Page:Trade Unions in Soviet Russia - I.L.P. (1920).djvu/60



I read a paper in the All-Russian Central Executive Committee on the 29th of April, 1918, almost two years ago; the Central Committee accepted a number of proposals in connection, with my report, including proposals in connection with labour discipline; and the whole thing therefore bears a similarity to the present moment. It is most erronous to assert that the decisions of the Communist Party and of the Soviet Government have been arrived at as a result of our present disputes. Such a statement would misrepresent the whole trend of the activity, regulations and attitude of the Communist Party and of the Soviet Government to this problem. In order to gain a proper understanding of the question and to make a proper attempt at its solution, it is extremely advisable to draw a comparison between the state of things prevailing in the beginning of 1918 and that of the present time. At that time, after a short period of war with German Imperialism, we were first faced with problems of peaceful construction. There were prospects of a lengthy period of such construction. The civil war had not yet begun. Krasnoff, making use of the German assistance he obtained in the Ukraine, had just appeared at the Don; the North was clear from attacks and the Soviet Republic held a vast territory, excluding that part of Russia which had been taken away by the Brest peace. The general conditions were such that it was justifiable to count upon a considerable period of peaceful construction. It was under these conditions that the first thing put forward by the Communist Party and emphasised by the All-Russian Central Executive Committee in the form of a resolution passed on the 29th of April, 1918, was the necessity for an agitation to explain the insistent need for labour discipline. It is necessary to realise in this connection that dictatorial power and single man management are not inconsistent with socialist democracy. This must be brought to mind now so that both the decisions arrived at by the Party congress as well as the general problems with which we are faced may be fully understood. This is not merely a solution of the questions which now arise, but is inseparably connected with the conditions of the present phase. Whoever has any doubt upon this subject has only to compare the state of things prevalent two years ago, and it will become obvious; to him that all attention must now of necessity be transferred to labour discipline and to questions connected with the labour army, although at that time, two years ago, this army was not yet in existence. By drawing a comparison between the past and the present aspect of the question we can arrive at a correct conclusion it we disregard details and consider only that which is of general and vital importance.

The whole attention of the communists and of the Soviet Government should be concentrated on the question of peaceful economic construction, on the question of dictatorship and on that of single man management. The experience of the two years of civil war makes the solution of these questions imperative; but they were raised as far back as 1918 when there was no civil war and experience was out of the question.