n d i n t h e e c o n o m i c
p h e n o m e n o n o f c l a s s s t r u g g l e . A n d i n m o d e r n s o c i e t y i t
i s t o b e f o u n d i n t h e s t r u g g l e , n o t s o w e l l - k n o w n i n
M a r x ' s t i m e , o f t h e p r o l e t a r i a t a g a i n s t t h e c a p i t a l i s t s . I t
i s t h i s n e w s t r u g g l e w h i c h i s d e s t i n e d t o r e s o l v e i t s e l f i n
t h e h i g h e r u n i t y f o r e s e e n a n d a d v o c a t e d i n s o d e t a c h e d
a n d i m p r a c t i c a l a m a n n e r b y t h e u t o p i a n s o c i a l i s t s . T h e
i d e a s o f t h e u t o p i a n s a r e , i n d e e d , o n l y a " s y m p t o m " i n
t h e m e n t a l w o r l d o f t h i s a p p r o a c h i n g m a t e r i a l c h a n g e .
The mere development of the technique of production
w i l l b r i n g i t a b o u t " w i t h i r o n n e c e s s i t y " t h a t t h e w o r k -
e r s w i l l s e i z e t h e p o w e r , e x p r o p r i a t e t h e c a p i t a l i s t s a n d
" s o c i a l i z e " t h e m e a n s o f p r o d u c t i o n . A p e r i o d o f p r o l e -
t a r i a n d i c t a t o r s h i p m u s t i n t e r v e n e , b u t t h i s d i c t a t o r s h i p
w i l l i n e v i t a b l y d i e a w a y a s t h e n e w a n d h i g h e r f o r m o f
s o c i a l l i f e e m e r g e s . N o b o d y c a n d e s c r i b e t h i s " h i g h e r
s o c i a l f o r m " i n d e t a i l , b u t o b v i o u s l y i t w i l l b e t h a t " s o -
c i e t y o f t h e f r e e a n d e q u a l " w h i c h i s s t r i v e n a f t e r i n s o
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166 STALIN'S RU SSIA
s o f t a n d f o o l i s h l y i m p r a c t i c a l a w a y b y t h e u t o p i a n s o -
c i a l i s t s .
The way to stri ve after i t is to join the h arsh struggle
of the workers against the capitalists, make the struggle
revol uti onary, make it " conscious of its desti ny," make
it le ad as rapidly as poss ible to the seizure of power, th e
inaugu ration of class dictators hip, and the beginning of
the process o f socialization .
T h a t i s t h e M a r x i a n t h e o r y s t r i p p e d o f t h e p r o d i g i o u s
w e a l t h o f f a c t u a l a n d i d e a t i o n a l m a t e r i a l w h i c h M a r x
a n d h i s f o l l o w e r s h a v e b r o u g h t u n d e r i t , o r b u i l t i n t o
i t , o r r e m a r k a b l y i l l u m i n e d b y m e a n s o f i t . I t e n a b l e s
t h e M a r x i a n s , n o t w i t h s t a n d i n g t h e e x t r e m e h u m a n e n e s s
o f t h e i r i d e a l , t o b e h a r d - h e a d e d , r e a l i s t i c , r u t h l e s s , a n d
e v e n t o a d e g r e e c y n i c a l , i n t h e i r p u r s u i t o f t h e i d e a l . I t
i s t h r o u g h c l a s h a n d b l o o d y c o n f l i c t t h a t s o c i e t y a d -
v a n c e s ; good and evil are merely names for the two
f o r c e s t h r o u g h w h o s e c o n t r a d i c t i o n " h i g h e r f o r m s " a r e
born . T h e o n l y u l t i m a t e g o o d i n a w o r l d t h u s i n e v i t a b l y
g o i n g u p w a r d t h r o u g h s t r u g g l e i s t o b e o n t h e r i g h t s i d e
o f t h e s t r u g g l e . A n d t h e o n l y v a l i d k n o w l e d g e i s h o s t i l e
c r i t i c i s m f r o m t h e p o i n t o f v i e w o f t h e c l a s s d e s t i n e d t o
conquer .
M a r x b e l i e v e d t h a t t h i s i n g e n i o u s p h i l o s o p h y , b e s i d e s
reconciling tough-minded realism with tender-minded
a s p i r a t i o n s , r e m o v e d t h e m y s t i c a l o r u t o p i a n e l e m e n t
f r o m s u c h a s p i r a t i o n s . H e t h o u g h t t h a t s i n c e h e h a d a t -
t r i b u t e d h i s i d e a l s a s e n d - t e r m s t o t h e n a t u r a l e v o l u t i o n
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PHILOSOPHY OR SCIENCE 1 6 7
o f a " m a t e r i a l " w o r l d , i t b e c a m e p e r f e c t l y s e n s i b l e a n d
s c i e n t i f i c , a n d i n d e e d a k i n d o f s u p e r - s c i e n c e , t o b e l i e v e
in them . B u t i t i s n o t s e n s i b l e t o t a k e u t o p i a n a s p i r a -
t i o n s o u t o f y o u r o w n h e a d a n d a t t r i b u t e t h e m t o t h e
e x t e r n a l w o r l d . A n d n o m a t t e r h o w m u c h y o u d i s g u i s e
t h e p r o c e s s b y c a l l i n g t h e w o r l d " m a t e r i a l , " a n d b y i n -
v o k i n g t h e w o r d " s c i e n t i f i c , " i t i s n o t s c i e n c e t o d o t h i s .
I t i s j u s t t h e o p p o s i t e - r e l i g i o n . I t i s p r i m i t i v e , u n v e r i -
f i e d a n d u n v e r i f i a b l e b e l i e f i n w h a t y o u w a n t t o h a v e
c o m e t r u e .
T h e r e e x i s t s n o p r o o f t h a t t h e w o r l d i s t r a v e l i n g o f
necessity and by its own motion toward something
" h i g h e r " i n t h e h u m a n s e n s e - m u c h l e s s i n t h e s e n s e o f
t h e u t o p i a n s o c i a l i s t s . T o m i n d s t r a i n e d i n e x p e r i m e n t a l
s c i e n c e t h e v e r y p r e t e n s e t o k n o w t h e " h i s t o r i c a l l y n e c e s -
s a r y " r e s u l t o f c a p i t a l i s t e v o l u t i o n , e v e n d i d i t n o t f a l l
i n s o p a t w i t h t h e a u t h o r ' s w i s h e s , w o u l d h a v e , i f p r o -
p o s e d t o d a y , t h e a s p e c t o f a g r a n d i o s e d e l u s i o n . The
a p p a r e n t s u c c e s s o f t h e R u s s i a n r e v o l u t i o n h a s g i v e n a n
a d v e n t i t i o u s p r e s t i g e t o t h i s a u s t e r e p r e t e n s e a t k n o w l -
e d g e . B u t t h e f a i l u r e o f t h e r e v o l u t i o n w i l l r a p i d l y d e -
s t r o y i t . N o t w i t h s t a n d i n g h i s n o t a b l e c o n t r i b u t i o n s t o
s c i e n c e , M a r x ' s s y s t e m a s a w h o l e w i l l b e s e t d o w n a s
w i s h - f u l f i l l m e n t t h i n k i n g i n a f o r m a s c r u d e a n d a n t i -
q u a t e d a s i t i s i n g e n i o u s . M a r x w i l l t a k e a p l a c e i n h i s -
t o r y n o t u n l i k e t h a t o f R o u s s e a u - a m a n b e h i n d t h e
h i g h e s t s c i e n t i f i c a t t i t u d e s o f h i s t i m e , b u t b o r n e t o
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168 STALIN'S RU SSIA
g r e a t h e i g h t s b e c a u s e h e c r e a t e d a n e w Weltanschauung,
a n d o n e w h i c h f e l l i n w i t h t h e p a s s i o n s , a i m s a n d t a c t i c s
o f a g r e a t s o c i a l m o v e m e n t .
The Weltanschauung will l i v e f o r e v e r , a p r i c e l e s s
t r e a s u r e , c o m p a r a b l e t o t h o s e o f S o p h o c l e s , o f D a n t e , o f
Aquinas, of Spinoza . T h e i n c i d e n t a l c o n t r i b u t i o n s t o
v e r i f i e d k n o w l e d g e w i l l a l s o l i v e a n d b e a c k n o w l e d g e d .
B u t a s a s y s t e m p r e t e n d i n g t o b e s c i e n t i f i c , a n d i n d e e d
t o b e a k i n d o f s u p e r - s c i e n c e , M a r x i s m w i l l b e l a i d a w a y
with Thomism, Calvinism and the rest . T h e s o l e u s e
s c i e n c e h a s f o r isms m a d e o u t o f a m a n ' s n a m e i s t o r i d i -
c u l e s u b j e c t i v e a n d u n v e r i f i e d e m o t i o n a l b e l i e f s . O n l y
i n a g e n e r a l r e t u r n t o m e d i e v a l d a r k n e s s c o u l d t h i s r o -
m a n t i c m e t a p h y s i c s - " s a t u r a t e d , " a s T r o t s k y w e l l s a y s ,
" w i t h t h e o p t i m i s m o f p r o g r e s s " - r e a l l y c o n q u e r m o d e r n
minds .
We have no certain knowledge where the world is
g o i n g , w h e t h e r " h i g h e r " o r " l o w e r . " W e h a v e n o k n o w l -
edge how much we, any one or all of us, by taking
t h o u g h t c a n s w e r v e i t . B u t w e c a r e w h e r e i t i s g o i n g .
A n d i t d o e s n o t s e e m i m p o s s i b l e t h a t b y a p r o c e s s o f e x -
p e r i m e n t a t i o n , i f w e h o l d o u r s e l v e s f r e e t o l e a r n a l l w e
can from each experiment, we may succeed in drawing
up some plan for arriving at a more reasonable and
d e c e n t g e n e r a l f o r m o f s o c i a l l i f e .
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PHILOSOPHY OR SCIENCE 1 6 9
THE P RACTICAL HYPOTHESIS
W h a t m a d e t h e M a r x i a n m e t a p h y s i c s s o a c c e p t a b l e ,
o f c o u r s e , w a s t h a t t h e a c t i o n p r o p o s e d b y i t s e e m e d r e a -
s o n a b l e . R e s t a t e d i n t h e f o r m o f a w o r k i n g h y p o t h e s i s ,
a p l a n t o b e t r i e d o u t , M a r x i a n s o c i a l i s m w a s a s g o o d a s
a n y t h i n g a n y b o d y i n i t s e p o c h h a d t o p r o p o s e . S o r e -
s t a t e d , i t w o u l d r e a d s o m e w h a t a s f o l l o w s :
T h e o p i n i o n o f t h e u t o p i a n s o c i a l i s t s , t h a t m e n m i g h t
l i v e t o g e t h e r i n s o c i e t y m u c h a s t h e y d o i n h a p p y f a m -
i l i e s , i f l a n d a n d t h e i n s t r u m e n t s o f p r o d u c t i o n w e r e
o w n e d i n c o m m o n , a n d w e a l t h j u s t l y d i s t r i b u t e d , i s p e r -
f e c t l y r e a s o n a b l e ; t h e a i m m a y b e a t t a i n e d . I t c a n n o t b e
a t t a i n e d , h o w e v e r , b y r e g a r d i n g p r e s e n t - d a y s o c i e t y a s a
u n i t a n d p r e a c h i n g t o e v e r y b o d y t h e r e a s o n a b l e n e s s o f
t h e i d e a . S o c i e t y i s t o o s h a r p l y d i v i d e d i n t o c l a s s e s f o r
t h a t , a n d p e o p l e i n g e n e r a l r e a c t t o i d e a s t o o m u c h o n
a b a s i s o f c l a s s i n t e r e s t . T h a t v e r y f a c t , h o w e v e r , c a n b e
t u r n e d t o a c c o u n t b y t h o s e w h o b e l i e v e i n t h e s o c i a l i s t
i d e a . L e t t h e m e n t e r i n t o t h e p r e s e n t - d a y c l a s s s t r u g g l e
o n t h e s i d e o f t h e e x p l o i t e d c l a s s e s . T h e d i f f i c u l t i e s o f
c a p i t a l i s t p r o d u c t i o n a r e s u c h t h a t c r i s e s a r e b o u n d t o
o c c u r . A s f o r e i g n m a r k e t s a r e u s e d u p , t h e s e c r i s e s w i l l
b e c o m e m o r e a n d m o r e s e v e r e a n d f a r - r e a c h i n g . I n s o m e
n a t i o n - w i d e a n d p e r h a p s w o r l d - w i d e c r i s i s , i f a p o l i t i c a l
p a r t y h a v i n g s o c i a l i s t a i m s a n d r e s t i n g e s s e n t i a l l y o n t h e
w o r k e r s , h a s m a d e a d e q u a t e p r e p a r a t i o n s , i t w i l l b e p o s -
s i b l e t o s e i z e t h e p o l i t i c a l p o w e r b y m a i n f o r c e , e x p r o -
p r i a t e t h e c a p i t a l i s t s a n d d e c l a r e t h e l a n d a n d i n s t r u -
m e n t s o f p r o d u c t i o n t h e c o m m o n p r o p e r t y o f a l l . After
t h a t , t h e p r o c e s s e s o f e d u c a t i o n a n d e v a n g e l i s m , s o f u t i l e
u n d e r t h e p r e s e n t c l a s s s y s t e m , w i l l b e c o m e e f f e c t i v e .
M e n a r e r e a s o n a b l e a n d m a l l e a b l e e n o u g h , a n d l i f e w i l l
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1 7 0 STALIN'S RUSSIAb e e n o u g h h a p p i e r i n s u c h a s o c i e t y , s o t h a t a f t e r a b r i e f
period of dictatorship by the new ruling class, co-
o p e r a t i v e r e l a t i o n s w i l l b e c o m e e s t a b l i s h e d i n c u s t o m
a n d h a b i t . N o d i c t a t o r s h i p , a n d i n f a c t n o p u b l i c p o w e r
w h a t e v e r , w i l l l o n g b e n e c e s s a r y . T h e s t a t e w i l l q u i t e
n a t u r a l l y d i e a w a y , a n d m e n w i l l f i n d t h e m s e l v e s l i v i n g
t o g e t h e r i n l a r g e s o c i e t i e s , a n d i n d e e d u l t i m a t e l y a l l
o v e r t h e p l a n e t , i n a s t a t e o f e q u a l i t y a n d f r e e d o m , t o l -
e r a n c e a n d m u t u a l h e l p f u l n e s s .
That i s t h e r e v o l u t i o n a r y s o c i a l i s t h y p o t h e s i s ,
a b r i d g e d a n d s t r i p p e d o f d e t a i l j u s t a s w e s t r i p p e d t h e
M a r x i a n d i a l e c t i c t h e o r y . T o p e r s o n s b u f f a l o e d b y i n -
t e l l e c t u a l i t y a s s u c h , i t w i l l s o u n d m o r e n a i v e , b u t t o
t h o s e w h o k n o w w h a t t h i n k i n g i s , i t i s o b v i o u s l y m o r e
mature . A n d i t i n d i c a t e s , o f c o u r s e , t h e s a m e g e n e r a l
l i n e o f a c t i o n :
Join the harsh struggle of the workers against the cap-
italists, make it revolutionary, make it conscious o f its
possibilities, make it lead as rapidly as possible to the
seizure of power, the inauguration of class dictatorship,
and the beginning of the pr ocess of socialization .
O n l y t h e s u b s t i t u t i o n o f p o s s i b i l i t i e sf o r
destiny d i f -
f e r e n t i a t e s t h e t w o p r o g r a m s . A n d y e t i n t h e l o n g r u n
t h e d i f f e r e n c e i s d e e p b e t w e e n t h o s e w h o a r e c o n s c i o u s l y
t r y i n g o u t a h y p o t h e s i s b a s e d u p o n q u a n t i t a t i v e j u d g -
ments and probability, and those who conceive them-
s e l v e s a s c o - o p e r a t i n g w i t h a p r o c e s s e x p r e s s i n g t h e
u l t i m a t e n a t u r e o f t h e u n i v e r s e , a n d a s s u m e t h a t t h e i r
destined goal is knowable on other grounds than the
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172 STALIN'S RUSSIAp r o p o s a l t o s e t a l i m i t t o t h e f r e e g r o w t h a n d m o v e m e n t
o f t h a t i s a n a t t a c k a g a i n s t m a n , n o m a t t e r h o w a c c o m -
p a n i e d w i t h t r u m p e t s a n d t r i u m p h a l b a n n e r s . W h a t h a s
t o b e d o n e w i t h b l i n d e r s o n h a d b e t t e r n o t b e d o n e .
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9
DEFECTIVE BLUE-PRINTS
ONCE t h e M a r x i a n t h e o r y i s r e s t a t e d a s a w o r k i n g h y -
p o t h e s i s , o r i n o t h e r w o r d s a s i m p l e p l a n o f a c t i o n , i t s
c h i e f d e f e c t b e c o m e s q u i t e o b v i o u s . I n a n y we l l - d e l i b e r -
a t e d p l a n o f a c t i o n t h r e e e l e m e n t s c a n b e d i s t i n g u i s h e d :
d e f i n i t i o n o f t h e e n d t o b e a t t a i n e d , e x a m i n a t i o n o f t h e
c o n d i t i o n i n g f a c t s , a n d m o d e o f p r o c e d u r e b y w h i c h i t
i s p r o p o s e d t o p a s s f r o m t h e f a c t s t o t h e e n d . I t i s i n t h e
d e f i n i t i o n o f t h e e n d t h a t M a r x i s m f a l l s m o s t o b v i o u s l y
s h o r t o f t h e s t a n d a r d s o f s c i e n c e , a n d i t i s o f t h i s o n l y
t h a t t h e p r e s e n t c h a p t e r w i l l t r e a t .
T h e f a c t i s t h a t M a r x , o w i n g t o h i s b e l i e f t h a t R e a l i t y -
as-such is a dialectic procedure toward something
" h i g h e r , " d i d n o t b o t h e r t o d e f i n e h i s e n d a t a l l . H e l e f t
t h a t t a s k t o R e a l i t y - a s - s u c h .
" I t i s n o t a q u e s t i o n , " h e s a i d i n e a r l y l i f e , " o f p u t t i n g
t h r o u g h s o m e u t o p i a n s y s t e m , b u t o f t a k i n g a c o n s c i o u s
p a r t i n t h e p r o c e s s o f s o c i a l t r a n s f o r m a t i o n w h i c h i s
g o i n g o n b e f o r e o u r v e r y e y e s . "
T o t h o s e a b l e t o i d e n t i f y s c i e n c e w i t h a n o p t i m i s t i c
p h i l o s o p h y , s u c h a c a v a l i e r a t t i t u d e t o t h e c r u x o f t h e
3193
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174 STALIN'S RUSSIAp r o b l e m s e e m e d w o r t h y t o b e c a l l e d s c i e n t i f i c . A n d t h e
w h o l e m i d - n i n e t e e n t h c e n t u r y w a s s o " s a t u r a t e d " w i t h
o p t i m i s m , t h a t t h i s w a s a c t u a l l y p u t a c r o s s a s s c i e n t i f i c
s o c i a l i s m . I h a v e b e e n b i t t e r l y c r i t i c i z e d f o r c a l l i n g
M a r x i s m a r e l i g i o n , a n d y e t w h a t i s M a r x a c t u a l l y s a y i n g
i n t h a t f a m o u s s e n t e n c e b u t t h i s :
"The way to avoid utopian schemes is to have no
s c h e m e s a t a l l - p u t f o r t h y o u r e f f o r t s i n t h e r i g h t d i r e c -
t i o n a n d l e a v e t h e r e s t t o G o d . "
A n d h e s a i d t h e s a m e t h i n g a q u a r t e r o f a c e n t u r y
later when commenting on the Paris Commune :
" T h e w o r k e r s w e l l k n o w t h a t i n o r d e r t o r e a l i z e t h e i r
o w n e m a n c i p a t i o n , a n d a t t h e s a m e t i m e t h e h i g h e r f o r m
t o w a r d w h i c h t h e p r e s e n t s o c i e t y t e n d s b y its own eco-
nomic forces, t h e y w i l l h a v e t o p a s s t h r o u g h l o n g p e r i o d s
o f s t r u g g l e w h i c h w i l l t r a n s f o r m b o t h c i r c u m s t a n c e s a n dmen . They h ave no ideal to r ealize, th ey h ave only to
set free the elements of the new society which the old
bourgeois society carries in its womb . " * [ I t a l i c s m i n e . ]
A n y e n g i n e e r c a n t e l l y o u t h a t t h e f i r s t t h i n g t o d o i f
y o u w a n t t o b u i l d s o m e t h i n g i s t o m a k e a b l u e - p r i n t .
* O n e r e a s o n w h y M a r x i s m a s a s y s t e m o f p h i l o s o p h y h a s n o t p r o s -
p e r e d i n E n g l a n d a n d A m e r i c a i s t h a t w e a r e n o t g i v e n t o k i d d i n g o u r -
s e l v e s a b o u t t h e s y m p a t h e t i c i n t e n t i o n s o f t h e u n i v e r s e . N o s y s t e m o f
p h i l o s o p h y h a s p r o s p e r e d a m o n g u s . O u r i m p o r t a n t w o r k s f r o m B a c o n
t o B e r t r a n d R u s s e l l a r e e x p r e s s i o n s o f s k e p t i c i s m a n d s t u d i e s o f s c i e n -
t i f i c m e t h o d . I n t h i s w e a r e m e r e l y m o r e a d v a n c e d t h a n t h e G e r m a n s
a n d R u s s i a n s , f a r t h e r a w a y f r o m p r i m i t i v e s u p e r s t i t i o n . T h e i d e a i n
which Marxism grew up that the Germans were " theoretical," the
F r e n c h " p r a c t i c a l , " e t c . , i s e r r o n e o u s . T h e g r e a t e r " t h e o r e t i c a l n e s s " o f
t h e G e r m a n s w a s s i m p l y t h e i r p e r s i s t e n c e i n t h e f o r l o r n a t t e m p t t o
m a k e t h e o r i e s w h i c h , w h i l e e x p l a i n i n g f a c t s , w o u l d s a t i s f y o t h e r
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DEFECTIVE BLUE-PRINTS 17 5
S p e c i f y w h a t y o u a r e g o i n g t o b u i l d . A n d b e g u i d e d ,
m o r e o v e r , f r o m t h e f i r s t s t r o k e s o f t h e p e n c i l , b y a c o n -
s i d e r a t i o n o f t h e m a t e r i a l s a t y o u r d i s p o s a l . T h i s d o e s
n o t m e a n , o f c o u r s e , t h a t a s c i e n t i f i c s o c i a l i s t s h o u l d
i g n o r e t h e c r e a t i v e n e s s o f f u t u r e e v o l u t i o n , o r g o f o o l -
i s h l y i n t o t h e d e t a i l s o f a n e a r t h l y p a r a d i s e . H e s h o u l d ,
i n d e e d , k n o w t h a t t h e r e w i l l b e n o e a r t h l y p a r a d i s e . N o r
d o e s i t m e a n t h a t s c i e n c e i n g e n e r a l , w h e n c o n c e r n e d
w i t h h u m a n s o c i e t y , c a n h a v e t h e e x a c t i t u d e o f p h y s i c s
o r a s t r o n o m y - o r e v e n o f a g r o n o m i c s o r e x p e r t s t o c k -
b r e e d i n g . I t d o e s m e a n t h a t w h e n p r o p o s i n g t o b u i l d
a n e w s o c i e t y a s c i e n t i f i c m i n d w o u l d r a i s e t h e q u e s t i o n
w h a t q u a l i t i e s i n t h e m a t e r i a l , h u m a n n a t u r e , c a n b e r e -
l i e d u p o n t o m a k e i t f u n c t i o n s u c c e s s f u l l y a n d h o l d t o -
g e t h e r . E v e n t h e " u t o p i a n " s o c i a l i s t s , M a r x ' s p r e d e c e s -
s o r s i n t h e e a r l y n i n e t e e n t h c e n t u r y , h a d r a i s e d t h i s
q u e s t i o n a n d a t t e m p t e d t o a n s w e r i t . Robert Owen
b e g a n h i s c a r e e r w i t h a s e r i e s o f e s s a y s d e s i g n e d t o p r o v e
t h a t m a n ' s m o r a l c h a r a c t e r i s w h o l l y d u e t o e x t e r n a l
c i r c u m s t a n c e s , a n d t h a t g i v e n t h e p r o p e r e n v i r o n m e n t ,
p a s s i o n s b e s i d e s a p a s s i o n t o h a v e t h e f a c t s e x p l a i n e d . Marx shared
this background of German cultur e, so h umbly absorb ed by the
R u s s i a n s , a n d t h e e f f o r t o f t h e B o l s h e v i k s t o p u t i t o v e r o n u s i n t h e
t w e n t i e t h c e n t u r y a s a s u p e r - s c i e n t i f i c m e t a p h y s i c s s h o u l d p r o p e r l y
h a v e b e e n a n s w e r e d w i t h a l a u g h .
T h e s e n t e n c e a b o v e , " T h e y h a v e n o i d e a l t o r e a l i z e . . ," p r o v i d e s
p e r h a p s t h e b e s t r e f u t a t i o n o f t h o s e w h o , i n t h e e f f o r t t o h o l d u p
M a r x ' s p h i l o s o p h y i n t h e e n v i r o n m e n t o f m o d e r n s c i e n c e , h a v e c o n -
t r i v e d t o i d e n t i f y i t w i t h J o h n D e w e y ' s i n s t r u m e n t a l t h e o r y o f k n o w l -
e d g e . Nobody who believed in that theory c o u l d c o n c e i v a b l y h a v e
w r i t t e n s u c h a s e n t e n c e .
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1 7 6 STALIN'S RU SSIA
e s p e c i a l l y i n e a r l y l i f e , h e w i l l b e a s j u s t , r e a s o n a b l e a n d
intelligent as a co-operative commonwealth demands .
Saint-Simon relied upon a new and more brotherly-
i n t e l l i g e n t k i n d o f r e l i g i o u s f e e l i n g t o a c c o m p l i s h t h e
r e q u i r e d c h a n g e . F o u r i e r w r o t e a w h o l e p s y c h o l o g y t o
e s t a b l i s h t h a t a p a s s i o n o f s o c i a l a t t r a c t i o n , w h i c h h e
c a l l e d U n i t e i s m e , w o u l d h a r m o n i z e a l l o t h e r p a s s i o n s ,
o n c e c o n d i t i o n s w e r e e s t a b l i s h e d e n a b l i n g u s t o f u n c t i o n
a s o u r M a k e r h a d i n t e n d e d .
M a r x n e v e r c r i t i c i z e d t h e s e a m a t e u r i s h b u t o b v i o u s l y
e s s e n t i a l i n q u i r i e s . H e n e v e r s a i d : " W e l l , l e t u s l o o k
i n t o t h i s ! W h a t i s t h e r e i n h u m a n n a t u r e t o g i v e a s s u r -
a n c e t h a t a s o c i e t y c a n r e a l l y o p e r a t e o n t h e p r i n c i p l e ,
` F r o m e a c h a c c o r d i n g t o h i s a b i l i t i e s , t o e a c h a c c o r d i n g
t o h i s n e e d s ' ? "
T o a n s w e r t h i s q u e s t i o n w o u l d h a v e i n v o l v e d i n d e -
p e n d e n t b i o l o g i c a l a n d p s y c h o l o g i c a l i n v e s t i g a t i o n s . A n d
M a r x ' s s y s t e m o f p h i l o s o p h y m a d e s u c h i n v e s t i g a t i o n s
n o t o n l y u n n e c e s s a r y , b u t , i f y o u c a n b e l i e v e i t , i m p o s -
s i b l e . Marx knew on philosophic grounds-which is to
s a y , o n f a i t h - t h a t t h e p r e s e n t s o c i e t y " t e n d s b y i t s o w n
e c o n o m i c f o r c e s " t o w a r d a " h i g h e r f o r m , " a n d h e k n e w
t h a t t h i s h i g h e r f o r m w a s i n d i c a t e d i n a r o u g h w a y b y
t h e u t o p i a n s o c i a l i s t s . I n o r d e r t o " k n o w " t h i s , h e h a d
to make human nature a function of those economic
f o r c e s. H e h a d t o " i n t e g r a t e " m a n , a s h e p u t i t , i n t h e
e c o n o m i c a l l y e v o l v i n g s o c i e t y :
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DEFECTIVE BLUE-PRINTS1 7 7
"The individual . . . h a s n o r e a l e x i s t e n c e o u t s i d e
t h e m i l i e u i n w h i c h h e l i v e s , a n d i n o r d e r t o u n d e r s t a n d
t h e t r u e n a t u r e o f m a n i t i s n e c e s s a r y t o i n t e g r a t e h i m
i n s o c i e t y , i n s o c i a l l i f e . " " A l l h i s t o r y i s n o t h i n g b u t a
c o n t i n u a l t r a n s f o r m a t i o n o f h u m a n n a t u r e . "
T h a t i s t h e w h o l e o f M a r x ' s c o n t r i b u t i o n t o t h i s p r i -
mary problem . A n d i t i s , o f c o u r s e , n o c o n t r i b u t i o n a t
a l l . T h e s e s t a t e m e n t s a r e a d v e r t i s e d b y h i s d i s c i p l e s a s a
w o n d r o u s p r e v i s i o n o f m o d e r n p s y c h o l o g y w i t h i t s e m -
p h a s i s u p o n t h e s o c i a l n a t u r e o f t h e b r a i n a n d n e r v o u s
s y s t e m . A n d t h e y a r e t h a t , i n c i d e n t a l l y . M a r x w a s f u l l
o f w o n d r o u s p r e v i s i o n s . B u t t h e i r e s s e n t i a l f u n c t i o n i n
h i s s y s t e m w a s t o m a k e u n n e c e s s a r y , a n d i m p o s s i b l e , any
i n d e p e n d e n t s c i e n c e o f p s y c h o l o g y . Marx was on thi s
h e a d l e s s s c i e n t i f i c , n o t m o r e s o , t h a n h i s p r e d e c e s s o r s .
A n d t h e r e i s c o n s e q u e n t l y j u s t a s m u c h u t o p i a n i s m i n
h i s i d e a o f t h e f u t u r e s o c i e t y a s i n t h e i r s . H e m e r e l y d i s -
c u s s e s i t l e s s o f t e n a n d m o r e s k e t c h i l y .
" T h e w o r k e r s h a v e n o i d e a l t o r e a l i z e , t h e y h a v e o n l y
t o s e t f r e e t h e e l e m e n t s o f t h e n e w s o c i e t y . . . , " and
y e t w e m a y r e m a r k i n p a s s i n g t h a t " i n t h e h i g h e r p h a s e
of the Communist society . . . t h e l i m i t e d h o r i z o n o f
c a p i t a l i s t r i g h t w i l l b e l e f t b e h i n d e n t i r e l y a n d s o c i e t y
w i l l i n s c r i b e u p o n i t s b a n n e r s : From each according to
h i s a b i l i t i e s , t o e a c h a c c o r d i n g t o h i s n e e d s ! "
T h a t i n b r i e f - a n d s u b s t a n t i a l l y i n t h e w o r d s o f M a r x
- i s t h e M a r x i s t ' s a t t i t u d e t o w a r d h i s g o a l .
I t m u s t b e r e m e m b e r e d , o f c o u r s e , t h a t t h i s s c h e m e
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178 STALIN'S RUSSIA
of revolutionary metaphysics was devised before the
b i r t h d a y o f m o d e r n p s y c h o l o g y , a n d w h i l e b i o l o g y w a s
s t i l l s p e c u l a t i v e , a n d s o c i o l o g y h a r d l y i m a g i n e d . I t a n t e -
dates Fechner and Herbert Spencer, Darwin and Hux-
l e y , a n d a l l t h e h a r d - h e a d e d f a c t - f i n d e r s i n t h e s e o r g a n i c
s c i e n c e s . M a r x i s m w a s i n i t s o w n t i m e a n d p l a c e a n o b l e ,
a s w e l l a s a f e r t i l e , i n t e l l e c t u a l c o n s t r u c t i o n . I t d o e s s e e m
a s t o n i s h i n g , h o w e v e r , t h a t t h r o u g h o u t t h e s e n i n e t y y e a r s
f i l l e d s t u p e n d o u s l y w i t h a d v a n c i n g k n o w l e d g e o f l i f e ,
a n d p a r t i c u l a r l y o f m a n ' s l i f e a n d m i n d , n o t o n e M a r x -
i a n h a s e v e r r a i s e d t h e s i m p l e q u e s t i o n : Is human na-
t u r e , a s i t h a s d e v e l o p e d i n t h e s t r u g g l e f o r s u r v i v a l ,
s u f f i c i e n t l y s e l f - d e p e n d e n t a n d s u f f i c i e n t l y c o - o p e r a t i v e ,
o r s u f f i c i e n t l y c a p a b l e o f s e l f - d e p e n d e n c e a n d m a l l e a b l e
i n a c o - o p e r a t i v e d i r e c t i o n , s o t h a t a c o l l e c t i v i z a t i o n o f
p r o p e r t y w o u l d a c t u a l l y l e a d t o t h e s o c i e t y o f t h e f r e e
a n d e q u a l , t h e d y i n g a w a y o f s t a t e p o w e r , t h e c o n d i t i o n
o f f e l i c i t y d e s c r i b e d i n t h e f o r m u l a : " F r o m e a c h a c c o r d -
i n g t o h i s a b i l i t i e s , t o e a c h a c c o r d i n g t o h i s n e e d s " ? E v e n
D a r w i n ' s t h e o r y o f s p e c i e s a n d o f h o w t h e i r c h a r a c t e r s
a r e d e t e r m i n e d d i d n o t p r o v o k e a n i n q u i r y o n t h i s h e a d .
I t w a s o n l y g r a b b e d i n a s a n o t h e r e v i d e n c e o f t h e g e n -
e r a l i t y o f u p w a r d e v o l u t i o n , a f u r t h e r p r o o f t h a t b e c a u s e
of the nature of the universe-and never mind about
m a n ' s n a t u r e ! - w e a r e b o u n d t o a r r i v e a t a n e a r t h l y p a r a -
d i s e . I t s h o w s h o w r e c k l e s s o f o b t r u s i v e f a c t i s w i s h -
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DEFECTIVE BLUE-PRINTS 1 7 9
f u l f i l l m e n t t h i n k i n g , a n d h o w p a r t i c u l a r l y d a n g e r o u s
w h e n i t p u t s o n t h e n a m e a n d a s p e c t o f h a r d s e n s e a n d
s c i e n c e .
THE FIRST EXPERIMENTS i n c e t h e s c i e n t i f i c s o c i a l i s t s w e r e n e v e r s c i e n t i f i c
e n o u g h t o a s k t h a t s i m p l e p r e l i m i n a r y q u e s t i o n a b o u t
h u m a n n a t u r e , i t i s n a t u r a l t h a t t h e i r f i r s t e x p e r i m e n t
s h o u l d s u r p r i s e t h e m w i t h a m o s t c o n c l u s i v e , b l o o d y a n d
i m p l a c a b l e a n s w e r : N o l
I t i s h a r d l y n e c e s s a r y t o g o i n t o t h e d e t a i l s o f S t a l i n ' s
m u r d e r o u s a n d h y p o c r i t i c a l r e g i m e . I t h a s b e e n d e -
s c r i b e d a s i t l o o k s t o t h o s e w h o b e l i e v e d i n t h e s o c i a l i s t
i d e a l , a n d y e t b e l i e v e a l s o i n t e l l i n g t h e b i t t e r t r u t h , b y
Andrew Smith in I Was a Soviet Worker ; by Fred E .
B e a l , t h e G a s t o n i a s t r i k e l e a d e r , i n P r o l e t a r i a n J o u r n e y ;
b y B o r i s S o u v a r i n e , F i r s t S e c r e t a r y o f t h e F r e n c h c o m -
m u n i s t p a r t y , i n h i s m o n u m e n t a l b o o k , S t a l i n ; b y V i c t o r
S e r g e i n Russia Twenty Years After ; by Trotsky in
The Revolution Betrayed ; a n d a b o v e a l l , f o r A m e r i c a n s ,
b y E u g e n e L y o n s i n h i s t r u t h f u l a n d a b s o r b i n g p e r s o n a l
h i s t o r y , Assignment in Utopia .
T h a t t h e s e t r u t h - t e l l i n g b o o k s b y i n i t i a t e d m i n d s a r e
f e w , a n d a r e n o t a l w a y s w e l c o m e d b y p u b l i s h e r s , n e e d
n o t c a u s e a n y d o u b t s o f t h e i r r e l i a b i l i t y . A f t e r " s o c i a l i -
z a t i o n " w a s a c c o m p l i s h e d i n R u s s i a o n p a p e r , a n d a f t e r
t h e r e v o l u t i o n a s a d y n a m i c r e a l i t y , a s e i z u r e o f p o w e r
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18o STALIN'S RUSSIAb y w o r k e r s a n d p e a s a n t s , w a s c h e c k m a t e d a n d i t s t h r e a t
on the international field expressly withdrawn, the
W e s t e r n i n t e l l i g e n t s i a " w e n t o v e r " t o B o l s h e v i s m a l m o s t
i n a b o d y a n d w i t h a v e r y n a t u r a l a l a c r i t y . F o r i t i s , a l a s ,
n a t u r a l t o a n i n t e l l i g e n t s i a t o w a n t t o b e l i e v e w i t h i t s
m i n d i n a n e x t r e m e i d e a l , a n d y e t b e a s s u r e d i n i t s h e a r t
t h a t t h e i d e a l h o l d s n o t h r e a t t o p r e s e n t a d j u s t m e n t s .
T h i s w h o l e s a l e c o n v e r s i o n , j u s t b e c a u s e s a f e l y b e l a t e d ,
w a s i m p e t u o u s a n d i n t e n s e , a n d i t i n v o l v e d a n i m m e n s e
i n v e s t m e n t b o t h o f e m o t i o n a n d o f i n t e l l e c t u a l p r e s t i g e .
I t s m o m e n t u m t h e r e f o r e i s g r e a t , a n d o n e f i n d s i t a l m o s t
a s h a r d n o w t o g e t l i b e r a l s t o c o n f r o n t t h e c r u e l f a c t s
a b o u t S t a l i n ' s r e g i m e , a s i t w a s o n c e t o m a k e t h e r e a c -
t i o n a r y p r e s s p r i n t t h e g l o w i n g t r u t h a b o u t L e n i n a n d
T r o t s k y a n d t h e w o r k e r s ' s t a t e . F a c t s , a s L e n i n s a i d , a r e
s t u b b o r n t h i n g s ; t h e o n l y t h i n g s e q u a l l y s t u b b o r n a r e
t h o s e w h o w i l l n o t s e e t h e m . *
S u f f i c e i t t o s a y , t h e n , f o r t h o s e w h o h o l d t h e i r e y e s
o p e n , t h a t t o g e t h e r w i t h t h a t c o l l e c t i v i z a t i o n o r n a -
t i o n a l i z a t i o n o f t h e m e a n s o f p r o d u c t i o n w h i c h w a s s u p -
p o s e d t o e m a n c i p a t e t h e w o r k i n g c l a s s , a n d t h e r e w i t h
m a k e " a l l s o c i e t y " f r e e , a n d p e r m i t t h e s t a t e t o d i e
a w a y , t h e r e h a s g r o w n u p a s t h e s u b s t a n c e o f t h e s t a t e
a c a s t e o r c l a s s o f b u r e a u c r a t s w h o h a v e e n s l a v e d t h e p r o -
l e t a r i a t m o r e e f f e c t i v e l y t h a n b e f o r e , a p p r o p r i a t i n g a l l
* The above paragraph was written before the Stalin-Hitler pact, but
a l t h o u g h n o l o n g e r w h o l l y t r u e i s s t i l l s i g n i f i c a n t e n o u g h t o s t a n d .
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DEFECTIVE BLUE-PRINTS 1 8 1
t h a t c a n w e l l b e t a k e n o f t h e i n c r e a s i n g p r o d u c t o f t h e i r
l a b o r , a n d d e p r i v i n g t h e m o f e v e r y m e a n s o f p r o t e s t , a n d
t h a t b e s i d e s e n s l a v i n g t h e p r o l e t a r i a t t h e s e b u r e a u c r a t s
h a v e p e r f e c t e d t h e e n s l a v e m e n t o f " a l l s o c i e t y . " T r o t s k y
s a y s b o l d l y a n d t r u l y , a f t e r d e s c r i b i n g s o c i a l i s m a s " a
c l a s s l e s s s o c i e t y b a s e d u p o n s o l i d a r i t y a n d t h e s a t i s f a c -
t i o n o f a l l n e e d s , " t h a t " i n t h i s f u n d a m e n t a l s e n s e t h e r e
i s n o t a h i n t o f s o c i a l i s m i n R u s s i a . " W e m i g h t f u r t h e r
s a y t h a t t h e r e i s n o t a h i n t o f m a n y o f t h e l i b e r t i e s a n d
e q u a l i t i e s , t o s a y n o t h i n g o f t h e f r a t e r n i t i e s , w h i c h n o r -
m a l l y p r e v a i l u n d e r c o m p e t i t i v e c a p i t a l i s m . I n d e e d a l -
t h o u g h t h e r e i s i n s o m e r e s p e c t s a g r e a t e r e q u a l i t y , t h e r e
i s f a r l e s s l i b e r t y i n R u s s i a t h a n t h e r e w a s u n d e r t h e
s e m i - f e u d a l r e g i m e o f t h e t z a r s . A s t o " f r a t e r n i t y " - o r ,
i n M a r x ' s w i s e r p h r a s e , t h e r e n d e r i n g o f " a l l t h e e v e r y -
d a y r e l a t i o n s o f m a n t o m a n p e r f e c t l y i n t e l l i g i b l e a n d
r e a s o n a b l e " - i t i s d i f f i c u l t t o s p e a k t e m p e r a t e l y . B u r e a u -
c r a t i c u s u r p a t i o n a n d c o n c e a l e d c l a s s r u l e h a v e m a d e
R u s s i a , s o f a r a s s h e i s p u b l i c a n d a r t i c u l a t e p o l i t i c a l l y ,
a n a t i o n o f i n f o r m e r s , s p i e s , h y p o c r i t e s , l i c k s p i t t l e s a n d
m a s s - m u r d e r e r s . Her men and women of most noble and
h u m a n e f e e l i n g a r e i n j a i l , o r i n e x i l e , o r i n c o n c e n t r a -
t i o n c a m p s , o r i n h i d i n g , o r i n t r a i t o r s ' g r a v e s , o r c o w e d
i n t o a b s o l u t e s i l e n c e . H u m a n r e l a t i o n s h a v e , I d a r e s a y ,
n e v e r o n a l a r g e s c a l e s u n k s o l o w . T h e d e l i b e r a t e m u r -
d e r b y s t a r v a t i o n o f f o u r t o s i x m i l l i o n p e a s a n t s i n t h e
name of a workers' and peasants' republic, and the
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1 8 2 STALIN'S RUSSIAw h o l e s a l e e x e c u t i o n i n t h e n a m e o f t h e " c o m p l e t e t r i -
u m p h o f s o c i a l i s m " o f a l l t h e s i n c e r e s t a n d m o s t c l e a r -
s i g h t e d l e a d e r s o f t h e m o v e m e n t t o w a r d s o c i a l i s m , a r e
b u t h i g h p o i n t s i n a t o t a l s y s t e m b a s e d o n l i e s a n d h e l d
e r e c t b y c r u e l t y a n d t e r r o r .
A n y m i n d r e a l i s t i c a l l y d e v o t e d t o t h e o r i g i n a l a i m s
o f s o c i a l i s m e m e r g e s f r o m t h e l i b r a r y a f t e r r e a d i n g t h e
j o u r n a l s o u t o f S t a l i n ' s R u s s i a w i t h t h e f e e l i n g r e c o r d e d
b y t h e s o c i a l i s t m e c h a n i c , A n d r e w S m i t h , o n l e a v i n g
t h e c o u n t r y i t s e l f a f t e r h i s y e a r s o f s e r v i c e t h e r e :
" A s s o o n a s w e c r o s s e d t h e b o r d e r i t w a s a s i f w e h a d
s u d d e n l y b e e n r e l e a s e d f r o m s o m e d a r k , t e r r i f y i n g j a i l
i n t o t h e b r i g h t g o l d e n s u n l i g h t . T h e p a s s e n g e r s b r o k e
o u t i n t o l i v e l y c o n v e r s a t i o n a n d e c s t a t i c c r i e s o f j o y , o f
freedom . T h e y l a u g h e d , t h e y c r i e d , t h e y s a n g . "
I t i s i m p o s s i b l e , a f t e r r e a d i n g t h o s e j o u r n a l s , f i l l e d
n o w t h e s e m a n y m o n t h s w i t h s h r i e k i n g r i t u a l s o f o b -
s c e n e t o a d y i s m a n d i n s a n e l y r a g i n g h a t e , t o d e n y t h e
e x t r e m e s t a t e m e n t o f B o r i s S o u v a r i n e i n a r e c e n t a r t i c l e
i n L a R e v u e d e P a r i s :
" A l l r e s p e c t f o r m a n h a v i n g d i s a p p e a r e d , l i f e a n d h u -
m a n d i g n i t y h a v i n g l o s t t h e i r v a l u e , n o t h i n g m o d e r a t e s
t h e b e s t i a l i t y o f t h e s t r o n g a n d t h e a b a s e m e n t o f t h e
weak. O n e s e e s n o l o n g e r a n y l i m i t t o t h e s a v a g e r y t h a t
h a s b e e n u n l e a s h e d . "
A f t e r s u c h s t a t e m e n t s f r o m o t h e r s w h o m a d e s a c r i f i c e s
t o t h e c a u s e o f c o m m u n i s m i n R u s s i a , F r e d B e a l s e e m s
c o o l a n d m o d e r a t e w h e n h e s a y s :
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DEFECTIVE BLUE-PRINTS 1 8 3
" T h e m o r e I s a w o f R u s s i a , t h e m o r e c o n v i n c e d I
b e c a m e t h a t n o t o n l y t h e h o m e l e s s c h i l d r e n b u t a l l t h e
c o m m o n p e o p l e o f t h e c o u n t r y w e r e a n u i s a n c e t o t h e
S o v i e t G o v e r n m e n t . . . .
F r e d B e a l d e c l i n e d a f r a n k i n v i t a t i o n t o a c a r e e r o f
l u x u r y a n d s e l f - d e c e p t i o n a s a S o v i e t b u r e a u c r a t , i n
o r d e r t o c o m e h o m e t o t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s a n d , w i t h a
t w e n t y - y e a r p r i s o n s e n t e n c e s t a n d i n g a g a i n s t h i m , t e l l
t h e A m e r i c a n w o r k e r s t h e t r u t h o f w h a t h e s a w . A l -
t h o u g h h e h a s b e e n c r i t i c i z e d f o r p u b l i s h i n g c h a p t e r s o f
h i s b o o k i n t h e r e a c t i o n a r y p r e s s , h i s b o o k i s h o n e s t , a n d
w i l l b r i n g n o u l t i m a t e r e w a r d t o h i m b u t s e l f - r e s p e c t .
" I f o u n d , " h e s a y s , " t h a t t h e S t a l i n i s t r o a d l e a d s t o
c a l a m i t y a n d d a r k n e s s . B u t I a m a s c o n v i n c e d a s e v e r
t h a t t h e r e i s a n o t h e r r o a d t o a f r e e a n d c l a s s l e s s h u m a n -
i t y , a r o a d w h i c h i s w o r t h t h e q u e s t , a n d w h i c h c a n b e
f o u n d o n l y b y m i n d s l i b e r a t e d f r o m t h e w o r s h i p o f f a l s e
g o d s a n d b y s p i r i t s s t r o n g e n o u g h t o f a c e t h e t r u t h . "
B e a l s a y s s i g n i f i c a n t l y , s p e a k i n g o f t h e r a d i c a l b o o k s
h e r e a d i n y o u t h : " I c o u l d n o t u n d e r s t a n d K a r l M a r x . "
T h i s i n a b i l i t y o f c l e a r - h e a d e d A m e r i c a n s t o u n d e r s t a n d
K a r l M a r x i s w h o l l y d u e t o t h e f a c t t h a t M a r x w a s c o n -
s t r a i n e d b y h i s G e r m a n p h i l o s o p h i c a l t r a i n i n g t o k e e p
u p a p e r p e t u a l p r e t e n s e t h a t h i s s i m p l e p r a c t i c a l p l a n
f o r c h a n g i n g t h e w o r l d w a s a n a b s t r u s e , t h e o r e t i c a l u n -
d e r s t a n d i n g o f h o w t h e w o r l d i s c h a n g i n g i t s e l f . B e a l ' s
i n n o c e n c e o f t h i s m e t a p h y s i c a l h o k u m w a s a n e s s e n t i a l
p a r t o f h i s p r e p a r a t i o n f o r t h e t a s k o f t e l l i n g A m e r i c a n
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184 STALIN'S RU SSIA
w o r k e r s t h e t r u t h a b o u t S o v i e t R u s s i a . H e i s f a r m o r e
r e l i a b l e , b e c a u s e o f h i s n a i v e f r e e d o m t o s e e a f e w u n -
i n t e l l e c t u a l i z e d v i t a l f a c t s , t h a n T r o t s k y i s , w i t h h i s
c o l o s s a l p o w e r t o m a r s h a l a l l t h e f a c t s , f r o m t h e p r i c e o f
p i g - i r o n t o t h e f o r m s o f l y r i c p o e t r y , w i t h i n t h e f r a m e -
w o r k o f a r o m a n t i c G e r m a n p h i l o s o p h y .
In T h e R e v o l u t i o n B e t r a y e d , m o r e t h a n i n a n y o t h e r
M a r x i a n a n a l y s i s o f a c o n c r e t e p h a s e o f h i s t o r y , t h e b a r e
f r a m e o f t h i s o p t i m i s t i c p h i l o s o p h y , t h i s d i s g u i s e d m y s t i c
faith in a benign universe, begins to show through .
T r o t s k y a n s w e r s a l l t h e h o r r o r s t o w h i c h t h e i n s u r r e c -
t i o n o r g a n i z e d b y h i m h a s l e d , w i t h t h e a s s e r t i o n t h a t
socialism according to the Marxian theory was never
s u p p o s e d t o b e a c h i e v e d i n a s i n g l e c o u n t r y , e s p e c i a l l y
a b a c k w a r d o n e , a n d t h a t t h e l e a d e r s o f t h e R u s s i a n r e v -
o l u t i o n t h o u g h t o f i t o n l y a s a f u s e t o r e v o l u t i o n i n m o r e
a d v a n c e d c o u n t r i e s . H e e x p l a i n s t h e a b s e n c e o f e v e n a
" h i n t o f s o c i a l i s m " i n R u s s i a a s d u e t o h e r b a c k w a r d
economy, low industrialization, low productivity of
l a b o r , l a c k o f e n o u g h g o o d s t o g o a r o u n d , s u r v i v a l o f
" p e t t y b o u r g e o i s p s y c h o l o g y , " e t c . , t o g e t h e r w i t h t h e
p r e s s u r e o f w o r l d i m p e r i a l i s m . He has very solemnly
a s s u r e d u s ( i n a n a r t i c l e i n L i b e r t y ) t h a t i n A m e r i c a ,
because of her high industrial development, "commu-
n i s m , f a r f r o m b e i n g a n i n t o l e r a b l e b u r e a u c r a t i c t y r a n n y
and individual regimentation, will be the means of
g r e a t e r i n d i v i d u a l l i b e r t y a n d s h a r e d a b u n d a n c e . . .
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DEFECTIVE BLUE-PRINTS 1 8 5
C o n t r o l o v e r individual consumption-whether by
m o n e y o r a d m i n i s t r a t i o n - w i l l n o l o n g e r b e n e c e s s a r y
w h e n t h e r e i s m o r e t h a n e n o u g h o f e v e r y t h i n g f o r e v e r y -
body . " C o m i n g f r o m a l e a d e r o f t h e r e v o l u t i o n , t h e s e
s t a t e m e n t s a r e i m p r e s s i v e , a n d I t h i n k T r o t s k y ' s M a r x -
i a n a n a l y s i s o f t h e S o v i e t s o c i e t y i n The Revolution
B e t r a y e d i s a p r o d i g i o u s f e a t o f i n t e l l e c t . The amount
o f f r e e a n d f l u i d j u d g m e n t h e a c h i e v e s w i t h i n t h e f r a m e -
w o r k o f a r a t i o n a l i s t i c m e t a p h y s i c s i s a m a z i n g - a t r i b u t e
t o h i s d e x t e r i t y a n d t h e i n g e n u i t y o f o l d H e g e l . H i s s u s -
t a i n e d s e n s e o f h u m a n s o c i e t y a s a p r o c e s s r a t h e r t h a n a
t h i n g - t h e r e a l w i s d o m c o n c e a l e d u n d e r t h e c a n t a b o u t
" d i a l e c t i c " - i s a l s o a d m i r a b l e . I f i n d m u c h t r u t h t o o i n
h i s c o n c r e t e d e m o n s t r a t i o n o f t h e r e s u l t s o f R u s s i a ' s
b a c k w a r d n e s s . T h e i d e a o f c a p i t a l i s t e n c i r c l e m e n t a n d
t h e w a r d a n g e r , u s e d b y S t a l i n i s t s t o " b l a c k m a i l t h e
i n t e l l e c t u a l s a n d k e e p d o w n t h e w o r k e r s , " a s J a m e s T .
F a r r e l l t r u l y s a y s , i s u s e d b y T r o t s k y w i t h h o n e s t y a n d
a t r u e s e n s e o f i t s s i g n i f i c a n c e .
A s t o h i s e s s e n t i a l t h e s i s a b o u t R u s s i a , h o w e v e r , I
remain unconvinced . I t i s a n e x a g g e r a t i o n , i n t h e f i r s t
p l a c e , t o s a y t h a t t h e R u s s i a n r e v o l u t i o n w a s a l w a y s
t h o u g h t o f b y i t s l e a d e r s o n l y a s a n i n i t i a t o r o f w o r l d
r e v o l u t i o n . I n h i s m o s t v i g o r o u s p o l e m i c a g a i n s t t h o s e
w h o m a i n t a i n e d t h a t p r o l e t a r i a n a c t i o n s h o u l d h a v e
b e e n p o s t p o n e d i n O c t o b e r b e c a u s e R u s s i a w a s n o t y e t
" r i p e " f o r s o c i a l i s m , L e n i n n e v e r m e n t i o n s t h e w o r l d
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1 8 6 STALIN'S RUSSIA
r e v o l u t i o n , o r t h e i d e a t h a t s o c i a l i s m i n R u s s i a h a d t o
w a i t u p o n i t . H e s a y s :
"How utterly mechanical is that idea which they
l e a r n e d b y h e a r t d u r i n g t h e d e v e l o p m e n t o f w e s t e r n
E u r o p e a n s o c i a l d e m o c r a c y , t h a t w e i n R u s s i a h a v e n o t
y e t g r o w n u p t o s o c i a l i s m , t h a t w e l a c k - a s v a r i o u s
l e a r n e d g e n t l e m e n a m o n g t h e m e x p r e s s i t - t h e o b j e c t i v e
e c o n o m i c p r e m i s e s f o r s o c i a l i s m . . . .
" I f t h e c r e a t i o n o f s o c i a l i s m d e m a n d s a d e f i n i t e l e v e l
o f c u l t u r e ( a l t h o u g h n o b o d y c a n s a y j u s t e x a c t l y w h a t
t h a t d e f i n i t e l e v e l i s ) t h e n w h y c a n w e n o t b e g i n b y
w i n n i n g w i t h a r e v o l u t i o n t h e p r e m i s e s f o r t h a t d e f i n i t e
l e v e l o f c u l t u r e , a n d t h e n a f t e r w a r d o n t h e b a s i s o f t h e
w o r k e r s ' a n d p e a s a n t s ' p o w e r a n d t h e s o v i e t s t r u c t u r e ,
s e t o u t t o c a t c h u p t o t h e o t h e r p e o p l e s ? . . . "
T r o t s k y i s , o f c o u r s e , w h o l l y r i g h t i n i n s i s t i n g t h a t
L e n i n ' s M a r x i a n p o l i c i e s d e m a n d t h e c o n t i n u e d s u p p o r t
o f w o r l d r e v o l u t i o n . H e i s w r o n g , h o w e v e r , i n m y o p i n -
i o n , w h e n h e i m p l i e s t h a t L e n i n ' s h o p e s w o u l d n o t h a v e
b e e n t r a g i c a l l y d i s a p p o i n t e d b y t h e d e v e l o p m e n t s i n
R u s s i a e v e n a s a n i s o l a t e d p r o l e t a r i a n s t a t e .
I n t h e s e c o n d p l a c e , T r o t s k y o f f e r s n o r e a l p r o o f , e x -
c e p t t h e t e n e t s o f t h e d i a l e c t i c p h i l o s o p h y , t h a t t h e s o l e
d e c i s i v e c a u s e w i t h i n R u s s i a o f t h e f a i l u r e o f s o c i a l i s t
h o p e s i s h e r b a c k w a r d t e c h n i q u e o f p r o d u c t i o n . L i k e a l l
t r u e M a r x i a n s h e b u i l d s t h a t f a c t i n t o , o r u p u n d e r , a l l
t h e f a i l u r e s i n e v e r y p h a s e o f t h e n a t i o n a l l i f e . A n d l i k e
a l l t r u e M a r x i a n s , i n d o i n g t h i s h e i g n o r e s t h e v e r y e x -
i s t e n c e o f t h e h e r e d i t a r y n a t u r e o f m a n . N o i n d e p e n d e n t
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DEFECTIVE BLUE-PRINTS 1 8 7
p s y c h o l o g i c a l o r b i o l o g i c a l p r o b l e m s e x i s t f o r h i m . D e -
v e l o p m e n t s t h a t t o t h e m o s t o r d i n a r y s h r e w d g o o d s e n s e
r e v e a l a c o n f l i c t b e t w e e n M a r x i a n t h e o r y a n d t h e a v e r -
a g e a t t r i b u t e s o f h u m a n n a t u r e , a r e a t t r i b u t e d b y h i m
t o s u r v i v a l s i n a b a c k w a r d c o u n t r y o f a " p e t t y b o u r g e o i s
p s y c h o l o g y . " T h e M a r x i a n r o m a n t i c i d e a l i z a t i o n o f t h e
p r o l e t a r i a t - b a s e d o n n o s t u d y o f i t s c h a r a c t e r , b a s e d
s o l e l y o n i t s m e t a p h y s i c a l p o s i t i o n i n t h e d i a l e c t i c
s c h e m a a s t h e p r o g r e s s i v e f a c t o r i n a n u p w a r d - g o i n g c o n -
t r a d i c t i o n - b e c o m e s a l m o s t a w i l l f u l b l i n d n e s s i n t h i s
book. T h e b o o k i s i n d e e d " s a t u r a t e d " w i t h o p t i m i s m .
T o m y m o r e s k e p t i c a l a n d y e t f a r f r o m p e s s i m i s t i c
m i n d , i t s e e m s o b v i o u s t h a t i f t h e s o c i a l i s t i d e a o f a f r e e
and equal co-operative commonwealth emerging from
t h e d i c t a t o r s h i p o f t h e p r o l e t a r i a t w e r e a p r a c t i c a l o n e
u n d e r a n e c o n o m y o f a b u n d a n c e , w e s h o u l d f i n d u n d e r
a n e c o n o m y o f s c a r c i t y s o m e l a m e a p p r o x i m a t i o n t o i t .
I n s t e a d o f t h e g e r m o f t h e s o c i e t y o f t h e f r e e a n d e q u a l
w e f i n d i n R u s s i a t h e p e r f e c t f r u i t o f t h e t o t a l i t a r i a n
s t a t e . W e f i n d t h a t n a t i o n a l o w n e r s h i p o f a l l w e a l t h -
p r o d u c i n g c a p i t a l m a k e s i t p o s s i b l e f o r a s h r e w d p o l i -
t i c i a n w h o g e t s h o l d o f t h e s t a t e p o w e r t o e x e r c i s e a
m o r e a b s o l u t e t y r a n n y o v e r t h e l i v e s a n d m i n d s o f m e n
t h a n h a s b e e n s e e n b e f o r e . T o t h e p o w e r s o f a n o l d - l i n e
p o l i t i c a l d e s p o t , h e a d d s t h o s e o f a n a p o t h e o s i z e d f a c t o r y
b o s s , a n d t h o s e o f a n a r m e d P o p e , a n a b s o l u t e c e n s o r o f
a l l p r i n t e d o r a u d i b l y s p o k e n w i s h o r o p i n i o n . A n d w e
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188 STALIN'S RUSSIAf i n d t h a t t h i s c o n c e n t r a t e d p o w e r i s u s e d , a s i n d e e d i n
the long run such power must be used, to restore in
d i s g u i s e d f o r m s t h e o l d s y s t e m o f c l a s s e x p l o i t a t i o n .
T h a t , i t s e e m s t o m e , i s a n a l r e a d y o b v i o u s l e s s o n o f t h e
R u s s i a n r e v o l u t i o n .
Y o u c a n o f c o u r s e r e p l y t h a t t h e n e w b u r e a u c r a c y a n d
t h e i r p r i v i l e g e s d e v e l o p e d a s r a p i d l y a s t h e p r o c e s s o f
c o l l e c t i v i z a t i o n , s o t h a t i n r e a l i t y " S o c i a l i s m w a s n e v e r
t r i e d i n R u s s i a . " T h e s a m e t h i n g i s o f t e n s a i d a b o u t
C h r i s t i a n i t y , a n d I s u p p o s e . a l w a y s w i l l b e . T h e r e a r e
p e o p l e w h o s e g r e a t e s t n e e d i n l i f e i s a l o s t c a u s e t o b e -
l i e v e i n . A n d a l o s t c a u s e s u r r o u n d e d b y a n e d i f i c e o f
s c i e n t i f i c a l l y p l a u s i b l e w i s h - f u l f i l l m e n t m e t a p h y s i c s , a
kind of socio-economic Talmud in which to enjoy the
d e l i g h t s o f i n t e l l e c t u a l s u p e r i o r i t y a n d e n d l e s s d i s p u t a -
t i o n , w i l l u n q u e s t i o n a b l y l i v e f o r e v e r . T o a p r a c t i c a l
m i n d , h o w e v e r , t h e f a c t t h a t a f t e r a c o m p l e t e l y s u c c e s s -
f u l r e v o l u t i o n l e d b y e x t r e m e a n d a u d a c i o u s M a r x i s t s ,
i t p r o v e d i m p o s s i b l e t o s h o w a " h i n t " o f t h e a u t h e n t i c
g o a l o f M a r x i s m , c a n o n l y s u g g e s t a d r a s t i c r e c o n s i d e r a -
t i o n - o r r a t h e r , s i n c e t h a t i s t h e l a m e n t a b l e f a c t a b o u t
i t , a b e l a t e d p r e l i m i n a r y c o n s i d e r a t i o n o f t h e g o a l .
REVISIONS OF THE AIMI s a i d t h a t t h e r e i s j u s t a s m u c h u t o p i a n i s m i n M a r x ' s
i d e a l a s i n t h a t o f h i s p r e d e c e s s o r s . I w i l l i l l u s t r a t e i t
w i t h t h e f o l l o w i n g c a s u a l r e m a r k :
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DEFECTIVE BLUE-PRINTS 189
" S o c i a l i s m w i l l a b o l i s h b o t h a r c h i t e c t u r e a n d b a r r o w -
p u s h i n g a s p r o f e s s i o n s , a n d t h e m a n w h o h a s g i v e n h a l f
a n h o u r t o a r c h i t e c t u r e w i l l a l s o p u s h t h e c a r t a l i t t l e
u n t i l h i s w o r k a s a n a r c h i t e c t i s a g a i n i n d e m a n d . I t
w o u l d b e a p r e t t y s o r t o f s o c i a l i s m w h i c h p e r p e t u a t e d
t h e p r o f e s s i o n o f b a r r o w - p u s h i n g . "
Other phrases which reveal the dream Marx had in
m i n d a r e t h e s e :
" L e a p f r o m t h e k i n g d o m o f n e c e s s i t y t o t h e k i n g d o m
of freedom" ; " End of pre-history" and beginning of
truly human history ; D i s a p p e a r a n c e o f " t h e e n s l a v i n g
s u b o r d i n a t i o n o f t h e i n d i v i d u a l u n d e r t h e d i v i s i o n o f
l a b o r " ; D i s a p p e a r a n c e o f " t h e o p p o s i t i o n b e t w e e n m a n -
u a l a n d i n t e l l e c t u a l l a b o r " ; D i s a p p e a r a n c e o f " t h e c o n -
t r a d i c t i o n b e t w e e n c i t y a n d c o u n t r y " ; "Labor becomes
n o t o n l y a m e a n s o f l i f e , b u t t h e h i g h e s t d e s i r e o f l i f e " ;
" F r o m e a c h a c c o r d i n g t o h i s a b i l i t i e s , t o e a c h a c c o r d i n g
t o h i s n e e d s " ; " A n a s s o c i a t i o n w h i c h w i l l e x c l u d e c l a s s e s
and their antagonisms" ; " T h e p r a c t i c a l r e l a t i o n s o f
e v e r y d a y l i f e [ w i l l ] o f f e r t o m a n n o n e b u t p e r f e c t l y i n -
t e l l i g i b l e a n d r e a s o n a b l e r e l a t i o n s t o h i s f e l l o w m e n
a n d t o n a t u r e " ; " I n a s o c i e t y i n w h i c h t h e m o t i v e f o r
s t e a l i n g h a s b e e n d o n e a w a y w i t h . . . t h e t e a c h e r o f
m o r a l s w o u l d b e l a u g h e d a t w h o t r i e d s o l e m n l y t o p r o -
c l a i m t h e e t e r n a l t r u t h : T h o u s h a l t n o t s t e a l ! "
A l l t h e s e a s p i r a t i o n s , n a t u r a l t o a n y o n e i n a m o o d o f
w h o l e s a l e r e v o l t a g a i n s t t h e i r r a t i o n a l i t y a n d m e a n n e s s
of human civilization, were lumped together by the
M a r x i s t s , a n d f o r n o o t h e r r e a s o n b u t t h a t t h e y a r e o b -
viously unattainable under present conditions, were
a s s e r t e d t o b e t h e n e c e s s a r y e n d - p r o d u c t s o f a n e v o l v i n g
8/2/2019 Stalin Russia and the Crisis in Socialism-Max Eastman-1940-281pgs-POL
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190 STALIN ' S RUSSIAt e c h n i q u e o f p r o d u c t i o n . A n d f o r g o o d m e a s u r e M a r x
a d d e d t h e e a r l y C h r i s t i a n o r a n a r c h i s t i d e a o f g e t t i n g
a l o n g w i t h o u t a n y g o v e r n m e n t . I t w a s f i r s t s a i d , I b e -
l i e v e , b y t h e A n a b a p t i s t s i n t h e s i x t e e n t h , a n d t h e
D i g g e r s i n t h e s e v e n t e e n t h c e n t u r y , t h a t i f p r o p e r t y
w e r e h e l d i n c o m m o n , n o g o v e r n m e n t w o u l d b e n e c e s -
s a r y . A n d M a r x , w h i l e t e l l i n g u s w h a t a u n i v e r s e r i s i n g
e t e r n a l l y o f i t s o w n m o t i o n " f r o m t h e l o w e r t o t h e
h i g h e r " m u s t u l t i m a t e l y a r r i v e a t , q u i t e p r o p e r l y t h r e w
i n t h i s h a p p y p r o s p e c t t o o :
" T h e r e w i l l n o l o n g e r b e p o l i t i c a l p o w e r , p r o p e r l y
s p e a k i n g , s i n c e p o l i t i c a l p o w e r i s s i m p l y t h e o f f i c i a l f o r m
o f t h e a n t a g o n i s m i n c i v i l s o c i e t y . "
M o s t o f t h e s e f o r m u l a e , i f s e r i o u s l y c o n s i d e r e d i n t h e
l i g h t o f p r e s e n t - d a y k n o w l e d g e a b o u t h u m a n n a t u r e , c a n
b e t h r o w n o u t o f f h a n d a s f a n t a s t i c . I t h a r d l y r e q u i r e d
t h e f a i l u r e o f t h e R u s s i a n r e v o l u t i o n t o i n f o r m m o d e r n
m i n d s t h a t " l a b o r " w i l l n e v e r b e c o m e , i n t h e m a j o r i t y
o f m a n k i n d , t h e " h i g h e s t d e s i r e o f l i f e " ; t h a t t h e o p p o -
s i t i o n b e t w e e n m a n u a l a n d i n t e l l e c t u a l l a b o r w i l l n e v e r
d i s a p p e a r , n o r t h a t b e t w e e n c i t y a n d c o u n t r y ; t h a t n o
a m o u n t o f c o l l e c t i v i z a t i o n c a n r e m o v e t h e d i v i s i o n o f
l a b o r o r t h e s u b o r d i n a t i o n o f t h e i n d i v i d u a l e n t a i l e d
b y i t ; t h a t t h e s l o g a n " f r o m e a c h a c c o r d i n g t o h i s a b i l i -
t i e s , t o e a c h a c c o r d i n g t o h i s n e e d s " i s a l m o s t a s u t o p i a n
as the Golden Rule ; t h a t t h e c o n c e p t i o n o f a " l e a p
from the Kingdom of Necessity to th e Kingdom of
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DEFECTIVE BLUE-PRINTS 1 9 1
F r e e d o m " i s b u t a t r a n s l a t i o n i n t o t h i s - w o r l d l y t e r m s
o f t h e C h r i s t i a n m y t h o f t h e r e s u r r e c t i o n ; t h a t t h e
d r e a m o f m a n ' s h a v i n g n o n e b u t " p e r f e c t l y i n t e l l i g i b l e
a n d r e a s o n a b l e r e l a t i o n s t o h i s f e l l o w m e n a n d t o n a -
t u r e " i s a l s o n o t o f t h i s w o r l d . A n d i f t h e r e i s a m o r e
p r e p o s t e r o u s n o t i o n i n t h e h i s t o r y o f r e l i g i o n t h a n
t h a t o f t h e " s c i e n t i f i c s o c i a l i s t s " t h a t w h e n t h e g i g a n t i c
m e c h a n i s m o f a c o n c e n t r a t e d c a p i t a l i s t i n d u s t r y i s t a k e n
o v e r b y a p r o l e t a r i a n s t a t e , a n d t h e a t t e m p t m a d e t o
o p e r a t e i t o n a b a s i s o f r e v o l u t i o n a r y j u s t i c e , t h e s t a t e
w i l l i m m e d i a t e l y b e g i n t o " d i e a w a y , " I d o n o t k n o w
w h e r e i t i s t o b e f o u n d . I t w a s o n l y b y n o t t h i n k i n g
a b o u t t h e s e t h i n g s t h a t s h r e w d a n d h a r d - h e a d e d r e a l i s t s
l i k e M a r x a n d L e n i n m a n a g e d t o b e l i e v e t h a t t h e y b e -
l i e v e d i n t h e m .
O u r f i r s t s t e p , t h e n , m u s t b e t o e l i m i n a t e f r o m o u r
c o n c e p t i o n o f t h e f u t u r e s o c i e t y a l l t h o s e e l e m e n t s w h i c h
r e q u i r e a b e l i e f i n m i r a c l e s , w h e t h e r a t t h e h a n d s o f t h e
D i v i n e S p i r i t o r t h e T e c h n i q u e o f P r o d u c t i o n . A f t e r
t h a t i s d o n e , w e s h a l l s t i l l f i n d t h a t w e h a v e i n h a n d a
p e r f e c t l y t h o u g h t l e s s c o m b i n a t i o n o f t w o o p p o s i n g p o -
l i t i c a l p r i n c i p l e s w h i c h , i f p u s h e d t o a n e x t r e m e , a r e i n -
c o m p a t i b l e . A n d w e s h a l l f i n d t h a t t h e y a r e n o t o n l y
p u s h e d t o a n e x t r e m e b y M a r x i s t s , b u t p u s h e d t o t h e
a b s o l u t e . T h e J e f f e r s o n i a n i d e a l o f f r e e d o m a n d r a n k
i n d i v i d u a l i s m a n d a s l i t t l e g o v e r n m e n t a s p o s s i b l e a r o s e
i n , a n d a c c o r d i n g t o M a r x ' s o w n w a y s o f t h i n k i n g m i g h t
8/2/2019 Stalin Russia and the Crisis in Socialism-Max Eastman-1940-281pgs-POL
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1 9 2 STALIN'S RUSSIAs e e m p r o p e r l y t o b e l o n g t o , a n a g r a r i a n s o c i e t y w i t h o u t
h i g h l y d e v e l o p e d i n d u s t r i e s o r b i g c i t i e s . T h e d e v e l o p -
m e n t o f t h e s e c i t i e s a n d i n d u s t r i e s h a s , a t a n y r a t e , s t e a d -
i l y f o r c e d t h i s s y s t e m i n t o t h e b a c k g r o u n d , a n d a d v a n c e d
i n t o i t s p l a c e a s y s t e m w h i c h s t r e s s e s i n s t e a d c o - o p e r a -
t i v e n e s s , a n d g o v e r n m e n t a l r e g u l a t i o n f o r t h e g o o d o f
a l l . M a r x i s m i g n o r e s t h i s v i t a l c o n t r a s t a n d t h i s m o -
mentous change, one of the most momentous in the
h i s t o r y o f p o l i t i c a l t h o u g h t .
M a r x i s m s i m p l y t o s s e s i n t o i t s p o t a t t h e e n d o f t h e
r a i n b o w o f f u t u r e h i s t o r y a l l t h e i d e a l s i n b o t h s y s t e m s .
A n d a s t h o u g h t h a t w e r e n o t u t o p i a n e n o u g h , i t d e c r e e s
t h a t e a c h a n d a l l a r e d e s t i n e d t o b e r e a l i z e d i n a s e x -
treme a form as they can be conceived . Je f f e r s o n ' s
s h r e w d a n d s k e p t i c a l i d e a l o f v e r y l i t t l e g o v e r n m e n t b e -
c o m e s i n M a r x ' s b e l i e v i n g m i n d t h e t o t a l d i s a p p e a r a n c e
o f t h e s t a t e . T h e h e a l t h y n o t i o n s u p p o r t e d b y L i n c o l n
t h a t a m a n i s e n t i t l e d t o t h e p r o d u c t o f h i s l a b o r i s d i s -
m i s s e d b y M a r x a s " b o u r g e o i s . " I n t h e s o c i e t y t o w h i c h
t h e d i c t a t o r s h i p o f t h e p r o l e t a r i a t i n e v i t a b l y c o n d u c t s ,
h i s d i a l e c t i c f a i t h a s s u r e s u s , m e n w i l l n o t r e c e i v e a c c o r d -
i n g t o t h e i r l a b o r , b u t a c c o r d i n g t o t h e i r n e e d s . I n m y
o p i n i o n a n y o n e w h o , c o n t e m p l a t i n g t h e r e s u l t s o f t h e
R u s s i a n r e v o l u t i o n , c a n s t i l l d w e l l b e l i e v i n g l y i n t h e s e
m y t h s o f t h e a b s o l u t e i d e a l , i s u n w i l l i n g t o l e a r n a n d
u n f i t t o t e a c h . I t i s n o t a m a t t e r f o r e m o t i o n , w h e t h e r
o f l o y a l t y o r d e s p a i r . I t i s n o t a q u e s t i o n , a s T r o t s k y
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DEFECTIVE BLUE-PRINTS 1 9 3
t h i n k s , o f " b e i n g f r i g h t e n e d b y d e f e a t , " o r " h o l d i n g
o n e ' s p o s i t i o n . " I t i s a q u e s t i o n o f m o v i n g f o r w a r d o r
b e i n g s t u c k i n t h e m u d . N o m i n d n o t b o l d e n o u g h t o
r e c o n s i d e r t h e s o c i a l i s t h y p o t h e s i s i n t h e l i g h t o f t h e
R u s s i a n e x p e r i m e n t c a n b e c a l l e d i n t e l l i g e n t .
R u s s i a ' s p o l i t i c a l i d e a l s , d u r i n g h e r t e n y e a r s o f v i o -
l e n t i n d u s t r i a l i z a t i o n , h a v e p a s s e d i n f e v e r e d f o r m
t h r o u g h t h e v e r y d e v e l o p m e n t u p o n w h i c h o u r s s p e n t a
c e n t u r y . T h e f r e e d o m - i n d i v i d u a l i t y - a n d - l e s s - g o v e r n m e n t
e l e m e n t h a s b e e n f o r g o t t e n , o r d e l i b e r a t e l y w i t h d r a w n
f r o m c i r c u l a t i o n , a n d t h e c o - o p e r a t i o n - a n d - s t a t e - r e g u l a -
t i o n e l e m e n t t e n d s t o b e p r e s e n t e d a s t h o u g h i t w e r e
the single aim for which the revolution had been
f o u g h t . L e n i n ' s w r i t i n g s i n t h e m o n t h s p r e c e d i n g t h e
O c t o b e r r e v o l u t i o n w e r e f i l l e d , a s w e h a v e s e e n , w i t h
s u c h e x p r e s s i o n s a s t h e s e :
"One must b u i l d d e m o c r a c y d i r e c t l y , f r o m t h e b o t -
t o m , o n t h e i n i t i a t i v e o f t h e m a s s e s t h e m s e l v e s , a n d w i t h
t h e i r a c t i v e p a r t i c i p a t i o n i n t h e e n t i r e l i f e o f t h e s t a t e ,
w i t h o u t ` s u p e r v i s i o n ' f r o m a b o v e , w i t h o u t o f f i c i a l -
dom . . . . " " A b o l i s h t h e p o l i c e , t h e b u r e a u c r a c y a n d
t h e s t a n d i n g a r m y . C r e a t e a m i l i t i a c o n s i s t i n g o f t h e
w h o l e p e o p l e , w o m e n i n c l u d e d , g e n e r a l l y a n d u n i v e r -
s a l l y a r m e d . T h i s i s t h e p r a c t i c a l b u s i n e s s w h i c h s h o u l d
b e l a u n c h e d w i t h o u t d e l a y . T h e m o r e i n i t i a t i v e , v a r i e t y ,
d a r i n g , c r e a t i v e n e s s a r e b r o u g h t i n t o p l a y b y t h e m a s s e s ,
t h e b e t t e r . "
O n l y a f e w y e a r s a f t e r t h o s e l i n e s w e r e w r i t t e n , M r .
Rene Fulop M i l l e r w a s a b l e w i t h b u t h i s u s u a l e x a g g e r a -
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194 STALIN ' S RUSSIAt i o n t o a t t r i b u t e t o B o l s h e v i k s a s s u c h a b e l i e f t h a t " t h e
c o l l e c t i v e - i m p e r s o n a l i s a l o n e r e a l a n d t h e s e p a r a t e e x -
i s t e n c e o f t h e s i n g l e i n d i v i d u a l i s a n i l l u s i o n , " a n d t h e
i n t e n t i o n t o " c o n f i s c a t e h u m a n d i g n i t y " a n d " t u r n a l l
f r e e r e a s o n a b l e b e i n g s i n t o a h o r d e o f w i l l - l e s s a u t o m a -
t o n s . " A n d w i t h t h e a c h i e v e m e n t o f " c o m p l e t e c o l l e c t i -
v i z a t i o n , " M r . Fulop M i l l e r ' s h o r r o r s t o r y h a s c o m e
a l m o s t t r u e . T h e f r e e d o m - a n d - i n d i v i d u a l i t y p a r t o f t h e
s o c i a l i s t i d e a l h a s s o c o m p l e t e l y d r o p p e d f r o m v i e w t h a t
e v e n a t r a n s p l a n t e d A m e r i c a n l i k e A n n a L o u i s e S t r o n g
c a n s o l e m n l y r e p r o a c h m e t h a t I f a i l t o u n d e r s t a n d w h a t
i s g o i n g o n i n R u s s i a b e c a u s e I h a v e n o t l e a r n e d t h e a r t
o f " c o l l e c t i v e t h i n k i n g . "
O n e o f t h e f i r s t p r o b l e m s f o r a n e w a n d m o r e s c i e n -
t i f i c s o c i a l m o v e m e n t i s t o e f f e c t a n a d j u s t m e n t b e t w e e n
t h e s e t w o c o n f l i c t i n g p a r t s o f t h e s o c i a l i s t i d e a l . I t
m i g h t h a v e b e e n d e d u c e d b y a p r o c e s s o f m e d i t a t i o n , i f
a n y b o d y h a d d o n e a n y m e d i t a t i n g o n t h e s e s u b j e c t s , t h a t
t h e c o n c e p t o f e x t r e m e i n d i v i d u a l i s m i s i n c o n f l i c t w i t h
t h a t o f e x t r e m e c o - o p e r a t i v e n e s s . T h e R u s s i a n e x p e r i -
m e n t p r o v o k e s t h e f u r t h e r q u e r y : T o w h a t e x t e n t i s
t h e p r i n c i p l e o f e q u a l i t y , v i g o r o u s l y a p p l i e d , i n c o m p a t -
i b l e w i t h a v i g o r o u s a s s e r t i o n o f p e r s o n a l f r e e d o m ? T h e
r e s u r r e c t i o n o f t h e d e a t h p e n a l t y f o r t h e f t a f t e r a l l
w e a l t h - p r o d u c i n g p r o p e r t y h a s b e e n " s o c i a l i z e d " m u s t
i n d u c e s o m e r e f l e c t i o n , i t s e e m s t o m e , b e y o n d t h e r e -
m a r k t h a t R u s s i a ' s w e a l t h p r o d u c t i o n i s n o t h i g h . I t
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DEFECTIVE BLUE-PRINTS 1 9 5
m i g h t w e l l s e r v e a s a s y m b o l o f t h e t h i n k i n g s o c i a l i s t s
h a v e s t i l l t o d o .
I f l i f e i s t o h a v e d i g n i t y a n d r i c h n e s s , t h e p r i n c i p l e s
o f f r e e d o m a n d i n d i v i d u a l i s m m u s t b e s a c r e d l y p r e -
s e r v e d . T h a t t h e y a r o s e i n a p r e - i n d u s t r i a l e r a , a n d w i l l
b e d i f f i c u l t t o c h e r i s h i n a n i n d u s t r i a l o n e , o n l y m a k e s
t h i s i s s u e t h e m o r e p r e s s i n g . B u t i f l i f e i s t o f l o u r i s h i n
a n a g e o f m a c h i n e r y a n d m a s s p r o d u c t i o n , t h e r e m u s t
a l s o b e a n e w c o - o p e r a t i v e n e s s , o n e i n v o l v i n g a n e w d e -
g r e e o f d i s c i p l i n e a n d s u b o r d i n a t i o n t o t h e c o l l e c t i v e
p u r p o s e , a n d t o t h a t e n d m o r e s t a t e c o n t r o l t h a n w o u l d
h a v e b e e n g o o d s e n s e i n t h e t i m e o f J e f f e r s o n .
O n e c a n n o t , o f c o u r s e , r e v i s e h i s a i m c o m p l e t e l y i n
i n d e p e n d e n c e o f h i s d e f i n i t i o n o f t h e c o n d i t i o n i n g f a c t s ,
o r h i s p r o g r a m o f a c t i o n . T e n t a t i v e l y , h o w e v e r , w e
m i g h t s u m u p o u r r e v i s i o n o f t h e s o c i a l i s t i d e a l i n t h e
l i g h t o f s c i e n c e a n d t h e R u s s i a n e x p e r i m e n t a s f o l l o w s :
1 . I n s t e a d o f b e i n g a t t r i b u t e d a s a n e n d - t e r m t o a n
o m n i p o t e n t p r o c e s s o f h i s t o r i c e v o l u t i o n , t h e i d e a l
s h o u l d b e r e g a r d e d a s a p u r p o s e i n t h e m i n d s o f t h o s e
w h o s t r i v e t o r e a c h i t .
2 . P r o b l e m s o f b e i n g a n d o f u n i v e r s a l h i s t o r y a r i s i n g
f r o m t h i s s i t u a t i o n s h o u l d b e a c k n o w l e d g e d t o e x i s t , b u t
n o t s o l v e d b y t h e d e v i c e o f p r e t e n d i n g t o k n o w w h a t i s
not known .
3 . T h e v a r i o u s c o m p o n e n t s o f t h e i d e a l s h o u l d b e
a n a l y z e d a n d c o n s i d e r e d s e p a r a t e l y .
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196 STALIN' S RU SSIA
4 . T h o s e o b v i o u s l y f a n t a s t i c i n t h e l i g h t o f m o d e r n
b i o l o g i c a l a n d p s y c h o l o g i c a l k n o w l e d g e , t o s a y n o t h i n g
o f m o d e r n c o m m o n s e n s e , s h o u l d b e t h r o w n o u t .
5 . N o n e o f t h o s e r e m a i n i n g s h o u l d b e c o n c e i v e d a s
a b s o l u t e .
6 . T h e i n c o m p a t i b i l i t y b e t w e e n t h e l i b e r t y - i n d i v i d u -
a l i t y p r i n c i p l e a n d t h e c o l l e c t i v e c o - o p e r a t i o n p r i n c i p l e
s h o u l d b e a d j u s t e d , w h e r e n e c e s s a r y , b y m u t u a l c o n c e s -
s i o n s .
7 . W e m u s t s u r r e n d e r t o c o - o p e r a t i o n , a n d t h e a t t e n d -
i n g s t a t e c o n t r o l , a s m u c h o f o u r i n d i v i d u a l f r e e d o m a s
i s i n d i s p e n s a b l y n e c e s s a r y t o t h e o p e r a t i o n o f a c o m p l i -
c a t e d w e a l t h - p r o d u c i n g m a c h i n e r y .
8 . W e m u s t g u a r d w i t h e t e r n a l v i g i l a n c e t h e r e s t .
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1 0
TRUTH IN THE MARXIAN WORLD-VIEW
ALTHOUGH M a r x f e l l s h o r t o f s c i e n c e , a n d e v e n o f p r a c -
t i c a l g o o d s e n s e , i n f a i l i n g t o d e f i n e h i s a i m , h e d i d m a k e
a n e l a b o r a t e e x a m i n a t i o n o f e x i s t i n g f a c t s a n d o f t h e
d e v e l o p m e n t s t h a t l e d u p t o t h e m . I n t h i s p a r t o f h i s
s y s t e m - t h e t h e o r y o f h i s t o r y , I m e a n , a n d t h e a n a l y s i s
o f c a p i t a l i s m - h e m a d e i n d u b i t a b l e c o n t r i b u t i o n s t o s c i -
e n c e . H e m a d e d i s c o v e r i e s a n d u n c o v e r e d p o i n t s o f v i e w
t h a t a m o r e m a t u r e e f f o r t t o c h a n g e t h e s o c i a l s y s t e m
w i l l h a v e t o c l i n g t o . I t i s i m p o r t a n t t o s i f t t h e m o u t
f r o m w h a t h e f e l t o b l i g e d t o r e a d i n t o h i s t o r y a n d t h e
c a p i t a l i s t s y s t e m i n a c c o r d a n c e w i t h t h e d i c t a t e s o f h i s
p h i l o s o p h y .
I f y o u s a y t h a t M a r x f i r s t r e a l i z e d t h e m a j o r r o l e
p l a y e d i n h i s t o r y b y t h e d e v e l o p i n g t e c h n i q u e o f p r o -
d u c t i o n , y o u w i l l b e w h o l l y r i g h t . A n d t h a t d i s c o v e r y
w a s m o m e n t o u s e n o u g h t o i n s t i t u t e a n e p o c h i n h i s t o r i -
ography, and place Marx among the immortals . B u t
M a r x w a s n o t c o n t e n t t o s a y t h a t , a n d n e i t h e r a r e t h e
1 9 7
8/2/2019 Stalin Russia and the Crisis in Socialism-Max Eastman-1940-281pgs-POL
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1 9 8 STALIN'S RU SSIA
Marxians . T h e y s a y t h a t t h e c o u r s e o f h u m a n h i s t o r y
i s " d e t e r m i n e d b y " t h e d e v e l o p i n g t e c h n i q u e o f p r o d u c -
t i o n . A n d i f y o u a s k t h e m : " What do you mean? Do
n o t i d e a s a n d p o l i t i c a l i n s t i t u t i o n s h a v e a n y t h i n g t o d o
w i t h i t ? " t h e y s a y : " O h y e s , t h e y h a v e a r e t r o a c t i v e i n -
f l u e n c e , b u t t h e y t h e m s e l v e s a r e t h e r e s u l t s o f e c o n o m i c
f a c t o r s , w h i c h a r e t h u s t h e u l t i m a t e c a u s e s . " O r t h e y
s a y : " O h y e s , i d e a s a n d i n s t i t u t i o n s m a y a c c e l e r a t e t h e
h i s t o r i c p r o c e s s , b u t t h e y c a n n o t a f f e c t i t s c o u r s e . " O r
t h e y s a y : " O h y e s , i d e a s a n d i n s t i t u t i o n s m a y d e t e r m i n e
t h e c o u r s e b y w h i c h h i s t o r y a r r i v e s a t i t s g o a l , b u t t h e y
c a n n o t d e t e r m i n e t h e g o a l . " O r t h e y s a y : " O h y e s , i d e a s
a n d i n s t i t u t i o n s m a y h a v e a n i n f l u e n c e , b u t i n t h e l o n g
r un t h e e c o n o m i c f o r c e s p r e v a i l . " A l l o f w h i c h i s , o f
c o u r s e , p u r e t h e o l o g i c a l b o l o n e y . I d e a s a r e j u s t a s m u c h
t h e c a u s e a s t h e r e s u l t o f c h a n g e s i n t h e t e c h n i q u e o f
p r o d u c t i o n ; y o u c a n n o t a c c e l e r a t e a c o m p l i c a t e d p r o c e s s
w i t h o u t c h a n g i n g i t ; i f y o u c h a n g e t h e c o u r s e b y w h i c h
h i s t o r y t r a v e l s , y o u h a v e c h a n g e d h i s t o r y , f o r h i s t o r y h a s
n o " g o a l . " A s f o r " t h e l o n g r u n , " i t h a s n o m e a n i n g -
a l l h i s t o r y i s a l o n g r u n .
T h e r e a s o n w h y t h i s t a n g l e o f c a s u i s t r i e s h a s a r i s e n -
a n d y o u c o u l d f i l l a f i v e - f o o t s h e l f w i t h i t - i s t h a t M a r x
i s t r y i n g t o p r o v e t h a t h u m a n s o c i e t i e s , l i k e e v e r y o t h e r
e s s e n t i a l r e a l i t y i n a d i a l e c t i c u n i v e r s e , a r e e v o l v i n g
" f r o m t h e l o w e r t o t h e h i g h e r , " a n d t h a t t h e d e v e l o p -
i n g t e c h n i q u e o r " f o r c e s " o f p r o d u c t i o n c a n b e r e l i e d
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THE MARXIAN WORLD-VIEW 199
o n t o c a r r y a n y a n d a l l h u m a n s o c i e t i e s f r o m s a v a g e r y ,
t h r o u g h b a r b a r i s m , f e u d a l i s m , c a p i t a l i s m , t o t h e c o -
operative commonwealth .
M a r x g a v e p l a u s i b i l i t y t o h i s f a i t h i n t h e s e " m a t e r i a l
f o r c e s , " j u s t a s H e g e l h a d h i s f a i t h i n t h e D i v i n e S p i r i t ,
b y m a k i n g t h e i r c o n t r o l i m m a n e n t i n t h e a c t i v i t i e s o f
m e n , n o t t r a n s c e n d e n t o f t h e m .
" H i s t o r y , " h e s a y s , " i s n o t h i n g b u t t h e a c t i v i t y o f
m a n i n p u r s u i t o f h i s e n d s . "
W h i c h s o u n d s e n t i r e l y m a t t e r - o f - f a c t a n d s c i e n t i f i c -
b u t t o t h a t h e a d d s :
" M a n m a k e s h i s o w n h i s t o r y , b u t h e d o e s n o t m a k e i t
o u t o f t h e w h o l e c l o t h ; h e d o e s n o t m a k e i t o u t o f c o n -
d i t i o n s c h o s e n b y h i m s e l f , b u t o u t o f s u c h a s h e f i n d s a t
hand . "
A n d t o t h a t a g a i n :
" B y v i r t u e o f t h e s i m p l e f a c t t h a t e v e r y g e n e r a t i o n
f i n d s a t h a n d t h e f o r c e s o f p r o d u c t i o n a c q u i r e d b y a n
e a r l i e r g e n e r a t i o n . . . t h e r e a r i s e s a c o n n e c t i o n i n h u -
m a n h i s t o r y , a n d t h e h i s t o r y o f m a n k i n d t a k e s f o r m
a n d s h a p e . "
A n d t o t h a t f i n a l l y :
" I h a v e a d d e d a s a n e w c o n t r i b u t i o n t h e f o l l o w i n g
p r o p o s i t i o n s : i - T h a t t h e e x i s t e n c e o f c l a s s e s i s bou nd
u p i n c e r t a i n p h a s e s o f m a t e r i a l p r o d u c t i o n ; 2 - t h a t t h e
c l a s s s t r u g g l e l e a d s n e c e s s a r i l y t o t h e d i c t a t o r s h i p o f t h e
p r o l e t a r i a t ; 3 - t h a t t h i s d i c t a t o r s h i p i s b u t a t r a n s i t i o n
t o t h e a b o l i t i o n o f a l l c l a s s e s a n d t h e c r e a t i o n o f a s o -
c i e t y o f t h e f r e e a n d e q u a l . " [ I ta l i c s m i n e . ]
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200 STALIN'S RUSSIAT h u s a l t h o u g h m a n " m a k e s " h i s t o r y , i t s c o n t i n u i t y i s
w r i t t e n b y t h e f o r c e s o f p r o d u c t i o n , a n d i t s " f o r m a n d
shape"-most notably the shape of things to come-
are determined by these forces which man "finds at
hand . " T h a t i s t h e M a r x i a n t h e o r y o f h i s t o r y s e t f o r t h
b y M a r x h i m s e l f - i n q u o t a t i o n s a s s e m b l e d , t o b e s u r e ,
f r o m v a r i o u s p l a c e s . I t m a y b e s u m m a r i z e d t h u s :
Men make their own history, but they make it in
m a t e r i a l c o n d i t i o n s t h a t a r e c o n t i n u a l l y g i v e n i n a d -
vance ; c l a s s r e l a t i o n s i n h e r e i n t h e s e m a t e r i a l c o n d i -
t i o n s ; t h e r e f o r e t h e c l a s s s t r u g g l e , w h i c h i s t h e d i a l e c t i c
e s s e n c e o f " a l l h i s t o r y , " l e a d s , r e g a r d l e s s o f m e n ' s c h o i c e
o r c o n s c i o u s n e s s a l t h o u g h t h r o u g h t h e i r a c t s , t o t h e
c o m m u n i s t s o c i e t y .
T h u s M a r x w a s a b l e t o e n d o r s e w i t h o u t q u a l i f i c a t i o n
a commentator of Das Kapital who wrote :
" M a r x o n l y t r o u b l e s h i m s e l f a b o u t o n e t h i n g ; t o s h o w
b y r i g i d s c i e n t i f i c i n v e s t i g a t i o n , t h e n e c e s s i t y o f s u c c e s -
s i v e d e t e r m i n a t e o r d e r s o f s o c i a l c o n d i t i o n s , a n d t o e s -
t a b l i s h , a s i m p a r t i a l l y a s p o s s i b l e , t h e f a c t s t h a t s e r v e
h i m f o r f u n d a m e n t a l s t a r t i n g p o i n t s . F o r t h i s i t i s q u i t e
e n o u g h , i f h e p r o v e s , a t t h e s a m e t i m e , b o t h t h e n e c e s s i t y
o f t h e p r e s e n t o r d e r o f t h i n g s , a n d t h e n e c e s s i t y o f a n -
o t h e r o r d e r i n t o w h i c h t h e f i r s t m u s t i n e v i t a b l y p a s s
o v e r ; a n d t h i s a l l t h e s a m e , w h e t h e r m e n b e l i e v e o r d o
n o t b e l i e v e i t , w h e t h e r t h e y a r e c o n s c i o u s o r u n c o n -
s c i o u s o f i t . M a r x t r e a t s t h e s o c i a l m o v e m e n t a s a p r o c e s s
o f n a t u r a l h i s t o r y , g o v e r n e d b y l a w s n o t o n l y i n d e p e n d -
e n t o f h u m a n w i l l , c o n s c i o u s n e s s a n d i n t e l l i g e n c e , b u t
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THE MARXIAN WORLD-VIEW 201r a t h e r , o n t h e c o n t r a r y , d e t e r m i n i n g t h a t w i l l , c o n -
s c i o u s n e s s a n d i n t e l l i g e n c e. "
I t i s f o l l y t o i g n o r e t h e c r a s s s u p e r s t i t i o n a t t h e h e a r t
o f t h i s t h e o r y . M a r x ' s m u c h - t o u t e d " m a t e r i a l i s m " w a s
n o t a n a d v a n c e f r o m H e g e l ' s r e l i g i o u s m e t a p h y s i c s t o -
w a r d a s c i e n t i f i c e m p i r i c i s m . I t w a s a r e v e r s i o n f r o m t h e
p r i m i t i v e a n i m i s m o f H e g e l t o a f e t i c h i s m t h a t i s s t i l l
m o r e p r i m i t i v e . H e g e l , I m e a n , p u t h i s f a i t h i n a r e a s o n -
a b l e , p u r p o s i v e s p i r i t c o n c e i v e d t o r e s i d e w i t h i n , o r b e
r e v e a l e d b y , t h e s t i c k s a n d s t o n e s o f w h i c h t h e w o r l d
s e e m s t o b e m a d e ; M a r x a t t r i b u t e d h i s r e a s o n a b l e p u r -
p o s e t o t h e s t i c k s a n d s t o n e s . O u t o f t h e i n d u b i t a b l e f a c t
t h a t h i s t o r i c e v o l u t i o n i s conditioned by the raw ma-
t e r i a l s a n d t e c h n i q u e o f p r o d u c t i o n - w h i c h r e a l l y s e t s
s t e r n l i m i t s t o t h e p o s s i b i l i t i e s o f a n e a r t h l y p a r a d i s e -
h e m a n u f a c t u r e d a n o p t i m i s t i c p h i l o s o p h y a c c o r d i n g t o
w h i c h h i s t o r i c e v o l u t i o n i s determi ned b y t h e r a w m a -
t e r i a l s a n d t e c h n i q u e o f p r o d u c t i o n , a n d d e t e r m i n e d i n
s u c h a d i r e c t i o n t h a t a n e a r t h l y p a r a d i s e i s s u r e . *
* I t h a s b e e n a f a s h i o n r e c e n t l y , s e e i n g t h a t M a r x w a s a n a r d e n t
p r o p a g a n d i s t a n d p r e a c h e r o f s t r u g g l e , t o d e n y t h a t h e h e l d t h i s m e t a -
p h y s i c a l b e l i e f . Some people who adore him, or adore the Talmud
t h a t h a s b e e n m a d e o u t o f h i s w r i t i n g s , i n s i s t t h a t h e w a s i n r e a l i t y
a " s c i e n t i f i c p r a g m a t i s t . " M a r x w a s j u s t a s m u c h a p r a g m a t i s t a s h i s
m a s t e r H e g e l w a s , n o m o r e a n d n o l e s s . H e g e l h a d w a y s o f r e c o n c i l i n g
h i s f a i t h i n t h e D i v i n e n e c e s s i t i e s o f h i s t o r y w i t h a g o s p e l o f d u t y
a n d s a c r i f i c e - m o s t e s o t e r i c a m o n g t h e m t h e s o p h i s t i c a l a p h o r i s m
o f S c h e l l i n g t h a t " f r e e d o m i s n e c e s s i t y c o n s c i o u s o f i t s e l f ." Marx
a d d e d n o w o r d o n t h a t h e a d t o w h a t h e h a d l e a r n e d i n t h e H e g e l i a n
s c h o o l .
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2 0 2 STALIN'S RUSSIAA MATTER-OF-FACT INTERP RETATION OF HISTORY
I g o i n t o t h e s e a b s t r u s e m a t t e r s b e c a u s e I t h i n k t h e r e
i s d a n g e r t h a t , i n t h e r e c o i l f r o m t h e R u s s i a n f i a s c o , w e
s h a l l t h r o w o v e r w h a t i s h a r d a n d v a l i d , i n s t e a d o f w h a t
i s s o f t a n d f a l s e , i n t h e M a r x i a n s y s t e m . I t h a s l o n g
b e e n c u s t o m a r y i n s c h o l a r l y d e p r e c a t i o n s o f M a r x i s m
t o s a y t h a t M a r x d i d w e l l t o e m p h a s i z e t h e c o n d i t i o n i n g
i n f l u e n c e o f e c o n o m i c s a n d p r o d u c t i v e t e c h n i q u e , b u t
t h a t h e o v e r e m p h a s i z e d i t . W i t h t h a t t h e s c h o l a r f e e l s
f r e e t o r e t u r n t o t h e h o r t a t o r y m o d e o f t e a c h i n g h i s t o r y .
M a r x d i d n o t o v e r e m p h a s i z e t h e c o n d i t i o n i n g i n f l u e n c e
o f e c o n o m i c s a n d t e c h n i q u e , h e u n d e r e m p h a s i z e d i t . H e
w a s t o o G e r m a n - p h i l o s o p h i c a l t o c o n f r o n t t h e r e a l i m -
p l i c a t i o n o f i t , t h e l i m i t s t h a t i t p l a c e d u p o n h i s r o m a n -
t i c f a i t h i n a n u n d e f i n e d m i l l e n n i u m .
T o b e l i e v e i n a r e a s o n a b l e a n d h u m a n e i d e a l t o w h i c h
s o c i e t y m a y b e s t e e r e d b y a c o - o p e r a t i v e e f f o r t , a n d y e t
b e l i e v e t h a t a n u n f l i n c h i n g r e c o g n i t i o n o f c o n d i t i o n i n g
f a c t s i s e s s e n t i a l t o t h e s u c c e s s o f t h e e f f o r t , b e g e t s a c o o l -
p u r p o s e d a n d r e l e n t l e s s l y h a r d - v i s i o n e d , b u t n o t b i g -
o t e d , b r u t a l o r c y n i c a l c o n d i t i o n o f m i n d . T o b e l i e v e
t h a t s o c i e t y i s t e n d i n g " b y i t s o w n e c o n o m i c f o r c e s " t o -
w a r d y o u r h u m a n e i d e a l , a n d t h a t a k n o w l e d g e o f t h i s
o b j e c t i v e f a c t i s w h a t p r i m a r i l y d i s t i n g u i s h e s y o u f r o m
y o u r o p p o n e n t s , d o e s b e g e t b i g o t r y , b r u t a l i t y a n d a
p e c u l i a r l y s e r e n e c y n i c i s m . I t e n a b l e s M a r x i a n w r i t e r s
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THE MARXIAN WORLD-VIEW 203t o e n j o y i n t h e n a m e o f s c i e n c e a l l t h e p r i v i l e g e s o f t h e
s e l f - r i g h t e o u s , a n d i n t h e n a m e o f r a t i o n a l u n d e r s t a n d -
i n g , t o i n d u l g e i n p r e j u d i c e d c o n t e m p t . A n d i t e n a b l e s
M a r x i a n s t a t e s m e n t o o u t d o a l l p r i n c e s i n t h e f e r v o r o f
t h e i r M a c h i a v e l l i a n i s m . I t i s a m a i n c a u s e o f t h e u n p a r -
a l l e l e d s a v a g e r y a n d l a r g e - s c a l e h y p o c r i s y o f t h e B o l s h e -
v i k p a r t y i n i t s d e c l i n e - u n p a r a l l e l e d b y a n y t h i n g i n t h e
h i s t o r y o f r e v o l u t i o n s . T h e p o w e r - t h i r s t y p r i m i t i v e b e a s t
i n m a n ' s n a t u r e h a s b u r s t t h r o u g h a n d p o s s e s s e d t h e s e
l a t t e r - d a y B o l s h e v i ks n o t o n l y i n s p i t e o f s o c i a l i s t i d e a l s ,
b u t w i t h t h e h e l p o f t h o s e i d e a l s . F o r i d e a l s i n t h e M a r x -
i a n s y s t e m a r e n o t s t a n d a r d s o f c o n d u c t , n o r e v e n p u r -
p o s e s o f w i l l , b u t " m e n t a l s y m p t o m s " o f a n i m p e n d i n g
m a t e r i a l c h a n g e f o r t h e b e t t e r , o f w h i c h t h e M a r x i s t ' s
k n o w l e d g e i s a b s o l u t e a n d h i s o p p o n e n t ' s i g n o r a n c e
a b y s m a l . The state of mind was epitomized by Bu-
k h a r i n , i n j u s t i f y i n g s o m e p r e l i m i n a r y m a s s a c r e s o f t h e
S t a l i n m a c h i n e : "We must be ruthless because the
s w o r d o f h i s t o r y i s i n o u r h a n d . "
I n r e j e c t i n g t h e n a i v e n o t i o n t h a t t h e m a t e r i a l w o r l d
i s d i a l e c t i c a l l y d e t e r m i n e d f r o m t h e l o w e r t o t h e h i g h e r ,
we must retain the wisdom linked up with it-the
u n r e m i t t i n g a w a r e n e s s o f c h a n g e , a n d v e r y p r o f o u n d
c h a n g e , i n s o c i a l r e l a t i o n s a s h i s t o r y p r o c e e d s . I n r e j e c t -
i n g t h e s u p e r s t i t i o n o f a n i m m a n e n t d e i t y c a l l e d F o r c e s
o f P r o d u c t i o n , w h o i n s o m e m y s t e r i o u s w a y h a s t h e l a s t
w o r d a s t o w h e r e h i s t o r y i s g o i n g , w e m u s t r e t a i n t h e
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204 STALIN'S RUSSIAs t e r n e r t r u t h s t h a t l i e u n d e r t h a t . H i s t o r i c c h a n g e s , p r o -
f o u n d a s t h e y m a y b e , a r e r i g i d l y l i m i t e d a n d c o n d i -
t i o n e d b y e c o n o m i c f a c t o r s , a n d a t t h e b o t t o m b y t h e
r a w m a t e r i a l s a n d d e v e l o p i n g t e c h n i q u e o f p r o d u c t i o n .
T h e y a r e s t i l l f u r t h e r l i m i t e d b y b i o l o g i c a l a n d p s y c h o -
p h y s i o l o g i c a l f a c t o r s w h i c h , a s M a r x q u i t e f a i l e d t o r e a l -
i z e , a r e h e r e d i t a r y a n d t h u s a l s o " f o u n d a t h a n d " b y e a c h
n e w g e n e r a t i o n . F r e d e r i c k E n g e l s - s i g n i f i c a n t l y e n o u g h ,
at the graveside of Marx-summed up most simply this
s u r v i v i n g t r u t h o f M a r x i s m :
"Human beings must have food, drink, clothing and
s h e l t e r f i r s t o f a l l , b e f o r e t h e y c a n i n t e r e s t t h e m s e l v e s i n
p o l i t i c s , s c i e n c e , a r t a n d r e l i g i o n . "
T h e y m u s t h a v e i t , a n d i n t h e a g g r e g a t e , w h e t h e r c o n -
s c i o u s l y o r u n c o n s c i o u s l y , t h e y t e n d t o s e n s e t h i s f a c t
a n d a c t a c c o r d i n g l y . A w i s e h i s t o r i a n w i l l n o t b e d e l u d e d
b y w h a t m e n s a y , o r e v e n t h i n k , w h e r e i t r u n s c o u n t e r
t o t h i s b a s i c t e n d e n c y o f t h e i r a c t i o n s . A s c i e n t i f i c s o c i a l -
i s t w i l l n o t m o v e a g a i n s t t h i s c o n d i t i o n i n g f a c t o r n o r
p r e a c h a g a i n s t i t . Taking man, the wealth-producing
b i o l o g i c a l a n i m a l , a s h e i s , h e w i l l s e e k r a t h e r t o i n f o r m
his mind than to reform his motives . Enlightenment
a n d n o n - s e c t a r i a n o r g a n i z a t i o n w i l l b e t h e b a s i c i n s t r u -
m e n t s , n o t e x h o r t a t i o n a n d c o n v e r s i o n t o a f a i t h . H a r d -
h e a d e d s k e p t i c a l s t u d i o u s m a t t e r - o f - f a c t n e s s w i l l b e t h e
mood. T o c o m b i n e t h a t w i t h i n f l e x i b l e a d h e r e n c e t o a n
i d e a l a i m , i s t h e e s s e n t i a l e t h i c , t h e p r o b l e m i n e q u i -
8/2/2019 Stalin Russia and the Crisis in Socialism-Max Eastman-1940-281pgs-POL
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THE MARXIAN WORLD-VIEW 205l i b r i u m , f o r a l l w h o w a n t t o j o i n h a n d s i n a n e f f e c t i v e
e f f o r t t o w a r d a f r e e r a n d m o r e e q u a l s o c i e t y . T h i s e q u i -
l i b r i u m h a s n o t o f t e n b e e n a t t a i n e d , I t h i n k , o u t s i d e
t h e s o c i a l i s t a n d s y n d i c a l i s t m o v e m e n t s , a n d i t h a s n o t
b e e n a t t a i n e d w i t h i n t h e s e m o v e m e n t s e x c e p t b y a f e w
m i n d s , p r e d o m i n a n t l y L a t i n o r A n g l o - S a x o n , w h o h a v e
i n s t i n c t i v e l y a c c e p t e d t h e h a r d s e n s e a n d r e j e c t e d t h e
r o m a n t i c p h i l o s o p h y i n t h e M a r x i a n s y s t e m .
AN ECONOMICS THAT MEANS BUSINESST h e r e i s a g r e a t d e a l o f h a r d s e n s e i n t h e M a r x i a n
a n a l y s i s o f c a p i t a l i s m . T h e v e r y c o n c e p t o f p r o f o u n d
h i s t o r i c c h a n g e i n e c o n o m i c r e l a t i o n s w h i c h m a k e s t h e
w o r d " c a p i t a l i s m " m e a n s o m u c h t o u s , b y c o n t r a s t b o t h
t o f e u d a l i s m a n d t o s o m e n e w s e t o f r e l a t i o n s c o n c e i v -
a b l e i n t h e f u t u r e , i s d u e t o M a r x . T o h i m a l s o i s d u e
t h e a d e q u a t e r e a l i z a t i o n t h a t i n o n e r e s p e c t e c o n o m i c
r e l a t i o n s d i d n o t c h a n g e w i t h t h e p a s s a g e f r o m f e u d a l i s m
t o c a p i t a l i s m - t h a t i s , t h e e x p l o i t a t i o n o f t h e l a b o r o f a
s u b j e c t c l a s s . H i s d i a l e c t i c p h i l o s o p h y , c o m b i n i n g w i t h
h i s r e v o l u t i o n a r y p a s s i o n , l e d h i m t o s e e l o n g b e f o r e
o t h e r s t h e c r u c i a l p r a c t i c a l f l a w i n o u r w a y o f p r o d u c i n g
a n d d i s t r i b u t i n g w e a l t h . W e a l l d i s c u s s n o w a s o u r c h i e f
p r o b l e m t h a t q u e s t i o n o f g e t t i n g " p u r c h a s i n g p o w e r " -
w h i c h i s M a r x ' s " s u r p l u s v a l u e " - b a c k i n t o t h e h a n d s o f
t h e p r o d u c e r s f r o m w h o m i t i s t a k e n b y t h e o w n e r s o f
t h e i n s t r u m e n t s o f p r o d u c t i o n . W e a l l r e a l i z e t h a t t h i s
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206 STALIN'S RUSSIAp r o b l e m h a s b e e n r e n d e r e d m o r e u r g e n t b y t h e g r a d u a l
d i s a p p e a r a n c e o f f o r e i g n m a r k e t s . W e k n o w t h e r e l a t i o n
between the search for foreign markets and interna-
t i o n a l w a r . We know the special problems created by
t h e c o n c e n t r a t i o n o f o w n e r s h i p i n f e w h a n d s , a n o t h e r
development whose scope and importance were first
grasped by Marx . Y o u m i g h t i n d e e d s a y t h a t M a r x d i s -
c o v e r e d t h e s u b j e c t - m a t t e r o f m o d e r n p o l i t i c a l a n d s o -
c i a l t h o u g h t .
A n o t h e r p r o d i g i o u s t h i n g h e d i d w a s t o b u i l d u p a l l
t h e s e n e w l y d i s c o v e r e d f a c t s , t o g e t h e r w i t h m u c h e l s e ,
i n t o a w o r l d - p h i l o s o p h y f o r p r o l e t a r i a n s . A l m o s t e v e r y
n e w m a j o r d i s c o v e r y o f s c i e n c e - e v e r y n e w l y d i s c o v e r e d
s c i e n c e , a t l e a s t - h a s h a d b u i l t u p o n i t a t o t a l w a y o f
l o o k i n g a t t h e w o r l d . M a r x b u i l t o n e u p o n t h e s c i e n c e
o f e c o n o m i c s . T h e r e s u l t i s a l i t t l e n a i v e a n d i n c o m p l e t e
b y c o m p a r i s o n w i t h t h e g r e a t s y s t e m s o f p h i l o s o p h y , b u t
i t i s a l s o , b y c o m p a r i s o n w i t h t h e m , e m o t i o n a l l y u n i q u e .
T h e v e r y c o n c e p t i o n o f a p h i l o s o p h y f o r t h e l o w e s t c l a s s
- o f p u t t i n g t h e u n i v e r s e , s o t o s p e a k , a t t h e s e r v i c e o f
t h e s l a v e s - i s s o e x h i l a r a t i n g a n e v e n t i n t h e s t u f f y a n d
pompous history of metaphysical speculation that it
g i v e s M a r x ' s n a m e a f l a v o r o f d i s t i n c t i o n l i k e t h a t o f
t h e r e a l l y g r e a t p h i l o s o p h e r s . A l t h o u g h " M a r x i s t s " w i l l
b e t h e l a s t t o a c k n o w l e d g e i t , t h i s a e s t h e t i c a c h i e v e m e n t ,
a s i m p r a c t i c a l a s t h e e r e c t i o n o f a c a t h e d r a l a n d h a v i n g
8/2/2019 Stalin Russia and the Crisis in Socialism-Max Eastman-1940-281pgs-POL
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THE MARXIAN WORLD-VIEW 207a s l i t t l e r e l a t i o n t o t h e p r o g r e s s o f s c i e n c e , w i l l s u r v i v e
a s o n e o f h i s m o s t l a s t i n g m o n u m e n t s i n h i s t o r y .
T h e w o r l d i s f u l l o f m o r e o r l e s s v a l i d c r i t i c i s m s o f
D a s K a p i t a l a s a n i n q u i r y i n t o t h e m e t h o d o f w e a l t h
p r o d u c t i o n p r e v a i l i n g i n o u r m o d e r n e r a , a n d i t s t e n d -
e n c i e s o f d e v e l o p m e n t . B u t f e w e c o n o m i s t s a r e p h i l o -
sophic enough to make the fundamental criticism-
n a m e l y , t h a t Das K a p i t a l i s n o t s u c h a n i n q u i r y , a n d
t h a t n o s u c h i n q u i r y w a s e v e r m a d e b y M a r x . Das Kapi-
t a l i s a n i n v e s t i g a t i o n o f t h e q u e s t i o n : H o w c a n t h e f a c t s
a n d m e t h o d s o f p r o d u c t i o n a n d d i s t r i b u t i o n p r e v a i l i n g
i n o u r e r a b e m a d e t o i l l u s t r a t e a d i a l e c t i c p h i l o s o p h y
a c c o r d i n g t o w h i c h a l l t o t a l i t i e s a r e i n p r o c e s s o f e v o l u -
t i o n t o w a r d h i g h e r f o r m s b y w a y o f i n n e r c o n f l i c t a n d
s e l f - c o n t r a d i c t i o n ? T h e p h i l o s o p h y , a n d i t s a p p l i c a t i o n
t o h i s t o r y a s a w h o l e , h a d b e e n c o m p l e t e l y w o r k e d o u t
a n d f i n i s h e d f i f t e e n y e a r s b e f o r e M a r x p u b l i s h e d t h e
f i r s t v o l u m e o f D a s K a p i t a l , m a n y y e a r s b e f o r e h e e v e r
w e n t t o w o r k o n i t . L e n i n h i m s e l f s a y s t h a t M a r x ' s v i e w s
w e r e m a t u r e i n 1 8 4 4 a n d ' 4 5 . T h e y w e r e m a t u r e t h e o -
r e t i c a l l y t h e n , a n d i n t h e y e a r s i m m e d i a t e l y f o l l o w i n g
t h e y h a d a g o o d p r a c t i c a l a p p l i c a t i o n . T h e c o m m u n i s t s
i n t h e r e v o l u t i o n s o f 1 8 4 8 d i d n o t s t u m b l e o r f a i l
t h r o u g h n e e d o f t h e M a r x i a n a n a l y s i s o f c a p i t a l i s m .
T h e r e i s n o s u c h n e e d . T h e e s s e n t i a l p r a c t i c a l o u t c o m e
o f t h e a n a l y s i s o f c a p i t a l i s m i s k n o w n a s s o o n a s y o u
have read the Communist Manifesto . A l l t h a t i s n o t
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208 STALIN'S RUSSIAk n o w n i s h o w i n g e n i o u s l y i t w i l l b e a r r i v e d a t , w h a t
w e a l t h o f c o n c r e t e f a c t u a l m a t e r i a l w i l l b e w o v e n i n
w i t h i t s d e m o n s t r a t i o n , h o w m a n y i m p o r t a n t l i g h t s w i l l
b e s h e d o n e c o n o m i c p r o b l e m s i n t h e b y - g o i n g . A n e x -
p l o r e r h a s , o f c o u r s e , a r i g h t t o s e t s a i l f r o m w h e r e h e
w i l l , a n d t h e f a c t t h a t M a r x w a s a H e g e l i a n d o e s n o t
i n v a l i d a t e t h e s p e c i f i c d i s c o v e r i e s t h a t h i s m y s t i c w i s h -
f u l f i l l m e n t m e t a p h y s i c s l e d h i m t o m a k e . B u t i t d o e s i n -
v a l i d a t e t h e p r e t e n s e o f t h e w h o l e s y s t e m t o b e e m p i r i -
c a l . I t m a k e s t h e w o r k o f e c o n o m i s t s w h o c r i t i c i z e i t
w i t h o u t r e g a r d t o i t s t r u e n a t u r e i n e f f e c t u a l , a n d a g r e a t
w a s t e o f t i m e . Das Kapital i s a n a t t e m p t t o r e a d a r e v o -
l u t i o n a r y r e l i g i o u s f a i t h i n t h e e c o n o m i c u n d e r - s t r u c -
t u r e o f h i s t o r y a t l a r g e i n t o t h e m o d e o f p r o d u c t i o n p r e -
v a i l i n g i n t h e p r e s e n t p h a s e o f h i s t o r y . I t i s n o t e c o n o m i c
s c i e n c e , b u t e c o n o m i c m e t a p h y s i c s w i t h s o m e s c i e n t i f i c
wisdoms wound up in it .
W h a t I h a v e s a i d , t h e n , a b o u t t h e a n a l y s i s o f h i s t o r y
i n g e n e r a l a p p l i e s t o t h e a n a l y s i s o f c a p i t a l i s m . We have
t o r e j e c t t h e p r e t e n s e o f M a r x t o h a v e p e n e t r a t e d t h e
" o u t w a r d d i s g u i s e s , " c o n s t i t u t e d b y t h e p r i c e s a t w h i c h
t h i n g s a c t u a l l y s e l l o n t h e m a r k e t , " i n t o t h e i n t e r n a l e s -
s e n c e a n d i n n e r f o r m o f t h e c a p i t a l i s t p r o c e s s o f p r o d u c -
t i o n . " T h e r e i s n o s u c h i n t e r n a l e s s e n c e , n o s u c h i n n e r
form ; t h e r e a r e f a c t s a n d v a l i d o r i n v a l i d g e n e r a l i z a -
t i o n s o f t h e m . A n d w e h a v e t o r e j e c t t h e r o m a n t i c p h i l o -
s o p h i c a l n o t i o n o f M a r x t h a t i n p o i n t i n g o u t t h e im-
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THE MARXIAN WORLD-VIEW 209p r a c t i c a l i t i e s o f c a p i t a l i s m w h e n g o o d s b e c o m e a b u n -
d a n t , l a y i n g b a r e a p r o b l e m f o r m a n k i n d t o s o l v e , h e
w a s d i s c o v e r i n g " c o n t r a d i c t i o n s " i n c a p i t a l i s m i n d i c a -
t i v e o f t h e m a n n e r i n w h i c h a u n i v e r s e o b l i g i n g l y i n -
t e r e s t e d i n s u c h c o n t r a d i c t i o n s w a s g o i n g t o s o l v e t h e
problem . B u t i n r e j e c t i n g t h e s e m y s t i c a l a n d s o f t p a r t s
o f t h e M a r x i a n e c o n o m i c s , w e m u s t n o t l e t g o o f i t s g r e a t
i n n o v a t i o n i n t o e c o n o m i c t h i n k i n g , a s e n s e o f t h e p a s t
e x i s t e n c e a n d f u t u r e p o s s i b i l i t y o f p r o f o u n d c h a n g e .
A n d w e m u s t c l i n g t o i t s h a r d - h e a d e d n e s s a b o u t b u s i n e s s
f a c t s , i t s d r i v i n g h o m e o f t h e n e c e s s i t y , b e f o r e w e c a n
b e g i n t o e x p a t i a t e a b o u t c u l t u r a l p r o g r e s s o r e v e n s u r -
v i v a l , o f s o l v i n g t h e b a s i c p r o b l e m w h i c h i t p o s e s .
Note : M y t r e a t m e n t o f M a r x , e s p e c i a l l y i n t h i s c o n -
c l u d i n g s e c t i o n , m u s t n e c e s s a r i l y s e e m c u r s o r y t o h i s s t u -
d i o u s d i s c i p l e s . I h a v e c r i t i c i z e d h i s s y s t e m a t l e n g t h i n
t h e f o l l o w i n g w o r k s : M a r x a n d L e n i n , t h e S c i e n c e o f
Revolution; A r t i s t s i n U n i f o r m , P a r t I I I , r e p r o d u c e d
a l s o i n T h e M a k i n g o f S o c i e t y , a s o c i o l o g i c a l a n t h o l o g y
p u b l i s h e d b y t h e M o d e r n L i b r a r y ; A n I n t r o d u c t i o n t o
C a p i t a l a n d O t h e r W r i t i n g s , a l s o p u b l i s h e d b y t h e M o d -
e r n L i b r a r y ; T h e L a s t S t a n d o f D i a l e c t i c a l M a t e r i a l i s m ,
A Study of Sidney Hook's Marxism ; and The Seed of
the Marxian Phi losophy, a n a r t i c l e p u b l i s h e d i n t h e
N e w I n t e r n a t i o n a l , b u t d e s i g n e d t o r e p l a c e C h a p t e r I I
i n a n e w e d i t i o n of Marx and Lenin t o b e e n t i t l e d
Marxism-Science or Religion?
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1 1
THE ROLE OF PERSONALITIES
THE e s s e n c e o f t h e M a r x i a n p l a n o f a c t i o n i s , o f c o u r s e ,
t h e p r o s e c u t i o n o f t h e w o r k i n g - c l a s s s t r u g g l e . B u t t h e r e
i s a p r e l i m i n a r y p r a c t i c a l q u e s t i o n w h i c h n a g s m a n y o f
u s p r i v a t e l y - t h e q u e s t i o n w h e t h e r l a r g e p e r s o n a l a i m s
a n d d e d i c a t i o n s l i k e t h a t c a l l e d s o c i a l i s m h a v e a n y e f f e c t
a t a l l u p o n t h e h i s t o r i c p r o c e s s . L i k e o t h e r r e l i g i o n s ,
p h i l o s o p h i c M a r x i s m s o l v e d t h i s p r o b l e m b y c o n v i n c -
i n g t h e b e l i e v e r t h a t t h e e x t e r n a l f o r c e s w e r e o n h i s s i d e .
I n a d i a l e c t i c u n i v e r s e t h e p r o c e s s o f h i s t o r y i s i t s e l f r e v -
o l u t i o n a r y ; t o h a v e r e v o l u t i o n a r y a i m s a n d h a v e t r u e
k n o w l e d g e a r e , t h e r e f o r e , t h e s a m e t h i n g . " O u r t h e o r i e s
a r e p r o g r a m s - o f - a c t i o n . " M o r e o v e r , t h e u l t i m a t e s u c c e s s
o f t h e s e p r o g r a m s - o f - a c t i o n i s , f o r t h e t r u e b e l i e v e r ,
" g u a r a n t e e d . " L e n i n i n h i s f i r s t p a m p h l e t , w r i t t e n i n
1 8 9 5 , s h o w e d h o w M a r x h a d s o l v e d t h i s p r o b l e m f o r
him . T h e M a r x i a n i d e a o f t h e h i s t o r i c n e c e s s i t y o f
h i g h e r s o c i a l f o r m s , i n s t e a d o f m a k i n g h i m f e e l i n e f f e c -
t u a l , m a d e h i m f e e l s u r e t h a t h e w a s o n t h e w i n n i n g
s i d e :
2 10
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THE ROLE OF PERSONALITIES 211" T h e i d e a o f h i s t o r i c n e c e s s i t y d o e s n o t i n t h e l e a s t
u n d e r m i n e t h e r o l e o f p e r s o n a l i t i e s i n h i s t o r y ; h i s t o r y i s
a l l c o m p o s e d o f t h e a c t i v i t i e s o f p e r s o n s , w h o a r e i n d u -
b i t a b l e a g e n t s . T h e r e a l q u e s t i o n a r i s i n g i n a n a p p r a i s a l
o f t h e s o c i a l a c t i v i t i e s o f p e r s o n s i s : I n w h a t c o n d i t i o n s
a r e t h e s e a c t i o n s g u a r a n t e e d s u c c e s s ? W h e r e i s t h e g u a r -
a n t e e t h a t t h i s a c t i o n w i l l n o t r e m a i n a s o l i t a r y d e e d
d r o w n e d i n a s e a o f c o n t r a r y a c t i v i t i e s ? "
S c i e n c e k n o w s n o h i s t o r i c n e c e s s i t y o f h i g h e r s o c i a l
f o r m s , a n d t o a n y o n e a b a n d o n i n g m e t a p h y s i c a l s e l f -
d e l u s i o n s , t h i s q u e s t i o n o f t h e r o l e o f p e r s o n s a n d t h e
e f f e c t i ve n e s s o f t h e i r a c t i o n s i s r e o p e n e d . I t i s r e o p e n e d
w i t h s p e c i a l p o i g n a n c y f o r t h o s e w h o s e e t h a t L e n i n
h i m s e l f , a f t e r a d h e r i n g t o a l i n e o f s o c i a l c o n d u c t w i t h
i n f l e x i b l e p a s s i o n a n d f l e x i b l e i n t e l l i g e n c e f o r t h i r t y
y e a r s f r o m t h e d a t e o f t h a t p a m p h l e t , a c h i e v e d w e l l - n i g h
t h e o p p o s i t e r e s u l t f r o m t h a t w h i c h h e t h o u g h t " g u a r a n -
t e e d . " S e t t i n g o u t t o c r e a t e a l a b o r r e p u b l i c i n w h i c h
t h e p r o l e t a r i a t a n d t h e r e w i t h a l l s o c i e t y w o u l d b e f r e e ,
h e b e q u e a t h e d t o h i s t o r y a t o t a l i t a r i a n s t a t e i n w h i c h a l l
s o c i e t y , a n d t h e r e w i t h t h e p r o l e t a r i a t , a r e e n s l a v e d t o a
degr ee unimagined by hi m . He had no better luck
than his opponents who fought a war " to make the
w o r l d s a f e f o r d e m o c r a c y . " H a n n i b a l i n e a r l y y o u t h t o o k
a v o w o f e t e r n a l h o s t i l i t y t o t h e c i t y o f R o m e . H e s t u c k
t o t h a t f o r t h i r t y - o d d y e a r s , a n d h i s b i o g r a p h e r , c o n c l u d -
i n g t h e s t o r y , s a y s :
" T h e b a t t l e o f M a g n e s i a g a v e R o m e t h e d o m i n i o n o f
t h e e a s t e r n M e d i t e r r a n e a n a s t h a t o f Z a m a h a d g i v e n h e r
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212 STALIN'S RUSSIAthe dominion of the western . . . . T h e l i f e ' s w o r k o f
H a n n i b a l w a s o v e r . H e h a d c r e a t e d t h e R o m a n E m p i r e . "
S u c h f a c t s , p r e s s e d h o m e t o t h o u g h t f u l m i n d s i n t h e s e
s a d d a y s , h a v e g i v e n r i s e t o s o m e i n t e r e s t i n g b u t i n c o n -
c l u s i v e b o o k s : Henry DeMan's The Psychology of Social-
ism, Karl Mannheim's Ideology and Utopia, Thurm an
A r n o l d ' s Folklore of Capitalism, C h a r l e s B e a r d ' s The
Discus sion of Human Affair s . T h e y w e r e a n t i c i p a t e d i n
r e v o l u t i o n a r y l i t e r a t u r e b y G e o r g e s S o r e l , w i t h h i s d o c -
t r i n e o f t h e S o c i a l M y t h . In my book Marx and Lenin,
i n w h i c h n o t w i t h s t a n d i n g t h e i r f a l s e b a s e i n m e t a p h y s i c s
I e n d o r s e d L e n i n ' s p o l i c i e s a s a n e s s e n t i a l l y s c i e n t i f i c
s y s t e m o f r e v o l u t i o n a r y e n g i n e e r i n g , I w a s c o r r e s p o n d -
i n g l y i n t o l e r a n t o f S o r e l ' s i d e a t h a t t h e s o c i a l i s t t h e o r i e s
a r e m y t h s r a t h e r t h a n p l a n s , t h a t a r e v o l u t i o n a r y m o v e -
m e n t c a n n o t b e e n g i n e e r e d , t h a t " e v e r y t h i n g i n i t i s u n -
p r e d i c t a b l e . " I w a s i n t o l e r a n t o f D e M a n ' s i d e a t h a t o n e
c o u l d b e a r e v o l u t i o n i s t w i t h o u t b e l i e v i n g i n t h e r e v o l u -
t i o n , t h a t " t h e p r e s e n t m o t i v e , n o t t h e f u t u r e g o a l , i s t h e
s o l e e s s e n t i a l . " I s t i l l t h i n k t h e s e a r e s i c k l y s t a t e s o f
m i n d , a n d t h a t i t w o u l d b e b e t t e r , b o t h f o r t h e r e v o l u -
t i o n a n d f o r t h e p e r s o n a f f l i c t e d w i t h t h e m , i f h e w o u l d
a b a n d o n t h e i d e a l w h i c h h e c o n s i d e r s u t o p i a n , a n d p u r -
s u e s o m e l e s s e r a i m t h a t h e b e l i e v e s c a n b e r e a l i z e d . A s
I have shown in a previous chapter, many elements
o f t h e s o c i a l i s t i d e a l a r e u t o p i a n . They a r e s o c i a l m y t h s
and should be abandoned . B u t e v e n a f t e r t h a t c o r r e c -
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THE ROLE OF PERSONALITIES 213t i o n i s m a d e , t h e r e r e m a i n s a v a s t d i f f e r e n c e b e t w e e n
d e d i c a t i o n t o a n a i m w h i c h i n v o l v e s t h e h i s t o r i c g r o w t h
o f a l l s o c i e t y , a n d a p e r s o n a l e f f o r t t o d o s o m e t h i n g f o r
o n e s e l f o r o n e ' s c o m m u n i t y . T h e d i f f i c u l t y o f p r e d i c t i o n
i s m o r e v a s t ; t h e m e a n s o f c o n t r o l r u n i n t o c o n f l i c t w i t h
t h e a i m ; t h e r e i s g r e a t e r h a z a r d o f p r o v i n g n o t o n l y
f u t i l e , b u t i n s o m e u n f o r e s e e n w a y , a n o b s t a c l e t o o n e ' s
w i s h .
I f i n d m y s e l f , i n v i e w o f t h e s e f a c t s , n o t o n l y u r g i n g
a m o r e c a r e f u l d e f i n i t i o n o f t h e a i m s w e h a v e i n v i e w ,
b u t i n m y o w n m i n d f a l l i n g b a c k u p o n a t h o u g h t w i t h
w h i c h , l o n g b e f o r e t h e R u s s i a n r e v o l u t i o n g a v e s u c h
b o d y t o o u r h o p e s , I e n t e r e d t h e s o c i a l i s t m o v e m e n t :
t h a t t o p a r t i c i p a t e i n a s t r u g g l e f o r t h o s e l a r g e a i m s ,
w h e t h e r t h e y b e a c h i e v e d o r n o t , i s t o l i v e a g o o d l i f e .
I t i s , c e r t a i n l y , n o t g o o d t o s t r u g g l e , a s b o t h S o r e l a n d
D e M a n a d v o c a t e , t o w a r d a i m s w h i c h y o u d o n o t b e l i e v e
c a n b e r e a l i z e d . T h a t m a k e s s p e e c h h o l l o w a n d a c t i o n
weak . T o l e a d o t h e r s i n s u c h a s t r u g g l e s t r i k e s m e a s
demagogic . B u t t o s t r u g g l e t o w a r d a i m s t h a t y o u k n o w
m a y o r m a y n o t b e r e a l i z e d , a n d f i n d a p a r t o f y o u r s a t -
i s f a c t i o n i n t h e s u p e r i o r k e e n n e s s o f a l i f e e d g e d a n d
t e m p e r e d b y s u c h s t r u g g l e , s e e m s a f a i r m i x t u r e o f m o -
t i v e s . I t q u a l i f i e s t h e r a g e o f t h e z e a l o t , b u t q u a l i f i e s i t
w i t h a t i n c t u r e o f p e r s o n a l m o r a l i t y w h i c h i s o f t e n t h e
c h i e f l a c k i n t h o s e w h o c l o s e a l l q u e s t i o n s w i t h a n a c t o f
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214 STALIN'S RUSSIAd o g m a t i c b e l i e f . I t i s t h e o n l y s o l u t i o n I c a n o f f e r o f
t h e f i r s t p r o b l e m t o a r i s e i n t h e m i n d s o f r e v o l u t i o n i s t s
f r e e d o f t h e M a r x i a n d e l u s i o n , a n d a w a r e a l s o o f t h e
c o l o s s a l f a i l u r e o f L e n i n ' s B o l s h e v i k p a r t y .
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1 2
THE DOCTRINE OF CLASSSTRUGGLE
A MORE u r g e n t p r o b l e m i s a s t o t h e p l a c e a s c i e n t i f i c
m o v e m e n t w o u l d a c c o r d t o t h e M a r x i a n g u i d i n g p r i n -
c i p l e o f c l a s s s t r u g g l e . T o M a r x t h e c l a s s s t r u g g l e w a s
n o t m e r e l y a f a c t , a n d i t s p r o s e c u t i o n a m e t h o d o f p r o g -
r e s s t o w a r d s o c i a l i s m . I t w a s t h e " i n n e r e s s e n c e " o f a l l
h i s t o r y , t h e m y s t i c p r i n c i p l e o f d i a l e c t i c e v o l u t i o n a s i t
a p p e a r s i n t h e t o t a l i t y c a l l e d s o c i e t y . A l l h u m a n a c t i v i -
t i e s , e v e n t h e s c i e n c e o f h i s t o r y i t s e l f , w e r e t o K a r l M a r x
c l a s s a c t i v i t i e s . H i s o w n b i g w o r k , D a s K a p i t a l , w a s n o t
o b j e c t i v e s c i e n c e , b u t a r e v o l u t i o n a r y a c t o f " c r i t i c i s m "
w i t h a w o r k i n g - c l a s s b i a s . I t w a s " t r u e r " t h a n t h e b o u r -
g e o i s e c o n o m i c s o n l y a s t h e w o r k i n g c l a s s w a s t h e p r o -
g r e s s i v e c l a s s , t h e c l a s s d e s t i n e d i n t h e d i a l e c t i c p r o c e s s
t o o v e r c o m e a n d r e p l a c e t h e b o u r g e o i s i e . L e n i n s a i d i n
h i s o u t l i n e o f M a r x i s m : " T h e r e c a n b e n o o b j e c t i v e s o -
c i a l s c i e n c e i n a s o c i e t y t o r n b y c l a s s s t r u g g l e . "
S u c h a s t a t e m e n t , w h e n d e p r i v e d o f i t s m e t a p h y s i c a l
f o u n d a t i o n , i s o f c o u r s e f a n t a s t i c . S c i e n c e i s n o t h i n g b u t
2 15
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216 STALIN'S RUSSIAa d e t e r m i n e d e f f o r t t o b e d i s p a s s i o n a t e i n e s t a b l i s h i n g
f a c t s . L e n i n h i m s e l f h a d e x t r a o r d i n a r y g i f t s i n e s t a b -
l i s h i n g p a r t i c u l a r f a c t s , a n d h e m a d e c o n s t a n t u s e o f a c -
c e p t e d g e n e r a l i z a t i o n s . T h e s t a t e m e n t t h a t " t h e r e c a n b e
n o o b j e c t i v e s o c i a l s c i e n c e i n a s o c i e t y t o r n b y c l a s s s t r u g -
g l e " i t s e l f l a y s c l a i m t o o b j e c t i v e t r u t h . E x c e p t a s l a y -
i n g s u c h c l a i m , i t h a s n o m e a n i n g a n d o n e c o u l d h a v e n o
p u r p o s e i n u t t e r i n g i t . M o r e o v e r i t i s s o f a r - r e a c h i n g a n d
c o n s e q u e n t i a l a s t a t e m e n t t h a t o n l y a v e r y h i g h l y d e v e l -
o p e d s c i e n c e c o u l d c o n f i r m i t . I t w a s e f f e c t i v e l y c o n t r a -
d i c t e d b y a n o t h e r s u p e r - c l a s s d i c t u m f o r w h i c h L e n i n i s
famous : h i s s t a t e m e n t , n a m e l y , t h a t t h e w o r k i n g c l a s s
d i d n o t o f i t s e l f ( a n d c o u l d n o t ! ) a r r i v e a t t h e s o c i a l i s t
i d e o l o g y , t h a t " t h i s h a d t o b e b r o u g h t i n b y c u l t u r e d
r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s o f t h e p o s s e s s i n g c l a s s e s . " I f t h e s e c u l -
t u r e d r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s c o u l d s o f a r a b a n d o n t h e i r c l a s s
b i a s a s t o c r e a t e a w o r k i n g - c l a s s i d e o l o g y , w h y c o u l d
t h e y n o t a b a n d o n i t j u s t a l i t t l e l e s s , a n d a r r i v e a t s o m e
o b j e c t i v e j u d g m e n t s o f f a c t ?
I t i s t r u e t h a t o b j e c t i v e j u d g m e n t s a b o u t s o c i e t y a r e
d i f f i c u l t t o a r r i v e a t . T h i s i s b e c a u s e t h e s c i e n t i s t i s a
p a r t o f t h e m a t e r i a l h e e x a m i n e s , a n d o c c u p i e s a p a r t i c u -
l a r p o s i t i o n w i t h i n i t , o n e u s u a l l y e n t a i l i n g p a s s i o n a t e
o p i n i o n s . He can, however, roughly distinguish such
o p i n i o n s f r o m a s c e r t a i n e d f a c t s . A n d h e w i l l c e r t a i n l y ,
i f h e b e l i e v e s i n i n t e l l i g e n c e , b e i n f l u e n c e d b y h i s v e r y
u n d e r s t a n d i n g o f c l a s s i n t e r e s t s t o t r y t o e s c a p e f r o m
8/2/2019 Stalin Russia and the Crisis in Socialism-Max Eastman-1940-281pgs-POL
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DOCTRINE OF CLASS STRUGGLE 217t h e i r h o t c l u t c h a n d a c h i e v e o p i n i o n s w h o s e p r o b a b i l i t y
w i l l b e c o o l l y o b j e c t i v e a n d r e a l . * O n t h i s a c t o f s e l f - u n -
d e r s t a n d i n g r e s t s t h e h o p e t h a t m a n m a y y e t c o p e w i t h
t h e s o c i a l p r o b l e m a s h e h a s w i t h t h e p r o b l e m s o f p h y s -
i c s a n d m e c h a n i c s . W e m us t n o t l e t t h e c l a s s s t r u g g l e a s a
m y s t i c p r i n c i p l e i n t e r f e r e w i t h t h a t h o p e . C l a s s s t r u g g l e s
a r e f a c t s a m o n g o t h e r f a c t s , d e t e r m i n a b l e a n d i n s o m e
w a y s m e a s u r a b l e , a n d w h a t e v e r a t t i t u d e w e a d o p t t o
t h e m w e s h o u l d a d o p t f o r r e a s o n s t h a t a r e , s o f a r a s p o s -
s i b l e , o b j e c t i v e l y v a l i d a n d c a n b e v e r i f i e d .
FACTUAL THINKINGI n a n o t h e r w a y t h e b e l i e f t h a t c l a s s s t r u g g l e i s t h e " i n -
n e r e s s e n c e " o f c a p i t a l i s t s o c i e t y v i t i a t e s t h e t h i n k i n g
o f a l l c o n f i r m e d M a r x i a n s . T h e y p e r m i t t h e m s e l v e s o n
p r i n c i p l e t o a t t r i b u t e a t t i t u d e s a n d j u d g m e n t s t o " t h e
w o r k e r s , " t h e " w o r k i n g c l a s s , " t h e " p r o l e t a r i a t , " w h i c h
t h e y w e l l k n o w a r e a s a m a t t e r o f s t a t i s t i c a l f a c t c o n f i n e d
t o l i t t l e c i r c l e s o f m i l i t a n t r e v o l u t i o n i s t s w h o h a v e t a k e n
t h e p o s i t i o n t h a t t h e M a r x i a n w o r l d - s c h e m e a l l o t s t o t h e
w o r k e r s . I n t i m e s o f r e v o l u t i o n a r y c r i s i s w h e n c l a s s d i v i -
s i o n s a r e a c c e n t u a t e d , a m a j o r i t y o f t h e w o r k e r s d o e s
o f t e n t e n d t o w a r d t h i s p o s i t i o n , a n d t h a t s u p p o r t s t h e
M a r x i a n s i n t h e i r c o n v i c t i o n t h a t t h e i r s p e e c h i s v a l i d
a b o u t t h e " i n n e r e s s e n c e " a l l a l o n g . T h e r e i s n o i n n e r
* A s i m i l a r t h i n g i s s a i d i n t h e c o n c l u s i o n o f C h a r l e s B e a r d ' s e x c e l -
l e n t l i t t l e b o o k , The Discussion of Human Affairs .
8/2/2019 Stalin Russia and the Crisis in Socialism-Max Eastman-1940-281pgs-POL
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218 STALIN'S RUSSIAe s s e n c e . I t i s a f a c t t h a t t h e w o r k e r s a s a w h o l e a r e
u s u a l l y n o t i n t h e p o s i t i o n o r s t a t e o f m i n d a l l o t t e d t o
t h e m b y t h e M a r x i s t s . T h a t t h e y t e n d t o w a r d t h a t p o s i -
t i o n i n t i m e s o f r e vo l u t i o n a r y c r i s i s i s a n o t h e r f a c t . F o r
p u r p o s e s o f v a l i d d i s c o u r s e o n e o f t h e s e f a c t s i s j u s t a s
" t r u e " a s t h e o t h e r . W e m u s t h a v e v a l i d d i s c o u r s e . T h e
c l a s s s t r u g g l e i s n o t a s u p e r - s c i e n t i f i c d o g m a . I t i s a f a c t
w h e r e i t e x i s t s , a n d n o i n f e r e n c e s c a n b e d r a w n f r o m
i t w h e r e i t d o e s n o t . T h e i d e a t h a t a b e t t e r s o c i e t y c a n
b e a r r i v e d a t b y p r o m o t i n g t h e v i c t o r y o f t h e l o w e r
c l a s s e s i n t h e s t r u g g l e , i s a h y p o t h e s i s , s u b j e c t l i k e o t h e r
s c i e n t i f i c h y p o t h e s e s t o t h e t e s t o f e x p e r i m e n t .
RESPONSIBILITY IN ACTIONW e m u s t h a v e n o t o n l y v a l i d d i s c o u r s e , b u t r e s p o n -
s i b l e a c t i o n . I t wa s h i s m y s t i c f a i t h t h a t h e w a s a c t i n g i n
a c c o r d w i t h " i n n e r e s s e n c e s " w h i c h e n a b l e d L e n i n w i t h
a g o o d c o n s c i e n c e t o s e i z e p o w e r i n t h e n a m e o f t h e
w o r k i n g c l a s s , a n d f e e l s u r e t h a t t h e w o r k i n g c l a s s w o u l d
h o l d i t . S u c h f a i t h c a n m o v e m o u n t a i n s , b u t i t c a n n o t
m a k e t h e m s t a y . I t i s c o m m o n j u s t n o w , a m o n g t h o u g h t -
f u l s o c i a l i s t s , t o s a y t h a t t h e h o r r o r s o f S t a l i n i s m h a v e
t h e i r r o o t i n L e n i n ' s p o l i c i e s - t h e c e n t r a l i z e d p a r t y l e d
b y " p r o f e s s i o n a l r e v o l u t i o n i s t s " a c t i n g i n t h e n a m e o f
t h e w o r k i n g c l a s s , a n d a f t e r w a r d s t h e s u p p r e s s i o n o f
o t h e r w o r k i n g - c l a s s p a r t i e s , t h e o n e - p a r t y d i c t a t o r s h i p .
I t i s t r u e t h a t S t a l i n i s m h a s i t s r o o t i n t h o s e p o l i c i e s o f
8/2/2019 Stalin Russia and the Crisis in Socialism-Max Eastman-1940-281pgs-POL
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DOCTRINE OF CLASS STRUGGLE 219Lenin. B u t i t i s f u r t h e r t r u e t h a t t h o s e p o l i c i e s o f L e n i n
h a v e t h e i r r o o t i n t h e m y s t i c a l p h i l o s o p h y o f K a r l M a r x .
T h r o u g h o u t h i s l i f e L e n i n f e l t f r e e t o m e a n b y t h e
" w o r k e r s " - e x c e p t w h e n a n a l y z i n g t r a n s i t o r y r e a l f a c t s
f o r t a c t i c a l p u r p o s e s - n o t t h e t h e n a c t u a l l y e x i s t i n g
w o r k e r s a s a b o d y , n o r a m a j o r i t y o f t h e m , b u t a n i d e a l
e s s e n c e d e m a n d e d b y t h e M a r x i a n a p o t h e o s i s o f c l a s s .
T h a t m a d e i t e a s y i n a c r i s i s t o a t t r i b u t e h i s M a r x i a n
p o l i c y t o t h e w o r k e r s , a n d i n t h e n a m e o f t h e w o r k e r s
t o s u p p r e s s o t h e r l e s s M a r x i a n w o r k i n g - c l a s s p a r t i e s .
T h a t m a d e i t e a s y , a n d i n d e e d l o g i c a l l y n e c e s s a r y , t o
b e l i e v e t h a t w o r k e r s w h o o p p o s e d t h i s p o l i c y , a s i n
K r o n s t a d t , w e r e b e i n g " u s e d " b y o t h e r c l a s s e s . Had
L e n i n r e g a r d e d t h e c l a s s s t r u g g l e m e r e l y a s a f a c t , l o o s e -
e d g e d a n d l i m i t e d a s a l l s o c i a l f a c t s a r e , a n d c o n c e i v e d
o f h i s p o l i c y o f a c c e n t u a t i n g a n d o r g a n i z i n g t h e w o r k e r s '
s i d e o f i t , a s a m e t h o d b y w h i c h h e h o p e d t o p r o d u c e a
w o r k e r s ' r e p u b l i c , h e c o u l d n o t c o n s c i e n t i o u s l y - a s h e
u n d o u b t e d l y d i d - h a v e s u p p r e s s e d o t h e r w o r k i n g - c l a s s
movements .
T o p u t i t a n o t h e r w a y , h a d h e k n o w n t h a t h e w a s c o n -
d u c t i n g a n e x p e r i m e n t o n t h e c l a s s - s t r u g g l e h y p o t h e s i s ,
h e c o u l d n o t h a v e c o e r c e d t h e w o r k i n g c l a s s , f o r t h a t
w o u l d d e s t r o y t h e v a l u e o f t h e e x p e r i m e n t . H e b e l i e v e d
t h a t i n t h e i n n e r e s s e n c e o f t h i n g s , h e w a s t h e w o r k i n g
c l a s s , h e a n d h i s t r a i n e d M a r x i a n p a r t y , a n d i f c o n c r e t e
m e m b e r s o f t h e t o o a c t u a l w o r k i n g c l a s s o f t h e m o m e n t
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220 STALIN'S RUSSIAf a i l e d t o p e r c e i v e i t , h i s t o r y , t h e u p w a r d - g o i n g u n i v e r s e ,
t h e d i a l e c t i c e v o l u t i o n o f c a p i t a l i s m , w o u l d b r i n g t h e m
t o t h e m s e l v e s . S t a l i n , t h e r u f f i a n , i s i n c i d e n t a l ; but
S t a l i n i s m , t h e m i l i t a r y s u p p r e s s i o n a n d e x p l o i t a t i o n o f
t h e w o r k e r s b y a t o t a l i t a r i a n s t a t e c o n t r o l l e d b y a b u -
r e a u c r a t i c p a r t y c a l l i n g i t s e l f p r o l e t a r i a n , h a s i t s r o o t s ,
n o t o n l y i n L e n i n ' s p o w e r - p o l i c i e s , b u t i n t h e r e l i g i o u s
b e l i e f i n a b e n i g n l y e v o l v i n g u n i v e r s e w h i c h l a y b e h i n d
t h o s e p o l i c i e s .
AS TO ROSA LU XEMBU RG
T h e r e i s n o d o u b t i n m y m i n d t h a t M a r x w o u l d i n a
s i m i l a r c r i s i s h a v e a p p l i e d h i s p r i n c i p l e s i n s u b s t a n t i a l l y
the way Lenin did . B e l i e v i n g t h a t h i s p o l i c i e s r e p r e -
s e n t e d t h e " h i s t o r i c m i s s i o n " o f t h e w o r k i n g c l a s s , h e
w o u l d h a v e s u p p r e s s e d a l o n g w i t h o t h e r c l a s s e s t h o s e
p o r t i o n s o f t h e w o r k i n g c l a s s w h o f a i l e d t o u n d e r s t a n d
t h e i r m i s s i o n . * I t h i n k t h a t a n y b o l d a n d p a s s i o n a t e
m a n o f a c t i o n , f i l l e d w i t h t h i s u n f l i n c h i n g b e l i e f , w o u l d
have done the same thing . And I include among such
" m e n o f a c t i o n " t h e c h i e f r e v o l u t i o n a r y c r i t i c o f L e n i n ' s
o r g a n i z a t i o n a l p o l i c i e s , R o s a L u x e m b u r g . A t t h e b e g i n -
*Marx's worshipers like to pretend that he was entirely "em-
p i r i c a l . " E v e n E n g e l s s a y s t h a t h e n e v e r d e d u c e d a n y t h i n g f r o m t h e
d i a l e c t i c t h e o r y . A m a n w h o f e r v e n t l y b e l i e v e d t h a t e v e r y t o t a l i t y i n
t h e w o r l d i s i n p r o c e s s o f e v o l u t i o n , b y i n n e r c o n f l i c t a n d i t s r e s o l u -
t i o n , t o w a r d " h i g h e r f o r m s , " a n d t h a t c a p i t a l i s t s o c i e t y i s s u c h a
t o t a l i t y - a m a n w h o b e l i e v e d t h a t a n d m a d e n o d e d u c t i o n s f r o m i t ,
w o u l d b e a f o o l s u c h a s n a t u r e r a r e l y h a s p r o d u c e d .
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DOCTRINE OF CLASS STRUGGLE 221p i n g o f t h e c e n t u r y , s h e a t t a c k e d i n t h e s e w o r d s L e n i n ' s
c o n c e p t i o n o f t h e w a y a s o c i a l d e m o c r a t i c p a r t y s h o u l d
b e l i n k e d o r c o n n e c t e d w i t h t h e s p o n t a n e o u s o r g a n i z a -
t i o n s o f t h e w o r k i n g c l a s s :
" T h e S o c i a l D e m o c r a c y i s n o t l i n k e d o r c o n n e c t e d
w i t h t h e o r g a n i z a t i o n s o f t h e w o r k i n g c l a s s , b u t i s t h e
m o v e m e n t o f t h e w o r k i n g c l a s s i t s e l f . I t c a n b e n o t h i n g
o t h e r t h a n t h e i m p e r i o u s c o - o r d i n a t i o n o f t h e w i l l o f
t h e e n l i g h t e n e d a n d f i g h t i n g v a n g u a r d o f t h e w o r k e r s
a s c o n t r a s t e d w i t h i t s d i f f e r e n t g r o u p s a n d i n d i v i d u a l s ;
t h i s i s , s o t o s p e a k , a ' s e l f - c e n t r a l i s m ' o f t h e l e a d i n g e l e -
m e n t o f t h e p r o l e t a r i a t , t h e m a j o r i t y r u l e o f t h a t e l e -
m e n t w i t h i n i t s o w n p a r t y o r g a n i z a t i o n . "
A n d a f t e r L e n i n ' s v i c t o r y i n O c t o b e r 1 9 1 7 , s h e c o n -
t i n u e d h e r c r i t i c i s m :
" T h e b a s i c e r r o r o f t h e L e n i n - T r o t s k y i s t t h e o r y i s
s i m p l y t h i s : t h a t t h e y s e t d i c t a t o r s h i p , j u s t a s K a u t s k y
d o e s , o v e r a g a i n s t d e m o c r a c y . ' D i c t a t o r s h i p o r d e m o c -
r a c y ' - t h a t i s t h e q u e s t i o n b o t h f o r t h e B o l s h e v i k s a n d
f o r K a u t s k y . K a u t s k y d e c i d e s , n a t u r a l l y , f o r d e m o c r a c y
. . . L e n i n a n d T r o t s k y d e c i d e f o r d i c t a t o r s h i p i n o p p o -
s i t i o n t o d e m o c r a c y a n d , i n s o d o i n g , f o r t h e d i c t a t o r -
s h i p o f a h a n d f u l o f i n d i v i d u a l s , t h a t i s , f o r d i c t a t o r s h i p
a f t e r t h e b o u r g e o i s f a s h i o n . T w o o p p o s i t e p o l e s , b o t h
e q u a l l y r e m o v e d f r o m t h e t r u e s o c i a l i s t p o l i c y .
" W h e n t h e p r o l e t a r i a t s e i z e s p o w e r , i t c a n n o t f o l -
l o w K a u t s k y ' s a d v i c e a n d r e n o u n c e t h e j o b o f c a r r y i n g
t h r o u g h a s o c i a l i s t t r a n s f o r m a t i o n , u n d e r p r e t e x t o f t h e
' u n r i p e n e s s o f t h e c o u n t r y , ' a n d d e v o t e i t s e l f m e r e l y t o
d e m o c r a c y , w i t h o u t c o m m i t t i n g t r e a s o n t o i t s e l f , t o t h e
I n t e r n a t i o n a l a n d t o t h e R e v o l u t i o n . I t i s b o u n d t o a n d
m u s t w i t h o u t d e l a y , i n t h e m o s t v i g o r o u s , u n w a v e r i n g
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2 22 STALIN'S RUSSIAa n d t h o r o u g h - g o i n g m a n n e r , t a k e s o c i a l i s t m e a s u r e s i n
h a n d , h e n c e e x e r c i s e d i c t a t o r s h i p - b u t d i c t a t o r s h i p o f
t h e c l a s s , n o t o f a p a r t y o r c l i q u e ; d i c t a t o r s h i p o f t h e
c l a s s , t h a t i s , i n t h e b r o a d e s t p u b l i c i t y , w i t h t h e a c t i v e
p a r t i c i p a t i o n o f t h e m a s s e s , i n u n l i m i t e d d e m o c r a c y . "
T h o s e w o r d s s o u n d p r u d e n t t o d a y , a n d s o c i a l i s t s w h o
r e a l i z e h o w n a t u r a l l y S t a l i n i s m h a s g r o w n o u t o f L e n i n ' s
p r i n c i p l e s a r e t u r n i n g b a c k t o L u x e m b u r g a s a m o r e r e -
l i a b l e l e a d e r t h a n L e n i n . I t h i n k t h a t L e n i n w a s t h e
m o r e r e l i a b l e l e a d e r b e c a u s e h e h a d a m o r e r e a l i s t i c
f o r e s i g h t . He knew in advance what he would have to
d o i n a p o w e r c r i s i s , a n d h e w a s p r e p a r e d t o d o i t . My
assertion that Luxemburg, if confronted by the same
c r i s i s , w o u l d h a v e d o n e t h e s a m e t h i n g , o r p e r h a p s l e s s
s u c c e s s f u l l y t r i e d t o , i s n o t a p s y c h o a n a l y t i c i m p e r t i -
n e n c e , b u t a n i n f e r e n c e f r o m w h a t s h e s a y s :
T h e w o r k i n g c l a s s " i s b o u n d t o a n d m u s t w i t h o u t d e -
lay, in the most vigorous, unwavering and thorough-
g o i n g m a n n e r , t a k e s o c i a l i s t m e a s u r e s , " b u t i t m u s t t a k e
t h e m a s " a c l a s s , " n o t " a p a r t y , " a n d s t i l l l e s s " a c l i q u e " ;
i t m u s t t a k e t h e m " i n t h e b r o a d e s t p u b l i c i t y , " " w i t h t h e
a c t i v e p a r t i c i p a t i o n o f t h e m a s s e s , " " i n u n l i m i t e d d e m o c -
r a c y . "
I t i s b o u n d t o a n d m u s t - b u t s u p p o s e i t d o e s n ' t ! W h a t
a r e y o u g o i n g t o d o t h e n ? T h a t i s t h e r e a l q u e s t i o n , a n d
it was never answered by Rosa Luxemburg . I t c o u l d n o t
b e a n s w e r e d b y h e r , b e c a u s e s h e w a s a " t r u e b e l i e v e r " i n
t h e M a r x i a n r e l i g i o n , a n d f o r a t r u e b e l i e v e r s u c h a
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DOCTRINE OF CLASS STRUGGLE 223q u e s t i o n c a n n o t a r i s e . T h e p r o l e t a r i a t - i f t h e r e v o l u t i o n
i s a r e a l o n e - " i s b o u n d t o a n d m u s t , " a n d w h a t b i n d s i t
i s t h e m y s t i c t h r e a d s o f t h e H e g e l i a n l o g i c . When the
r e a l p r o l e t a r i a t , w h o s e n a t u r e a n d p r o p e n s i t i e s a r e t o b e
l e a r n e d , i f a t a l l , f r o m b i o l o g y a n d p s y c h o l o g y , n o t l o g i c
- w h e n t h e r e a l p r o l e t a r i a t f a i l s t o a c t " w i t h o u t d e l a y ,
i n t h e m o s t v i g o r o u s , u n w a v e r i n g a n d t h o r o u g h - g o i n g
m a n n e r , " a s i t u s u a l l y w i l l f a i l , i s t h e r e m u c h d o u b t
w h a t a m y s t i c b e l i e v e r i n i t s h i s t o r i c d e s t i n y , h a v i n g t h e
i m p a t i e n t a n d m a s t e r f u l w i l l a n d m i n d o f R o s a L u x e m -
b u r g , w i l l d o ? T h e d o u b t w i l l h a r d l y s u r v i v e a s u r v e y
o f w h a t s h e d i d d o , e v e n i n p e a c e t i m e s , a s l e a d e r o f t h e
P o l i s h a n d L i t h u a n i a n s o c i a l i s t p a r t i e s .
T h e r e a l q u e s t i o n a b o u t c l a s s v e r s u s p a r t y , d e m o c r a c y
v e r s u s c e n t r a l i s m , m a s s e s v e r s u s l e a d e r s , t h e w o r k e r v e r -
s u s t h e i n t e l l e c t u a l , c a n o n l y b e r a i s e d b y a p e r s o n w h o
u n d e r s t a n d s t h a t t h e M a r x i a n i d e a o f a c h i e v i n g s o c i a l -
i s m t h r o u g h w o r k i n g - c l a s s s t r u g g l e a n d s e i z u r e o f p o w e r
i s a h y p o t h e s i s . H e o n l y i s i n a p o s i t i o n , w h i l e h i m s e l f
v i g o r o u s l y p r o m o t i n g t h e r e v o l u t i o n , t o i n s i s t u p o n " t h e
a c t i v e p a r t i c i p a t i o n o f t h e m a s s e s , " " u n l i m i t e d d e m o c -
r a c y , " e t c . H e o n l y i s p r e p a r e d , i f t h i s p a r t i c i p a t i o n f a i l s ,
t o s e e t h a t t h e r e v o l u t i o n , o r h i s e s s e n t i a l p l a n f o r i t , h a s
f a i l e d .
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224 STALIN ' S RUSSIAQUANTITATIVE ESTIMATES
B e s i d e s r e n d e r i n g d i s c o u r s e i n v a l i d a n d a c t i o n i r r e -
s p o n s i b l e , a s u p e r - s c i e n t i f i c f a i t h i n c l a s s d i v i s i o n p r e -
v e n t s o n e f r o m t a k i n g a n a t t i t u d e o f m e a s u r e m e n t t o -
w a r d t h e s e d i v i s i o n s , o r o b s e r v i n g t h e c h a n g e s t h a t o c c u r
i n t h e i r d e p t h a n d s h a r p n e s s .
A v a s t a m o u n t o f i n k h a s b e e n s p i l l e d b y M a r x i a n s i n
f u t i l e d i s c u s s i o n a s t o w h e t h e r t h e m i s e r y o f t h e p r o l e -
t a r i a t h a s i n c r e a s e d , w h e t h e r t h e m i d d l e c l a s s h a s d i m i n -
i s h e d , w h e t h e r s t o c k - h o l d i n g s a n d t h e f o r m a t i o n o f a
l a b o r a r i s t o c r a c y h a v e n o t e s s e n t i a l l y b l u r r e d t h i s c l e a v -
a g e , a n d m o r e r e c e n t l y , w h e t h e r t h e s e p a r a t i o n o f c o n -
t r o l f r o m o w n e r s h i p h a s n o t a l t e r e d t h e w h o l e p i c t u r e ,
whether elaborate power-driven machinery has not so
l a r g e l y r e p l a c e d t h e i n d u s t r i a l p r o l e t a r i a t a s t o d e p r i v e
i t o f c o e r c i v e p o w e r . I c a l l t h e s e d i s c u s s i o n s f u t i l e b e -
c a u s e , t o a b e l i e v e r i n t h e d i a l e c t i c t h e o r y , t h e c o n c l u -
s i o n i s f o r e g o n e . N o s t o c k - h o l d i n g s , l a b o r - s a v i n g m a -
c h i n e r y , h i g h u n i o n w a g e s , i n c r e a s e o f m i d d l e c l a s s ,
decreasing misery, or separation of control from
o w n e r s h i p , can a l t e r t h e f a c t t h a t s o c i e t y i s c l e a v i n g
a l o n g t h e c l a s s l i n e b e t w e e n c a p i t a l a n d l a b o r . I n t h e
a b s e n c e o f a n y o t h e r c l e a v a g e f r u i t f u l o f r e v o l u t i o n ,
that belongs among the attributes of Being-as-such .
S o c i e t y c o u l d n o t e x i s t i n a d i a l e c t i c u n i v e r s e , c o u l d
n o t b e c o n c e i v e d a s a t o t a l i t y , w i t h o u t h a v i n g t h i s
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DOCTRINE OF CLASS STRUGGLE 225p r o g r e s s i v e c o n f l i c t w i t h i n i t a s i t s e s s e n t i a l n a t u r e .
O n c e t h a t s e l f - d e c e i v i n g n o n s e n s e a n d t h e e m o t i o n s
a t t e n d i n g i t a r e a b a n d o n e d , a n y i n t e l l i g e n t m i n d m u s t
a d m i t t h a t a l l t h e a b o v e q u a l i f i c a t i o n s o f t h e c l a s s - s t r u g -
g l e p r i n c i p l e a r e t o s o m e d e g r e e v a l i d . A s t h e r e i s n o
a d e q u a t e t e c h n i q u e o f m e a s u r e m e n t , i t i s d i f f i c u l t t o e s t i -
m a t e t o w h a t d e g r e e . B u t we c a n s a y t h i s a t l e a s t : To a
s u f f i c i e n t d e g r e e t o a c c o u n t f o r t h e f i r s t n e g a t i v e r e s u l t
o f t h e R u s s i a n B o l s h e v i k r e v o l u t i o n , i t s f a i l u r e t o e n -
g e n d e r r e v o l u t i o n s i n n e i g h b o r i n g c o u n t r i e s w h e r e c a p -
i t a l i s m w a s m o r e a d v a n c e d . *
Trotsky, adhering to orthodox Marxism-which he
r i g h t l y c a l l s a " p h i l o s o p h y o f o p t i m i s m " - h a s b e e n s a t i s -
f i e d t o r e c o r d t h i s d e v a s t a t i n g f a c t , e x p l a i n b y i t h i s o w n
d e f e a t a n d t h e r i s e o f S t a l i n i s m , a n d t h e n p r o c e e d t o a d -
*The fact that the prol etarian revolution broke out in a country
w h e r e t h e " c o n t r a d i c t i o n s o f c a p i t a l i s m " w e r e u n r i p e d o e s n o t , s t r i c t l y
speaking, refute th e Marxian theory-exactly because th is i s not a
t h e o r y o f c o n c r e t e c a u s e s , b u t a p h i l o s o p h y o f b e i n g i n g e n e r a l . A s
Lenin and Trotsky have both pointed out, the the ory re lates to
t o t a l i t i e s , a n d y o u h a v e o n l y t o m a k e y o u r t o t a l i t y l a r g e r - y o u h a v e
o n l y t o s a y " t h e c a p i t a l i s t w o r l d " i n s t e a d o f " a c a p i t a l i s t n a t i o n " - a n d
y o u h a v e a m o r e g e n e r a l i z e d r i p e n e s s o f c o n t r a d i c t i o n s w h i c h a c c o u n t s
f o r t h e r e v o l u t i o n ' s beginning i n a n y p a r t o f t h a t w o r l d . I n d e e d , a l -
t h o u g h I h a v e n e v e r s e e n i t q u o t e d , M a r x h i m s e l f , i n t h e e a r l i e s t e x p o -
s i t i o n o f h i s p h i l o s o p h y , p r e p a r e d a g a i n s t s u c h a s u r p r i s e a s t h e R u s s i a n
r e v o l u t i o n . I n The German Ideology, w r i t t e n i n 1 8 4 5 , h e s a i d :
" A l l t h e c o l l i s i o n s o f h i s t o r y h a v e t h e i r o r i g i n , a c c o r d i n g t o o u r c o n -
c e p t i o n , i n t h e c o n t r a d i c t i o n b e t w e e n t h e p r o d u c t i v e f o r c e s a n d t h e
f o r m o f i n t e r c o u r s e . I t i s m o r e o v e r n o t n e c e s s a r y , i n o r d e r t h a t i t
l e a d t o c o l l i s i o n s i n a g i v e n c o u n t r y , f o r t h i s c o n t r a d i c t i o n t o c o m e t o
a h e a d i n t h a t c o u n t r y i t s e l f . T h e c o m p e t i t i o n w i t h i n d u s t r i a l l y m o r e
d e v e l o p e d c o u n t r i e s . . . s u f f i c e s t o c r e a t e a s i m i l a r c o n t r a d i c t i o n e v e n
i n c o u n t r i e s w i t h a l e s s d e v e l o p e d i n d u s t r y . "
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226 STALIN ' S RUSSIAv o c a t e a s i m i l a r r e v o l u t i o n i n a s i m i l a r l y b a c k w a r d c o u n -
t r y , S p a i n , o n t h e v e r y s a m e g r o u n d s - n a m e l y , t h a t i t
will engender a revolution in a neighboring country
w h e r e c a p i t a l i s m i s m o r e r i p e . A prudent mind, com-
m i t t e d n e i t h e r t o o p t i m i s m n o r t o p e s s i m i s m , b u t t o a n
a t t i t u d e o f t h o u g h t f u l e x p e r i m e n t , c o u l d h a r d l y b e s o
b l i t h e . Such a mind would feel bound to explain t h e
total non-appearance of that world revolution whose
swift inception had been so confidently banked upon
when power was seized in Russia . F o r m e i t i s m a i n l y
e x p l a i n e d b y t h o s e c o n c r e t e m i t i g a t i o n s o f t h e c l a s s d i v i -
s i o n i n c a p i t a l i s t s o c i e t y w h i c h T r o t s k y ' s a b s t r a c t p h i l o s -
o p h y p r e v e n t s h i m f r o m a p p r a i s i n g . I d o n o t c o n c l u d e
t h a t i n a g e n e r a l e c o n o m i c b r e a k d o w n , a r e v o l u t i o n l e d
b y t h e i n d u s t r i a l p r o l e t a r i a t i n a n a d v a n c e d c a p i t a l i s t
c o u n t r y i s i m p o s s i b l e . B u t I t h i n k i t i s u n l i k e l y . * I t i s
f a r m o r e l i k e l y t h a t a t h e o r y - b l i n d e d m i n o r i t y , a g i t a t i n g
f o r i t , w i l l p r o v i d e t h e o c c a s i o n f o r a s e i z u r e o f p o w e r
* I n o t o n l y h o l d t h i s o p i n i o n m y s e l f , b u t I b e l i e v e i t t o b e h e l d
p r i v a t e l y b y a c o n s i d e r a b l e n u m b e r o f t h o s e B o l s h e v i k s ( t h a t i s , " T r o t -
s k y i s t s " ) w h o s e e m t o b e w h o l e - h e a r t e d l y a g i t a t i n g f o r a s e i z u r e o f
p o w e r . T h e y a r e s o c o n f i d e n t i n p r i n t , b e c a u s e t h e y k n o w t h e r e i s n o
i m m e d i a t e d a n g e r o f t h e A m e r i c a n w o r k e r s l i s t e n i n g t o t h e m . E v e n
s o , a c o m m o n - s e n s e a n x i e t y a b o u t w h a t w i l l really h a p p e n i f t h e y g o
a f t e r p o w e r , i s s o m e t i m e s t o b e d e t e c t e d i n t h e i r w r i t i n g . " T h e i s s u e
o f d e s t i n y , " s a y s M a u r i c e S p e c t o r i n t h e New International, "is a c q u i -
e s c e n c e w i t h t h e c o u r s e o f t h e i m p e r i a l i s t s , o r with all its hazards-
t h e p r o l e t a r i a n r e v o l u t i o n . " T h e i t a l i c s a r e m i n e . T h e n o t e s t r u c k b y
t h e m w a s n o t h e a r d b e f o r e t h e R u s s i a n r e v o l u t i o n f a i l e d a n d i t s
f a i l u r e g a v e c u r r e n c y a m o n g r e v o l u t i o n i s t s t o t h e s c i e n t i f i c c r i t i c i s m
o f M a r x ' s d e t e r m i n i s t p h i l o s o p h y .
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DOCTRINE OF CLASS STRUGGLE 227o n t h e S t a l i n - H i t l e r p l a n . T h i s k i n d o f d a n g e r w a s f o r e -
t o l d i n T r o t s k y ' s a u d a c i o u s a n n o u n c e m e n t i n t h e w i n -
t e r o f 1 9 3 6 t h a t t h e F r e n c h p r o l e t a r i a n r e v o l u t i o n h a d
begun . H i s g l a r i n g m i s t a k e w a s t h e u n d e r e s t i m a t i o n o f
S t a l i n ' s p o w e r . A n d t h a t t o o w a s d u e t o h i s h a b i t o f
s c h e m a t i c t h i n k i n g b a s e d o n t h e c l a s s s t r u g g l e a s a m y s -
t i c d o g m a , o r i n h i s o w n p h r a s e , a " l a w o f a l l l a w s . "
T h e r e i s n o l a w o f a l l l a w s .
THE DOCTRINE OF THE STATE
O n e o f t h e m o s t p u r e l y t h e o l o g i c a l p r o d u c t s o f t h e
M a r x i a n s u p e r - s c i e n t i f i c c o n c e p t i o n o f c l a s s s t r u g g l e i s
t h e s o - c a l l e d t h e o r y o f t h e s t a t e . I t i s o bv i o us t o p e r c e p -
t i o n t h a t a n y s t a t e , a n d a b o v e a l l o n e b a s e d u p o n t h e
e l e c t i v e p r i n c i p l e , f u l f i l l s a v a r i e t y o f f u n c t i o n s . I n m a n y
r e s p e c t s i t s e r v e s t h e w h o l e p u b l i c a s e q u i t a b l y a s e c o -
n o m i c c o n d i t i o n s p e r m i t . E v e n i n a m i l l e n n i u m t h e r e
w o u l d b e n o n e e d t o r e v o l u t i o n i z e t h e P o s t O f f i c e . A
l a r g e b o d y o f j u d i c i a l d e c i s i o n s , e x e c u t i v e m e a s u r e s a n d
a c t s o f C o n g r e s s h a v e t h e s a m e c h a r a c t e r . H o w l a r g e a
b o d y , a n d h o w f a r c a p a b l e o f e x t e n s i o n , h a s n o t b e e n
d e t e r m i n e d . B y M a r x i a n s s u c h a q u e s t i o n c a n n o t b e
a s k e d , f o r t h e y t h i n k t h e s t a t e a l s o h a s a n " i n n e r e s -
s e n c e , " a n d t h a t s c i e n t i f i c d e f i n i t i o n c o n s i s t s i n g i v i n g
t h i s i n n e r e s s e n c e a n e m o t i v e n a m e . T h e s t a t e , t h e y s a y ,
i s " t h e e x e c u t i v e c o m m i t t e e o f t h e r u l i n g c l a s s " - a n d
t h a t i s a t l e a s t c o n s i s t e n t w i t h t h e i r o p i n i o n t h a t t h e
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228 STALIN'S RUSSIAi n n e r e s s e n c e o f s o c i e t y a n d a l l h i s t o r y i s c l a s s s t r u g g l e .
H e r e a g a i n t h e r e h a s b e e n m u c h f u t i l e d i s c u s s i o n , a l l
o f w h i c h c a n b e t h r o w n o u t o f t h e w i n d o w a s b a s e d o n a
m e d i e v a l n o t i o n o f w h a t i t m e a n s t o d e f i n e . One may
c h a r a c t e r i z e t h e s t a t e f o r p u r p o s e s o f v i o l e n t r e v o l u t i o n
a s a n e x e c u t i v e c o m m i t t e e o f t h e r u l i n g c l a s s , b u t f o r
g e n e r a l p u r p o s e s , a n d a b o v e a l l w h e r e v e r t h e v a l i d i t y o f
t h a t p a r t i c u l a r p u r p o s e c o m e s i n q u e s t i o n , c h a r a c t e r i z a -
t i o n m u s t g i v e w a y t o d e f i n i t i o n . A n d a d e f i n i t i o n i s n o t
a n i n t u i t i o n o f a b s t r a c t e s s e n c e s , m u c h l e s s a d e n u n c i a -
t i o n d i s g u i s e d a s s u c h , b u t a g e n e r a l i z a t i o n o f c o n c r e t e
f a c t s .
L e n i n ' s p a m p h l e t , S t a t e a n d R e v o l u t i o n , i n w h i c h a n
e m o t i v e c h a r a c t e r i z a t i o n p o s e s , w i t h t h e a i d o f M a r x i a n
t h e o l o g y , a s a d e f i n i t i o n o f t h e s t a t e , w a s h i s p r e l u d e t o
t h e r e v o l u t i o n o f O c t o b e r 1 9 1 7 . I t c o n t a i n s , i n a d d i t i o n
t o t h a t p s e u d o - d e f i n i t i o n , a l l o f L e n i n ' s m o s t u t o p i a n
p r e d i c t i o n s o f w h a t w o u l d f o l l o w a p r o l e t a r i a n o v e r -
t h r o w a n d " s m a s h i n g " o f t h e b o u r g e o i s s t a t e . T h e o v e r -
t h r o w f o l l o w e d , t h e b o u r g e o i s s t a t e w a s s m a s h e d , a n d
t h e e n d - r e s u l t i s a p p r o x i m a t e l y t h e o p p o s i t e o f a l l t h o s e
b e a u t i f u l p r e d i c t i o n s . I n v i e w o f t h i s i t s e e m s a m e r e
counsel of prudence to abandon, together with those
u t o p i a n p r e d i c t i o n s , t h e t h e o l o g i c a l m o d e o f t h i n k i n g
underlying them . I n s t e a d o f p r o c l a i m i n g t h e " c l a s s e s -
s e n c e " o f t h e s t a t e , a s k t h e s i m p l e p r a c t i c a l q u e s t i o n s :
T o w h a t d e g r e e , i n w h a t d e p a r t m e n t s , u n d e r w h a t c i r -
8/2/2019 Stalin Russia and the Crisis in Socialism-Max Eastman-1940-281pgs-POL
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DOCTRINE OF CLASS STRUGGLE 229c u m s t a n c e s , w i t h h o w u n i v e r s a l a n e c e s s i t y , d o e s t h e
s t a t e f u n c t i o n a s a w e a p o n o f t h e r u l i n g c l a s s ?
S t a l i n a n d t h e f a s c i s t s h a v e s h o w n u s w h a t t h e s t a t e ,
w h e n r e a l l y h a n d l e d a s a n a k e d w e a p o n , c a n b e c o m e .
T h e y h a v e m a d e s u c h d i s t i n c t i o n s a s t h a t o f t h e " e x -
p l o i t a t i v e , " " a r b i t r a t i v e " a n d " a d m i n i s t r a t i v e " s t a t e , a s
employed by Stephen Raushenbush in his informing
b o o k , T h e M a r c h o f F a s c i s m , o f i n t e r e s t a n d i m p o r t a n c e
t o e v e r y b o d y . L e t u s s t o p t a l k i n g t h e o l o g y a n d j o i n i n
t h e c o n v e r s a t i o n o f i n t e l l i g e n t h u m a n b e i n g s .
REVOLUTIONARY JESUITISMA s u n s c i e n t i f i c a s t h e i r a t t i t u d e t o w a r d t h e s t a t e i s
t h e J e s u i t i c a l a t t i t u d e t o w a r d m o r a l s w h i c h t h e B o l s h e -
v i k s b a s e u p o n t h e i r d i a l e c t i c s u p e r - s c i e n c e . U n f o r t u -
n a t e l y , i n t h e c a s e o f b o t h t h e J e s u i t s a n d t h e B o l s h e v i k s
r o u g h c o m m o n s e n s e , i n r e j e c t i n g t h i s a t t i t u d e w i t h d i s -
g u s t , h a s t a g g e d i t m e r e l y a s a d o c t r i n e t h a t " t h e e n d
j u s t i f i e s t h e m e a n s . " A n e n d i s f r e q u e n t l y t h e s o l e j u s t i -
f i c a t i o n o f a m e a n s , a n d i n t e l l i g e n t c o n d u c t r e q u i r e s
f r e e d o m t o d e c i d e w h e t h e r t h i s j u s t i f i c a t i o n e x i s t s i n a
p a r t i c u l a r c a s e o r n o t . A b e l i e f t h a t w i n n i n g p o w e r f o r
t h e C h u r c h o f R o m e j u s t i f i e s a n y m e a n s , r e g a r d l e s s o f
t h e C h r i s t i a n i d e a l s o f t h e c h u r c h ; a b e l i e f t h a t w i n n i n g
p o w e r f o r t h e c o m m u n i s t p a r t y j u s t i f i e s any m e a n s , r e -
g a r d l e s s o f t h e i d e a l s o f c o m m u n i s m ; t h e s e a r e m o r e a d e -
q u a t e d e f i n i t i o n s o f J e s u i t i c m .
8/2/2019 Stalin Russia and the Crisis in Socialism-Max Eastman-1940-281pgs-POL
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230 STALIN'S RUSSIA" F o l l o w t h e o t h e r m a n ' s c o u r s e t o y o u r o w n g o a l " w a s
t h e d o c t r i n e o f L o y o l a t h a t m a d e h i s S o c i e t y o f J e s u s s o
m o n s t r o u s a n o u t r a g e t o m e n o f h o n e s t g o o d s e n s e . A
c o n s p i r a t i v e o r g a n i z a t i o n - " m i l i t a n t , s t r i c t l y c e n t r a l i z e d ,
a g g r e s s i v e , d a n g e r o u s a l i k e t o e n e m i e s a n d a l l i e s , " a s
Trotsky has said-the J esuits made systematic use of
c r i m e a n d h y p o c r i s y , o s t e n s i b l y t o s p r e a d t h e r e l i g i o n
o f J e s u s , b u t i n r e a l i t y t o r e s t o r e p o w e r t o R o m e . Wher e
w e a l t h a n d f i n e g a r m e n t s s e e m e d h e l p f u l , t h e y p u t t h e m
on ; w h e r e p o v e r t y w a s i n s p i r i t u a l v o g u e , t h e y c a m e i n
t a t t e r s a n d w i t h b l e e d i n g f e e t . T h e y w e r e e q u a l l y e l a s t i c
i n p u t t i n g o n a n d t a k i n g o f f i d e a s . T h e y h a d n o p r i n c i -
p l e s b u t p o w e r f o r t h e o r g a n i z a t i o n . S i n c e T r o t s k y h i m -
s e l f h a s a c k n o w l e d g e d t h a t , f o r m a l l y o r p s y c h o l o g i c a l l y ,
" t h e B o l s h e v i k s a p p e a r i n r e l a t i o n t o t h e d e m o c r a t s a n d
s o c i a l d e m o c r a t s o f a l l h u e s a s d i d t h e J e s u i t s i n r e l a t i o n
t o t h e p e a c e f u l e c c l e s i a s t i c a l h i e r a r c h y , " i t i s n e e d l e s s t o
a r g u e t h i s p a r a l l e l .
T h e S t a l i n i s t s , w h o h a v e r e m o v e d t o f a r h o r i z o n s t h e
o r i g i n a l B o l s h e v i k g o a l o f a s o c i e t y o f t h e f r e e a n d e q u a l ,
a n d g o n e i n f o r p a r t y p o w e r o n a n y t e r m s , a r e n o t o n l y
f o r m a l l y , b u t i n t h e s u b s t a n c e o f t h e i r w o r k , a r e i n c a r -
n a t i o n o f t h e J e s u i t s . W h e n t h e s e z e a l o t s o f o r g a n i z a -
t i o n a l o b e d i e n c e , a c t i n g o n o r d e r s f r o m M o s c o w , d r a p e
t h e m s e l v e s i n t h e A m e r i c a n f l a g , a n d a p p l a u d R o o s e v e l t ,
a n d f o r m " l e a g u e s f o r p e a c e a n d d e m o c r a c y , " a n d s h o u t
for "free speech," " f r e e a s s e m b l a g e , " "free labor
8/2/2019 Stalin Russia and the Crisis in Socialism-Max Eastman-1940-281pgs-POL
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DOCTRINE OF CLASS STRUGGLE 231u n i o n s , " t h e y a r e f u l f i l l i n g t o t h e l e t t e r t h e m a x i m o f
L o y o l a : " F o l l o w t h e o t h e r m a n ' s c o u r s e t o y o u r o w n
g o a l . " W h e n t h e y b e g i n s u d d e n l y t o d e n o u n c e R o o s e -
v e l t a n d s h o u t , " K e e p A m e r i c a o u t o f t h i s w a r a g a i n s t
G e r m a n y , " t h e y a r e d o i n g t h e s a m e t h i n g . T h e g o a l i s
o s t e n s i b l y t h e s o c i a l i s t s o c i e t y , b u t i n r e a l i t y i t i s w o r l d
p o w e r f o r S t a l i n ' s t o t a l i t a r i a n s t a t e . Anybody who does
n o t k n o w t h i s d o e s n o t w a n t t o k n o w i t .
W h a t i s n o t s o w e l l k n o w n i s t h e d e g r e e t o w h i c h
L e n i n a n d T r o t s k y , a n d t h e i r b e l i e f i n t h e M a r x i a n d i a -
l e c t i c r e l i g i o n , a r e r e s p o n s i b l e f o r t h i s p o l i c y o f p u b l i c
h y p o c r i s y . T h e y t a u g h t t h a t d e c e n t s o c i a l c o n d u c t , i m -
p o s s i b l e i n a w o r l d d i v i d e d i n t o c l a s s e s , w i l l b e c o m e u n i -
v e r s a l i n a c l a s s l e s s s o c i e t y . A n d s i n c e t h e w o r l d i s t r a v -
e l i n g t o w a r d t h a t c l a s s l e s s s o c i e t y b y a p r o c e s s o f c l a s s
s t r u g g l e , a n y c o n d u c t i s g o o d n o w w h i c h i s h e l p f u l i n
t h e s t r u g g l e . T r o t s k y h a s r e c e n t l y m a d e t h i s d a n g e r o u s
m e n t a l a t t i t u d e e x t r e m e l y c l e a r . H e a s k s w h e t h e r " l y i n g
a n d v i o l e n c e ' i n t h e m s e l v e s ' w a r r a n t c o n d e m n a t i o n , "
a n d a n s w e r s :
" O f c o u r s e , e v e n a s d o e s t h e c l a s s s o c i e t y w h i c h g e n -
e r a t e s t h e m . A s o c i e t y w i t h o u t s o c i a l c o n t r a d i c t i o n s w i l l
n a t u r a l l y b e a s o c i e t y w i t h o u t l i e s a n d v i o l e n c e . H o w -
e v e r , t h e r e i s n o w a y o f b u i l d i n g a b r i d g e t o t h a t s o c i e t y
s a v e b y [ c l a s s s t r u g g l e , t o w h i c h l i e s a n d v i o l e n c e a r e
n e c e s s a r y ] . . . . T h e m o r a l i t y o f t h e p r o l e t a r i a t d e -
d u c e s a r u l e o f c o n d u c t f r o m t h e l a w s o f d e v e l o p m e n t
o f s o c i e t y , t h u s p r i m a r i l y f r o m t h e c l a s s s t r u g g l e , t h i s
l a w o f a l l l a w s . . . . M o r a l i t y i s a f u n c t i o n o f t h e c l a s s
s t r u g g l e . "
8/2/2019 Stalin Russia and the Crisis in Socialism-Max Eastman-1940-281pgs-POL
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232 STALIN'S RUSSIAL e n i n s a i d t h e s a m e t h i n g :
" W e r e p u d i a t e a l l m o r a l i t y t h a t p r o c e e d s f r o m s u p e r -
n a t u r a l i d e a s o r i d e a s t h a t t r a n s c e n d c l a s s c o n c e p t i o n s .
I n o u r o p i n i o n , m o r a l i t y i s e n t i r e l y s u b o r d i n a t e t o t h e
i n t e r e s t o f t h e c l a s s w a r . . . . Communist morality is
i d e n t i c a l w i t h t h e f i g h t f o r t h e c o n s o l i d a t i o n o f t h e d i c -
t a t o r s h i p o f t h e p r o l e t a r i a t . "
W h e n w e r e m e m b e r t h a t L e n i n a n d T r o t s k y f e l t f r e e
t o m e a n b y " t h e p r o l e t a r i a t " t h o s e p r o l e t a r i a n s w h o
h a p p e n e d t o b e c o n s c i o u s o f t h e i r h i s t o r i c d e s t i n y a c -
c o r d i n g t o M a r x , a n d t h a t t h e s e w e r e , b r o a d l y s p e a k i n g ,
m e m b e r s a n d a d h e r e n t s o f t h e B o l s h e v i k p a r t y , w e s e e
t h e r e a l m e a n i n g o f t h i s d o c t r i n e : n a m e l y , t h a t o u r p a r t y
is above moral judgment . A n d T r o t s k y h a s e x p l i c i t l y
d r a w n t h i s i n f e r e n c e :
" . . . T o a B o l s h e v i k t h e p a r t y i s e v e r y t h i n g . . . . Thep a r t y i s a w e a p o n f o r t h e r e v o l u t i o n a r y r e c o n s t r u c t i o n
o f s o c i e t y , i n c l u d i n g a l s o i t s m o r a l i t y . T o a r e v o l u t i o n -
a r y M a r x i s t , t h e r e c a n b e n o c o n t r a d i c t i o n b e t w e e n p e r -
s o n a l m o r a l i t y a n d t h e i n t e r e s t s o f t h e p a r t y , s i n c e t h e
p a r t y e m b o d i e s i n h i s c o n s c i o u s n e s s t h e v e r y h i g h e s t
aims of mankind . "
T o c a l l t h i s a b e l i e f t h a t " t h e e n d j u s t i f i e s t h e m e a n s "
i s o b v i o u s l y i n a d e q u a t e . I t i s a b e l i e f t h a t s o l o n g a s o u r
p a r t y i s , o r w e c a n p e r s u a d e o u r s e l v e s t h a t i t i s , a M a r x -
i a n p a r t y o f t h e w o r k i n g c l a s s , t h e d e c r e e s o f i t s P o l i t -
b u r o t r a n s c e n d a l l m o r a l a s w e l l a s c r i m i n a l l a w s . F o r
t h e s a k e o f a n a b s o l u t e l y b l e s s e d s o c i a l l i f e i n t h e r e m o t e
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DOCTRINE OF CLASS STRUGGLE 2 3 3
f u t u r e , t h i s c o n s p i r a t o r i a l o r g a n i z a t i o n a b r o g a t e s t h o s e
r u l e s o f c o n d u c t b y w h i c h h u m a n i t y - i n v a r i o u s w a y s a t
v a r i o u s t i m e s , b u t w i t h a g r o w i n g g e n e r a l i t y o f a p p l i c a -
t i o n - h a s m a n a g e d t o m a k e p o s s i b l e a n y k i n d o f s o c i a l
l i f e a t a l l .
T r o t s k y a n d L e n i n b o t h d e f e n d t h i s d i a l e c t i c J e s u i t -
i s m b y a s s u m i n g , o r p r e t e n d i n g , t h a t t h e o n l y a l t e r n a -
t i v e i s a b e l i e f i n " s u p e r n a t u r a l " o r " t r a n s c e n d e n t a l "
l a w s o f m o r a l i t y . B u t t h a t o n l y s h o ws t h a t , l i k e a l l d i a -
l e c t i c m a t e r i a l i s t s , t h e y l i v e i n t e l l e c t u a l l y i n t h e G e r -
many of 1840 . T h e y a r e b l i n d t o t h e d i s g u i s e d s u p e r -
n a t u r a l i s m o f t h e i r o w n b e l i e f . T h e y l i k e t o p r e t e n d ,
t o o , t h a t a n y w h o d o n o t b e l i e v e i n t h i s i d e o l o g i c a l i m -
m o r a l i s m , d o b e l i e v e t h a t b a s i c s o c i a l p r o b l e m s c a n b e
solved b y m o r a l e x h o r t a t i o n . T h e s e t w o a s s u m p t i o n s , o r
p r e t e n s e s , h a v e n o t h i n g w h a t e v e r t o d o w i t h t h e s c i e n -
t i f i c r e j e c t i o n o f J e s ui t i c a l e t h i c s .
M o r a l i t y , t o a s c i e n t i f i c m i n d , i s n o t h i n g b u t v a l i d
p r a c t i c a l j u d g m e n t a p p l i e d t o p r o b l e m s o f c o n d u c t . R e -
g a r d f o r t h e l i v e s a n d i n t e r e s t s o f o t h e r s o c c u p i e s , f o r t h e
r e a s o n t h a t m a n i s a s o c i a l a n i m a l , a p e c u l i a r p o s i t i o n
a m o n g i t s c o u n s e l s . T r u t h - t e l l i n g , e s p e c i a l l y f o r t h o s e
w h o h o p e t h a t s c i e n c e c a n s o l v e o u r b a s i c s o c i a l p r o b -
l e m , i s a s t i l l m o r e sovereign l a w . W i t h o u t t r u t h - t e l l i n g ,
w i t h o u t a c o m p l e t e , i n t e n s e l y s c r u p u l o u s a n d m e t i c u l o u s
i n w a r d a n d o u t w a r d , m e n t a l a n d v o c a l , i n t e g r i t y , t h e r e
c a n b e n o s c i e n c e . I t i s p r i m a r i l y t h i s , t h e m o s t o b v i o u s
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234 STALIN'S RU SSIA
" l a w " o f t h e l a b o r a t o r y - n o t a n y K a n t i a n i m p e r a t i v e s o r
s u p e r n a t u r a l a d m o n i t i o n s o f c o n s c i e n c e - t h a t a s c i e n t i f i c
r a d i c a l w o u l d s u b s t i t u t e f o r t h e m e t a p h y s i c a l l y j u s t i f i e d
c l a s s J e s u i t i s m , a n d a s a c o r o l l a r y , p a r t y J e s u i t i s m , o f t h e
B o l s h e v i k s .
I n h i s f o r t h c o m i n g b i o g r a p h y , T r o t s k y p r a i s e s L e n i n
a s s u p e r i o r t o h i s e l d e r b r o t h e r w h o w a s h a n g e d b y t h e
t s a r , o n t h e g r o u n d t h a t L e n i n w a s a b l e t o t e l l a g o o d
l i e . A n d h e d e l i v e r s t h i s d i c t u m :
" I n s p i t e o f t h e p h i l o s o p h i z i n g o f t h e s t e r n m o r a l i s t s ,
t h o s e l i a r s b y p r o f e s s i o n , a l i e i s t h e e x p r e s s i o n o f s o c i a l
c o n t r a d i c t i o n s a n d s o m e t i m e s a l s o a w e a p o n f o r s t r u g g l e
with them . "
In his congratulation to the Dewey Commission on
its verdict of "Not guilty," defending his own good
n a m e a g a i n s t a l i e , T r o t s k y e x p r e s s e d t h e o p p o s i t e o p i n -
i o n :
" T h e v e r d i c t h a s a n i m m e a s u r a b l e p o l i t i c a l i m p o r -
t a n c e , " h e c r i e d . " T h e m e t h o d s o f l y i n g a n d b l u n d e r i n g
f r a m e - u p s w h i c h c o n t a m i n a t e t h e i n n e r l i f e o f t h e S o v i e t
Union, and the workers movement of the whole world
r e c e i v e d t o d a y a t e r r i b l e b l o w . L e t t h e o f f i c i a l f r i e n d s o f
t h e S o v i e t U n i o n a n d o t h e r p s e u d o - r a d i c a l b i g o t s s a y
t h a t t h e v e r d i c t w i l l b e u s e d b y t h e r e a c t i o n . T h i s i s u n -
t r u e . N o w h e r e a n d n e v e r d i d t h e t r u t h s e r v e t h e c a u s e
o f r e a c t i o n . A n d n o w h e r e a n d n e v e r i s p r o g r e s s f e d o n
l i e s . "
A f e w m o n t h s l a t e r , i n h i s a r t i c l e o n Their Morals
a n d O u r s , h e a g a i n d e c l a r e d r o u n d l y t h a t :
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DOCTRINE OF CLASS STRUGGLE 2 35
" ' L i e s a n d w o r s e ' a r e a n i n s e p a r a b l e p a r t o f t h e c l a s s
s t r u g g l e e v e n i n i t s m o s t e l e m e n t a r y f o r m . "
T h e r e i s , o f c o u r s e , n o i n c o n s i s t e n c y h e r e . I f o n e b e -
l i e v e s i n l y i n g a s a w e a p o n , o n e o f t h e m o s t h a n d y , a n d
i n d e e d q u i t e i n d i s p e n s a b l e , w e a p o n s w o u l d b e a l i e
a b o u t t h a t v e r y b e l i e f . T r o t s k y k n o w s q u i t e w e l l t h a t
t r u t h h a s s o m e t i m e s s e r v e d t h e c a u s e o f r e a c t i o n , a n d
p r o g r e s s f e d o n l i e s . W h a t h e d o e s n o t k n o w , b e c a u s e n o
d i a l e c t i c a l J e s u i t c a n , i s t h a t f o r l a r g e a n d l o n g - t i m e
p u r p o s e s p r o g r e s s r e a l l y c a n n o t f e e d o n l i e s . I n f e a t s o f
s o c i a l e n g i n e e r i n g c o m p a r a b l e t o t h a t i n d i c a t e d i n t h e
c o n c e p t o f s o c i a l i s t t r a n s f o r m a t i o n , h o n e s t y a n d r e l i a b l e
t r u t h f u l n e s s , a b o v e a l l i n t h o s e w h o l e a d , a r e i n d i s -
p e n s a b l e . T h i s i s n o t a " s u p e r n a t u r a l l a w , " b u t a m o s t
n a t u r a l f a c t . I t w a s w e l l f o r m u l a t e d b y G o e t h e , w h o ,
s c o r n i n g s u c h s e n t i m e n t a l a b s o l u t i s m a s T r o t s k y ' s " n o -
w h e r e a n d n e v e r , " d e c l a r e d s i m p l y t h a t a s b e t w e e n " d e -
s t r u c t i v e t r u t h " a n d " c o n s t r u c t i v e e r r o r , " t h e t r u t h , e v e n
t h o u g h d e s t r u c t i v e , w i l l b e c h o s e n b y t h o s e w h o a r e f a r -
s i g h t e d :
" H a r m f u l t r u t h i s u s e f u l b e c a u s e i t c a n b e h a r m f u l
o n l y t e m p o r a r i l y , a n d t h e n l e a d s t o a d d i t i o n a l t r u t h s
t h a t m u s t b e c o m e m o r e a n d m o r e u s e f u l ; a n d i n v e r s e l y ,
a u s e f u l e r r o r i s h a r m f u l b e c a u s e i t c a n o n l y b e u s e f u l
m o m e n t a r i l y , a n d t h e n l e a d s t o o t h e r e r r o r s t h a t b e c o m e
p r o g r e s s i v e l y m o r e h a r m f u l . "
T h e w i s d o m o f t h i s i s w e l l i l l u s t r a t e d i n t h e s e q u e l
t o T r o t s k y ' s o w n m o m e n t o u s p o l i t i c a l l i e o f O c t o b e r
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236 STALIN'S RU SSIA
1 6 , 1926, which spread not only error, but dismay,
a m o n g h i s f o l l o w e r s t h r o u g h o u t t h e w o r l d . D u r i n g S e p -
t e m b e r o f t h a t y e a r t h e o p p o s i t i o n a l f a c t i o n l e d b y h i m
h a d a t t e m p t e d t o a r o u s e t h e w o r k e r c o m m u n i s t s a g a i n s t
t h e s t r a n g u l a t i o n o f t h e P a r t y b y S t a l i n ' s b u r e a u c r a t i c
machine . B e l i e v i n g t h a t t h e p r o l e t a r i a n c h a r a c t e r o f t h e
d i c t a t o r s h i p w a s a t s t a k e , a s i n d e e d i t w a s , t h e y h a d
g o n e i n t o s o m e o f t h e g r e a t f a c t o r i e s i n a b o d y - a l l t h e
b i g c h i e f s o f t h e O p p o s i t i o n , T r o t s k y , K a m e n e v , Z i n o -
v i e v , P i a t a k o v , R a d e k a n d t h e r e s t - t o s e e w h e t h e r t h e y
c o u l d r o u s e t h e v a n g u a r d o f t h e p r o l e t a r i a t i t s e l f t o
t h r o w o f f t h i s b u r e a u c r a t i c i n c u b u s t h a t w a s d e s t r o y i n g
t h e r e v o l u t i o n . T r o t s k y n e v e r t o o k a m o r e p r i n c i p l e d
a n d d e l i b e r a t e d a c t i o n i n h i s l i f e . C o i n c i d e n t a l l y w i t h
t h i s r e v o l u t i o n a r y a c t i o n - s o l o n g a n d s o w e l l p r e p a r e d
t h a t o p p o s i t i o n i s t s i n o t h e r c o u n t r i e s w e r e b r e a t h l e s s l y
a w a i t i n g i t - a n a r r a n g e m e n t w a s m a d e f o r t h e p u b l i c a -
t i o n t h r o u g h o u t t h e w o r l d o f t h e s u p p r e s s e d d o c u m e n t
i n w h i c h L e n i n h i m s e l f w a r n e d h i s p a r t y a g a i n s t S t a l i n -
t h e s o - c a l l e d T e s t a m e n t o f L e n i n .
T h e a p p e a l t o t h e w o r k e r s w a s u n s u c c e s s f u l . T h e O p -
p o s i t i o n l e a d e r s w e r e s h o u t e d d o w n a n d d e f e a t e d b y t h e
party machine . T h e y d i d n o t s t a n d u p o n t h e i r p r i n c i -
p l e s a n d t a k e t h e c o n s e q u e n c e s w h i l e a w a i t i n g a n o t h e r
o p p o r t u n i t y . They offered, as though the re were no
s u c h t h i n g a s p r i n c i p l e s i n t h e w o r l d , t o n e g o t i a t e a
peace with the machine. S t a l i n d e m a n d e d a s t h e p r i c e
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DOCTRINE OF CLASS STRUGGLE 237
o f p e a c e t h a t t h e y m a k e a p u b l i c d e c l a r a t i o n t h a t t h e i r
a c t i o n h a d b e e n u n p r i n c i p l e d , a c o n f e s s i o n t h a t t h e y
w e r e g u i l t y o f u n p e r m i s s i b l e v i o l a t i o n s o f p a r t y d i s c i -
p l i n e , a s u m m o n s t o t h e i r f o l l o w e r s t o " a c k n o w l e d g e
t h e i r m i s t a k e " a n d c e a s e a l l f u r t h e r " f a c t i o n a l a c t i o n , "
a n d a p r o m i s e n e v e r t o d o i t a g a i n .
A l t h o u g h t h i s b e l i e d h i s p r i n c i p l e s , b e s m i r c h e d h i s
w h o l e p o l i c y , a n d l e f t h i s f o l l o w e r s o u t o n a l i m b , a n d
a l t h o u g h h e k n e w t h a t i n m o r e f a v o r a b l e c i r c u m s t a n c e s
h e w o u l d r e p e a t t h e a t t e m p t , T r o t s k y s u b m i t t e d t o
S t a l i n ' s d e m a n d s . H e s e t h i s o w n n a m e t o t h e f i r s t o f
t h o s e i n s i n c e r e c a p i t u l a t i o n s a n d f a l s e c o n f e s s i o n s o f
g u i l t , w h i c h w h e n p i l e d u p b y t h a t n a t u r a l p r o c e s s o f
p r o l i f e r a t i o n w h i c h G o e t h e d e s c r i b e s , c u l m i n a t e d i n t h e
m o n u m e n t a l i n t e r n a t i o n a l j o i n t - m a s s a c r e o f t r u t h a n d
t h e r e v o l u t i o n k n o w n a s t h e M o s c o w T r i a l s . *
* " W e c o n s i d e r i t o u r d u t y o p e n l y t o c o n f e s s b e f o r e t h e p a r t y t h a t i n
t h e s t r u g g l e f o r o u r o p i n i o n s , w e a n d o u r f o l l o w e r s h a v e i n a n u m b e r
o f c a s e s s i n c e t h e f o u r t e e n t h c o n g r e s s t a k e n s t e p s t h a t w e r e a v i o l a t i o n
o f p a r t y d i s c i p l i n e a n d t r a n s g r e s s e d i n t h e d i r e c t i o n o f f a c t i o n a l i s m t h e
b o u n d a r i e s s e t b y t h e p a r t y f o r i n t r a - p a r t y i d e o l o g i c a l s t r u g g l e . C o n -
s i d e r i n g t h e s e s t e p s u n c o n d i t i o n a l l y m i s t a k e n , w e d e c l a r e t h a t w e c o n -
clusively r enounce factional methods of defending our opinions, in
v i e w o f t h e d a n g e r o f t h e s e m e t h o d s t o t h e u n i t y o f t h e p a r t y , a n d w e
s u m m o n t o a l i k e r e n u n c i a t i o n a l l c o m r a d e s s h a r i n g o u r v i e w s . W e c a l l
f o r t h e i m m e d i a t e d i s s o l u t i o n o f a l l f a c t i o n a l g r o u p s f o r m e d a r o u n d t h e
o p i n i o n s o f t h e ' O p p o s i t i o n .' We likewise acknowledge that by our
actions in Moscow and Leningrad in October [the appeal to the fac-
tories ] we violated the decree of the Central Committee forbidding
d i s c u s s i o n s t h r o u g h o u t t h e S o v i e t U n i o n , a n d t h a t w e u n d e r t o o k t h e m
a g a i n s t t h e d e c r e e o f t h e C e n t r a l C o m m i t t e e . . . . W e c o n s i d e r a b s o -
l u t e l y u n p e r m i s s i b l e t h e d i r e c t o r i n d i r e c t s u p p o r t o f t h e f a c t i o n a l i s m
o f a n y a n d a l l g r o u p s i n t h e d i f f e r e n t s e c t i o n s o f t h e C o m m u n i s t I n t e r -
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238 STALIN'S RUSSIAA l t h o u g h b o g g e d d o w n a n d w e l l - n i g h b u r i e d a s a p o -
l i t i c a l l e a d e r u n d e r t h e w e i g h t o f t h e s e , t h e l e g i t i m a t e
o f f s p r i n g o f h i s o w n s e e m i n g l y s o u s e f u l l i e - h i s s t u p i d l y
a s t u t e d e c e p t i o n o f t h e m i l l i o n s o f w o r k e r s a n d i n t e l l e c -
t u a l s w h o b e l i e v e d i n h i m - T r o t s k y i s u n a b l e b e c a u s e o f
h i s r e l i g i o n t o l e a r n a n y l e s s o n f r o m i t . A f t e r s e e i n g t h e
o t h e r b i g l e a d e r s o f t h e B o l s h e v i k p a r t y c o m e s o l e m n l y
i n t o c o u r t w i t h h u m a n i t y f o r a u d i e n c e a n d d e l i b e r a t e l y
lie the world revolution to death-the most unheroic
s p e c t a c l e t o w h i c h t h i s s u f f i c i e n t l y d i s h e a r t e n e d m o d e r n
w o r l d h a s b e e n w i t n e s s - h e c o n t i n u e s t o s i n g p r a i s e s t o
t h e h e r o i c s u p e r - m o r a l i s m o f t h e B o l s h e v i k s , a n d o f t h e i r
p r o t o t y p e s , t h e J e s u i t s . T h e v i s e t h a t h o l d s h i m i n t h i s
m e n t a l p l i g h t i s h i s b e l i e f i n c l a s s s t r u g g l e n o t a s a f a c t
o f n a t u r e , b u t a s a m y s t i c i n n e r d i a l e c t i c p r i n c i p l e , a
" l a w o f a l l l a w s . "
national against the li ne of the International, whether the gr oup ofSouvarine in France, Maslow-Fischer, Uhrbans, in Germany, Bor-diga in Italy, or any other group-regardless of their attitude to our
opinions . We consider especially u npermissi ble any support whatever
to the activities of persons already excluded from the parties i n theCommunist International . . . . We express the firm hope that theactual cessation of factional struggl e on the part of the Opposit ion will
make it possible for expelled comrades, having acknowledged their
mistake in the matter of violating party discipline and the i nterests of
party unity, to retur n to the ranks of the party ; and we therewithpromi se the party all pos sib le coope ration in its li quidation of factional
stru ggle and its str uggle against a recu rre nce of such viol ations of
discipl ine ."
Signed by Zi noviev, Kamenev, Piatakov, Sokolnikov, Trots ky, Yevdo-
kimov, and published in P r avda, Oc to be r 18, 1926-almost th e anni-
versary of the October i nsurr ection, and by an unhappy chance the
very day that Lenin's Testament was given to the world .
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DOCTRINE OF CLASS STRUGGLE 239
THE FACT REMAINS, AND THE METHODI t w i l l s e e m t o s o m e t h a t i n r e d u c i n g i t t o f a c t I h a v e
d e s t r o y e d t h e f o r c e o f t h e c l a s s - s t r u g g l e c o n c e p t . M y b e -
l i e f i n i t , h o w e v e r , b o t h a s a s o c i a l p h e n o m e n o n o f p e r -
v a s i v e i m p o r t a n c e , a n d a s t h e b a s i c m e t h o d o f p r o c e -
d u r e t o w a r d a b e t t e r s o c i a l s y s t e m , r e m a i n s u n s h a k e n . I f
y o u r e t a i n w h a t i s r e a l l y h a r d - h e a d e d i n t h e M a r x i a n
s y s t e m , v i e w i n g m a n ' s l i f e a s p r i m a r i l y t h e s t r u g g l e f o r a
l i v i n g , a n d n o t r e a d i n g a n y m y s t i c p u r p o s e s o f t h e u n i -
v e r s e i n t o t h a t s t r u g g l e , i t i s i m p o s s i b l e n o t t o s e e h o w
i t h a s a l w a y s d i v i d e d m e n i n t o c l a s s e s . I t h a s d i v i d e d
t h e m m o s t s i g n i f i c a n t l y i n t o e x p l o i t i n g a n d e x p l o i t e d
c l a s s e s . N o t o n l y M a r x , a n d n o t o n l y t h i n k e r s o n t h e
p r o l e t a r i a n s i d e , h a v e r e c o g n i z e d t h i s , b u t a w h o l e s e r i e s
o f p o l i t i c a l p h i l o s o p h e r s f r o m A r i s t o t l e a n d P o l y b i u s t o
Harrington and Locke . A s e x p o u n d e d b y H a r r i n g t o n ,
i t w a s a d h e r e d t o b y A l e x a n d e r H a m i l t o n , J a m e s M a d i -
s o n , J o h n A d a m s , G o u v e r n e u r M o r r i s , D a n i e l W e b s t e r .
O u r A m e r i c a n c o n s t i t u t i o n w a s l a r g e l y s h a p e d b y m a t -
t e r - o f - f a c t m e n c o n v i n c e d o f t h i s f a c t , a n d b e n t o n p r o -
t e c t i n g t h e e xp l o i t i n g c l a s s e s i n t h e i r r i g h t . I t h i n k t h a t
t h o s e w h o w i s h t o p r o t e c t t h e e x p l o i t e d c l a s s e s a n d e x -
t e n d t h e i r s h a r e i n t h e r i g h t s s h o u l d b e e q u a l l y m a t t e r -
o f - f a c t .
I d o n o t s e e h o w a n y b o d y c o u l d h a v e w a t c h e d t h e c a -
r e e r o f b o u r g e o i s l i b e r a l o p i n i o n i n t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s
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240 STALIN'S RUSSIAi n r e l a t i o n t o t h e R u s s i a n r e v o l u t i o n w i t h o u t w i s h i n g t o
d i s s o c i a t e h i m s e l f f r o m s u c h a r e c o r d o f c l a s s - l o y a l s e l f -
d e c e p t i o n . I f y o u c o u l d p l o t a c u r v e s h o w i n g t h e g r a d u a l
d e c l i n e o f p r o l e t a r i a n c l a s s p o w e r i n R u s s i a f r o m 1 9 1 7
t o 1 9 3 5 , a n d a n o t h e r c u r v e s h o w i n g t h e g r a d u a l r i s e o f
"sympathy for the Bolsheviks," "support for the So-
viets," tolerance of "communism," coquetting with
" r e v o l u t i o n , " i n t h e p a g e s o f t h e Nation a n d t h e NewRepublic, you w o u l d f i n d t h e c u r v e s a l m o s t i d e n t i c a l .
A m i d a w e l t e r o f e v e n t s a n d i d e a s s u f f i c i e n t a l m o s t t o
d i s p l a c e t h e N o r t h S t a r , t h e s e l i b e r a l i d e o l o g u e s , w h i l e
o s c i l l a t i n g e n o u g h t o s e e m i n t e l l i g e n t , h a v e r e m a i n e d
p o i n t i n g a l o n g t h e l i n e o f b o u r g e o i s c l a s s i n t e r e s t w i t h
t h e a c c u r a c y o f a c o m p a s s n e e d l e . They imagined that
i n d e f e n d i n g S t a l i n ' s t e r r o r i s t l i q u i d a t i o n o f t h e B o l -
s h e v i k p a r t y i n b e h a l f o f a n e w e x p l o i t i n g c l a s s o f b u -
r e a u c r a t s , t h e y w e r e m o r e " r a d i c a l " t h a n w h e n t h e y d e -
n o u n c e d t h e t e r r o r e s t a b l i s h e d b y t h e B o l s h e v i k s a g a i n s t
t h e b o u r g e o i s i e . T h e y w e r e i n t h e s a m e c l a s s p o s i t i o n
e x a c t l y . A l t h o u g h c o u c h e d i n t h e l a n g u a g e o f d i s i n t e r -
e s t e d c o n c e r n f o r s o c i a l p r o g r e s s , t h e i r j u d g m e n t s h a v e
b e e n l o y a l t h r o u g h o u t t o t h e i n t e r e s t s o f t h e p o s s e s s i n g
c l a s s e s . The Marxian hard-headedness-the Marxian
c o n c e p t o f c l a s s s t r u g g l e m a d e s c i e n t i f i c u s e o f - w o u l d
h a v e m a d e i m p o s s i b l e t h i s h u m i l i a t i n g r e c o r d .
I c i t e t h i s a s b u t o n e e x a m p l e o f t h e s u b t l e p l a y o f
c l a s s i n t e r e s t . I t s e e m s t o d e s e r v e a p o s i t i o n i n s o c i a l a n d
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DOCTRINE OF CLASS STRUGGLE 241p o l i t i c a l t h i n k i n g n o t u n l i k e t h a t o f " l i b i d o " i n t h e
F r e u d i a n p s y c h o l o g y . I t i s n o t a n a b s o l u t e o r u n i v e r s a l
p r i n c i p l e , n o r a s o u r c e o r s u m m a r y o f h u m a n m o t i v e s ,
b u t i t s e f f e c t w h e n u n c o n s c i o u s i s s o b a s i c a n d p e r v a s i v e
t h a t i t o f t e n s e e m s t o b e . I t i s i n f a c t , a l t h o u g h l e s s a b s o -
l u t e , more u n i v e r s a l t h a n M a r x t h o u g h t , f o r c l a s s d i v i -
s i o n s , i n s t e a d o f d i s a p p e a r i n g a s h e b e l i e v e d t h e y w o u l d
u n d e r c o l l e c t i v e o w n e r s h i p , s e e m m e r e l y t o r e v e r t t o a n
e a r l i e r f o r m . I n t y p i c a l f e u d a l t i m e s t h e l a n d a n d l a b o r -
p o w e r o f t h e s e r f s b e l o n g e d f i r s t t o G o d , a n d t h e n t o t h e
k i n g , b u t t h e l o r d s b y v i r t u e o f t h e i r p r o t e c t i v e s e r v i c e
h a d c o n t r o l o f i t . T h e i r r i g h t o f e x p l o i t a t i o n r e s t e d u p o n
p l a c e a n d f u n c t i o n i n s o c i e t y , n o t o w n e r s h i p . I t i s s o
w i t h t h e n e w c l a s s c a l l e d b u r e a u c r a t s i n t h e S o v i e t
Union . T h e i n d u s t r i e s " b e l o n g " t o t h e p e o p l e , b u t c l a s s
d i v i s i o n s a n d c l a s s e x p l o i t a t i o n a r e a s p r i m i t i v e a n d
b r u t a l a s t h e y e v e r w e r e .
M a r x t h o u g h t h e h a d i n t h e c l a s s s t r u g g l e a d i a l e c t i c a l
t a m e b e a s t t o r i d e o n i n t o t h e c o - o p e r a t i v e c o m m o n -
w e a l t h , b u t h e h a d a w i l d l e v i a t h a n b y t h e t a i l . A n y p o -
l i t i c a l a n i m a l , i f h i s t h i n k i n g a b o u t p o l i t i c s i s t o b e
v a l i d , m u s t h a v e t h a t w i l d l e v i a t h a n i n m i n d - t h e m o r e
s o , s i n c e i t i s h i m s e l f . I f h i s s o c i a l a c t i o n i s t o b e e f f e c -
t i v e o n a l a r g e s c a l e , h e m u s t t a k e a c c o u n t o f i t . H e m u s t
j o i n h a n d s w i t h t h e c l a s s o r c l a s s e s w h o s e b r o a d i n t e r e s t
l i e s i n t h e d i r e c t i o n o f t h e c h a n g e h e c o n t e m p l a t e s .
T h e t e n d e n c y o f m a n y s o c i a l i s t s w h o r e j e c t t h e d i a l e c -
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242 STALIN'S RUSSIAt i c r e l i g i o n a n d r e c o i l f r o m t h e B o l s h e v i k f i a s c o i s , wh i l e
c l i n g i n g t o t h e e x t r e m e a i m s o f M a r x i a n s o c i a l i s m , t o g o
b a c k t o t h e e v a n g e l i c a l o r u t o p i a n m e t h o d f o r a c h i e v i n g
them . I t h i n k w e s h o u l d m o d i f y w h a t i s s t i l l u t o p i a n i n
M a r x , t h e e x t r e m e a i m s , b u t c l i n g t o h i s p r a c t i c a l a d -
m o n i t i o n t h a t t h e y c a n b e a c h i e v e d o n l y b y e n l i g h t e n -
i n g e c o n o m i c c l a s s i n t e r e s t s a n d o r g a n i z i n g t h e m i n t o
s o c i a l a n d p o l i t i c a l f o r c e s . U n d o u b t e d l y t h e c l a s s p a t -
t e r n i s m o r e c o m p l e x t h a n i t a p p e a r s i n t h e M a r x i a n
p h i l o s o p h y . I t i s m o r e c o m p l e x t h a n i t w a s w h e n t h a t
p h i l o s o p h y w a s b o r n . I n p a r t i c u l a r t h e p r o b l e m o f t h e
f a r m e r i s s l i g h t e d b y t h e d i a l e c t i c s c h e m a . A new and
m o r e s t a t i s t i c a l a p p r o a c h t o t h e w h o l e q u e s t i o n o f s o c i a l
d y n a m i c s i s c a l l e d f o r . B ut i t i s c e r t a i n t h a t o n l y t h o s e
b e l o n g i n g t o t h e e x p l o i t e d c l a s s e s , o r s e l f - i d e n t i f i e d
w i t h t h e m t h r o u g h t h e v i g o r o f t h e i r r e v o l t a g a i n s t i n -
j u s t i c e a n d o p p r e s s i o n , w i l l h a v e t h e h a r d n e s s t o g o
t h r o u g h w i t h a n y r a d i c a l p r o g r a m o f s o c i a l c h a n g e .
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13
WHAT TO DO NOW
THE c h i e f t r o u b l e o n t h e l e f t i s t h a t r a d i c a l s w h o h a v e
b o t h b r a i n s a n d i n t e l l e c t u a l h o n e s t y h a v e n o p r o g r a m .
T h e y r e a l i z e t h a t t h e M a r x i a n t h e o r e t i c a l s y s t e m i s n o t
s c i e n t i f i c ; * t h e y r e a l i z e t h a t t h e a p p l i c a t i o n o f M a r x i a n
p r a c t i c a l p r i n c i p l e s i n R u s s i a h a s b e e n a s i g n i f i c a n t f a i l -
u r e . B u t t h e y d o n o t r e a l i z e t h a t t h e s e t w o f a c t s p o s e
o n c e m o r e , a n d f u n d a m e n t a l l y , t h e q u e s t i o n a s k e d b y
L e n i n i n f o u n d i n g t h e B o l s h e v i k p a r t y : W h a t t o d o ?
Whatever they do, they will be denounced by the
z e a l o t s o f t h e M a r x i a n f a i t h a n d t h e d u p e s o f t h e S t a l i n
p r o p a g a n d a a s r e n e g a d e s a n d r a s c a l s . They may count
o n t h a t . A n d I h o p e o n l y t h o s e i n w a r d l y a r m e d a g a i n s t
i t w i l l e n t e r t a i n t h e f e w s u g g e s t i o n s I h a v e t o m a k e .
T h e c r i s i s i n s o c i a l i s m i s p a r t l y v e r b a l , a s w e h a v e
* A great many people who remained unconvinced by my writings,have had their eyes ope ned to the ess entially religi ous character of
Marxism b y Sidney Hook's rece nt very bri lli ant attacks on the dia-
lecti c, and by Jo hn Dewey's long-awaited pronouncement : "OrthodoxMarxism shares with or thodox reli gionism and with orthodox idealism
the b eli ef that human ends are inter woven with the ver y textur e and
structure of existence-a conception inherited presumably from its
Hegeli an origi n ."
2 43
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244 STALIN'S RUSSIA
s e e n , a q u e s t i o n o f t h e u n c e r t a i n d e s t i n y o f a n a m e . B u t
i t h a s a l s o t h e s u b s t a n t i a l p r o b l e m s t o s o l v e o f s u bs t i t t i t
i n g s c i e n c e f o r p h i l o s o p h y , a p p r a i s i n g S t a l i n i s m a s t h e
r e s u l t o f a p r e l i m i n a r y e x p e r i m e n t , a n d r e v i s i n g i t s p l a n
o f a c t i o n i n o r d e r t o a v o i d a n o t h e r s u c h r e s u l t .
I f I w e r e a m o r e p o l i t i c a l a n i m a l a n d b e l o n g e d t o a
y o u n g e r g e n e r a t i o n , I w o u l d t r y t o s o l v e a l l t h e s e p r o b -
l e m s b y m a k i n g t h e w o r d " r a d i c a l " m e a n s o m e t h i n g -
m a k i n g i t m e a n a n e w a n d e x p e r i m e n t a l - s c i e n t i f i c m o v e -
m e n t t o w a r d a f r e e r a n d m o r e e q u a l s o c i e t y . I w o u l d
n o t i g n o r e w h a t i s t o b e l e a r n e d f r o m P a r e t o ' s t a l k a b o u t
t h e " c i r c u l a t i o n o f t h e e l i t e , " f r o m R o b e r t M i c h e l s ' s
m o r e s i m p l y f a c t u a l a n d t h e r e f o r e s c i e n t i f i c t a l k a b o u t
P o l i t i c a l P a r t i e s . B u t I w o u l d r e g a r d t h i s , l i k e a l l v a l i d
k n o w l e d g e , a s a f l u e n t a i d r a t h e r t h a n a f i x e d o b s t r u c -
t i o n t o m y p u r p o s e . O n e o b v i o u s t h i n g t o b e l e a r n e d
f r o m M i c h e l s i s t h a t w e o u g h t t o b e m o r e r e a d y t h a n
w e a r e t o d i s c a r d o l d p a r t i e s a n d b u i l d n e w o n e s . T h e
p r e s e n t s i t u a t i o n , i t s e e m s t o m e , c a l l s f o r a n e w p a r t y ,
a n e w p r e s s , a n e w t r a d e u n i o n e d u c a t i o n l e a g u e , s i m i -
l a r i n s o m e w a y s t o t h e o l d M a r x i a n o n e s , b u t b a s e d
o n s c i e n c e a n d t h e d e l i b e r a t e d e x p e r i e n c e o f t h e s e t w o
p r o d i g i o u s d e c a d e s .
T h e w o r d " r a d i c a l " a l r e a d y d e s i g n a t e s t h e g e r m o f
s u c h a t h i n g . T h a t w o r d h a s b e e n s u b s t i t u t e d i n s t i n c -
t i v e l y i n o u r A m e r i c a n s p e e c h f o r t h e E u r o p e a n t e r m
" r e v o l u t i o n a r y " - p a r t l y b e c a u s e t h e l a t t e r t e r m i s a s s o -
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WHAT TO DO NOW 245
c i a t e d f o r u s w i t h a n a t i o n a l s t r u g g l e v i c t o r i o u s i n t h e
p a s t , b u t p a r t l y a l s o b e c a u s e i t i s t o o a b s o l u t e t o d e -
s c r i b e o u r a t t i t u d e t o t h e c l a s s s t r u g g l e s o f t h e f u t u r e .
A m e r i c a n r a d i c a l s , l i k e E u r o p e a n r e v o l u t i o n a r i e s , w a n t
t o c h a n g e t h e s o c i a l s y s t e m p r o f o u n d l y , b u t o n n t h e
q u e s t i o n h o w t o g o a t i t , t h e i r f i r s t l o y a l t y i s t o p r a c t i c a l
i n t e l l i g e n c e . I f t h e y a d v o c a t e a r m e d r e v o l u t i o n , i t i s
o n l y b e c a u s e t h a t s e e m s a l i k e l y m e t h o d o f p r o c e d u r e .
I n E u r o p e , b e c a u s e o f h e r d i f f e r e n t h i s t o r y , t h e f i r s t
l o y a l t y o f a n y o n e w i s h i n g t o c h a n g e s o c i e t y p r o f o u n d l y
i s c o m m o n l y t o a r e v o l u t i o n a r y t r a d i t i o n . I n t e l l i g e n c e
has the subsequent function of understanding and
g u i d i n g a r e v o l u t i o n . T h a t , I t h i n k , i s t h e s i g n i f i c a n t
d i f f e r e n c e i n d i c a t e d b y t h i s c h a n g e o f t e r m s . I t m a k e s
" r a d i c a l " a n a p p r o p r i a t e n a m e f o r a p a r t y w i s h i n g t o
s u b s t i t u t e f o r a n i m p o r t e d r e v o l u t i o n a r y m e t a p h y s i c s
t h e a t t i t u d e o f e x p e r i m e n t a l s c i e n c e .
S u c h a p a r t y w o u l d n o t o n l y " u n i t e s c i e n c e w i t h t h e
p r o l e t a r i a t , " a s M a r x i s t s e r r o n e o u s l y b o a s t e d o f d o i n g ,
b u t i t w o u l d s t r i v e a s a b a s i c p r i n c i p l e o f i t s e x i s t e n c e
t o u n i t e s c i e n t i s t s w i t h t h e p r o l e t a r i a t . I t w o u l d n o t
r e s t i t s h o p e e s s e n t i a l l y , a s T h o r s t e i n V e b l e n d i d , u p o n
a n e n g i n e e r i n g i n t e r e s t i n t h e b u s i n e s s s y s t e m " a s a g o -
i n g c o n c e r n , " o r a d v o c a t e t h e s e i z u r e o f p o w e r b y a
" s o v i e t o f t e c h n i c i a n s . " I t w o ul d n o t f a i l , a s t h e t e c h n o -
c r a t s d i d , f o l l o w i n g V e b l e n , t o l i n k u p i t s e n g i n e e r i n g
p r o g r a m w i t h a m a j o r s o c i a l f o r c e . B u t i t w o u l d r e c o g -
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246 STALIN'S RUSSIAn i z e t h e e x i s t e n c e a n d v i t a l i m p o r t a n c e o f t h a t e n g i n e e r -
i n g i n t e r e s t , t h e n e c e s s i t y t o t h e e x t e n t p o s s i b l e o f u n i t -
i n g i t , u p o n a p l a t f o r m a c c e p t a b l e t o t h e m b o t h , w i t h
t h e c l a s s i n t e r e s t s o f t h e e x p l o i t e d m a s s e s .
LIBERTY AND COLLECTIVISMS u c h a u n i o n w o u l d b e p o s s i b l e b e c a u s e t h e p a r t y
w o u l d a t l a s t r e a l l y a b a n d o n u t o p i a n s o c i a l i s m . I t r i e d
i n C h a p t e r 9 t o i d e n t i f y t h e u t o p i a n e l e m e n t s s u r v i v -
i n g i n M a r x ' s c o n c e p t i o n o f t h e g o a l o f s o c i a l i s t s t r u g g l e .
I o u t l i n e d i n e i g h t p r o p o s i t i o n s t h e c h a n g e s t h a t i t
s e e m e d t o m e a p r a c t i c a l m i n d w o u l d m a k e . I n p a r t i c u -
l a r , I p o i n t e d o u t t h a t i n l i n k i n g u p i n d i v i d u a l l i b e r t y
w i t h c o - o p e r a t i v e p r o d u c t i o n b y t h e s t a t e , f o r n o b e t t e r
r e a s o n t h a n t h e i r f a i t h i n t h e b e n i g n i n t e n t i o n s o f a
G e r m a n u n i v e r s e , t h e s o c i a l i s t s h a v e m a d e a c a p i t a l
e r r o r .
T h i s e r r o r , b r o u g h t t o s u c h w h i t e l i g h t i n S t a l i n ' s
t y r a n n y , m i g h t b e e p i t o m i z e d i n t h i s w a y : M a r x p o i n t e d
o u t t h a t w i t h t h e d e v e l o p m e n t o f c a p i t a l i s t i c f a c t o r i e s ,
p r o d u c t i o n h a d b e c o m e a c o - o p e r a t i v e p r o c e s s , b u t o w n -
e r s h i p h a d r e m a i n e d i n d i v i d u a l a n d p r i v a t e . A l l y o u
h a v e t o d o , h e s a i d i n e f f e c t , i s t o s o c i a l i z e ownersh ip,
a n d y o u h a v e t h e f r e e a n d e q u a l s o c i e t y . I t s e e m e d
a l m o s t a s s i m p l e a s r e m o v i n g t h e l i d t o g e t a t a n i c e l y
p r e p a r e d p u d d i n g . W h a t h e f a i l e d t o n o t e w a s t h a t w i t h
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248 STALIN'S RUSSIAo n l y b e c a u s e t h e r e a p p e a r s n o o t h e r c l e a r a l t e r n a t i v e
b u t t o a b a n d o n t h e w h o l e M a r x i a n i d e a . *
A n e w r a d i c a l p a r t y , o r a n y p r e l i m i n a r y g r o u p l o o k -
i n g t o w a r d t h e f o r m a t i o n o f s u c h a p a r t y , w o u l d h a v e t o
c o n f r o n t t h i s q u e s t i o n f r a n k l y : H o w f a r i s l i be r t y t o b e
s a c r i f i c e d t o c o - o p e r a t i o n , h o w f a r c o - o p e r a t i o n t o l i b -
e r t y ?
H a v i n g i n s i s t e d f o r w e l l - n i g h a h u n d r e d y e a r s t h a t a l l
o u r d e m o c r a t i c f r e e d o m s a r e b u t a n i n c i d e n t a l p r o d u c t
o f t h e f r e e m a r k e t d e m a n d e d b y c a p i t a l i s t p r o d u c t i o n ,
i t i s t i m e f o r s o c i a l i s t s t o a s k : W i l l n o t t h o s e f r e e d o m s
d i s a p p e a r , t h e n , i f y o u a b o l i s h t h e f r e e m a r k e t ? I f t h e
p r i m a r y i n t e r e s t e d a c t i v i t i e s o f m e n a r e e c o n o m i c , m u s t
t h e y n o t , i n o r d e r t o b e f r e e , b e f r e e i n t h o s e a c t i v i t i e s ?
C a n y o u e l i m i n a t e c l a s s e s t h r o u g h s t a t e a c t i o n w i t h o u t
s u p p r e s s i n g t h e n a t u r a l i m p u l s e s o f m a n k i n d ? A n d w i l l
* A tragic example of what I mean is Upton Sinclair who, after
d e v o t i n g a l i f e ' s l a b o r t o t h e s t r u g g l e t o g i v e t h e w o r l d ' s r i c h e s t o t h e
c o m m o n m a n , f i n d s h i m s e l f i n a d v a n c i n g a g e d e f e n d i n g t h e m o s t r u t h -
less, bloody and systematic armed assault on the common man, the
m o s t w h o l e s a l e g o v e r n m e n t a l t o r t u r e a n d m a s s a c r e o f t h o s e v e r y s a m e
simple, hard-working men, women and children who are th e he roes of
h i s p a s s i o n a t e n o v e l s , t h a t h i s t o r y w i l l p e r h a p s e v e r r e c o r d .
A y e a r a g o S i n c l a i r p r o p o s e d " o n e s i m p l e m e t h o d , a s c e r t a i n a s l i t -
mus paper in a test tub e" to determine whether the Soviet Union is
c o u n t e r - r e v o l u t i o n a r y : " W h e n H i t l e r l e a r n s t h a t t h e S o v i e t U n i o n h a s
b e c o m e c o u n t e r - r e v o l u t i o n a r y , h e w i l l r e d u c e t h e a r d o r o f h i s c r u s a d e
a g a i n s t i t . . . w h e n t h a t h a p p e n s I w i l l a d m i t t h a t S t a l i n h a s s o l d o u t
t h e w o r k e r s . "
S i n c e t h e n H i t l e r h a s j o i n e d S t a l i n i n a m i l i t a r y p a c t , b u t S i n c l a i r i s
s t i l l u n a b l e t o m a k e t h i s a d m i s s i o n . I t h i n k i t i s b e c a u s e h e h a s t h e
i n t u i t i v e g o o d s e n s e t o k n o w t h a t i t e n t a i l s a n a d m i s s i o n a b o u t s o c i a l -
i s m i t s e l f . I t n e c e s s i t a t e s a r e c o n s i d e r a t i o n o f t h e d o c t r i n e t o w h i c h h e
h a s c o n s e c r a t e d h i s l i f e , a n d h e i s t o o t i r e d t o u n d e r t a k e t h a t j o b .
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WHAT TO DO NOW 249
n o t t h e s e i m p u l s e s , d e n i e d e x p r e s s i o n i n p r i v a t e e n t e r -
p r i s e , f i n d i n e v i t a b l e e x p r e s s i o n i n t h e c r e a t i o n o f a
s t a t e b u r e a u c r a c y w h i c h e x p l o i t s t h e w o r k i n g c l a s s m o r e
e f f i c i e n t l y t h a n t h e p r i v a t e c a p i t a l i s t c a n ? S u c h q u e s t i o n s
c a n n o l o n g e r b e d o d g e d .
S t a l i n h a s a b o l i s h e d t h e f r e e m a r k e t - h e h a s a b o l i s h e d
c a p i t a l i s t c o m p e t i t i o n - a n d t h e o t h e r f r e e d o m s h a v e d i s -
a p p e a r e d . T h e y h a v e d i s a p p e a r e d s o c o m p l e t e l y a s t o
l e a v e n o h o p e t h a t t h e o p p r e s s i v e a s p e c t s o f c a p i t a l i s t
e c o n o m y c a n a l s o b e a b o l i s h e d : c o n t r o l o f t h e m e a n s o f
p r o d u c t i o n b y p r i v i l e g e d c l a s s e s , a n d e x p l o i t a t i o n o f t h e
w o r k e r s t h r o u g h t h e w a g e s y s t e m f o r t h e b e n e f i t o f
t h o s e c l a s s e s ( w h a t M a r x c a l l e d s u r p l u s v a l u e ) . I n m a k -
i n g t h e t o t a l m e c h a n i s m o f s u c h e x p l o i t a t i o n a s t a t e
m o n o p o l y , S t a l i n h a s g i v e n a p o w e r t o t h o s e w h o c o n s t i -
t u t e a n d r u n t h e s t a t e , s u c h t h a t a r e s t o r a t i o n o f e l e -
m e n t a r y p o p u l a r r i g h t s c a n h a r d l y b e t h o u g h t o f e x c e p t
i n t e r m s o f d e m o c r a t i c r e v o l u t i o n . A m I w r o n g i n t h i n k -
i n g t h a t a n u n a c k n o w l e d g e d c o n s c i o u s n e s s o f t h i s f a c t
i s w h a t i s k i l l i n g t h e s o c i a l i s t m o v e m e n t i n o t h e r c o u n -
t r i e s , w h i l e t h e s o - c a l l e d " c o m m u n i s t s , " w h o a c c e p t t h e
h i d e o u s o u t c o m e a n d g o i n f o r t o t a l i t a r i a n i s m i n i t s m o s t
s a v a g e f o r m , a r e a b l e t o g r o w a n d f l o u r i s h ? A r a d i c a l
p a r t y , a t a n y r a t e , w o u l d h a v e t o a c k n o w l e d g e a n d c o n -
f r o n t s u c h f a c t s .
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250 STALIN'S RUSSIABEWARE OF TOTALITARIANISM
I t i s b e y o n d m y s c o p e t o d r a w u p t h e e c o n o m i c p r o -
g r a m o f s u c h a p a r t y . U n f o r t u n a t e l y I c a n o n l y d e s c r i b e
i n v e r y g e n e r a l t e r m s t h e p o s i t i o n w h i c h I t h i n k i t
o u g h t t o o c c u p y . I d o e v e n t h i s w i t h d i f f i d e n c e , f o r o f
t h e t w o m a i n i n g r e d i e n t s o f w i s d o m , p r a c t i c a l a c t i o n
a n d d e t a c h m e n t , I h a v e f o r s o m e y e a r s c u l t i v a t e d o n l y
t h e l a t t e r . S t i l l i t s e e m s o b v i o u s t h a t a n y n e w p r o g r a m
t o r e p l a c e M a r x i s m , i f i t i s s c i e n t i f i c , w i l l b e , l i k e o t h e r
a c h i e v e m e n t s o f m o d e r n s c i e n c e , a s o c i a l p r o d u c t . And
I d o n o t s e e h o w i t w i l l b e a r r i v e d a t , u n l e s s e v e r y b o d y
w h o r e c o g n i z e s t h e n e e d t o s s e s i n w h a t i d e a s h e h a s w i t h
a c e r t a i n f r i e n d l y a b a n d o n j u s t a s t h e y h a v e f o r m e d
t h e m s e l v e s i n h i s m i n d . M y m a i n c o n t r i b u t i o n - o r a t
l e a s t t h e o n e m o s t d i f f i c u l t t o b r i n g o u t o f m y m o u t h -
w o u l d b e t h i s w o r d o f p r u d e n c e a b o u t c o m m u n a l o w n -
e r s h i p .
I t h i n k t h a t a s c i e n t i f i c r a d i c a l p a r t y w i l l h a v e t o
a b a n d o n t h e c a s u a l a s s u m p t i o n , b a s e d , a f t e r a l l , o n l y
u p o n C h r i s t i a n e t h i c s a n d t h e a n a l o g y o f t h e f a m i l y ,
t h a t c o m p l e t e c o l l e c t i v i z a t i o n i s t h e o b v i o u s f o u n d a t i o n
f o r a m o r e g e n e r a l e n j o y m e n t o f l i f e a n d l i b e r t y . S e e i n g
w h a t h a s h a p p e n e d i n R u s s i a a n d t h e f a s c i s t s t a t e s , i t
w i l l p r o c e e d c a u t i o u s l y w i t h t h e e x p e r i m e n t o f c o l l e c -
t i v i z a t i o n - n o t o u t o f t i m i d i t y o r t e n d e r n e s s t o w a r d t h e
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WHAT TO DO NOW 251
p o s s e s s i n g c l a s s e s - b u t o u t o f a r e a l i s t i c r e g a r d f o r i t s
o w n p u r p o s e o f g e n u i n e e m a n c i p a t i o n .
I t w o u l d , t o b e g i n w i t h , m a r s h a l t h e p r o l e t a r i a n c l a s s
forces behind some such program as that which Max
L e r n e r c a l l s " d e m o c r a t i c c o l l e c t i v i s m , " e n v i s a g i n g a s o -
c i e t y i n w h i c h " p r i v a t e p r o p e r t y a n d p r i v a t e i n d u s t r i a l
i n i t i a t i v e w o u l d r e m a i n ; b u t t h e c a p i t a l i s t s c o u l d m a k e
t h e i r d e c i s i o n s o n p o l i c y o n l y w i t h i n a f r a m e - w o r k s e t
b y p l a n n i n g b o a r d s . " I t w o u l d a s s e r t , a s L e r n e r d o e s ,
t h a t a d e m o c r a t i c c a p i t a l i s t s o c i e t y can p l a n , " i f t h e m a -
j o r i t y a n d i t s l e a d e r s h a v e t h e c o u r a g e t o t a k e c a p i t a l i s m
a w a y f r o m t h e c a p i t a l i s t s , a n d m a k e i t s b a s i c d e c i s i o n s
s o c i a l l y r a t i o n a l a n d r e s p o n s i b l e . " B u t i t w o u l d b e w a r y
o f t h a t " p l a n n e d s o c i a l i s m " t o w h i c h L e r n e r r e g a r d s
s u c h a bl e s s e d s t a t e - o f - t h i n g s a s b ut " a t r a n s i t i o n s t e p . "
F o r h e i s w i l l i n g t o g i v e t h i s s a m e n a m e , " s o c i a l i s m , "
t o R u s s i a ' s s y s t e m a t i c e x p l o i t a t i o n o f t h e w o r k e r s
t h r o u g h t h e w a g e s y s t e m a n d t h e t o t a l i t a r i a n s t a t e . H e
i s w i l l i n g t o b e l i e v e t h a t t h e p r o f i t s o f t h e a d v a n c i n g
i n d u s t r i e s o f t h a t m i l i t a r y b u r e a u c r a c y , a l t h o u g h a t t h e
d i s p o s a l o f a m o n o l i t h i c m i n o r i t y p a r t y a s s u m e d l y c o m -
p o s e d o f h u m a n b e i n g s a n d n o t a n g e l s , a r e n e v e r t h e l e s s
g r a c i o u s l y d i s t r i b u t e d a m o n g t h e w o r k i n g c l a s s e s . H i s
i n d i f f e r e n c e b o t h t o f a c t s o f h u m a n n a t u r e a n d t o s t a -
t i s t i c s i n d i c a t e s t h a t h i s t h i n k i n g h e r e i s d i r e c t e d , n o t
t o w a r d c h a n g i n g t h e w o r l d , b u t t o w a r d a c q u i r i n g c o m -
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25 2 STALIN'S RUSSIAf o r t a b l e e m o t i o n s a b o u t i t s f u t u r e . I t i s i d e o l o g i c a l
t h i n k i n g - a l w a y s t o b e w a t c h e d f o r w h e n a s o f t - h e a d e d
l i b e r a l g o e s i n f o r t h e " i r o n m o o d . "
A r a d i c a l p a r t y , i f i t h a s t h e c h a r a c t e r I a m a d v o -
c a t i n g , w i l l h a v e n o n e o f t h a t i n d i f f e r e n c e , a n d n o n e o f
t h a t s o f t - h e a d e d n e s s . I t wi l l c h e r i s h r e a l v a l u e s a n d c h e r -
i s h t h e w o r k i n g c l a s s e s . A n d I f o r m y p a r t a m c o n v i n c e d
t h a t , i n s o d o i n g , i t w i l l f i n d i t s e l f i n c r e a s i n g l y s k e p t i c a l
o f t h a t " c o m p l e t e c o l l e c t i v i z a t i o n " w h i c h t h e s e s a m e
l i b e r a l s a r e n o w s o b l a n d l y a d o p t i n g a s t h e i r o w n . I t w i l l
r e - e x a m i n e a l l t h e d i s s i d e n t s o c i a l i s t d o c t r i n e s - s y n d i -
c a l i s m , g u i l d s o c i a l i s m , l i b e r t a r i a n c o m m u n i s m , t h e
c o - o p e r a t i v e s , p r o d u c t i o n f o r u s e , e t c . , i n s e a r c h o f g u a r -
a n t e e s a g a i n s t t h e t o t a l i t a r i a n i s m w h i c h n o w s e e m s
i n h e r e n t i n s t a t e o w n e r s h i p . Unburdened of the de-
l u s i o n t h a t a n e w d a y i s d a w n i n g i n t h e E a s t , i t w i l l
t u r n i t s e y e s t o t h e N o r t h , t o S w e d e n a n d t h e o t h e r
S c a n d i n a v i a n c o u n t r i e s , w h e r e a g o o d d e a l o f d a y l i g h t
s e e m s t o h a v e b e e n s h i n i n g f o r s o m e t i m e o n s o c i a l p r o b -
l e m s . I t w i l l s t u d y b o t h t h e r e m a r k a b l y h u m a n e a n d
d e m o c r a t i c c i v i l i z a t i o n s a c h i e v e d t h e r e , a n d t h e r o l e
p l a y e d b y c l a s s f o r c e s i n t h e p r o c e s s o f t h e i r a c h i e v e -
ment .
I t w i l l b e a l e r t a l s o t o t h e m a n y n e w i d e a s t h a t a r e
c o m i n g t o b i r t h n o w t h a t M a r x i s m h a s c e a s e d t o b e t h e
p r e o c c u p a t i o n o f a f e w r e b e l s , a n d i s a c t u a l l y b e i n g
m a s t e r e d a n d c r i t i c i z e d w i t h s y m p a t h y b y t h e b e s t -
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2 54 STALIN'S RUSSIAr e s t r i c t e d p r o d u c t i o n . * I t i s n o d o u b t a m o r e i n t r i c a t e
p r o b l e m t h a n i t s e e m s t o o n e r e m o t e f r o m b u s i n e s s
e n t e r p r i s e , b u t i t o u g h t n o t , o n c e i t i s c l e a r l y d e f i n e d ,
t o t r a n s c e n d t h e i n v e n t i v e g e n i u s o f m a n k i n d .
H a d M a r x h i m s e l f r e a l i z e d t h a t h i s e c o n o m i c s w a s a
d e m o n s t r a t i o n o f t h e i m p r a c t i c a b i l i t y o f a m a t u r e d c a p i -
t a l i s t p r o d u c t i o n , h e c o u l d h a r d l y h a v e f a i l e d t o r a i s e
t h e q u e s t i o n : I s t h e r e n o w a y , w i t h o u t s a c r i f i c i n g t h e
b e n e f i t s c o n f e r r e d u p o n m a n k i n d a l o n g w i t h t h e f r e e
m a r k e t , t o m e n d t h i s f l a w i n i t s o p e r a t i o n ? M a r x b e -
l i e v e d , a s w e h a v e s e e n , t h a t h e w a s d i s c o v e r i n g c o n t r a -
d i c t i o n s i n c a p i t a l i s m , i n d i c a t i v e o f t h e m a n n e r i n w h i c h
a d i a l e c t i c u n i v e r s e w a s i n p r o c e s s o f s u p p l a n t i n g i t w i t h
s o m e t h i n g b e t t e r . T h a t i s a n o t h e r w a y o f s a y i n g t h a t h i s
f i r s t l o y a l t y w a s t o a r e v o l u t i o n a r y t r a d i t i o n . Anyone
w h o s e f i r s t l o y a l t y i s t o p r a c t i c a l i n t e l l i g e n c e w i l l , a t l e a s t
w i t h t h e r e s u l t s o f t h e R u s s i a n e x p e r i m e n t b e f o r e h i m ,
i n s t i n c t i v e l y r a i s e t h a t q u e s t i o n . A n d a r a d i c a l p a r t y , a s
I c o n c e i v e i t , w i l l h a v e t o p r o v i d e s o m e a n s w e r s . I t w i l l
h a v e t o p r o p o s e A m e r i c a n e x p e r i m e n t s , b a s e d o n t h e
r e a l t r u t h i n t h e M a r x i a n a n a l y s i s o f c a p i t a l i s m , b u t n o t
* A s a m a n c a l l e d i n t o c u r e t h e m o r t a l d i s e a s e o f d e m o c r a t i c c i v i l i -
z a t i o n , P r e s i d e n t R o o s e v e l t w i l l g o d o w n t o f u t u r e h i s t o r y - i f h i s t o r y
h a s a f u t u r e - a s a h o r s e - a n d - b u g g y d o c t o r , h u m a n e , s a g a c i o u s , h e l p f u l
i n a n e m e r g e n c y , b u t t e c h n i c a l l y u n t r a i n e d a n d i n a d e q u a t e . I n p a r -
t i c u l a r h i s a t t e m p t s t o c o r r e c t a c o n d i t i o n a r i s i n g f r o m o v e r p r o d u c t i o n
i n r e l a t i o n t o b u y i n g p o w e r b y c u t t i n g d o w n o n a c t u a l p r o d u c t i o n ,
w i l l b e d i s m i s s e d a s a n a m a t e u r i s h t h e r a p y n o t d i s s i m i l a r t o b l o o d -
l e t t i n g .
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WHAT TO DO NOW 2 5 5
d e l u d e d w i t h t h e m e t a p h y s i c a l f a l s e h o p e s i n h e r e n t i n
the Marxian dogma of communal ownership .
T o s o m e t h i s w i l l s e e m , I s u p p o s e , e q u i v a l e n t t o a n
a b a n d o n m e n t o f s o c i a l i s m , b u t t h a t o u g h t n o t t o w o r r y
t h e c o m i n g g e n e r a t i o n . What we want is a movement
o f h a r d m i n d s , l o y a l t o t h e o p p r e s s e d , d i s i l l u s i o n e d a s
t h e s o c i a l i s t s a r e o f m o r a l a n d r a t i o n a l i s t i c e v a n g e l i s m
a n d o f s e l f - c o n s o l i n g i d e o l o g i e s , b u t i n s t r u c t e d a s t h e y
a r e n o t o f t h e e r r o r s a s w e l l a s t h e t r u t h s i n M a r x i s m ,
a n d a b l e t o l e a r n a l l t h e l e s s o n s o f t h e R u s s i a n r e v o -
l u t i o n a n d t h e f a t e o f t h e T h i r d I n t e r n a t i o n a l .
INTELLIGENT INTERNATIONALISMS u c h a m o v e m e n t w o u l d t h i n k d i f f e r e n t l y a b o u t i n t e r -
n a t i o n a l i s m a n d t h e p e a c e - a n d - w a r p r o b l e m t h a n s o c i a l -
i s t s h a v e . They have followed Marx in his peculiar
b l i n d n e s s t o t h e e x i s t e n c e o f n a t i o n s - h i s t h e o r e t i c h a b i t ,
r a t h e r , o f r e g a r d i n g n a t i o n s a s a p a r t o f w h a t i s " g i v e n "
t o t h e h i s t o r i a n , l i k e t h e e a r t h i t s e l f u p o n w h i c h h i s t o r y
happens . T h i s e n a b l e d M a r x i s t s t o e x p l a i n i n t e r n a t i o n a l
w a r s a s w h o l l y d u e t o e c o n o m i c c a u s e s , a n d t o d i s m i s s a l l
m o d e r n w a r s , w i t h o u t s p e c i f i c i n v e s t i g a t i o n , a s " i m p e -
r i a l i s t " - a s s q u a b b l e s , t h a t i s , a b o u t c o l o n i a l e m p i r e .
T h a t w a s a r e c k l e s s o v e r s i m p l i f i c a t i o n o f t h e t r u t h . B u t
e v e n w h e r e i t m i g h t e x h a u s t t h e t r u t h , i t w o u l d n o t e x -
h a u s t t h e p r o b l e m o f w h a t a t t i t u d e t o w a r d a w a r a c t u -
a l l y i n p r o g r e s s a r a d i c a l o u g h t t o t a k e . T h a t i s a q ue s -
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2 56 STALIN'S RUSSIA
t i o n , n o t o f c a u s e s , b u t r e s u l t s . L i n d b e r g h h a s i n f o r m e d
u s , m u c h i n t h e s p i r i t o f h i s s o c i a l i s t i c f a t h e r , t h a t t h e
p r e s e n t w a r i n E u r o p e i s n o t a s t r u g g l e f o r d e m o c r a c y
a g a i n s t t o t a l i t a r i a n i s m , b u t m e r e l y a " s t r u g g l e f o r
power . " S u p p o s e t h a t t h a t s t a t e m e n t , w h e n b r o k e n d o w n
i n t o i t s c o n s t i t u e n t s p e c i f i c m e a n i n g s , p r o v e d e n t i r e l y
t r u e . I t s t i l l m i g h t b e t r u e t h a t u p o n t h e o u t c o m e o f
t h i s w a r d e p e n d s t h e q u e s t i o n w h e t h e r d e m o c r a c y i s t o
s u r v i v e i n E u r o p e o r n o t . T h e b a t t l e o f M a r a t h o n w a s a
s t r u g g l e f o r p o w e r , a n d M a r x i a n s w o u l d h a v e l i t t l e d i f -
f i c u l t y i n s h o w i n g t h a t i t w a s a l s o a s t r u g g l e a b o u t c o l -
o n i e s . B u t n e v e r t h e l e s s u p o n t h e i s s u e o f t h a t b a t t l e
d e p e n d e d t h e s u r v i v a l o f t h e A t h e n i a n s y s t e m o f d e -
mocracy .
I m y s e l f t h i n k t h a t e v e r y e f f o r t s h o u l d b e m a d e t o
k e e p t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s o u t o f t h e p r e s e n t w a r s . T h e g e o -
g r a p h i c a l a n d e c o n o m i c a c c i d e n t s w h i c h m a k e p o s s i b l e a
c o m p l e t e e x p e r i m e n t i n d e m o c r a t i c c i v i l i z a t i o n o n t h i s
c o n t i n e n t a r e t h e m o s t p r e c i o u s t h i n g l e f t t o t h e h u -
m a n r a c e . I f w h i l e t h e y f i g h t , w e c a n s o l v e t h e p r o b l e m s
a b o u t w h i c h t h e y a r e f i g h t i n g , w e s h a l l h a v e f u l f i l l e d
o u r h i g h e s t d e s t i n y . I n g e n e r a l , h o w e v e r , I t h i n k w e
m u s t - a t t h e c o s t o f a g o o d d e a l o f s m a r t - a l e c k y s a t i s -
faction-abandon the Marxian oversimplification of
w a r ' s c a u s e s , a n d l e a r n a l s o t h a t w h e n a w a r h a s b e g u n ,
i t s c a u s e s a r e a s e c o n d a r y q u e s t i o n . P r a c t i c a l t h i n k i n g
s h o u l d t h e n c o n c e r n i t s e l f w i t h r e s u l t s .
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WHAT TO DO NOW 2 5 7
We must be more r ealistic also about the proble m of
war's prevention . The notion that "th e worker s have no
fathe rland" and that once the private capitalis t is got
rid of, nations will spontaneous ly mer ge toge ther in a
universal brother ly society, seems so obviousl y utopian
now that one can hardly be li eve i t ever formed a part
of "s cientific socialism ." Here again it was left to future
history to res olve with rainbow work the conflict b e-
twe en free dom and unio n, indivi dualit y and co-o pe ra-
tion. With nations as with peopl e that is th e es sential
problem. The bes t that can be hope d for-or i ndeeddesi red by those stil l interested in the colors of life-
is a federation of obstreperously patriotic nations exer-
cising real police power thr ough the world . That, ho w-
ever, is a vital necessity, and to postpone working for it
on the grou nd that a prol etarian revoluti on is going to
hand it to us on a si lver platter , with the dying away
of the s tate and the end of "barrow-pus hing as a profes-
sion," i s shee r mystic folly . Intelligent socialists have al-
ready pus hed this dream into the s hadowy portion of
the ir mi nds ; a scie ntific r adical moveme nt woul d push
it out altogether .
REFORM AND REVOLUTIONA party taking the l ead of suc h a movement woul d
fight honestly and whole-heartedly for measures of social
reform, regarding even a temporary prevalence of more
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2 5 8 STALIN'S RUSSIAc i v i l i z e d c o n d i t i o n s a s a g o o d i n i t s e l f . B u t i t w o u l d
s t r e s s t h e d i s t i n c t i o n b e t w e e n t h o s e m e a s u r e s w h i c h c o n -
s t i t u t e a f u n d a m e n t a l g a i n b y t h e l o w e r c l a s s e s , a n d
t h o s e w h i c h a r e a n e f f o r t o f t h e r u l i n g c l a s s e s t o s u g a r -
c o a t t h e p r o c e s s o f e x p l o i t a t i o n . I t w o u l d b e i n t h a t
s e n s e a p a r t y o f r e v o l u t i o n a r y p r o g r e s s .
T o s a f e g u a r d s u c h p r o g r e s s , a s w e l l a s f o r t h e i r o w n
s a k e , i t w o u l d d e f e n d w h e r e v e r a n d t o w h a t e x t e n t t h e s e
e x i s t , t h e l a w s a n d i n s t i t u t i o n s , a n d a b o v e a l l t h e s o c i a l
h a b i t s , o f d e m o c r a c y . I t w o u l d o p p o s e i n a l l r e p u b l i c s
t h e a t t e m p t , w h e t h e r c a l l i n g i t s e l f c o m m u n i s t o r f a s c i s t ,
w h e t h e r m a s q u e r a d i n g a s d e m o c r a t i c l i k e t h e S t a l i n i s t s ,
o r o p e n l y a d v o c a t i n g d i c t a t o r s h i p l i k e t h e T r o t s k y i s t s ,
t o b u i l d a d u a l p o w e r w i t h a v i e w t o s u b s t i t u t i n g i n a
c r i s i s t h e s o v e r e i g n t y o f a p a r t y f o r t h a t o f t h e s t a t e .
A r e v o l u t i o n i n t h e t r u e s e n s e , h o w e v e r , a n a t i o n - w i d e
c o l l a p s e o f g o v e r n m e n t a n d a s p o n t a n e o u s u p r i s i n g o f
t h e m a s s e s , c a n n o t b e s i m p l y a d v o c a t e d o r o p p o s e d . S u c h
a n e v e n t , l i k e a t i d a l w a v e , w o u l d c a r r y a n y r e a l w o r k -
e r s ' p a r t y w i t h i t , w h e t h e r a s a g u i d e o r o n t h e t o w - l i n e . *
T h e p r e s e n t a t t i t u d e o f r e v o l u t i o n a r y M a r x i s t s i s t o r e -
g a r d t h e s t r u g g l e o f t h e w o r k i n g c l a s s t o b e t t e r i t s c o n -
d i t i o n s u n d e r c a p i t a l i s m m e r e l y a s a p r e p a r a t i o n f o r t h i s
a s s u r e d e v e n t . A s R o s a L u x e m b u r g e x p r e s s e d i t , " T h e
s t r u g g l e f o r r e f o r m s i s t h e m e a n s , t h e s o c i a l r e v o l u t i o n
* " A r e v o l u t i o n c a n n o t b e m a d e t o o r d e r - i t g r o w s . . . . I f t h e o b -
j e c t i v e c o n d i t i o n s c h a n g e a n u p r i s i n g i s i n e v i t a b l e . " - L e n i n i n 1 9 1 7 .
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WHAT TO DO NOW 2 5 9
the aim ." And this general idea has given rise in all
socialist platforms to a sharp distinction between "im-
mediate demands" and " ul timate pr ogram ." A party
recognizing the limits of scientific knowledge, recogniz-
ing that a proletarian revolution may or may not come,
and if it comes, may or may not succeed, would abandon
this equivocal attitude . It would struggle for reforms
with u nmixed motive, bu t would also make known its
proposed line of conduct in a revolution . I n s t e a d o f d i -
viding its pl atform i nto "im mediate demands" and
" ul timate pro gram," working for one and keepi ng the
other h alf-way up its sleeve, i t might, it se ems to me,
draw up a "program of radical re forms" and a "program
of action in a re volution," and lay the m both on the
table .
For the latter program, it might borr ow from the
original constitution of the Soviet Republ ic . In that
document the principle of "pr oletarian dictators hip" ap-
pears i n the only form in which a prudent mind will
ever again approve it, as a limitation of the franchise to
those who do not exploit the labor of others . An experi-
ment with su ch a gover nment, a genuine workers ' and
peasants' republic, is still to be tried . For the Soviet
government was from the first, as Trotsky himself has
frankly r evealed, someth ing in the nature of a hoax .
The popular bel ief that any real power resided in the
supr eme organs of that government he h as r ecently
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260 STALIN'S RUSSIAdescribed as an "optical illu sion . " W h i l e th e " popu la -
tion," he says-or shou ld we translate it populace?-was
diverted by this optical il lusi on, " the pr incipal ques-
tions, the discords and conflicts wer e r esol ved in the
Politb uro [of the party] which from the be ginning
played the role of a supe r-government . "
That su per -government was the ge rm of Stali nism, of
fasci sm, of Nazism . The Sovie t gover nment had it go v-
erned, the Soviet constitut ion had it be come the law of
the land, might conceivably have put Russ ia in the lead
of the movement toward a more genuine democracy .
Had it peri she d in the attempt, th e l eaders hip in an
ideal sense would still be ther e . A super -government of
true believers in the historic destiny of the proletariat,
as expou nded by Karl Marx and interpre ted by th em-
se lves , is not a worker s' gove rnment, and to one who
unders tands as a natural fact the role played by class in
human history, holds no hope of a step forward toward
such a government. With every r ecognition of their
high s incerity in making it, this mistake of the Bolshe-
viks, in which the ir mysti c faith u phel d them, would
"These t w o f i g u r e s [ K a l i n i n a n d Y e n u k i d z e ] i n c a r n a t e d t h e s u -
p r e m e S o v i e t o r g a n s i n t h e e y e s o f t h e p o p u l a t i o n . O n t h e s u r f a c e t h e
i m p r e s s i o n w a s c r e a t e d t h a t Y e n u k i d z e h e l d a g o o d p a r t o f t h e p o w e r
i n h i s h a n d s . B u t t h i s w a s a n o p t i c a l i l l u s i o n . T h e f u n d a m e n t a l l e g i s -
lative and administrative work was done through the Council of
P e o p l e ' s C o m m i s s a r s u n d e r t h e l e a d e r s h i p of Lenin . T h e p r i n c i p a l
q u e s t i o n s , t h e d i s c o r d s a n d c o n f l i c t s w e r e r e s o l v e d i n t h e P o l i t b u r o
w h i c h f r o m t h e b e g i n n i n g p l a y e d t h e r o l e o f a s u p e r - g o v e r n m e n t . "
( N e w I n t e r n a t i o n a l , A p r i l t 9 3 g . )
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WHAT TO DO NOW 2 61
b e r e g a r d e d b y a p a r t y b a s i n g i t s e l f o n a s c i e n t i f i c c o n -
c e p t i o n o f t h e c l a s s s t r u g g l e a s a b e t r a y a l b o t h o f s c i e n c e
a n d o f t h e p r o l e t a r i a t .
FLEXIBILITY AND THE PRESENT MOMENTT h e c h i e f a f f i r m a t i v e l e s s o n t o b e l e a r n e d f r o m L e n i n
a n d h i s a d a p t a t i o n o f M a r x a n d H e g e l i s t h a t o f m e n t a l
f l e x i b i l i t y w i t h o u t m o r a l c o m p r o m i s e . L e n i n h i m s e l f
e x c l a i m e d i n a m a r g i n a l n o t e m a d e w h e n f i r s t s t u d y i n g
t h e d i a l e c t i c p h i l o s o p h y : " F l e x i b i l i t y , f l e x i b i l i t y t o t h e
p o i n t o f c o n c e i v i n g e v e r y t h i n g a s t u r n i n g i n t o i t s o p p o -
s i t e - t h a t i s t h e p r a c t i c a l m e a n i n g o f t h e d i a l e c t i c . "
I f a c t u a l l y c a r r i e d t o t h a t p o i n t , f l e x i b i l i t y w o u l d b e
t a n t a m o u n t t o m a n i c i n c o h e r e n c e ; b u t i n t h e d i a l e c t i c
p h i l o s o p h y a c o r r e c t i v e i s p r o v i d e d b y t h e " u p w a r d "
c o u r s e o f a l l t h e s e o t h e r w i s e b e w i l d e r i n g c h a n g e s , a n d
b y t h e f i x e d g o a l t o w h i c h t h e m a t e r i a l f o r c e s w e r e c o n -
c e i v e d t o b e p r o c e e d i n g . L e n i n ' s f u l l m e a n i n g w a s :
" F l e x i b i l i t y a s t o t h e c o u r s e t o b e t a k e n t o w a r d a g o a l
f i x e d i n g e n e r a l t e r m s b y t h e n a t u r e o f t h e m a t t e r i n
p r o c e s s of c h a n g e . "
I t i s n o t a n i n c i d e n t a l j o k e o n M a r x a n d H e g e l t h a t
t h e i r s o m o t i o n f u l a n d f i c k l e w o r l d s p r o c e e d e d w i t h c o n -
s t a n t p u r p o s e t o w a r d a s i n g l e g o a l , a n d w h e n t h e y g o t
t h e r e s t o p p e d . I t i s t h e e s s e n c e o f t h e i r p h i l o s o p h i e s
b o t h a s w i s h - f u l f i l l m e n t s y s t e m s a n d a s g u i d e s i n t h o u g h t
* Quoted from memory .
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262 STALIN'S RUSSIAa n d a c t i o n . T h e g o a l o f t h e u n i v e r s e w a s r e a l l y t h e w i s h
a n d p u r p o s e o f t h e m a n w i t h i n i t . I n L e n i n t h e i n f l e x i -
b i l i t y o f t h i s p u r p o s e , i t s a b s o l u t e s o v e r e i g n t y a m o n g h i s
m o t i v e s , w a s q u i t e a s m a r k e d a s h i s f l e x i b i l i t y o f m i n d .
C o m b i n e d w i t h a n e x t r a o r d i n a r y s c o p e o f i n t e l l e c t , a n d
a r a r e s e n s e o f t h e s p e c i f i c r e l a t i o n s b e t w e e n m e a n s a n d
e n d s - a g i f t t h a t g l o r i f i e d t h e n a m e o f c o m m o n s e n s e -
t h e s e t w o t r a i t s s u b s t a n t i a l l y d e f i n e h i s g e n i u s .
W e h a v e t o l e a r n t h i s a r t o f f l e x i b i l i t y , a n d l e a r n t o
m a n a g e i t w i t h o u t t h e w i s h - f u l f i l l m e n t s y s t e m . T h i s
m e a n s t h a t w e h a v e t o b e m o r e f l e x i b l e , n o t l e s s s o , t h a n
Lenin was . H e r e a l i z e d t h a t h i s g o a l w a s f i x e d o n l y i n
g e n e r a l t e r m s - " N o n e o f u s k n o w s w h a t s o c i a l i s m w i l l
b e l i k e w h e n i t a r r i v e s , " h e u s e d t o s a y - b u t f o r u s t h o s e
t e r m s m u s t b e s t i l l m o r e g e n e r a l . W e c a n n o l o n g e r e v e n
b e s u r e o f t h e e c o n o m i c s e t - u p i m p l i e d b y t h e t e r m
s o c i a l i s m . W e h a v e c h a n g e d " t h e s o c i e t y o f t h e f r e e
a n d e q u a l " t o " a f r e e r a n d m o r e e q u a l s o c i e t y " - a v e r y
fundamental change . A n d i n o t h e r w a y s , w h i l e t r a n s -
f e r r i n g t h e s o c i a l i s t p u r p o s e b a c k f r o m e x t e r n a l m a t t e r
i n t o o u r o w n m i n d s , w e h a v e g e n e r a l i z e d i t . We have
b e c o m e m o r e s u b j e c t t o t h e s t u b b o r n n e s s o f f a c t s . We
c a n n o t b e l i e v e t h a t t h e w o r l d i s g o i n g t o w a r d o u r a i m s
w h e n i t i s n o t .
I n a l i t t l e w h i l e t h e n e g a t i v e p a r t o f w h a t I a m s a y i n g
h e r e w i l l s e e m a c a d e m i c a n d s u p e r f l u o u s , b e c a u s e t h e
i m m a t u r i t y o f t h e M a r x i a n s y s t e m w i l l b e o b v i o u s w h e n
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WHAT TO DO NOW 2 63
loo ked back at . But it will always b e i mportant to h old
to this valid principle of flexibil ity, the s ense of operat-
ing in a proce ss, the habit of inventing new ideas, new
slo gans, new organizations for new conditi ons, whi ch
dist inguish ed Lenin from all other poli tical leaders .
And it is i mportant ri ght now to re alize that he did not
carry it far enough .
All Lenin's poli cies after 1917 were b ased upon the
premise that "this is th e per iod of the br eakdown of
capitalism," and that socialism must s ooner or later re-
place it. We do not know what " per iod" th is is, and
cannot know until we lo ok back from a chos en point
of view. Nor do we know whether capitalism-whichsuffers from the frailties of all abstract nouns-is break-
ing down, nor what is going to repl ace it . We are de-
prived of all those fixed points .
We know, it s ee ms to me , as sur el y as we know any-
thi ng, that the pr es ent general mode of producti on and
distri bu tion has be come i nadequate, and that some
thor ough-goi ng re pair-work or reorganization is in
order . We know that in the pr oces s of that re organiza-
tion the fr ee and democratic institu tions which have
developed under the pre sent set-up are in peril . The
smalle st ger ms of democr acy have disappeared thr ough
half th e wor ld . In the othe r half they are under in-
sidious attack . Democracy is on the defensive .
That, I th ink, sh ould be the ge neral premis e u nder-
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264 STALIN' S RU SSIA
l y i n g t h e p r e s e n t - d a y p o l i c i e s o f a n y p o l i t i c a l o r g a n i z a -
t i o n t h a t i s r a d i c a l i n t h e s e n s e i n w h i c h I u s e t h e t e r m .
A n d i f w e a r e f l e x i b l e i n t h e L e n i n i s t a n d s u p e r - L e n i n -
i s t s e n s e - i f w e h a v e l e a r n e d t h e m o s t v i t a l l e s s o n i n t h e
w h o l e M a r x i a n l u c u b r a t i o n - w e s h a l l n o t h e s i t a t e t o
p r o c l a i m t h i s f a c t , a n d a c t a c c o r d i n g l y n o m a t t e r w h a t
b u l l s t o t h e c o n t r a r y m a y b e i s s u e d b y t h e o r t h o d o x
H i g h P r i e s t s . D e m o c r a c y i s o n t h e d e f e n s i v e ; t h a t i s t h e
p r i m a r y f a c t . A n y o f f e n s i v e o p e r a t i o n s n o w u n d e r t a k e n
m u s t h a v e i n v i e w , a s o f p r i o r i m p o r t a n c e , t h e s t r e n g t h -
e n i n g o f t h e d e f e n s e . A n y o p e r a t i o n s e n d a n g e r i n g t h e
d e f e n s e m u s t b e d e f e r r e d .
CONCLUSIONI t m a y s e e m u t o p i a n t o h o p e t h a t a m i l i t a n t p a r t y ,
o r a n y i n s u r g e n t s o c i a l m o v e m e n t , c a n b e o r g a n i z e d o n
a p l a t f o r m o f s c i e n t i f i c g o o d j u d g m e n t . I t i s h a r d f o r
e n t h u s i a s t s t o r e m e m b e r t h e l i m i t s o f k n o w l e d g e . I t i s
h a r d f o r c r u s a d e r s t o k n o w t h a t t h e i r c r u s a d e i s a n e x -
p e r i m e n t . I t i n v o l v e s - e s p e c i a l l y i f o n e c o m e s t o t h i s
m a t u r e p o s i t i o n f r o m t h e M a r x i a n l e f t - a t a s k o f e m o -
t i o n a l r e o r g a n i z a t i o n . T h e t a s k , h o w e v e r , c a n e a s i l y b e
e x a g g e r a t e d b y w r o n g l y e d u c a t e d i n t e l l e c t u a l s . A m e r i -
c a n l a b o r h a s f o u g h t h a r d , a n d a t t i m e s v i o l e n t l y , w i t h -
o u t a n y f a i t h o r p h i l o s o p h y b u t h a r d c o m m o n s e n s e .
T h e s c i e n t i f i c a t t i t u d e i s c l o s e r t o t h i s f i g h t i n g c o m m o n
s e n s e t h a n a n y p h i l o s o p h y e v e r w a s o r w i l l b e . To
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WHAT TO DO NOW 265
t e a c h s c i e n t i f i c m e t h o d t o a w o r k i n g c l a s s , e s p e c i a l l y a n
A m e r i c a n w o r k i n g c l a s s , i s s i m p l e r a n d m o r e n a t u r a l
t h a n t o b r i n g t o i t , b y m e a n s o f a p s e u d o - m a t e r i a l i s t i c
s y s t e m o f w i s h - f u l f i l l i n g m e t a p h y s i c s , a " c o n s c i o u s n e s s o f
i t s h i s t o r i c d e s t i n y . " T h e v e r y v i r t u e o f a c l a s s s t r u g g l e
i s t h a t i t d o e s n o t r e q u i r e t o b e f a n n e d u p a n d s u s t a i n e d
b y s u p e r - f a c t u a l i d e o l o g i e s . T h e z e a l o t s , t h e d o c t r i n a i r e s ,
t h e n e u r o t s i n s e a r c h o f a r e l i g i o n , h a v e t h i s n e e d , b u t
n o t t h e w o r k e r s , n o t t h e e n g i n e e r s . F o r t h e m t h e f a c t s
a r e e n o u g h .
T h a t t h e f o r m a t i o n o f a n e x p e r i m e n t a l s c i e n t i f i c p a r t y
s h o u l d b e a n e x p e r i m e n t i s f i t t i n g . I f s u c h a p a r t y h a s t o
r e m a i n f o r a l o n g t i m e , o r e v e n p e r m a n e n t l y , a n a f f i l i -
a t e d s e c t i o n o f a l o o s e r a n d l e s s e x p e r t m a s s p a r t y , t h a t
d o e s n o t m a k e t h e n e e d o f i t l e s s u r g e n t . T h e i d l e
y o u t h o f t h i s p e r i o d o f d e p r e s s i o n a r e i n s e a r c h o f a
s t a n d a r d t o r a l l y r o u n d , a c r u s a d e , a c o n s e c r a t i o n . I n t h e
a b s e n c e o f a n a f f i r m a t i v e p r o g r a m f r o m t h e h o n e s t a n d
i n t e l l i g e n t r a d i c a l s , t h e y a r e f a l l i n g f o r t h e h a l f - d u m b
a n d t h e d e m a g o g u e s w h o d i s g u i s e u n d e r a n y p l a u s i b l e
i d e o l o g y t h e g r a b f o r t o t a l i t a r i a n p o w e r . T h e y a r e g o i n g
o v e r t o S t a l i n a n d H i t l e r b y d e f a u l t - l e a r n i n g t o d e -
n o u n c e f a c t u a l g o o d j u d g m e n t a s " d e f e a t i s m , " p r a i s e
b u l l - h e a d e d s e l f - d e l u s i o n a s " g r i m d e t e r m i n a t i o n , " c a l l
b l i n d p o l i t i c a l p a s s i o n " r e a l i s t i c , " a n d b i g o t r y i n t h e
s e r v i c e o f e s t a b l i s h e d p o w e r " o b j e c t i v e . " T h e y a r e m a k -
i n g t h e s e f a t a l e r r o r s b e c a u s e w e o f f e r t h e m n o t h i n g t o
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266 STALIN'S RU SSIA
do . W e f a i l t o m a k e t h e p a t h o f h o n e s t i n t e l l i g e n c e a
p a t h o f c o n s e c r a t i o n , o f s a c r i f i c e , o f h e r o i c e f f o r t . We
f a i l t o m a k e i t g r i m . W e f a i l b e c a u s e w e h a v e n o n a m e ,
n o p r e s s , n o o r g a n i z a t i o n a n d n o a f f i r m a t i v e p r o g r a m .
B u t t h a t i s a n a c c i d e n t o f t h e h i s t o r i c m o m e n t . I t i s n o t
i n h e r e n t i n t h e n a t u r e o f s c i e n t i f i c i n t e l l i g e n c e .
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APPENDIXA Letter That The Nation Did Not Publish
February 21, 1937 .EDITORS OF THE Nation :
I n t h e i n t e r v a l b e t w e e n e x e c u t i o n s , m a y I a d d r e s s y o u
o n y o u r a t t i t u d e , a n d t h a t o f t h e New Republic, t o t h e
s e n t e n c e s o f d e a t h w i t h s e l f - v i l i f i c a t i o n a n d v i l i f i c a t i o n o f
L e o n T r o t s k y b e i n g p r o n o u n c e d a g a i n s t t h e o l d B o l s h e v i k
chiefs in Moscow . I r e f e r i n y o u r c a s e t o t h e e d i t o r i a l
B e h i n d t h e S o v i e t Trials-applauded by Roger Baldwin as
t h e " f a i r e s t a n a l y s i s o f a c o m p l i c a t e d c o n t r o v e r s y I ' v e s e e n
i n y e a r s " - i n w h i c h y o u d e s c r i b e t h e s i t u a t i o n a s a c l a s h o f
" n a t i o n a l p o l i c y w i t h t h e a m b i t i o n o f i n d i v i d u a l s , " a f f i r m
t h a t i t w i l l p r o b a b l y b e " a n o t h e r h u n d r e d y e a r s b e f o r e
t h e a c t u a l f a c t s . . . a r e k n o w n , " a n d d e c l a r e t h a t " m e a n -
w h i l e ( s i c ! ) i t i s t h e t a s k o f p r o g r e s s i v e s a l l o v e r t h e w o r l d
t o a p p r a i s e , w i t h o u t a n y p o l i t i c a l o r e m o t i o n a l c o m m i t -
ments, the meaning and implications of what has hap-
pened . "
Y o u r o w n a p p r a i s a l c o n s i s t s o f b r i n g i n g f o r w a r d e v e r y
c o n s i d e r a t i o n y o u c a n t o b r e a k d o w n w h a t y o u d e s c r i b e a s
t h e " f i r s t r e a c t i o n o f l i b e r a l s " t o t h e s t o r i e s o f i n f a m y
recited by these admired and eminent men : " S u r e l y t h e
thing is impossible! " You devote three columns of the
Nation t o p r o v i n g t h a t u n d e r t h e " d i c t a t o r s h i p o f t h e p r o -
l e t a r i a t " a l l t h i n g s a r e p o s s i b l e - e v e n t h e " p a r t o f t h e
c h a r g e s m o s t d i f f i c u l t o f b e l i e f , " n a m e l y , t h a t i n t r y i n g t o
o v e r t h r o w t h i s d i c t a t o r s h i p o f t h e p r o l e t a r i a t i n t h e i n t e r e s t
2 6 7
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268 APPENDIXof a " capitalist re stor ation," Trotsky and the oth er mos t
principled ,leaders of the Bolshevik party, offered to sell out
the whol e cou ntry to feu dal J apan and fasci st Ger many .
After th us e xtending your powers, and the credulity of
your readers, i n the service of the prose cution, you close
with a remi nder that "i n a proletarian dictatorsh ip . . .
no ru ling group can remain in power unless i t use s i ts
energy and strength for pur poses of which the working class
approves . That must be the final test of the Soviet system . "
Having by these me ans obl ite rated from your r eader's mi nd
hi s natur al indignation and his natural wis h to under stand
a prodigy-as well as hi s memory of what your Moscow cor-
respondent has been telli ng hi m for the last three months,
namely, that the " dictatorshi p of the prole tariat" h as been
diss olved in a "classless society," and the "s oviet system"
repl aced by " a democratic constitu tion"-you conclude by
granting him one tiny loophole of express ion . He may, if
he will be very careful not to identify himsel f with the
enemies o f the Soviet Union, "poi nt out the dangers in-
her ent in a prolonged dictatorship . "The New Republic is no less overt in suppor ting the
prosecution . Although obviousl y the principal purpos e of
the se t rials has be en to convict Trots ky, and Trots ky has
had no defense and no ch ance t o cr oss -questi on his ac-
cusers , neverthe less the editor of that paper " can see no
evidence that civil libertie s were so certainly violated . . .
as to make a prot es t on thi s grou nd necess ary," and the y
too advise the ir r eaders to " hold their minds open," and
realize that "i t is not their responsibi lity, on the basis of
this incident, to join either side of the quarrel b etween
the Soviet government and the Trotskyites . "
I write my le tter to you instead of the New Republic
because of your mor e mili tant tradition . To my mind theidea of the e ditors of thes e two publ ications defending the
"dictatorship of the prol etariat" against "capitalist restora-
tion" as repr ese nted by Leon Trots ky-with Walter Du -
ranty manning the barricades in the New York T i m e s , and
Roger Baldwin bri nging up t he Kr onstadt sailo rs in the
form of the Civil Libe rtie s Union-is a humorou s one, and
in ordinary t imes would be dismiss ed by any man of sound
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APPENDIX 269
sense with laughter . But the times are not ordinary ; the
issues are tragic . Moreover many of your r eaders live i n a
mental environment in which t his sou nds li ke sobe r judge-
ment, and they are deprived of any s et of concepts with
which to replace it . I ask for space in which to present those
concepts .The Nation and th e New Republi c and their editors
have been in the past our o uts tanding lib erals ; the y have
opposed socialism both Menshevik and Bolsh evik . But the
economic and organizational s ucces ses of the Stalin re gime
with its colle ctive property laws, together with the me nace
of fasci sm, h ave br ough t the m over to a kind of half-
he arted Menshevis m-to a conditi on, at le ast, in whi ch
they try to reap the benefits of both the old liberal tradition
and the Menshevik, or " democratic," or "e volutionary" or
"compromising" type of Marxism . That is the firs t concept,
and it is e xtremely important that it sh ould be cle ar .
Meanwhile, under th e sh elter of those collective prop-
erty laws a new privileged caste has grown up in Russi a,
a man on hor se -back is in charge, and the concrete aim of
Bolshevism-the veritable classless socie ty in which the state
as an instr ume nt of compul si on " dies away" -has disap-
peared from view . As thi s can not yet be openly acknowl-
edged, the tactics and ideology of Menshe vik socialis m are
in full sway both in Russia and throughout the Communist
Inter national . They find thei r hi gh points in the aboli tion
of Lenin's monument of genius, the s oviet sys tem of gov-
er nment, and in the inter national policy of the " Peo ple 's
Front. "
"All power to the Sovietsl" was the slogan of the October
revolution . "All power from the Soviets l Back to parlia-
mentary democracyl" is th e slogan of counter -revol ution .
Even though classes were r eally abolis hed and the new con-
stit ution genuinely democratic, there woul d be no place in
Bolshevik Marxism for this back jump to the despised par-
liamentary syste m. " The dictatorshi p of the proletariat
le ads inevitably t o the s ocie ty of the fre e and equal"
(Marx) ; the socie ty of the free and equal means " a con-
dition of voluntary coope ration in which the state dies
away" (E ngels ) ; and "th at means e v e r y k i n d o f s t a t e , i n -
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270 APPENDIXc l u d i n g t h e ' d e m o c r a t i c . " ' (Lenin) * The Soviet sys tem of
gover nment was desi gned by Le nin, and by the Bolsh evik
party, to guide and preside over this transition . To aboli sh
the sovie t gover nment and restor e " democracy" and par-
liaments, i s to kick the whole ideal aim, method, principle
and political instrument of the Marxian sys tem as Lenin
develop ed it ou t of the back door and down the back step s.
Ever y loyal and clear-h eaded Bolsh evik knows th is, and he
knows it as well as you know the alph abet .
Only one othe r questi on ever occupied in the fight with
the Mensheviks the central position occupied by the slogan
"P ower to the Soviets ." That was th e ques tion of p o s t -
p o n i n g t h e c l a s s i s s u e a n d " c o o p e r a t i n g w i t h t h e l i b e r a l s "
i n a r e v o l u t i o n a r y s i t u a t i o n - t h e same questi on, of course ,
in a les s concrete form . It is that poli cy which defined the
politi cal nature of Menshe vism ; and, by opposi tion, of
Lenin's Bols hevik party. The " Popu lar Front" i n Spain-
in France to o, and everywh er e-i s a new name for that
Menshe vik policy, and it is n o t h i n g e l s e . That also is obvi-
ous to all old Bolsheviks . The ques tion is not wheth er Stalin
is giving a be lated and inadequate aid to th e " Spanish
revolution." The question is whether as the price of this
aid he i s demanding that the Spanish wor kers adher e to a
Menshevik policy . He is doing so , and to every loyal and
clear-headed Bolshevik that is counter-re volution .
The fact that the e ditors of the Nation and the NewRepubl ic-who haven't even come cle an over from Li ber al-
ism to Menshevik socialism-admire th ese pol icie s, and
consider them "r easonable " and "sou nd common sense in
the face of fascism" etc . , e t c ., only goe s to prove what I
am tryi ng to make clear-that the poli cies are anti-Bol-
shevik . To a Bols he vik the m enace of fascism i s only anadditional reason to abandon the "Compromisers" anddraw the line-of-battle clear . That is why I r emi nded you
in the b eginning that you are not Bolshe viks, and not even
Menshe viks . It is natural for you to wish to embellish your
libe ral " reasonableness" and your " sound common sense"
etc ., with the name of " revoluti onary" (spoken mildly) and
of "Marxist" (making reser vations) and with th e hi stori c
* I quote from memory .
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APPENDIX 2 7 1
presti ge of Lenin . It is a natural gree d-upon which Stalin
knows well h ow to play-but it is a monstrous sin against
clear thi nking. It is the r oot of your inabili ty to under-
stand the " pres ent incident in Russ ia," or take any affirma-
tive positi on on it .
Once you know yours elves , you will have no difficul ty in
knowing that to all loyal Bolsheviks these policies are open
c o u n t e r - r e v o l u t i o n . And once th at i s cl ear, I t hink you
have re ad enough hi story to know that the pol icies could
not be put over withou t a nation-wide clean-up of those
loyal Bolshe viks, a whole sale stamping out of their ideas .
You also know, if you have read as much hi stor y as I as-
sume you have, that the classic way to accomplis h that-
the only way it has ever b een accomplis hed-is to arre st
and execu te for tr eason thei r outs poken leaders . Thatclassic pattern of counter -revolu tion is be ing enacted be-
fore you r eye s . Because of Stali n's astu te and patient
master y of tactics , howeve r,-h e has made only one major
mistake! -Russia is so completel y sewed up as to spee ch
and action that th er e is , and can be, only one ou tspo ken
leader, and he i s in a far country . That being the case,
there is nothing to do but arrest, dishonor and execute all
those who might be l e a d e r s , and see to i t that the real
leader i s i mpli cated in the i ndictment and death-s entence
of each one . That is what is bei ng done, and that is why
it is being done .
The iss ue which you are so carefully s ide-stepping, and
whose inner meaning you wi sh to pos tpone unders tanding
for a hundred years, is whether the Stalinists in Russia, and
to a degree through out the world labor movement, shall
be able with impu nity to black-jack, murder, s lander, jail ,
exil e, s abotage, b reak down morally, and otherwis e destr oy
the defender s of the Bolsh evik idea against a Bonapartist
counter-revoluti on operating with th e ideology of the Me n-
sheviks . Have you not noticed that each execu tion of thes e
"te rror ist plotter s" h as bee n followed by a general arre st
and jaili ng of thei r " followers " in every br anch of the
Sovie t life? Even Duranty has had to descri be i t . Ter-
rorists do not have "followers"! That is insolent farce . They
are wiping out the Bolsh evik party . They are wiping out
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2 7 2 APPENDIXthe Bol she vik party in the cl assic manner of all cou nter-
revolu tions-by convicting its leaders of commerce with th e
national enemy-and you put o n the tone of a lofty intel -
lectu ality, and a tender concern for the " dictatorshi p of
the p rol etariat," and ask us to postpo ne unders tanding it
for a hundre d years!
In your search for arguments to make plausible that all
the b el oved chiefs of th is great party are depr aved and in-
famous cr iminals and traitors not only to their country, but
to all they e ver strove for and beli eved in, you b ring for-ward every argument that was brought forward by theLibe rals and Right Mensheviks in Russi a in Ju ly 1917,
when once Before an attempt was made to wip e ou t the
Bolshe vik party by convicting its le aders of commerce with
the forei gn enemy . That whole paragraph of your editorial
could have be en copied ver batim from the li ber al jour nals
and cafe conver sations of th at month of the slander ouslegend of "German gold ." Incredible thou gh it is, both
you and the New Republic actuall y adduce the same fact
to make plausi ble Trotsky's t reason today that was then ad-
duced by the e nemies of the re volution to make plausible
the tre ason of Lenin and Trots ky-th e fact that Lenin
"u sed the pe rmissi on of the Kaiser 's government to pass
throu gh Germany on his `sealed train ."' Shades of the Sis-
son documents! I t is not the treason of the i ntellectu als,
it is their inability to learn anything that is appalling .
The only re ason why you are able, withou t yours elves
giggling at the picture, to pose as a defender of the dictator-
ship of the pr oletariat against a plot l ed by Trotsky to
restor e capitalism in Russia, is that you never stu died the
lite rature of the real " Trotskyists ," and you have no con-
ception either of the nature or the pr oportions of the
moveme nt des ignated by that name . The li terature poured
out weekly and monthly in every country of the glob e by
Trotsky himse lf, and by his followers, is th e lite rature o f
Bolsh evik Marxism in its most or thodox and unadulte rated
and most convincing form . Ther e are more "Trotskyists"
in the narrow sense i n prison in Russi a today than ther e
were Bols heviks i n tzaris t Russi a-thou sands more . Andthere are more "Trotskyists" throughout th e world today-
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APPENDIX 273
thous ands more-than ther e were Bolshevik, or " left wing"
or " catastrophic" socialists be fore the revolution of 1917 .
And if you exte nd the word "Trotskyis t" to mean what it
means in Russ ia now-all s tub bor n Marxi an oppos iti on to
the r egime of the dictator-the number of them in prison,
in exil e, i n concentration camps and in the mu te l ife of
the country, would make a small army . If you realized this,
you co uld not pos si bl y play down as you do-and the NewRepublic never mention-the per fectly obvious pu rpose of
these trials, to shatter this implacable, audacious, persistent
and bri lliantly intelli gent opposition .
Only poli tical distaste and class envir onment can explain
your bl indness here . You are ignoring the central r ole of
the slanders against Trotsky, ignoring the politi cal, to say
nothing of the e conomic, meaning of these mu rders-b eg-
ging your r eaders to examine them in a spi rit of good-
neighbour ly gos sip, "withou t any poli tical and emotional
commitments" for " another hundred years" ( for that is
what your editorial expressl y says)-for the very simple
re ason that Trots ky is a Bolsh evik and you are a libe ral
entangle d some what adventiti ous ly in the ski rts of Men-
shevik socialism . You are a democratic libe ral induced by a
to nporary conjuncture to flir t with the idea of a dictator-
shi p of the prol etariat which you do not bel ieve i n, and
wi ich i f it loome d in the flesh westward of Third Avenue
you would figh t to oth-and-nail , i nk and ink-pot . That is
why you condone the se sl anders and yet dare not ass er t
the m-dare only hand the s ceptr e to Bonaparte by default .You betray liberalism in not backing the demand ofTrotsky for a civili zed trial at the bar of publ ic opinion .
You betray Marxism in refusing to s ee the social and eco-
nomic realities b ehind these political crimes . You have be -
come a steril e hybrid . In a great cris is of world opinion
you offer no leaders hip, yo u take no posi tion, you adher e to
no policy-except, indeed, the policy to s it tigh t and hold
your b reath, and hol d your ci rcu lation, for anothe r hundred
years .
There is, it is true, one other res pect in which this
counter -re volut ion departs from patter n, and in that you
have s ome sli ght excuse for your abdication . Stalin is not
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274 APPENDIXonly shooti ng the old Bolsh evik chiefs ; he i s compelling
them to declare out of thei r own mouths in the death hou r
that his poli cies are " socialism," and that t h e y are the
counter-revolutionists .
I say it is a slight excuse for two reasons .
First, b ecause he has not only compelled them to declare
that they are counter-revolutionists . He has compell ed them
to declare that they are counter-re volutionists " without
principle," "without a program," acting from "she er s pite-
fulness," from a mere " thirs t of power," willing in the in-
terest of these depraved motives to carry out "mass exter-
minations" of Russ ia's workers , to " spread dise ase germs
among Russ ian soldier s," to bre ak down the i ndustr ies they
have spent years bu ilding up, and to hand over the rich est
secti ons of the " Socialis t Father land" to the two most re-
actionary nations of the earth . He has overshot himself-in
my opinion through shee r vengeful cruel ty-and compelle d
these old Bolshe vik chiefs who despise him to confess that
the y are the vil lains of a prol etarian mel odrama, that the y
are depraved, dege nerate and crimi nal ch aracter s fro m
ever y standpoint, bu t most of all from th e st andpoint of
Bolshevis m-traitors to se lf, to comrades, to friends, to
principle s, to party, to the working class, to the Red Army,
and to h umanity . No man withou t " poli tical and emotional
commitments" could possibl y be lieve, even for dramatic
purposes on the stage or screen, that these palpable atrocity
stori es are true of a whole b ody of stur dy and hig h-minded
men, the loved and trusted leaders of a great party, th e b e s t
men of an epoch .
You smil e at the popu lar lege nd of a " confess ion drug . "
But th at was not i nvented by Time . That express es the
crude common sense of the Russi an plebei an . It is a far
more pr obable h ypothes is-and certainly more endurable
to one who cheris hes any hope of the hu man race at its be st
-than the hypothe sis that the depraved, contemptible and
crimi nal acts and intentions whi ch th ese long-tes ted and
reli ed-on chiefs have so coolly imputed to themsel ves in
the courtroom are true . It is by no means impos sib le th at
drugs lent their aid to the psychological third degree by
which in a period of months thes e old revolu tionary fight-
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APPENDIX 2 75
ers were b rou ght down to an act of self-defile ment before
the world and in the eyes of history, which must look to all
brave men as th ough they feared death to the point of
demoralization . Even Walter Duranty says of Serebr iakov,
my dear frie nd and perhaps the stur diest of the m all : "Hespoke as if half-aslee p, and hi s voice s ounded str angel ydreamy. Everyb ody noticed it ." But drugs are not, ofcour se , an expl anation . He might h ave chosen them himse lf .
I said that for two reasons you have slight excuse for your
credulity. The second reason is that but for your own
voluntary bl indnes s, and that of your Mos cow corre spond-
ent, to the unimaginable crue ltie s and barbariti es that
have be en committ ed and enacted into l aw at Stalin's or der
in the l ast six ye ars, you would gue ss by i nstinct and with
littl e hes itation what lie s beh ind thes e deaths made hideous
with dishonor . What but your will to be fooled makes it
easier for you to be lie ve that these eminent men-and
Trotsky to o, who has done mor e wi th p en and tongue and
sword for tr uth and human justi ce th an you h ave dreamed
of doing-are monster s of depravity, th an to bel ieve the
simple fact that there is one man in Russi a sufficiently
vengeful and ingeniou s in cru el ty, and dru nk with p ower
and adulation, to u se e v e r y f o r c e to compel these conquered
chiefs who scorn him to accept the mos t dreadful fate that
can befall a revoluti onary fighter ? Had you not so well
fooled yours elf in the past, you could with little tr oubl e
cite th e page and article in the Cr iminal Code of the Soviet
Union which expl ains the ir motivation . In the amendment
to the Treason Law publis hed in Pravda June 9, 1934, it is
set down in cold pri nt that in the " Socialist Father land"
the immediate family of a man convicte d of treason, thos e
dwelli ng with him and those e njoying hi s s upport, are
punishable for his acts or contemplated acts, whether they
were aware of them or not . With su ch a law on the o pen
statute b ooks, is it difficult to i magine what may happen in
the secret chambers of the G .P .U. when men are arre sted
for utte rances called treasonable b ecause in contempt of the
personal re gime of the dictator-crimes of which thes e old
Bolshevik chiefs have all indubi tably been guilty ?
You say in your editorial that the men executed in this
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276 APPENDIXlast trial are of " more s tubbor n strength and greater in-
tegrity" than those executed in the first trial . I call to your
attention that you are imput ing integr ity to men whose
confession that they h ave none you pretend to beli eve, thu s
proving that with the best will in the world to serve the
pros ecution, you can not believe it . I also think that you are
unaware of the str ength and integr ity of I . N . Smirnov,
who as the " Lenin of Sibe ria" was among the most r ever-
ently este emed of all the leaders of the r evolution and the
civil war . But I agree with you that the me n in this trial
were of too mu ch str ength and integrity to shame them-
selves in the death hou r for a "pr omise of freedom ." I
agree that if one might per haps belie ve that of the first
batch led to sl aughter, h e coul d not of the second. I do
not belie ve it of any of the m . I have only to read the law
of tre ason in your " Socialist Fathe rl and," and imagine
what I would do if I saw pain and terr or, o r in sol itary
confinement vividly imagined them, in the eyes of my
chil dren and those deares t to me , and were offered their
free dom, and their release, and their protection, if I would
die shamefully in obedience to a "Resol ution of the Cen-
tral Committee of the Party." That dread Resol uti on,
which had bee n for me throu ghout my li fe a high er law
than truth fulness, woul d offer itse lf in my extre mity as a
way out-a mise rable r at-hole now, but a way ou t of an
insolub le and absol utel y insupportable dilemma. I might
res ist as Radek did, for three months . I might hold out,
like Mu ralov, for nine . In the e nd I would succu mb . Andso would you . And so would far s tur dier and str onger men
than eithe r of us . We would tell the li es, and we would tell
them well .
Pu t asi de your own " pol iti cal and emot ional commit -
ments"-e specially your naive bel ief that after Stalin's yes-
man's service to fore ign capitalism i n the P eopl e's Front,
and his abol iti on of the Soviets and extermi nation of the
Bolsheviks at home, it is still necessary for you to defend
"Soviet Russ ia" against capitalist aggressi on . Examine allthe facts with that judicial calm to which you makepre tence, and you will find that this is th e only humanly
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APPENDIX2 7 7
credible expl anation of those deaths made hideous with
dishonor .
You swallowed as a part of " socialis t constructio n" that
inhuman tre ason law when it was pr oclaimed . You swal-
lowed and forgot i t . In the same cause you swallowed the
law making theft a crime punish able by death, althou gh
that was a return to the darkest hour s of Eu rope's hi story .
In the same cause you swallowed the s upple mentary law on
" theft by minors" e xtending this death penalty to children
twelve years old-the most crue l page, it may well be , on
the statute b ooks of any nation . You learned from Stalin's
own admire rs (from J ohn Gunther for instance i n publi c,
and almos t any th at you asked in private) that Stalin sat
calmly in the Kremlin while some four to s ix mill ion peas-
ants, me n, wome n and chil dren, starved slo wly to death
because the y did not "approve" his policie s, and because
he wanted to use the grain they woul d consume to bu ild
up the foreign credit of the country . You swallowed in the
cause of "s ocialist construction" that monstrous deed which
chalks u p against " socialism" a death toll comparable to
that of capitalism in the world war, and puts Stalin's namebeside that of Genghis Khan among the greatest masskillers of history. Why can you not in the same cause swal-
low this mysteri ously enforced sentence of death-with-
dishonor, this supre me refinement of the Third Degree , this
vindictive atrocit y committed against all his close st old
comrades and associates i n bu ilding the Soviet s tate, which
puts h is name bes ide that of Cesare Borgia? Is not this also
part and parcel of the process of building "the col lectivist
society," the " cooperative commonwealth," the " Brother-
hood of Man"? Is it any les s easy to be lie ve than that a
man would mur der four mill ion peasants in bui lding a
" workers ' and peasants' re pub li c"? Why do you of a sudden
shift your gullibility, and believe the monstrous forced con-
fessions of his many victims, instead of the single monstrous
fact, already so obvi ous , about Stalin?
It is be cause owing to the repre sentative character of the
v i c t i m s , you can not beli eve i t witho ut abandoning thos e
"pol itical and emotional commitments" by which you are
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278 APPENDIXabsolutely controlled . You can not beli eve it without seeing
the po lit ical fact to which I have called your attention-
the fact, namely, th at Stalin is a counter-re volut ionary
dictator who is tearing down the work and to the extent of
his power e xter minating the i deas of Lenin and the Bol-
sh evik party, bo th nationall y and inter natio nall y .
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Adams, Joh n, 239
Agriculture, collectivization of,
As si gnment in Ut o pia, 179
Atlee, Cle ment R ., 158
Beal, Fred E . , 1 7 9 ; quoted, 183
Beard, Charles , 2 12
Bicameral system, 35
Blue-prints for new society, 175
Bolsh evik party, foundation of,
101
Bolshe viks, clean-up of, 34
Bordiga, 238Borkenau, F., on the Comin-
t e r n , 101, 110, 114
Brandler, 1o8, lo g
British Military Socialism,
Browder, E arl, 116
Bukharin, 5 7, 107, 203
Bulgarian party, 11o
Bulgarian upri sing, 111
Bure aucracy, organized, 32
Bureaucrats, 2 41
Calvinism, 168
Central Committee , Resol u-
tion of, 68
INDEX
1 5 9
279
Centralism, 124Chamber of Deputies, march
Comintern, the, outl ine of, 95-118; story of, 101 ; organiza-
tion of parties, 1o2 ; detach-
ment o f, 103 ; Stalinism, an
outgrowth of, 1o4 ; fascism,
a by-product of, 1o4 ; history
o f , 1o5- 119 ; second congres s
of, 105 ; rightward turn of
1921, 1o6 ; second rightward
swing of, 1 1 1 ; left swing of,
112 ; the Popular Front slo-
gan, 115 ; and the Spanishrevol utio n, 115-116; Fourth
Per iod of, 116
"C ommunist," change in mean-
ing, 30 -
3 2
Communist International, his -
tory of, 105-118
Communist party, 33
Communist Youth , reor ganiza-
tion, 34
Confessions, Mo scow, 63-66, 77-
79
Constitue nt Assemb ly, dissolu-
tion of, 1 o 1
43 , 44 on, 114, 115
Anabaptists and Diggers , 190 Chi ang Kai-she k, 112
Anglo-Russ ian Committee , ill Chines e revolu tion, 112
Anti-intell ectuali sm,
Aristotle, 239
84-85 Class struggle, doctrine of, 215-
242Arnold, Thurman, 2 12 Classles s socie ty, defined, 36
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2 8o
C o n s t i t u t i o n , u n d e r S t a l i n , $ 4 ,
3 5Co-operative Commonwealth,
1 98 - 1 9 9
C o w l e y , M a l c o l m , 1 7
C r o w t h e r , G e o f f r e y , q u o t e d , g 1
D a r w i n , C h a r l e s , 1 7 8
Decree on Academic Reform,
2 1 , 2 2
DeMan, Henry, 212, 213
D e m o c r a t i c c o l l e c t i v i s m , 2 5 0 -
2 5 1
D e n n y , H a r o l d , q u o t e d , 4 2
Dewey, J ohn, quoted on
s c h o o l s , 1 7 ; on orthodox
Marxism, 243
Dictators and Democracie s, 50
D i e s C o m m i t t e e , t h e , 1 3 7
D i f f e r e n t i a l r e w a r d s , 8 7 - 5 1 ; NewRepublic o n , 3 8 , 3 9 ; S o u l e
on, 38 ; comparison of, inRussia and America, 38-40 ;
W i l s o n o n , 3 9
D i g g e r s , 1go
Dis cuss ion of Human A f f a i r s ,
The, 2 1 2
D i s t r i b u t i o n o f i n c o m e , 3 7 - 5 1
D i v o r c e , 2 4
D r u c k e r , P e t e r , q u o t e d , o n
p u b l i c l y i n g , 7 9
D u r a n t y , W a l t e r , q u o t e d , 3 1
E c o n o m i c s , d i s c u s s e d , 4 7 - 5 1End of Economic Man, The,1 4 9
E n g e l s , F r e d e r i c k , q u o t e d , 2 0 4
E s c a p e , p e n a l t y f o r , 2 7
E s t h o n i a , Putsch i n , i i o
F a b i a n s , 1 3 7
F a m i l y r e l a t i o n s , 2 3
F a r r e l l , J a m e s T . , 1 8 5
F a s c i s m , c o m p a r i s o n w i t h S t a -
l i n i s m , 8 2 -9 4
INDEXF a s c i s m , d e s c r i p t i o n o f ,
F e c h n e r , G u s t a v , 1 7 8
F i s c h e r , L o u i s , S 3
F i s c h e r , R u t h , l o g
F l e x i b i l i t y , m e n t a l , 2 6 1 - 2 6 4
F o s t e r , W i l l i a m Z . , 9 6 , 9 7
F o u r i e r , F . M . C ., 17 6
Fourth Pe riod of the Comin-
t e r n , 1 1 6
Frank, Waldo, 17
F r e e m a r k e t , t h e , 2 4 8 , 2 4 9
F r e n c h T e a c h e r s ' F e d e r a t i o n ,
2 9
Fuehre rprinzip, 1 2 5
Fiihrer, the American, 158
F i i l o p M i l l e r , R e n t , 1 9 4
Funk, Dr ., 126
Future of Liberty, The, 1 4 0
German communist party, 113
G e r m a n r e v o l u t i o n , f a i l u r e o f ,
l o g
G o e b b e l s , 1 2 6
G o e t h e , q u o t e d , o n l y i n g , 2 3 5
G o l d , M i c h a e l , 1 3 6
G o l d m a n , A l b e r t , 3 5
Gorky, Maxim, 17
Hamilton, Alexander, 239
Hamilton, Cicely, quoted, on
s e x a n d f a m i l y r e l a t i o n s , 2 5
Hannibal, life work of, 211,2 1 2
H a r r i n g t o n , J a m e s , 2 3 9
Hegel, Georg Wilhel m Fried-
r i c h , 6 7 ; m e t a p h y s i c s o f , 3 2 ;
p h i l o s o p h y o f , 1 6 4
H i c k s , G r a n v i l l e , q u o t e d , 4 1
Historic mission of workers,
2 2 0
H i d e r , A d o l f , a c c e s s i o n t o
p o w e r , 1 1 3
H o o k , S i d n e y , o n d i a l e c t i c , 2 4 3
Hoover, Calvin B. , q u o t e d , o n
e c o n o m i c s , 5 0 - 5 1
1 49
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Howard, Roy, 1 1 5
Huxley, Aldous, quoted, on
d r u g s u s e d i n M o s c o w T r i a l s ,
74 ; r e v o l u t i o n a r y m e t a p h y s -
i c s o f , 1 7 8
I Was a Soviet Worke r, 1 7 9
Ideology and Utopi a, 2 1 2
"Immediate demands," 25 9
International, Red Trade
Union, 1 1 1
I n t e r n a t i o n a l , S e c o n d , 2 5 ;
T h i r d , 2 5 , 2 6
I n t e r n a t i o n a l i s m , i n n e w p a r t y ,
2 5 5
I z v e s t i a , 29
James, C. L. R ., quoted on
L e n i n i s m , 1 0 4 , 1 o 5 ; on
B r a n d l e r , 1 o 8 , l o g ; on Es-
t h o n i a n Putsch, 1 1 o , i i i
J e f f e r s o n i a n i d e a l , 1 9 1 - 1 9 2
J e s u i t i s m , 2 2 9 - 2 3 0
John Reed, the Making of a
Revoluti onary, 4 1
K a l i n i n , M i c h a e l , 1 3 6 , 2 6 0
Kamenev, 73, 23 6, 2 3 8
Kapital, Das, c o m m e n t a t o r o f ,
q u o t e d , 2 0 0 - 2 0 1 ; d i s c u s s i o n
o f , 2 0 7 - 2 0 9
Keep Amer ica Out of War, 1 5 6
K e n t , R o c k w e l l , 1 7
K r e s t i n s k y , 7 2. 7 3
Krivitsky, on Moscow Trials,
7 8
K u l a k s , e x p r o p r i a t i o n
44
L a F o l l e t t e s , t h e , 1 1 2
L a s k i , H a r o l d , 1 7
L e a d e r , t h e , i n R u s s i a a n d G e r -
many, 84
League for Peace and Democ-
r a c y , t h e , 1 3 7
INDEX 2 81
o f , 4 3,
L e f t , d e f i n e d , 1 1 8 , 1 1 g
L e f t i s m , i n A m e r i c a , 1 1 6
L e n i n , q u o t e d , o n T h i r d I n t e r -
n a t i o n a l , 2 6 , 2 7 ; g o v e r n -
m e n t , o n s c h o o l s , 2 1 ; a t t a c k
o n S t a l i n , 3 3 ; r e v o l u t i o n a r y
t h e o r y , 6 o ; T e s t a m e n t , 6 4 - 6 6 ,
2 3 6 , 2 3 8 ; l a s t s p e e c h t o I n t e r -
n a t i o n a l , 9 9 ; b o o k , What ToDo, 1 0 1 ; State and Revolu -
t i o n , 1 o 3 ; warning against
l e f t i s m , 1 1 2 ; s p e e c h e s a n d a r -
t i c l e s , q u o t e d , 1 3 1- 1 3 2 ; o n i n -
d i v i d u a l i t y , 1 4 5 ; on objec-
t i o n t o s o c i a l i s m , 1 53 - 1 5 4 ;
q u o t e d , o n r e a d i n e s s f o r r e v -
o l u t i o n , 1 8 6 ; w r i t i n g s , e x p r e s -
s i o n s i n , 1 9 3 ; o n h i g h e r s o -
c i a l f o r m s , 21 0 , 2 11 ; o n c r e a -
t i o n o f w o r k i n g - c l a s s i d e o l -
o g y , 2 1 6 ; o n t h e s t a t e , 2 2 8 ;
quoted, on lying, 232 ; asl i a r , 2 3 4 ; o n r e v o l u t i o n s , 2 5 8 ;
lesson to be learned from,
2 6 1
Lenin, Mme . , q u o t e d , a t f u -
n e r a l , 1 3 4
L e r n e r , M a x , 2 5 1
Ley, Dr . , 15 7
L i b e r t a r i a n r a d i c a l s , 1 4 4 - 1 4 6
L i n c o l n , " b o u r g e o i s " t h e o r y o f ,
1 9 2
Lindbergh, C . A ., 256
Lite rature and Revoluti on, 1 2 7
Litvinov announcement, 25
L o c k e , J o h n , 2 3 9
L o y o l a , I g n a t i u s , d o c t r i n e o f ,
2 3 0 , 2 3 1
Luxemburg, R o s a , 2 2 0 - 2 2 3 ;
quoted, on Social Democ-
r a c y , 2 2 1 , 2 2 2 ; on reforms
a n d r e v o l u t i o n s , 2 5 8 . 2 5 9
L y i n g , p a r t y , 6 6 - 6 8 ; d i s c u s s e d ,
2 2 9 - 2 3 9
Lyons, Eugene, 179
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282Madiso n, James , 239
Mannheim, Karl, 212
March of Fascis m, The, g1March on Chamber of Depu-t i e s , 114, 115
Marx, Karl, 17 ; ideologies de-
fined, 17 ; sol ution of eco-
nomic probl em, 138 ; philos-
ophy of, 164-167 ; quoted, on
s o c i a l transformation,173-
174 ; quoted, on Paris Com-mune, 174; on integrating
man, 176-177 ; on barrow-push ing, 18g ; phrases reveal-
ing goal, 189 ; on political
power, 1go ; on history, 197-
200 ; on the class struggle,
2 15
Marx and Lenin, 2 12Marxian Soci al is m, restated,
16g-170; the ory of Soviet sys-
tem, 59 ; theory su mmarized,165-166 ; world-view, truth
in, 197-209 ; theory of his-
tory, 199-200
Marxism, of Soule,1 40 - 1 43 -
Bolshe vik application of, 247
Maslo n, jogMdvani, Budu, 56Menshevi ks, 5 9, 61, 171
Monolithi c party, 83
Morality, discussed, 22 9- 2 39
Morris, Gouverneur, 239
Motive-patter ns of Socialism,
126-148 ; l i b e r t a r i a n s o c i a l i s t s ,
129, 131, 132 ; gregarian so-
c i a l i s t s , 1 3 0
Mo s cow Tr ial s , 5 2 - 80 ; victims
o f , 55-58 ; confessions, 63-66,
237 - 2 38 ; torment used in, 71 ;
drugs us ed in, 74
Mrachkovsky, investi gation of,
77
Muralov, 56
INDEXNarodnaia Vo lia, 100
Nat io n, Th e, 139
Nationalization of industr ie s,
151-153
New Deal, the, 116, 25 3
New radical party, outl ine of,
25 1-264New Republic, The, 189
New socie ty, blu e-pri nts for, 1go
OGPU, the , 69, 71
Old Bolsheviks, Society of, 34
Oppositi onal faction, 236
Ostrogliadov, salary of, 40, 41
Owen, Robe rt, 176
Party, si ngle, in Russi a andGermany, 83Party lying, 66-68
Patriot ism , in Russ ia and Ger-
many, 83
Pe asant Government, Stam-
b o u l i s k i ' s , 110
People 's Front, in Spain, 59,
6o, 61
People's Will, the, loo
Per sonalities , role of, 210-214
Piatakov, 56, 2 36, 238
Pil nyak, income of, 42
Pilsudski, 112
Pl anned econom y, 137-138
Politburo, 232
Political tyranny, 28 - 35
Polybius, 239
Popul ar Front, 115
Pr avda, quoted, on mother-hood, 23, 24 ; on Thi rd In-
ternational, 2 6
Pre vention of war, 25 7
Profit Motive, The,137
Proletarian Journey, 179
Psychology of Socialism, The,
212
Publi c lying, 76-80
Putsch in Esth onia, i 1 0
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R a d e k , K a r l , 5 5 , 101, 2 3 6
" Radical," new meaning of,
2 4 4
R a d i c a l p a r t y , o u t l i n e o f n e w ,
2 5 1 - 2 6 4
Rashenbush, Stephen, quoted,
91, 92 ; March of Fascism,
229Rauschning, Herman,
Realpolitik, 1 3 9
Real Situation in Russia, 3 3
Red Trade Union Interna-
t i o n a l , 111
Red Vir tue, 3 3
R e e d , J o h n , 4 1 , 5 5
Reform, social, under new
2 2 8
R e l i g i o n ,
p a r t y ,
i n Russia and Ger-
many, 83, 84
Revolution Betrayed, The, 43
Revolution of Nihili sm, The,
1 4 9
R i g h t , d e f i n e d , 11g
R i g h t s o f M a n , 1 3 9
Rolland, Romain, 17
R o o s e v e l t , F . D . , 1 1 6 , 2 5 4
R o u s s e a u , J . J ., 167
Russi a Twenty Years After, 1 7 9
Russian communist party, 95
S a i n t - S i m o n , C . H . d e , 1 7 6
S c h o o l s , under L e n i n , 21 ;
c h a n g e s i n , u n d e r S t a l i n , 2 1
S e c o n d I n t e r n a t i o n a l , t h e ,
abandoned, 25
S e d o v , L e o n , q u o t e d , 3 8 , 3 9
S e r e b r i a k o v , L e o n i d P e t r o v i c h ,
55 , 56
. 7 6 - 7 7
S e r g e , V i c t o r , 1 7 9
S i l o n e , I g n a z i o , q u o t e d , 1 3 1
Since Lenin Died, q u o t e d , 3 2 ,
33 ; L e n i n - S t a l i n f i g h t , 6 5
S i n c l a i r , U p t o n , 2 4 8
Smith, Andrew, 179 ; q u o t e d ,
1 8 2
1 49 , 1 5 7
INDEX 283
S o c i a l D e m o c r a c y , 110S o c i a l f a s c i s t s , 1 1 3
S o c i a l M y t h , t h e , 2 1 2
S o c i a l P a t r i o t s , 1 1 3
S o c i a l i s m , e n d o f , i n R u s s i a , 1 7 -
5o ; abandoned for commu-
n i s m , 2 5 ; d e f i n e d , 3 6 ; b e n e -
f i c i a r i e s o f , 4 4 , 4 5 ; m o t i v e -
p a t t e r n s o f , 1 2 8 - 1 4 6 ; p r e d i c a -
ment of word, 149-160; s u g -
g e s t e d a d o p t i o n o f , b y E n g -
l a n d , 1 5 9 ; a s p h i l o s o p h y , 1 6 1 -
1 7 2
S o c i a l i s t , c h a n g e i n m e a n i n g ,
3 0 - 3 2 ; i d e a l , t h e , s u m m e d u p ,
1 9 5 - 1 9 6 ; r e v o l u t i o n , u n i o n o f
Stalinism and Nazism for,
1 5 8
S o c i e t y o f J e s u s , 2 3 0
S o c i e t y o f O l d B o l s h e v i k s , d i s s o -
l u t i o n o f , 3 4
S o f i a , c a t h e d r a l o f , b l o w n u p ,
111
S o k o l n i k o v , 2 3 8
S o r e l , G e o r g e s , 2 1 2 , 2 1 3
S o s s n o v s k y , 5 7 , 5 8
S o u l e , G e o r g e , 1 7 ; o n d i f f e r e n -
t i a l r e w a r d s , 3 8 ; q u o t e d , o n
b e n e f i c i a r i e s o f s o c i a l i s m , 4 6 ;
o n l i b e r t y , 1 4 0 - 1 4 3
S o u v a r i n e , B o r i s , 1 7 9 , 23 8 ;
q u o t e d , 1 8 3
S p a n i s h r e v o l u t i o n , 1 1 5
S p e n c e r , H e r b e r t , 1 7 8
Stakhanovist Movement, Sedov
o n , 3 8 , 3 9 ; n e w c a s t e , 4 3
S t a k h a n o v i s t s , e a r n i n g s o f , 4 3
S t a l i n , 1 7 9
S t a l i n , o n a r m a m e n t , 2 5 ; and
a g r i c u l t u r a l p r o b l e m , 4 3 , 44 ;
a n d t h e c o u n t e r - r e v o l u t i o n ,
5 2 - 8 0 ; e s t a b l i s h m e n t o f d e m -
o c r a t i c g o v e r n m e n t , 6 o
S t a g y " H i t l e r p a c t , 8 1 , 15 7
S t a l i n i s m , c o m p a r i s o n w i t h f a s -
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284 INDEXc i s m , 8 2 - 9 4 ; d e s c r i p t i o n o f ,
1 5 0 - 1 5 1
S t a l i n i s t s , i n A m e r i c a , 2 3 0 , 2 3 1
S t a l i n ' s r e v e n g e , 7 4 , 7 5 ; p e r -
f e c t d a y , 7 6 ; s t a t e m e n t t o
Roy Howard, 115 ; t o t a l i t a r i -
a n i s m , 1 5 3
S t a m b o u l i s k i ' s P e a s a n t G o v e r n -
ment, iio
S t a t e , t h e o r y o f t h e , 2 27 - 2 2 9
State and Revolu tion, 1 0 3
Strong, Anna Louise, 33, 42,
1 94
T e c h n o c r a t s , 2 4 5
Testament of L e n i n , 6 4 - 6 6 ,
2 3 6 , 2 3 8
T h e f t , d e a t h p e n a l t y f o r , 2 8 ,
2 9
T h i r d I n t e r n a t i o n a l , 9 5
T h i r d P a r t y o f t h e B o u r g e o i s i e ,
111,1 1 3
T h i r d P e r i o d , c i v i l w a r , 1 1 2 ,
1 1 3
Thomas, Norman, quoted, 156
Thomis m, 168
T o t a l i t a r i a n l i b e r a l s , 1 3 9 - 1 4 3
T o t a l i t a r i a n s t a t e , c h a n g e t o ,
34 ; s t a t e - c a p i t a l i s m , 1 8 7
Totalitarian State of Mind,
14 0
T r a d e U n i o n I n t e r n a t i o n a l ,
l o b
T r e a s o n , e s c a p e c r i m e o f , 2 7
T r o t s k y , L e o n , q u o t e d , o n d i f -
f e r e n t i a l r e w a r d s , 4 8 ; ont r e a t m e n t o f l e a d e r s , 9 7 , 9 8 ;
on Lenin, 12o ; quoted, on
dogmas of Bolshevism, 121-
1 2 3 ; q u o t e d , o n r u t h l e s s n e s s ,
1 2 6 ; q u o t e d , o n n e w s o c i e t y ,
1 2 7 ; o n p e r s o n a l i t y , 1 4 5 ; o n
b e t r a y a l o f t h e r e v o l u t i o n ,
1 6 2 , 1 8 4 , 1 8 5 ; Problems of
Culture, 1 9 3 ; o n S p a n i s h r e v -
o l u t i o n , 2 2 5 - 2 2 6 ; q u o t e d , o n
l y i n g , 2 3 1 , 2 3 2 , 2 3 4 ; s i g n a -
t o r y t o c o n f e s s i o n s , 2 3 8
T r o t s k y i s t s , 3 4 ; t r e a s o n p l o t , 6 2
Twenty-one Points, the, 105,
1 0 7
T y r a n n y , p o l i t i c a l , 2 8 - 3 5
Uhrbans, 238
Ultimate program, 25 9
U l t r a - r i g h t i s m , p e r i o d o f , 1 1 6
United-brotherhood movement,
t h e , 1 3 4 - 1 3 7
U n i t e d F r o n t , t h e , , o 6 , 1 0 7
Uniteisme, 1 7 6
V a k s o v , V i c t o r , 4 2 , 4 3
V e b l e n , T h o r s t e i n , 2 4 5
W a r , p r e v e n t i o n o f , 2 5 7
Ward, Harr y F . , 1 3 7
W e b b , B e a t r i c e a n d S i d n e y , 1 7 ;
q u o t e d , o n i n f l a t i o n , 4 7
W e b s t e r , D a n i e l , 2 3 9
Welt anschauung, 1 5 7 , 1 6 8
Wils on, Edmund, quoted,
d i f f e r e n t i a l r e w a r d s , 3 9 ;
communism, 138
Wilson, Lucy, quoted, on
s c h o o l s , 2 0 , 21
W i n t e r , E l l a , q u o t e d , 3 3
Wolfe, Bertram D ., 156
Women, position of, under
S t a l i n , 2 3
Workers' Democracy, 32
World Revolu tion, 1 0 4
W r i t e r s , p o s i t i o n o f , 3 7
Witherspoon, Mrs . , q u o t e d , o n
v i c t i m s o f M o s c o w T r i a l s , 7 3
Y e n u k i d z e , 2 6 0
Yevdokimov, 238
Z i n o v i e v , 7 3 , 107, 110, 2 3 6
Z i n o v i e v i s t s , 8 4
on
on