Page:Karl Radek - Proletarian Dictatorship and Terrorism - tr. Patrick Lavin (1921).djvu/62

55 enemies of the Councils did not venture into the independent Press. Only in bourgeois papers and books, published by bourgeois firms did Kautsky and Ströbel dare to combat the idea of the proletarian dictatorship. Month by month their position in the party became more hopeless and finally there remained nothing for the opponents of the proletarian dictatorship to do but to concentrate on a dictatorship which is no dictatorship.

Rudolf Hilferding, the old counselor of Scheidemann and Ebert, a man who learned Radicalism in theory from the Austrian school of compromise, the half truth and the whole lie, gave the signal. At the September Conference of the Independents he pronounced for dictatorship, but for dictatorship of such a kind as would do no harm to the bourgeoisie, a dictatorship which is like a knife without a handle. He pronounced for dictatorship while rejecting the theory on principle. He declared that terrorism was not only ethically wrong, but that in Western Europe it was not even necessary because there the working class possess a majority and can therefore rule without the exercise of violence. All the confused and opportunist elements eagerly welcomed this solution. It offered a way of escape for these elements of the Independent Party who, on account of their social position, are not able to break definitely with the bourgeoisie. Some of them, who are well off themselves, are instinctively drawn towards the bourgeoisie while others are accustomed to the peaceful lives of Parliamentary leaders, and will protest and demonstrate, but will not risk anything. This solution was eagerly accepted by all those elements who came over to Socialism because bourgeois democracy was bankrupt. The watchword, "Dictatorship without Terrorism", was at once the slogan of the political authorities and that of those who were suffering from humanitarian and democratic illusions.

Not one of them could take his stand, regardless of consequences, upon the platform of the proletariat and fight their fight as demanded by the situation. Without considering the