Page:The Proletarian Revolution in Russia - Lenin, Trotsky and Chicherin - ed. Louis C. Fraina (1918).djvu/16

XIV in the masses the consciousness of an economic revolution. The original joint struggle against Czarism developed, in reality though often unconsciously, into a struggle of the masses against Czarism—Capitalism; the proletarian class struggle against the bourgeoisie did not arise during the 1917 Revolution, it has already acquired definite character and power. The struggle between bourgeois and proletarian appeared clearly during the 1905 Revolution, acquired a sharper character during the following period of Czarist—bourgeois counter-revolutionary activity, and flared up implacably in the 1917 Revolution. The period 1905–1917 may be compared, very superficially, of course, and yet suggestively, to the period I789–1792 of the French Revolution; and 1917–1918 to 1792–1793, with this vital difference: that the masses in France met disaster, while the Russian proletariat and poor peasants conquered power.

The proletariat in the Russian Revolution acted instinctively as the proletariat acted in previous revolutions. Its infinitely larger success was determined by the prevailing historic conditions, by the fact that it had developed much more maturity than the masses during the French Revolution. Capitalism was much more developed and much more typical, the proletariat consequently much more powerful and class conscious: it was able, accordingly, because of the revolutionary breach created in the old order by the momentarily joint revolution against Czarism, to conquer the bourgeoisie, to project definitely and decisively a proletarian revolution. United with the superior material development was an uncompromisingly revolutionary Socialism, able to direct the masses of the people to the conquest of power and the introduction of forms competent to maintain and extend that conquest in the direction of a new society,—the successful expression of an economic and social revolution.

The proletarian revolution in Russia accordmgly, is not alone in accord with the purposes of revolutionary Socialism, but it is equally the definite expression of a dynamic tendency, the revolutionary economic tendency of the masses, latent and apparent but unsuccessful in previous revolutions, characteristic of Capitalism and acquiring maturity and ascendancy as Capitalism develops.

As the tendency of action of the Russian proletariat was adumbrated in previous revolutions, so its class organizations, the Soviets, are, in general features, partially, incompletely apparent in these previous revolutions in which the proletariat instinctively tried to emerge for the conquest of power.

The revolutionary masses of the people, during the French