Eleonora Balestra
IB1 History
24 Nov 2014
Menshevik Newspaper Article
Rather Support the Provisional Government over Lenin! Petrograd, 1st of October 1917. After February’s revolution, the Tsarist regime has finally come to an end for once and for all. Since the abdication of Nicholas II, two powers have replaced the Tsar; the former members of the Imperial Parliament, Duma, who have formed the Provisional Government, and the national network of Soviets, who represent the common interests of the workers throughout the country. With this new dual government system in place, Russia can look forward to a future where everybody is equal. Whether you are poor or rich, you have the right to participate in the social decisions that affect you. The Menshevik socialist party has set up a network of workers councils across the country to provide an opportunity for full representation in pursuit of a democratic system. Under the Tsarist regime, Russia’s ruling classes were always the minority, while the oppressed classes were the majority. For hundreds of years the greater half of Russia lived poorly with little to no possessions or even food, while the few rich citizens owned almost everything. The proletarians work more and earn less, while the bourgeoisie work less and earn more! It is only fair that the price to earnings ratio be the same for everybody.
democratic government, Russia would finally see a social justice.
completely transform the original traditions Marxism.
However, before we can transform our economy to socialism, we need to recover from the poverty and famine that the Tsar left us in. Progressive reforms of capitalism must be considered in-order to boost Russia’s economy. A transition towards socialism would not be possible without a short bourgeois rising.
But marxist philosophy aside, the big question of today is, does Russia continue fighting in the war against the allied forces, Germany, AustriaHungary and Italy? The war has been going on for over two years now, and we can feel Russian motivation dying out. It is no secret that Russia’s performance on the Eastern Front has been disappointing so far. Having the senseless Tsar as the army’s commander-in-chief for the past two years has left the soldiers anxious. However, after our rewarding February revolution, Nicholas II now sits in exile in Siberia and we can move on. Despite the major political changes that have taken place here in Petrograd in the past few months, we must not forget that in 1907, Russia agreed to ally with Great Britain and The French Republic in the event that war against Germany were to eventually break out. If we drop out of the war now, our western allies will loose confidence in our country, and respect for Russia. Rather support Kerensky’s decision to pursue the war effort, however, under the condition that there are no further annexations! The last thing we need is more land when we should be sharing what we already have equally.
On April 16th, Vladimir Lenin, leader of the Bolshevik Party, returned to Petrograd after a decade in exile, talking of overthrowing Alexander Kerensky (prime minister of the Provisional Government). Lenin’s method of achieving what he wants is through violence, which is not the
of
“The proletarians work more and earn less, while the bourgeoisie work less and earn more!”
As a member of the Menshevik party, I am a social democrat who represents the idea that Russia needs to work towards a society, where resources are commonly owned by everyone. The means of production, distribution, and exchange should be regulated by the community as a whole, in-order to avoid the upper-classes from greedily taking away from the lower-classes. If capitalism were to be abolished and all property were to be owned by a
principle of a democratic doctrine. It is obvious that Lenin’s real goal in seizing power over the country, is less about the greater good of the people, and more about personal control, his desire to become the dictator of Russia. Not to mention Lenin’s reworking of Karl Marx’s political theories, where he introduces the “revolutionary vanguard” concept. The ideas that Lenin discusses in his What To Do Now? political pamphlet
If there is one thing we Mensheviks believe in, it is to support pure Marxism as laid down by Karl Marx himself. Not MarxismLeninism. Communism is the future, but we must first pass through a stage of capitalism before we can get there. At this stage the Bolsheviks are more of an enemy to Russia than the Provisional Government.