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Chapter XXXThe Principle of Free ConfederationTHE ISSUES of the original Russian idea of a confederationof free self-determining nationalities were greatlycomplicated by the transitory phenomenon of a revolutionwhich has sought, like the French Revolution before it, totransform immediately and without easy intermediate stages thewhole basis not only of government, but of society, and has,moreover, been carried out under pressure of a disastrous war.This double situation led inevitably to an unexampled anarchyand, incidentally, to the forceful domination of an extremeparty which represented the ideas of the Revolution in theirmost uncompromising and violent form. The Bolshevik despotismcorresponds in this respect to the Jacobin despotism ofthe French Reign of Terror. The latter lasted long enough tosecure its work, which was to effect violently and irrevocablythe transition from the post-feudal system of society to the firstmiddle-class basis of democratic development. The Labouritedespotism in Russia, the rule of the Soviets, fixing its hold andlasting long enough, could effect the transition of society to asecond and more advanced basis of the same or even to a stillfarther development. But we are concerned only with the effecton the ideal of free nationality. On this point all Russia exceptthe small reactionary party was from the first agreed; but theresort to the principle of government by force brought in a contradictoryelement which endangered its sound effectuation evenin Russia itself and therefore weakened the force which it mighthave had in the immediate future of the world-development. 1For it stands on a moral principle which belongs to the future,1 The component States of Sovietic Russia are allowed a certain cultural, linguistic andother autonomy, but the rest is illusory as they are in fact governed by the force of ahighly centralised autocracy in Moscow.