Page:The Social General Strike - Arnold Roller (1912).djvu/11

 The Governments at least would fear that these reserves, newly called in, would carry dissatisfaction into the ranks of the old soldiers. If, however, they did not issue this call, they would thus acknowledge their impotence, and the number of soldiers on hand would soon prove to be insufficient.

The best equipped, the largest and most disciplined army cannot protect everything. Only small groups of soldiers can be everywhere, isolated amongst the large masses of the people, the numberless proletarians. The army would be split up and dispersed, and immobilised in all directions; and would therefore be incapable of suppressing the revolt of the proletariat conducted in this form.

Last but not least, there are psychological points to be recognised. The most elementary experience in mass psychology teaches us that the single person in big masses will allow himself to be pushed to perform deeds of heroism, or let a few, especially such as have an influence over him, lead him to do deeds which would otherwise be repulsive to him. This is what they mostly reckon on in militarism.

The soldier amongst a large body of troops, excited by the military music, in fear of the officers, whom he thinks to be superior beings, loses his clear senses, his individuality, and obeys, as if hypnotised, the most inhuman, the most barbaric orders. He is then even ready to shoot upon his own father and mother.

Direct contact with the people is made impossible for the soldiers as long as they are under continued discipline and in fear of court-martial and of the revolvers of the officers, especially when they march in large bodies against the people.

However, when dispersed in small groups before factories, the soldiers easily come in contact with the working men, who talk to them, slip manifestoes secretly into their hands, and tell them that in their home village, may be at that very hour, soldiers of other regiments are ordered to shoot their parents, their brothers and sisters. In small bodies the soldier has time to think; he is torn away from the brutal, sanguinary intoxication of large masses of troops, armed to the teeth. He is no more in contagious contact with the school of murder, he hears no more the exciting war music and war songs of brutalised soldiers. All around him he will hear the songs of revolt against the oppressors and exploiters, which will remind him that he belongs to the people, from whom he was torn by force, and not to the side of tyranny.

Because the General Strike is the most clear and unveiled expression of the revolution of the working people against their exploiters, the proletarians in soldiers' clothes will now quickly see that they are not fighting for God, emperor and fatherland, their high ideals, but simply for the continuance of the exploitation of their brothers and themselves as soon as they have exchanged uniforms for overalls.

Thus, standing guard before a factory the soldier will soon realise that he is used as his own watch-dog, and many a one will be led by his reflection to return to the people. The rest of the scattered small groups of soldiers could easily be disarmed, so that they could not shoot upon the masses. Many of the soldiers who would not have the