isaac-deutscher-the-prophet-armed-trotsky-1879-1921

294 THE PROPHET ARMED
illusion to further her own work. In the same way she once
inspired the leaders of the French Revolution with a belief in
the imminence of a universal republic of the peoples.
While the controversy was unresolved in the Central Committee,
the party was naturally incapable of initiative. Towards
the end of September Kerensky opened the pre-Parliament, the
new substitute for an elected assembly. The Bolsheviks had to
decide whether they would participate. The question was related
to that of the insurrection. Those who were opposed to the
rising and those who hesitated were for participation: they
wished the Bolshevik party to act as a regular opposition in the
pre-Parliament, despite the fact that this body could not claim
to be a national representation. The advocates of the insurrection
held that the time for their party to act as an opposition
had passed-otherwise they would not have contemplated the
immediate overthrow of the existing government. They argued
that as long as the Bolsheviks were a minority in the Soviets
they could only urge the moderate majority to transfer all
power to the Soviets; they themselves could not effect the
transfer. But having become the majority, they had to effect it,
if they were not to prove themselves mere phrasemongers. By
their presence in the pre-Parliament they would merely give
the latter the appearance of a real parliament and divert their
own energy from direct action.
In this debate, Trotsky and Stalin-this was the first time they
appeared together-spoke in unison for a boycott of the preparliam
ent. Kamenev and Rykov pleaded for participation.
The Bolshevik delegates, who had arrived from all over the
country for the opening of the pre-Parliament, voted by a
majority for participation. Lenin pressed for a revision of this
attitude. In a letter to the Central Committee he wrote:
'Trotsky has spoken for the boycott-bravo, comrade Trotsky!
The boycott has been defeated inside the group of the Bolshevik
delegates .... We are still for the boycott.'' The incident showed
that the party was mentally not yet in a condition to lead in an
insurrection.
lt was with evident relief that Lenin penned the words:
'Trotsky has spoken for the boycott-bravo, comrade Trotsky!'
1
Lenin, Sochinenya, vol. xxvi, p. 37.