Summary Note of Goldston Ch.2 - 0 views

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  #1 Ian Schlom on 30 Dec 11

   

  Summary Note of Goldston Ch.2 "1905: Dress Rehearsal" pgs. 53-76
  
  Russia got into a war with Japan over Russia's expansion into Korea. Russia suffered an embarrassing defeat. The poor were so outraged by the poverty and wage-slavery that they started a general strike. The Social-Democrats were too busy fighting over internal policy to engage the revolution of 1905. Trotsky was able to fight. He urged the strikers to collect arms for a military resistance to the violent repression everyone expected. People were smuggling arms and making bombs for battles. "Mark Twain commented at the time: 'If such a government cannot be overthrown otherwise than by dynamite, then thank God for dynamite.'" (72)
  The fractured Social-Democrats, the Bolsheviks and the Mensheviks, disagreed on whether to structure the party democratically as a broad movement, or as a dictatorship with exclusive professional revolutionists. In that state, they couldn't do shit.
  A Soviet in St. Petersburg was actually created and the strikers were becoming militant. The "bouregoisie" of Russia was with the strikers and desired a way to supply itself with some power. They demanded a parliament.
  Russia was essentially a classic Third World power. Its capital was foreign owned by Western Capitalists, and its "bourgeoisie" was simply the management of the factories. This meant that Russia had a growing proletariat, becoming a significant portion of its population, yet its infrastructure was basically shit.
  The Czar was also a little crazy. He was very insecure. The demands of the revolutionaries was met and the Duma was given legislative powers. This was definitely not going to be any substantial power though.
  
  Lenin & Cynical Revolutionism
  
  Lenin was a cynical revolutionary and saw the suffering of the peasantry as a chance for fomenting revolt. He took the opportunity of the suffering peasantry to spread revolutionary ideas, not trying to liberate the peasantry from their misery by showing that the peasantry should liberate themselves from their suffering. Nor either trying to relieve them from their pains.

   

  <div class="cArrow"> </div><div class="cContentInner">Summary Note of Goldston Ch.2 "1905: Dress Rehearsal" pgs. 53-76 <br /> <br /> Russia got into a war with Japan over Russia's expansion into Korea. Russia suffered an embarrassing defeat. The poor were so outraged by the poverty and wage-slavery that they started a general strike. The Social-Democrats were too busy fighting over internal policy to engage the revolution of 1905. Trotsky was able to fight. He urged the strikers to collect arms for a military resistance to the violent repression everyone expected. People were smuggling arms and making bombs for battles. "Mark Twain commented at the time: 'If such a government cannot be overthrown otherwise than by dynamite, then thank God for dynamite.'" (72) <br /> The fractured Social-Democrats, the Bolsheviks and the Mensheviks, disagreed on whether to structure the party democratically as a broad movement, or as a dictatorship with exclusive professional revolutionists. In that state, they couldn't do shit. <br /> A Soviet in St. Petersburg was actually created and the strikers were becoming militant. The "bouregoisie" of Russia was with the strikers and desired a way to supply itself with some power. They demanded a parliament. <br /> Russia was essentially a classic Third World power. Its capital was foreign owned by Western Capitalists, and its "bourgeoisie" was simply the management of the factories. This meant that Russia had a growing proletariat, becoming a significant portion of its population, yet its infrastructure was basically shit. <br /> The Czar was also a little crazy. He was very insecure. The demands of the revolutionaries was met and the Duma was given legislative powers. This was definitely not going to be any substantial power though. <br /> <br /> Lenin & Cynical Revolutionism <br /> <br /> Lenin was a cynical revolutionary and saw the suffering of the peasantry as a chance for fomenting revolt. He took the opportunity of the suffering peasantry to spread revolutionary ideas, not trying to liberate the peasantry from their misery by showing that the peasantry should liberate themselves from their suffering. Nor either trying to relieve them from their pains.</div>

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