Page:Grigory Zinoviev - Army and People (1920).pdf/6

 It is not only in 1919 that Hungary played an important part in Europe. Seventy years ago that country also drew the attention of the civilzed world. At the time of the revolution of 1848, when the landlords were unable to cope with the insurgent people, the Hungarian Government turned for assistance to the Russian Tsar.

And seventy years ago the Russian Tsar was powerful enough to respond to this appeal. He equipped the serf-peasants, placed at their head a host of Russian officers of the landlord class, and sent this army to Hungary to crush the revolt of the Hungarian people. And the Russian serf army, commanded by landlord officers, seventy years ago crushed on the Hungarian plains the revolutionary movement of the peasants and workers of that country. For this Russia was ignominously labelled „International Gendarme“, because such was precisely the part in which serf Russia appeared before the world, supplying with counter-revolutionary troops not her own country alone, but Hungary also, and attempting to do the same for all countries. Yes, comrades, seventy years ago it could indeed be said that Russia had the army she deserved to have.

And naturally it could not be otherwise. Our people were living under the yoke of serfdom, and you know what were the delights of that. Serfdom meant almost universal illiteracy of