On Tue, Mar 19, 2024 at 08:17 PM, gojko rakic wrote: George Plekhanov, Open Letter to the Petrograd Workers ( http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=Kulaks&x=13&y=20#/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=George+Plekhanov&rh=n%3A266239%2Ck%3AGeorge+Plekhanov ) (28th October, 1917) Thanks for posting, Gojko. That was indeed prescient of Plekhanov.
However, it is often overlooked that the Bolsheviks were responding to the pressures of the masses - the soldiers and sailors who wanted no part of the war and were mutinying; the peasants who were seizing the land and demanding land reform; the factory workers who were occupying the factories and trying to restore production; and the urban dwellers who were experiencing the ravages of war-induced inflation and the shortages of foodstuffs and basic goods. This is what led to the Bolsheviks displacing Plekhanov's Mensheviks as a majority in the Soviets and consequently the development within these bodies an increasing sentiment in favour of a Soviet government. As mentioned previously, the Bolsheviks had to restrain many in their ranks who were itching to take power during the July Days. In these circumstances, it was understandable that the Bolsheviks felt it their revolutionary responsibility to take power in the name of the Soviets. But they only did so convinced the unfolding world revolution would secure the survival of their regime. They took a calculated risk, but calculated risks don't always meet with success. Neither does an excess of caution, as the long history of social democracy shows. This can only be known in retrospect, not when historical opportunities first present themselves. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Groups.io Links: You receive all messages sent to this group. View/Reply Online (#29583): https://groups.io/g/marxmail/message/29583 Mute This Topic: https://groups.io/mt/105034294/21656 -=-=- POSTING RULES & NOTES #1 YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. #2 This mail-list, like most, is publicly & permanently archived. #3 Subscribe and post under an alias if #2 is a concern. #4 Do not exceed five posts a day. -=-=- Group Owner: [email protected] Unsubscribe: https://groups.io/g/marxmail/leave/8674936/21656/1316126222/xyzzy [[email protected]] -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
