Graham R (Ed.) - Anarchism - A Documentary History of Libertarian Ideas Volume One - From Anarchy to Anarchism (300 CE to 1939)

The Interwar Years /441
suppression means decay and death. The revolution is safe, it grows and becomes
strong, as long as the masses feel that they are direct participants in it, that they are
fa shioning their own lives, that they are making the revolution, that they are the revolution.
But the moment their activities are usurped by a political party or are centered
in some special organization, revolutionary effort becomes limited to a
comparatively small circle from which the large masses are practically excluded. The
natural result is that popular enthusiasm is dampened, interest gradually weakens,
initiative languishes, creativeness wanes, and the revolution becomes the monopoly
of a clique which presently turns dictator.
This is fatal to the revolution. The sole prevention of such a catastrophe lies in
the continued active interest of the workers through their every-day participation in
all matters pertaining to the revolution ...
It cannot be emphasized too strongly how essential spiritual values are to the
social revolution. These and the consciousness ofthe masses that the revolution also
means material betterment are dynamic influences in the life and growth of the new
society. Of the two factors the spiritual values are fo remost. The history of previous
revolutions proves that the masses were ever willing to suffer and to sacrifice material
well-being for the sake of greater liberty and justice. Thus in Russia neither cold
nor starvation could induce the peasants and workers to aid counter-revolution. All
privation and misery notwithstanding they served heroically the interests of the
great cause. It was only when they saw the Revolution monopolized by a political
party, the newly won liberties curtailed, a dictatorship established, and injustice and
inequality dominant again that they became indifferent to the Revolution, declined
to participate in the sham, refused to cooperate, and even turned against it.
To fo rget ethical values, to introduce practices and methods inconsistent with
or opposed to the high moral purposes of the revolution means to invite counter-revolution
and disaster. ..
Understand well that the only really effective defence of the revolution lies in
the attitude of the people. Popular discontent is the worst enemy of the revolution
and its greatest danger. We must always bear in mind that the strength of the social
revolution is organic, not mechanistic: not in mechanical, military measures lies its
might, but in its industry, in its ability to reconstruct life, to establish liberty and justice.
Let the people feel that it is indeed their own cause which is at stake, and the last
man of them will fight like a lion in its behalf ... Where the masses are conscious that
the revolution and all its activities are in their own hands, that they themselves are
managing things and are free to change their methods when they consider it necessary,
counter-revolution can find no support and is harmless.