O RED REVO LUT I O

TH E P L O T A G A I N ST C I VI L I Z A T I O N

N E STA H . W E BS T E R
( M R S AR THUR
. WE B S TE R )
AU TH OR OF TH E F R E N C H R E V OLU TI ON z A S TUDY
'

m C "
DE MO RACY
'
Q
“
TH E CHE VAL IER DE BOUE ELE R S ET

B OS TON

S MALL , MAYNA R D COMPA NY

PUB LI S HE R S
 S i l es h ommes comprenaient 1a révolu tion au ou r d j
’
hu i ,

elle fin ir ai t d em ain .

JO S E P H DE M AI S TRE in

Les p ersonn es qui ign orent 1a V éri t a b le situ a tion d es

ch o ses ,
et le n om b re en e st g ra n d , s
’
im agin ent qu e

s o c ié té s secréte s on t p o ur O b et j 1
’
a 11i a n c e d es p eu p les co n t re

les rois ; c
’
e st u ne erreu r c ap it a le . Les s o ci é té s s e crét es

son t enn em i es d es un s et d es a u tr es ; elles fla t t en t les

p asswn s , elles ex cit en t les divisions , les h ain eS , les ven

g ean c es ; m a is c
'
e st é leu r p rofit , on p lu tOt é celu i de

qu elqu es am b itieu x qu i n e vo u d ra ient d étré ner les rois que

p our mi eux opp ri mer les j

su ets .

LOM B ARD DE LANGRE S in 1 8 1 9 .

Printe d in t he Unit e d S ta tes of Arnerioa

QS I

C OP YR I GHT, 1 921

BY S M LL A , MAYNAR D CO MP ANV
( I N C OR PO RA TE D)

© 0 ! A 6 2
.
4 8 8 7
 AU THOR S N OTE
’

I N reply to nu m ero u s en qu iri e s as t o whether th e

s t atem en t s I m ade in The F ren eh R evolu ti on have S in ce

b een d isproved I take thi s opp ortuni ty to say th at

, ,

as far as I am aware n o on e has att em p ted to bring

,

forwar d any con t rary eviden ce Th e S ocialist p re ss wa s .

com pl et ely silen t wh ilst h ostil e reviewers in the general

,

r e ss co n t en t e d the m selve s with sayin g th e wo rk was

p
”
biasse d b u t with ou t qu otin g ch ap t er an d ver se in
,

su p p ort of thi s assertion My book was n ot in ten de d to

.

b e th e last word on th e F ren ch Revolu tion b u t th e fir st ,

attem p t in E n glish to t ell the tru th and had m y view

, , ,

on any e ssen tial p oin t b een sh own to b e erron e ou s I ,

S h o ul d h ave b een p erf e ctly re ady to re ad j u st it in furt h er

e di tio n s .No su ch h on est ch allen ge was m ade however ; ,

m y op p on en ts p referrin g th e m e th od of Creatin g prej u di ce

a gain st my work by attributin g to m e views I n ever
~

exp resse d Thu s at th e m om en t of this book goin g to

.
,

r ess it h a s b een b rou gh t to m y n otic e that I am rep re

p ,

sente d as havin g attacked B ritish Freem asonry This .

can on ly have b een said in m ali ce as I h ave always cl early ,

differentiat e d b etween B ritish an d C on tin en tal m asonry ,

showing the form er to b e an h on ourable association n ot

onl y h ostile to su bversive doctrin es b u t a stron g su pp orter
of law or der an d reli gion
, , ( S ee T he French R evolu ti on
.
,

pp . 2 0 an d I a m in f act i n debt e d to c ertain di s

tin gui sh ed B ritish m ason s for valu able help an d advice

in my work , which I here gratefully a ckn owledge .
 FORE WOR D

AMON GS T all books p am p hl ets and newsp ap er

the , ,

article s that are n ow devot e d to th e Wo rld Revolu tion

throu gh whi ch we are p assing it is strange to notice h ow
,

little M flg inve sti gation is b ein g b rou ght to b e ar on

th e origin s of th e m ovem en t A fre qu ent exp lan ation
.

advan ced and I b eli eve th e m ost fallaciou s is th at the

, , , ,
”
p r e s en t un r e st m u st b e att rib u t e d to w a r we arin e ss .

Hum an n atu re we a re told exasp erat e d by th e pro

, ,

tracte d h orror of the recent in t ern ation al confli ct has ,

b e com e th e victim of a cri s e de n erfs whi ch fin ds its

e xp re ssion in world wide discon t en t
-
I n Su pp ort of this
.

th eory w e are rem in de d th at form er war s h ave likewise

b een followe d by p eriods of social di stu rbance an d that ,

by a p roce ss of an alogy th e sym p tom s may b e exp ected

to su bside as th e strain of war is relieve d in th e sam e ,

m ann er as th ey have su bside d hith ert o It is tru e that .

olitical co n fli cts b e tween n a tion s h ave fre qu en tly in th e

p
ast b een f ollow e d by social u p h e avals th e Nap ol e onic
p
Wars by in du strial trou ble s in E n glan d th e Fran co ,

Pru ssian War by revolu tion ary agitation n ot only in the

lan d of the con qu ered b u t of th e con qu erors
, b u t to
regard the s e social m anife station s as th e di re ct o u tcom e

of th e p rec edi ng in t ern ation al conflict is t o mi stake con

tribu ting for fun dam en tal cau ses Revolu tion is not the .

p r od u ct of w a r b,u t a m alady t h at a n atio n s nfi erin g fro m

th e aft er eff ects Of a war is m ost likely to develop j u st as
-
,

a m an enf eebled by fatigu e is m ore liable to contract

di sease than one wh o is in a stat e of p erfect vigour
'

Yet thi s p redi sp osin g cau se is by n o m ean s essential

to the ou tbre ak of revolu tion ary fever The gre at Fren ch .

Revolu tion was not imm edi ately p recede d by a war of

any m a gnitu de an d to th e observan t m in d E n glan d in
,

1 9 1 4 was as n e ar to revolu tion as in 1 9 1 9 Th e interveni ng .

World War far from p rodu cing the exp losion in t his
,

coun try m erely retarded it by rallying citizen s of all

,

cla s se s aroun d th e s tan dar d of n ation al defen ce .

.
viii WOR LD R E VOLU TI ON

tru th is th at for th e last on e hu n dre d an d forty

Th e
five ye ar s th e fire of revol u ti on h a s sm o ul d ere d ste adily
b en eath th e an cien t stru cture of civilization and alre ady ,

at m om en ts h a s b u rst ou t in to flam e th re atenin g to destroy

to its ve ry foun dation s th at social e difice which eighteen
c en turie s h ave been sp en t in con stru ctin g Th e crisis Of ,

to d ay is th en n o develop m en t of m odern tim es but a ,

m ere con tin u ation of th e imm en se m ovem en t that b egan

in th e m iddle o f the eigh t een th cen tu ry I n a wo rd it is .
,

all on e an d th e sam e revolu tion th e revolu ti on that

f oun d its fir st exp re ssion in Fr an ce of 1 789 Both in its .

n at u re a n d i ts ai m s i t d iff ers en tire ly fro m f o rm e r revolu

tion s wh ich h a d for th ei r origin som e localize d or tem

ca u s e T h e revol u tion t h ro u gh wh ich w e are n ow
p o r a ry .

p a ssi n g is n o t local b u t un iv e r sa l it is n,o t p olitical bu t

social an d it s cau se s m u st be sou gh t n ot in p opu lar dis
,

con t en t bu t in a deep laid con spiracy th at u se s th e

,
-
‘

p p
e o l e to t h e i r ow n u n doi n g .

I n ord er to follow its course we m u st re aliz e th e d u al

n atu re of th e m ovem en t by st u dyi n g con cu rre n tly th e

ou tward revolu tion ary forc e s of S ocialism An archism , ,

e t c an d the h idden p ower b ehin

.
,
d th em as in dicate d in
th e chart acco m p anyin g t his work Th e p re sen t writer
.

b eli eve s th at hith erto n o book h a s been written on p re

ci s ely the s e lin e s ; m an y val u abl e wo rks h ave b e en d evot e d

to secret societi es oth ers to the su rface history of rev olu

,

tion bu t n on e so far h a s att em p te d to trace th e conne c

,

tion b etween the two in th e form of a con tinuou s n arr ative .

Th e obj e ct of this book is theref ore to de scrib e n ot only

th e evolu tion of S ocialist an d Anar ch ist ide as an d th eir
eff e cts in s u cc ee di n g revol u tion a ry ou tb re aks b u t at th e ,

sam e tim e to follow th e workings of that occul t for ce ,

terrible un ch an gin g relen tless an d wholly destru ctive

, , , ,

wh ich con stitu t es th e gre atest m en ac e that has ever

confron te d th e h u m an r ace .

Parts of Chap ter s I an d III app e are d in The N i n e

teen th Cen tu ry and Af ter an d certain lat er pa s sage s in
,

The M orni ng P os t .
 CON TE N TS

C HAPTE R I

ILLUMI NI S M
The Philosophers Rousseau S ecret S ocieties Free
m as onry Ad am Wei sh au p t Th e Illum inati—Congres s of
— —
W ilh elm sb a d —Illuminati supp ressed .

C HAPTE R I I

F IRS T F RE NCH R E V O LUTI ON

Illum inis m in Fran ce —C gli o stro —Mi rab eau —Intrigu es of

—Th
a

Prussia e Orlé an i st es —Th e R i n of gT — C lootz an d

—
e error
Inte rn a t io n alis m— R o b es p ierre an d S ociali sm The plan of
‘

d epop u la tio
—
n Af t er-
efi ec ts of R evolu tion .

C HA PTE R III
C O NS P I RA CY OF B AB E UF

Gra cch us —
B ab euf Th e —
P anthéonistes Manifes to of th e
—
E qu als S y st em of B ab u f e — P lan of t h e Co n sp ira tors—Th e
Grea t D ay of h e t P l — D i v f t h P —
lot E x ecu tion

—
eo p e s c o e ry o e
o f B ab ou vi st ek I llu m ini s m i n E n g la n d — —
Irelan d Th e United
—
Irishm en Bantry B ay Illuminism in A m erica .

C HAPTE R IV
GROWT H OF S O CIAL I S M

l
R evi va of I ll m i i m — Th T d b d —Th e Alta Ven d ita
—
u n s e u g en u n
—
Th e Ind u stria l R evolu tion R o e of t h e J e ws Th e
l — hilos P
oph ers
— R ob ert Owen N e w H a r m o n y
— S ain t S im on
—
-

P L —
i erre ero u x Fo u fi erf B u ch ez — L
o u is Blan c C ab et Vid al
h

— P ecqu eur —P ro u dh on
— Trad e U nion Terrori sm
-
.
1: WORLD RE VOLU TI ON

CHAPTE R V
P A GE

THE R E VOLUTI ON OF 1 84 8

R u ssian S ecret S ocieties The D ekabri st R isin —The — g

Fren ch R evolu tion of 1 83 0 — Th e bou rgeoi si e b efore 1 84 8
Th e S ecr et S o cieties—A pat hy of t h e Governm ent— Th e ou t
b reak of Febru ary Fa ll of th e Mon arch y— Th e S oci a l D emo
—
cra t i c R ep u b li c—N a ti o n a l wo rksh op s —
A ssociation s of workin g
m en— Th e 1 7 th of M arch— Th e 1 6 th of Ap ril— Th e 1 5th of M ay
Th e d ays of Jun e —R ea cti on—Th e E urop ean conflagration .

C HAPTE R VI

TH E I NTE RNATI ONALE

R
T ’
—
R dle of th e I OWS I n G ermany Germ an S o cial D em ocracy
‘

L assalle Karl M arx E n els R u s sian g

Th e Workin M en 5 A ssocia tion
’
g — g
B akunin In tri u es of
—
-

—
M arx Th e A llian ce of S ocial D emocracy '
Bakunin and
"
th e G erman Jew Com p an y
-
.

C HAPTE R VII

TH E R E VOLUTION or 1 87 1

Th e Fran co ru ssian -
P — —
War Internationalism Karl Marx
— —
p an G erm an ist Th e Co mm u n e Co nflict bet ween
-
Marx an d
,

—
Bakunin E nd of th e I nternationale .

CHAPTE R VIII

THE COURS E ANARC HY

OF

Nihili sm I n R u i
ss a—M urd er of Alexand er II §Ehe r evived -
f

Illu m in ati—Joh ann M ost—R evolu tionary Con gress in Lon d on

.

f outrages in Wes tern E urop e r —Fenianism—British

S ociali sm .

C HAPTE R IX

S YNDICA LI S M
— —
Q u arrels amongst So cialists Th e old Guild s R evolutionary
— —
S yn d icalism Ou tcom e of An a c y Th e G en era l
—
G eorges S orel S yn d i ca li sm v r
e
”
s
r

u s
h
S o c i ali s m —Guild
S trike
S o ciali sm
N ew Au stralia .
 C ONTE NTS xi

C HAPTE R X
PA GE

THE R E VOLUTI ON OF 1 91 7
— —
Th e Grea t War R OIe o f Britis h S o cialis ts R OIe o f Germa n
— —
S ocia l D em ocra ts The R u ss ian R evolu tion B ols he v is m
— — g
ROIe of th e J ews The Protoco ls of NHus G erma n or a niz ation .

C ONCLU S I ON

Bols hevi sm g
in E n land ; Our I llummat1 Dang er now
—
threa ten ing civiliz a tion Meth od s of d ef en ce.
/
 C HAPTE R I

I LLU M I N I S M

The Philosophers R ousseau S ecret S oci eties Freemasonry Ad am

Weish aupt Th e Illumin ati C ongress of Wflh elmsbad
n ati s up p ress ed .

is a com m only accep t ed op inion that the gre at

“

IT
rev olu ti o n ary m ov em en t which b e gan at th e en d of th e

e i gh t een th c en t u ry o ri gi n at e d with th e p h ilosop h er s of

F ran ce p articu larly with Rou sse au This is only to state

,
.

h alf th e case ; Rou sse au was n ot th e o ri gi n ator of his

d octrin e s an d if w e were to seek th e cau se of revolu tion in
,

m ere p hilosop hy it wou ld b e n ece ssary to go a great deal

fu rth er back th an Rou sse au to M ably to th e Utopi a of ,

Th om as More an d even to Pyt h agoras an d Plato

, .

At th e sam e tim e it is un dou bt e dl y tru e that Rou sseau

was th e p rin cip al m e diu m throu gh which th e doctrin e s of
the se earlier phi losop her s were brou ght h Om e to th e
int elli gen tzia of ei ght een th cen tu ry Fr an ce and that his ,

Con tra t S oci a l an d Di scou rs su r l ori gi n e de l i néga li té parmi

’ ’

les homrnes containe d the germ s of m odern S ocialism in

all its form s Th e theo ry of Rou ss eau that has th e m ost
'

im p ortan t b e arin g on th e th em e of this book m i gh t b e _

exp re sse d in th e coll oqui al p hrase t h at

“
C ivi lization is all
”
wrong an d that salvation for th e hum an race lie s in a
t etu to n ature Acc or di n g 130 Rous seau civilization had
.
"

e M an
”

p r ov e d th e Ban e of hu m a ni ty ; in hi s p ri mi tiv e stat

was free and hap py onl y u n der th e p aralysin g infl u en ce of
,

social re strain ts had hi s lib erty b een cu rtaile d whil st to th e ,

laws of p rop erty alon e was du e th e f act th at a large p rop or

tion of m ankin d h a d f all en in to servit u d e Th e first m an
“
.

‘
who b ethou gh t hi m self of sayin g Thi s is m ine, and fou nd ’
2 WORLD RE VOLUTIO N

p eople simple en ou gh to b eli eve him was th e real founder of

civil soci ety Wh at crim e s what war s what m u r ders wh at
.
, , ,

m iserie s an d horrors wou l d h e have S p ared th e h uma n race

wh o sn atchin g away th e S p ade s an d fillin g in th e ditch e s
, ,
‘
h ad cri ed ou t to his fellows : B eware of list eni ng to thi s
im p o stor ; you are lost if you forget th at gthe fru its of the
”1 ‘

e arth b e lon g to all an d the e arth to n o one I n the se

’
.

words th e wh ol e p rin cipl e of C omm u nism is to be fou n d .

There is a certain su bstrat u m of tru th in Ro u sseau s ’

in di ctm en t of civilization a sub stratu m comm on to all

d an gerou s errors F or if there were n o tru th at th e bottom
.

of f als e p h ilosop h i e s they wo u ld obtai n n o cred en c e an d ,

thu s cou ld n ever con stitu t e a m en ace to the world .

Rou sse au s gigan tic error was to argu e th at b ecau se th ere

’

are c ertain evils att en dan t on civilization th eref ore civili

z a ti on is wron g from th e b egi nni n g As well m i ght one .

h i d
“

p oi n t to a n egl e ct e d p atc n a gar de n an say : S e e t h e

”
res ul ts of c u ltivation ! I n order to rem e dy th e evils of
th e existin g social sys tem m ore civilization n ot l e ss is , ,

need e d . Civilization in its h igh er asp ects n ot in th e m ere ,

acqu isition of th e p hysical am enitie s of life or even of ,

artistic an d scien tific kn owle dge b u t I n the sphere of ,

m ora l a spi ra ti on is all t h at sep arat e s Man from the b ru t e .

D e stroy civilization in its entirety an d th e hu m an race

sinks to the level of the j u n gle in which th e only law is
that of th e stron g over the weak the only in cen tive th e ,

stru ggle for m aterial n ee ds For althou gh Rou sse au s .

’

”
inj u n ction Go bac k i n to th e woods an d b ecom e m en !
,
“

m ay b e exc ellen t advice if int erp ret e d as a tem p orary

”
mea su re go back in to th e woods and rem ain there is a
“
,

counsel for an throp oid ap e s .

It wou ld b e idle however to refu te the folly of

, ,

Rou sseau s th eorie s to S h ow that in Natu re C omm unism

’
,

doe s no t exist that the fir st cre atu re to e stablish th e law of

,

p p
r o e r ty was n o t m an staki n g o t h i s clai m b u t th e fi r
u st ,

bird ap propriatin g the bran ch of a tree whereon to b uild

its n e st th e first rabbit sele cting th e sp ot wh erein to
,

bu rrow ou t hi s hole a right th at n o other bird or rabbit

has ever dr e am t of dispu tin g .

Di s cours l i négali té des condi ti ons.

’
1 s ur
 ILLUMINI S M 3

As to th e di st ribu tion of th e frui ts of the earth on e

h a s onl y to watch two thru sh e s on th e lawn disp u tin g over
a worm to see h ow th e qu e stion of f ood su p p ly is se ttl e d in

r i m itiv e s oci e ty Not hi n g co ul d be m ore absur d th an

p .

Rou sseau s con cep tion of i deal barb arian s livi n g to geth er
’

”
on th e p rin cip l e of Do as y ou woul d b e don e by ; only a
“

dr eam er u tterly un acqu aint e d with th e real con di tion s of

r im itiv e lif e t h e lif e of rul e by th e st ron ge st of it i l ss
p p e,

p r e yi n g o n t h e w eak an d h elp l e ss co u l d hav e c on j u r e d

1
u p su ch a vision .

E ven ei gh tee n th c entu ry Fran ce wi th all its avidi ty for

-
,
”
n ov el ty an d its dream s of
“
a retu rn to Natur e never ,

regar de d t h e p rim itive U top ia of Rou ss ea u in t h e li ght of

an attain abl e i d e al an d it is as in con c eivabl e that th e

,

D l l
’
hil oso h y f h i i é i h o l d h av l d to
’

p p o t e sc o u rs s u r n ga te S u e e

th e atte m p t to over thr ow civil iz ation in 1 7 93 as t h at th e

m oc k eri es of Volt ai re S h oul d h ave led to th e F e asts of
Rea son an d th e des ecr ation of th e ch ur ch es Th e t each in g .

of Rou sse au n ev er reach ed th e p e o p le to any ap p re ciabl e

ex t en t his infl u en ce was confin e d to th e ar ist oc racy an d

,

bou rgeoi s i e an d it was ce rtainl y n ot th e h yp er civi li zed

,
-

ha bi tu és of th e salon s n or th e p rosp erou s bou rgeoi s of th e

ovi n c s n r i n d e e d was it Rou sse au hi m se lf li vin
p r e , o g on ,

th e boun ty of th e m ost di ss olu t e am on gst t h e rich an d

sharin g th eir V ices wh o woul d have welcom ed a retu rn to
,

abori gi n al con di tion s of lif e .

Th e sal on s toye d with th e p hilo s op hy of Rou ssea u as

th ey toyed with any n ew thin g M esm erism Martini sm , ,

Magic whilst th e di s grun tle d m em be rs of th e m iddl e

class wh o too k hi m seriou sly u se d hi s th eories m erely as a
l ever for stirri n g u p hatre d agai n st t h e class by whi ch th ey
b eli eve d th e w be S li gh te d an d n ev er dr eam t of
/

em ul atin g th e C aribb e an sava ges h el d u p to th ei r adm i r a

,

tion by th e exp on en t of p ri mi tive e qu ality ,

.

1 h
On t h e In di an fronti er , w ee st ill to -d ay n o la ws exist , th e inhab itan ts
are obli ged t o resort t o th e p lan of b uildi n g t ow ers re ach ed on l y b y l add ers
4 WORLD RE VOLUTIO N ,

It is not then to the phi losop hers , b ut to the sour ce

when ce th ey dr ew m any of th eir in sp iration s that the ,

gr e at dy n am i c f o r c e of th e R e vol u ti on m u st b e attrib u t e d .

Rou sse au an d Voltaire were Freem ason s ; th e E n cyclopédi e

was p u blish e d un der th e au spice s of the sam e ord er 1
.

Withou t thi s p owerful aid the dr awin g room doctrin aires -

of th e ei ght een th c en tury coul d n o m ore have b rou ght

abou t the m i gh ty cataclysm of 1 7 89 than coul d the Fabian

S ociety h ave p rodu ce d th e world revolu tion of to day -
.

Th e organ ization of th e S e cret S oci eti e s was n ee de d t o

tr an sform th e th eoriz ings of th e p hilosoph er s into a con
crete an d form idab le syst em for th e destru ction of civi
liz ation .

I n order to t race th e ori gin s of the se sects it wou ld b e

n e ce ssary to go back qu it e S ix cen tu ri e s b efore th e fir st

F ren ch Revolu tion A S e arly as 1 1 8 5 an or der h ad b een

.

”
form e d callin g it se lf th e C onfrérerie d e la Paix with th e
, ,

m ain obj e ct of pu ttin g an en d to wars b u t also with th e ,

i d e a of e stablishin g comm u nity of lan d I n th eir attacks .

on t h e n obl e s an d cl ergy th e C onf rere s th u s exp re sse d th eir

,

b elief in th e syst em n ow kn own as n ation alization : By

wh at ri ght do th ey invade th e goods that sh ou ld b e com
m on to all su ch as th e m eadows th e woods th e gam e th at
, ,

ru n s abo u t th e fi elds an d f o re sts th e fish th at p eop l e th e

,

riv er s an d th e p on ds gif ts th at Nat u re d e stin e s e qu al ly to

,

all h er ch ildren ? Accordin gly th e C onf rere s se t ou t to

de stroy th e Ch ate aux an d m on asterie s b ut th e n oble s ,

arm in g th em selve s in self defen ce en ded by de stroyin g the

-

” 2
C onfrérerie .

It will b e seen therefore that Rou sse au in attackin g

, ,

th e ri gh ts of p rop erty was p roclai mi ng a doct rine th at had

n ot on ly b een p re ache d b u t whi ch it h a d actu ally b een
att em p ted to p u t in to p ractice in Fran ce 6 0 0 ye ar s earlier .

Th e fact that the C onfrere s of th e twelfth cen tur y h ad

b een thu s sum m arily su p p re sse d di d n ot preven t the for
m ation of fur th er su bversive sects ; e arly in th e followin g
cen tury cam e th e Al bi geois p rofe ssin g m u ch th e sam e
1
Marti nes de P a s qually, by ap us , P P
resid en t of th e S u prem e C oun cil

of th e M art in iste Ord er ( 1 8 95) , p l

R echerches poli ti ques et hi stori qu es , by the Chevali er d e Malet ( 1 8 1 7) 1
2

p.1 7 .
 I LLU M I N I S M

doctrine s ; in 1 25 0 a H un garian
i st n am e d Jacobi ex — r
p e
org anized a cru sade again st th e p rie sts an d n oble s an d at ,

abou t the sam e date the ord er of th e Tem p lar s was fou n de d
in J eru salem by certain gen ti ls hormn es of Picar dy d u rin g
th e C ru sade s On their retu rn to Fran ce th e Kn igh ts
.

Tem p lars in stitu ted th em selve s as a p ower in dep en dent of

th e M on arch y an d un der their Gran d Mast er Jacqu e s du
_ , ,

M olay rose again st the au thority of the King Philip p e le

, ,

Bel I n 1 3 1 2 several of their num b er were arre ste d an d

.

a ccu se d am on gst other things of spi t tin g on th e cru cifix

, ,

an d oi den yin g th e C hrist I n th e course of their cross

'

e xam i n ation they de clare d that they had n ot b een fu lly

initiate d into the S tatu te s of the Order an d that they ,

su sp e cte d that there were two sorts som e that were ,

sh own to the p u blic oth ers that were careful ly hidden an d

,

were not even kn own to all th e Kn i ghts ” 1

.

Jacqu e s du Molay an d several of th e leader s were

execu t e d an d accordi n g to th e C h evali er d e Male t
, , those ,

wh o h a d e scap e d th e storm aft erwar ds m et in obscu rity so

as to re kni t the tie s th at had un ite d them and in order to
-
,

avoid fresh denun ciation s they m ade u se of allegorical

m ethods which in dicat ed th e basis of their associ ation in a
m ann er un intelli gibl e to th e eye s of th e vu lgar : th at is the
” 2
origin of the Free Mason s .

Thi s last assertion fin ds further confirm ation from th e

Martini ste Pap u s who explain s that th e Gran d Chap
,

ter of F ren ch F reem ason ry f ou n de d in th e ei gh t ee n th

century was con stitu t e d under th e Tem p lar s that is to ,

say that their m ost emi n en t m em b ers are anim ate d by the
de sire to avenge Jacob u s Bu rgun du s Molay an d hi s com
p an io n s f or th e assassi n atio n o f which t h ey w ere t h e vic
tim s on th e p art of two tyrannical p ower s : Royalty an d
” 3
Pap a cy .
_

M e anwhil e Freem asonry in E n glan d had develop e d

1
Recherches poli ti ques hi stori qu es , by th e C h evalier d e M alet ( 1 8 1 7 )
et

p 37 I bi d
2
.

3
Marti nés dc P asqually, by P ap u s , p 1 4 0 I n th e a bove p as sages I
. .

have only t ou ch ed very bri efly on th e origin s of C ont in ental m ason ry , a s

th e subj ect was recen tly fu lly d ea lt with in t h e very in t erest in g art icles
t hat ap p eared in t h e M orni ng P ost d u ring J u ly 1 920 un d er t h e title of
ze G m e o W m et form by Grant
R
i a f orld Un res t, a n d r ep u b li sh e d in p a p hl
0 har s .
6 WORLD R E VOLUTION
alon g quite different lin e s This is n ot th e place to discu ss
.

its aim s or origin s ; suffi ce it to say th at alth ough French

F reem asonry of th e Gran de Loge N ation ale derive d from
on e of th e sam e sou r c e s
.
t h e C on fréreri e of th e Rose
C roix an d re c eive d its fir st ch art er s fro m th e Gr an d

Lo d ge of Lon d on (fou n d ed in th e two O rd er s m u st

n ot b e conf o u n d e d Th e craf t m asonry of B ritain whi ch
.
,

wa s l argely a develop m ent of the re al guild of wo rkin g

m ason s has always retain ed th e S p irit of b rotherly asso
,

ci ation an d gen eral b enevolen c e which an i m at ed its

fo un der s an d h a s adh ere d t h rou gh ou t to t h e p rin cip le that
,

n ot h in g tou ch in g religion or govern m en t S h all ever be

” 1
S p o k en of in th e Lp d ge .

I n F ran ce h owever as in oth er C on tin en tal cou nt ri es

, , ,

the l odge s sp ee dily b e cam e c en t re s of p olitical in t rigu e .

Th e Gran d Ori en t fou n ded in 1 77 2 with t h e D u c d e

, ,

C h artre s (lat er Ph ilipp e E galité) as its Gran d Master was ,

a n un d en iably s u bver sive body an d by a coalition with th e ,

Gran d C h ap ter in 1 7 86 acqu ire d a far m o re dan gero us

'

ch aracter F or wh ilst th e spirit of th e Gran d O ri en was

.
!

fr ankly dem ocratic ( th ou gh n ot dem agogic) th e spirit of ,

th e Gran d Ch ap t er was revolu tion ary b u t t h e R e v olu ,

tion was to b e accom plish ed above all for th e b en efit of th e

a ha u te bou rgeois i e)
( th the people as i ts
2
u pp er class l w i ,

i ns tru m en t Th e b rother s of th e T em p lar rit e th at is to

.
,

say of th e Gran d C h ap ter were th u s th e re al fom ent ors

, ,
.
“

” 3
of revol u tio ns th e oth er s were on ly docil e a gen ts
,
In .

th e opinion of P ap u s an d of con t em p orary m ason s t h em

selve s th e Revolu tion of 1 7 89 was th e ou tcom e of this com
4
bin ation .

I n dee d th e influ en ce of Freem asonry on the Fren c h

Revolu ti on cann ot b e den ie d by an y h on e st in qu irer in to
th e cau se s of th at gre at u p h e aval an d as we sh all see lat er , , ,

t h e Fren ch Freem ason s th em selve s p rou dly claim e d th e

Revolu tion as th eir work It was th u s th at George S an d
.
,

h erself a m ason ( for th e Gran d Ori en t from th e b e ginn in g

admi tte d wom en to th e O rder) wrot e lon g aft erwards : ,

Half a c en tu ry b efore those d ays m arke d ou t by de stiny

1
R ob ison , P roofs of a Conspi racy, p 1 0 . .
2
P apu s , op ci t p 1 3 9
. . . .

3
I bid p
. .
4
I bi d pp 1 4 2 , 1 4 4 , 1 4 6
. . .
 I LLU M IN I S M

Fren ch R evolu tion was ferm enting in the dark

the
a n d h atch i n g b e low g r o u n d It was m at u ri n g i n th
. e m i n ds
of b eli ever s to th e p oin t of f an atici sm in th e f orm of a ,

1
dream of universal revolu tion .

Th e S ocialis t histo rian Lo ui s Blan c al so a Freem ason , , ,

h as thrown m u ch li ght on the qu e stion of these occul t

fo rce s .

We know m oreover that George S an d was right in

, ,

attribu tin g to the S e cret S oci etie s the origin of the revolu
”
ti on ary w ar cry Lib erty E qu ality Fratern ity
-
, , Lon g , .

b e f o r e th e R e vol u tio n b r o k e o u t t h e f o rm u l a Lib e rty a n d

E quali ty had been curren t in the lodge s of th e Gran d
O rien t a form ula th at soun ds wholly p acific yet Which ,

holds within it a wh ole world of di scord For observe the .

contradiction : it is im p ossibleto have com p lete lib erty an d

e qu ality th e two are m u t u all y e xcl u sive
,
It is p ossibl e to .

h ave a system of com p let e lib ert y in which every m an is

free to b eh ave as h e p le ase s to do what h e will with his own , ,

td r ob or to m u r der to live th at is to say un der th e law of

, , ,

th e ju n gl e rul e by th e st ron gest b u t th ere is n o e qu ality

, ,

there : Or on e m ay h ave a syst em of absolu te e qu ality of ,

c u tting every one down to th e sam e dead level of cru shing ,

all in cen tive in m an to rise above hi s fellows b u t th ere is ,

n o lib erty th ere 8 0 Gran d O rien t Freem asonr y by cou p

.
,

lin g to gether two words for e ver in co m p atible threw in to

;
,

th e aren a a n app le of di scord over which the wo rld h as

n ever ce ase d to qu arrel fro m t h at day to this an d which ,

h as t hro u gh ou t divide d th e revolu tio n ary force s i n to two

opp osing cam p s .

As to th e word Frat erni ty which com p let e s the m asonic ,

fo rm ul a we fi n d t h at this was added by a f urth er S ecret

,

S ociety th e M art ini st es fo u n ded in 1 7 54 by a Portu gu e se

, ,

J e w Ma, rti n e z P a s c h a li s ( or P a s qu ally) w h o h a d e volve d ,

a syst em ou t of gn osticism Ju daize d C hristianity an d the , ,

p hiloso p hi e s o f G ree c e a n d of t h e E ast .

Thi s Order split u p in to two br an che s on e contin u e d ,

by S aint Martin a discip le of M artine z P asc h ali s b u t also

-
,
-

of Jacob Bo ehm e an d a fe rve n t C hr istian a n d th e ot h er a

'

, ,

more or l e ss revolu tionary bo dy by which th e lodge of the .

1
La Comtesse de Rudols ta dt, ii 2 1 9 . .
8 WORL D RE VOLUTION
Philaleth es was foun de d in Paris
I n the book of S aint .

Martin , D es erreu rs et de la veri té p ublish e d in 1 7 7 5 the , ,

form ul a Libert y , E qu ality , an d Fraternity is referred

to as le t ern aire sacré .

The Martiniste s fre qu ently referre d to in Fren ch con

,

tem p orary re cords as th e Illu m in és were in re ality d re am ,

e rs an d f an atics an d m u st n ot b e conf o un d e d with th e

,

Order Of the Ill u min ati of Bavaria that cam e in to existen ce

twenty two ye ars later I t is by this terrible an d form id
-
.

a ble se ct that the gi gan ti c p lan of World Revolu tion was

worke d ou t un der the le adership of the m an wh om Lou is
B lan c h as trul y de scrib ed as the p rofoun de st con sp irator
that has ever existe d
“

Ad am Weishau p t the foun der of the Illu m in ati was

, ,

born on the 6 th Of Febru ary 1 7 4 8 His e arly t rainin g by ,

.

th e J e su its h ad in spire d him with a violen t dislike f or th eir

Order an d h e tu rn e d with e agern e ss to the su bversive
,

te achin g of the Fren ch p hilosoph ers an d th e an ti Ch ristian -

doctrine s of th e Man ich e an s It is said th at h e was also .

in doctrin ate d into E gyp tian occul tism by a certain m er

ch an t of u n kn own origin from Ju tlan d n am e d Kolm er , ,

wh o was t ravellin g abou t E u rop e du rin g th e year 1 7 7 1 in

search of adep ts Weish au p t wh o com bine d th e p ractical
2
.
,

Germ an b rain with th e cu nni n g of Mach iavelli S p en t n o ,

le ss th an five ye ars thi nkin g ou t a p lan by which all th ese

ide as shoul d b e redu ced to a syst em an d at th e en d of this ,

p e riod h e h a d evolv e d th e f ollowi n g t h e ory :

C ivilization Weish au p t h eld with Rou sse au was a m is

, ,

take : it h ad develop e d alon g th e wron g lin es an d to this ,

cau se all the in e qu alitie s of h u m an life were du e M an ”

.
,

h e de clared is fallen from th e con di tion Of Lib erty an d

,

E qu ality th e S tate of Pur e Natur e H e is u n der su bor

,
.

di n ation an d civil bon dage aris in g from th e vi ces of M an .

This is the Fall an d Ori gin al S in Th e first st ep towar ds .

re gaini n g th e stat e of p ri m itive lib erty con sist e d in le arn in g

to do with ou t thin gs M an m u st dive st hi m s elf of all the

.
.

trapp ings laid on him by civilization an d retur n to n om a di c

Th e M a rtinist es , wh ose t end en ci es were p u rely s cien tifi c , p assed
1 “

"
frequ en tly for m ad m en an d d esp ised p olitics ( P ap u s , op ci t p 5 5 . . . .

L es S ectes et s oci etes s ecretes , b y th e Com t e Le C ou teulx d e c an t eleu

’ ’
2

p 1 52 . .
 ‘
I LLU M I N I S M 9

con dition s even cloth in g food and fixe d abode s shoul d , ,

b e aban done d N e ce ssarily therefore all arts an d sci en ce s

.
, ,

m us t b e aboli she d Do th e comm on scien ce s afford real

.

‘
f enl ight en m en t re al hu m an hap pin e ss ?
, or are they n ot

rather children of n e c e ssity th e co m p licat e d n ee ds of a ,

state contrary to Nature th e invention s of vain an d em p ty

,

brain s ? M oreover are n ot m an y of th e com p licat e d

,

n ee ds of civili zation th e m e an s of ret ai ni n g i n p ower th e

m ercan til e class ( Kau fm ann sch aft) which if allowe d any ,

au th ority in th e governm e n t woul d inevitably en d by

e xe rcisi n g th e m ost form i d able an d de spotic p ower ? You

will se e it di ctatin g th e law to th e un ivers e and from it will ,

h a s e n s u e th e in dep en den c e o f o n e p art of the wo rld

p e r p ,

th e slavery of th e oth er For h e i s a m ast er who c an aro u se

.

a n d fo re see stifle satisfy or le ssen nee ds

, , ,An d who can .

do th at b e tt er th an tra de sm en ?

On ce release d from th e bon dage civili z ation im p ose s ,

Man m u st th en b e self governin g Why ”

aske d
-
.
,

Weish au p t sh oul d it b e im p ossible to the hum an race

m
,

to attain its h i gh e st p e rfe ction th e cap acity for govern ,

itself ? For thi s re ason not onl y sh ou ld kings an d n oble s

b e abolishe d bu t even a Repu blic sh oul d n ot b e tolerate d
, ,

a n d th e p e op le S h o ul d b e tau gh t to do witho u t an y con

trollin g au th ority any law or any civil code I n order to

, , .

m ake th is system a su cce ss it wou ld b e n ec essary onl y to

in cul cate in Man a j u st an d ste ady m orality and sin ce ”
,

Weish au p t profe sse d to share Rou sse au s b elief in th e ’

inheren t goo dn e ss of hu m an n ature thi s woul d n ot b e diffi

cult an d s ociety m i gh t then go on p e ace ably in a state
,
”
of p e rfe ct Lib e rty an d E qu al ity F or since th e onl y real .

obstacle to hum an p erfe ction lay in the re strain ts im p ose d

on M a n by artificia l co n di tion s of lif e the rem oval of th ese ,

m u st in evitably re store hi m to hi s p rimi tive virtu e Man .

is n ot b ad excep t as he is m ade so by arbitrary m orality .

He is bad b e cau se Religion the S tat e an d bad exam p le s , ,

”
p er v er t h im . It was n e c e ssary t h er ef o re to root o u t fro m , ,

h is mi n d all ide as of a H ere aft er all fe ar of ret ribu tion for ,

evil dee ds , an d to s u bstitu t e f or the se su p erstitio n s th e

reli gion of Re ason Wh en at le ast Re ason b e com e s th e

.

”
reli gio n of m en th en wi ll th e p rob l em b e solve d
, .
 0 WORL D RE VOLUTION
Af ter
deliverance from the bon dage of religion the ,

loosenin g of all social tie s m u st follow Both f am ily an d .

n atio n al life m u st ce ase to e xist so as to m ake of th e

”
h u m an race one good an d h app y f am ily Th e ori gi n s of .

p at riotis m an d th e lov e o f ki n d re d are t h u s d e sc ri b e d by

Weish au p t in the dire ction s given to his Hi erop h an t s for
the i n stru ction of i ni tiate s :

At the mom ent when m en united th em selves into nations

they ceased to recognise them selves un d er a comm on nam e .

Nationalism or National Love took the place of u niversal love .

With the divi sion of the globe an d its cou ntries benevolence
restricted i ts elf b ehin d b ound ari es that i t was n ever again to
transgress Then it b ecam e a Vi rtu e to sp read ou t at th e expense
.

of those wh o di d n ot h ap p en to b e u n d er our d om ini on Then .

in order to attain thi s goal it b e cam e p erm i ssible t o d espise ,

foreign ers and to deceive and to off en d th em This virtu e was

,
.

called Patriotism Th at m an was call ed a Patriot who whilst

.
, ,

j u st towards his own p eople was u n j u st to oth ers who blin ded
, ,

h im self to the m erits of foreigners an d took for p erfection s

t h e vices of his oW n country S O on e sees that Patri otism gave.

birth to Localism to th e family sp irit an d finally to E goi sm

, , .

Th u s the origin of states or governm ents of civil society was

th e see d of di scord an d Patriotism fou n d its p u nishm ent in
itself .Dirninish do away wit h thi s love of cou n try an d
, ,

m en will on ce m ore learn to kn ow and love each oth er as m en ,

there will b e n o m ore partiality th e ties between h earts will ,

u nroll an d exten d
1
.

these words the p urest expre ssion of I ntern ation al

In ,

i sm as it rs e xp oun de d today Weishaup t di sp laye d an ,

ign oran ce of prim eval con dition s of life as p rofoun d as that

of Ro u sse au The ide a of p alaeolith ic m an whose S keleto n
.
,

is u su ally exh u m e d with a flint in st ru men t or other weap on

of warfare grasp e d in its h an d p assin g his e xist en ce i n a ,

state 0 un iversal l ove is S im p ly lu dicrou s It was

,
.

n ot ho wever in his diat rib e s again st civilization that

’

, ,

Weish au p t su rp asse d Rou sseau b u t in the p lan he devise d ,

f or overthrowin g i t Rou sseau h a d m erely p ave d the

.

way for revolu tion ; Weish aup t c onstru cted the actu al
m achin ery of revolu tion i tself .

I t was on the l st of May 1 7 7 6 that Weishau pt s fi ve

‘ ’

1
Nachtrag Ori gi nalschriften (des I llumi naten Ordens) , Z wei te
'

Abtheilung , p 6 5
‘

. .
 I LLU M I N I S M 11

year s of m e di tation re sul te d in hi s fo un din g the se cre t

society t h at h e n am e d aft er bygon e p hil osop hi cal system s
, ,

th e Ill umi n ati 1

All th e m em b ers were re qu ire d to adop t
.

classical n am e s : thu s Weish au p t took th at of S p artacu s ,

th e le ader of an in surre ction of slave s in an cien t Ro m e ;

his prin cip al ally H err von Zwac k p rivy cou n cillor to the
, , ,

Prin ce von S alm b e cam e C ato ; th e Mar quis di Con stan za

, ,

Diom ede s ; Massenh au sen Ajax ; Hert el Mariu s ; th e , ,

B aron von S chroecken s tein Mah o m e d ; th e Baron M en gen ,

hofen S ylla et c I n the sam e way th e n am e s of p lace s

, ,
.

were ch an ged to th ose celebrated in an ti qui ty ; M u ni ch th e ,

he adqu arters of th e system was to b e kn own as Ath en s ; ,

I n gold st a dt th e birth p lace of Illum i nism as E p h e su s or

, , ,

to the adep ts ini tiated in to th e inn er m ysterie s of the

Or der as E leu sis ; Hei d elb erg as Utica Bavaria as Ach aia
, , ,

S u ab i a as Pann oni a et c For greater secre cy in corre sp o n d

,
.

en ce th e wo rd Ill u m ini s m was to b e rep lace d by th e ”

cyph er e an d th e word lod ge by !I ] Th e calen dar also

was to b e re con stru cte d an d th e m onth s kn own by n am e s
su gge stive of Hebrew origin Jan u ary as D im eh Febru ,

ary as B enm eh et c For th e l et te rs of th e alp h ab et a com

, .

p le t e cod e o f fi g u r e s was co n st ru ct e d b e gi nn i n g with m as ,

nu m b er 1 a n d worki n g back to a an d on to z
, .

Th e grade s of th e Or der were a com bin ation of th e

g r ad e s of F r ee m as o nr y an d th e d e gree s b e lo n in
g g to th e

Je sui ts Weish aup t as h a s al re ady b een said detested the

.
, ,

Jesui ts bu t reco gni zin g th e effi cien cy of th eir m eth ods in

,

acqu iri n g influ en ce over th e mi n ds of their di sciple s h e ,

co n ceived th e ide a of ado p tin g th eir sy stem to hi s own p u r

”
p os e . H e ad m i re d says th e Abbé B a r r
,u el t h e in sti ,

tu ti on s of th e f oun ders of t hi s Or d er h e a d mir e d ab ove all ,

th ose laws th at regim e of th e J esui ts which un der one

, ,

he ad m ade so m an y m en di sperse d all over th e u ni ver se _

ten d towar ds th e sam e O bj e ct ; h e felt th at one m i ght

imi tate th ei r m e thods Whilst p ro p osin g to h im self V i ews
di am etric al ly o pp ose d H e said to h im se lf : What all the se
.

m en have don e for altar s an d em p ire s Why S ho u ld I n ot ,

do again st al tars an d em p ire s ? By the attr action of

1
A Germ an sec t of this n am e p rofess in S at ani sm , wi th which Weis g
haup t s Ord er may h ave b een conn ec ted exist ed m th e ft een th century
'
, fi .
 WORLD R E VOLUTI ON
m ysteries , of legen ds of adep t s Why should not I destroy
, ,

in th e dark wh at they ere ct in the light of d ay ?

We ish aup t at fir st entertaine d h op e s of p ersu adin g
oth er ex Je sui ts to join the societyf b u t h avi n g su ccee de d
'
-

in enlisting onl y two h e b e cam e m ore th an eve r th e e nem y

of th eir O rder an d in j u n ction s were given to hi s a d ep t s to
,

adm it no J ews or J e su its to the se ct of th e Illu m in ati u nl e ss

by sp e cial p ermi ssio n . E x Je sui ts h e wro te em phatic
-
,

ally , m u st b e avoide d as th e plagu e .

It was in the t rainin g of adep ts that Weish aup t showe d

hi s profou n d su btl ety Proselyte s were n ot to b e admi tte d
.

at on ce to th e secret aim s of Illu m inism b u t ini tiate d step ,

by step i nto the hi gher m ysteri e s an d th e gre ate st c au

tion was to b e exercise d n ot to reve al to the n ovice

d oct ri ne s th at m i gh t b e like ly to revolt h im For this p u r .

p o s e th e i nitiato r s m u st acq ui r e t h e h abit of tal k i n g

backwards an d fo rwards so as n ot to comm it them selve s .

”
On e m u st S pe ak ,Weish au p t e xp lain e d to th e S u p eriors
of th e O r der , som etim e s in one way som eti me s in ,

an oth er so th at ou r re al p u rp ose should rem ain im p ene

,
”
trab le to ou r inf erio rs .

Thu s to certain n ovice s ( the novi ces écoss ai s) the Ill u

m in ati m u st profe ss to disapprove of revolu tions an d ,

dem on strate the advantage s of p rocee din g by pe acefu l

m eth o d s towar ds th e attainm en t of world domi n ati on Bu t .

to the Min erval the p lan of world p ower m u st not b e

re ve ale d ; on th e co n t r ary one of th e Op en in g s en t e n c e s in
,

th e initiatio n for th is grade ru n s as f ollows : After two

years reflection exp eri en ce intercou rse re adi n g of th e
’
, , ,

gr a d ua té d w riti n gs a n d i n f o rm atio n y o u will

, n e c e ssa r ily
have form e d th e im p re ssion th at th e fin al aim of ou r
society is n othin g le ss th an to win p ower an d riche s to ,

u n d e rm i n e s e c u lar or reli gio u s govern m en t a n d to ob tain

”
i
’
th e m ast ery of th e world Q dee d ! ’
. u s e x cu s e s a cc u s e i n

Th e p assage th en go es on to say vagu ely that this is n ot

‘

th e case an d th at t h e O rder onl y dem an ds of the i nitiat e

th e fu lfilm en t of his obli gation s N or m u st an tagonism to
.

re li gio n b e admitte d ; on th e co nt rary Christ was to b e

,

rep re sen te d as th e first au thor of Ill u m inism wh os e s e c re t ,

mission was to re store to m en th e o rigi n al liberty an d

 I LLU M I N I S M

e qu ali ty they had lost I n the Fall N O one th e n ovice .

,

f
“
S h oul d b e told p av e d so
, s u re a way or lib erty as ou r

Gran d Mast er J e su s of Nazareth an d if C h rist exh orte d ,

hi s disciple s to desp ise rich e s it was in order to p rep are th e

world for th at com m uni ty of good s that S houl d do away
”
wi th p rop erty .

Thi s device p rove d p art icul arly su ccessful n ot onl y with

youn g n ovi c e s b u t with m en of all ranks an d age s
, The .

”
m ost adm ir able thing of all wrot e S p artacu s triu m ph
,

an tly to C ato is th at gre at Protestant an d reform e d

,

theolo gian s ( Lu theran s and C alvinist s) wh o b elong to our

O rder re ally b elieve they see in it the tru e an d genui n e
m in d of th e C hristian reli gio n Oh ! m an wh at cann o t you .
,
”
b e b rou gh t to b elieve ! B y this m e an s as Philo (the ,

B aron von Kni gge) lat er on p oin te d ou t the Order was ,

”
able to tickle th ose who h ave a h an k ering for reli gion .

It was not then un til hi s a dm ission to the h i gh er

, ,

g rad e s t h at th e ad e p t was i n itiat e d i n to th e re al i n t e n tio n s

of Illu mi n ism with re gard to reli gion When h e re ache d .

th e grade of Illum in at ed Majo r or Minor of S cotch Kn i gh t l

, ,

E p op te or Prie st h e was told the whole se cre t of th e O rder

,

in a disco u rse by th e I nitiator :

R em em ber that from the first invitation s which we have
g i ven y ou in o rd er to att ract y ou to u s w e co mm en c ed b y t
, e lli n g
y o u th at in th e p ro j e cts of ou r O rd e r th er e di d n o t en t er a n y
d esi gn s against religion You rem em ber that su ch an assuran ce
.

was given you wh en you were adm itted into the ranks of our
n ovi ces an d th at it was rep eated wh en you en tered into ou r
,

Minerval Acad em y You rem em b er with wh at art , with

.

what sim ulated respect we have spoken to you of Christ and of

his gosp el ; bu t in the grad es of greater Illumin ism of S cotch ,

Kni gh t an d of E p op te or Priest , h ow we h ave to know to form

,

from Ch rist s gosp el that of ou r reason an d from it s religion th at

’

of n ature an d from reli gi on reas on m orality a n d N atu re to

, , , ,

m ake th e religion an d m orality of th e ri ghts of m an of e qu ality ,

an d of lib erty . We have had m any prej u di ces to overcom e

in you b efore b eing able to p ersu ade you th at th e preten d ed
reli gion of Christ was nothin g else th an th e work of p riests of ,

imposture an d of tyranny I f it b e so wi th that religion so m u ch

.

p r ocla im e d a n d a dm i r e d w h at are w, e to t hi n k of ot h e r reli g i on s ?

Un derstan d then that th ey h ave all th e sam e fi ction s for th eir

origin th at th ey are all e qu ally fou n d ed on lyin g error chim era
, , ,

a n d im postu re B ehold ou r secret

. I f in ord er to destroy
.
14 WORLD RE VOLUTION
a ll C h ristianity , all religion , we have p reten ded to h ave th e sole
tru e religion rem em b er that th e en d j u stifi es the m eans an d that
, ,

t h e wi se ou ght to take all th e m ean s to d o good which th e wi cked

take to do evil Those which we have taken to deliver you , those
.

which we h ave taken to deliver on e day the hum an race from all
religi on are nothin g else than a p iou s frau d which we reserve to
,

u nveil on e d ay 1 n th e grade of Magu s or Philosoph er I llum in ated .

B u t all this was u nkn own to th e n ovice wh ose confi ,

den ce b ein g w on by the S im u lation of reli gion was en join ed

to st rict ob e dien ce Am ongst the qu e stion s p u t to him
.

were th e followin g :
I f you cam e to discover anything wrong or u n j u st to b e don e
u n d er t h e Or d er wh at lin e wou l d y o u take ?

Will you an d can you regard the good of the Order as your
own good ?

Will you gi ve to ou r S ociety th e ri ght of life and death ? “

Do you bin d you rself to ab solu te an d u nreserved ob edience ?

An d d o you kn ow th e force of thi s u n dertakin g ?

By way of warnin g as to the con se qu en ce s of betrayipg

‘

the O rder a fo rcible illu st ratio n was in clu de d in th e cere

m ony of in itiation Takin g a n ake d sword from th e table
.
,

th e I nitiator h eld th e p oin t again st th e he art of th e n ovice

with th e se words :
I f you are only a traitor an d p erj ur er learn th at all our
broth ers are called u pon to arm th em selves again st you D o not .

hop e to escap e or to fin d a p lace of safety Wh erever you are

.
,

S h am e rem orse an d th e rage of our broth ers will p u rsu e you

, ,

an d torm en t you to th e inn erm ost recesses of you r en trails .

wil l thu s b e seen that the Lib erty vau nte d by the
It
leaders of the Illum in ati h ad n o e xisten ce and th at iron
,

discipline was in re ality th e watch word of the O rder .

A gre at p oin t im p re sse d u p on th e adep ts of which

we S hall see th e im p o rtan ce lat er was that they shoul d

not b e kn own as Ill u m in ati ; th is ru le was p articul arly
enfo rce d in th e case of those de scrib e d as enroll ers an d ,

by way of attractin g p roselyte s th ey were further adm on

i sh ed to b e irreproach able Th e S u p eriors of th e O rder
.

are to b e re gar de d a s th e most p erfe ct a n d enlightened of

m en ; th ey m u st not even p erm it any doubts on their inf al

libility Th erefore to the enroll ers it was said : Ap ply
.

yourselves to inward an d ou tward p erfection but also ,

 I LLU M I N I S M 15

Apply yourselve s to th e art of co un t erfeit of hidi n g an d ,

m askin g yo ur se lve s wh en observin g oth ers so as to p ene ,

trat e in to th eir mi n ds ( D ie Kun st z u erlernen an dere z u ,

b eobach ten un d Th e se prec ep ts were

su mm e d u p in th e one p hr ase : Keep silen ce b e p erfe ct , ,
”
m ask your selves H ow f ar th e foun der of th e O rd er h a d
.

hi m se lf attaine d p erfection w as su bs e qu en tly reve ale d by

th e discovery of hi s p ap ers am on gst whi ch was fo un d a ,

lett er fro m Weish au p t to Hertel in 1 7 83 co nf essin g th at he ,

h a d sedu ce d hi s S ister in law an d addi n g : I a m therefo re

- -
,

i n dan ger of losin g m y ho n our a n d th at rep u tation whi ch

”
g av e m e so m u c h a u t h o rity over our wo rld .

For a tim e thi s rep u tation for p erfe ctibili ty was s u c

ces sful ly m ain taine d f or th e b enefit of th e m e m b e rs wh o ,

would h ave b een revolte d by a bre ach of m oralit y and ,

o nl y th ose likely to b e attracte d by it were to b e allowed

to kn ow of th e laxity p erm itte d by th e O rder .

Wo m en were also to b e enliste d as Illum in ati by bein g

iv e n h in ts of e m an cip atio n T h r o u g h wo m en
g .
,

wr ote Weish au p t on e m ay of t en wo rk th e b e st i n the

,

world ; to in sinu ate ou rse lve s with the se and to win them
over sh ould b e one of ou r clevere st stu di e s Mo re or le ss .

th ey c an all b e led towards ch an ge by vanity cu riosity , ,

sen su ality an d in clin ation Fro m thi s c an one draw m u ch

,
.

p r ofit f o r th e goo d cau se T hi s sex h as a large p art of th e

.

” 2
world in its h an ds Th e fem ale adep ts were th en to be
.

divi de d in to two cla sse s e ach with its own se cret th e first
, ,

to co n sist of vi rt u o u s wo m en wh o wo ul d give an ai r of
re spe ctabi lity to the O rder th e seco n d of light wom en
, ,

wh o wo ul d h elp to satisfy th ose b rother s wh o have a

p en c h an t f or p l e asu re B u t th e
.
p re se n t u tility of both
classe s wo ul d con sist in p rovi di ng fun ds for th e so ciety .

Fools with m oney wh eth er m en or women were to b e

, ,
”
p a r tic ul a rly we lco m e d T h e se g.ood p e o p l e w rot e ,

S p art acu s to Ajax an d C ato swell our n u m b ers an d fill

,

our m on ey box ; se t yo ur selve s to wo rk ; th e se gen tl em en

-

m u st b e m ad e to nibble at th e b ai t B u t le t u s b eware .

of telli n g th em our se c rets t hi s so rt of p e op le mu s t a lways

,

1
Heckethom
’
S ecret S ocieti es , 1 1
s . 34 .

3 Neues ten A rbei ten des S parta cu s a nd P hilo

, vi . 1 39
.
 6 WORLD RE VOLUTION
” 1
be made to beli eve tha t the grade they have rea ched i s the la s t .

Th e se ct was thu s to con sist of Weish au p t an d th e

adep ts who had b een initiat e d in to th e inn er m ysterie s ,

an d b e side s the s e of a large followin f si m l

, g o, p e an d cre du
lous p eop le wh o cou l d b e kep t in ign oran ce of th e re al go al
towar ds whi ch th ey were b ein g driven Wei sh au p t s .
’

m eth o d for obtainin g p roselyt e s is thu s S hown by a di agram

in th e code of th e Illum in ati :
O

O O O O O O O O
( Rep rod uced from Ori gi n als chrif ten des I llu mi n atm Ordens , Zweite Ab th eilung , p .

Natur ally th e le ast e du cate d classes off ere d a wide field

for Wei sh au p t s
’ ”
It is also n ece ssary run s the ,

co d e of th e I ll uminati? to gain th e comm on p eop le ( d a s

“

g e m e in e Volk ) to o u r O r d e r Th e g r e at m e an.s to t h at en d
is infl u en ce in th e sch ool s On e can also su cceed n ow by .
,

lib erty n ow b y strikin g an eff e ct a n d at oth er tim e s by

, ,

h um il iatin g on e self by m aki n g o n e self p op u lar or en dur

, ,

in g with a n air of p ati en ce p rej u di ce s that one c an grad

” 2
u ally r oo ou t lat er
t .

E sp io n age f orm ed a large p art of Weish au p t s p ro

’

g r a mm e Th e. ad ep ts kn ow n as t h e I n sin u atin g B r ot h
ers were en joine d to assum e the role of observers an d
rep orters every p er son shall b e m ade a spy on

another an d on all aroun d hi m frien ds relation s , ,

en emi e s tho se wh o are in diff erent

, all witho u t e xcep tion

s h all b e th e Obj e ct of hi s in qui rie s ; h e shall att em p t to di s

cover their stron g side an d th eir weak th eir p assion s th eir , ,

p r e j u di c e s t h e ir conn e ctio n s above al l th eir actio n s

, ,
i n ,
”
a word th e m ost detaile d inf orm ation abou t th em
,
All .

thi s is to b e en tere d on tablets th at th e I n sinu an t carrie s

with hi m and from whi ch h e sh all draw u p rep ort s to b e
,

sen t in twice a m on th to hi s S u p erior s so th at the Ord er

1
B arruel Mémoi res su r le J a cobi ni m
,
1 28 quoting Ori gi nal
s e, 1 1 .
,
.

N euesten A rbei ten des S parta cu s _

u nd P hi lo , vii.
 ILLUMINI S M 17

m ay know whi ch are th e p eop le in e ach town an d V ill age

to Whom it can look for su p p ort .

It is im p ossibl e n ot to admir e the in gen u ity of th e sys

tem by which e ach section of th e comm u ni ty was to b e
m ade to b elieve th at it wou ld reap u n told b en efits from
Illu m ini sm p ri n ce s whos e kin gd o m s w e re to b e r ef t
from th em p rie sts an d mi nist ers Wh os e religio n was to b e
,

de stroye d m erchan ts whose comm erce was to b e ru in e d

, .

wom en who were to be redu ce d to t he rank of squ aws ,

p e asan ts who were to b e m ade to return to a stat e of

s avagery were all by m e an s of di vi di n g u p th e s ecr ets of
, ,

th e O rder into waterti gh t com p art m en ts to b e per su a d ed ,

that in Illum ini sm al one lay their p rosp erity or salvati on ,

S e cre cy b ein g th u s th e gre at p ri n cip l e of hi s syst em .

Weish au p t had n ot b een slow to p erceive the a dvan tage s

off ere d by an al lian ce with F reem asonry Du rin g th e
.

e riod w h e n h e was t hi nk in g ou t hi s pl an t h e re al aim s of

p
”
m asonry were un kn own to hi m H e onl y kn ew . says ,

th e Abbé B arru el th at th e Fre em ason s h eld se cret m eet

,

in gs he saw th em un it e d by a m yst eriou s link an d re co g

,

niz in g e ach other as b roth ers by certain S i gn s an d ce rtain

words to wh atever n ation or religi on they b elon ged ; h e
,

therefore con ceive d a n ew com bin ation of whi ch th e re su lt

was to b e a society adop tin g for its m eth ods as far as it
sui ted hi m th e régi m e of th e J e sui ts an d th e m yst erio u s
sil en ce th e obscu re existen ce of the M ason s
, .

I t was in 1 7 7 7 ne arly two ye ar s af t er h e had fou n de d

,

th e O rder of th e Ill um in ati th at Weish au p t b e cam e a

,

Freem ason an d towards th e en d of 1 7 7 8 the ide a was first

,

laun ch e d of am al gam atin g th e two soci eti es C ato th at is .

,

to say H e rr von Zwack wh o b e c am e a m a Son on Novem b er

,

27 1 7 7 8 talke d th e m atter over with a b roth er m ason th e

, , ,

Abbé Marotti to Whom h e confide d th e wh ol e S ecret of

,

Illum inism ; an d two years later a further un derstan din g

between Ill um inism and Freem asonr y was brou gh t abou t
by a cert ain Freem ason Freiherr von Kni gge wh o in , ,

Jul y 1 7 80 arrived at Fran kf urt where h e m et th e Illum i n a

,

tu s D io m ede s the M arqui s di C on stan za sen t by th e

Bavarian Illu min ati to e stablish coloni es in Protestan t
coun tri es Th e two m en com p are d n ote s on th e aim s of
.
 WORL D R E VOLUTIO N
their resp ective societies an d Kni gge th en exp ressed the
,

wish to b e re ceive d into th e O rder of th e Ill um in ati This .

m et with th e approval of Weish au p t and Kni gge adop tin g , ,

the n am e of Ph ilo was th ereu p on ini tiate d into th e se cret s

,

of th e first class of Ill u m ini sm th e Minervals The ze al .

h e disp laye d in obtainin g p roselyt e s d elighte d S p art acu s .

”
Ph ilo h e wrote
,
is th e m aster from wh om to take
,

lesson s ; give m e six m en of hi s stam p an d with th em I will

'

”
chan ge th e f ace of th e Universe .

A S a re su lt of th e n e gotiatio n s b etween Weishau p t and

Knigge a kin d of u nion was arran ged b etween th e two !

societies an d S p artacu s agree d to Illu m inism receiving the

,

fir st three degree s of m asonry On the 20 th of D ecem b er .

1 7 8 1 it was fin ally d e ci de d t h at th e co m bine d O rder S h o ul d

be co m p ose d of th ree classe s : ( a) th e Mi n ervals ( b) th e ,

Freem ason s an d ( c) th e Myst ery C lass wh ich as th e

, , ,

highe st of all was divided in to the le sser an d gre ater

,

m yst erie s the form er in clu din g th e grades of

,
Prie st s
a nd Re gen ts th e latt er th e Mage s an d the M en
”
,

Kin gs .

B u t it was not un til th e C on gres d e Wilh elm sbad th at

th e allian ce b e tween Illu m inism an d Free m ason ry was
”
fin ally se ale d This assem bly of wh ich th e imp ortan ce to
.
,

t h e su bs e q u en t h istory of th e World h a s n ever b een app re

ci ate d by h isto rian s m et for th e first ti m e on th e 1 6 th of
,

Jul y 1 7 8 2 an d in cl u ded rep re sen tative s of all th e S ecret

'

S ocieti e s Martini ste s as well as Free m ason s an d I llu

m in ati which n ow n u m b ere d n o le ss th an th ree m illion
m em b er s all over th e wo rld Am on gst th e se differen t.

orders th e Illu m in ati of Bavaria alone had form ul at ed a

defini te p lan of cam p ai gn an d it was they wh o h en cefor ,

ward too k th e lea d What p assed at this t errible C on gre ss

.

will n ever b e kn own to th e ou tsi d e world for even th ose ,

m en wh o h ad b een d rawn un wittin gly in to th e m ovem en t ,

an d n ow he ar d f or th e fir st tim e th e re al de si gn s of th e

leaders were u n d er oath to reve al n othin g One su ch

,
.

h on e st Freemason th e C o m t e d e Virigu a m em b er of a
, ,

Martinist e lodge at Lyons ret u rnin g from th e C on gres d e,

Wilh elm sb a d cou ld n ot con ce al his alarm an d wh en qu es ,

tion e d on th e tragic secrets h e h a d b rou gh t back with

 I LLU M I N I S M 19

him ,
i d : I will n ot con fid e th em to you I can onl y
repl e .

tell you th at al l thi s is very m u ch m ore seriou s than you

thin k Th e con spiracy whi ch is b ein g woven is so well
.

th ou gh t ou t th at it will b e S O to spe ak im p ossible for th e , ,

”
M on ar chy an d th e Chu rch to e scap e from it From this .

tim e onwards says hi s biograph er M C osta d e B eau re

, ,
.

a d o m t d Vi rieu co u ld o nl y S p e ak of Free
“

g r t,h e C e e
”
m asonry with ho rro r .

Th e ye ars of 1 7 8 1 an d 1 782 were rem arkable for the

g r owt h o f a n ot h er m ov e m e n t whi ch f o u n d e xp re ssio n at

th e C on gres d e Wilhehn sb a d n am ely th e em an cip ation of , ,

the J ews D u ring th e se ye ar s a wave of p ro S em itism was

.
-

D m
’

p r o d u c e d t h r o u gh o u t E u r o p e by oh s g re at boo k Up on

the Ci vi l A m eli ora ti on of the Cond i ti on of the j ews written ,

u nder th e infl u e n ce of Mose s M en d elsso hn a n d fi nish e d in

Au gu st It was thu s wrote th e Abbé Lem ann , ,

th at eigh t ye ars b efore th e Revolu tion th e p rogramm e in

favo ur of J u daism was sen t ou t by Pru ssia Thi s .

book h a d a con si derable influ en ce on the revolu tion ary

m ovem en t ; it is the tru m p et call of th e J ewish cau se th e ,
” 2
S i gn al for th e st ep forward .

Graetz th e J ewish h isto rian hi m self recogm z e s th e

, ,

i mm en se im p ortan ce of D ohm s work ai ti n g th e

’ '

p n ,

C hristian s as cru el barbarian s an d t h e J ews as ill u st riou s

” 3 ”
m artyr s All thin ki n g p e op le h e adds
. n ow b e gan , ,

to int ere st them selve s in th e J ewish qu e stion Mirab eau .

,

a few ye ar s later on a mi ssion to B erlin form e d a frien dship ,

with D oh m an d be ca m e an h abit u é of th e Salon of a youn g

an d b e au tiful J e we ss Henr iette d e Le m os wife of D r
, , .

H erz an d it was th ere th at th e di scip le s of M en delssohn

, ,

who h ad j u st di e d p re sse d hi m to raise hi s voice in f avour

,

of th e o p p re ss e d J ews with th e re su lt t h at Mi rab e au p u b

,
l

li sh ed a boo k in Lon don on th e s am e lin e s as D ohrn s 4 ’

.

M e an while in 1 7 8 1 An ach arsis Cloot z th e fu tur e

, _
, ,

1
Gra etz , Hi story of the Jews , V 4 3 8 , A d e la Rive, Le Ju if dan s la
. .

ran c ma eon neri e , p p

-
.

Abb é Lem ann , L E ntrée des Is raeli tes da n s la soci été f ran cai se, P aris ,
’
2

1 886 .

3
Gra etz , V 3 7 3 . .

S u r M oses M en delss ohn , s u r la ref orm e poli ti qu e des Juif s et en

’
4
,

parti cu li er su r la revolu ti on tentée en leu r f aveur en 1 7 53 dans la Gra nde

B retagn e A Lon d res , 1 7 8 7
. .
20 WORLD RE VOLUTION
au thorof La Repu bli qu e Uni vers elle wrot e hi s pro S em itic ,
-

”
p a m p h l e t call e d L e tt r e s u r l e s J ui f s .

Th e re su l t of this a gitation was seen lat er in th e e dicts

p ass e d t h ro u gh th e in fl u e n c e o f Mi r ab e au an d the Ab bé
Gregoire by th e Nation al Assem bly in 1 7 9 1 de c reein g th e
e m an cip atio n of th e J ews A m o re imm e diat e eff e ct h ow
.
,

e ve r was th e re sol u tio n ta k e n at th e m aso n ic co n gr e ss of

,

Wilhelm sb ad which was atten ded by Le ssin g an d a

com p any of J ews 1
that h en ceforth J ews S h ou ld n o
lon ger b e exclu de d fro m th e lodge s At th e sam e tim e it
2
.

was decide d to rem ove th e he a d qu arters of i llu m ini z e d

Freem ason ry to Frankfu rt which i nciden tally was th e ,

stron gh old of J ewish fin an ce con trolle d at thi s date by ,

su ch leadi n g m em b ers of th e race as Rothschild Mayer ,

Am sch el lat er to b e com e Roth schild also Op p en

h e im er Werth eim er S ch u st er S p eyer S tern an d other s
, , ,
3
, , .

At this head lodge of Frankfu rt th e gi gantic p lan of world

revol ution was carri e d fo rwar d an d it was th ere that at a ,

large m ason ic con gre ss in 1 7 8 6 two Fren ch Freem ason s

afterwards de clare d th e de ath s of Lou is XVI an d Gu sta .

4
vu s S we den were definit ely d e cree d
_
.

From the m om en t of th e gre at coa lition effe cte d at

Wilhe lm sbad I llu m in ism aided largely by th e activities
, ,

of Kn i gge was able to exten d its ram ification s all over

,

Germ any ; th e lodge of E ich stadt u n der Mah om e d (th e

Baron S chroecken s tein) illu m in ate d B aireu th an d oth er
I m p erial town s ; B erlin under Ni golai an d Leu ch tsenrin g
illu min ate d th e provi n ce s of B ran den bu rg a nd P om erania ;
Frankfurt ill u mi n ate d Han over and so on All the se , .

1
A . X Rays i n Freemasonry p 1 22 ; A rchi ves i sraéli tes
-
,
-
.

p 4 66.
q
.

2
A d e la R rve , Le J uif dans la f ra nc-maganneri e, p 3 6 . Hith erto
. .

J ews h ad only b een ad m it ted in to th e lod es of the Ord er of Melchi sed eck,
g
of which t h e thr ee p rin c ip al ra d es are iven by th e M arqu is d e u c h et a s
g g L
( 1 ) Th e Freres I ni ti és d A si e;
’
Th e M a i tres des S ages ; (3) Th e retres
‘
P
R oya ux or Véri ta bles Freres R os e- croi x , or th e rad e of M elch is ed ec k g .

Th e Freres I ni ti es d A si e were an ord er of which th e h i ero lyp hics

’ ’

g
were t aken from H ebrew , t h e sup rem e d ire ct ion wa s ca lled Th e sm all
”
an d con s t a n t S anh e d rim of E urop e ( E ss ai su r la secte des I llu mi nes
p . o m b ar d d L
e a n L g
r es s ay s t h is s ecret societ
y b ecam e
a ffili at ed to I llu m in is m , t h at it s c en tre wa s a t H am b u r , an d t h a t on ly g
t h e Gran d M ast er kn ew t h e whole s ecret ( D es s oci etes s ecretes eu,1 .A lle
’

ma gne, p p 8 1 , .

3
Wern er S o’ m b art , The Jews and Modern Capi tali sm , p 1 87 . .

1
Ch arles d H éri cau lt , La Revolu ti on , p 1 0 4 . .
 ILLUMINI S M 21

bran che s were con t rolle d by th e twelve le adin g adep ts

h e ad e d by Weish au p t wh o at th e lo d ge in M u nich h eld in
,

hi s h an ds th e thr e ads of t h e wh ole con s p ir acy .

Bu t di ss en sion s h a d n ow b egu n a m on gst th e two p rin

cip al le ader s Weish au p t an d Kni gge Both were in dee d .

b orn in t ri gu ers bu t whilst Weish au p t p referred to work

,

in th e dark an d wrap h im self in m ystery Kni gge love d to ,

m ake a n oi se in th e world an d to m e d dl e with everythin g .

m
It was in evitable th at two su ch e co u d n ot con tin u e
n l

to work to gether h arm oniou sly a n d b efore lon g Kni gge s ,

’

p e rsist e n t a t te m p ts to p y
r i n to W ei sh au p t s s e c re ts an d to ’

u sur p a S h are of his glo ry ro u se d th e an im osity of h i s ch i ef ,

wh o en de d by dep rivin g Kn i gge of h i s p ost as d ire cto r of

th e p rovin c e s an d p lacin g h im in a su bo rdin at e p ositio n .

Wh ere at Phi lo on th e 20 t h of Jan u ary 1 7 83 wr ote

, ,

in di gn an tly to C ato It is t h e Je su it ry of Weish au p t

that cau se s al l ou r di vision s it is t h e d e sp otism th at h e
,

e xercis e s ove r m e n p erh ap s le ss rich th an h i m s elf in i m a gi

n atio n , in ru se s in cun nin g , I d e clare that n oth ing

.

can p u t m e on th e sam e f ootin g with S p ar tacu s as th at on

”
whi ch I was at first A S a m atter of f act Kn i gge was in n o
.

way b ehi n d Weish au p t in wh at he de scrib ed as J e sui try ,

b u t revolte d by th e tyr ann y of hi s l e ade r h e fi n ally l ef t th e

I llu m in ati in an ger an d disgu st I ab h or t reach ery an d
.

”
p ro fl i g y
a c ,
h e w rot e a gai n to C ato a n d I l e av e h im t o
,
”
blow hi m self an d hi s O rde r in to th e air .

P u blic opin ion h a d n ow h owe ver b e com e th orou ghly

, ,

ro u se d on th e su bj e ct of th e soci e ty a n d th e E l e cto r of ,

B avaria inf orm ed of the dan ger to th e S tate con stitu ted
,

by its adep ts wh o were said to h ave de clared th at th e

,

Illu m in ati m u st in tim eru le th e world p u blish e d an e di ct ,

forbidding all s e cre t so cietie s I n Ap ril of the followi ng .

ye ar 1 7 85 fou r oth er Illu m in ati who li ke Kn igge h ad lef t

, , ,

th e soci ety d isgu st e d by th e ty rann y of We ish au p t were

, ,

su mm one d b efore a C ourt of I n qu iry to gi ve an account

of th e doct ri n e s an d m e th ods of th e s e ct Th e evi d en c e of .

the se m en U t schn ei der C o ssan d ey Grfi n berger a n d

, , ,

Renner all p rofe ssor s of th e Marian en Aca dem y

, left no
furth e r roo m for do u bt as to t h e d iab olical n atu re of
Illumi nism . All religion th ey de clared , all love of ,
22 WORLD RE VO LUTIO N
cou ntry and loyalty to sovereign s were , to b e ihilated
ann ,

a f avo u rite m axim of th e O rder b ein g :

Tou S les rois et tou s les p retres

S ont d es fripon s et d es trai tres .

M oreover every eff ort was to b e m ade to cre ate discord

,

n ot only b etween p ri n ce s an d th eir S ub j e cts b u t b etween

m inisters an d th eir se cre tarie s an d even b e tween p aren t s ,

an d ch il dren wh ilst su icid e was to b e en co u ra ged by in cu l

,

cat in g in m en s m in ds th e i d ea th at th e ac t of kil lin g

’

on e self afforded a certain volu p tu ou s pl e asure E sp ion age .

was to b e exten ded even to th e post by p lacin g a dep ts I n

th e p ost office s wh o p osse ss e d th e art of op enin g le tt ers an d
closing th em a gain With ou t fe ar of det ection Robison .
,

wh o st u d ie d all th e eviden c e of th e f ou r p rofe ssors thu s ,

su m s u p th e p lan of Weish au p t as reve ale d by them :

Th e O rder of th e Ill u m in ati adj u re d C h ristianity an d
1

advocated sen su al p le asu re s I n th e lodge s de ath was

.

de clared an etern al S leep ; p atriotism an d loyalty were

calle d n arrow m in de d p rej u dic e s an d in com p atible with
-

; fu rth e r
1
un ive rsal b en evol en ce they accoun te d all ,

rin c e s u su rp e rs an d tyr an ts an d all p rivile ge d o rd ers as

p ,

their ab ettors they m ean t to abolish th e laws wh ich

p r ot e ct e d p p
r o e rty acc u m ul at e d by lo n g co n ti n u e d a n d -

su cc e ssfu l in du stry ; an d to p revent for th e fu ture an y su ch

accum ul ation Th ey inten d e d to e stablish u niversal lib erty
.

an d e qu ality th e i m p re sc r i p tibl e ri ghts of m an

, an d

as necessary p rep ar ation s for all this they inten de d to root

ou t all re li gio n an d o rdin ary m o rality an d even to b re ak ,

th e bon ds of d o m e stic life by de stroyi ng th e ve n eration

,

for m arriage vows an d by takin g th e e du catio n of ch ildren

,
” 2
ou t of th e han ds of th e p a ren ts .

Re du ce d to a sim p le form ul a the aim s of th e Illum in ati

m ay b e su mm arize d in th e followin g six p oin t s
1 Abolition of Mon arch y an d all ordere d Go
.

2 Abolition of p rivate p rop erty

. .

3 Abolition of inh eritan ce

. .

4 Abolition of p atriotism
. .

P roof s of Conspi ra
’
1 R ob ison s a cy, pp .

2 I hid p 3 7 5
. . .
 I LLU M I N I S M 23

5 Abolition Of th e fam ily (i e of m arriage and al l

. . .

m orality an d th e in stitu tion of th e comm un al

,

e du catio n Of chi ldren) .

6 Abolition of all religion

'

. .

Now it will surely b e admitte d that the abOve form s a

r
p g o r a mm e hit h e r to u n p r e ce d en t e d in t h e h isto r y o f ci v il
iz ation C omm u nistic th eorie s h ad been h eld by isolat e d
.

thin ker s or grou p s of thin kers S in ce the days of Plato b u t ,

n o on e as far a s we kn ow h a d ever yet serio u sly p ro p ose d

, ,

to de stroy everyt hi ng for which c ivilization stan ds M ore .

over when as we S h all see the p lan of Ill um inism as

, , ,

codifie d by the above S ix p oin ts has con tinue d u p to th e

p r e s e n t day to f o rm t h e e xact p r o gra m m e of t h e Wo r ld
Revolu tion how can we dou bt th at the whole m ovem en t
,

o rigin at ed with the Ill um in ati or with secret infl uences at

work b ehin d them ?
Here a cu riou s p oint arise s Was Weishaup t the .

in ventor of his system ? We kn ow that h e was indoctrin

ated in occul tism by Kolmer b ut b eyond this we can di s
,

cover n oth ing I f in d eed Weish au p t him self thou ght ou t

.

hi s whole p lan of wo rld revolu tion that gigantic con

cep tion as it is de scribe d by Lo u is Blane how is it that
so vast a geniu s S h oul d have rem ain e d absolu tely unknown
to p ost e ity How is it th at su ccee din g grou p s of world
r ?

revolu tio n ari e s wh ilst all followi ng in his footst ep s even ,

those who we kn ow p ositively to h ave belo n ge d to his

O rder never o n ce h ave referre d to the sou rce of their
,

in spiratio n ? I S n ot the an swer to the latter qu estio n that

thro u gh ou t th e m ovem ent th e adep ts of th e O rder have
always a dhered to the s tringent rul e laid down by Wei
sh au p t t h at th ey sh o ul d n ever allow them selve s to be

kn own as Illum in ati ? The p ersistent eff o rt s to con ceal the

very existen ce of the Order or if this proves im p ossible
, , ,

to repre s ent it as an un im p o rtant p hilan thropic m ovem ent ,

h as con tin u e d u p to th e very ye ar in wh ich I writ e .

With re gard to th e p hilanthro p ic n ature of Illum inism

it is onl y ne ce ssary to con su lt the origin al writin gs of
Weish au p t to re aliz e the h ollown e S S of th is assu r an ce .

Am ongst th e wh ole co rre sp on den ce wh ich p assed b etwee n

Weish au p t an d his ad epts laid bare by the Governm ent of
24 WORL D R E VOLUTION
Bavaria we fin d n o wo rd o f sym p athy with the p oor or
'

'

suff e rin g no hi nt of social refo rm n oth in g b u t th e d e sire

, ,

eith er for dom in ation for world w h lov f

p o er o r S e er, e o ,

dest r uctio n an d throu gh o u t all the in satiable s pi rit of

,

int rigu e F or this p u rp o se every m et hod w as h eld to b e

.

j u stifiable S in ce th e fu n dam ent al do ctrin e of th e se ct was

,

t h at the en d s an ct ifi e s th e m e an s ( der Z weck hei li gt di e

M i ttel) wh ich Weish au p t referre d to in his code de clarin g ,

i t to b e a p art o f th e Je su it syst em a n im p u tatio n wh ich

.

th e Ab b é B arruel in d i gn an tly d enie s a n d which in evi

tably led as Robis on p oin ts ou t to th e co n clu sion that

, ,

not h in g wo ul d be scr u p le d at if it co u l d b e m ade app e ar ,

t h at th e O rder wo ul d deri ve advan ta ge fro m it b e cau se t h e ,

gre at obj e ct of the O rder was h eld as su p e rio r to e very

.

”
con sideration .

As m igh t be expe cte d Weishau p t lou d ly p rot e st e d

w

a gains t th e account of hi s s ociety given by t h e fou r p rofes

sors de cla ring th at they h a d not been in itiat ed into its
,

inner m ysteri es b u t the di scovery a little lat er of h is co rre

,

S p ond en ce with Z wack from which qu ot atio n s h ave

,

alread y been given e arl ier in t his ch ap t er threw a still

m ore sin ister light on th e re al aim s of t h e O rder It was o n
“

th e l 1 th of October 1 78 6 t h at t h e Bavarian au t h o riti e s

des cen de d u pon the h ou s e of Zwack an d seize d t h e docu
m en ts whi ch laid b are th e m eth ods of th e con sp irato rs .

H ere were fo u n d de scrip tion s of a st ron g box for safe

g u ar din a
g p p e rs whi c h ii f o rc e d o p e n sh o u ld blow u p by
m ean s of an inf ern al m achine ; of a co m p osition which "

S h o u ld blin d or kill if squ irt e d in th e f ace ; of a m ethod for

Co u nt erfeitin g s e als ; re cip e s for a p articu larly de adly ki nd

of
“
aq u a t off a n a ” for poi so n ou s p erfu m e s th at woul d fill
,

a b e d roo m with p e stil ential va p o u rs a n d for a t e a to p ro ,

cu re abortio n A e u logy of ath eism entitle d B etter tha n

.

H oru s W as also discovere d a n d a p ap e r in t h e han dwritin g ,

of Zw ack de scribi n g th e p lan for enl istin g wom en in th e.

t wo class es m e ntio ne d above :

It will b e of great servi ce an d p rocu re m u ch inform ation an d

money an d will su it charmin gly the taste of m any of our truest
,

m em b ers Who are lovers of the sex I t shpu ld con sist of two .

"

c lasses th e Vi rtu ou s an d the freer h earted I They mu st not

“

-
.
,
 I LLU MI N I S M 25

know ach other an d m u st b e un der th e direction of m en

of e , ,

bu t wi thou t kn owin g it throu gh good books an d th e latter ,

cla
( s) s thro u gh t h e in du l i
g gn o f t h ei r p assi on s in con a
ce lm en t 1
.

The Illu m in ati of cou rse still p roc laim e d th eir inn o
cen ce a n d th ou gh n ot attem p tin g to d eny th e au th en ti city
,

of t h e s e do c um en ts decla re d t h at t h ey h a d b e en m isi n
,
m

te rp rete d a n d th at th e re al p urpo se of th e Ord er was to

,

”
m ake of th e hum an race on e good an d h ap p y fam ily .

B u t th e d am ni n g eviden ce th e ir p ap ers con tain e d m ade t h e

l a n f th e Il l u m i n ati o n l y t oo cl e ar wh ic h was n o oth e r
p o ,

than to b rin g abou t the uni vers al revolu tion th at S h oul d

”
d e a l th e de ath blow to soci ety
-
P rin ce s an d n ation s
.
,

Weish au p t h ad written sh al l disappe ar off the f ace of

,

th e e art h ; ye s the tim e wi ll com e wh en m en will h ave n o

,

other laws th an the book of n ature ; thi s revolu tion wil l b e

th e work of th e se cre t societie s an d th at is on e of o ur ,
”
g r e at m yst e ri e s .

Th e fe arful dan ger p re sen t e d by th e Illumi nati now

becam e app aren t an d th e Governm en t of Bavaria j u dgin g
, ,

th at the be st m ann er of conveyin g a war nin g to th e

civiliz e d wo rld woul d b e to allow th e p ap e rs to S pe ak for
them selves o rde re d them to b e p rinte d forth with an d cir
,

cul ate d as wide ly as po ssible A cop y of thi s p u bli cation

.
,

e n title d Ori gi n a l Wri ti n gs of the Order of the I llu mi na ti was ,

then forwarde d to every Gove rnm en t of E u rop e bu t , ,

stran ge to say attracte d littl e atten tion the truth b ein g

, ,
”

d ou btle ss as th e Abbé B arru el poin ts ou t th at t h e ex trav

, ,

a gan ce of th e sch em e th erein p ro p o u n ded ren dere d it

u nb elie vable a n d th e rul ers of E u rop e refu sin g to take

, ,

I llum inism seri ou sly p u t it aside as a chim era , .

The Governm en t Of B av aria however con tin u e d it s , ,

p r oc ee din g s a g a i n st t h e s e ct ; s ev er a l of i ts m em b er s we r e

arre ste d ; Zwack lef t the coun t ry on a m ission to E n glan d ;

Weish au p t with a p r ice set on hi s h e ad took refu ge with
, ,

on e of hi s royal ad ep ts , th e D u ke of S axe Go th a Thi s -

.

ap p aren t b re ak u p of the society adm ir ably serve d the

-

u
p p r os e o f t h e co n s p i rato r s w h o n o w, di li g e n tly cir c u l at e d
th e n ews t h at Illu m ini sm h a d ce ase d to exist a de cep
tion carried on ever sin ce by in tereste d hi storian s anxiou s
1 Nachtra g Ori gi na ls chrif ten i 6
.
. .
26 WORL D RE VOLUTION
to su pp re s s the tru th abou t its su bse qu ent activities The
.

tru th is that not until Illu m inism had b een app arently
e xti n gu ish e d in Bavaria was it abl e to m ake its form idable

infl u ence felt abroad and pu blic anxiety b eing allaye d it

,

coul d secretly extend its organi zation

 C HAP TE R I I

THE FIR S T FRE NC H RE VOLU TI ON

Ill uminism in Fran ce C a lios trog Mirabea u Intri u es of Pruss ia g

Th e Orléani s t es Th e R ei n of Terror g Clootz an d In ternation
ali s m R ob es p i err e and S ocialism Th e p lan of d ep op ulation
Aft er-eff ects of revolu ti on .

N ye ars b efore the su p p re ssion of Ill u m in ism in B avaria

O

its a d ep ts h a d b egu n th eir work in Fran ce Th e ma gi .

cia n C agliost ro gen erall y r ep u te d to be a Jew fro m

,
1

S icil y h a d b ee n enroll e d as an Illum in at u s in Ge rm an y

, .

Accordi ng to hi s own acco un t given in th e cou rs e of h i s

in te rrogatory b efo re th e H oly S ee in Ro m e in 1 7 90 hi s ,

initiation took p lace at a little di stan c e from Frankf ort in

an u n d ergro u n d roo m An iron box fil l e d with p ap ers was
.

op en ed Th e in trodu cers took from it a m an u scrip t book

.

on th e fir st p age of which on e re ad : We Gran d Mast ers of ,

th e Tem p lars Then followe d a form of oath t race d in ,

1 I t has b een d eni ed that Cag liostro was a Jew, b u t n o d efini t e p roof
to t h e contrary h as b een p rod u ced M o u is D aste in hi s book Ma rie
. . L
A ntoi nette et le complot ma yonni gue , p 7 0 , ives p assa es from various
. g g
con t em p orari es afi r mi ng hi s J ewi sh ori in g
Fri edri ch Bul au (Gehei me
.

Geschi chten a nd R a thselhaf te M en schen vol i p 3 1 1 ) says t h at his . . .

f ath er was P
e ter B alsam o , t h e son of a boo kseller i n al erm o An toni o P
B als am o — wh o a ppears toh ave been of t h e J ewi sh ra ce , bu t J oseph (i e . .

g g
Ca li o stro) was b rou h t u p in a semin ary as a Chri stian Bul a u ad d s .

g g
tha t i t was C a lios tro wh o brou h t abo u t th e a d mi ss ion of J ews to t h e
g g
masonic lod es C a li ostro hi m self pret en d ed to kn ow n othi n of his
. g
g
ori in , d eclarin g g
that h e was brou h t u p in Arab i a , in t h e p alace of t h e
M u p hti a t M edin a R eplyin to M m e d e la M ot t e s assert i on t ha t h e
. g ’
.

was a Jew, h e s t ated . g

I was brou h t u p as the son of C hris tian p aren ts
I h ave n ever b een a Jew or a M oha mm ed an , b u t h e di d not say that he
”

was not of J ewi sh ra ce B ulau furth er rela t es t h at C a lios tro on a vis it

. g
g
to E n land form ed a frien d s hip wi th L
ord Geor e Gord on , wh o in t h e g
L
foll o wi ng y ear m a d e a lan to b urn d own o nd on an d in ci d en t ally beca m e
p
a Jew .
( S ee Cha m bers 3 B i ographi ca l Di cti ona ry, article on ord eor e
'
L G g
G ordon ; Mémoi re pou r le Comte de Ca gli ostro, p 83 ( 1 7 86 edition ) . .

27
 8 WORLD RE VOLUTION
blood The book state d th at Illu m inism was a con sp iracy
.

d ire ct e d a gain st thron e s an d altars and th at the firs t blows ,

were to attain Fran ce th at after th e f all of the Fren ch ,

Mon archy Rom e m ust b e attac ke d C agliostro le a rn t

, .

fro m th e m o u th s of th e I n iti ator s th at th e se cret socie ty of

which h en ceforth he form e d a p art p osse ssed a m ass of
m oney disp e rse d in th e bank s of Am sterd am Rotterd am , ,

Lon d on, Ge noa an d Veni ce H e h im self drew a su b stan

,
.

tial su m de stined for the exp en se s of p rop agan d a re ceived ,

” 1
th e in st ru ction s of th e S ect an d wen t to S t rasb o u rg
. It .

was in S trasbou rg th at C agliostro then m ad e the acqu ain t

an ce of the C ardi n al de Roh an wh o qui ckly fell u n der th e
2
,

sp ell of the hypn otic p ower which fo rm e d C a gliostro s ’

stock in trade an d is stil l p ractised by p rop agan dists of

- -

Illum inism S oon aft er this th e C ardin al in trodu ce d the

.

m agician to Mm e de la Motte a n d th e 3
. Aff air of th e ,

N e cklace was the re sul t It was thu s th at th e first blow .

at the French Mon archy was p lan ned in th e cou n cils of

th e Ge rm an Illu m in ati .

Two ye ars la ter a fu rth er su cce ss was ach ieve d f or

v
f
'

Illu min ism by th e acqui sition of Mirab eau Th at gre at .

adventurer h a d b een sen t by the Fre n ch Govern m en t

on a m issio n to B erlin a n d wh ilst in Ge rm an y b e cam e ,

acqu ainte d with som e of the Illu m in ati am ongst others ,

Nicolai and Leu cht senrin g Finally at B ru n swic k he .

fo rm ed a frien dsh ip with Mau villon wh o in itiated hi m ,

i n to the highe st m ysterie s of the Order With su p erb 4

.

eff ro n tery Mi rab eau t hen p u blishe d a p a m p h l et en title d

E s sai s nr la s ecte des I llmni nés p urp ortin g to exp o se th e ,

folli e s of Illum i nism b u t in real ity de scribin g th e se ct of

th e Martini s te s so as to throw a veil over the m anoeu vre s
,

of th e re al Illu m in ati of Bavaria On his retu rn to Fran ce

5
.
,

Mirab eau (wh o h ad assum ed the illumi n ate d n am e ,

Le on idas in co Op eration with Talleyr an d in t rodu ced

-
,

Illu m inism into his lodge which h e h ad call ed the ,

Philaléthes again throwin g du st in the eye s of the

,

1 Louis B1an c H i stoi re de la R evolution Francoi se l i 8 1

, , . .

2
Memoi re pou r le Comte de Cagli astro, p 34 . .

3 Ibi d
B arru el, M emai res su r to J a cobi ni s me iv 25 8 ; R ob ison , op . . ci t27 6
. .

C liff ord , A ppli ca ti on of B orruel s Memoi rs of Ja cobi ni s m , p

’
. xvi i .

B arru el , op ci t iv
. . .
 T HE FIRS T FRE N C H RE VOLUTION

p u b lic for as we h ave seen th e Philaleth es was a lo d ge

, , ,

o f th e M ar t ini ste s an d it was th en d e ci d e d t h at all th e

m asonic lod ge s of Fran ce should b e illu m ini z ed Fi n din g .

th is task h owever b eyo n d his p owers Mirab e au sen t to

, , ,

Germ an y for two m o re adep ts B o d e known as Am eliu s , ,

an d th e Baro n d e B u sch e kn own as Bayar d At th e lo d ge

,
.
,

”
of th e Am is Réunis wh ere th e m em b ers of th e m asoni c
,

lod ge s from all over Fran ce con gregate d the m yst erie s of ,

Illu m inism were unveile d by th e two Germ an em issaries

an d the code of Weish au p t wa s fo rm ally p lace d on th e
~ -
~
s

table The resul t of thi s was th at by March 1 7 89 th e 26 6

1
.

lodge s cont rolle d by the Gran d Orien t were all illu min
iz ed withou t knowin g it for th e Freem ason s in general ,

were n ot told th e n am e of th e se ct th at b rou ght them these

m ysterie s an d onl y a very sm all nu m b er were re ally
,

2
initiat e d in to the se cre t .

I n th e followin g m o n th th e Revolu tion b roke ou t .

N 0 one wi ll d eny th at Fran ce at this p eriod was ripe

for drastic reform s It is t ru e that Bab euf th e S ocialist
.
, ,

af terwards declare d that th e p eop le of Fran ce were no

worse off th an th e p e op le of oth er cou n tri es an d that 3
,

Arthu r Yo un g whose e arlier vi ews on th e Revolu tion

, ,

written u n der O rléan iste in flu en ce are always qu ot ed as ,

th e st ron ge st in dictm e n t of th e Old R egim e was late r on ,

le d by ful ler kn owled ge to assert th at th e old governm en t

of F r an c e with all its f aul ts was c ertainly th e b e st en joye d
, ,

by any con siderable coun try in E u rop e E n glan d alone ,

S till an exam in ation of facts shows th at th ere

4 ’
exc ep te d .

was very real cau se for discon t ent m ore on th e p art of th e ,

p e asa n ts t h an of th e in du st rial wo rk e r s TheGam e Laws .

,

or ca pi ta i n eri es by wh ich th e crop s of th e p e asant s cou ld

be t ram p le d down by th e hun t or de st roye d by th e gam e
the salt tax or ga belle th e enf orce d labo ur kn own as th e ,

corvee the du e s p aid to th e lan dlo rd s a n d a h ost of other

’

, ,

agricul tu ral gri evan ce s b u t above all th e ini qu ito u s , ,

in equ ality of taxation were bu rden s th at th e p e op le very

,

n atural ly re sen te d B u t it m u st not b e forgotten th at the

.

1
B arruel , op ci t iv 280 . . . .

2
Ibi d iv 2 8 1 . .

1
P i eces sai sies chez B a beuf , 1 42
Warni ng to B ri tai n
.

4
Arthur Young , The E xa mple of Fra n ce, a , p 36
. .
 WORL D RE VOLUTION
Kin g hi m self had con tinu ed to u rge th e abolition of the se
in j u sti ce s an d th at th e attitu de of th e a ristocracy as a
,

wh ole was at t his m om en t far from intractable Th e p hi .

lo sop h y of Ro u sse au h a d Op en ed th e ey es of m an y of t h e
n oble s to th e n e e d f or refo rm s an d th ere was p robably ,

n ever a m o m en t in th e h isto r of th e world wh en a at

y g r e

regen er ation m i gh t h ave b e en carrie d ou t with le ss viol en ce .

Th e Work of th e revolu tio n ari e s was n ot h owever to , ,

accelerate reform s b u t to arre st th em in o rder to in cre as e

,

o
p p u la r disco n t e n t an d b ri n g t h e m s e lv e s i n to p ow e r T h e .

m an n e r in wh ich th ey accom p lish e d th ei r de sign s h as b een

de scrib ed in detail in m y stu dy of th e Fren ch Revolu tion ,

an d for t h e p urp ose o f th e pre s en t wo rk th e h isto ry O f th is

p e r io d m u st b e co n d e n s e d as f a r as p ossibl e so as to in di
cate onl y th e cou rse of th e social revolu tion .
.

F or du ri n g th e first three ye ars of th e great u p heaval

, ,

th e p lan of Illu m ini sm was obscu re d by the int ri gu es of

p olitical f actio n s t h e co n s p i r acy of t h e O r léa n ist e s to

ch an ge th e dyn asty an d later th e st ru ggle of the Giron din s

,

to ach ieve p olitical p ower M e an wh ile Pru ssia was p laying

.

an in si diou s p art i n t h e t ro u ble s of Fr an ce .

For m an y ye ar s b efore th e R evolu tion the ch erished

sche m e of Fre deric k th e Gre at h a d b een to bre ak the
Fran co Au strian allian ce of 1 7 56 which barre d hi s way to
-
,

ow r a n d to e stablis h a u n ifi e d G e rm any u n d er P ru ssian

p e ,

dom in ation I n 1 7 7 8 th e E m p re ss Maria There sa in a

.

le tter to her dau gh ter M arie An toinette wrote the se

r
p p o h e tic wo r ds :

E very on e in E u rop e knows to what point one can cou nt on

the Kin g of Pru ssia an d h ow far on e can d ep en d on his word .

Fran ce h as been able to p erceive this u n der diverse circum

stan ces And yet that is th e sovereign who aspires to erect
.

him self as p rotector an d di ctator of Germ any Wh at is still .

m ore extraordin ary th e Powers do n ot think of u nitin g to p re

,

ven t su ch a m isfortu n e from which sooner or later a ll will

, , ,

have to en du re th e di sastrou s con sequ ences What I p u t forward .

con cerns all th e Powers of E u rop e ; th e fu tu re does not ap pear _

to m e und er a sm iling a sp ect Yet to d ay we en du re the influ

.
-

en ce of tha t mi li tary a nd des poti c m on a rchy whi ch recogni z es n o

.

pr i n ci p le b u t w h
,
i c h in a
,
ll t h at i t d o e s a n d a ll t h at i t u n d erta k e s ,

always pu rsu es the sam e goal its own in terest an d its exclu sive
,

advantage I f this Pru ssian p rin ciple 1 s allowed to continu e to

.
 THE FIRS T FRE N C H RE VOLUTION 31

gain o
gr un d , what hope is there for those wh o will su cceed us

As a re sul t of warn ings su ch as the se M arie An toin ette

a dop t e d th at an ti P rus sian attit u de for whi ch sh e p aid so
-

dearly an d Fre derick cen t rin g all his h atre d of Au stria on

, , _

th e lu ckle ss D au p h in e Of Fran ce c ircul at e d lib els again st ,

h er throu gh h i s agent von d er Goltz wh o com bin e d th e ,

rOle of am bassado r a n d spy at th e C o u rt of Versaill e s .

S u ch in dee d was the th oro u gh ne ss of Hoh enzollern

me thods th at h e h a d even taken th e t rou ble to en ter in to
relation s with an obscu re th ief in F ran ce n am e d C arra ,

afterwards to b e co m e a le adin g revolu tion ary who ap p a ,

ren tly p rove d s o effi cien t th at Fre derick saw fit to rewar d

him with a gold snuff box in recogni tion of hi s service s

-
.

Th e p oli cy of Fre derick th e Great was f aithf ul ly carrie d

ou t by h i s su cce sso r F re d erick Wil liam
, a n d Pru ssian

agen ts chi ef am ongst th em a Jew n am ed E ph raim were

, ,

sen t over to Paris to m in gle with the revolu tion ary m obs
a n d in flam e th eir p assion s .

Th e in trigu e t h at di re ct e d th e op en in g stage s of th e
Revolu tion was however th e Orléan ist e con spi racy an d it
, , ,

was by this faction that th e artificial scarcity of grain was

cre ate d du rin g th e sp rin g an d su mm er of 1 7 89 and th at th e ,

siege of the Bastill e on J ul y 1 4 an d th e m arch on Versaille s

on Octob e r 5 were o rganiz e d Now it h a s b een obj ect ed by .

several critics that in m y d escrip tion s of the se days I over

rate d th e i m p o rt an c e of th e O rléani st e co n sp ir acy a n d th at ,

th e feeble ch aract er of th e D u e d Orléan s m ake s it im p os

’

sible to see in hi m a determ ine d con sp irator Th e latter .

f act is tru e b u t it will b e n otice d th at I di d n ot att rib u te to

,

th e D u ke h im self th e Organi zation of th e con sp iracy b u t ,

to his su pp o rters n otably C h o d erlo s d e Laclos

, S in c e .
,

h owever in re se arch of th is kin d n o p ro gre ss can b e m ade

,

unl e ss on e is wi llin g to re con st r u ct o n e s vi ew in th e li gh t

’

of fur th er kn owle d ge I fran kly a d mi t th at in m y F ren ch

,

R evolu ti on I u n derrat e d th e i m p o rtan ce of Ill u m in ism an d ,

it is th erefore qui te p ossible th at p art of th e organi zation

I attribu ted to th e geni u s of C h oderlos de Laclos was in
re ali ty th e wo rk of ill u m in iz ed F reem aso n ry This woul d .

1 D es ch am s o
p p ci t p p 22 28 qu otin g from the Germ an press
, . . .
-
, .
 WORL D RE VOLUTIO N
in no way aff ect th e de scrip tion s of the m e chanism by
which the so called p opul ar risin gs were brou gh t abou t
-
,

bu t wou ld supply a fur th er exp lan ation of its efficien cy .

Bu t sin ce the D u e d Orléan s wh ilst len din g h im self t o

’
,

the plan of u s u rpin g th e th rone of Fran c e was at th e sam e ,

tim e Grand M astermf the Gran d Orien t an d all th e revo ,

lu tion ary leaders O rléani ste or oth erwise were m em b er s

, ,

of the lodge s it is obviou sly im p ossible to d ise n tan gl e th e

,

threa ds of th e two in trigu e s H ow ca n we kn ow wh ich of .

th e D uk e s su p p ort er s were gen u in ely wo rkin g for a ch an ge

’

o f dy n asty a n d wh ich for th e ove r th row o f m on archy a n d

all o rd ered governm en t ? The p lan of Weish au p t was
always to m ake u se of p rin ce s to fu rther th eir own en d s ,

a n d it wou ld b e in tere stin g to discover wh et h er th e lo a ns

raise d by th e D u e d Orléa n s in Am ster dam a n d E n glan d

’

wh erewith as th e Revolu tion p roceeded h e replen ish e d hi s

,

coffers cam e from th e fu n ds of th e Illu m inati in th o s e

,

p lace s .

To whatever agen cy we attrib u te it however th e , ,

m e ch anism of the Fren ch Revol u tion d istin gu ish e s i t from :

al l p reviou s revolu tion s Hith erto th e isolate d r evolu tion s

.

that h a d taken p lace th rou ghou t the histo ry of th e world

can b e cl e arly re co gniz e d as sp on tan eo u s m ovem en t s

brough t abou t by opp re ssio n or by a p olitical faction

en joyin g som e m e asur e of p o p u lar su p p o rt a n d th erefo re ,

en de av ourin g to satisfy th e dem an ds of th e p e op le B u t rn .

th e Fren ch Revolu tion we see for th e first ti m e th at p lan in

op eration which has b een carrie d on ri gh t u p to th e p resen t
m o m en t the sys tem a ti c a ttempt to crea te gri eva n ces i n
order to p loi t
ex them .

The m ost rem arkabl e in stance of en gin eere d a gitation

du rin g th e e arly stages of th e Revolu tio n was th e ex t raor
”
di n ary in ciden t known to h isto ry as Th e Gre at Fe ar ,

when on th e sam e day Ju ly 22 1 7 8 9 an d alm ost at the

, , ,

sam e h ou r in town s an d vi llage s all over Fran ce a p anic

,
'

was cre ate d by th e ann oun cem en t th at brigan d s were

ap proach in g an d therefore th at all goo d citizen s m u st take
u p arm s Th e m essen gers who b rou gh t th e n ews p ost h ast e
.
-

on h o rs e back in m an y cas e s e xh ibit e d p lacards h e ade d

”
E di ct of th e King b e arin g th e words Th e Kin g orders
“

,
 TH E FIRS T FRE N C H RE VOLUTION
all ch at e aux to b e b u rnt down ; h e onl y wish es to keep his .

own ! A n d th e p eop le ob ed ien t to th ese co mm an ds

, ,

seized u p on every we ap on th ey coul d fin d and s et th em

s elve s to th e task of de st ru ction Th e obj e c t of the con
.

s pira t or s was t h u s ach i eve d th e armi n g of t h e p op ul ace

again st law an d o rder a d evice wh ich ever sin ce 1 7 89 h as
,

always form ed th e first item in the p rogramm e of th e social

,

re volu tion .

It is said th at th e ide a ori gin ate d with Adrien D u p ont

a n d h a s th ere fo re b een att rib u t e d to th e O rléan ist e con

s p ira cy b u t D u p on t was n ot onl y an i n ti m e of th e D u e

,

d Orléan s b u t an a d ep t of illu mini z ed Freem asonry an d

’

, ,

th e organ ization of th e Great F e ar m ay well have b een

m asonic This exp lan ation seem s th e m ore p robable wh en
.

we rem em b er th at th e p lan of the lod ge s even b ef ore th ey

b ecam e illu mi ni z ed h ad b een to m ake a revolu tion for th e
”
b enefit of th e bou rgeoi s i e with th e p eopl e as in st ru m ents .

With t his en d in V iew th e con spirators held u p th e foo d

sup p lie s bloc ke d all reform s in the Nation al Assem b ly an d
, ,

organize d dem on st ration s di rectly op p osed to th e in t erests

of t h e p e op le From the attack on th e f actory of Reveillon
.

in April 1 7 89 to th e m u rder of th e baker Fr an cois in

October nearly every ou trage was directe d again st m en
,

who had fed an d b efrien ded th e p oor .

Un der th e dom in ation of th e Tiers Etat al m ost

en tirely com p ose d of bou rgeoi si e f ar m ore occu p ie d wit h

th eir own grievan ces again st th e n oble s than with th e suf

ferin gs of th e p eople th e legislation carr ie d ou t by th e
Nation al Assem bly cann ot b e d e scrib ed by so m ild a word
as re action ary it was frankly an d ru th lessly rep ressive
of all S ocialistic or ev en d em ocratic ide as Not only was
.

p p
r o e rty sa fe gu ar d ed by n ew laws b u t su ff rage was ,

ext en d e d o n ly to citiz en s p oss e ssin c e rtai n i n co m e s w h ilst

g ,

th e t ra d e u n ion s th at h a d exist e d p e acefu lly u n der th e

n am e of wo rking m en s corp oration s were ri gorou sly
’
-

su pp re sse d by th e fam ou s Loi Ch ap elier on J un e 1 4 ,

1 79 1 .

By this gla i ly an ti d em ocrati c act workin g m en

r ng - -

were forbi d den to n am e p residen ts keep registers m ake , ,

re sol u tions d elib e rat e or dr aw u p re gu lation s on th eir p re

,
34 WORL D RE VOLUTION
ten de d comm on in tere sts or to agree on any fixed scal e of
,

wages Th e wordin g of the first Article run s as follows :

.

Th e annihilation of all kin d s of corp orati on s of citi z en s

b elon gi n g to th e sam e state or p rofession b ein g on e of th e fu n da
m ental b ases of th e Fren ch Con stitu tion it i s forbi d d en t o ,

reestab lish th em on an y p retext or u n d er an y form wh atsoever .

This law fwa s p assed with ou t a word of p rote st from

Rob esp ierre or any of th e so calle d d em ocrats of th e -

Assem bly 1
.

As to the C on stitu tion held u p b efo re the eyes of

th e p e op le as th e su p rem e b en efit th e Revolu tion was to
conf er on th em it wi ll b e n oticed th at every st ep on th e
,

road to its fin al p ro m u l gation was m ark e d by a fre sh ou t

bre ak of revolu tion ary agitation No soon er h a d its first .

p rin ci p l e s b een p l ac e d b e f o r e t h e Ass em bly by Mo u n i er ,

C lerm on t Ton n erre an d oth er h on e s t dem ocrats th an a

,

p ric e was p lac e d o n th e h e a d s o f t h e s e m e n by t h e r e v o lu

tion aries of th e Palais Royal an d an att em p t was m a d e to ,

m arch on Versaille s When two ye ars later th e Kin g fin ally

.

accep te d th e C on stitu tion this im m en se con ce ssion to th e

,

d em an ds of th e p e op le wh ich if th e Revolu tio n h a d b een

,

m ad e by th e p eop le wo u l d un dou bte dly h ave en d ed it

b ecam e th e sign al for a fre sh ou tbre ak of revolu tiona ry
fu ry expre ss e d by th e h ideou s m assacre known as th e
,

Glaci ere d Avi gnon C an we n ot b elieve then th at th ere

’
.

m ay b e som e t ru th in th e Pere D e sch am p s stat em en t t h at

’

th e cry of C o n stit u tion h a s b een in all coun t rie s th e

”
word of comm an d of the S e cret S ocietie s th at is to sa y , ,

th e r allyin g cry of revol u tion ? 2

We sh all fin d fu rth e r c on
fi rm ation of th is th eory lat er in th e h isto ry of th e revolu
tion ary m ovem en t in Ru ssia .

Thu s du rin g the first two ye ars of the Revolu tion ,

Illu m ini sm con ce ale d itself u n d er th e gu 1 se of p opu l ar

tum ul ts b u t with the form ation of th e Jacobin Clu bs all
,

over Fran ce its schem e of dom in ation b eco m e s m ore

‘
1

app aren t .

The se socie tie s Robi son in hi s P roofs of a Con s pi ra cy

,

d e clares were o rgan ize d by th e revolu tion ary co m m ittee s

,

1
B u ch ez e t R ou x , Hi s toi re pa rlem enta i re, x 1 9 6 . .

2
L es S oci étés s ecretes et la s oci été, by D es ch a m p s P . an d Clau d io J a nn e t .

p 24 2
. .
 TH E FIRS T FRE N C H RE VOLUTION 35

un der th e dire ct in spiration of the Bavarian Illu m in ati ,

who tau gh t them th eir m eth od of doin g b u sine ss of ,

m an agin g their co rre sp on den ce and of p rocu ri n g and ,

”
t rainin g p u p ils It was thu s th at at a given sign al insu r
.

re ction s co u ld b e en gin eere d si m u ltane ou sly in all p a rts of

th e cou n t ry or that th e Fau bou rgs could b e su mm oned

fo rth at th e word of co m m an d .

Th e p lan of Weish au p t for enlisting wom en in th e m ove

men t h a d b een a d op t e d fro m the beginnin g by th e revolu
tion aries a n d we see in th e de clam ation s of Th éroi gn e d e
,

M ericou rt an d of th e m ilitant suff ragette Olym p e de

1
,

Gou ge s how cl everly the ide a of

, givi n g t h e m hin ts of
em an cip ation was carrie d ou t Ma d am e Rolan d likewise .
,

g lo ryi n g i n th e p o li tical p owe r th e R e vol u tio n h a d b r o u gh t

her littl e dre am t whith er th e m ovem ent was t en din g
“

to th e di sap p e aran ce from th e stage of all wom en excep t

the fu rie s of th e gui llotin e Olym p e an d M adam e Rolan d
.

p aid fo r t h e i r ill u sio n s with th e i r he ads ; T h é ro i g e pub

n ,

licly flo gge d in th e Tu ilerie s garden s by th e tri coteu s es of

Rob e sp ierre lost h er re ason an d di ed ravin g m a d in th e
,

S alp etri ere so m e ye ars later For in tim e s of revolu tion it

.

is not th e wo m en of b rain s and energy who can ever take

“

a l e adin g p art b u t o nl y th ose wh ose diso rdere d im a gin a

,
.

tion s an d p erverte d p assion s in sp ire them wi th a ferocity

m ore horrible th an th at of m an .

Th e Jacobin s in p laying on the se p assion s am ongst th e

,

wom en who assem bl ed at the m ee tings held three tim e s

weekly at th eir S ociétés Fraternelle s fann ed their fury ”
,

into flam e an d p rep are d th ose terrible ban ds of harpie s

wh o co m m itte d th e atrocitie s of Au gu st 1 0 th .

S o com p let e had th e organization of th e Jacobin Clubs

n ow b e co m e that du ri n g 1 7 9 1 an d 1 7 9 2 all th e m aso nic
lodge s of Fran ce were closed down an d Philipp e E galité
sen t in hi s re sign ation as Gran d M aster Th is was held .

advisable for several re ason s : the Jacob i n s on ce the m as ,

ters of Fran ce coul d not with safety tolerate the existence

,

Théroign e th u s exp ressed h er vi ews on the R evolution t o an English

1

cont em p orary S ociety i s un d ergoing a ch an ge , a grand reorgan i z a tion ,

.

and wom en are abou t to resum e th eir ri gh ts We shall n o m ore be flattered

.

in or d er t o b e enslaved ; t h es e arm s h ave d ethron ed th e tyrant and con

q u ere d freed om ( France i n 1 80 2 , Letters of R edh ead Yorke, p .
 6 WORL D RE VOLUTI ON
of any se re c t association th at m igh t b e u sed as a cover for
cou nter revolu tion ary sch em e s ; m oreover as th e gre at
-
,

p lan o f Ill u m i n is m was by t h is ti m e i n p roce ss of fu lfil m en t ,

wh at fu rther ne ed was there for se cre cy ? Proj ects form erly

discu sse d with bate d breath in th e lodge s cou ld n ow b e
Op enl y avowe d in th e t rib un e of th e Jacobin C l u b s an d ,

noth in g rem ain ed b u t to p u t th em in to ex ecu t io n .

It Wa s n ot h owever, un til after th e overt hr ow of th e

,

m on archy on th e l 0 th of Au gu st that th e work of dem oli

tion began on the vast scale p lan ne d by Weish au p t From .

this m om en t th e rOle of Illu m inism can b e cle arly t raced

throu gh th e su ccee din g p h ase s of th e Revolu tion Thu s it .

is from the l 0 th of Au gu st onwards th at we fi n d th e tri

colour banner of the u surp er rep lace d by the red fla g of
, ,
‘

th e soci al revolu tion wh ilst the cry of

, Vive n ot re roi
d Orléan s ! iv s way to h m aso ic watchwo d Lib ty
’ “

g e t e n r er

E qu ality Fr at ernity !
, D u rin g the m assacre s in th e
p riso n s that f ollow e d i n S e p t em b e r th e assa s si n s w e r e

observed to m ak e m asonic sign s to th e victim s an d to S p are

those wh o kn ew h ow to rep ly Am on gst those n ot sp are d
.

was th e Abbé Lefran c wh o had p u blishe d a p a m phl et

,

u n veilin g th e de sign s of Freem ason ry at th e b e ginn in g of

th e Revolu tion .

Th e p roclam ation issu e d by th e C on ven tio n in D e cem

ber su m m on in g th e p role tariats of E u rop e to rise in revolt
again st all ord ere d govern m ent was the first t rum p et call -

to World Revolu tion an d it was the f ailu re to respon d to

,

this ap p e al that force d th e Jacobin s in to a n ation a ’

attitu d e th ey had n ever in ten ded to assum e .

I n Novem b er 1 7 93 th e cam p ai gn against reli g1 on m an g ,

u rat ed by th e m assacre of th e p rie sts in S ep t em b er

1 7 92 was carrie d ou t all over Fran ce I n th e c em e .

t eri es t h e ch erish e d m otto of th e Illu m in ati D e ath is an

,

et e rn al sl eep
”
was p ost ed u p by orderof the I llu m in atu s
,

An axa gor as C h au m ette Th e F e asts of Reason cele

.

brate d in th e ch u rch e s of Paris were th e m e re corollary to

“
Weishau p t s te achin g that Re ason shoul d b e th e only
’

code of Man ; an d Robison state s th at the actu al cere

”

monies which took place when wom en of easy m orals were

,

enth ron ed as godde sse s were m odell ed on Wei sh au p t s

‘
’
,
 THE FIRS T FR E N C H RE VOLUTION

p l a n o f a n E r ot eri o n o r f e stival in hon o u r of t h e g o d o f

1
Lo ve .

It was likewise to Wei sh au pt s de clam ation s again st ’

th e m er can til e t rib e th at th e d evastati on of th e m an u

factu ring town s of Fran ce an d th e ru in of h er m erch an ts
c an b e t rac e d whilst th e cam p ai gn again st e d u cation
,

f orm ed a fu rth er p art of the sch em e f or de st r oyin g civili za

tion Th e Terrorists in bu rning down th e librari e s an d
.

g u ill oti n in g Lavoisi e r on t h e p l e a t,

h at t h e R e p u blic h a s
”
n o n ee d of ch em ists were sim p ly p u ttin g in to p ractice
,

Wei sha u pt s th eory that the scien ces were chi ldren of
’

n e c e ssity th e com plicat e d n ee ds of a stat e con t r ary to

,
”
Natu re th e in ven tion s of vain an d em p ty b ra in s
,
Th e .

sy st em of p er se cu tion again st m en of tal en ts w as organ

”
iz ed ,
a con tem p or ary de clare d organi ze d as was the ,

wh ole syste m of the Terror by th e Illum in ati an d carri ed ,

ou t by m en wh o h a d acc ep t e d th e gui di n g p rin ci p l e of th e

s e ct For it was Wei sh au p t s f avouri te m axim Th e en d

’
.
,
”
j u stifie s th e m ean s th at we fin d again in the m ou th s of
,
'
-

t h e Jacobin s u n der th e fo rm of Tou t est p ermi s a qui

con qu e agit dan s le sen s d e la Revolu tion Th e Reign of .

Terror was th e logical ou tcom e of thi s p rem ise

‘

B u t thi s do es n ot im ply th at all th e Terro ri sts were

Illum in ati th at is to say con sciou s adep ts of Weish au p t
, , .

It is true th at as we h ave seen all wer e Freem ason s at the

, ,

beginn in g of the Revolu tion b u t it is p robabl e th at few ,

were ini tiate d in to th e inn er m ysterie s of the Or der , Th e

art of Illumi n ism lay in enlistin g du p e s as w ell as ad ep ts ,

a n d by en co u ragin g th e dre am s of hon e st vision ari e s or th e

sch em e s of fan atics by flatterin g th e vani ty of am bitiou s

,

egoists by worki n g on u
, n balan ce d b rain s or by playin g on ,

su ch p ass ion s as gree d of gold or po wer to m ake m en of ,

t ota lly di vergen t ai m s serve th e se cret p urp o se of th e s ect .

Indee d am on gst all the revolu tion ary le aders on e m an

,

alo ne stan ds ou t as a p u re Ill u mi n at u s th e P ru ssian

Baron An ach arsi s Clootz
, .

1
The id ea seem s to h ave been long curren t in Germany I n 1 7 5 1 an .

im p iou s work, d edicated to Fred erick II (th e G rea t) , p u bli sh ed a s a frontis

.

p iec e t he sc en e of t h e ad oration of a p ros t itu t e whi ch was d es tin ed to be

r ea lis ed on t he 2ot h of Brum a ire 1 7 93 on t h e a lt ar of Notre D am e of aris P
( D es cham ps , Les S ociétés secretes , ii 98 , q u ot in Der Goetz e der H u ma ni td t
. g
Ode r do s P
osi ti ve def Frei ma u rerei , Freib ur H erd er , 1 8 7 5 , pp 7 5 g .
38 WORL D RE VOLUTION
I n th e u tteranc e s of Clootz w e fin d the doct rines of
Weish au p t exp re ss ed with ab solu te fi d elity Th u s in hi s .

R épu bli qu e Un i vers elle t h e s ch em e of Weish au p t for weld -

in g th e wh ole h u m an r ace in to on e goo d a n d h ap p y

“

f am ily is s et fo rth at l en gth : On e com m on in tere st ! on e

min d ! on e Nation ! crie s An a ch arsis D o yo u wish h e
”
.
,
“

asks again to exterm in ate all tyran ts at a blow ? D e clare

,

then au th entically th at soverei gnty con sists in th e com m on

p at riotism a n d soli d arity of th e totality of m en of t h e on e ,

a n d onl y n ation . The Un iverse will form on e S tate ,

the S tat e of uni t ed individu als th e im m u tabl e em pire of

,
”
th e great Germany th e Uni versal Rep u blic Or again : .

Wh en th e Tower of Lon don falls like th e tower of Paris

it will b e all over with tyran ts All th e p eop le f orm in g .

onl y on e n ation all the trade s form in g onl y one trade all
, ,
”
in terests form ing onl y on e interest etc It was C lootz , .
,

m oreover who p laye d the m ost active p art in th e c am

,

p ga i n a gai n st reli gio n Was it n o

.t h e who h a d i n ve n t e d
th e word to th at th ey h a d n ot
s ep tem b e ri z ed m ore p rie sts in the p rison s and wh o ,

openly declare d him self the p erson al en em y of J esu s

“

Christ Th e f act that h e n ever reve ale d h im self to b e

an Ill um i n atu s an d n ever referre d to Weish au p t was in

strict accordan ce with th e rul e of the Order wh ich we sh all ,

fi n d a dhere d to by every adep t in tu rn Th e Illu m in ati .

,

Profe ssor Renner ha d d eclare d before the Bavarian C ou rt

of I n qu i ry fe ar n oth in g so m u ch as b eing re cognize d
“

,
”
un d er th is n am e a n d fri gh tful p uni sh m en t was attach e d
,

to th e b etrayal of th e secret It is th us th at h istorian s

.
,

un aware of th e sou rce s wh en ce C loot z dre w h i s theo rie s ,

or anx iou s to con ce al th e r Ole of Illu mi nism in th e revolu

tion ary m ove m en t de scrib e h im as an am iable e ccen t ric

,

of n o im p o rtan ce I n re ality Cloot z was one of th e m ost

.

im p ortant figure s of the whole Revolu tion if viewed from

th e m odern stan dp oin t , for it was h e alon e of all h i s day
wh o em bo di ed th e spirit of an ti p atriotism and I n tern a -

ti on al i sm wh ich defeate d in Fran ce of 1 7 93 fin ally se cu re d

, ,

its triu m p h on the ru in s of th e Ru ssian E m p ire of 1 9 1 7

It was Clootz s I ntern ation alism th at end e d by antag
’

oniz in g Rob e sp ie rre Wh en at th e Jacobin Clu b the

.
 TH E FIRS T FRE N C H RE V OLUTION
Prus sian Baron de clare d that his h e art was Fren ch an d
”
s ans cu lotte bu t at th e sam e tim e p rop osed th at as soon as
’

-
,

th e Fren ch arm y cam e in si gh t of th e Au st rian an d Pru s

“

sian sold ie rs th ey sh oul d in st ead of attackin g th e en em y

, ,

throw down th eir own arm s an d advan ce toward s th em

” 1
dan cin g in a fri en d ly m anner Rob e sp ierre
. wh o was , ,

n ot with ou t a c e rtain p en e t ration in his h at re ds

acidly ap ost roph ized him sayin g that he distru sted all ,

these foreigners who preten ded to b e m ore p atriotic th an

th e Fren ch them selve s th at h e su sp ecte d th e goo d f ait h of
,

a so calle d sa ns cu lotte who h ad an in com e of

- -

”2
livre s an d h e e n de d by se n din g C loot z a n d his fellow
,

ath ei sts Hebert Ch au m ette R onsin and Vin cen t to the

, , ,

scaff old .

Was Rob esp ierre then not an Illum in atu s ? He was

certainl y a Freem ason a n d Prin ce Krop otkin e definitely
,

state s th at h e belonge d to on e of th e lodge s of th e I llu mi

n ati fo un de d by Weish au p t B u t co n tem p orari e s de clare
.

that h e h a d n ot b een fully initiate d an d acte d as th e tool

rathe r th an as th e a gen t of th e co n sp iracy Moreover .
,

Robesp ierre was the discip le not onl y of Weishau p t b u t of

Rou sse au an d un der th e in sp iration of the Can tra t S oci a l
,

h ad elaborate d a schem e of hi s own wh ich h eld n o ne of th e

aim less destru ctiven ess of th e Illum in ati Thu s Rob e s .

p i e rre cl e arly re co gni ze d th e n e c e ssi ty for the vast social

revolu tion in di cate d by Weishau p t ; b u t whi lst Weish au p t

fixed hi s eyes on the exp losion an d sm ile d at the th ou gh t

of uni versal c onfl a gra ti on Rob e sp ierre regar de d an archy
,

sim ply as a m ean s to an end th e re con st ru ction of

society accordin g to the plan he had evolve d with th e
cc op eration of S ain t Ju st
-
wh ich was sim ply an em bry
-
,

oni e f orm of th e syst em kn own later as S ta te S oci a li s m .

This statem en t will of cour se b e ch allen ge d by S ocial

i s ts who have always
,
for re a son s I sh all sh ow later
denied th e R ob espierrean ori gi n of th eir doctrin e s It is .

true of course that th e word S ocialism was n ot in ven te d

u n til som e fo rty ye ar s lat er b u t it woul d b e absur d by ,

m eans of su ch a qui bble t o disassociat e S ocialism from its

1 France i n 1 80 2 , L
ett ers of H enry R ed h ea d
”
Yorke , p 72
. .

2
B i ographi e Mi cha ud , article C lootz .
40 WORL D RE VOLUTION
ear eli st exp onen ts M Aul ard is no dou bt p erfectly ri gh t
. .

in sayin g that Rob e sp i erre s D e clar ation of th e Ri gh ts of

’

Man con tain s all th e e ssen ti al s of Fren ch S ocialism

foun ded on the p rin cip le s of 1 7 89 an d su ch as Lo ui s Blan c
o
p p u l a riz e d in 1 84 8 It is f or h avi n g p op ose d th e se
r .

S ocialistic article s it i s f or h avin g p rop ose d th is ch arter

,

for S ocialism an d n ot for h avi n g vagu ely d e claim e d

,

again st th e rich an d soun d e d th e p raise s of m ed iocrity ,

”
th at Rob e sp ierre after hi s de ath as m u ch in ou r own
“

century as in the tim e of Bab euf b e cam e th e p roph et of ,

m an y of th ose am g n gst u s who dream t of a social ren ova

tion an d h e rem ain ed so u n til th e p eriod wh en Germ an
,

influ en ce m ade F ren ch S o cialists tem p orarily forget the

” 1
Fren ch ori gin s of th eir doctrin e s Rob esp ierre m ay .

in dee d in the lan gu age of S ocialism b e de scrib ed as m ore

, ,

advan ce d th an his Fren ch su cce ssors of th e e arly nin e

te en th cen t ury for he an ticip at e d th e Marxian t h e ory of
,

th e class w ar wh ich was n ot again to fin d accep tan c e in

,

Fran ce u ntil adop ted by th e Gu esdists an d S yn dicalists

at th e very en d of the cen tury Rob e spierre s ch erish e d .
’

m axim Th e rich m an is th e en em y of th e s ans cu lotte

“
2
, ,

con tain s th e wh ole S p irit of th e class w ar We h ave m f act .

onl y to tr an sp ose th e ph rase s curren t in 1 7 93 in to th eir

m odern e qui valen ts to re co gni ze their iden tity with m o d ern
S ocialistic fo rm ulas Thu s th e m agic p hras e . di ctato r
shi p of th e p roletariat of whi ch it is dou btful wh eth er

any on e u n d er stan d s th e p re cise m e ani n g was exp re ssed

at that date by the words S ovef eign ty of th e Peop le ,

an d form e d th e t ext of Rob e sp i erre s gosp el

’
Th e .

”
p p
e o l e ,
h e w rot e m u st b e th e obj e ct of all p olitical
,

” 3
in stitu tion s All oth er classe s of th e comm u nity were
.

to be en tirely un rep re sen te d or p referably n ot to b e , ,

allowe d to exist .

E ven the th eory of wage slavery later on p roclaim e d ,

by Marx was already curren t du rin g th e Rei gn of Terror

, ,

and on thi s p oin t we have th e evi d en c e of a con t em p o r ary .

1
Aulard , Hi stoi re poli ti que do to R evoluti on Fran co i se, iv 4 7 , s ee also .

Au lard , E tu des et lecons su r la R evolu ti on Fra nco i se, 111 5 1 . .

2 P R obespi erre, i 1 5
api ers trouvés c . .

3 p , s cou rs et ra
pp ts de R obesp i erre, edi t ed by Charles Vella
y, p 8 .

see a l so p 3 27 . .
 TH E FIRS T FRE N C H RE VOLUTION 41

Th e p lan of th e Jacobin s wrote th e d em ocrat Fan tin

,

Déso d oard s was to stir u p th e rich again st th e p oor an d th e

,

p oo r a ga i n st t h e r i ch T o t h e latt e
. r th ey sa id : You h av e m ad e

a few sacri fi ces in favou r of th e R evolu tion bu t fear n ot p atriot , ,

ism , was th e m otiv e To th e form er th ey sai d : Th e ri ch m an

’
.

h as n o b owels of com p ass ion ; u n d er th e p ret ex t of fee di n g th e

p oo r b yp ro v idi n g t h em w i th wo rk h e ex er ci se s ov er t h em a su pe
ri ori ty con trary to th e vi ews of N ature an d to Rep u b li can p ri n

cip l es Lib erty wi ll always b e p recariou s as long as on e pa rt of the

.

na ti on li ves on wa ges f rom the other I n order to p reserve its in de

.

p en d en ce it i s n ecessary th at every on e sh oul d b e rich or th at

,

e very on e should b e p oor

’
1
.

It will s een then that th e whole th eory of th e class

be
w ar an d even th e very p hr as e s by which it was to b e
,

p r o m ot e d as also t h
, e n e c e ss ity f or abol is hi n g t h e r e latio n

shi p of cap it al an d labou r whi ch is u su all y ass ociate d with

,

M ar x were ide as t h at exist e d twen ty five ye ars b efore hi s

,
-

b irth We cannot dou bt th at it is to Rob esp ierre an d

.

S ain t J u st that th ey m u st b e m ainly attribu te d Robe s

-
.

p ierre as we kn ow d efini t ely advocate d th e aboli tion of

, ,

inheri tan ce Th e p rop erty of a m an

. h e sai d m u st , ,

ret urn af t er hi s d e at h to t h e p u blic dom ain of so ci e ty

an d alth ou gh h e was kn own to d e clar e th at e qu ali ty of

”
wea lth is a chi m era it was n o dou bt b e cau se h e well kn ew
,

that we alth can n ever b e evenl y di strib u ted an d th erefore ,

that the only way to achi eve e qu ality is by th e proce ss

known to day as th e n ation ali z atio n of all we alth an d
-

p p ty
r o e r Thi s
. says the edi tor of his di scour ses
, ,

M Ch arle s Vellay is wh at th e Revolu tion m e an s to him

.
, ,

it is to l ead to a so rt of C o mm uni sm an d it is h ere th at ,

h e sep arat e s hi m self from his colle agu e s th at h e isolate s ,

”
him self and th at re sistan ce gath ers aroun d h im
, I n 1 84 0 .

th e S ocialist C ab et wh o h ad re c eive d th e R ob eS p ierriste

,

tra dition di re ct from th e con t em p orary B u on arotti ,

exp re sse d th e sam e O ini on

p
All th e p roposals of the Com i té de S al u t Pu blic durin g th e
last five m on th s th e opinion s of B od s on an d of Bu onarotti
,

bo th ini tiated into th e p rofo un d vi ews of Rob esp ierre bo th hi s ,

admir ers an d both Comm uni s ts

, gi v e u s t h e con vi cti
, on th at
Robespierre an d S aint Ju st onl y blam ed th e un tim ely invoca tion
-

F antin Désod oar d s , Hi s toi re philosophiqu e de lo Revolu ti on Franco i se,

iv
. 44 .
 42 WORL D RE VOLUTION
of Com m uni ty by declared atheists Clootz Hebert , ,

a n d that th ey th em selves m arch ed toward s Comm u ni sm b v

p at s th ey j u dged m ore sui ted to su ccess

h 1
.

S till m o re clin ching evi den ce of Rob e sp ierre s re al aim

,
’

1 s h oweve r r ovid e d by t h C o mm n ist Bab eu f wh o

_ , p , e u ,

wrote the se words in 1 795 :

He (R ob esp ierre) thou ght that e qu ality would
only be a vain
Word as lon g as th e owners of prop erty were allowed to tyrannize
over the great m ass an d th at in ord er to d estroy th eir p ower
,

an d to take th e m ass of citizen s ou t of th eir d ep en d en ce there

was no way bu t to place a ll property i n the hands o f the governmen t .
2

I n th e f ace of this statem en t how c an any on e deny that

Rob esp ierre was a S tate S ocialist in p re cisely th e sen se in
which we un derstan d the t erm to day ? Th at th e S tate -

was of cou rse to b e repre sen te d by Rob esp ierre him self an d
h i s ch ose n associates it i s n ee dles s to a d d b u t wh at C om ,

m u nist or grou p of C omm un ists h ave ever exclu de d th e

hyp oth e sis of th eir own su prem acy from th eir p lan of a
S ocialist S tate ? L E t at c e st n ou s
’
is th e m axim of all
’

su ch th eorists .

On one p oin t however Rob esp ierre differed from m ost

“

, ,

of th e m em b ers of th e sam e sch ool of t h o u gh t wh o c am e

afte r him in th at h e sh owed h im self a consi s ten t S ocialist ,

for h e h ad th e sin glen e ss of aim aide d by an entire wan t of ,

m oral S cru pl e s to p u sh hi s th eorie s to th eir logical con

,

clu sion A Labou r extremi st in this coun try re cently

.

describ ed the m odern B olshevi ks as S ocialists wi th th e

cou r age of th eir op inions , an d the sam e descrip tion mi ght
b e ap plie d to Rob espierre an d S aint Ju st Th u s Rob e s -
.

p i e rre did n ot ta lk h y p ocritically of p e acef u l r evolu

tion he kn ew th at revolu tio n is n ever p eacefu l th at in ,

its very e ssen ce it im p lie s on slau ght m et with re sistan ce,

a re sistance th at can onl y b e overcom e by an absolu te dis
re gard for h um an lif e I will walk willin gly with m y feet
.

in blood an d te ars said his coadj u tor S ain t Ju st ; an d th is

”
-
.

, ,

wh eth er h e a dm its it or n ot m u st b e th e m axim of every ,

revolu tion ary S ocialist wh o b elieve s that any m eth ods are
j u stifiable for the attainm en t of his end .

1 Hi stoi re populai re de lo Revolu ti on Fra ncoi se by C ab et ,

2
S u r le sys teme de lo dépopuloti on p 28 , . .
 TH E FIRS T FRE N C H RE VOLUTION
Th e Rei gn of Terror was t h erefore n ot on ly th e ou t
com e of Illu m inism b u t also th e logical re sul t of S oci ali s tic
d octrin e s Th u s for e xam p le th e attack s on civilization
.
, ,

carried ou t in t he sum m er of 1 7 93 th e b urn in g of th e ,

librarie s an d th e d e stru ction of treasure s of art a n d liter a

ture were all p art of t he sch em e of Weish au p t b u t th ey
, ,

were also p erfe ctly con sistent with th e S ocialistic th eory

”
of th e sovereignty of th e p eop le For if on e con siders .

that in th e least edu cate d p ortion of th e comm un ity all

wisd om an d all virtu e reside th e onl y logical thin g to do
,
‘
is to bu rn the libraries and close down th e schools Of .

what avail i s it to t rain th e in telle ctu al f acul tie s of a ch ild

if m an u al labou r alone is to b e h eld h on ou rable ? Of wh at
u s e to civi lize h i m if in civi lization is to b e f o un d th e ban e

of m ankin d ? It is i d le in on e b re ath to talk of th e b e au ti e s

of e d u catio n an d in th e n ext to a d vocat e th e dictato r shi p

of the p rol etariat an d con d em n all edu cated p e op l e as

bou rgeoi s .

Of this st ran ge cont radiction th e Jacobin s of Fran ce ,

like th e Bolsh evi ks of Ru ssia at first were gu ilty M ag , .

nifi cen t sch em e s were p rop oun de d to th e Con ven tion for
école s n orm ale s , ”
école s centrale s et c ; re gim en ts of , .

p ro f e sso r s were to b e co mm an d eere d f or th e in st ru ction of

you th ; b u t all these schem e s cam e to n ou gh t for by the ,

en d of 1 7 94 p u blic e du cation was said to b e n on existen t

1 -
,

owin g obviou sly to the fact th at m e anwhile the emi ssaries

of th e C o m ité d e S al u t Pu blic h a d b u sie d th em s elve s

de stroyin g books and pictures an d p ersecu tin g all m en of

e du cation .

This cam p aign again st the bou rgeoi si e fo u n d its prin

c ip al su p p ort in Rob e sp i erre It was he wh o first sou n de d
.

th e call to arm s wh ich h a s sin ce b e com e th e w ar cry of th e -

social revolu tion I n tern al d an gers com e from th e

.

bou rgeoi s ; in o rd er to con qu er th e bou rgeoi s we m u st rou se

th e p e o ple we m u st p rocu re arm s f o r t h em an d m ake th em
,
” 2
an gry . Th e n atu ral co n se q u en ce of t h is p olicy carrie d
o u t a gain st th e m ercan til e bou rgeoi s i e b y th e attacks on

th e m an uf actu rin g town s of Fran ce was of cou rse to cre at e

J oseph M ais tre Mela nges i nédi ts p p
’
1
de , , . 1 22 , 1 24 , 1 2 5 , quoting con a
t em porary d ocum en t s .

1
P apiers trouvés chez R obespi erre , 11 . 15 .
 WOR LD RE VOLUTION
vast un em p loym en t Alre ady the destru ction of the aris
.

tocra cy h ad thrown n um b erle ss workers on th e st re ets ,

so th at by 1 7 9 1 ne arly all th e h an ds th at h a d m inistere d to

the n ee ds or cap rice s of th e rich were idle a nd th ou san ds ,

of h ai rdre ssers , gilde rs boo k bin ders tailo rs em b roidere rs

, , , ,

a nd do m e stic servan ts wan d ere d abo u t Paris a n d colle cte d

in crowd s to debate on th e m isery of th eir situ ation

”
.

Th e situ ation m u st always arise if th e leisur e d classe s

“

are su d d en ly de st roy e d either by killin g th em off or b y a

ru th le ss con scrip tio n of cap ital S ocialists are fon d of .

de scribing lux ury workers as p arasite s ; obviou sly then if

on e de st roys th e ani m al on wh ich th e p arasite live s on e

m u st de st roy th e p arasite too It is p ossible th at by a very

.

slow an d gradu al re distrib u tion of wealth luxur y workers

m i ght b e m ore or le ss abso rb e d into the e ssen tial trades ,

bu t even this is very dou btfu l At any rate th e attem p t to

.

abolish the lu xu ry trade s at a blow m u st in evitably lead to

u n em p loy m en t on a vast scal e f or n o t o nly will th e,l ux u r y
workers th em selve s b e idl e b ut sin ce all classe s are in ter
, ,

dep en den t m any of th e workers in th e e ssen tial t rad e s wh o

,

dep en d on them for a livelih ood will b e idl e likewise Any .

su dden di slocation of th e i n du strial system m u st therefore

m ean n ation al bankru p tcy .

This is p re cisely wh at hap p ene d in Fran ce as even

S ocialist writers adm it M alo n in hi s H i s toi re du s oci a li sme
.

illu strate s by a p icture of a scene in a Paris street th e

, ,

situ ation de scrib e d by Michel e t in th e words :

The Revolu tion was to op en a career to the p easant but

closed it to the workm an The first pricked up hi s ear at the
.

decrees whi ch p laced th e goods of th e clergy on sale ; the second ,

silent an d som bre dismi ssed from his workshop wandered abou t
, ,

all day wi th folded arm s 1

.

Th e con dition of th e in du strial workers was still fu rther

a ggravated by the legislation of the Terr or Not o nl y was .

the Loi Ch ap eli er again st t r ade u nio n s co nfirm e d an d

s everely enf o rce d by the Co m ité de S alu t Pu bli c under the
dom in ation of Robe spierre b u t th e W orker s were oblige d
,

to toil ver y m u ch h arder th an ever before Thi s poin t .

,
,

system atically i gn o re d b y hi storian s co n stitu t e s on e of th e ,

1 Malon Hi stoi re du soci ali sme

, , i 26 7 , 297
. .
 TH E FIR S T FRE N C H RE VOLUTION 45

chi ef iro ni e s of th e perio d an d ill u strate s the in geni ou s

m et h o d b y whi ch th e so ca ll e d a dvoca tes of t h e Peo p le s
’
-

S o verei gn ty con t rive d to du p e th e P eop l e to th eir own

un d oin g Th u s un d er th e p re text of abo li shin g t h e ob so
.
,

lete cu sto m s an d su pe rs titio n s of th e Old R egi m e th e ,

wo rkers were d ep rive d of al l th e h oli d ays th ey h ad en j oye d

in h o n o ur of th e S ain ts or th e festivals of th e Ch u r ch .

Un der th e m on ar ch y n ot only every on e of th e se days b u t

al so th e d ay f oll owi n g it ha d b een a h oli d ay an d n eith er ,

on S u n d ay n or on Mo n d ay w as any wo rk d o n e .

”
By su bstitu tin g d ecadi th at is to say one day in ,

every t en f or S u n d ay an d m aki n g it o nly a h alf h oli d ay

,
-
,

th e n ew m aste rs of F ran ce a dd ed three an d on e half wor k -

in g d ays to ever y fo rtni gh t Th e re sul t pe r y ear is sh o wn in .

an am u sin g article of th e M on i teu r for S ep te m be r 9 1 7 94 , ,

”
en titl ed National I dl en e ss of which th e followin g i s an ,

ext ract :

E as ter Chri stm as All S ain ts days of th e Virgin of Kin gs

, , , , ,

S ai nt M artin fif ty th ou san d p atrons of p arish es an d p riori es

, _

all th es e f etes an d th eir m orrows h av e been su p presse d ; b y

th eir conf es sionals thi r ty six h alf S un days are left u s (i e th e

-
. .

thir ty six de cadi s whi ch oc cur re d in th e cour se of th e year whi ch

-
,

were half h olidays) Th e R evolu tion h as consecrated to work

-

at lea st a hun dred and twen ty days whi ch th e Pope an d hi s

E lder S on (th e ti tle gi ven to th e Ki n g of Fran ce) left to i dl en es s
in Fran ce Thi s national i dl en ess was a tax on mi sery a tax
.
,

th at diminish ed th e reven u es of th e S tate an d in creased exp enses

for al ms assi sta n ce an d h osp itals Perm i ssi on to work is a
, , .

will b ring to it con sider ab le fun ds All . is in Fran ce

n ew
wea th er m ankin d th e earth an d th e sea
, , , The R epu bli can
months
.

year gi ves to workf ou r more tha n the papal and mon archi c
1
year .

It is n ot n ec essar y to be a be li ever in th e p rin ci p le of

Ca C ann y as a rem edy for un em p loym en t to re co gnize
’

th at th e re sul t of this legi slation was to r ed u ce th e n um be r

of h an ds re qui r e d an d l eave th e vast r e se rve of labo u r

whi ch en ables th e em p loyer to m ake hi s own term s with

th e work ers It will be see n th at thi s exp edi en t which S ta te
.

S ocialists are f on d of d en oun cin g as on e of th e evi l s of

1
M on iteu r , xxi . 6 99 .
46 WORL D RE VOLUTIO N
C ap italism was p ractised u nder th e égim e of that fi rst
r

e xp eri m ent er in S tat e S ocialism Maximi lien Rob es

p i erre .

towards the en d of 1 7 93 it becam e evident th at

Bu t
th ere was n o p ossibility of absorbin g the re siduum cre ate d ,

for th e attacks on th e m anuf actu rin g town s of Fran ce h a d

d e alt th e fin al blow to t rade an d t h e Rep u blic foun d its elf
f ace d by h und re d s of th ou san d s of wo rkin g m en for wh o m -

it cou l d not fi n d em p loym en t It was th en th at th e C om ité

.

d e S alu t Pu blic an ticip atin g th e Malthu sian th e o ry

, ,

em barke d on its fe arful p roj e ct the sys tem of depopu

loti on .

Th at th is p lan really exist e d it is i m p ossible to dou bt

in th e f ace of overwh el m ing con t em p o rary evi den ce I n .

The F ren ch R evolu ti on I qu ot e d in this conn e ction th e

testim ony of n o l ess than twenty two witn e sse s all -

revolu tion ari e s ; an d sin ce th en I h ave fo u n d fu rt h er c or

1

robor atio n of th e f act in th e l ett ers of a n E n glish m an ,

n am ed Re dh e ad Yo rke wh o tr avelle d in F ran ce in 1 80 2

,

an d m a d e p articu lar in qu iri e s on th is qu e stio n fro m th e

ally of Rob e sp ierre th e p ain ter D avi d :

,

I asked him wh ether it was true th at a p roj ect h ad been in

con tem p lation to redu ce th e p opul ation of Fran ce to on e third -

o f its p re sen t num b er He an swere d th at it h ad been seriou sly

.

di scu ssed an d that Du b ois Cran cé was th e au thor .

In an other p assage Yorke state s

Mon sieur de la Méth erie assur ed m e that du ring the tim e or
th e R evolu tion ary Tribunals it was in seriou s contem p lation to
,

re du ce th e p op ul ation of Fran ce to Du bois Cran cé

was a very di stin gui sh ed an d enthu siasti c p artisan of this
hum an e an d philosophical p olicy 2
.

It will b e n otice d that th ere is here a discrep an cy in th e

exact fi gu re s ; th e p op u latio n of F ran ce at th at p eriod b ein g

twen ty fi ve m illion s th e prop osal to red u ce it to one th ird

-
,
-

was to brin g it down to ap p roxim at ely ei gh t m illion s The .

di fferen ce th en lie s b etween th e p roj e cts of reducin g it by

one thi rd or to on e th ir d
-
issu e s whi ch Yorke eviden tly
-

The French R evolu ti on , p p 4 26 4 2 8

1
.
-
.

2
Fra n ce i n 1 8 0 2 , Lett ers of R edh ead Yorke, edi ted by I A C S ykes
. . .

(Hein em ann) , 1 90 6 , pp 1 0 2 , 1 27
. .
 TH E F IRS T FRE N C H RE VOLUTION
confu sed ; b u t it was precisely on this p oint that th e
op inion s of th e Terrorists diff ered Th u s we are told that .

d Anton elle of th e Revolu tion ary Trib un al advocate d th e

’

form er an d m o re m oderat e p olicy bu t that a re du ction to

‘

ei gh t m illio n s th at is to say to one th i rd was the fi gu re

,
-
,

e n e rally agree d on by th e le ader s

g .

Th e n ece ssity for th is lay n ot o nl y in th e f act that th ere

was n ot even enou gh b read m on ey or p rop erty to go , ,

ro u n d b u t also
, after th e d est ru ction of the aristocracy
,

an d bou rgeoi si e n ot en ou gh wo rk ,
.

I n th e eyes of Maximi lien Rob esp ierre an d his council ,

says B ab euf d epopul ation was in disp en sable b ecause the cal
,

cu lation h ad b een m ade th at th e Fren ch p opul ation was in

ex cess of th e resou rces of th e soil an d of th e re qu i rem ents of

u s ef u l i n du s try th at i s to say th at wi th u s m en j ostled each oth er

, ,

too m u ch for each to be able to live at ease ; that h an ds were too

nu m erou s for th e ex ecu tion of all works of ess en ti a l u ti li ty an d
this is th e h orrible con clu sion th at sin ce th e su p erabun dant,

o
p p u l a t i o n co u l d onl y am ou n t to so m u ch a p ortion of
sa ns cu lottes m u st b e sacrifi ce d ; th at this ru b bi sh cou ld b e cleare d
-

u p to a certain qu antity, a n d th at m ean s m u st b e fou n d for

”
doing it .

The system of th e Terror was thu s th e an swer to the

robl e m of u n em p loym en t un em p loym en t b ro u gh t
p
abou t on a vast scale by the destru ction of the lu xury
trades .

I f th e h ecatom bs carried ou t all over Fran c e n ever

rea ch e d th e h u ge p rop o rtion s p lanne d by th e l e ader s , it

was not for wan t of what th ey describ ed as en ergy in the

”
art of revolu tio n Ni gh t an d day the m em b ers of th e
.
'

C o m ité d e S alu t Pu blic sat roun d th e green covere d table -

in th e Tu ilerie s with th e m ap of Fran ce S p re ad ou t b efore

th em p oin tin g ou t town s an d village s an d calcul ating how
,

m an y h e ad s th ey m u st h ave in e ach dep art m en t Ni ght .

an d day th e Revolu tion ary Trib u n al p asse d on with ou t ,

j u dgm en t its n everf en din g stre am of victi m s whilst n e ar

, ,

by th e in def atigable Fou qui er b en t over hi s lists for th e

m orrow an d in th e p rovin ce s th e p rocon su ls C arri er
, ,

Fréron C ollot d Herb oi s Lebon toil e d u nrem ittin gly at

’

, ,

th e sam e H ercul e an task .

C om p are d to th e re sul ts they had hop ed to achieve the

48 WORL D R E VOLUTION
m o rtality was in si gn ifican t ; co m p ared to the a ccoun ts
g iv e n u s by th e co n s p i r acy o f h isto r y it was ,
t e rr ific .

Th e p op ul ar con cep tion of th e Rei gn of Terro r as a p ro

ce ssion of p ow dere d he ad s goin g to th e gu illotin e seem s
strangely n ai ve wh en we re ad the actu al records of th e
p e r io d T. h u s d u r i n g t h e g re at T e rr o r i n Par is abo u t 2 8 0 0
victim s p erish e d a n d ou t of th ese ap p roxim ately 5 0 0 were
,

of th e aristocr acy 1 0 0 0 of th e bou rgeoi s i e an d 1 0 0 0

, ,

workin g class Th e se estim ate s are n ot a surm ise sin ce

-
.
,

th ey can be p roved by the actu al register of the Revola

tion ary Trib un al p u blish e d both by C am p ardon an d
Wallon also by th e cont em p orary Pru dh omm e an d th ey
,
1
,

are acc ep te d as a ccu rat e by t h e R obe spierri s te h i storian

Lou is Blan c 2
,

Accordin g to Pru dh o m m e th e total num b er of victim s

drown ed gu illotin e d or sh ot all over Fran ce am ou n te d to
, ,

an d of th is n um b e r the n oble s sac rifice d we re an

alm ost ne gli gible q u an tity only abou t 30 0 0 in all ,

3
.

At Na nte s 50 0 ch ildren of th e p eop le were kille d in one

bu tchery an d accordin g to an E nglish cont em p orary 1 4 4
,

oo wo m e n w h o s ew e d shi rts for the arm y were th rown

p r
4
in to th e river .

S u ch was th e p eriod during whrch C arlyle dare d to

assu re u s th at The Twenty Five Million s of Fran ce -

”
h ad n ever suff ere d le ss .

B u t th is fri gh tful m ort ality was n ot the only dre adful

fe at u re of th e Terror ru in m isery starvatio n we re th e
, ,

lot of all b u t th e ban d of tyran ts wh o h a d seized th e rein s of

ow r a n d t h is stat e of aff ai r s con ti nu ed lo n g afte r th e
p e ,

rei gn of Ro b e sp i erre e n d e d Th e con c ep tio n of Fran ce

.

risin g like a p h o enix fro m that great welter of b lood a n d

h o rror is as m yth ical as th e allegory from wh ich it is taken

a n d h a s e xist e d o nly in th e m i n ds of p osterity Not a single .

con t em p orary who live d throu gh th e Revolu tion h a s even

e t e n d e d th at it was an yth in g b u t a gh astly f ailu re T h e
p r .

con sp i racy of history alon e h as cre ate d the m yth .

Y e t in F r a n ce th e t r u th is at last b e gin n in g to be

1 Pru dhomm e Cri mes de lo Revolu ti n vol vi Table VI

,
o , . . .

2 Lo u is Blan e Hi stoi e de lo R evoluti n xi 1 5 5

,
r o , .

1 Pr ud h o m m e Cri mes d lo R e v lu ti n vol vi Table VI

e o o , . . .
,

4 P1ayf air s
’
Hi story of Ja cobi ni sm p 7 8 9 , . .
 TH E FIRS T FRE N C H RE VOLUTION 49

known Thu s M Madelin th e m ost im p artial an d enl i ght

. .
,

en e d of m o d ern h i sto rian s h a s de scrib e d th e co n ditio n of ,

Fran ce at th e en d of th e Terror in th e se forcible word s :

Fran ce is d em orali z ed S h e i s exh au sted thi s is the last
.

trait of thi s country in ruin s Th ere i s n o lon ger an y p u blic .

op ini on or rath er this op ini on is m ad e u p only of h atred Th ey

, .

h ate th e Di rectors (m em b ers of th e Directory) an d th ey hate th e

d ep u ti es ; th ey h ate th e Terrorists an d th ey h ate th e chou ans
(th e R oyali sts of La Vend ee) ; they hate the ri ch an d th ey h ate
th e an archi sts ; th ey h at e th e R evolu tion an d the coun t er
revolu tion Bu t wh ere h atred reach e s p aroxysm i s in th e
.

case of the n ewly rich Wh at is the good of havin g destroyed .

Kings nobles an d aristocrats sin ce d epu ti es farm ers an d

, , , , ,

trad esm en take th eir p lace ? Wh at cri es of h atred ! Of all

the ru i n s foun d an d in creased b y th e Directory ruin s of

p arties rui n s of p ower rui n s of n ational representation rui n s of

, , ,

chu rch es ru ins of fin an ces rui n s of h om es rui n s of con scien ces

, , , ,

rui n s of in t ellects th ere is nothi ng m ore pitiable than thi s :

the ru i n o f the n a ti on a l charac ter .
1

E i gh tye ars after the en din g of th e Terror Fran ce h a d ,

n ot y e t re covere d fro m its rava ge s Accordin g to Red h e ad .

Yorke even th e u su ally acc ep te d th eo ry of agricul tu ral

,

p rosp e rity is e rro n e o u s .

Nothin g can exceed the wretchedness of the im plem ents of

hu sban dry em p loyed bu t th e wretch ed app earan ce of th e p erson s
u sin g th em Wom en at the p lou gh an d young girls driving a
.

team give bu t an indiff erent idea of th e progress of agricul ture

un d er th e R epu bli c Th ere are no farm hou ses di sp ersed over
.

th e fi eld s Th e farm ers reside togeth er in rem ote villages a cir

.
,

cum stan ce calcul ated to retard th e bu sin ess of cul tivation Th e .

interiors of th e hou ses are fil thy th e farm yard s in th e u tm ost ,

‘

disorder an d th e mi serable con di tion of th e cattle suffici ently

,

besp ea ks th e poverty of th eir own er 2

.

E verywhere b eggar s assail ed th e t ravell er for alrns ; in

sp ite of th e re du ced p op ul ation un em ploym ent was rif e ,

e du catio n was at a stan dstill an d owi n g to th e d e stru ction ,

of th e old n obility and clergy an d th e f act th at th e n ew ,

ri ch who occu p ie d their e state s were absen t ee lan d lo rds ,

there was no system of organized ch arity Yorke is fin ally .

dr iven to declare :
The Revolu tion whi ch was brou gh t ab ou t ostensibly for th e
,

1 M ad elin , La R évol u ti bn , p p 44 3 , 4 4 4 . .

2
France i n 1 8 0 2 , p 2 8 . .
50 WORL D RE VOLUTI ON
benefit of th e lower classes of soci ety h as sunk them to a degree ,

of d egrad ati on a n d m i sfortu n e to whi ch th ey n ever were red u ce d

un d er th e an ci en t m onarchy Th ey have been disinh erited
.
,

stri pp ed a n d d ep rived of every resou rce for existen ce ex cep t

, ,

d efeats of arm s an d th e fleetin g spoil of van qui sh ed n ations .

In an other p assage Yo rke ask s th e in evitable qu estion

that arise s i n th e m in d s of al l th inkin g con tem p orarie s :
France still bleeds at every p ore sh e i s a vast m ou rnin g

fam ily Cla d in sa ckcloth

,
It is im p ossib le at this tim e for a
.

contem p lative m in d to b e gay in Fran ce At every footstep th e .

m erciless an d san guin ary rou te of fanatical barbarian s di sgu st

th e sigh t an d sicken hum ani ty on a ll si d es ui n s obtru d e th em
r
‘
‘
selves on th e eye an d com p el th e qu estion For what an d for ,

whom are all th is havoc and desolation ? 1

It W1 11 of cou rse b e said th at Redh e ad Yorke was a

”
re actio n ary As a m atter of fact h e was a con stitu tion al
.

revol u tio n ary an d h ad serve d a t erm of im p riso n m en t in

Dorch ester C astl e fro m 1 7 95 to 1 7 99 for h avi n g d e clare d

him self to b e a m an wh o h ad b een con cern e d in three
revol u tion s alre ady wh o e ss en tially con t ri b u t e d to ser ve
,

th e Rep u blic in Am erica wh o con trib u te d to th at of

,

Hollan d wh o m aterially assist ed th at of Fran ce an d wh o

, ,

will con tin u e to cause revolu tion s all over th e world Hi s .

visit to Fr an ce in 1 80 2 h owever disp ell ed his illu sion s

, , ,

a n d h e h a d th e co u ra ge to a dm it h is ch an ge of vi ews Hi s .

lett ers were not p u blish ed till after hi s death .

Advocat es of social revolu tion to wh om th e revelation s ,

on th e re al f acts of th e Terro r wh ich h ave re ce n tly b ee n

p u b lish e d ar e e xt re m ely d isco n c er in g h ave adop t e d t h e

t ,

conveni en t lin e of de scribin g th e first Fren ch Revolu tion

‘‘ ”
as a bou rgeoi s m ovem en t It I s tru e th at it was m ade by
.

bou rgeoi s and at th e b e gi nnin g also by aristocr ats

, an d

that th e peop le throu gh ou t were th e chief suff erers ; b u t

th is h as been th e case in every ou tbre ak of th e Worl d
Revolu tion All revolu tion ary leaders or writers h ave
.

b een bou rgeoi s from Weish au p t to Le nin Marx was a

,
.

bou rgeoi s S orel was a bou rgeoi s likewise N 0 m an of th e

,
.

o has v tak en a p ro m i ent p ar t i h m ov m t

p pl
e e e e r n n t e e e n .

”
B u t in th e Fren ch Terror as in Ru ssia to d ay th e ,
-
,

bou rgeoi si e were also th e victim s .

1 Fra nce i n 1 8 0 2 , p 33 . . .
 TH E FIRS T FRE N C H RE VOLUTION
Inth at sort of epilep sy into which Fran ce h a d fallen ,

wrote Pru dh omm e n ot on ly th e revolu tion ary n ob les s et th em

,

selve s by preferen ce again st n ob les p riests again st p ri ests , ,

m erch ants again st m erch an ts ri ch a gain st ri ch bu t even th e , ,

s a ns cu lottes on ce th ey th em selv es b ecam e j u d ge s di d n ot an y

-

th e m ore sp are th e s ans cu lottes wh o h a d rem ain ed am on gst th e

-

crowd of ci tiz en s How coul d the p eop le have su sp ecte d the

.

system of universal depopul ation ? Until then it h ad n ot b een

h eard of in hi story Thi s great doctrin e however was n ot
.
, ,

chim erical it existed it was Visible the leaders of op ini on o nl y

, , ,
” 1
wi shed to reign over d eserts .

Wh at p ow e r c a n hav e i n sp i re d t h is f e arf ul syst em ?

Th e p age s of accep t ed h istory p rovide n o clu e to the p rob
lem . Onl y by a re cogni tion of the se cret fo rce s at work
bene ath the su rface is it p ossible to un derstan d h ow th e
Fren ch n ation fell a victim to th e h ideou s régim e of the
Terror I n th e op inion of num b erle ss enl i gh ten e d con
.

tem p orarie s Illu m inism alon e exp lain s th e m ystery As .

e arly as 1 7 9 3 th e j ou rn a l de Vi enn e p oi n t e d ou t t h e t ru e

sou rce of in sp iratio n b en e ath th e syst em of th e Jacobin s :

It is n ot th e con ceived th e great p roj ect of

Fren ch wh o
ch an gi n g the face of th e worl d ; th i s h onou r be lon gs to th e
Germ an s Th e Fren ch c an claim th e honou r of h avin g begu n its
.

execu tion a n d of h avin g followe d it ou t to its ul tim at e con se

,

q u en c es w h i ch
,
as hi story I s
, th ere to p rov e w ere i n acco r d an ce ,

wi th th e geniu s of this p eop le th e gui llotin e in tri gu e assas , ,

sin ation in cen diarism an d canni bali sm

, Wh ence com es the
,
.

eternal Jacob in refrain of u n iversal lib erty an d equ ality of th e ,

sup pression of kin gs an d prin ce s wh o are m erely tyrants of ,

opp ression by th e clergy of n ecessary m easu res for annihilating,

’

th e C hri stian religion an d establishin g a p hi losop hi c religion a

refrain th at rem in d s every on e of th e d eclaration s of M au villon ,

a notable Illu m in atu s tou chin g Christian ity of th ose of Kni gge
, ,

an d Cam p e t ou chin g S tate religi on ? Wh en ce com es it that all

this h arrn oniz es with th e Ori gin al Wri tin gs of th e Illum i n ati
if th ere is n o allian ce b etween th e two sects ? Wh en ce com es it
‘

that Jacobini sm h a s partisan s everywh ere even in th e m ost ,

di stan t cou n tri es an d h ow can we ex p lain th at th ese as far a s

, ,

research es c an ex ten d have b een in tou ch wi th I llum i ni sm ?

,

Aloys H off m an e ditor of this Jour n al wrote : I sh all

, ,

n ever ce ase to rep e at th at th e Re vol u tio n h as com e fro m

m asonry an d th at it was m ade by wri ters an d th e Illu

mi n ati
’
.

1 Pru dh omm e
Cri mes de lo R evolu ti on i p xxiii
, , . . .
 2 WORL D RE VOLUTION
Th at the obj ects of th e consprra cy wer e precisely the
sam e as th ey are to day is sh own by this re m arkable
-

ext ract from a l ett e r of Q ui n ti n C rawfu rd to Lor d Au ck

land on May 23 1 7 93 : ,

The p resen t cr1 s1 3 1 s certainly the m ost extraordinary in i ts

natu re an d m a y b e th e m ost im portan t in i t s con se qu en ces of
,

a n y th at i s to b e foun d on th e p age of h istory . I t m ay d ecide

th e fate of th e R eli gi on an d Governm ent of m o st of th e nation s
of E u rop e or rath er i t m ay d ecid e wh eth er reli gion a n d govern
,

m ent are to exist or E u rop e be p lun ged again into a state of

,

barbarism Hith erto th e basis of hum an p olity was religion th e

.
,

S u p rem e B eing was everywh ere ad ored , an d th e great m axim s of

m orality resp e cted ; bu t wh en th e ord er of civil society h ad
attained a d egree of p erfection unknown in form er ages we see ,

en d eavou rs alm ost everywh ere p u t in p ractice to d estroy it ,

Ath eism risin g against Religion Anarchy again st governm ent ,

,

vagabond s again st th e in du striou s m en wh o have nothing to

,

lose again st th ose who en j oy what th ey received from th eir

an cestors or acquired by th eir labour , an d thi s confl ict brou ght
at last in to the fi eld to be decided b y the sword On on e han d
.

w e see th e chief p owers of E u rop e taki n g arm s in d efen ce of

R eli gi on an d lawfu l au thority an d on th e oth er a m u ltitu de of
,

d isorganiz ed barb ari an s en d eavou rin g to u n do th em S u ch , m y

.

Lord with som e p olitical shades that m ight b e ad d ed is a p retty

,

ai hfu l pictu re of wh at the French Revolu tion h a s p ro du ced

hl
it rerto

Wh at words coul d b etter de scrib e th e situ ation of

E ur op e in this ye ar of 1 92 1 ?
B u t in sp it e of th e vast dem olitio n eff e ct e d by th e
Terror n eith er th e discip le s of Weish au p t n or th ei r tools
,

th e revolu tion ary S ocialists h ad ach i eve d th eir p u rp ose .

One m ore eff o rt m u st b e m ade to b rin g abou t the U ni

versal revolu tion th at sh oul d deal th e de ath blow to
society ”
This attem p t was m ade two year s after the
.

T error en de d by the C om m un ist Gracchu s Bab eu f

,
.
 C HAP TE R I I I

THE CON S P I RACY OF BABE U F

Gracchus B ab euf Th e P anthéoni stes M an if es to of the E qu als

S ystem of B ab euf Plan of th e Con sp ir a tors Th e Grea t D ay of
t h e P e o p le D iscovery of th e Plot E x ecu tion of B abou vi st es
I llum in is m in E n glan d Irelan d Th e U nited Iri shm en B antry
B ay I lluminis m in A m erica .

FR A N gors N OE L B A B E U F was born in 1 7 6 2 an d at the ,

beginn in g of th e Rei gn of Terror occu p ie d th e p ost of com

m issary in th e S u p ply D ep art m en t of th e Co mm u n e where ,

h e in curred th e disp leasu re of th e Com ité de S alu t Pu bli c

by p u blishin g a p lacard accu sin g the C om m ittee of a p lan
to drive the p eople to revolt by m e an s of a fictitiou s f am i ne
an d so p rovide a p ret ext f or killin g t h e m off
1
F or this .

offen ce Babeuf an d hi s colle agu e s in th e sam e dep artm ent

were thrown in to p rison at th e Abbaye b u t Bab euf b ein g , ,

app arently re garded as m entally irresp on sible was soon ,

afterwards rele ase d an d on ce m ore p roceede d to attack

,

th e p arty in p ower wh ich was n o ot h e r t h an th at of Rob e s

,

p i err,e C ou t h on a n d S ai n
, t J u st T h is is-
t h e m o r e.re m ark
abl e S in ce the p olitical op inion s of Bab eu f were en tirely
in acco rd with th ose of th e Triu m vi rat e ; f or Rob e sp ierre s
’

D e claration of th e Ri gh ts of Man Bab eu f en t ertain e d

th e warm e st adm i ration B u t wh ere at t h is p oin t in hi s
.
,

career Bab euf joine d issu e with Rob e sp ierre was in the
,

m eth o d by which this ide al syst em sh ou ld b e b rou gh t

abou t ; for th e p lan of re du cin g th e p op u lation of Fran ce by
som e fif teen m illion s in order to b e ab le to p rovi d e b re ad ,

a n d work f or t h e rem ai n der wh ich Bab eu f lat er de scrib e d

,

as th e imm en se se cret of th e Terror seem ed to him too ,

drastic and in his p am p hlet S u r la depopu la ti on de lo

,

1 B abeuf et le soci oli s me en 1 7 9 6 , by E d ou ard Fleury, p 20

. .

53
54 WORL D RE VOLUTION
F rance h e deno u n ce d th e n oyad es , fu si llad es an d gu i llo ,

ti n ades t h at h a d de ci m at e d th e p rovi n ce s meth ods

wh ich he h eld sh oul d n ot h ave b een a d op te d u n til p acific
m easu re s for win nin g th e p e asan ts over to Rep u blicani sm
h ad at le ast b een attem p te d .

B u t t h e régim e t h at followed on th e f all of Rob esp ierre

led Bab e u f to re adj u st h is vi ews f or th e Th e rm i d orien s , ,

with wh o m h e h a d th rown in h i s lot S h owed th em selve s ,

to be Op p ortu nists of the m ost fl agran t de scrip tion an d it ,

was th u s th at after th e Dire ctory h a d b een in p ower a few

m on th s Bab euf in su lted Talli en an d Fréron de clare d that
1
,

th e 9 th of Th ermi dor h a d b een an u nmiti gat ed disaster ,

a n d th at th e o n ly h o p e for th e p e op l e n ow lay in carryi n g

ou t th e u n fin ish e d p lan of Rob e sp i erre f or th e comm on

”
h ap p in e ss Rob e sp ierre h e h el d was th e one p u re
.
, ,
“

2
revol u tion ary of h i s day ; all th e re st th e Gi ron d in s wh o ,

h a d only wish e d to d eth ro n e th e Ki n g in order to u su rp

p ow e r a n d rich e s th e O rléa n ist e,
s le d by P h ili pp e E galité ,

an d D an to n a f action , com p ose d of m en as m on st rou s

as th eir chief avi d an d p rodigal of gold au da
3
ciou s liar s int ri gu ers
, ,
h ad exp loit e d th e p eo p le f or
th eir own advantage ; Rob espierre an d hi s com p anion s
in m art yrdo m alone had aspired to th e e qu al distrib u
tion of work an d pleasure 4
wh ich was th e ideal of Bab eu f .

Accordin gly h e n ow app e ale d to th e p eople to rise again st

,

th e D ire ctory an d m ain tain th e C on stitu tion of 1 7 93

fo un de d on Rob esp ierre s De claration of the Ri ghts of
’

Th e p u blication of this call to in su rre ction led to th e

arre st of its au th o r an d Bab euf was again thr own in to
,

p riso n fi r st
,
at Pl e ssis t h e n at Ar ras ; b u t wh il e in ca tivi ty
, p
h e en cou ntere d a n u m b er of kindre d S p irits with wh ose
'

co —o p eration h e was abl e to m atu re his plan for a fu rth er

revolu tion a social revolu tion for the comm on h ap p i
( t b h common l oga li te
’
ss an d tru e qu ality
’

ne e e on eu r et

1
Fleu ry , op ci t p . .

2 P
i eces sa i si es chez B a beuf ,
1 Ibi d i .

Con spi ra ti on pour l egali te di te de B abeuf , by Ph Buona1 0 tti,

’ ’ '
‘
4 .

5 Fleury , op ci t p 4 5
. . . .
 TH E C ON S PIRA C Y OF BAB E UF 55
'

M Loui s Blan e is no dou bt righ t in p ron oun cing Bab euf

.

to h ave b een an Illu mi n atu s a di scip le of Weish au p t and , ,

it was th u s in acco rd an ce wi th th e cu stom of the se ct th at

h e h a d a d op t ed a cl as sical p seu d onym ren oun cin g hi s ,

C hristian n am e s of Fr an cois No el in favour of Gracch u s 1

,

j u st as Weish au p t h ad assum ed the n am e of S p artacu s th e ,

Illum i n atu s Je an Bap tiste Clootz h ad ele cted to b e kn own

as An a ch arsis an d Pi erre Gasp ard C h au m ett e as An ax
,

agoras Th e plan of cam p ai gn devise d by Bab euf was th ere

.

fo re m o d ell e d di re ctly on th e syst em of Weish au p t an d on ,

his release fr om prison whi ch was brou gh t abou t by th e

am n e sty of th e Treize Ven dém iaire he gathere d hi s
fellow con sp irators arou n d hi m an d f orm e d an association
-

on m aso nic lin e s by wh ich p rop a gan da was to b e carrie d

on in p u b lic p lac e s th e conf e d er at es re co gni zin g e ach other

,

by se cret S i gn s and p asswo rds At the first m eeting of

2
.

th e B ab ou vi s te s am on gst whom were foun d Darthé ,

Germ ain B od son a n d B u on arotti

, , all swo re to rem ai n

u ni t e d an d to m ak e e qu ality t rium p an d th e p roj e ct

was then discu sse d of establi shin g a large p op ul ar society

for th e in cul cati on of B ab euf s doctri ne s
’
I n order to .

e scap e th e vi gilan c e of th e p olic e it was d e cided to assem bl e

hen ceforth in a sm all roo m in th e garden of th e Abbaye

d e S aint e Gen evi eve l en t by on e of th e m em b ers who had
ren t e d p art of th e b ui ldin g ; lat er th e so ci e ty m ove d t o the

refe cto ry of t h e Abb ey or on ni ghts wh en thi s hall was , ,

re q ui re d for oth er p u rp ose s m eetings were held in the ,

cryp t wh ere se ate d on th e grou n d by th e li gh t of torches

, , , ,

th e con spi r ator s d iscu sse d th e gre at p lan for overthrowin

g
society Th e p roxi m ity of th is b ui l di ng to th e P anth eon
.

le d to their b eing kn own un der th e n am e of th e P an théo

ni s tes
3
.

Unfo rtu n ately the confu sion of min d prevaili ng

am on gst th e advocate s of E qu ality was so gre at that
th e m ee tings wh ich b efore long con siste d of two thou
” 4
san d p e ople b e cam e like a Tower of Bab el N 0 on e .

kn ew p re cisely what he wan te d an d n o de cision s cou ld be

re ache d ; it was th erefo re d e cide d to su pp l em en t the se hu e
g
1 Fleury , op ci t p 3 8 . . . .
2
Ibi d p 69
. . .

1 I bi d p p 6 9 , 7 0
. . .
4
I bi d p 7 1
. . .
 56 WORLD R E VOLUTIO N
assem blie s by sm all secret comm ittees the first of wh ich ,

held its sittin gs at th e h ou se of Am ar on e of th e m ost .

ferociou s m em b ers of th e C o m ité d e S uret é Gén érale

d u rin g th e Terro r a n d h ere th e sch em e of social revolu

tion was elaborate d S tartin g fro m th e p rem ise th at all .

p pr o er ty is t h e f t it was d e,
ci d e d t h at t h e p roc e s s k n ow n in
revo lu tio n ary lan gu a ge as e xp rop riation
'
1
m u st take
p lac e ; t h at is to say a ll r
p po er t y m u
, st b e w re st e d f ro m it s
p r e s e n t ow n e r s by f o r c e t h e f o r c e o f a n a r m e d m o b .

B u t Bab eu f wh ilst advocatin g violen ce an d tu m ul t as th e

,

m ean s to an en d in n o way desire d an arch y as a p erm anen t

,

con dition ; th e S tate m u st b e m ain tained a n d n ot on ly ,

m aintain ed bu t m ade absolu te th e sol e disp en ser of the ,

n e c e ssiti es of life
2
I n m y S yst em of C omm on H ap p i
.
,
”
n e ss ,
h e wrot e I de sire th at no in divi du al prop erty s h all
,

e xist Th e lan d is Go d s an d its frui ts b elon g to all m en in

’
.

” 3
g e n e r al . A n ot h e r B a b ou v i s te t h e Ma r q u is d A n t on elle
,
’

fo rm erly a m em b er of th e Revolu tion ary Trib un al h ad ,

exp re sse d t h e m att er in m u ch th e sam e wo r ds : Th e S tate

of C o m m u nism is th e o nly j u st th e o n ly good on e ; with o u t ,

th is state of thin gs n o p eaceful an d really happ y societie s

” 4
c a n exist
"
.

B u t B ab euf s activiti e s h a d a gain aro u sed th e atten tion

’

of th e D i re cto ry a n d du ri n g t h e win t er of 1 7 95 6 the

,
-

ap ostle of E qu ality was obli ged to retire in to hidin g .

Neverthele ss fro m his re tre at Bab euf still cont rived with ,

the aid of hi s twelve ye a r old s on E m ile to e dit h is p ap ers

- -
,

L e Tri bu n du P eu ple an d L e Cri du P eu ple an d to d ire ct ,

th e m ovem en t At one of th e m eetings of th e Panthéon

.

i s tes however D arth é in cau tiou sly read th e last num b er

, ,

of L e Tri bu n du P eu ple alo u d an d this ti m e n o l e ss a p er ,

son a ge t h an Ge n e ral Bo n ap art e him se lf de scen de d on th e

d en of brigand s
” 5
as it was kn own to the p olice and
, , ,

after orderin g it to b e close d down before his eye s went off ,

with the key of th e bu il din g in his p ocket .

1
Thi s word was first coin ed by Th ouret , a m em b er of th e National
Assem b ly , 11 1 a d ebate on th e ood s of th e cler y in 1 7 90 g g
2
Fleury , op ci t p 1 1 1
. . . .

1 Ibi d

An ton elle in th e Ora teu r P lebei en , No 9

’
4
S ee Pi kes som e: chez . .

Ba beuf , I i 1 1
. .

5
B uonarotti , op ci t i 1 0 7 . . . .
 THE C ON S PIRA C Y OF BAB E UF 57

Babeu f then d e cided th at a S ecret Di re ctorate m u st

b e fo rm e d of whi ch th e workin gs b e ar a curiou s re sem
1
,

blan ce to those of th e I llu m in ati Th u s Weish au p t h ad .

em p loy e d twelve l e adin g a d ep ts to di re ct o p er ation s

thr ou gh ou t Germ an y an d h a d strictly en join e d h i s f ol

,

lowers n ot to b e kn own even to e ach oth er as Illu mi n ati ;

so Bab euf n ow in stit u t ed twelve p rin cip al a gen ts to wo rk

th e di ff eren t d ist ricts of Paris and th e se m en were n ot ,

eve n to kn ow t h e n am e s of th ose wh o fo rm e d th e c en tral

co mm ittee of four b u t onl y to comm un icat e with th em

,

thr ou gh in term ediari es p artially ini tiat ed in to th e se crets

of t h e co n sp iracy Like Weish au p t also Bab euf adopt ed a
.

d o m i n eering an d arro gan t ton e towards hi s su bordin at es ,

a n d an y wh o m h e su sp e ct e d of t re ach ery were th re at en e d ,

after th e m ann er of the se cret soci etie s with th e di re st ,

ven gean ce Woe to th ose of wh om we h ave cau se to

.

com p lain ! h e wrot e to on e wh ose z eal h e h ad b egun to

d o u b t ; refle ct th at tru e co n sp ir ato rs c an n ever re lin qu ish
”2
th ose th ey h ave o n ce d e ci de d to em ploy .

By April 1 7 96 th e p lan of in surrection was com p le te ,

a n d th e f am o u s M a n if es to of the E qu a ls dr awn u p re ad y f or

p u b licatio n .

PE OP LE or FR ANC E this proclam ation announ ced for

, ,

fif teen cen turies you h ave lived i n slavery an d con sequ en tly in
un h ap p in es s F or six years (i e du ri ng th e cou rse of th e R evo
. . .

lu tion) you h ave hardly dr awn b reath waitin g for in d ep en d en ce , ,

for h ap pin ess an d e qu ality E qua lity ! th e first desir e of Natur e

, .
,

th e first n eed of M an an d th e p rin cip al bond of all legal asso

ci ation !
Well ! We inten d h en ceforth to live an d die equ al as we
were born ; we wi sh for rea l equality or d eath that is wh at we ,

m u st have An d we wi ll have thi s real e qu ali ty, n o m atter at

.

what p ri ce Woe to those who interpose them selves between it

.

an d u s !
Th e Fren ch Revolu tion i s onl y th e forerunn er of an oth er
revolu tion v ery m u ch great er very m u ch m ore solem n whi ch
, , ,

will b e th e last ! What m u st we have m ore th an e qu ality

of righ ts ? We m u st h ave n ot onl y th at e qu a lity tran scrib e d in
th e D eclaration of th e Ri gh ts of Man an d of th e Citiz en we
’
,

mu st have it in our m idst on th e roofs of our hou ses We will

, .

1 B u ona rotti i 1 1 4 , 1 1 5
. .

1
P ieces sa i si es chez B a beuf , 11 . 1 63 .
58 ‘
WORL D RE VOLUTION
con sent to anythin g for that to m ake a clean sweep so as to hold ,

to th at on ly P erish if n ecessary a ll th e arts p rovi de d that real

.

e qu ality i s left to u s !
Th e a grarian law an d th e di vi sion of lan ds were th e m om en
tary wi sh of a few soldi ers withou t p rin cip le m oved by in stin ct
rath er th an b y reason We ten d to som ethin g m ore su blim e
.

a nd e qui tab le th e Com m on H appi n ess or the Commu ni ty of

,

Gaods N0 m ore p rivate p rop erty in lan d th e lan d b elon gs to

.
,

n o one We claim we wish for th e comm u nal enj oym en t of

.
.

th e frui ts of th e earth : th e frui ts of th e earth b elong to e v ery

one .

We d eclare th at we can n o lon ger en du re that the great

m aj ority of m en S hould work an d sweat in th e servi ce an d for ,

th e good p leasur e of an extrem e m inority Long en ou gh an d .

too long have less than a m illion in divi du als disposed of what
b elongs to m ore than twenty m i llion s of th eir fellowm en of ,

th eir equals Let it cease at last thi s great scan dal in which our
.
,

n ep h ews will n ot b e able to b eli eve Vanish at last revoltin g .

,

di stin ction s of rich and p oor , of great an d sm all of m asters an d ,

servants of governors and governed Let th ere b e no oth er

,
.

diff erence between m en than that of a ge an d sex S in ce all have .

th e sam e need s and the sam e f acul tie s let there b e only one ,

e du cation on e ki n d of food
, They content th em selves with one
.

sun an d air for all ; wh y sh oul d n ot th e sam e p ortion an d the

‘

sam e qu ality of food suffi ce for each of th em ?

PE OP LE OF F RANCE we say to you : th e holy enterprise that
,

we are organi z in g h as no oth er obj ect bu t to pu t an en d to civi l

di ssen sion s an d to p u bli c mi sery Never h as a m ore vast d esign .

b een con ceived an d execu ted From tim e to tim e a few m en of .

g e n i u s a
,
fe w sa g e s h av e sp o k en in a low an d t re m b li n g v oi ce .

N ot on e of th em h as h a d th e cour age to tell the whole truth .

Th e m om ent for great m easur es h as arrived Th e evil i s at .

its h eigh t ; it covers th e face of th e earth Ch aos u n d er th e .

nam e of p olitics h as reign ed for too m any cen tu ries Th e .

m om en t ha s com e to foun d the Repu bli c of th e E qu als the ,

g r eat h ost e l op e n to all m e n G roa ni n g fa

.m ili es c om e a n d ,

seat you rselves at th e comm on table set up by Nature for all

h er children .

PE OP LE OF FRAN CE , Op en your eyes an d heart to the

p le n i tu d e o f h app in ess ; re co g ni z e a n d p r ocla im w i t h u s th e
” 1
R E P UB LI C OF TH E E Q UA L S .

This docu m en t was destin e d h owever n ot to b e dis , ,

pl ay e d t o t h e e y e s of t h e p u blic f or t h e S e c re t C o mm itt ee,

fin ally de cide d th at it wou ld b e inexp edien t to adm it the

e
p po l e in to t h e w h ol e p l a n o f t h e co n s p i r acy ; p ar tic ul ar ly
1 B uonarotti , o p
. ci t 1 1 .
. 1 30 -1 34 .
 THE C ON S PIRA C Y OF B AB E UF

di d they j u dge it in advisabl e to p u blish the p hrase whi ch

h ad b een exp re sse d in alm ost i d en tical lan gu age by
Weish au p t : Perish all the arts p rovi de d that re al equ al ,

ity is left to u s ! Th e pe op le of Fr an ce were n ot to kn ow

th at a return to barbarism was con t em p late d Accordi n gly .

a secon d proclam ation was fram ed un der th e titl e of

“
AN A LYS I S OF TH E D O C T RI N E OF B A B E U F a far le ss
in spirin g app eal th an the form er Manif e sto and m ai nly ,

uni n t ell i gible to th e wo rkin g— classe s yet as M Fleury , , .

rem arks th e veritabl e Bible or Koran of th e desp otic

,
” 1
system kn own as C omm u nism For h erein li e s th e crux
.

of th e m att er N 0 on e re adi n g th e se two docu m en ts of the

.

B ab ou vi ste s can f ail to reco gni ze th e truth of certain of

th eir strictu res on society th e glarin g di sp arity b etween

p ov er ty an d ric h e s th e u n ev e n di st r
,ib u tio n o f wo r k a n d
p l e as u r e th e
,
in j u stic e of an in d u st rial syst e m w h er eby ,

owin g large ly at thi s p eriod to the sup pression of tr ade

uni on s by th e re volu tion ar y le aders em p loyers coul d live ,

in lu xur y by swe ate d labour b u t th e p oin t is : h ow di d

Bab euf p rop ose to re dre ss th ese evils ? B riefly th en hi s , ,

syst em foun de d on th e doctrine Comm unity of goods

,
” 2
an d of labour m ay be su mm arize d as foll ows :
,

E very on e m u st b e f orced to work so m an y h our s a day

in return for e qu al rem un eration ; th e m an who S h owe d
hi m self m ore skilful or in du striou s t h an his f ellows wo ul d
” 3
be recom p en se d m erely by p u blic g r atit u d e Thi s .

com pul sory labou r was in f act n ot to be p aid for in m on ey

b u t in ki n d for , S in ce th e ri ght to p rivate p rop erty con
,

s tit u t e d th e prin ci p al evil of existin g soci ety th e distin o ,

tion of m ine an d thi ne m u st b e abolish e d an d n o 4

on e S ho ul d b e allowe d to p oss e ss an yt hi n g of hi s own Pay

'

m en t coul d therefore onl y b e m ade in th e p rodu cts of

labour whi ch were all to b e coll e cte d in h u ge comm un al
,

sto re s an d dole d ou t in e qu al r ation s to th e workers 5

.

In evitably comm erce woul d b e en tirely don e away with ,

an d m o n ey was n o lon ger to b e coin e d or admi tt e d to th e

1
B obeuf et te s oci a li sme en 1 7 96 by E d ouard Fleury .

2
B u onarotti , op ci t i . . . .

1 A na lyse de la doctri ne dc B abeuf , Buonarotti , op cit ii 1 4 6 . . . .

I bid ii 1 4 5
. . .

1 I bid 1 2 1 3
. . .
60 WORLD RE VO LUTION
co u nt ry ; foreign trad e m u st th erefore b e carrie d on by coin
n ow in circul ation a n d wh en th at was e xh au st e d by a , ,

system of bart er 1
.

Only work of e ssen tial u tility was to b e un derta ken ,

an d in o rd e r to en su re th e re q ui sit e n u m b er of h an d s for

e ac h i n d u st ry b oys were n o lon ger t o b e allowe d to ch oose

th ei r p rofe ssion s b u t m u st b e train e d for wh at ever wo rk

was m est u rgen tly n eed ed Th e workers woul d then b e
’

d rafte d off in gan gs to p e rfo rm th e labo u r assi gne d th em

acco rdi n g to th e needs of th e n ation an d th e su prem e
”
p ri n ci p l e o f e q u ality .

S in ce in Fran ce a gricu ltu re was of th e first im p ortan ce ,

th e gre at er num b er of inh abitan ts both boys an d girls , ,

wou ld b e sen t ou t to till th e soil ; an d it was h op ed th at by

2

degree s Paris an d all the large town s of Fran ce woul d di s

ap p e ar for it was in town s th at wage S lavery flo u rishe d
,
-

a n d th at bi g cap italists were able to su rroun d th em

selve s with lux ur y an d d isp lay Th e h osts of p arasite s
3
.

wh o had hith erto co ntrib u te d to th eir en joym en t

sh op keep ers d om e stic servan ts p o ets p ain ters acto rs
, , , , ,

dan cers wou ld all n ow b e oblige d to seek a livelih ood

in th e fields a n d village s co n sistin g of salu brio u s h o u se s
,

rem arkable for th ei r el e gan t sym m et ry woul d sp rin g

4
u p all ove r Fr an ce .

Th e b e tt er to en su re a hardy race of toilers ch ildren

’

were to b e given over to the S tate at birth a n d t rain ed in

in stitu tion s .

I n th e social order con ceived by th e Comm itt ee wrote ,

B u on arotti th e cou n try seizes u p on th e in di vid u al at birth

,

(
’
s e m p are de l i n di vi
’
du n a i s s a n t) in o rd er only to relin qu i sh i t a t
d ea th It watch es over his first m om ents assures him th e m ilk
.
,

a n d th e care of h er wh o gave him birth keep s him from a ll th at ,

wou ld in j u re hi s h ealth or weaken hi s body p reserves him from ,

false ten d erness an d con du cts him b y th e h an d of his m oth er to

t h e n ati on al h ou se wh ere h e wi ll acqui re virtu e an d th e enl igh t
” 5
enm en t n ecessary to a tru e citizen .

1
B u on arotti , op ci t i 23 8 , 2 7 1 , 1 1 3 1 8
.
2 I bi d 1
. 20 8 2 1 1
. . . . .
-
.

3
Ibi d 1 22 1 N ot e h ere th e th eory of wa e slavery a a in form u
. . . g -
g
lat ed : From t h e p erp etu al ex ch an e of s ervices an d salari es th ere aris es g
on on e s id e th e h ab i t of a u t h ori ty a n d of comm an d in , an d on t h e oth er g
th at of su bm ission an d servit u d e (p .

4
B u on arotti , op ci t 1 22 1 224 . . .
-
.

1
Ibi d 1 2 82
. . . P
lu s d ed u cation d om estique , plu s d e p u i ss an ce
’

p at ern elle (i bi d i . .
 TH E C ON S PIRA C Y OF BAB E U F 61

I n ord er to rep lace f amil y affe ction by civic vir t u e in

th e m in d of th e chil d it was furth er p rop ose d to forbid
,

him to b e ar th e n am e of hi s f ath er unl e ss h e were a m an

wh o h ad distin gui sh ed hi m self by great virtu e s
1
.

His e du cation was to be of cou rse onl y of th e m ost

r im itiv e ki n d : re adi n g w ritin g en o u gh arithm etic to
p , ,

en abl e hi m to work in a Governm en t office if r e qui re d ;

h isto ry b u t onl y th at relatin g to th e evils en d e d b y th e

Rep u blic an d th e b le ssin gs of whi ch it was a sou rce an d

su ch kn owl ed ge of law geo graph y an d n atural history as

, ,

wo ul d give hi m an idea of th e wisdom of th e in stitu ti on s

u n der whi ch h e live d I n or der to em b elli sh th e fet e s
.

arran ge d by th e Governm en t h e sh oul d al so b e versed in

2
m u sic an d dan cin g .

B eyon d thi s all avenu es of kn owledge were to b e close d

to hi m for it was fe are d th at
,
m en m i gh t devot e th em
”
selve s to scien ce s an d th ereby grow vain a n d aver se from
,

m an u al labour 3
H ad n ot Weish au p t d e clare d th e scien ce s
.

to be the com pli cat ed n ee d s of a state con trary to Natur e ,

th e in vention s of vain an d em p ty brain s

S u ch th en w as th e sch em e of Bab euf for th e lib era
, ,
4

tion of th e Fren ch p eop le an d it is diffi cul t to see wh erein

,

it diff ered from th e serf dom u n der which th eir forefath ers
h ad groan e d duri n g th e Mid dl e Age s Th ere is in f act .

n oth in g to b e s ai d for C o mm un ism th at d o e s n ot e qu all y

apply to serf dom ; in both th e m e an s of su bsist en ce are

assure d th e S p e ctre of un em p loym en t is di sp ell ed in both
, ,

th e tas km ast er m ay b e kin d or cru el an d in n eith er c an ,

th e wo rker call hi s body or hi s so u l hi s own Was n ot th en .

B ab euf s rem edy wors e th an th e di se ase ? Were n ot even

’

th e revoltin g di stinction s of rich an d p oor p r ef er ab l e to

a d e ad l evel of slavery from whi ch th e on e in sp irin g em o
tion of hum an life h op e woul d b e for ever rem ove d ?
It is at any r at e im p ossible to i m agin e a syst em m ore
di stast eful to th e Fren ch ch aract er th an th e lab our colon y
th u s devi sed by Bab euf Th at th e p eopl e of Fr an ce of all
.
,

pe op le th e m ost acqu isitive an d th e m ost ret entive of th eir

1 B u onarott i , op ci t p 2 1 9
. . . .
1
I bid i 286 287
. .
-
.

1
I bid i.

he
4
m
d escri bes i t as a
g
S ee s u m i n u p of system by B ab euf him s elf
”
(i bid . 11 . 22 0 ) m whi ch
p lan en ch an teur .
62 WORL D RE VOLUTION
p oss e ssion s th e n atu ral
con sequ en ce of t heir inheren t
thrift an d in du st ry S h oul d b e willin g to renoun ce
th e ri ght to oss ss a n yt h i n t h at t h l as lovi ng
p e g ; e p e u re -

Parisi an s to Wh om am idst all th eir privation s th e gay whi rl

,

of str e ets a n d s ecta cles was as the bre ath of life S h oul d
p ,

S ub mi t to b e d riven fo rt h to s eek a livin n t h d solat

g o e e e

p lain s of th e p rovi n ce s with n o am u s em en ts to vary th e ,

m on oto ny b u t th e fet e s p rovi d e d by the Rep u blic at

which t h ey were n ot to b e allowe d to we ar fe stive attire ,

b u t to att end in th eir wo rkin g cloth e s for fe ar of violatin g

1

th e p rin cip le of absolu t e e qu ality ; th at th e n atio n di s

.

tin gu i sh ed for its p o ets an d p ainters its s ava n ts an d beau x ,

espri ts S h ou ld co n s en t to b e co m e a race of u n ai d m an u al
, p
labou rers ; above all th at a p eop le who for S ix years h a d ,

thrilled to th e cry of Liberty ! sh ou ld n ow m eekly p lace

its n ec k u n der a yo ke far m ore opp re ssive th an th at from
which it h a d b een reli eved wou ld be grotesqu e if it were ,

not so t ragi c .

Bu t wh en one re alise s th e mi sery of the p eo p le at th i s

crisis and the coun tle ss di sillu sionm en ts th rou gh which
they h ad p asse d on e can feel n othin g bu t burnin g in dig
,

n atio n at th e Charlatan s who thu s set ou t to exp loit t h ei r

suff e rings F or if these m en h ad de alt h on estly with the

.

p e o p l e layi
, n g b ef o re t h em t h e re al p la n t h ey h a d f r a m e d
for t h eir relief th e p eop le wou ld onl y h ave h ad th em selve s
,

to blam e if th e con spirators had su ccee ded in carryin g ou t

their design .

B u t the people were n ot i n the secret of the m ovem en t .

Ju st as in th e great ou tbre aks of th e Revolu tion th e m ob of

P aris had b een driven blin dl y forward On false p ret exts
su pplied by the agitators so on ce again the p eopl e were ,

to b e m ade th e in st rum ents of their own rui n The .

S e cret C om m i ttee of Dire ction well knew that C om

m u ni sm was a system that woul d n ever ap p e al to th e
o
p p ;
e l e t h ey w er e ca re f u l t h e r ef o re n o t to ad m i t, th e i r

dup e s am on g th e workin g classes in to th e whole of their -

p g
ro r a mm e a n d b eli
,
ev i n g t h at it was o n l y by a n a pp e al t o
2
self in terest an d covetou sness th ey coul d secure a following
-
,

1
B u on arotti , op ci t i 22 5 a
. . .
0
2
I bi d 1 9 7 . .I t was im p ossible to insp 1re th e p eople WI th en er g v

g
wrthou t talkin to them of their interests and the1r rrghts
’
0 .
“

.
 THE C ON S PIRA C Y OF BAB E UF
th ey skillf uly p laye d on th e pe op l e s p assion s promi s ’

in g th em b oo ty they had n o in ten tion of b e stowin g

on th em Thu s in th e In sur re ctional Act n ow drawn
.

u p b y th e C o mm i ttee it was ann o u n ce d th at th e goo d s

of th e emi gres of th e co n sp irators (i e th e Royalists) an d
’

. .
, ,

of th e en emi e s of th e pe o p l e were to b e di strib u t e d to th e

” 1
defen der s of th e coun try an d th e n ee dy ; th ey di d not
tell th em th at in reality th e se thin gs were to b elon g to no
on e b u t to b eco m e th e p rope rty of th e S tat e a dm i ni ste re d
,

by th em se lves B u on arotti in hi s n ai ve acco un t of th ese

.

m an oeu vr es j u stifie s th e de cep tion by observi n g th at th e

”
at oin t was to su ccee d an d so th e S e cret Di re cto r
g re p y ,

j u d ge d it advisa ble to fix th e att en tion an d su stain th e

h ope s of th e wo rkin g class es by th e p rom ise to di vi d e
-

everythi n g u p am on gst th em
2
Th e pe o p l e th en were n ot .

to b e al lowed to kn ow th e truth abou t th e cau se in whi ch

th ey were asked to sh ed th eir blood an d th at th ey

woul d b e oblige d to sh ed it in torren ts n o san e m an coul d

It is h ere perhap s th at Bab euf lays him se lf m ost op en

to th e ch ar ge of m ental irresp on sibili ty At on e m om en t .

we fi n d hi m declarin g that th e p roc ess can b e carried ou t

by pe rfectly p acific m eth ods at the n ext in citin g th e ,

u lac e t o viol en c e of th e m ost fe arful ki n d T h u s wh en

p p
o .

d An ton ell e su gges t ed th at h owever u r gen t it mi gh t b e to

’
,

es tabli sh absol u te e qu ality thi s i d e al con di tion co ul d on ly ,

be b ro u gh t abou t by b ri gan d age an d th e h o rrors of civil

” 3
war whi ch wou ld b e a dre a dfu l m eth od
,
Bab euf in di g ,

n an tly r ep lie d : W h at do you m ean by sayin g th at one

cou l d only achi eve re al e qu ality by bri gan d age ? Is it
re a lly A n t on ell e w h o d e fi n e s b r i gan d age aft er th e m ann er
of th e p atriciat e
? Any m ovem en t an y p rocee di n g th at ,

woul d b rin g abo u t if onl y p arti al ly th e disgo rgin g of th ose

, ,

wh o hav e t o o m u c h f o r th e p r ofit o f t h ose w h o h av e n ot

en o u gh wo u l d n o t it s ee m s to m ,
e b e b ri gan da ge it wo ul d , ,
” 4
be th e b egin nin g of a ret u rn to j u stice an d re al ord er .

f t h co t tio t h at i h e conf u sion

’
A ll t
’
As o t d n t o n e e S u r e r n e n n n

f ollowin g on gen eral pill a ge it wo u ld be im p o ssibl e to carry

1
B u ona rott i , op ci t 11
. . .
2
I bid 1 . .

3 P ieces sa is i es chez B a beuf , 11 . 16 .

4 I bid
.
64 WORL D R E VOLUTIO N
ou t schem e of re distrib u tion B ab euf was equ ally
any ,

in credul ou s What will th ey do after the u p h eaval you

.
,

will say ; will th ey b e cap able of ere ctin g the a u gu st tem p le

of E qu ality ? Bab eu f an ticip ate d n o di ffi cu lty here ; th ey
h a d o nl y to read D i d erot to d iscover h ow e asy it wo u ld b e
to p rovi d e for th e n ee ds of a m u ltitu d e of citizen s ; all
th at is only a sim p l e aff air of nu m b eri n g thin gs an d p eople ,

a sim p l e op e ration of calcul ation an d com b in ation s a nd

” 1
con se qu ently su scep tib le of a very fi ne d e gree of order .

Bu t wh en it cam e to o rgan izin g th e r e qu ire d in su rrec

tion B ab euf adop ted a very di fferent kin d of lan gu age I n .

f act th e fo rm er d en ou n cer of Rob e sp i e rre s

’
syst em of
d ep op u lation n ow asserte d th at n ot only Rob esp ierre s ’

aim s b u t hi s m eth o d s were to b e comm en de d .

I confess to day that I bear a gru dge again st m yself for h avin g
-

form erly seen th e rev olu ti on ary governm en t an d Rob espierre

an d S ain t Ju st in su ch b lack c olou rs
-
I thin k th ese m en alon e .

were worth all th e revolu tion ari es p u t togeth er and that th eir ,

dictatorial governm en t wa s d evi li shly well thou ght ou t .

I do n ot at all agree th at th ey comm i tted great crim es and

m a d e m any R ep u blican s p eri sh N ot so m any I think .
2
, . .

Th e salvati on of twenty five mi llion s of m en m u st n ot b e weigh ed

-

again st con sideration for a few equi vocal in divi du als A regen .

era t or m u st take a wi d e ou tlook H e m u st m ow d own every .

thin g th at thwarts him everythin g that obstructs hi s p assage

, ,

everyth in g th at can im p e d e hi s p rom p t arrival at th e goal on

Which h e h as determi n ed R ascals or im beciles or presum ptu ou s

.
,

p eo p le o r th ose ea ger f or g l ory i t i s a ll t h e sam e ta n

, t pi s pou r ,

eu x wh at are t ey t e o R ob espierre kn ew all th at and

h h re f r ?
,

it i s p artly wh at m akes m e adm ire him 1

.

wh ere Bab euf showe d him self th e in t elle ctu al

But
inf erior of Rob esp ierre was in the way h e p rop ose d to
Overco m e re sistan ce to h i s p lan of a S ocialist S tate .

Rob e sp ierre as h e well knew had S p en t four t een m on th s

,
‘

,
'

”
m owin g down th ose th at obst ru ct e d h i s p assage
“
h ad ,

kep t th e gui llotin e u nrem ittin gly at work in Paris an d the

ovi n c s e t e v e n t h en h a d n ot su cc e ed e d in S il en cin
p r e y , g
obj e cto rs B ut Babeuf h op ed to accom p lish hi s pu rp ose
.

P i eces sai si es chez B beuf ii 23

1 a , .

2
I t sh ou ld b e n ot ed t h atin h 1 s p am p hlet on Le S ys teme de la depopu la
ti or B ab euf h ad es tim at ed t h e vi ctim s of the Terror at no les s t h an a
i
m1 l i on .

1 P ieces sai si es chez B a beuf , ii 52 . .

 TH E C ON S PIRA CY OF B AB E UF 65
” 1
in one day th at grea t da y of the people wherein all
op p osition shoul d b e in stan tly su pp re ssed th e Wh ole exist ,

ing so cial o rder annih il ate d an d t h e Rep u b li c of E qu ality ,

ere ct ed on its rui n s I f h owever th e p roce ss were to b e

.
, ,

brief it mu st n e ce ssarily b e all th e m ore violen t an d it was ,

th u s with n one of th e calm p re cision of Rob e sp ierre m ark

in g down h e ads for de stru ction th at Bab euf set abou t hi s
task When writin g ou t his p lan s of in sur re ction hi s se cre
.
,

tary Pill é afterward s relate d at hi s t rial B ab euf woul d ru sh ,

up an d d own th e roo m with fl amin g ey e s m ou th in g an d ,

g ri m aci n g h i ttin g hi m s
,
e lf a g ai n st t h e f u rn i t u r e k n oc k in g
over th e ch airs whi lst u tterin g h oar se crie s of To arm s !
to arm s ! Th e in su rre ction ! th e in sur re ction is b egin ni n g !
it was an in sur rection again st th e ch airs sai d Pill é drily , .

Th en Bab euf woul d flin g h im self u p on hi s p en p l un ge it ,

in to th e in k an d write with fe arful rap idity whi lst hi s

, ,

wh ole bo dy trem b l e d an d th e p ersp iration p ou re d from hi s

”
brow It was no lon ger m adn ess a d de d Pillé
. it was , ,

fre n zy ! 2
Th is fren zy Bab euf exp lain ed was n e ce ssary
, ,

in orde r to work hi m self u p to th e r e qu ire d d e gr ee of el o

q u e n ce a n d i n h i
,
s app e als to i n s u rr e ctio n it is di ffi c ul t to s e e

where h is p rogr amm e di ff ered from th e bri gan d age a n d

violen ce h e h ad d ep recate d in his rep ly to d An ton elle ’
.

Wh y h e wrote in Le Tri bu n du P eu ple does on e S p eak

, ,

of laws an d p rop erty ? Prop erty i s th e S h a re of u sur p ers a n d law s

are th e work of th e stron gest Th e su n S hi n es for every on e
.
,

an d th e earth b elon gs to n o on e Go th en m y fri en ds an d .

, ,

di stu rb overth row an d u p set thi s society whi ch does n ot sui t

, ,

y o u. T ak e ev eryw h er e a ll th at y o u lik e S u p e rfl ui ty b e lo n g s .

by righ t to him wh o h as n othin g Thi s i s n ot all frien ds a n d .

,

broth ers I f con stitu tion al barriers are opp ose d to your gen erou s
.

eff orts overthrow wi thou t scr up le b arriers a n d con sti tu tion s

, .

Bu tch er withou t m ercy tyrants p atrician s th e Gil ded Million , , ,

all th ose imm oral b ein gs wh o woul d op p ose you r comm on h app i
n ess You are th e People th e tru e People th e only Peop le
.
, ,

worthy to enj oy th e good thi n gs of thi s world ! Th e j u sti ce of

th e Peop le is great an d m aj esti c as th e Peop le itself ; all tha t it
does i s legi tim ate all th at i t ord ers i s sacred !
,
3

In evitably Bab euf secu re d a certain followin g am o n gst

th e wo rking class e s th e call to vi ol en ce m u st ever fi n d
-

P i eces sai si es chez B abeuf 1

,
2 Fleury , p
o ci t.
p 24 4
. . I bid .
p 77
. .
66 WORL D R E VOLUTIO N
an an swering e cho in the m in ds of the desp airing an d the ,

e
p p o l e o f Paris at thi s crisis h ad good cau se for desp air .

Food owin g to fou r ye ars of w ar an d seven of revolu tion

was at famine prices th e destru ction of Comm erce car,

ri e d on by th e em issari e s of th e C om ité d e S alu t Pu blic i n

the m anuf actu rin g town s of Fran ce h a d raised all th e com

m odities of life to th e sam e p roh ibitive level and cre ate d
vast un em p loym ent ; m e anwhile the n ewly rich th e w a r
p r o fi t ee rs t,h e arm y co n t r acto rs t h e adventu rers wh o had ,

m ade their fortun e s ou t of th e Revolu tion revell e d in

lux u ry th eir wive s and mistre sse s swath e d in p e arls an d

,

diam ond s an d little else b esid e s flaun ted th eir ch arm s

, ,

an d Op ul en ce b efo re th e hu n gry eye s of th e p oor Wh at .

won der th en th at th e sold iers crie d ou t their ru ler s were

, ,

all r ascals all m u rderers of th e p eople that th ey were

, ,
”
re ady to exterm i n at e th em or t h at th e wretche d inh ab it
,

ants of th e fau bou rgs de clared all th eir ills were to b e

attribu te d to th e Revolu tion an d th at they were happ ier
un der th e Old R egim e
1

To a people in su ch a m ood as thi s it was e asy to m ake

th e cou n sel of desp air whi ch con sist e d in sm ash in g eve ry
th in g app ear to b e th e S im plest solu tion of all di ffi cul tie s ,

a n d th e a gen ts of Bab eu f verse d in all th e m e th ods of th e

,

S e cret S ocieti es for stirrin g u p p opul ar fur y su cceede d in ,

Wi nn in g over a n u m b er of workin g m en to thei r vi ews -

.

One in geni ou s p lan con sist ed in p asting u p large in cen di ary

p laca r ds ar o un d wh ich acco m p lic e s k n own as grou peu r s

or as we m i gh t say
, crowd coll ectors
, were em ployed -

to assem ble as if by acci d en t an d then to read th e wor ds ;

al ou d p oin tin g ou t th e m ost i m p o rtan t p assage s with t heir

,

fingers .
2
Th e A na lys e de B a beuf thu s exp osed m et with
m u ch a pplau se from th e Wo rking m en who coul d b u t -
,

di ml y un der stan d its re al p u rp o rt At th e sam e tim e .

in fl amm atory p am phl ets dil atin g on th e greed of th e

t rade sm en and the infam ie s of the Governm ent were cir
cul at e d in th e f au bo u rgs wh ere th e wo m en of th e p eop le
,

e a gerly re ad th em alou d to th eir m en f olk wh ilst at work

“

-
.

S o gre at was th e en thu siasm thu s cre at e d th at th e Bab ou

1
P i eces sai si es ,
11 . 1 64 .

1 Fleury , p
o . ci t. pp 7 4
.
, 1 31 ; P i eces sai si es ,
ii 1 0 6
. .
 TH E C ON S PIRA C Y OF BAB E UF 67

viste s en te rtain e d n o d ou b t of b ein g ab le to enli st the Wh ole

r ol e t ar iat in t h e m ov em en t an d by th e b eginn in f May
p g o ,

it was estim at ed th at an arm y of n o le ss th an e

p p eo l
woul d assem b le on th e d ay of in surre ction Th e s e fo r ce s 1
.

in clu d ed 4 50 0 sol di ers an d 6 0 0 0 of the p olice wh o by lavish ,

p ro m i s e s of booty h a d b e e n w on over to th e con s i racy

p .

Th e f ollowi n g p ro gramm e f or th e Gre at D ay was

n ow dr awn u p by th e S e cret D i re cto ry : at a giv en m o m en t

th e revolu tion ary arm y was to m ar ch on th e Legi sl ative

Assem bly on th e h eadqu arters of th e Ar m y an d on th e
, ,

h ou se s of th e Mini sters Th e b e st t rain e d t roop s were to .

-

b e se n t to th e arsen al s an d th e m un ition facto ries an d also ,

to t h e cam p s of Vin ce nn e s an d Gren ell e in th e h op e th at

the 80 0 0 m en en cam p e d th ere woul d join in t h e m ov em en t .

Me an while orators were to h old forth to th e soldi ers an d ,

wom en were to p re sen t th em with refreshm en t a n d civic

wreath s I n th e event of their rem ainin g p roof again st
.

th ese se du ction s th e stre ets were to b e barricad ed a n d ,

ston es b rick s boilin g water an d vitriol thrown d own on

, , ,

2
th e h e ads of th e t roop s All su pp lie s for the cap ital were
.

then to be s eiz ed an d p laced u n der th e control of th e

leaders ; at th e sam e tim e th e weal thi er classe s were to b e
dri ven fro m th eir ho u se s whi ch were imm edi at ely to b e ,

con verte d in to lodgin gs f or th e p oo r

3
Th e m em be rs of th e .

Directory were th en to b e bu tch ered likewise all citizen s ,

wh o off ere d an y re sistan ce to th e in su rgen ts 4

Th e in sur .

”
re ction th u s h ap p ily term in at e d as Bab euf n aively ,
_

exp re sse d i t
s
th e wh ol e p e op l e were to b e asse m bl e d in th e
,

Place d e la R evolu tion an d in vite d to cc Op erate in th e

6 -

ch oice of th eir rep resen tative s Th e p lan wri te s .

,

was t o t alk to th e p eop l e with ou t re serve an d

'

Bu on ar otti ,

wi th o u t di gre ssion s an d to ren d er th e m ost im p re ssive

,
” 7
h o m a ge to its soverei gn ty B u t l e st th e p e o p le p er.

ch an ce b lin d e d to its t ru e st in te re sts m i gh t fail to re cog

, ,

ni ze its savi our s in th e p er so n of th e con spi r ato rs th e ,

B ab ou vi ste s p rop ose d to follow u p th eir h o m age of th e

o l s sov i ty by d m a di t h at x c tiv ow
’

p pe e e re gn e n n g e e u e p er

shou ld be exclu sively confi de d t o th e m selve s for as ,

1
B u on arot ti , p
o . ci t
. i 1 89
. .
2
I bid 1 1 94
. . .

1
I bid 1 1 96
. . .

1
I bi d 1 1 97
. . .
1
I bid . i 1 56
. .
7 I bid 1 . . 20 0 .
 WORLD RE VOLUTION
B u on arotti observed at the beginni ng of the revolu tion
,

it is n e ce ssary even ou t of re sp e ct for t h e re al soverei gnty

,

of th e p eop le to occ u p y on e self l e ss with th e wish e s of th e

,

n ation th an to p lace su p rem e au th ority in st ron gly revolu

” 1
tion ary h an ds On ce in th ese han ds it wou l d of cou rse
.

rem ai n th ere an d th e B ab ou vis te s with all th e civil an d

,

mi litary fo rc e s at th eir back woul d b e able to im p ose th ei r

system of S tate serfdom on th e su bm issive p eop le .

It is fe arfu l to im a gine what blood m i gh t on ce a gai n

have re d den ed th e st reets of Paris if an u nfo re seen obstacle
had n ot arisen in th e p ath of the con spirators n am ely a ,

traitor in th e cam p This m an calle d Grisel was a soldier

.
, ,

in th e 33rd B ri gad e wh o h ad b een drawn a gain st his will

in to th e con sp iracy Strollin g one April e venin g on th e
.

Q u ai d e s T u il e ri e s G ris el h a d ,
en co u n t e r e d a n old f ri en d a ,

tailor n am ed Mu gnier wh o was an en thu siastic Bab ou vi ste , .

Mu gnier con vin ce d th at he woul d fin d a sym p ath izer in

,

Grisel p rocee de d to p ou r forth com p lain ts again st th e

,

Governm en t an d en de d by in t rodu cin g him to several of

,

his fellow con sp irators A few days later one of th ese m en

-
.

m et Grisel in a café an d b ecom in g loqu aciou s u n der th e

,

influ en ce of drin k confide d to him p art of th e p lan of th e

,

con spi racy Grisel fe arin g to m ake an enem y of so d an

.
,

g e ro u s a m a n da r e d n
, ot e xp re ss his di sa pp r oval a n d h i s ,

n ew associat e s en co u r a ge d by hi s app aren t agreem e n t wi th

,

their vi ews invited hi m to one of th eir m eetin gs at th e café

,

of th e B ai ns C h in ois whith er th ey h ad rem oved after ,

th e closin g down of th e so ca] le d Panthéon Here Grisel

-
.

f oun d h im self in th e thick of th e con sp iracy ; violen t

speeche s were m ade both by m en an d wom en revo

lu tion ary son gs were sun g am on gst others a dirge On th e ,

death of Rob esp ierre Meanwhile wine an d cider flowe d .

freely an d Grisel in vite d to take p art in th e o rgy as h e

, ,

afterwar ds de scribe d it was h aile d as an acqui sition to th e ,

cau se On e of th e con spirators th en h an ded h im som e of

.

Bab euf s p am phlets fo r di stribu tion am on gst th e soldiers

an d aske d him to co m p ose oth ers for th e s am e p urp ose .

Grisel realize d th at it was too late to draw back for th e ,

con spirators having taken him into their confidence

, ,

Buonarotti , op. ci t. i 1 34
. .
 TH E C ON S PIRA C Y OF BAB E UF 69

woul d certainly di sp ose of hi m by a dagger thru st if h e now -

di sassociat e d hi m self from th eir d e sign s Acco rdin gly h e .

set him self to th e task assi gn e d hi m b u t n o t with ou t fir st ,

con sultin g hi s battalion com m an der wh o advised h im to-

,

con tinu e in hi s role of B ab ou vi ste Grisel warmin g to th e .

,

work th ereu p on com p ose d a violen t letter en titled F ra n c

,

Li bra d s on am i La Terreu r in citin g th e t r0 0 p s to reb ellion

, ,

an d in whi ch he was ca reful to im itat e t h e p om p ou s an d

m e ani n gless p hraseolo gy of th e con sp ir ators Thi s eff u sion .

”
m et with the he artiest applau se at th e Bain s Ch in ois ,

an d Grisel wh o h a d hi th erto b een onl y p artly ini tiat e d in to

,

th e d etail s of t h e in surre ction n ow f oun d h im self re ceive d ,

into th e inn er coun cils of th e le aders At th e fir st of th es e .

m ee tin gs con sistin g onl y of fi ve m em b ers

,
Bab euf ,

Germ ain B u on arotti D idier an d D arth é

, , Grisel saw
,

th e le a d er of th e con sp i racy for th e first tim e an d lookin g ,

at him with som e curiosity n oticed with su rprise th at

Bab eu f of wh ose geni u s h e h a d he ar d so m u ch p re sen te d
, ,
”
an app e aran ce of ext rem e m ed iocrity whil st hi s ,

b eh aviou r showed him to b e m ore e ccent ric th an ori gin al .

I n fact th e wh ole ban d s eem e d to th e n ewcom er a p arty of

m aniacs an d h is first feelin g was on e of rem orse at th e idea
,

of givin g over th e vi ctim s of m ere m en tal d iso rd er to

j u stice Wh en th erefore Bab euf u nf olded hi s sch em e of

.
, ,

in surrection en taili n g th e wh ole sale m assacre of th e

,

Governm en t th e we althy an d all existin g au t h oriti e s

, , ,

Grisel overcom e with h orror ven tu re d to exp ostu late

, , ,
,

p oi n tin g o u t t h e t erribl e co n s e qu en c e s of ov e rth r owi n g t h e

G ov er n m en t : What will y o u p u t i n its p lac e ? Will

there n ot b e an in terval b etween th e fall of th e Govern
m en t an d t h at wh ich y ou will p u t in its p lace ? It
will b e com plete an archy ; a ll the re strai nts of law will b e
broken I p ray y ou think it over
.
1
.

This m o deration ne arly p roved f atal to Grisel and ,

seein g th e thr eaten in g glan ce s di re cte d towar d s hi m h e ,

h astily rep aire d hi s error by p l un gin g in to a viol en t

h arangu e in which h e p rop ose d to bu rn down all th e
Ch ate au x aroun d Paris b efore fallin g on th e m em b ers of th e
Di rectory Th e su gge stion d id n ot h owever fi nd favour
.
, ,

Fleury , o p . ci t. pp . 1 75, 1 76 .
 WOR LD RE VOLUTION
.

with the wh o saw in th e de stru ct ion of the

Ch ateaux an en d to th eir h op e s of booty ; neverthele ss
Grisel h a d n ow regain e d th eir good op inion an d was
a dm itte d to fu rth er m eetin gs of th e comm ittee At one of .

th e se D arth é re ad alou d th e fin ish ed p lan of in surre ction

, ,

to which fu rth er atro ciou s detail s h ad been added eve ry

o n e att em p tin g to e x erci se an y au th o rity was i n stan tly to

'

b e p u t to d e ath th e arm ou rers were to b e f orce d to give

,

u p th eir arm s th e ba ke rs t h ei r su p p lie s of b re a d an d th ose

, ,

wh o re sisted h oisted to th e n e are st lan tern ; th e sam e f at e

was re serve d for all win e an d S p irit m erch an ts wh o m i gh t
re fu se to p rovide the b ran dy n ee de d to in fl am e th e p op u

lace a nd drive them in to violen ce 1

All refle ction on th e .

p a r t o f t h e e
p p o l e m u st b e a void e d r a n t h e w ritt en d ir e c ,

tion s to the leaders ; they m u st com m it acts which will

” 2
p re v e n t t h e m fro m go m g back .

Amon gst the wh ole of this ferociou s ban d Rossi gn ol ; ,

th e fo rm er general of th e re volu tion ary arm i e s in La

Ven dee showed hi m self th e m ost blood th ir sty : I will n ot
,
"

have anythin g to do with you r in sur re ction h e crie d , ,

un l e ss h e ads f all l ike hail un le ss it in sp ire s so gre at

a terror th at it m ake s th e whol e u niverse sh u dder
a discou rse th at m et with un ani m ou s app lau se .

Th e 1 l th of M ay had b een fixe d f or th e gre at day of

ex p losio n w h e n
,
n ot o n ly Pa ris b u t all th e lar ge citi e s o,
f
Fran ce worke d on b y th e agen ts of Bab euf were to rise
an d overt h row th e whol e st ru ct u re of civilizatio n But .

Grisel h a d sou gh t and nt ef vi ew with C arn ot an d th e Gov

’

e rn m e n t warn e d of th e im p en ding attac k was re ady to

, ,

m eet it On th e m orn in g of th e day ap p ointe d a p lacard

.
,

was foun d p oste d u p on all th e wall s of P aris b earing th e se

words :
TH E E X E CUTIVE D IRE CTO RY To TH E C ITI ZE NS OF P ARI S
C itiz en s a frightfu l p lot is to break ou t thi s night or
,

tom orrow at th e dawn of day A b and of thieves an d mu rd erers .

h as form ed th e p roj ect of bu tch ering th e Legi slative Assem b ly ,

all th e m em b ers of th e Governm en t t h e staff of th e Arm y a nd , ,

all con stitu ted au th oriti es I n Paris Th e Constitu tion of 93 i s

’
.

to be proclaim ed Thi s p roclam ation i s to be th e si gn al for a

‘
.

1 Fleury , o p
. ci t. p p.1 93 -
1 95 . I bid p . .
 THE C ON S PIRAC Y OF BAB E U F 71

gen eral pill age of Paris of hou ses as m u ch as of stores and sh op s

, ‘ ,

an d th e m assacre of a gre a t n um b er of citi zen s i s to b e carri e d

ou t at th e sam e tim e Bu t be rea ssur ed good citizen s ; th e

.
,

G ov ernm ent is watchin g it kn ows th e lea d ers of th e p lot an d ,

th eir m eth od s b e calm th erefore and carry on your , ,

ordin ary bu sin ess ; the Governm ent h a s taken infalli ble m ea s
ures for ou twi ttin g th eir sch em es an d for gi ving th em u p wi th ,

their p artisans to th e vengeance of th e law 1

.

Then withou t fur ther warning th e p olice b ur st in to

, ,

th e h o u se where Bab euf an d B u on arot ti were drawi n g u p a

rival p lacard cal lin g th e p e op l e to revolt I n th e m i d st of .

their task th e arm of th e law surp rise d an d seize d th em ,

an d on th e f ollo win g m ornin g f o rty fi ve oth er le a d er s of th e -

con sp iracy were arreste d likewise an d th rown in to th e

Abbaye Alas for th e su p po rt th ey had h ope d for fro m th e
.

o u lac e ! T h e r evolu tion ar y arm y on wh ich th ey h ad

p p
coun ted im pre sse d as th e p eop le al ways are by a disp lay of
,

au th ority went over to th e p olice in su p p ort of law an d

,

order With th e rem oval of th e agitators th e wh ole p op u

.

la ce cam e to th eir sen se s an d re alize d th e fu ll horror of th e

p lot in to whi ch t h ey had b ee n in vei gle d .

workin g m an a Governm ent reporter writes

Th e -
, no ,

longer regards th e con spiracy as awild story th e p illage p rom ,

i se d hi m m akes hi m shrug hi s sh oul ders an d h e feels th at th e ,

b ri gan ds h aili ng from n o on e knows wh ere woul d h ave pill a ged

, ,

th e workin g m an him self Th eir rem ark is

-
It woul d be b etter
.
,

to stay as we are an d to sen d all th ose rascal s to th e scaff old !

Wh en the p roj ect of th e m assacre is rea d an d th ese words all
refle ction on th e p art of the p eop le m u st b e avoid e d ; th ey m u st

comm it acts whi ch wi ll p reven t th em from goin g back th e ,

’

rea d ers are over com e with an ger Th ey see that th e s coun drels .

wi sh ed to m ake th em the vi ctim s Le t th e Directory h av e th em .

a ll h an ge d an d m ay H ell swallow th em u p !
, that i s th eir
refl ection S om e soldi ers readin g th ese dr ea df ul docum en ts say
.

lo u dly : S oldiers of liberty wi ll never have for fri en ds thieves .

brigan ds an d as sassin s !
,
2

of B ab e uf
’
The ap pe als frien ds to th e wo rkin g classes s -

u rgin g th em to re scu e th e p ri so n ers f ell th eref ore on de af

e ars . I n vain h orde s of viragos enli st e d by th e con sp irato r s

p ar ad e d t h e f a u bo ur gs t elli n g th e wo rki n g
,
m e n of S ain t -

Antoin e that their com rad e s in S ain t Marce au were ta kin g -

1
Fleury op ci t 2 1 6
, . S c hm id t Ta blea u x de P a ri s iii 1 97
. .
3
, , . .
72 WORL D RE VOLUTION
up a s rm , oclaim ing in S aint Marceau that S aint
a nd p r -

"
An toine was risin g ; th e working m en of both districts -

in di gn antly rep ul sed the se furies who adm itted with te ars ,

they h a d b een p aid to stir u p in su rre ction .

On th e 27 th of Au gu st 1 7 9 6 all th e le aders of th e c on
sp irac
y to t h e n um b e r o f f o rty s eve n we re re m ove d to -

Ven dom e to await th eir t rial which however did n ot , , ,

begin u n til Feb ru ary 20 of th e followin g ye ar and laste d

u n til th e en d of May B ab euf s b eh avi our in cou rt alt er
’
.

n a ted b e tween br azen d efian ce a n d p i tiabl e weakn e ss .

Al re ady at his cross exam in ation in Paris h e h ad d eclared

-

him self to be m erely th e agent of a con sp iracy :

I attest th ey d o m e too m u ch honou r in decoratin g m e wi th
th e title of h ead of thi s aff air I d eclare that I h ad only a .

secon dary an d lim ited p art in it The h ead s an d the lead ers .

n eeded a director of p u b li c op inion I was in th e p osition to en li st ,

this opinion 1
. .

Who were th e m ysterious chief s referred to by Babeuf ?

The Illu m in ati ? Th e O rder we kn ow was still active an d
“

, ,

c o op er at e d with th e society of th e P hila d elp h e s wh ich

-
, ,

accordin g to Lom bard d e Lan gre s se cretly direct e d th e ,

B ab ouvi ste con sp iracy B ab euf whilst thu s disclai m in g

.
,

re sp on sibility ye t m ain tain e d his fi rm b eli ef in C o mm u n

,

i sm thou gh adm ittin g i t to b e an un attain abl e ide al Th is .

fin al aban donm ent of his revolu tion ary p ro gram m e h ow ,

ever di d not save h im an d on th e 27 th of May 1 7 9 7 sen

, ,

ten ce of death was p asse d on Bab euf an d D arthé ; seven of

their fell ow con sp irators were ordere d to b e d ep orte d th e
'

-
,

re st acqui tte d Th e two con dem n e d m en vainl y att em p t e d

.

to stab th em selve s with stil ettos th ey h ad con c e al e d

beneath their clothin g bu t were rem ove d to th eir c ells by
,

the p olice an d on th e 28th of May th e

, Chi ef of th e
E qu als an d hi s co m p anion p erish e d on th e scaff old .

S o en ded Babeuf bu t n ot so Babou vism e B u on aro t ti

, .

still survive d to h an d on th e torch of confla gration to th e

revol u tion ary grou p s of th e e arly n in et ee n th cen t u ry .

To day h owever owing to th e preten sion s of Ge rm an

, ,
.

S oci ali sm B ab eu f even in Fr an ce is alm ost f o rgott en or

'

, , ,

is rem embered only as a m a dm an Bu t why is Bab eu f .

Fleury , p
o . ci t .
p 230 . .
 T HE C ON S PIRA C Y OF BAB E U F 73

to be a de d as any m a d der th an hi s m ore f am ou s su c

re g r

sci c f vol tio ? O th e con t r ary a

ce ss ors in t h e en e o r e u n n ,

close stu dy of th e B ab ou vi ste con sp iracy reve als its au th or

to h ave b een far ah ead of hi s tim es a m an wh o if h e h a d , ,

li ved to d ay woul d un dou btedl y be h ai le d as a h eral d of

-
,

Th e f act is th at as stu den ts of th e Ru ssian Revolu tion

,

will h ave ob serve d B a bou vi sme and B olshevi s m are iden

,

ti ca l ; b e tween th e t wo cr ee ds t h ere is n o e ssen ti al diff eren ce .

Th e thir d I n tern ation al e of Moscow in its firs t Manif e sto

ri gh tly t r ace s its de scen t from Bab euf We S h al l retur n .

to thi s p oin t later in conn e ction wi th th e pro gramm e of

th e Bolsh evi ks .

It m ay b e obj ecte d th at th e B ab ou vi st e risin g was

lackin g in th e In tern ation al sp iri t of Bolshevism ; it i s t ru e
'

th at Bab eu f confine d hi s en ergies to Fran ce in th e m atter

of o rgan izin g th e day of r evol u tio n b u t th at h e dre am t of ,

th e m ov em en t su bse qu en tly develop in g on a f ar lar ge r

scale is evi den t from th ose hi s Co m
m un i st Manif e sto : Th e F renc h Re volu tion is onl y th e
foreru nn er of an oth er revolu tion very m u ch gre ater , very ,

m u ch m ore solemn an d which will b e th e last ! , 4 3

Th e co n sp iracy of Bab euf was th u s th e exp irin g efi ort

of th e Fr en ch Revol u tion to re ali ze th e gre at sch em e of

Weish au p t Th e uni vers al n atur e of th at firs t u p h eaval

.

h a s b een t oo li ttl e reali ze d by p osterity E verywh ere .

Illum inism h a d fo un d its adep ts ; in H oll an d B el gium , ,

S p ain It al y S witzerlan d S weden Ru ssia even as far as

, , , , ,

Africa th e di sin t egratin g d octrin e s of Weis h au p t h a d

,

sp re ad b en e ath th e su rf ace It was n ot m erely th e thr on es

1
.

of E u r op e th at were S h aken b u t civiliz ation its elf tha t

t rem bl e d to its very foun dation s E n glan d h a d en tere d .

lar gely into th e p roj ec ts of th e con sp ir ators ; n o le ss an

ad ep t th an C ato Zwack hi m se lf h ad as w e h ave seen
-
, ,

visite d thi s coun try aft er hi s exp ul sion fr om Bavaria an d ,

S p en t a ye ar at Oxf o r d University whi ch le ss recep tive , ,

to ill u mi n ate d d octrin es th an it is to d ay accorde d hi m -

,

2
s can t ap p r eciation B u t th e eff orts of hi s fell ow co u n try
.
-

ci t iv 3 5 7 3 7 8 I bi d
2
I B arru el , o p . . .
-
. . op
. ci t. iv p 4 0 0
. . .
 4 WORL D RE VOLUTION
m en , Rontgen , I biken who followed m et
, an d R egenh ardt ,
1

with som e degree of su cc e ss an d Robison h im self a Free , ,

m ason adm its with regret th at a certain n um b er of

,

B ritish m ason s were won over by the Germ an p rop agan

dists Am on gst th ese was the cele brat ed Th o m as Pain e
.
,

who was later on to b etray his conne ction with th e Illu

m i n ati by hi s work The A ge of R ea s on writt en in Fran ce
, ,

whi lst th e Feasts of Re ason were takin g p lace in the

chur ch es of Paris Largely then owi ng to th e in st rumen t
.
, ,

ality of Pain e several illuminiz e d lodge s were start e d

in E n glan d which Robison writin g in 1 7 97 de clare d to b e
, , ,

still in existen ce
2
It is thu s th at we fi n d noble lords at
.

their ban qu ets drinkin g the h ealth of th e S overeign Peop le ,

‘ 1
whi lst in th eir lairs oth er B roth ers a re m editatin g how
they sh all set to work in o rder to p u t at th e d isp osal of the
S overeign P eop le th e p osse ssion s of th eir B roth er Lords ,

th e t re asu re s of the b an ks a n d th e shop s of the rich m er ,

” 3
chants Ba rru el is n o dou bt righ t in de scribin g the se
.

u p p er class S u bv ersive s as th e B roth er D u p e s ( Frere s

Du p e s) of the Order it was n ot su ch m en as Fox S h eridan

, , ,

or even th e re ne gade Lo rd S t anhop e wh o de sired to see

a levellin g d own of the we alth they them selve s enjoyed ;
b u t th e p lan of th e Illum i n ati was always to u se e ach sec
tion of th e comm uni ty for its own destru ction The real .

ai m s of Illu m inism were em bo di ed n ot in the p olitical

revol u tion devise d by the Wh i gs to b rin g them selve s in t o

p owe r b u t i
,n t h e social revolu tio n o rgani z e d by th e mi ddl e

class m alcontents Paine Price and Priestly an d their

, , , ,

alli e s am ongst th e disgrun tle d m anu al workers It was by .

these m en th at after the Revolu tion broke ou t in France

, ,

revolu tio n ary societi e s were start e d in E n glan d th e m ost ,

i rnportan t b eing th e Lo n don C o rresp o n di n g S ociety ,

foun de d in 1 7 92 by a shoem aker n am e d Hardy with ,

br an ch e s all over th e kin gdom Althou gh con du ctin g th eir .

a gitatio n u n der th e p ret ext of refo rm it is i m p ossible to ,

s ee in thi s m ovem en t a n y conn e ction with the wo rki n g

class grievan ces th at u n derlay the I n du st rial Revolu tion

A ppli cati on of B arru el s Mem oi rs of Ja cobi ni s m to the S ecret S oci eti es
’
1

of I rela nd a nd Grea t B ri ta i n , by t h e tran sla tor of tha t work ( th e H on .

R C Clifford) , Lon d on , 1 7 98 , p xx ii
. .
. .

2
Ro bison , op ci t pp 4 7 8 , 4 7 9
. . . Barruel , op ci t I V 4 1 4
. . . . .
 TH E C ON S PIRA C Y OF BAB E UF 5

som e thirty ye ars lat er ; n eith er th e d oct rin e s n or the

p h ras e olo gy of t h e s e soci e t i e s savo u r in an y way o f wo rk
in g class m en tality b u t a re both ob viou sly of fo rei gn
-

im p ortation wh ilst th eir p lan of organi zation is si m p ly

,
”
th at o f th e Illum in ati “
Th e se societie s writ e s a c on
.
,

tem p orary were form ed on Weish au p t s corresp on din g

,
’

”
sc al e with a Gran d C oun cil
,
to di rect op eration s 1
.

And we h ave only to re ad th eir co rre sp on den ce to re cog

niz e th e t ru th of th e fur th er ass ertion t h at a ll th eir

form s an d even th eir m ode s of S p ee ch we re servil ely cop ie d

from th e F ren ch 2
th at is to say from th e Fren ch ,

di scip l e s of the I ll u m in ati It is cert ainly n ot B ritish b oot

.

m ake rs or m e ch anics wh o devi se su ch ph rases as Citizen s

of th e Wo rld
”
th e , I m prescrip tible Rights of M an or ”
,

who wou ld h ave b eth ou ght th em selve s of b eginni n g a

letter to th e C on vention of Paris with th e word s : Illu s
tri ou s sen ato rs enl i gh t en e d legislators an d d e ar fri en ds !
, ,

Th e p hrase ology of Jacobini sm is h ere cl early app aren t .

Th e traitorou s corre sp on d en ce th at took p lace durin g

th e au t u mn of 1 7 92 wh en i mm e d iat ely aft er th e gh astly
,

m as sacre s of S ep t em b er the E n glish Jacobin s se n t

aff ection ate lett ers of good will to their Fren ch brethren
-

an d even exp re ss ed th e hop e of s ettin g u p a Nation al C on

ven tion in E nglan d m u st n ot b e t race d to an y n ativ e

,

violen ce on th e p art of B ritish workin g m en bu t solely to -

,

th e workin gs of Illum i nism Th u s owin g to the inter

.
,

n ation al doct rin e s i n still e d in thei r mi n d s by th e a d ep ts

of Weishau p t th e E n glish du p e s wh o su bs crib e d to

,

th ese effu sion s littl e dre am t th at th e m en to wh om th ey

addre ssed them selve s were in reality th eir bittere st
en e m i e s
3
.

C liff ord , A ppli ca ti on of B arruel s M emoi rs , etc p 33

’
. . .

2
Cliff ord , op ci t p . .

2
I t S h ould b e rem em b ered t ha t at this d ate S ep t em b er to D ecem b er
1 7 92 th e power of th e Giron din s , wh o h ad sh own t h em selves fri endl y to
E nglan d , was wanin g an d R ob es p ierre was ga ini n g t h e as cen d an cy And .

R ob esp i erre 3 Op ini on of th e E ngli s h is t h u s con cisely exp ress ed in hi s

’

sp eec h t o t h e C o n ven t ion on J an u ary A s a Fren chm an an d

rep resen t at ive of t h e p eop le I d eclare th at I h at e t h e E nglish p eop le I
d ec lare t h at I S h all in creas e as far a s in m e li es th e h a tred of my fell ow
cou n trym en a ga in st th em What do es it m att er wh at th ey think of m e ?
.

I only hop e i n our sold iers and m th e profou n d h atred th e Fren ch have for
”
t ha t p eop le . S u ch were th e d ear fri en d s a t wh ose feet the E ng lish

Jacobm s saw fit to gr ovel .

 6 WORL D RE VOLUTION
I n terna ti ona li s m has a lways redou nded to the di s credi t o f
E n gla nd .

By way of fu rther exp re ssing their e st eem for th e

Jacobin s of Fran ce th e E n glish revolu tion ary soci etie s ,

h a d colle ct ed large su m s of m on ey wh ich th ey d isp atch e d

to Paris an d also a qu an tity of arm s m ad e at Birmi n gh am
a n d S h effield
1
Fired by this exam p le th e le adin g revolu
.
,

tion ary S oci ety of S cotlan d callin g itself th e North ,

”
B riton s two year s later arm e d itself with p ike s for the
,

p pu r os e of o p e n i n su rr e ctio n T h e p lot h ow ev er was di s

.
, ,

covered and n o le ss th an 4 0 0 0 p ike s were fou nd to h ave

,

b een ord ere d for Perth b esi d e s th ose wan te d for E din
2
bu rgh .

By th is tim e 1 7 94 th e victo rie s of th e Rep u blican

, ,

arm ie s h ad ren dered th e Fren ch form idabl e allies an d , ,

before lo n g p lan s for th e in vasion of Gre at B ritain b egan

,

to b e discu ssed by th e agen ts of th e Illu m in ati Then as .

,

n ow Ir elan d was re co gnize d as th e m ost vul n erabl e p oi n t

,

of attac k a n d f or th ree ye ars an I rish S oci ety h a d b een at

,

work in th at cou ntry This association first kn own as .

,

”
th e I rish B roth erh ood th e n as th e Uni te d Irish m en
, ,

was organi ze d in June 1 7 9 1 on th e line s of th e Illu m in ati .

Th e p rop osals f or it write s C lifford a re cou ch e d in

, ,

th e styl e an d e xact te rm s of th e Hi erop han ts of I llu m in

”
i sm They re comm en d th e form ation of an association
.
,

or as it is styl e d
,
a b en efi cen t con sp iracy to serve th e
,

p pe o l e ; ass u m i n g th e s e c r e cy a n d so m e w h at of t h e
” 3
cerem on ial attach e d to Freem asonry This was eff ect ed .

by m ean s of a central society or lodge from wh ich other

lodge s in th e diff erent town s ra diate d ; ch airm en or Masters
p re sid e d ov e r t h e lo d g e s a n d s e c re ta ri e s we re app oi,n t e d
b elon gin g on ly to th e h i gher degree s Th e con caten ation .

Os wald s sp eech to th e J acobin s of S ep tem b er 3 0 , 1 7 92 (A ulard s

’ '
1

S ea n ces des J a cobi ns , iv

’
I t was Os wald , an E n li sh J aco bin , wh o
. g
s eem s t o h ave s u gg
est ed th e id ea of th e t errible Lo i d es S u sp ect s to th e
C on ven tion an d even a dvocat ed a m ore extrem e m ea sure still , n am ely t o
p u t to d ea th e v ery sus p ec t e d m an in Fran ce Th i s s u e s t i on , em an atin
. gg g
g
from a ve et ari an (for Oswald h ad ad op t ed th e d i et of th e B rah m in s after
so m e y ea rs s p en t in In d ia) , d rew frorn Th om as a in e t h e iron ical rem ark, P
Os wald , y o u h a ve li v ed so lon with ou t ta stin g
es h tha t you h ave n o w gfl
a m o s t v or a cio u s ap p et it e for blood ( etters of Redhead Yorke, 1 90 6 L
edi tion , p 7 1 .

2
C liff ord , op ci t p 3 5 . . . .
2
I bi d pp 1 , 2 . . .
 TH E C ON S PIRA C Y OF BAB E UF 77

of th edegrees Clifford goes o n to observe

, p e rfe ctly ,

coin cides with Weish au pt s p lan and h e illu strate s th e

” ’

fact by a rep rodu ction of th e pyrarni dic scale of adep ts ,

startin g with the on e controllin g brain at th e top an d

widen ing ou t in to th e lower ran k s of the le ss initiate d ,
resem blin g th e on e sh own in th e code of th e Illum in ati :
1

B B B B B B B B B B B B

I I I III III III III III III III III III III III

C om m itt ee s were th e n fo rm e d all over Irelan d b u t no ,

p e r so n w h at eve r co ul d m e n tio n t h e n am e s of th e C o m
m ittee m en : th ey were n ot even kn own to th ose wh o h a d
-

ele ct e d th em in th e cas e of th e Natio n al or E xe cu tive C om

m ittee . Th u s was th e S ociety en tirely governe d by

” 2
u nkn own S u p erio rs Th e exact S i m ilarity b etween this
.

Syst em a n d th e organi zation of th e B ab ou vi ste con sp iracy

will b e re a dily p erceived Th e official le ader of th e m ove .

m en t in B elf ast was Wolfe To ne in D u blin N ap p er Tan dy , ,

a n d at fir st Parliam en tary Refo rm an d C ath olic E m an

, ,

cip ati on were h eld ou t as th e on ly obj e cts of th e soci ety ,

b u t in tim e p lan s of a m o re su bver sive n at u re were

'

adm itte d Th u s wh en m ilitary c o op eration with th e

.
,
-

Fren ch was cont em plate d an d it b e cam e n ecessary to win

over th e troop s th e soldiers were ad j u re d to b e t ru e to
, .

”
th e Fren ch Rep u blic Th e b ett e r to p rop agat e th e
.

syst em it was h el d ou t to th e m ilitary th at wh en the ,

Fren ch sh oul d com e th e sol diers were to b e su ch a s them ;

,

” 3
th at th ere were to b e n o rich b u t A ll E qu a li ty Accord .

in gly th e b arr ac k s were to b e b u rn t down th e co u n t ry set ,

on fire fro m en d to en d a n d all arm s se iz e d un til th e ,

Fren ch S h o u l d lan d It sh ou ld b e n ot ed th at by th is d ate

.
,

J uly 1 7 97 even th e app e aran ce of lib erty un der th e n ame

,

1
. g
C f d ia r am in Na chtrag Ori gi nal S chriften, p 6 0 . .

2
C li ff ord , op ci t p 6
. . . .
3
I bi d .
78 WORL D R E VOLUTION
'

of Jacobi sm h ad ce ase d to
ni xist and it was with th e e ,
»

t roop s of the desp otic Dire cto ry th at the Irish soldiers '

were aske d to coal e sce .

I n all th is agitation th e I rish p easan ts playe d n o p art

at all ; in deed on th e onl y occasion wh en th e Fren c h
,

eff e ct e d a lan din g th e p e op l e off ere d vi gor ou s re sistan ce .

Th e co n temp orary accoun t of the in ci d ent is so cu riou s

th at it m u st b e qu oted verbatim :
On th e 24 th of Decem b er (1 7 96) th e French really di d m ake
their app earance at Bantry ; an d strange to say th ey were n ot , ,

second ed in th eir attem pts by th e p eople wh o u niversally ro se ,

in the sou th to opp ose th eir invad ers ; bu t this i s accou nted for
in a still m ore extraordin ary m ann er Th e E xecu tive h a d .

receive d n ews th at th e Fren ch h a d d eferr ed th eir exp edition till

S p rin g ; this circum stan ce threw th em off th eir gu ar d an d in

’
,

con sequ en ce of it n o m easu res were taken to prep are th e p eop le

for th e reception of th e Fren ch arm y The people were lef t to .

” ”
themselves I h op e in God , add s Clifford that this avowal
.
,

m ade by on e of their inten ded Governors m ay p rove a whole

som e lesson to that sam e p eople and en cou rage th em to follow ,
” 1
th e loyal an d gen ui n e di ctates of th eir h earts .

I n dee d so little were th e Irish p e ople initiated in to th e

real ai m s of the b e n efi cen t co n sp i racy at work in th ei r
m idst th at even the C ou n ty C om m itt ees were n ot i n th e
secret as to th e n ature of the engagem ents ent ered i n to
with th e Fren ch .

What unhappy delu ded p eople then were the lower associates
V

wh o were inform ed of n othin g, bu t were to b e th e m ere agents

of reb ellion an d m u rd er , an d were hu rried on into thi s abyss o f
h orror by a fewp olitical lib ertin es who grasp ed at dom inion an d ,

wi sh ed to wade to th e h elm of the S tate throu gh the bloo d of

their countrym en ! 2

The se words well de scrib e the workings of the con

s pira cy wh ich fro m 1 7 9 1 on wards h as n ever c e as e d to

exp loit th e t ro u bl e s of I relan d in o rder to b rin g abo u t th e

de stru ctio n of E n glan d and of Chr istiancivilization .

Whi lst the se events were taking place in E u rop e the

2
Clifford op ci t 9 1 0 q uotin g offi cial rep o t of the in cid en t
, . .
, ,
r .

2
p I bi d
1 2 T h
. is.v ery c u
.riou s p am p hl et s h ou ld b e rea d b
y every on e .

interest ed in th e p resent state of aff airs in Irelan d , of whi ch it off ers an

alm ost exact p ictur e .
 THE C ON S PIRA C Y OF BAB E U F 79

N ew World h ad b een illumi ni z ed As e arly as 1 7 86 a lodge

.

of t h e O rder h a d b een start e d in Virginia an d thi s was ,

foll owed b y fou rt een ot h ers in different cities Bu t th e .

h orror s of th e Fren ch Revolution followe d in 1 7 97 by th e

,

books of B arru el an d Robison whi ch su p p lie d the key to

,

even ts th at h a d hi th erto ap p e are d in exp licable Op en e d th e ,

eye s of th e Am erican p u b lic to th e t ru th of th e con sp i r acy

at work in its mi dst Th e alarm th at sp re ad thro u gh th e

.

S tat e s was not as it h a s b een foolishl y describ e d a case of

, ,

”
p an i c
, b u t th e r e co gn itio n of a ve ry re al dan ger o n w hi c h
the cl ergy h ad th e cour a ge to warn th eir co n gre gation s
from p ul p its all over th e cou n try .

At Ch arle stown on May 9 1 7 98 th e R ev Je de diah

, , .

Morse pre ache d hi s f am ou s serm on on Illu m in ism takin g ,

for his text , Thi s is a day of tro u ble an d of reb uke an d

blasp h em y
Practically all of th e civil an d ecclesiasti cal establishm ents of
E urop e h av e already b een sh aken to th eir foun dation s by thi s
terri ble organiz ation ; th e Fren ch R evolu tion itself i s dou btless
to b e trace d to its m achi nation s ; th e su ccesses of th e Fren ch
arm ies are to b e e xp lained on th e sam e groun d Th e Jacobin s .

are n othi n g m ore n or l ess th an th e op en m anifestation of th e

hi d den system of th e Illum inati Th e Order h as i ts bran ch es
.

establish ed an d it s em i ssari es at work i n Am erica Th e affil iat ed .

Jacobin S oci eties in Am erica h ave dou btless had as the ob j ect
of th ei r establi shm e nt th e p rop agation of th e p rin cip les of th e

illumi nated m oth er club in Fran ce .

In Ju ly of the sam e year Tim othy Dwi ght p resi dent of ,

Yal e th u s referre d to th e work of th e Fren ch Revolu tion in

,

his serm on to th e p eople of N ew Haven :

N0 p ersonal or national interest of m an h as b een uninvaded ;
n o irnp iou s sen tim en t of action again st God h a s b een sp ared ;
n o m ali gn an t hostili ty again st Chri st an d Hi s reli gi on h as b een
u n att em p t ed .Ju stice truth kin dn ess p iety an d m oral obliga
, , , ,

tion u ni versally have b een n ot m erely trodd en un d erfoot

bu t ridi cu led spurn ed an d in sul ted as th e childi sh bu gb ears of
, ,

drivellin g idi ocy . For what en d sh all we b e conn ected wi th

m en of wh om thi s is th e ch aracter an d con du ct ? Is it that we
m ay assu m e th e sam e ch aracter an d con ct d u ? I S it that our
chur ch es m ay b ecom e tem p les of reason ou r S abbath a d ecad e , ,

a n d our p sa lrn s of p rai se Marseillai s e hym n s ? Is it that we

m ay see th e Bible cast into a b onfir e th e vessels of th e sacra
,

m ental su pp er borne by an ass in p ub li c p rocession an d our ,

 0 WORL D RE VOLUTION
ch ildren either wh eedled or terrifi ed u niting in the m ob chant , ,

in g m ockeries again st God an d hailin g in th e sou n d s of th e

,

C a i ra th e rui n of th ei r reli gi on a n d t h e loss of t h eir sou ls ?

S h all ou r son s becom e th e di scip les of Voltaire an d th e

.

d ragoons of Marat or our dau ghters the con cu bin es of th e

,

Illum inati ?

Dwi gh t then refers to th e m isery wrou gh t by the

Rep u blican t roop s in B el gi u m Bolivia Italy an d S witzer, , ,

lan d th e h ap p in e ss of th e last n am e d an d i ts h op e s ,

cu t off at a sin gl e st roke happ in e ss e re ct e d W

, ith the labo u r
an d th e wis d o m of th ree cen tu ri e s Wh at h ave th ey .

S p re ad b u t c rim e s a n d m iseri e s ; wh ere h ave t h ey t rod den

b u t to wast e to p ollu t e an d to d e stroy ?

, ,

N ee dless to say th e se warnin gs were m et with fu riou s

,

rem o n st ran ce s fro m sy m p at h iz er s with t h e p rin cip le s of

Illu m inism .The I ndepen den t Chroni cle S p oke of th e

in co rri gible irnp e rtin en ce of th e clergy in t u rnin g aside
from th eir legitim at e fu n ction s to S p re ad alarm abou t
Illu m inism Jefferson wh om Morse de clare d to b e
hi m self an Illum in at u s stren u ou sly denie d all im p u ta
tion s a gain st th e O rder an d d e sc ri b e d Weish au p t as an
,

en t h u siastic p h ilan th ro p ist a n d B a rru el s revelation s as

’

”
th e ravi n gs of a B e dlam it e Th e very violen ce of t h e se
.

disclaim ers sh ows h ow t rul y th e sh afts h a d gon e h om e .

Th e lin e of defen ce ad op t e d h a d b een laid down som e ten

ye ars e arlier by Weish au p t Th e gre at care of th e Illu
.

”
m in ati after th e p u blicatio n of th eir se cret writin gs says ,

B arru el ,
was to p er su ad e th e wh ole of Germ an y th at
their Order n o lon ger existed th at th eir ad ep ts h ad all ,

ren oun ce d n ot on ly th ei r m yste ri e s an d co n sp ir aci e s b u t

all conn ection between th em selve s as m em bers of a secre t

”
society . It is very cu riou s to re ad th e se words written
m ore th an 1 20 ye ar s a go for this is p re cisely th e co u rse
,

th at h a s b een adop te d throu gh ou t by th e Illum in ati S till .

at th e p re sen t day any referen c e to th e rOle of Ill u m inism

eith er in th e F ren ch Revolu ti o n or af te r I S I mm e diat ely

m et with th e assu ran ce th at th e wh ol e th in g is a m are s

’

”
n e st , a n d th at in re ality Ill u m inism was a n u n im p o rtan t

a n d t ran sito ry m ove ment wh ich fin ally en ded With its

,

su p pre ssion in Bavaria in 1 7 86 .

 TH E C ON S PIRA C Y OF BAB E UF 1

With regar d to B arru el s an d Robison s revelation s ’ ’

whi ch we are asked to b elieve f ell fl at b u t whi ch in

re ality c re at e d so i m m en se a se n sati o n th at th e en tir e fir st

e di tion of th e t ran slatio n of B arru el s M e m oi r s was sol d

’

ou t bef ore th e fo u rt h volu m e re ach e d t h e P re ss wh ilst ,

’
Robison s boo k wen t in to at le ast four edi tio n s every

eff o rt was m a d e at th e tim e of th eir a e ar an ce to coun ter

pp
a ct th eir effe cts a n d even to wit h d raw th em fr o m ci r cul a

tion . Th e z e alo u s b roth er s on th e ban k s of th e Th am e s

as ke d for h elp from th eir Ge rm an broth ers in o rder t o
d e stroy th e cop i e s of th e obn oxiou s volum es 1
Th ereu p on .
'

B roth er Bo etti ger rep lie d by an article in th e M on thly

M a gaz i ne for Jan u ary 1 7 98 in whi ch h e assur ed th e B ritish
p u blic that e v e ry o n e co n c e rn e d in u n v eili n g Illu mi ni sm
is n ow onl y p ur sui n g a chi m era on m atters lon g sin ce
b u rie d in p rofoun d ob livi on th at si n ce 1 7 90 n o on e h as ,

p ai d th e l e ast att e n tio n to t h e Ill u m i n ati th at sin ce th at ,

d at e th ere is n o m en tion of th em in th e Germ an lo d ge s ,

an d th at fin al ly p roof s of thi s ass ertion a re to b e f o un d i n

, ,

th e p ap ers of Bode wh o h a d b e com e th e h e ad of th e

,

Order .At le ast as B arru el obs erve s Bo etti ger h ere

, ,

admi ts that th e m yst erie s of I llu mi ni sm h a d b ecom e

”
th ose of m asonic lodge s an d th at the Or der h a d n ot b een,

anni hil at ed in 1 7 8 6 at th e tim e of th e discovery of its p lots ,

as other writers of th e sect h ad preten d ed b u t th at it h a d ,

survived at any rate u n til 1 7 90 .

A fur th er exon eration of the Illum i n ati whi ch is fre

qu en tly qu ot ed to day ap p e are d som e ye ars later un d er
-

th e title of D e l i nflnence a ttri bnee a u x phi los ophes a u x

’ ’

F ra ncs M agon s et anx I llu mi nes s n r la R evolu ti on de F ran ce

’

, ,

of whi ch th e au th or was n o ot h er th an J e an Jos ep h

Mo unier p rop oser of th e Oath of the Tenni s Cou rt on

,

June 20 1 7 89 Accordin g to thi s app aren tly reliabl e wit

, .

n e ss n either Fr eem asonry n or I ll um i n ism h a d t h e sli gh t e st

,

infl u en ce on the Revolu tion n or h ad phi] Osop h y eith er ! ,

Th erefore if we are to b eli eve Mou ni er th e tim e h on our e d

, ,
-

Op en in g to n e arly every e xistin g boo k on th e F ren ch Revo

lu ti on t raci n g its o ri gin s to th e th eori e s of Ro uss e au ,

D i d erot Voltaire an d so on m u st b e ru l ed ou t as fictio n s

, , , .

1
B arru el , iv 2 1 8
. .
82 WORL D RE VOLUTION
When we com e to examine Mou nier s at titu de m o re ’

closely however certain con si d eration s p re sen t them

, ,
,

selve s too len gthy to e n t e r in to h ere wh i c

, h d etract some ,

wh at from the value of hi s te stim on y Of the se the m ost .

im p ortan t is the fact that Mou nier wrot e his book in Ger
m an y wh ere h e was livin g u n der the p rot e ction of the
,

D uk e of Weim ar who h a d p lace d h im at th e h ead of a ,

sch ool in that city where Boetti ger him self was director of
th e coll e ge an d acco rdin g to th e e ditor of Mou nier s
1 ’
'

, ,

work it was from Bode wh o was also at Weim ar an d wh om

, ,

Boettiger declare d to b e the h ead of th e Illu m in ati th at ,

Moun ier collect ed his inf orm ation ! An d th is is th e sort

2

of eviden ce s erio u sly qu ot e d a gai n st that of inn um erable

other con tem porarie s who t e stifie d to the influ en ce of

Illu m inism on th e Fren ch Revolu tion !
S p ace un fo rtun at ely f orbids qu otation s from th e se
au th o ritie s Lo m bard d e Lan gre s the C hevalier de ,

Malet Joseph d e Maistre th e C om te d e Vau dreui l Zim

, , ,

m erm an n GOch h au sen an d m an y oth ers

, b u t an im p o r
,

tan t p oint to n otice is that they b elon ge d to no on e p arty ,

reli gion sch ool of thou ght or n ation ality b u t thou gh

, , ,

widely differin g in th eir p olitical or religiou s p oin t of Vi ew ,

a greed on th is on e qu e stion Thu s th e argu m en t fre qu en tly .

advan ce d th at B arru el wrote S im p ly in the in tere sts of the

C ath olic C h u rch is obviou sly absu rd sin ce Robis on wh o , ,

was a P rot estan t arrive d in dep en dently at precisely the,

s am e c o n cl u sio n s a n d th e Am e rican e ccl e siastics qu ot ed

,

above can certainly n ot b e sup p ose d to have S p oken in

obe dien ce to th e dictat e s of Rome .

I t Will still b e obj e cte d that all th e se witn e sse s an d

-

those wh o cam e aft er th em were re action arie s e age r to

discre dit th e Revolu tion by every p ossible m e an s Was .

Lou is Blan e he S ocialist a e action ary A n d wh o h a s

t r ?

m o re cle arly in dicat e d th e wo rkin gs of th e occu lt fo rc es

b en e ath th e m ovem en t ? 3
Was George S an d revolu tion ,

ary an d F reem ason a re action ary An d it was Geo rge

,

S an d who in referrin g to ,
th e E u rop e an con sp i racy of
Mounier
’

,
De l flnence a ttri buee
in , etc
.
, p lviii
.
( 1 82 2 edition ) .

2
I bi d p p
1 30 , 21 2
. . .

2
S ee th e wh ole ch ap ter d evot ed to this ques tion in the o
sec nd volum e
'

of Lou is B lan c s Hi stoi re de la R évolu ti on Francoi se

’
.
 TH E C ON S PIRA C Y OF BAB E UF 83

Ill um ini sm an d th e gi gan tic con cep tion s of Weish au p t ,

declared th at Ill um ini sm drawin g from th e in ven tive

,

g e n i u s of its l e a d e r s an d fr o m t h e t r a di tio n s of t h e S ec r e t
S ocieti e s of m ystic Germ an y ap p all ed th e world by the
,

m ost fo rmi d able an d th e m ost l earne d of p olitic al and

re li gio u s con sp iraci e s whi ch
, sh ook all dyn astie s on
” 1
their thron es . An d M adam e S an d ad ds : H a d th e se
soci eti e s m ore efl ect in Fran ce than in th e he art of th e

Germ any th at h a d given th e birth m ? The F rench R evolu

” 2
ti on answers energeti ca lly wi th the afi i rrn a ti ve .

H ow th en in th ef ace of all thi s evi d en ce

, ,
evi d e n c e

whi ch as we sh all s ee later oth er Freem a son s con firm e d

, ,

is it p ossible to deny th e infl u en ce of illu mi ni z ed Free

m asonry on th e Fren ch Revolu tion ? How c an w e do u bt
th e tru th of th ose t errible words of B arru el whi ch th e su b
sequ en t hi story oi the world an d above all its situ ation , ,

to d ay h as su rely j u stified
-

You thou gh t th e Revolu ti on en ded in Fran ce Revo , an d th e

lu ti on in Fran ce was only th e fir st attem p t of th e Jacobin s I n .

th e d esi res of a t errible an d formi dable sect y ou h ave onl y ,

reach ed t h e first stage of th e p lan s i t h a s form ed for th at gen eral

Revolu tion whi ch i s to overthrow all thr on es all altars annihi
,
, ,

late all p rop erty eff ace all law an d en d b y di ssolvi n g all society
,
.

Had n ot Weish au p t d eclared : Thi s re volu ti on sh all b e

th e work of th e S e cret S oci eti e s and th at is on e of our ,

gr ea t m yst eri e s
B u t f or a b ri ef S p ell after th e fall of Bab euf th e work
of th e co n sp ir acy was arr e st e d Th e XVI I I th of B rum ai re
.

deal t a cr u shi n g blow to Illum inism an d th e sam e h an d ,

th at h a d locke d th e doo r of th e P an th éoni st es m eetin g ’

p lac e clos e d dow n t h e S e cre t S oci e ti e s Th u s th e fif t een .

years durin g whi ch Nap ol eon h eld th e rein s of p ower were

th e onl y p eriod in th e last 1 4 0 y e ar s du rin g which E u r op e
h ad p e ace from th e devastatin g fir e of I ll um ini s m ki n dl ed
by Wei sh au p t .

2 La Com tesse de Rudolsta dt, 11 . 21 9 .

2 I bid .
p 260
. .
 C HAP TE R I V

THE GR OWTH OF S OC IALI S M

Revival of I llumi nismTh e Tu gendbu nd Th e Alta Ven dita The

Ind u strial R evolution R ole of t h e Jews Th e hilosop hers P
R ob ert Owen N ew H arm ony S a in t - S im on ierre ero u x P L
Fou rier B u c h ez ou is B lan e C ab et LVid al P ecqu eur
P
rou d h on Trad e-U nion Terroris m .

AF T E R th e fall of Nap oleon the sm oul derin g fl am e s of

Illu m in ism b ro ke ou t afre sh all over E u rop e Th e Ger .

”
m an Union in au gu rate d im m ediately on the su p p ress ion
,

of t h e Ill u m in ati in Bavaria was in re ality Wei sh au p t s

’

O rd er re organiz ed u n d er a different n am e a n d in th e e arly ,

years of th e followin g ce n tu ry other societie s su ch as th e

Tu gen db u n d an d th e B u rsch e n sh aft were start e d on m u ch
th e sam e lin e s
1
Th e Tu gen d b u n d i n au gu rate d in abo u t
.
,

1 8 1 2 an d co m p ose d of all th e m ost violen t e lem en ts

am on gst th e Illu m in ati wh ose doct ri n es were th ose of ,

C lootz an d Marat develop ed in to a f u rth er Or d er kn own

,

as the Germ an Association and aim in g at a Un ite d

Germ any .

It is h ere that fer th e first tim e we c an cle arly det e ct

th e conn e ction b etween Pru ssiani sm an d the se cre t f o rce s
of Wo rld Revolu tion th ou gh n o dou bt it coul d b e t r ac e d
, , ,

back to a m u ch e arlier d ate AS we have al re ady seen .

,

Fre d erick the Gre at th rou gh his am bassador von der , ,

1 Lom b a d d e Lan g es Les S oci étes sec et s p p 8 1 1 0 2 1 1 0 1 1 3

r r
’

r e

M ett e n i h als rega d d th ese G e man societi es a s t he ou tcom e of I llu

, , .
, , .

r c o r e r

m in is m W it in g in 1 83 2 h e says : Germ any h as lon g su ff ered from th e

“
. r

evi l wh ich t o d a y cov ers t h e w h ole o f E u r o p e

-
Th e sect of I llum in é s
.

h as n ever b een d es troyed alt hou h t h e sam e (B avarian) overn m ent g g

g
h as tri ed t o s u p p res s it a n d h a s b een o bli e d t o in vei h a ain st it , an d it h as g g
g
t aken s u c ces siv ely , a c c ord in t o cir cu m s t an ces an d t h e n e ed s of th e t im es ,
t h e d en o m in at ion s of Tug en db un d , of B u rsch en sh aft , Mémoi res de
Metterni ch, V 36 8 . .
 THE GRO WTH OF S O C IALI S M 85

Goltz h ad ,
worke d in def ati gab ly for t h e ru p tu re of th e
Fr an co Au strian all ian ce b u t at th e sam e tim e hi s
-
,

in tri gu es were con d u ct e d thr ou gh a m ore ob scure ch ann el ,

for Fre derick was a Freem ason as also were hi s frien d s th e ,

p h ilos op h er s of F r an ce a n d it was t h u s lar gely th ro u gh hi s

,

infl u en ce th at th e disin t egratin g d oc tri n es of Voltair e wer e

o
p p g
r a at e d whi ch p av e d t h e way f or t h e an ti Ch r istian -

cam p ai gn of Wei sh au p t I n 1 80 7 Joseph d e M ai st re wh o .

,

had th e r are pe rspicacity to p erceive th e fe arful d an ger of

'

Fred eric k s po licy to th e p e ace an d stabili ty of E u rope

’

I hav e always h ad a p arti cul ar aversi on for Frederi ck I I .

,

whom a frenz i ed cen tury h ast en ed to p roclaim a great man bu t ,

wh o was an f ond onl y a great P ru s s i an Hi story wi ll n ote thi s .

i n ce as on e o f th e grea tes t en emi es of th e h um an race wh o h as

p r

ever exi st ed
1
.

Bu t d e Maistre reckon e d with ou t th at con sp ir acy of hi s

tory which con trolled p rin cip ally by Germ an h an d s was
, ,

throu gh th e in strum en tali ty of su ch agen ts as Carlyl e to ,

m aih t ain th e p resti ge of Fre derick in or der to sm ooth th e

p at h f o r his su cc e sso rs .

Af ter th e death of F re derick th e Great hi s p oli cy was

followe d n ot only by hi s n ep h ew Fre d eric k William II .
,

b u t by th e di scip l es of Weish au p t It was thu s th at t h e .

Ill u m in atu s Diom ede s (th e Marquis d e C on stan za) wrot e :

I n Germ any th er e m u st be onl y on e or tw o p rin ces at th e
m ost an d th ese p rin ces m u st b e ill um ini z ed an d s o led b y ou r
,

adep ts an d surroun ded by th em tha t n o p rofan e m an m ay

ap proach th eir per sons 2
.

Pru ssian Cloot z s am bi gu ou s referen ce to

’
May n ot th e
th e im m u tab le E m p ir e of th e Gre at Ge rm an y th e
” 3
Uni versal Rep u blic b e t r ac e d to th e sam e sour ce of
in sp iration It is p ossibl e in d ee d th at C loot z m ay h ave
?
, ,

bee n n ot only th e ad ep t of Weish au p t b u t as both , ,

Robe sp i erre an d Brissot su sp e ct ed t h e a gen t of th e Kin g ,

of P ru ssia Ce rtain con te m p or ari e s h ave in f act d e clared

.

1
Lett es i nédi te s de Joseph dc M i s tre
r p 97 a . .

z
D cha m p s p cit ii 3 97 qu otin g evi d en e giv en at th e trial of th e
es ,
o . . .
,
c

to t h e C on ven t ion , S e p t em ber 9 , 1 7 92

’
2
Clootz e ch
s spe .
86 WORLD RE VOLUTION
th at Fre derick William II was actu ally an Ill u min atu s
. .

Thu s the C om te de Vau d reui l writing to the C om te ,

d Art ois from Venice in Octob er 1 7 90 remarked :

’

Wh at st ikes m e m ost is that the sect of the I llu mi nes is the

r

cau se an d in sti gator of all ou r trou bles ; that on e finds these

sectaries everywh ere that even the Kin g of Pru ssia is imbu ed
,

this p erni ciou s system ; that th e m an wh o possesses his

chief confi den ce ( Bischo sw
ff erd er) i s on e of i t s chief h ead s 1
.

An d Robison state s that hi s in tere st in the Illu m in ati was

first arou se d by an invitation to ent er th at S ociety from
a very hon ourable an d worthy gen tlem an wh o inf orm e d
him th at th e Kin g of P ru ssia was the p atron of the Order
‘

a n d t h at its obj e ct was m ost hon ou rable an d p r aise

”
worthy Robison h owever de cline d th e invitation
.
, ,

b e cau se there was som ethin g in th e character an d con

du ct of th e King of Pru ssia which gave m e a dislike to
”
e veryth in g wh ich h e p ro fe sse d to p at roniz e a n d h e wa s ,

n ot su rp rise d wh en lat er the sam e hono urable an d worthy

g en tl e m a n co n firm e d hi s s u s p icio n s of th e O r d er a nd
said sh akin g hi s h ead very em p hatically Have n othin g
, ,

to do with it we h ave been de ceived it is a dan gerou s

, ,

2 ’
thing .

A connection b etwe en Pru ssi anism an d Illum inism c an

therefore b e dete cte d from the b eginni n g b u t with the
Tu gen dbu n d ap p e ars I n th e cle ar li gh t of day Accordi n g .
,

to E ckert the ul tim ate en ds of th e two in tri gu e s we re n ot

‘

identical bu t e ach u sed th e oth er for its own plan of

,

world p ower .

Thi s n ational sentim ent latent in all (German) h earts th ese ,

eff orts toward s u ni on of th e differen t G erm an S tates m asonry ,

attemp ted to appropriate in order to direct th em towards th e

overthrow of all thrones an d of all nation alities Th e Uni ty
of Germ any b ecam e th en the ex clu sive th em e of th
.

e p re ss from ,

th e Tu gen dbu n d th ere issu ed un der high m asoni c di rection th e

, ,

Germ an Association which ab sorb ed i t entirely .

obj e ct of this association ( accordin g to

The th e
au thentic Rep ort of th e S ecret Association s of Germ any
by Mann sdorf one of the me m b ers of th e u pper lodge s)
,

Correspondence da Comte de Va u dreu i l et da Comte d A rtoi s ,

’
1
1. 34 2 .

2
R ob ison , P roof s of a Conspi ra cy, p 5 83 . .
 TH E GROWT H OF S O C IALI S M 87

was to dethrone German pri n ces wi th the excepti on of

a ll the
the Ki ng of P ru ssi a to b e stow on thi s last th e I m p erial ,

C rown of Germ any an d to give to th e S tate a dem ocr atic ,

con stitu tion Th e fin al goal o f m asonr y was th en to brin g

.

‘
th e re al or Universal Rep u blic and th e de st ru ction
f
a bou t
” 1
of all n ation alitie s .

It is e asy to see that th e Hohen z ollem s m i ght well

m ake u se of this in t ri gu e in o rd er to accom p lish the first
p art of t h e p g
r o r a mm e P ru ssian do in atio n m .

B u t Illu m i n ism h a d n ot con fin e d itself to Germ any an d ,

b efore th e fall o f Nap ol eon a fur th er secret society was

o rgan ize d u n d er th e n am e of th e C arbon ari whi ch soon
“

, ,

fell u n d er the con t rol of th e Illu min ati Thou gh m asonic .

in th eir o ri gin th e C arbon ari had not b egun as a revolu

,

tion ary body Their foun der s were avowe dly Royalists
.

a n d C at h olics wh o p ossibly delu de d as t o th e re al ai ms ,

of I llu m inism followe d the pre ce dent lai d down by

,

Weish au p t of takin g Ch rist for their Gran d Master But .

b efore lon g th e ad ep ts of revolu tion ary m asonry p enetrat e d

in to th eir ran k s an d takin g the lead acqu ire d cont rol over , ,
”
th e wh ole association Italian geni u s says Mon sign or .
,

D illon soon ou tstripp e d th e Germ an s in astu t ene ss and

,
“

as soon as p erh ap s soon er th an Weishau p t had p asse d

, ,

a way th e su prem e governm en t of all th e S e c ret S oci eti e s

,

of th e wo rld was exer cise d by th e Al ta Ven di ta or hi ghe st

” 2
lodge of th e Italian C arbon ari It was thi s form idable .

society th e Hau te Ven te Rom aine wh ich from 1 8 1 4 to

, ,

1 84 8 dire cte d th e activiti e s of all th e S e cret S ocieti e s Far .

m ore su btle an d th erefore m ore f orm idabl e th an the

, ,

C arbon ari th e l e aders of th e H au te Ven te con du cte d their

,

cam p ai gn p recisely on th e line s of the Ill um in ati of which

’

they were in deed th e dire ct contin u ation Thu s according

3
.
,

to the cu stom of th e earlier Order f ollowe d by An arch arsis ,

C loot z an d Gracch u s Bab euf th e m em b ers of th e H au te ,

Ven te all adop ted classical p seu d onym s that of the l e ade r , ,

a cor ru p t Italian n obl em an b eing Nu biu s This young ,

.

m an rich han dsom e eloquent an d ab solutely re ckle ss

, , , , ,

1
D e sch am p s , op ci t 1 1 227 , 228 . . . .

2
Mon sign or George F D illon , The . War of A nti Chri st wi th the Church
a nd Chri s ti a n Ci vi l iz a ti on , p 63 .

2
Ibi d p 63 . .
 WORLD RE VOLUTION
wa s a V isionary with an idée fine of elevatin g a p ed estal
” 1
for h i s own vanity B u t it wa s n ot in th e ban d of d is
.

solu t e you n g Italian s h e gath ere d aroun d him b u t in his ,

Jewish allie s t h at Nu b iu s fo u n d his p rin cip al su pp ort

, .

Throu ghou t th e e arly years of t h e n in ete ent h cen tu ry Jews

in in cre asin g n u m b ers h a d penet rat ed i nto t h e m asonic
lo d ge s an d also in to certain S ecret S oci eti es Th e E gyp tian
’

rite of M em p h i s h a d b een fo un d e d b ef ore th e Fren ch Revo

lu tion by th e Jewish Illu m in atu s C a gliostro an d in 1 8 1 5 ,

th e Rit e of Mizrai m con sisti n g of n in ety J ewish d e gree s

, ,

was establish ed by the Jews in Paris Ragon the Fren ch .

,
” 2
Mason1 e au th ority calls it J ewish m asonry
, .

Josep h de Maistre declared th e J ews now to b e p layin g

an active p art in Illu m i n ism
.
a system whi ch he h ad
stu di ed d eep ly an d b elieved to b e th e root of all th e evil
” 2
th en afflictin g E u rop e There are certainly accordin g
.
,

”
to all app earan ce s h e wrot e in 1 8 1 6
, soci etie s organized ,

for th e d e st ru ction of all th ebodie s of n obility of all n obl e ,

in stitu tion s of all th e th ro n e s an d of all the altars of

,

E u rop e Th e se ct wh ich m ake s u se of everythin g seem s at

.

this m om ent to tu rn the Jews to gre at accou nt an d we

” 4
m u st very m u ch b eware of th em I n th e H au t e Ven t e .

for th e fir st ti m e we fi n d them takin g the l ead Rich m em .

bers of th e Ashken azim con tribu ted to th e fun d s of th e

5
society le sser J ews acted as their clevere st a gen ts
,
.

Am on gst th e latter class on e wh o h a d assu m e d th e p seu,

d on y m of Piccolo Ti gre disp laye d th e gre ate st en ergy .

Masqu eradin g as an itin erant j eweller an d m on eylen der ,

Piccolo Tigre travelled abou t E u rop e carrying th e in st ru c

tion s of th e H au te Ven te to th e C arbon ari an d retu rnin g
laden with gold fer th e m oney boxe s of Nu biu s On th e se -
.

journ eys Piccolo Ti gre receive d the p rot ection of th e

m ason ic lodges everywhere althou gh th e gre ater n u m b er ,

of th e m en who com p ose d th em were h eld by th e Hau t e

Vente in s u p rem e con tem pt B eyon d the Mason s an d .

”
un kn own to them write s Mon sign or D illon
, th ou gh ,

se R ma i ne en f a ce de la R evolu ti on , ii 3 83
’
i
'
1
J. C ré t in ea u -J ol
y , L E gl p . .

1
A C owan , The X ra ys in Freem asonry, p 1 6 0
.
-
.

Lettres i nédi tes de Joseph de Mai stre, p 3 6 8 . .

1 J osep h d e M aistre ,Q uatre chapi tres i nédi ts sur la R us sie, ch ap I v _

. .

M onsignor D illon , op ci t p 7 2 Crétin eau -Joly , op ci t ii 1 3 1

. . . . . . . .
 TH E GROWT H OF S O C IALI S M 89

form e d gen e rally fro m th em lay th e d e adl y se cret con ,

clave whi ch n everth ele ss u se d an d di re ct ed th em for th e

“

,
”
ru in of th e wo rl d an d of t h e ir ow n selve s
_
.

S o i m p o rtan t h a d th e role of Pi ccolo Ti gre b e co m e th at ,

in 1 82 2 we fin d hi m writin g a lett er of in st ru ctio n to th e

H au te Ven t e Pie dm on t ai se of which th e f ollowin g ext ract
will serve to in di cate th e m eth ods th at h e a dvocate d an d
in ci d en tally th eir S imi larity with those of th e I ll um in ati :
I n th e im p ossibili ty in whi ch our broth ers an d fri en d s fin d
th em selves to say as yet th eir last word it h a s b een j u dged
, , ,

g oo d a n d u s efu l to p rop agat e th e ligh t everywh ere an d to se t ,

in m otion all th at whi ch asp ires to m ove F or thi s reason we d o .

n ot cease to recomm en d you to affiliate p erson s of ev er y class to

ev ery m ann er of associ ation n o m atter of wh at kin d on ly pr o ,

vided tha t mys tery a nd s ecrecy s ha ll be the dom i n an t characteri s ti cs .

All I taly is covered wi th reli giou s confraterni tie s an d with p eni

tents of di verse colours Do not fear to slip in som e of you r
.

p p
e o l e i n t o t h e v ery m i d st of th e s e floc k s l e d as th ey are b y a , , ,

stu p id d evotion Let our agents stu dy with care th e personn el of

.

th ese confraternity m en an d th ey will see th at little by little

,

th ey will not b e wantin g in a h arvest Un der a p retex t th e m ost .

fu tile bu t n ever p olitical or reli gi ou s create by your selves or , ,

b etter yet ca u se to b e created by oth ers associ ation s h avin g

, ,

comm erce in du stry m u sic th e fine arts etc for obj ects
, , , , , .

R euni te in on e p lace or anoth er in th e sacristi es or ch ap els

even th ese tri b es of yours as yet ignorant ; pu t th em un der
th e p astoral staff of som e V i rtu ou s p riest well kn own bu t ,

credul ou s an d easy to b e deceived Th en infil trate the poison

,
.

into th ose chosen h earts ; infiltrate i t in little doses an d as if

by ch an ce Afterwards u p on reflection you will yourselves
.
, ,

b e astoni sh ed at your su ccess .

Th e essen ti al thi n g i s to i solate a m an from hi s fam ily to ,

cau se him to lose hi s m orals He is suffi ciently disp osed by th e

.

b ent of hi s ch aracter to flee from hou seh old cares an d to run

after easy p leasur es an d forbidden j oys He loves th e long con .

versa tion s of th e cafés an d th e idl en ess of shows

, Lead him .

along su stai n him give hi m an im portance of som e kind teach

, , ,

him di screetly to grow weary of hi s dail y labours an d by thi s ,

m an oeuvre after h avin g sep arated him from hi s wife an d

,

children an d after having shown him h ow p ainful are all hi s

du ti es , y ou will th en ex cite in h im th e d esir e of anoth er exi st
en ce . Man is a born reb el S tir u p th e desire of reb ellion un til
.

it b ecom es a confl agration bu t in su ch a m ann er th at th e

,

confl agration does n ot b reak ou t Thi s i s a prep aration for the

.

gre at wo r k t h at y ou h a v e to b e gi n .

Wh en you shall h ave insinu ated into a few soul s disgu st for
90 WORLD RE VOLUTIO N
fam ily an d for religion ( th e on e nearly always follows in the wake
of th e oth er) let fall som e word s whi ch will p rovoke th e d esire
,

of b ein g affi liated to th e nearest lod ge Thi s vani ty of the .

citi z en or of th e bou rgeoi s for bein g enrolled in Freem asonry

i s som ethin g so bana l an d so un iversal th at I am always fu ll
of adm i ration for hum an stu p idi ty I am n ot su rprised to see
.

th e whole world knocki ng at th e door of all th e Ven erables an d

asking th ese gentlem en for th e h onou r of being on e of th e
workm en c hosen for the recon stru ction of th e Tem ple of S olo
m on To fin d on eself a m em b er of a lodge , to feel on eself ap art
.

from on e s wi fe an d chi ldren called u pon to gu ard a secret

’
,

whi ch is n ever confi ded to one is for certain natu res a deli ght
,

a n d an am bition .

Th e Alta Ven di ta desires th at u nd er on e preten ce or an oth er ,

as m any p rin ces and wealthy p erson s as possible shou ld b e

introdu ced into th e Masoni c Lodges Princes of a soverei gn .

h ou se an d those wh o h ave not th e legitim ate h op e of b ein g

kings by th e grace of God all wi sh to b e kings by the grace of
,

a Revolu tion The D uke of Orleans i s a Freem ason Th e

‘

. .

p rin ce wh o h a s n ot a kin gd om to ex p e ct i s a goo d fortu n e for

us . Th ere are m any of th em in th at pligh t Make Freem ason s .

of th em ; th ese p oor p rin ces will serve ou r en d s , whi l e thinki n g

0 la onr only for th eir own They form a m agnificent sign
£ g
.

oar
It is u pon th e lodges that we cou nt to double ou r ranks .

Th ey form wi thou t knowi ng it our preparatory n ovi tiate

, ,
.

Th ey di scourse withou t end u pon th e dan gers of fanaticism ,

u p on th e h app iness of social e qu ality an d u p on th e gran d

p rin ci p le s of reli gi ou s li b erty Th.ey lau n ch am i d st th eir feas t

ings thu n derin g an ath em as again st intoleran ce an d p ersecu
tion Th is is positively m ore th an we require to m ake ad epts
. .

A m an im bu ed with th ese fin e thi n gs i s n ot very far from u s .

Th ere is nothing m ore requi re d than to enlist him .

It was thu s by system atic dem oralization th at th e

le aders of th e Hau te Ven te like th e Illum in ati h op e d to
, ,

e stablish th eir ascen dan cy over th e p pe o l e s of E u rop e .

Bu t in order to un derstan d th e m ann er in wh ich th ey se t

ou t to accom p lish thi s p u rp os e we m u st n ow e xam ine th e

g r o un d on which t h ey h a d to wo rk .

TH E
I N DU S T R I A L R E V O L U T I O N
It is of th e u tm ost im p ort an ce to re alize that th e p eople
at t his period were suff erin g from very real grievan ce s .

The se gri evan ce s wei ghe d less h owever on the agricu ltu ral
, ,

th an on th e in d u st rial workers whose cond ition s of life ,

 THE GROWTH OF S O C IALI S M 91

were often t errible This f act n o on e h a s ever att em p te d

.

to d eny an d we n ee d not h ave recou rse to th e writin gs of

,

S ocialists to gain an i de a of th e S l avery en d u red by m en ,

wom en an d children in th e m i n e s an d f actorie s of E u rop e

,

d u rin g th e ye ars f ollowin g on th e Nap ol eon ic war s for we ,

shall wh ole case state d with m ore accu racy an d

fin d th e
f ar gre ater eloqu en ce in th e l ett ers of Lo rd S h aft e sb u ry ,

wh ose wh ole life was devote d to the cau se of th e p oor an d

op p re sse d .

What was the reas on for thi s aggravation of the

workers lot ? Partly th e speedin g u p of in du stry brou ght
’

a bou t by th e in t rodu ctio n of m ach in ery ; p artly in E n g

’

lan d th e rap idl y in cre asin g p opulation b ut in Fran ce to a

, ,

large exten t th e situ ation m u st b e di re ctly attribu te d to

t h e Revolu tion We h ave already seen how the de st ru o
.

tio n of t rade un ion s an d in cre ase in the days of labou r by

th e abolition of n ation al h olidays h ad adde d to th e workers
’

bu rden b u t a fu rth er eff e ct of the gre at u p h eaval h a d b een

,

th e t ran sferen ce of p ower from th e aristocr acy to th e bou r

g e o i s i e wit h disast r o u s co n se qu e n c e s to th e p pe o l e I n a .

word th e de stru ction of f eu dalism h a d in au gurate d th e

rei gn of C o mm er cialism This is adm itted by n o l ess an
.

au th ority th an Marx him self .

The bou rgeoi s i e h as p layed in history a m ost revolution ary

p a r t. Th e bou rg eo i s i e w h en ev er i t ,h as co n qu er e d p ower h as ,

d estroyed all feu dal p atriarchal an d i dylli c relation s It h a s

, , .

p i t il e ssly to rn as u n d e r a ll th e m an y colo u re d fe u d a l b on d s-
w h i ch
”
u ni ted m en to th eir natural su p eriors an d h as left no tie ,

twi xt m an an d m an bu t naked self in terest an d callou s cash -

p aym ent It has drowned religi ou s ecstasy chivalrou s enthu

.
,

si asm an d m id dle class sen tim entality in th e ice cold water of

,
- -

e gotistical calcu lation It has tran sform ed p ersonal worth into

.

m ere exchange valu e and su b stitu ted for coun tless d early
,

b ou ght chartered freedom s the on e an d onl y un con scionable

freedom of Free Trade It h as in on e word rep laced an .
, ,

exploitation veiled by religiou s and p olitical illu sion s by

exp loitation op en u nasham ed di rect a n d bru tal
1
.
,
.
, ,

Thu s in th e Op inion of th e leadin g pr oph et of m odern .

S oci alist thou ght i t was the des tru cti on of feud a li s m tha t led
,

to the ens la vem en t of the proleta ri a t E xaggerat e d as th i s .

1
Manifesto of the Communi s t l by Karl M arx
i
g rty, and Fried rich
 2 WORL D RE VOLUTIO N
in dictm ent of th e bou rgeoi si e m ay b e there is a certain ,

d e gre e Of t ru th in Marx s t he o ry Th e class that live s on

’
.

in h erit e d we alth is always th e b arrier to t he exp loitation

of th e wo rke rs . To th e n ob le wh o p ai d 5 0 0 loui s fo r his
ca rros s e or th e d u ch e ss W
,
h o n ever aske d th e pr ice of h er
b roca d e d gown w here was t he a dvan tage of u n d erp ayin g
,

th e wo rkm an or th e dre ssm aker ? S we atin g re su lts

largely from th e att em p t to brin g com m oditie s within the

re ach of a class th at can n ot or will n ot p ay a p rice allowin g

a f air rat e of rem u ne ration to th e worker Af t er th e revo .

lu ti on wh en aristocracy with its carel e ss exp en ditu re and

,

its t radition al in stin cts of b enevolen ce h a d taken refu ge

in garrets th e se were th e classe s that su pp ort ed in du st ry
, ,

an d it is t hu s a gain st th e n ewly rich that we fi n d th e

bittere st com p lain ts of th e p eople dire cte d .

At th e sam e tim e am on gst th e bou rgeoi si e had arisen

,

a n ew infl u en ce that Marx is carefu l not to in dicate bu t ,

abou t which th e S ocialist Malon is m ore exp licit :

Feu dalism signifies p rivilege granted in return for certain
du ties agreed u pon ; j u dai z ed plu tocracy recognizes n o du ty it ,

h a s on ly on e obj ect to approp ri ate th e largest p ossible p art of

,

th e work of oth ers an d of th e soci al accum ulation in ord er to

,
‘

u se an d abu se it selfi sh ly That i s its great m oral in di gnity an d

th e signal for its ap p roaching f all in th e name of p u b li c welfare
.
,

a n d of th e interests of Hu m anity .

We all fi n d th e sam e op inion expresse d later by the

Sh

An archist Bak u nin .

The Jew was of cou rse n ot alon e in exp loitin g th e

workers ; bu t the spirit of the Jew p erm e atin g co m m erce ,

in e very cou n try in Fran ce in Germ an y above all in

, ,

Am erica u nd o u bte dly con tribu te d to th e in du st rial

op pression again st wh ich Marx in vei ghs Un der th e m on .

archy th e J ews h ad b een h eld in ch e ck by laws lim itin g

their activitie s b u t th e e dicts p asse d at th e b e gin nin g of
,

th e Revolu tion de creein g th eir com p l e t e e m an cip ation

, ,

h a d rem ove d all re strain ts to th eir rap acity .

By th e J ewish race 1 7 89 is th erefo re h aile d as th e ye ar

of deliver an ce With ou t goin g so far as M D ru m on t in
. .

sayin g th at th e Revolu tion delivere d th e p e ople from th e

aristocrats in order to h an d th em over to th e J ews it ,
 THE GROWT H OF S OC IALI S M 93

cann ot b e deni ed th at th e p ower of th e J ews over the

p pe o l e was imm e n s e ly i n c re as e d by t h e ov e rt h row of th e

m on archy an d aristocracy Wh ether th ey d elib erately

.

con trib u t e d to this en d it is M p ossib le to say b u t th eir ,

infl u en ce was su sp e cte d by con tem p o rari e s as m ay b e ,

seen by the followin g p assage from Pru dh omm e an arden t ,

d em ocrat an d in no way to b e accu sed of an ti S emi tism : -

Th e Fren ch Revolu tion di d a great d eal of good to th e J ews ;

it en tirely p roscrib ed that anti qu ated p rej u di ce whi ch cau sed
th e rem ain s of thi s an cient p eop le to b e regard ed as a race of
d e graded m en below all oth ers Th e Jews in Fran ce for a lon g
'

whi le p aid no lon ger at th e barri ers as un d er th e reign of S ain t

—
,

Loui s th e sam e du es t at w
,
h e r e e x act e d fro m th e col v en footed .

Bu t every year each J ewi sh fami ly was tax ed 4 0 livres for th e

ri gh t of h abitation or p rot ection an d toleran ce
,
Thi s du e was .

su ppressed on th e 20 th of Jul y 1 790 Th e J ews were so to , .

,

S p eak n atu rali ze d Fren ch an d took th e rank of citiz en s

,
Wh at .

di d th ey do to S ow t e grat t
h h ir i u d e ? Wh at t h ey di d b efore ;
th ey have n ot ch anged th ey h ave n ot men ded th eir ways
, ,

th ey contribu ted n ot a li ttle to th e fall of as si gn ats Th e disord er .

for th em ; th ey h av e n ot
contrary civil lib erty h as ,

on s .

Th e
J ews took im p etu s Th e Governm ent h a d n eed of th em an d
.
,

God knows h ow dearly th ey h ave m ad e th e R ep u b li c p ay th e

resour ces th at i t d em an d ed of th em Wh at m ysteri es of in i qui ty .

woul d be reveale d if th e ews like th e m ole di d n ot m ake a

g
p oin t of workin g in th e ( ark! I n a word an d to say a ll th e
, ,

J ews h ave n ever b een m ore J ews than sin ce we tri ed to m ake
of th em m en a n d citizen s
1
.

Bu tit was th e p e asan ts wh o b ecam e th e chi ef suff erers

fro m th e d om in ation of th e J ews U n der th e Ol d Régim e .
,

th e feu dal d u e s h ad p rove d op p re ssive b u t in m any , ”

in stan ce s th e sei gn gur s were th e ben ef acto rs a n d p r otectors

of th ei r vassals Th e J ewish u su rers on wh om th e p e asan t
.

r
p p o ri e to r s n ow d e p e n d e d to carr y on if c r o p s f ail e d or

we ath er p rove d u n p rop itiou s sh owed n o in dul gen ce ,

As soon as h e (th e p easan t) wri t es Dani el S tern has , ,

1
Cri mes de la R ev lu ti n iii 4 4 B urke lat s th at t h e J w s m ad l ge
o o , . . re e e e ar

p rofits ou t of t h e p lun d er of t h e Ch ur ch es , an d th at h e rs t old t h e v er y

sons of s u ch J h av e b een m a d e b is h o p s p erson s n ot to b e s u s
e w - o b b ers
j ,

p ect ed of an y C hri sti an s u p ers t it i on ( R ef lecti on s on the Fren ch R evolu ti on ,

p. This m ay ex p lain t h e a p os tasy of c ertain p r ela t es on t h e 8 t h of
N ovem b er , 1 7 93 .
94 WORLD RE VOLUTION
t
en ere d into comm erci al relations with this ru s erace as soon as ,

h e h a s p u t his nam e at th e foot of a p aper which he h as read an d

re read wi th ou t p erceivin g th e hi d den clau se th at d oes for him
-
,

th e p easan t in sp ite of all h is fin es se will n ever su cceed in recov

, ,

erin g hi s lib erty Hen ceforth his activity his in telligen ce the
.
, ,

ben efits of Providen ce wh o sen d s him rich h arvests will p rofit

him n othin g bu t only his n ew m aster Th e exorbitant interest
,
.

on a very sm all ca p i tal will ab sorb hi s tim e a n d hi s lab ou rs .

E very day h e will see th e com fort of h is fam ily dim inish an d hi s
di ffi culties 1 n crea se AS th e fatal d ay approach es when th e d ebt
.

falls du e th e som bre face of h is credi tor warn s him that h e can
ex p ect n o re spite He m u st m ake u p his m in d he m u st go
.
,

fu rth er alon g th e road of p erdition borrow again always borrow , ,

u n til rui n h as b een brou gh t abou t a n d fi eld s m ead ows an d , , ,

wood s hou se flocks an d h om e all h ave p assed from hi s in du s

, ,
” 1
triou s han ds In to the rap aciou s ones of the us urer .

Inword the p easant inh erited from th e ari stocrat

a ,

h e was disinh erite d by th e u su rer Here is the t ru e history .

of th e disinh erit ed no t in Fr an ce alon e b u t in Ru ssia

2
, in , ,

Au stria in Polan d ; everywhere that th e worker lives by

,

tillin g hi s own soil the abolition of feu dalism has led to th e

dom in ation of th e m on ey len der an d th e m on ey l en der is
-
,
-

in m ost case s a Jew I f exasp er ate d by th is tyrann y th e

.
, ,

p e asa n ts f r o m ti m e to ti m e h av e g iv e n way to viol e n c e

an d t u rn e d on th e ir op p re sso rs is it alto get h er su rp risin g ?

.

When in th e fou rteen th cen tury th e p e asants rose again st

th e n obles s e th e blam e we are told m u st re st sol ely with
, , ,

the n oble s Yet why is p easan t fur y when it too k t he

.

form of a jacqu erie to b e con done d an d wh e n it take s ,

th e form of a o
p g r o m to b e r e m o r s el e ssly co n d e m n e d ?

S u rely in on e case as m u ch as th e other th e p le a of un con

trollab le exasp eration m ay b e wit h j u stice p u t fo rward .

Th e in du st ri al worke r as well as th e pe asan t fou n d th e

1L a R évolu ti on de 1 8 4 8 , by D aniel Stern , 1 1 8 9 ( La Com t esse d Ago u lt)
'
. .

2
S ee th e a ccoun t iven on his j ourn ey t hro u h White R u ss ia i n 1 8 1 6
g g
by t h e Gran d D uke N i cholas , who , Whilst ad m ittin th e s u pp ort iven to g g
th e I m p eri al a u th ori ty by t h e J ews , rem arks _
Th e en eral ruin ation g
o f t h e p ea s a n try of t h ese p rovi n c es is a ttri b u t a ble to th e J ews , who are
s econ d in im p ort to th e lan d own ers on ly ; b y t h eir ind u s tri es t h ey ex p lo it
to t h e u tm os t t h e un fort un at e p op u lat ion Th ey are every thin h ere
. g
m erch an ts , contractors , p o tho u s e ke ep ers , m illers , carriers , artisan s , etc ,
-
.

an d t h ey are so clever l n s q u eez in an d ch eatin g g

t he com m on p eop le t h at
t h ey ad van c e m on ey on th e u n sown bre ad an d d is co u n t t h e h arvest b efore
t h e fi eld s are sown .

"a g
Th ey are re ul r lee ch es who su ck up everyth in an d g
com p let ely ex h au st t his provin c e , (E A B rayley Hodgett s The Cou rt
’
. .

of R u ssi a i n the Ni neteenth Centu ry,

 THE GROWTH OF S O C IALI S M 95

J ew an e xacti n g task m ast e r It was n o t o n

. l y t h e in t r o d u c

t io n of m ach in ery th at at th e b e ginn in g of th e nin et ee n th

ce n t ury b r o u gh t ab ou t th e S p e e d in g u p of i n d u st ry b u t ,

t he sp irit of th e n ew comm ercialism whi ch su cce ed e d to ,

th e l ei sur ely m eth o d s of th e Old R egim e As M D ru m on t . .

has exp re sse d it if th e workers p au se d for bre ath th e cry

,

wen t up from th e statistician s : Wh at arewe com in g to ?

E n glan d m an uf actu re d 3 7 5 mi llion t rou ser b u tton s last
y e a r a n d w e h av e on ly p r od u c e d 3 7 4 m il l i o n s !
This drivin g force b ehin d th e worker thi s sp irit of cu t ,

throat com p etition was largely attrib u table to th e Jew

, .

At an y rate whether we regard th e, C ap italistic

s yst em as an evil or n ot we cann ot deny that th e J ews ,

were m ainl y re sp on sible for it .

I n o rder to ap pre ciate th orou ghl y th e in sin cerity of

Marx with re gard to thi s qu estion it is onl y n e cessary to ,

g la n c e t h r o u g h h i s book D a s C a p i ta l a n d t h e n th e wo rk o f
Wern er S om b art on The Jews a nd M odern Ca pi ta li sm .

”
Th e Jew , as S om b art rem ark s em bodi e d m o d ern ,

an d h e go e s onto de scrib e st ep b y st ep th e
” 1
C ap italism , , ,

b ui l din g u p by J ewish h an ds of the system wh ich su p er

S ed e d th e Old Ré gi m e of am i cabl e t ra din g an d p e aceful

in du stry ; h e sh ows th e Jew as th e inven tor of ad vertise

m en t as th e em ployer of ch eap labour as th e p rin cip al
,
2 3
,

p a r tici p a n t in t h e stock jobbi n g o

-
r a gi o ta g e that p r e va i l e d
a t th e end of th e fir st Fren ch Revol u tion Bu t it is above
4
.

all as th e u sur er that the Jew achi eved p ower Mo d ern .

”
C ap italism , says S om b art is the chi ld of m on ey
,
-

” 5
len din g , a n d th e Jew as w e have seen is th e m on ey
, ,

l en der par ex cellen ce Th e great fortun e of the Roth sch il d s

.
_

was bu ilt u p on this basis Th e p rin cip al loan fl oaters .

-

o f th e worl d
6
, th ey were later th e first r ailway kin gs The 7
.

p e ri od o f 1 8 2 0 o n wa rd s b e ca m e as S o m b a r t calls it t ,
h e ,
”
a ge of th e Roth sch ilds so th at by th e m iddl e of th e
,

cen tury it was a comm on dictum Th ere is onl y on e ,

” 2
p ow e r in E u r o p e a n d t,h at is Rot h sc hi ld .

Now how is it con ceivable th at a m an wh o set ou t

1 Werner S o m b art , The Jews a n d M odern Capi ta li sm , p 50 . .

2 I bid p 1 3 9 .
2
I bi d p 1 5 0 4
I bi d p 1 0 1
. . . . . . . .
,

2 I bid p 1 89
. . .
2
I bi d p p 1 0 1 , 1 0 3 7 I bid p 1 0 5
.
.
. . . .

2
I bi d The Jews a n d M odern Capi tali sm , p 99
. . .
96 WORLD RE VOLUTION
h one stly to denou n ce C apitalism sh oul d h ave avoided all
refere n ce to its
p ri n ci p al a u t h o r s ? Ye t even in the se ction
of hi s book d e alin g with th e o ri gin s of I n du st ri al C a ital
p
i sm wh ere Marx refers to th e gre at fin an ciers th e stock
, ,

jobbin g a n d S p e cul ation in S h ares an d wh at he d e scribe s

,
”
as the m o d ern sovereign ty of fin an ce he n ever on ce ,

in dicate s th e J ews as th e lead in g fin an ciers or th e Roth s ,

chil d s as th e su per capitalists of th e world As well m i gh t

-
.

on e sit d own to re co un t the h isto ry of wi rele ss t el e grap hy

withou t an y referen ce to S ign or Marconi ! How are we

‘

to exp lain this astoun din g o m ission ? O nly by re cognizin g

th at Marx was n ot sin cere in hi s den u n ciation s of th e
C ap italistic system an d th at h e h a d oth er en d s in V iew
, .

I sh all retu rn to this p oint lat er in conn ection with the

career of Marx .

S u ch th en was th e con dition of th in gs at th e b e gin n in g

, ,

of th e p eriod kn own as th e in du st rial revol u tion Th e.

g ri e va n c e s o f t h e wo rk e r s w e re v e ry r e al ; t h e n e e d f o

social recon st ru ction u rgen t th e gu lf b e tween p overty an d

,

rich e s greater th an ever b efo re , an d th e Govern m en t of

Fran ce h a d n o sch em e s of reform to offer If onl y a great .

m an h ad th en arisen to lea d th e p eop le back in to p ath s

of sanity an d p ro gre ss to S h ow t h em in th at f atal y e ar of
,

1 7 89 n ew bo rn dem ocracy h a d taken th e wron g tur n in g

-

a n d wan d ere d i n to a p at hl e ss j un gle wh en ce it co u l d o n ly

e m erge by ret racin g its footst ep s an d start in g afre sh le d

,

by the li gh t of its own day n ot by th e will 0 th e wisp of

,
’

illu m ini z e d freem asonry !

Unh app ily at th is n ew crisis in th e h istory of th e work
in g classe s th ere was n o on e to p oin t th e way n o on e wh o ,

h a d th e in si gh t an d th e cou rage to rise an d d e clare : Th e

g re at e x p e ri m en t o f 1 7 89 to 1 7 9 4 h a s p r ov e d a f ail u re t h e ,

p r i n ci p l e s o n w h ic h it was f o un d e d h av e b e en w e i gh e d in

th e balan ce an d fo un d wan tin g th e goals it set b efore u s

,

h ave tu rn ed ou t to b e mi ra ges towards which we h ave

m ar ch ed too lon g with bleed in g feet th e m e th o d s it ,

em ploy e d were at rocio u s an d m u st n ever b e rep e at e d th e ,

m en wh o led it were th e en em ie s of th e p e op le a n d su ch as
th ey S h all n ever deceive u s a gain Th ere is n o h op e for
.

sufferin g h u m anity b u t to rep u diate th e Revolu tion an d all

'
 THE GROWTH OF S O C IALI S M 97

its wo rks and to strike ou t a fre sh p ath with n ew h op es

, ,

new aim s fo un de d n ot on t h e dre am s of vision ari e s or th e

sch em e s of d em a go gu e s b ut on th e t ru e desire s of th e
”
p p
e o l e .

I n ste ad of rallyin g th e p eopl e by su ch a t rum p et call -

as thi s th e m en wh o n ow arose h a d n othi n g b ett er to off er

,

than th e wo rn ou t creed of th eir revolu tion ary p red eces

-

s o rs . Th e d oct rin es th at h a d p roved f allacio u s th e vision s ,

that h a d tu rn ed ou t to b e d elu sion s th e battle cri e s th at ,

-

h a d le d th e p eo ple to di sast er were all to b e a gain revived

with th e sam e assur an ce as if in th e p ast they h ad b een
att en d ed with trium ph an t su cce ss .

TH E P H I L OS O P H E R S
Th e e arli e st p ion eer of th e m ovem en t in E n glan d lat er ,

to b e kn own as S ocialism was th e E nglish cotton mi ll ,

own er Rob ert Owen At the ou tset of hi s career it se em e d

,
.

th at Owen m i gh t really p rove to b e th e m a n th e p eop l e

n eed ed t h e en li gh t en e d refo rm er w h o swe ep in g aside th e
, ,

fallaciou s th eori e s of th e Fren ch Revolu tion was to e stab ,

lish th e in du strial syst em on n ew lin es Th e wo rk of Owen .

at New Lan ark was Wholly adm irabl e th e p rop er h o u sin g ,

of th e wo rkers th e b ett e r e du cation of th e chi ldr en a n d

, ,

in dee d of th e wh ol e p o pulation by th e in cul cation of ideas

of thrif t sob ri ety an d cle anl ine ss b r ou gh t abo u t a c om
, , ,

p l e te r e ge n e r atio n o f th e tow n a n d e xcit e d u niv e r sal

admi ration I n all th e se sch em e s their au thor en coun tere d
.

n o re sistan ce S ocialists are fon d of d eclarin g th at

. th e
u pp er classe s are p e rfe ctly in diff eren t to th e welfare of

th e wo rkers a n d that n ot hi n g b u t revolu tion ary a gitation

,

will rou se th em Th e h istory of Rob ert Owen provide s a

.

strikin g in stan ce to th e cont rary for it was am on gst th e ,

”
so called
-
u p p er classe s d u ke s bish op s state sm en even
, , , ,

c rown ed he ad s for th e C zar Nich olas I visite d him in .

p e r so n t h at h e r e c e iv e d h i s p ri n ci p al s u pp o rt New .

Lan ark s p ee dily b ecam e a p lace of p il grim age for every on e

intereste d in social reform an d Owen foun d him self in ,

dan ger of having hi s h ead turn e d by the adul ation of the

g re at .
98 WO RLD RE VOLUTION
I t mu st be derstood however that Owen s experi ’ '

un
“

, ,

m en t was n ot con du cte d on S ocialistic p rin cip l e s Livin g .

in th e big hou se an d drivin g abou t in hi s carriage like a

” 1
p ri n c e a m o n g st his su bj e cts Ow e n p lay e d t h e p,ar t
sim ply of a benevolen t au tocrat His em p loyés existin g on
2
.

th e wage syst em were obli ge d to work eigh t to ten h our s a

day an d were decorat ed with hum iliatin g badge s if they
3
,

p rov e d idl e o r in effici e n t T h e p r oc e e d s o f in d u

. st r y w ere

n ot dist rib u t e d am on gst th e wo rkers b u t gat h ered in by ,

Owen hi m self an d spen t as he saw fit It is tru e th at from .

th e m odel S hop h e ere cte d in th e t own h e drew n o profit ,

g oods b e in g d e alt ou t to c u sto m e r s at cost p r ic e b u t wit h ,

a lordly in com e Owen coul d well aff ord to in d ul ge in thi s

charitable h obby N 0 less hon our m u st b e attri bu ted to
.

him on this accou n t b u t th e fact rem ain s th at Owen s

’
,

p hila n t h ro p y at N ew La n a rk was co n d u ct e d o n t h e syst e m

”
S ocialists con d em n as capitalistic .

At any rate th e exp erim en t prove d trium p hantly s u c

c es sful b u t unh ap pil y Owen all owe d hi m self to b e le d from
,

th e p ath of sane an d p r actical reform s into a wildern ess of

p h ilosop hic sp e cul ation How are we to exp lain th is u nfor .

tu n ate ab erration ? O nl y by th e f act that Owen had

f allen un der th e influ en ce of the occul t force s at wo rk on
th e C o n tin ent for if we e xami n e his writin gs in th e li ght
,

of th e doct rin e s d e scrib e d in th e first chap ter of this book ,

we cann ot f ail to p erceive that h is m in d was p erm eate d

with Illum inism Thu s th e fun dam ental p oin t of Owen s
.
’

teachin g con sists in th e assum p tio n that Man is the

cre atu re of circu m stan ce s an d that ch aract er re sul t s s olely ,

from environm ent Th erefore by rem ovin g him from evil .

con dition s Man will inevitably be tran sform e d into an

” 4
intelligent ration al an d goo d b eing
, Fu rther the evil .
,

con dition s th at at p re sent e xist a re sim p ly the re sul t of

civilization wh ich like Weish au p t Owen h eld to b e the
, , ,

bane of h um anity All th e n ation s of th e earth with all

.
,

the boast of e ach re sp e ctin g th eir a d van ce in wha t they ca ll

1
Life f R ob rt Owen by S argant p 3 0
o e , , . .

2
C f Ho lyoake , The Co opera ti ve M ovem en t, p 1 3 Owen was
‘
-
. . . .

on e o f t h e s m a ll clas s of b en evolen t Tori es wh o re ard p o wer a s g I n clu d in g

g
an o bli a tion t o u se it for t h e a d van t a es of th e p eop le
”
g .

2
S arg ant , op ci t 2 1 7
p
. . .

4
L
if e of R obert Owen by hi ms elf , 60 . .
 THE GROWTH OF S O C IALI S M 9

ci vi li z a ti on , day govern ed by force frau d false

are to -
, ,

h ood an d fe ar em an atin g from i gn oran ce in governo rs and

, ,
” 1
gov er n e d C
. o n se qu e n tly Ow e n d e cla r e d : Y ou m u st
think of m e as not b elon gin g to th e p resen t system of
so ciety bu t as on e lookin g with the gre ate st deligh t at its
,

en ti re ann ih ilatio n so th at ul tim at ely n ot on e ston e of it

,
” 2
S hall be l eft u p on an oth er .

All th is is only an oth er way of expressin g Weish au p t s

’

th eo ry th at Man is not bad excep t as h e is m a d e so by

arbitrary m or ality He is b ad be cau se Religi on the S tate
an d b a d ex am m
.
, ,
”
es p ervert him an d therefore it is n e c ,

e ssary to b rin g abo u t th e total de st ru ction of th e existing

”
civil syst em .

I n dee d certain p assage s of Owen are alm ost word for

word th e sam e as those th at occu r in th e code of Weish aup t .

For exam pl e in th e latter it was state d th at th e aim of th e

,

Illu m in ati was to m ake of th e h u m an race with ou t an y ,

di stin ction of n ation con dition or p rofe s sion on e good a nd

, ,

”
happy f ami ly a n d Owe n an n o un c e d
, th at n ew state of
exist en c e u p on e art h which wh en un der stood an d ap p li e d
, ,

ration ally to p ractic e wi ll cor diall y uni t e all as one d

, g oo
” 2
and en li ghten ed f am i ly .

It is idl e to attribu te the se ext raordi n ary res em blan ces

of wh ich m an y m ore ex am p le s m i ght b e given to
m ere coin ciden ce an d to supp ose th at th e Yorksh ire
,

cotton m ill own er evolve d th e sam e con clu sion s and even
-

th e sam e p hraseolo gy as th e Bavarian p rofesso r ou t of hi s

own inn er con scio u sn e ss And in dee d as Owen s bio g .
,
’

raph er p oin ts ou t h e him self dim ly in dicat e s the p os

,

session of a ph ilosoph y whi ch woul d re gen erat e society if

m en s min d s were prep are d to re ceive it With a Pyth a
’
.

g o re a n r e tic en c e h e re s erv e,s to h im s e lf a n d h i s in i tiat e d

” 4
an e soteric doct rin e of which th e wo rld is u n wo rthy .

Wh at coul d this doctrine b e b u t Illu min ism wh ich Owen , ,

obedien t to th e cu stom of th e Order is careful n ot to ,

reve al ?

Bu t it is in th e m atter of re li gion th at Ow en m ost

cle arly b et rays th e sou rce of hi s in sp iration B y n o other .

1 Life of R obert Owen by hi mself , p 7 7 . .

2
Ibid .
p . xx u .
3 I bi d p 1 54 ,
1
S argant , p
o . ci t
.
p 76
. .
 WORL D RE VOLUTIO N
m e an s can hi s cam p ai gn of m ilitan t ath eism b e explained .

I n a m an of Wei sh au p t s m or al ch aract er h atre d of

’

C h ristian ity is n ot su rprisin g bu t th at Owen fill ed with , ,

ardour for th e good of h u m an ity a S in cere an d tireless ,

p h ila nt h r o p ist sh o ul,

d h av e p aid n o t rib u t e to th e gre a t
Te ach er of love an d com p assion is so extraordin ary as to
be in exp licable by any facts h ith erto s et forth by hi s bio g
rap h ers . Bu t wh en we exami n e hi s th eorie s it is e asy to ,

se e wh en c e h e derive d th em , for wh at are his ide as of a

Ration al S ociety an d his p erp etu al allusion s to re ason

b u t th e old doct rin e of Weish au p t th at Re ason sh oul d
b e th e on ly code of M a n ? a doctri ne wh ich h ad
alre ady foun d exp ression in Pain e s A ge of R eason an d in ’

th e Fe asts of Reason celebr ated in th e ch u rch es of

Paris ? It was th en un d er this m align infl u en ce th at Owen
av e v e n t to s en tim en ts u tt e rly fo rei gn to h i s n at u ral
g
ch aracter as for exam p le hi s declaration th at th e reli
, , ,

io n s o f th e wo rl d are h o rrid m on st ers an d re al d em on s

g
of h u m an ity wh ich swallow u p all its ra ti on a li ty an d h ap p i
” 1
n e ss . Are we n o t f orcibly rem in de d by su ch u t teran ce s
of th e diat rib e s of th e Illu m in atu s C loot z on th e nu llity
of all r eli gion s At m om ents Owen even rivals Cloot z in
”
V iol en ce . Religion Clootz h ad written , is a social ,
“

d ise ase wh ich cann ot b e too qu ickly cu red A reli giou s .

” 2
m an is a depraved ani m al an d Owen e ch o e s th e sen ti
,

m en t by sayin g th at th e fun dam en tal n otion s of every

reli gi on h ave m ade m an th e m ost in con sist en t an d
m ost m iser abl e b ein g in exist en ce B y the erro rs of th e se .

s yst e m s h e has b e en m ade a we ak im b e cile an im al

3
e tc , , .

Th e occasion on wh ich th e se word s were u ttered by

Owen was th e great pu blic m eetin g wh ere he h a d deter .

” 4
m in e d to den ou n ce all th e reli gion s of th e world Thi s .

day h e lon g afterwar d s d e clare d to have b een th e m ost

g lo rio u s o f h i s lif e b u t i n re ality it sim ly h a d th e effe ct of
, p
alien atin g from him p u blic sym p ath y an d d estroyin g all
hi s p ower for good Led still fu rth er alon g th e p ath of
.

Illumi nism and accord in g to hi s bio gr ap her

, , in flam ed ,

with an ext ravagan t d esire for n otoriety Owen , seven ,

1 Life of R obert Owen by hi mself , p 20 7 . .

2
L a R épu bli qu e u ni verselle, p 2 7 . .

g
S ar ent , op ci t p 1 2 9
. .
1
. . L
ife of R obert Owen by hi mself , p 1 6 1 .
 THE G ROWTH O F S O C IALI S M 101

ye ars later aban don e d his flou rish in g exp erim en t at New
,

Lan ark in order to foun d a colon y on C omm unistic line s in

Am erica .

For som e ye ars h e h a d ch erish ed the p lan to cu t th e

”
world u p in to V illage s of 30 0 to 20 0 0 soul s in whi ch th e ,

dwellin gs for th e 20 0 or 30 0 f ami lie s sh oul d b e p laced

”
together in the form of a p ar all elo gram where in di vi d ,
“

”
u ali sm was to b e disallowe d an d e ach was to Wo r k f or
“

,
” 1
th e b en efit of al l Attem p ts to foun d a colony on th e se
.

line s in I relan d proved abortive an d acco rdin gly in 1 824 ,

Owen saile d to th e N ew World where h e bou gh t a large ,

.

tract of lan d n am e d Harm on y from som e Germ an

coloni sts d iscip l e s of the p astor Rapp Here in the follow
,
.

in g y e ar h e start e d h i s N ew H arm ony C om m nity of

u
E qu ality . Th e Comm un ist system was fin ally m au gu
rate d , an d oth er settlem en ts on th e sam e line s were
started both I n Am erica an d S cotlan d .

B u t Owen h a d calcul at e d wit h o u t taki n g hu m an n atu re

in to accoun t ; th e d ifficu lty of eradicatin g the sen se of
p p
r o e rty am o n g s t t h e colo n ists p r ov e d a n i n s u p e r abl e

diffi cul ty an d th e n oble de sire to work for the comm on

,

g ood w ith n o tho u gh t o f p e r son al p r ofit f ail e d S i g n all y as

an in cen tive
2
Hum an p assion s h a d a st ran ge way of
.

sprin gin g to th e su rf ace even in th e mi n ds of the enthu

sias tic C omm u nists wh o co m p os e d Owen s f ollowin g ; t h u s
’

th e organ of th e comm u nity The Co opera ti ve M agaz i ne ,

-
,

relat e s th at one fi ne evenin g a m em b er in th e fu ll flow of a

discour se to an op en air m eeting on th e th eory th at all

-
,

form s of pu ni sh m en t S h all b e rep lac e d by kin dn e ss h ap ,

p e n e d to p e r c e iv e i n t h e dista n c e a s m all boy h e l i

p ng
h im self to th e p lum s inth e spe aker s o rch ard and in stantly
’

aban d onin g oratory hurrie d towards the offen der an d

,

adm inistere d a sou nd thrashin g 3

.

Variou s attem p ts were m ade to organize the com

m un ity on diff eren t S ocialistic p rin cip l es For a tim e the .

s yst em kn own to d ay as Gu ild S ocialism wa s p ractis e d in

-

th e town of New H arm o n y wh ilst C omm u n ism was ,

banishe d to the country B u t in all the se exp erim ents

4
.

1 S argant , o p
. ci t .
p . 1 71 .
2 I bi d .
p 2 54
. .

2 Ibi d 2 1
I bi d . op ci t p p 2 52 , 253
. . . .
1 02 WORLD R E VOLUTION
hum an n ature still rem ain e d th e i n su p erable obstacle and ,

in 1 827 Owen in desp air resign e d th e m an agem ent The .

cau se of hi s f ailu re was att rib u ted by convin ced Com

m un ist s to h is own m an agem en t By Owen it was attrib
'

u te d to th e ch a ract er of th e p e op le wh o m ade u p th e

comm un ity His exp erien ce he ackn owledged

. h ad, ,

S h own one t h in g : th e n e ce ssity of gre at cau tion in s el e ctin

g
m em b ers No societie s with comm on p rop erty an d e qu ality
.

cou ld p rosp er if com p ose d of person s un fit for their p ecul

,

iar du tie s . I n o rder to su ccee d it was n ee dful to e xclu de

th e in t em p erat e th e i dl e th e carel e ss th e qu arrelsom e th e
, , , ,

avariciou s the selfish

,
I n oth er words C omm uni st
.
,

s ettlem en ts m u st b e com p osed of onl y perfe ct hum an bein gs .

“
B u t as Owen s bio graph er observe s : One won der s wh eth er
’

for a s ocie ty so wee ded an y p ecul iar organi zation woul d be

,

n e ce ssary .It is j u st th e selfi sh an d th e in t em perate who

” 1
c on stit u t e th e diffi cul ty of ou r p re sen t arr an gem en ts .

’
The colony foun d ed by Owen s disciple Abram C om be , ,

at Orbiston n ear Glasgow and other C omm un ist settle

, ,

m en ts starte d at R alahin e in Coun ty Clare in 1 83 1 at ,

Tyt herley in Ham p sh ire in 1 839 p rove d f ailu re s for th e ,

sam e re ason an d Owen hi m self was oblige d to re cogni se

2
,

h i s cherish e d schem e as im p racticable In dee d when on .

,

h is way back to E n glan d in 1 8 27 h e h a d occasion to visit

som e slave plan tation s in Jam aica h e cam e to th e con ,

e lu sio n th at slavery was aft er all n ot su ch a b a d syst em .

For do e s n ot slavery p rovide all th e ble ssin gs p rom ised

by C omm unism th e certain ty of food an d lodging an d ,

free do m from corrodin g care and anxi ety at th e com

p l ete sac rific e of all p e r so n al lib erty b u t with th e a d di
tion al advan tage of b ein g a workable syst em ? 2
,

S o en de d th e exp erim en t of th e m an wh om S ocialists

”
p r o u dl y n am e t h e f at h er o f B ritish S ocialis m C on .

si d erin g th e extr ao r din ary d e arth of p r actical p h ilan

thrOp ist s or of tan gible re sul ts to b e f o un d in th e ann als

of S ocialism it is n at u r al t h at its e xp o nen ts sh oul d b e e ager
,

1 S argan t , p 256 . .

2
S argant , op ci t p p 2 7 8 28 9
. Orb iston st arted with co op eration
. .
-
.
-

b ut went over t o C omm un ism , an d th en ceforth , S arg an t ob s erves ,

“
th e
p roj ect w as d o o m ed .
2
I bi d op ci t p 2 66 . . . . .
 THE GROWTH OF S O C IALI S M 03

to claim the f am ou s foun der of New Lan ark as one of their

num b er B u t in thi s as in m ost of th eir p reten sion s
.
, ,

S o cialists h ave sh own them selve s sin gularly di sh on e st for ,

it was when Owen aban don e d C ap it al ism in f avour of

S ocialism th at h e f ail e d It is th erefore n ot th e Owen of
.

New Lan ark b u t the Owen of New H arm on y wh om

S ociali sts can j u stly claim as th eir own Rat h er th an adm it .

this p ainf ul t ru th S ocialist writ er s in describin g th e career

,

of Rob ert Owen u su ally co n te n t them se lve s with exp ati at

in g at l en gth on th e brilli an t su ccess of N ew Lan ark an d

om it all referen ce to New H arm ony It is a curi ou s f act .

that no S ocialist h as so far devote d a book t o a tru thful

accoun t of p ast S ocialistic experim en ts ; all su ch fai lur e s
are p asse d over in com p lete sil en ce an d th e th e o rie s on ,

which th ey were foun de d are vau nte d as if no attem p t had

e ver b een m ad e to p u t them in to p ractice .

A fu rth er claim S ocialist s are fon d of m akin g for Rob er t

Owen is th at of h avin g foun de d th e co op erative system -
.

Thi s is again a p erversion of th e t ru th Owen s m o d el .

’

shop in N ew Lan ark was as we have seen sim ply a b en ev

, ,

olent hobby S u ch as a rich m an dr awin g hi s p rofits d ire ct

from th e in du stry in which th e worker s were en gage d an d ,

p ayi n g t h e m a low r at e of wa ge s co ul d well aff ord Owen , .

di d n ot b elieve in th e co op erative syst em whi ch was-

in au gurate d by th e fam ou s Rochdal e Pion eers at th eir

little co op erative store in Toad S tree t in 1 84 4 Thi s was
- .

reall y th e b egin ni n g of a gre at m ovem en t an d was f ol ,

lowe d by the Co op erative S ociety of Oldh am in 1 850 an d

-

by the co op er ative soci etie s n um b erin g

-
, m em b ers ,

whi ch were flou rishin g in

I n all thi s however neither Rob ert Owen nor S ocialism
, ,

can claim a S h are It is true that som e of the fou n ders of

.

co Op eration had b een infl u en ce d by Owen s e xam p l e at

’
-

New Lan ar k b ut they di d n ot S h are hi s Comm un istic

,

theories an d Owen th erefore

, loo ke d coldl y on t h e

co operative st o res start e d by hi s so c all e d discip le s

-
2 -
.

1
Ar ti cle on Comm un ism , by Mrs Fawcett , in t h e E ncycl opd
.

B ri ta nni ca for 1 87 7 .

2
B ea tri ce Webb , The Co opera ti ve M ovem ent, pp 4 7 , 56
-
S ee also
. .

Holyoake, The Co operati ve Movemen t, p 1 8 , an d Co opera ti on i n R ochd a le ,

- -

"
.

p. 1 9 . C o -o
p era t io n ,
H o ly o ak e o b s erv es , i s n o t to be id en tifi ed with
10 4 WOR LD RE VOLUTION
Co op eration th en as H olyoake says rs sim ply profit
-
, ,

sh arin g 1
,th e syst em with wh ich S ocialists will h ave
n othin g to do an d i n de e d op p ose with all t h eir m igh t ,

e xc ep t wh en li ke Marx th ey p erceive its u tility as a

, ,

Stepp in g stone t o C om m un ism

-
.

Th e e ssential diff eren ce b etwee n C c o p er ation an d -

C omm u n ism I S th e syst em of the ri gh t to p rivat e p r op erty .

Un der the form er system e ach p e rson con cern e d i n th e

bu sine ss h as th e ri gh t to claim fo r his ownhis share of the
p r ofits ; u n de r t h e latt e r all p r ofits go to t h e co m m u n ity .

Th e fo rm er h a s fre qu en tly le d to t riu m p h an t su cce ss ; t h e

se con d h a s invariably en de d in total fai lu re As Mrs . .

Fac tt in h er adm irabl e articl e on C omm un ism

e xp lain e d th e su cce ssful co Op erative soci etie s of th e last
,
-

century were prom ote d by real social reform ers wh o h a d

p r ov e d by m a n y f ailu r e s th e fu tility o f C o mm u n ism as an
”
en gin e of social regen er ation an d S h e ad d s : Th ere is,

n o m ovem en t m o re distin ctly n on co mm u n istic th an -

c o op er ation
-
It strengthen s th e p rin cip le s of cap ital an d
.

p rivat e p p
ro e rty by m aki n g e v e ry cc o p e r ato r a C ap italist -

an d th u s p e rson all y in te re stin g h im in th e m ain t en an c e

” 2
of th e pre sen t e con o m ic co n dition of society .

I n oth er words wh ilst C omm unism aim s at th e con

,

centration of C ap ital in th e han ds of the S tate or of com

m un i sts C o o p er ation aim s at th e exten sion of C ap ital
,
-

by distrib u tin g it am on gst a larger nu m b er of in dividu als .

An d all exp eri en c e t e ach e s u s t h at throu gh C c op eration -

,

not thro u gh C o mm unism lie s th e p ath to in du st rial p e ace , .

Whilst this re ally p ro gressive m ovem ent had b een

develop in g in E n glan d a su cce ssion of Fren ch p hilosop her s
were devi sin g fu rth er sch em e s for the reorgan ization of
in du s try later to be classifie d un der the generic term of
,

S ocialism .

First on th e list com e s the C om te d e S i m on gran dson ,

of th e f am ou s autho r of th e M emoi res relatin g to t h e co u rt

’

of Lo ui s XIV Born in 1 76 0 with an un balan ce d brain

.

"
Owen bu t sin c e it was h is sh op at N e w Lan a k th at s u ggeste d th e id a
,
r e
‘‘
t o t h fut u re co op erators Ow n m ay b e s aid t o h ave
e -
ori gin at ed co op era
e - .

t ion wit hou t in t en d in g it o b elievin g i n it r .

1 Holyo ake The C0 ,

o era ti ve
p Movement , p 24
. .

2
E n cycl opwdi a B ri ta nni ca for 1 8 77 .
 TH E GROWTH OF S O C IALI S M 105

i nh erit e d from an insane m other S ai nt S i m on had early ,

-

thrown him self in to th e wilde st exce sse s an d le d th e life of

” 1
an adven tu rer in qu e st of gold an d glo ry b u t after a ,

wh il e we ary of orgi e s h e had tu rne d hi s atten tion to th e

, ,

regen eration of th e world in wh ich h e b eli eve d h i m s elf ,

desti n ed to p lay th e le adin g p art S in ce this b ook is n ot .

in ten d ed to form a history of S ocialism b u t only to in di ,

cate th e relation b etween S ocial istic th eori e s an d th e

cou rse of th e World Revolu tion it wou l d b e b e si d e th e ,

oi n t to d e sc rib e i n d e tail t h e p hiloso p h y of S ai n t S i m on

p
-
.

S uffi ce it th en to S tat e b ri efly th at accordin g to hi s th e ory

of i n du st rial re con st ru ction there was n o way to p reven t

the e xp loitation of m an by m an bu t to p lace n o t onl y all ,

p pr o e r ty b u
,
t all h u m a n b ein gs u n d er S tat e con t rol t h u s ,

arrivin g not at absolu te e qu ality b u t at a hierarch y

in wh ich e ach W oul d b e classe d according to hi s cap acity
a n d rewar de d acco r din g to h i s work a form u la which
was only an oth er ren deri n g of th e B ab ouvi ste m axim :
E very on e acco rdin g to his stren gth ; to every one ,

” 2
accordin g to his n ee ds .

I n a word S ain t S im on ism e was sim p ly a variation of

,
-

our old frien d Babou vis m e of which th e t r adi tion had b een ,

carrie d on by B ab eu f s colle a gu e Bu on arotti S aint

’
.

S i m on s in sp iration m u st however b e t r ace d still fur ther

’
, ,

back th an th e C hief of E qu als n am ely to Weish au p t , ,

wh ose doctrin e s su rvive d n ot onl y am on gst the Babou

viste s b u t as we h ave seen in the Hau te Ven te Rom aine
, , .

S ain t S im on wh o we kn ow was conn e cted with th is

-
, , ,

form idable se cret soci ety acco rdin gly con tinu e d th e gre at,

sch em e of Weish au p t by p rocl ai mi ng th e abolition of

p pr o e r ty ,o f in h e r ita n c e th e dissol u tion, of t h e m arri age
,
—
tie an d th e bre ak u p of th e f am ily in a word the -
v
,

destru cti on of civilization Like Robert Owen S ain t .

,

S im on fr an kly de clare d that t h e existin g social system was

dead an d m u st b e com p letely d one away with Th e Fren ch .

Illum in atu s however di d n ot fal l in to the error of his

, ,

E n glish con tem p orary of alien atin g p u blic op ini on by th e

,

rep u di ation of C hristianity ; on th e con t rary f aithful t o ,

1 Thureau D an gin La M onarchi e de Ju i llet i 22 1

, . .

2
Thureau D an gin , op ci t vi 82
-
. . . .
 106 WORLD R E VOLUTION
th e di rection s Weish au p t S ain t S im on in his dook
of ,
-
,

Le N ou vea u Chri s ti a ni s m e s et ou t to p rove that his syst em ,

was sim ply th e fu lfil m en t of Chr ist s teachin g on th e ’

broth erh ood of m an which h a d b ecom e p erverte d b y th e ,

belief in th e n e ce ssity f or su bdu in g th e fl e sh ; th erefore in

order to re e stablish Chri stian ity on its tru e basis it was
- .

n e ce ssary to re sto re its s en su al S i d e th e absen ce of whi ch ,

” 1
strike s its social action with sterility It is e asy to see .
-

h ow su ch a t h eo ry fits in with th e p lan of th e H au te Ven te

f or general dem oralization .

Of co u rse as Weish au p t h a d fore s een th e m ethod of

, ,

identifyin g C hristiani ty with S ociali sm prove d imm ensely

eff e ctu al T h e wild eye d revolu tion ary wavin g a re d fla g
.
-

will never gain so m any converts as the m ild phil osop her
wh o p re ach e s p e aceful revolu tion carrie d ou t on th e
p rin cip le s of Chr istian love an d brotherhood It was this .

old d e cep tion of repre sen tin g Chr ist as a S ocialist whi ch
m ade th e strength of S ain t S im onism an d that practise d -
, ,

later on by the s o called C hristian S ociali sts of our own-

coun t ry n ot only drew coun tl ess am iable V ision arie s into

,

S ocialism b u t at the sam e tim e drove m any virile m in ds

,

fro m Ch ristianity to see k relief in Nie tzsch eism ,

.

I n re ality n o two p rin cip le s cou ld b e m o re opp ose d

th an that of Christ wh o tau gh t that a m an s life con ,
’

si ste th n ot in th e ab un dan ce of th e thin gs th at h e p os

se s seth an d t h at of th e p u rely m at erialistic p hilosop hy

’

which u rge s m ankin d to strive for one thin g onl y

p r e se n t w e lf are an d to i n du l ge t h e,gr oss e st s e n su al p a s

sio n s AS to the p erfe ctibility of hu m an n atu re an d th e

.

con se qu ent solid arity b etween the wo rkers borrowed

by S aint S im on from We ish au p t an d Clo otz n o on e had
-
,

e ver sh own th e f allacy of thi s delu sion m ore f or cibly th an

C hrist in Hi s p arable Of th e servant who b ein g absolve d , ,

fr o m h i s debt towards h i s m ast er took h i s fellow servant ,

.
-

by th e throat sayin g Pay m e wh at thou owe st !

, ,

S ain t S if fiOni sm carrie d within it th e germ s of its own

’

d e stru ction I n 1 8 23 its founder vain ly attem p te d to blow

.

ou t lh i s b rain s b u t onl y su cc ee d e d in d e st royin g th e si ght

fl

,
.

of one eye an d lin ge re d on f or two ye ar s in s em i blin dne s s

,
-

1 Malon Hi stoi re ,
da s oci ali sme, 11 . 15 .
 TH E GROWTH OF S O C IALI S M
an d m i sery
After his de ath th e Fam ily as h is di scip le s
.
,

were won t to call th em selves h eaded by the P ere ,

”
E nf an tin sp lit u p in to opp osin g f action s It th en tran s
, .

p i re d t h at t h e st r an ge st scen e s took p lace am on gst th em

rem ini scen t of th e An abap tists e cstasi e s d eliri u m s , ,

tran sp orts fin ally p ur su ed by th e p olice the Fam ily

, ,

bro ke u p amidst th e h oots of th e crowd 1

.

On e of th e first m em b er s to sep arat e fr om E nf an tin h a d

b een Pierre Leroux wh o continu ed however to carry on
, , ,

S ain t S im on ism with variou s elabor ation s

-
Out of th e .

m ason ic trilo gy Lerou x sele ct e d E qu ality as th e

sup rem e obj e ct of de sire an d t h is was to be obtain e d by a ,

syst em of t ria d s com bin in g th e t hree h u m an f acul tie s

sen sation sen tim en t an d kn owledge The se were to b e
, , .

rep r e s en t e d in t h e in d u st rial wo rld by t rios com p os e d of a

workm an an artist an d a savan t workin g to gether th e

, , ,

whol e form in g a t riad a n u m ber of th ese triad s wou l d

m ake u p a work sh op a n um b er of worksh op s a comm un e , ,

an d all th e co m m un e s coll e ctively we re to f orm a S tat e .

B u t as th e S tate was to b e th e sole own er of th e m e an s of

existen ce th e sole di re ctor Of wo rk t h e t riad syst em of
, ,

Leroux re solved itself fin ally in to a m ere variation on the

C omm uni stic S tate of Rob esp ierre Bab euf an d S aint , ,

S im on .

M e anwhile C harles Fourier b om in 1 77 2 had devised , ,

an other plan for th e reorgani zation of society Thou gh .

n ot a S ain t S im o ni en F o u rier h eld with S ain t S im on t h at

-
,
-

civilization had taken th e wron g road ( a vai t fai t fau sse

rou te) an d a re tu rn to Natu re sh oul d b e eff e ct e d by givi n g
2
,

a free re in to all p assion s S tartin g from th e prem ise th at .

e verythi n g which is n atu ral th at is to say in accordan ce ,

with th e purely anim al side of hu m an n ature is ri gh t

a n d be n eficial Fou rier advocat e d pro m iscu o u s in t ercou r se
,

b etween th e sexe s ; even t h e P are au x Cerfs of Loui s XV .

had h e con si dere d b een n ee dl e ssly con d em ne d

, ,
2
Greed .
,

too was p articul arly to b e en cou rage d as th e m ot her of

,
”
all i n du stri e s b ecau se it in du ce d m an to cul tivate th e
,

g r o un d a n d p p
r e a re f ood f or

D an i el S t ern , L a R é olu ti on de 1 84 8 , i 3 6
1 v . .

Th ureau D an gin , op ci t V i 9 6 I bid op ci t Vi 98

‘
,
2 - 2
I bi d V i 99
.
1
. . . . . . . . . .
 08 WORLD R E VOLUTION
It would b e ou tside th e scop e of this book to follow
Fou rier in to all his b ewil derin g S p ecu lation s on the fu tur e
of ou r p lan et th at one day th e m oon wou ld di e of p u trid
fever th e se a p u rge d of b rin e t urn in to
, ,
a p le asan t drink
,

”
like l em on ade an d m en en d owe d with seven feet e ach
, , ,

wou l d live t o th e a ge of 1 4 4 of which 1 20 were to b e sp en t ,

” 1
in th e exercis e of free love .

Th e p oin t to b e con sidere d h ere is Fo u ri er s sch em e for

’

th e re con st ru ction of soci ety On on e p oin t th en h e is t o .

, ,

b e co mm en d e d n am ely that h e depre cate d any rep etition

, ,

of t h e first Fren ch Revolu tio n ; alo n e of all h i s kin d Fou rier ,

p r oclai m e d th e g re at e x p e r i m en t to h av e p r ov e d disast ro u s ,

an d n ever we ari e d of ful min atin g a gain st its c ri m e s an d

f ollie s B u t in t h is h e sh owe d le ss in si gh t th an lo gic for

.
,

Fou rier had b een a victim of th e Terror th e sm all

oc s h o h h d i 1 7 93 at Lyo had b
’

g r er S p e a s e t u p n n e e n

p illa g e d by t h e t r oo p s o f t h e C o n v e n tio n a n d h e hi m s e lf ,

had n arrowly e scap ed th e gu illotin e .

It was th erefo re by p eaceful m ethods th at h e prop osed

to de st roy th e existin g C ap italistic syst em an d to e stab ,

lish in its place dom e stic association s of wo rkers which

h e n am ed pha lan s teri es e ach c om p ose d of 1 80 0 p eopl e
, ,
” ” ” 2
su b divide d into serie s p hala n ge s
, an d gr o u p s
, .

Am on gst these p erfe ct e qu ality was to rei gn n o on e was to ,

g iv e o rd e r s n o o n,
e to b e obli g e d to wo r k f or in a c omm u ,

n i ty wh ere all were abl e to in dul ge th eir p assion s freely

th ere wou ld b e n o tem p tation to i dlen e ss Fou rier even .

su cceeded in su rm oun tin g th e gre at stum blin g block of all -

S ocialist syst em s th e qu e stion of wh o was to do

“
, th e
dirty wo rk th is coul d b e quite e asily settl e d by
en cou ra ging th e ave rsio n to cle a nlin e ss h e h a d observe d in

ch ildren so th at n o tasks h owever u np le asant woul d b e

,

rep u gn an t to them .

This ide al con dition of th in gs cl e arly m ap p ed ou t ,

F ou rier only awaite d th e n e ce ssary fu n ds to p u t it into

e xe cu tio n an d acco rdin gly h e ann ou n c e d that h e wou ld b e
,

1Th u reau D an gin , p p

-
.

2
S ee t h e h id eou s p i ct ure of on e of th ese p h a la st eries m u c h res em
” — n
blin g Owen S arallelo gra m s in M alo n s Hi s toi re du s oci a li s m e , i i
’ ’

’
p .

297 . Fourier s id ea of t h e éta t ha rm oni en was evid en tly taken from

‘
‘
Owen s N ew H arm ony settlem en t ( S tern , i
’
.
 TH E GROWT H OF S O C IALI S M

h om e every day at 1 2 o clock to re c eive an y we althy

’
at

m an wh o woul d supply hi m with fran cs for th e

“

p p
u r os e. F o r te n y e ar s at th e app oin t e d ho u r F o u r i e r

p ati e n tly sat at h o m e waiti n g f or his ex p e ct e d m illio n ai re ,

b u t n on e p re sen te d h im self an d it was n ot un til 1 83 2 that

,

he fin ally su cceede d in raisin g th e re qu ired sum from a

certain Bau det D ul aury an d in the sam e year the first
,

p h ala n st e r y was sta r t e d at C o n dé s u r V e s gre b u t af t er

- -
,

th e brief life of a ye ar en de d in tot al f ailure and had to b e

a ban don e d .

A little later on a S ain t S im onien n am e d Buchez who

-
,

in 1 83 6 b e cam e one of th e leaders of th e se ct em barke d on ,

a cam p aign for com binin g S ocialism n ot m erely with the

vagu e Christianity of S ain t S im on b u t with rigorou s
‘
-

C ath olicism .S tartin g from J esu s C h rist an d en din g

wi th Rob e sp ierre 1
B u ch ez collabo rate d with Rou x
,

Lavergn e in th e fam ou s H i s toi re P a rlemen ta i re in which ,

h e p all iate d th e crim e s of th e C om ité d e S alu t P u blic on

th e sam e m o ral grou n ds t h at in his Trai té complet de

p hi los oph i e h e h a d j u stifie d t h e I n qu isitio n a n d th e

Massacre of S t Barth olo m ew n am ely th at the social
.
, ,

aim j u stifi e s everyth in g

2
a m axim adap te d fro m th at
of th e Jacobin s all is j u stifie d for th e sake of th e revolu
,
”
tion derive d in its tu rn from the doctrin e adop te d by
,

Weish au p t th at the en d j u stifie s th e m ean s ”

We shall .

fin d m an y su ch gen e alo gi e s in th e lan gu age of S ocialism .

Th e fir st followers of B u chez con siste d m ainly of young

bou rgeoi s artists stu den ts docto rs
, b u t by degree s a
,

certain n um b er of workin g m en wh om it was h is p rin cip al

-
,

a im to enlist i n th e m ovem en t b e cam e in tere sted a n d , ,

B u ch e z was th en able to p u t hi s th e o ri e s in to p ractice by

startin g th e a ssoci a ti ons ou vri eres wh ich h a d long b een
his dre am . Th ese were n ot to b e C omm un istic in th e
sen se of b ein g S tate Controlle d bu t to b e condu cte d on a
-
,

system m u ch re sem bling th at which is known to day as -

Gui ld S oci al ism .

Th e gu idin g prin ciple s of these association s b ein g

E qu ality an d Fraternity for B u ch ez like Lerou x , ,

1 D an iel S tern , L a R évolu ti on de 1 84 8 ,

2
Th ur ea u D an gin , op ci t vi 88
-
. . . .
 10 WORLD RE VOLUTION
had lo gically elimin ate d Lib erty from th e m asonic
form ul a th e workm en wh o co m p osed them were invit ed
to p ool their tools an d m on ey an d S hare th eir p rofits
e qu ally onl y p u ttin g asid e th e sixth p art to p rovide cap ital
,

for Carryin g on th e in du stry I n confo rm ity with Bu ch ez s

’
.

con cep tion of th e teach ings of Christ th e forem an ele cte d , ,

by th e workers th em selves was to b e th e servant not th e

, ,

m ast er of all hen ce no m ore misery n o m ore inequ ality

, , ,
” 1
n o m ore conflicts b etween labour an d cap ital .

At first all went well an d so great was th e enthu siasm

,

arou sed am on gst the m em b ers of th ese association s th at

they n ow em barke d on a labour p ap er n am e d L A teli er ’

( T h e Wo r ks h o p ) , e di t e d a n d w r itt e n by th e wo r k e r s t h em
s elve s an exp erim e n t un iqu e in th e ann als of S ocialism ,

unr ivalle d at an y rat e in th e S ocialist m ovem en t of to d ay ;

fo r by n o stretch of th e im agin ation co ul d th e s o call e d -

”
Labou r organ s or th e Labou r article s exp re sse d in th e
,

p u re st jo u r n al e s e ,that fi g ur e in th e m o d ern p r e ss b e

s u pp osed to em an ate from th e p en s of wo rkin g m en Th e -

.

ep isode of t h e A teli er is all t he m ore a t rib u t e to th e

p rin ci p l e s o f t ru e d em oc r acy in that th e vi ews it p re sent e d

,

g av e e vi d e n c e o f a f a r gre at er de gree of san ity t h an t h os e

of m iddl e class exp on en ts of S og i alism ; for t h e writ ers

-
,

whilst applau din g th e p ast Revolu tion th ey h ad b een

tau gh t to regard as th e sour ce of all social re gen eration ,

d ep recate d a rep etition of vi olen ce an d warn ed th e ,

workers again st any conn ection with th e secret societie s .

A si gn ifican t re su lt of thi s partin g com p any b etween

S ocialism an d Illu mi n ism was sh own in th e aban don m en t
of th e cam p ai gn of m ilitan t ath eism th at h a d distin gu ish e d

th e e arlier revolu tion ary m ovem en t an d th e re ader s of th e ,

A teli er were en joine d to regar d th e clergy n o lon ger as

su sp ects but as p ossible allie s Th e Revolu tion h as
.

onl y to p roclaim itself Christian to de sire onl y wh at

‘

Christianity comm an ds an d th e clergy will b e obli ge d to

,

un it e with it .

Unhapp ily in sp ite of the se lofty ide als an d the

,

u n dou bte d sin cerity of t h e m en who p r ofe sse d t h em th e ,

worker s association s were doom e d to f ailu re for th e

’

1 Thureau D an gin o
-
p ci t vi 8 9
, . . . .
 TH E GROWT H OF S O C IALI S M 111
—
sirnp le re ason th at theirfoun der h ad re ckon ed withou t the
we akn e sses of hu m an n atur e Aft er th e first ela n h a d sub
’

sided th e forem an b ecam e weary of b ein g the servant of

,

all The worker s fou n d n o stim ul u s to eff ort in the syst em

.

of e qu al p aym en t an d all ch afe d at th e n e ce ssity for

,

p u ttin g by a S ixt h p ar t o f t h e p r ofi t 1
Fi n ally t h e di ffi cu l ty .
,

of co m bin in g C h r stiani ty an d re vol u tion p rove d i n su p er

i

able an d th e workers obli ged to choose b etween th e two

, , ,

sp lit in to op p osin g cam p s th u s pu ttin g an en d to th e ,

association s .

M eanwhi le an oth er enthu siastic R ob esp ierriste Loui s

, ,

B lan e was d evelopin g hi s sch em e of workin g m en s asso

’
-
,

ci a tion s on m u ch th e sam e lin e s b u t with th e differen ce ,

th at they were to b e un der S tate con trol Al so th e i d ea 2

.

of C hri stian ity was elimi n at e d for Loui s Blan e rep u diat ed ,

reli gion in an y form an d deride d B u ch e z as a sen tim en ta

list .

I t is u su al to attrib u te to Loui s B lane th e doctri n e of

th e ri ght to work ( le droi t ou tra va i l) whi ch figur ed so .

p r o m in e n tly i n th e R e vol u tio n o f 1 8 4 8 I n re ality t h e id e a .

d ate d from Rob esp ierre an d m ay b e f oun d cl e arly set ,

forth in Ar ticle X of hi s De claration of th e Ri ghts of

.

Man on whi ch the C on stitu tion of 1 7 9 3 was foun de d

”
,
.

Yet if Rob e sp ierre m u st b e re garde d as th e au th or of th e

actu al form ul a of th e ri ght to work th at is to say of th e ,

du ty of th e S tate to p rovide every m an with work or with ,

th e m e an s of su bsist en ce when ou t of em p loym en t th e

p ri n ci p l e had b e en r e co gn iz e d lo n g b ef o re t h e R e vol u tio n .

H ad n ot th e Governm ent of Loui s XVI p rovi ded work at .

,

g re at e x p en se to t h e S tat e by sta r tin g b rickya , r ds wo r k ,

shop s ete for the un em p loyed of Paris ? In deed as Karl

, .
, ,

Marx wh o stigm atizes th e d octrin e of th e righ t to work

,
”
as a conf u sed form ul a trul y observe s : Wh at m odern ,

S tate do es n ot fee d its p oor in on e form or an ot h er ? 2

Loui s Blan e th en in hi s book L Organi s a ti on du travai l

, ,
’

ori gin ate d n oth in g ; hi s doctrin e s were th ose of Rou sseau ,

Rob e sp ierre an d Babeuf su pp l em ente d by th e theori z in gs

, ,

1 -
g
Th urea u D an in , op ci t V i 93 . . . .

2
M alon , Hi s toi re s oci a li s te, ii 26 7 . .

1
M arx, La u tte des clas s es en France, p 57
L . .
1 12 WORL D RE VOLUTION
of S aint S im on Fou rier C ab et an d B u onarotti an d his
-
, , , ,

system that which was to b e later kn own as S tat e S ocialism .

Th e S tate h e h eld , m u st regu late th e con di tion s of l abou r

,

with a fi rm h an d We wish for a strong governm en t .

,

b ecau se in the régim e of ine qu ality in wh ich we are still

veget atin g th ere are th e weak wh o n ee d a social force to
”
p r ot e ct t h e m B u t i n ti m.e th e S tat e was t o u n d er o
g th e
”
p r oc e ss d e sc rib e d lat er o n by L e ni n as witherin g away .

One day if th e de arest wish of our h e art is n ot di sap

p oi n t e d o n
, e day will c om e w h e n t h er e wi ll b e n o f u rt h er

n ee d of a stron g an d active governm en t b e cau se t h ere will

be n o lon ger an in ferior an d m inor class of society Un til .

then th e e stablish m en t of a tu telary au thority is in dis

” 1
p en sable .

Al l Lou is Blan e s s chem e s were foun ded on su ch

’

Utop ian p remise s .

B u t if his hop e s for th e fu ture were tin ge d with t oo

rose at e a hu e his ou tlook on t he p re sent was on e of
,

u nreli eve d gloom This attitu de was n o dou bt p artly owin g

.

to p e rson al grievan ces Natu re had been u nkin d to him .

,

for sh e h a d cloth e d hi s arden t soul with so p un y a body

that at th irty h e was m istaken for thirteen an d full grown ,
-

m en j u d gin g him fro m hi s un der sized fr am e an d high

,

i
p p g i n voic e to b e a sc h oolboy wo ul d p at h im k i n d ly o n ,
” 2
th e sh oul der an d a d dre ss h im as m y lad Th is kin d of .

hu m iliation h ad in sp ire d him with a gru dge again st

society ; at the sam e ti m e it would b e u n j u st n ot to give
h im cre dit for a gen u in e an d di sin tere ste d sym p athy with
the cau se of th e wo rk ers Hi s Orga ni s a ti on du tra vai l .

bre athe s throu gh ou t a S p irit of sin cerity wh ich off ers a

strikin g contrast to th e cynical u tteran ce s of m ost m odern
S ocialist writ ers wh ose in dictm en ts of workin g class ,
-

r i e va n c s like t h e h a rrowin g d etails of bodily ills r etail e d

g e ,

in adver tisem en ts of qu ack m ed icin e s seem to b e actu ate d ,

s olely by th e determ in ation to sell th e advertiser s p an ace a

’
.

’
Lou i s Blan e ob sesse d with th e w orker s lot u nh ap p ily
, ,

allow e d hi m s elf to f all a V ictim to that a gony of p ity wh ich

verge s on n eu rasth enia .

1 Lo u is Blan e L Organi sati on da travai l p 2 0

,
’
, . .

2
Th ure au - D angin , p
o . ci t. vi . 1 1 6 ; D aniel S t ern , La Révolu ti on do
1 84 8 , i i 4 3
. .
 TH E GROWTH OF S O C IALI S M 1 13

M an y sen sitive n at u re s b rou gh t in con tact with th e

miserie s of lif e h ave su ff ere d fro m thi s t en d en cy Lord .

S h af te sb ur y overwh elm ed at tim e s with th e h op el e ssn e ss

,

of his tas k kn ew the se black m om en ts of d esp air bu t

, ,

battl ed with them as a weakn ess th at m u st n ot b e allowed

'

to sap hi s en ergi es Th e error of Lo uis Blan e as of th e .

,

Ru ssian f an atics wh o cam e after hi m was to give un b ridl ed ,

rein to m orbid im agi n in gs To hi s clou ded vision a p oor .

man is n e ce ssarily a mi serable m an all th e con di tion s of ,

hi s lif e are u nb ea rable ; of con t en tm ent com bin e d with

fru gality h e h as n o con cep tion th e m ason whi stlin g as
h e go e s to wo rk th e fish erm an si n gin g as h e p u ts ou t to S ea
, ,

th e coun t ry labou rer tossin g h i s rosy baby in hi s cottage

g a r d en d o n ot e xist f or hi m As lo n g as so m e o n e p oss e ss e s .

m o re th an h e do e s a m an m u st n e ce ssarily b e mi serable
, .

Th is distort ed vi ew of th e ill s of lif e com bin ed with an ,

e xa gge rat ed co n c ep tion of his p ower to c u r e t h em was th e ,

cau se of Lo u is Blan e s su bsequ en t failur e an d bitt er di s ’

i llu si onm en t .

Q it
u e a di ff e re n t typ e of S ocialist was th e ge ni al Pap a
” ”
C ab et a fau x bon homm e says Th u reau D an gi n for
, ,
-
,

C ab et was a born au tocrat Th e s on of a barrel m ak er .

-
,

Etienn e C ab et first saw the li gh t at D ijon in 1 7 8 8 a n d in ,

1 834 wen t to E n glan d wh ere h e b e cam e a co n vert to th e ,

ideas of Robert Owen .

After his retu rn to Fran ce in 1 839 C ab et sketch ed ou t

h i s p lan of a C o mm uni st settl em en t m od elled on S ir ,

Th om as More s Utopi a in hi s Voya ge en I cari e an d in th e

’

, ,

sam e year 1 84 0 p u bli shed hi s gre at work on th e F ren ch

, ,

Revolu tion sh owing th e cour se of C o mm uni stic th eo rie s

,

throu gh ou t th e m ovem en t 1
Th ese i d eas which C ab et .
,

trace s from Plato Protagoras th e E sseni an s of J u d ea , , ,

More C am p an ella Lock e to Mon t esqu i eu Mably

, , , , ,

Rou sse au an d oth er p h ilosop h ers of th e ei gh t een th cen

,

tury f orm e d as we h ave sh own in an e arli er qu otation

, ,

fro m C ab et s work th e p olicy of Rob e sp i erre an d in a

’

, ,

l e sser degree of C on d orcet C lootz H eb ert an d Ch au

, , , ,

m ett e B u t it is abov e all B ab eu f wh om C ab et ri gh tly

.

regards as t h e p rin cip al exp o n en t of C o mm u ni sm an d i n ,

1 H i s toi re popu la i re de la R evolu ti on Fra ngai se, in four vols .

 WORLD RE VOLUTION
t his conn ection h e p rovide s an in tere sti n g exp lan ation of
a su b terfu ge em p loye d in n e arly all hi sto rie s of S ocialism .

Now as every on e kn ows th e word S ocialism had n ot

, ,

com e in to u se at th e b e gi nn in g of th e nin eteen th cen tu ry ,

an d its d oct rin e s were classifie d u n der su ch generic head

”
in gs as Babou vism e S ain t S im on ism e
, Fou rier -
,
”
i sm e et c It was n ot u n til abo u t 1 84 8 that
,
. S ocialism
b egan to be em p loyed as a com preh en sive term em b racin g
all th e se variation s on th e sam e them e N everthele ss it is
1
.
,

cu stom ary to de scrib e S ocialism as origin ating with Robert

Owen S ain t S im on an d F ou ri er Why ? S in ce non e of
,
-
, .

these m en call ed them selve s S ocialists an d S ain t S im on ,

-

died twen ty ye ars b efo re th e word was in ven ted there ,

seem s no m o re reason to in clu de them under th e term th an

th eir p re dece ssor s of th e ei gh teen th cen tu ry from wh om
th ey took th eir th eorie s To th e a tten tive stu d en t of social
.

history it seem s obviou s that historie s of S ocialism after ,

tracin g its origin s in antiqu ity and in th e doct rin e s of the

Fren ch p hi losop hers S h ould b egi n their accou n t of th e
,

m ovem en t with its e arlie st exp onen ts in th e Fren ch

Revolu tion Why so re sol u t ely dissociat e S ocialism or
.
,

its e qu ivalen t C omm u nism from Robe sp ierre an d Bab euf ,

C ab e t an swers this p ertin ent in qui ry with a qu e stion :

Wh y in order to represent a doctrine th at one b elieves to be
,

th e m ost b eau tiful an d th e m ost p erfect choose a m an ( B abeuf ) ,

wh o was p erhap s n ot qui te p erfect an d whose life attacked b y , ,

a p arty of the p atriots (t e revolu tionaries) th em selves m ay at

. .
,

least fu rni sh pretexts for attacks from the adversaries of com

m u ni ty ? Wh y choose a proscri b ed nam e of whi ch all th e en em i e s
of th e p eop le h ave m ade a bu gb ear ? To tran sform Comm u ni sm
into B abou vi sm e is i t n ot to fall into a trap an d obligin gly
in crease difficu lties already so great ? For th e sam e reason
we h ave con si d ered it a m i stake to invoke th e n am e of
Rob esp ierre j u st as B od son blam ed Babeu f for invoki n g th e
nam e of thi s m artyr
2
.

Ye s de cide dly for th e credit

,
o f C omm u nism it is b etter
to keep Robe spierre an d Bab euf dark and to date th e
1 M alon ( Hi s toi re da s oci a li s me, 1 . 31)
th e word was fir st u sed in
sav s
i
th s s ns e b y
e i err e Lero P
u x in 1 84 8 rn co n t ra -
d istin ct ion to Individ ualism ,
b u t D ani el S t ern , L a R evolu ti on de 1 84 8 , i 33 , say s it was not current til
‘‘ ’
. l
aft er t his d at e Th e verb . to socializ e h ad , however, as we sh all see a
few p a es fu rth er on , b een coin ed twelve y ear s earlier.
2 g
C abet , H i stmre populai re, etc , i v 3 3 1 . . .
 THE GROWTH O F S O C IALI S M 1 15

ori gin s of S ocialism from th e tea chin gs of su ch ami able

visionarie s as Owen S aint S im on an d F ouri er ! Th e
,
-
,

adm ission is certainly nai ve !

C ab et him self was a th eorist o f th e sam e p acific o rder ,

an d altho u gh expressin g hi s firm be lief in the p racti

,

p as t d e cla
, re d:
Bu t we are p rofoundl y convin ced at th e sam e tim e th at a
mi nority cannot establi sh it by vi olen ce th at it ca n onl y b e ,

reali zed by th e p ower of p u bli c opini on an d th at far from h asten ,

ing its reali zation vi olen ce can onl y retard it We thi n k th at .

on e sh oul d p rofi t b y th e lesson s of hi story , th at as B ab euf an d

hi s com p ani ons foresaw ( di d th ey for es ee i t ? ) th eir con

sp iracy was th e final blow to d em ocracy We fin d it dead u n der .

th e Directory u n d er th e Con sul ate , un d er th e E m pire , an d

,

un d er th e Res toration
1
.

Would th at ou r s o —
called adv c d thinkers of to day
an e -

woul d re co gni ze the wisdom of thi s refle ction !

It was th erefore in a p erfectly p acific sp iri t that Cab et
g at h er e d a r o un d h i m a ci r cle of en th u siasts callin g them

selve s Icarian s all p rofoun dl y im b u e d with th e B ab ou vi s te

,

tradi tion an d ea ger un der th e gui dan ce of its late st exp o

,

n en t to p u t it in to p ractice Re alizin g th at m at eri alism was

,
.

a doctrin e that would n ev er m ake a p op ul ar ap p eal C ab et ,

followe d th e p rece den t of Weishau p t by de clari n g : Th e

p re se n t C o mm u nists a re th e di sci p l es t h e im itato rs th e , ,

con tin u ers of Je su s Chr ist Th erefore resp e ct a d octrin e

.

” 2
p r e ac h e d by J e su s C h rist E xam. i n e it S t u dy it .

Th e old m axim of th e B ab ou vi st e s was again adop t ed

by th e comm u ni ty : From every on e accordi n g to hi s
stren gth to eve ry one accordi n g to hi s n eed s ( D e cha cu n
,

s elon s es f orces a cha cu n s elon s es bes oi n s)

3
, .

I n 1 84 7 C ab et j u d ge d th at th e m om en t h ad co m e to
carry hi s great schem e in to execu tion an d on Febru ary th e ,

3r d of th e followin g ye ar a ban d of sixty ni n e en thu siastic -

Icarian s start e d fo rth for T exas wh er e th ey e agerly set to ,

work at cle arin g th e groun d f or a s ettl em en t Unf ortu .

n at ely th ey h a d sel ect ed a m alarial di st rict a gre at n um b er ,

of t h e colonists were st ru ck down by fever the onl y d octor ,

'

1
C ab et , op ci t i 33 4
. . . .
-

¥ A‘ y
2
Malon H i s toi re da
,
s oci a li s me , ii 1 7 2
. .
2
I bid ii
. . 1 65 .
116 WORL D RE VOLUTION
of th e p arty wen t m ad an d several of th e sick died for ,

want of m e dical aid Accordin gly the comm u ni ty de ci d ed

1
.

to aban don th e few m iserable hu ts th ey h ad su cce ede d in

e re ct in g an d t o m i gr at e to an oth er p art of the co u n t ry .

Th e p roce ssio n divide d in to t h ree colu m n s set fo rth on

, ,

a tragic retreat from Texas to N ew Orl e an s wh ere th ey ,

we re join e d b y C ab et hi m self an d abou t 20 0 m ore Icarian s ,

a n d u n d er h i s l e a d ersh i p m oved on to th e old Mo rm on

.

town of Nau voo in Ill in ois wh ere th ey fin ally settled in ,

March 1 84 9 S oon aft er this C abe t was re called to Fr an ce

.

in or der to defen d him self in a lawsu it br ou gh t a gain st h im

by som e of th e Icarian s h e h ad l eft b ehin d wh o accu sed ,

him of appr op riatin g fran cs of th eir fu n d s 2

Th e .

cou rt en ded by acqu ittin g him an d C ab et was abl e to ,

ret u rn to N au v oo which was n owp rosp eri n g for th is ti m e

, ,

th e colon ists fin din g re a dy m a d e h ou s e s awaiting th em

,
-
,

were abl e to em bark at on ce on variou s com m u n al en ter

p ris e s Fa. rm s a n d wo rks h o p s s p r a n g pu also a d istill e ry , ,

a th e at re a sch ool for the children F or fi ve years all wen t

,
.

well an d by 1 85 5 th e colonists h ad in cre ased to over 50 0

p pe o l e C o m
. m u n is m s ee m e d soli d ly e stablis h e d at last .

B u t on ce a gain th e i n evitable occu rre d for th e h istory of ,

C o m m u nist settl em en ts is p ai nfu lly m on oton ou s in its

reit e r ati o n a n d in Nau voo,
as e arli er in N ew H arm ony , ,

lat er in N ew Au st ralia th e au tocratic spi rit of th e le ader ,

b egan to m ak e itself felt C ab et in deed h a d as Malon th e .

,

S ocialist observe s su ch a hat re d for every in stin ct of

,

lib erty th at h e fo rbade th e workers to h ave tobacco or

bran dy or even to sp e ak du ring worki ng h ou rs 2 -

Nau voo h ad in fact b e com e an absolu te m on archy for ,

n o on e b u t C ab et was allowe d to h ave a n y voice in p u blic

aff ai rs Not u n n atu rally the comm unity revolte d an d in
.
,

1 85 6 o rganiz e d a b allot which dep rive d C ab et of h i s l e a d er .

S hi p by a m ajo rity of vot e s Th e d et hr on ed m on arch left .

Nau voo f ollowe d by th e faithful m in ority of 20 0 b u t died

, ,

of gri e f th e sam e ye ar a t
‘
acco rdin g to Larou sse 1
, ,

S t Lou is Th e rem ain d er p f th e Icarians n ow m i grat ed

. .

from Nau voo to Iowa a n d in sp it e of con ti nu e d dissen sion s ,

1
M alon Hi s toi re
,
du s oci a li s m e , ii 1 7 4 1 7 5
.
-
.

La Grande E n cyclopedi c , arti cle o n C ab et M alon ,

’
2
2 . 11 . 1 76 .

1 D i cti on na i re La rou ss e art rcle on

, C ab et
”
.
 THE GROWT H OF S O C IALI S M
stru ggled on with ou t a th er b re ak u p un til 1 87 9 when
fu r -
,

th eir n um b er was red u ce d to fif ty two By this tim e h ow -

.
,

ever th e exalt ed i d e als wit h wh ich they h a d em bark e d on

,

th e en t erp ris e were alm ost f o rgott en only a f ew of th e old ,

m en retain e d som e th in g of th eir e arlier C omm u ni stic

ardou r which en thu siastic visitors from tim e to tim e fanned
,

again into fl am e ; th e youn g m en m eanwh ile grew up

im p atien t at th e arre st of all p ro gress an d en d ed by form ,

in g th em selve s in to a h ostil e cam p of Pro gre ssive s in opp o

”
sition to th e N on Pro gre ssives wh o clu ng to th e old
-
,

order Th is scission led u p to a defini t e ru p tur e in 1 87 9

1
.
,

wh en twenty ei gh t m em b ers left th e colony an d the

-

rem aini n g twen ty fo ur stru ggl e d on p ai nfu lly un til their

-

fin al exti n ction in 1 888 .

S o en ded on e m o re att em p t to p u t C om m u ni sm in to
p r actic e By t h e
. m i d dl e o f t h e last c e n t u ry i n d e e d e v e ry , ,

form of S ocialism wh ich we h e ar p roclai m e d to d ay as th e

y

last word in m o dern th ou ght had alrea dy b een p rop ou n ded

if not p u t to th e t e st .

S p ace forbids th e enu m eration of th e countl e ss the orists

D ésam y R a sp ail Talan dier Au gu ste C om t e and m any
, , , ,

others wh o fill ed th ose y e ars with th e n oise of th eir

de clam ation s on the regen eration of society Those wh o .

care to p lu nge into this sea of words a n d words an d

words all m ore or le ss rea rran gem ents of th e sam e old
fo rm ul as an d p hrase s c an do so in th e p a ge s of Malo n s
’

vast H i s toi re du soci a li sm e wh ere th ey wi ll fi n d every con ,

c eivab le variation of th e S ocialist t h em e s e t fo rt h with a

b ewil deri n g we alth of detail They will th en fi nd th at the .

Fren ch S ocialists of 1 8 25 to 1 84 8 had anticip at ed all the

th eorie s of m odern S ocialism which are h abitu ally attrib ,

u t ed to th e S ocial D em ocrats of Germ an y Thu s as e arly .

as 1 83 6 an obscu re writer n am e d P e cqu eur h ad alre a dy

”
coin ed th e word to socialize so de ar to th e h e art of the ,

m odern Bolsh evi k an d in 1 83 8 p u b lish ed a t re atise n am ed

,

Des i n téréts du comm erce de l i ndu s tri e et de l a gri cu ltu re et

’ ’

de la ci vi li s a ti on en gen era l et c in which h e p rop osed that , .

,

all bank s m in e s railways an d by d egree s all gre at in du s

, , ,

trie s shoul d b e socialized :

, I n soci al e co n om y th e t ru e
1
M alon , p
o . ci t .
pp . 1 7 9 1 82
-
.
 1 18 WOR LD RE VOLUTIO N

good will be the progre ssive s ocializ ation of the sources of

all riche s of in stru m ents of work of the con dition s of
, ,

g eral we lfare
1 ’
e n .

Again : C ap ital m u st en d by b ein g entirely social and ,

e ach p er so n m u st always re ceive a a t f th od u c

p r o e p r e

a ccording to his time Q f wo rk 2

W .

A littlel ater Vidal took u p th e sam e them e sp e cializing ,

on the t h eo ry that Marx was later to m ake f am ou s un der

th e n am e of wage S lavery I n hi s book Vi vre en tra vai llan t

“

-
.
,

p u blish e d in 1 84 8 Vi d al followin g in the footstep s of

,

P ecqu eu r dem an de d th e
, socialization of the lan d and
”
the socialization of capitals whi ch was to lead to col ,

le ctive cap ital 2

in oth er wo rds C o mmu nism tricked ,

ou t in f re sh p hrases .

How is it th at ; in sp it e of con tin u ed fail u re s the idea of ,

C om m un ism p e rsisted all th ro u gh this pe riod ? M .

‘

Thu rea u D a ngin n o dou bt ri gh tly attribu te s it to th e

-

B ab ou vi ste t raditio n wh ich h e S h ows to h ave con tinue d ,

ri ght u p to th e e n d of th e cen tu ry an d in dee d we m a say

y ,

to th e p re sen t m om ent :

I n stu dyin g Fou riérism e , S ain t S im oni sm e an d th e oth er -

,

schools d erivin g from them th at called th em selves p acific we

h ave fou n d on e of th e origin s of revolu tionary soc ialism Thi s .

ori gin is not th e only one Th ere i s anoth er whi ch whilst less .
, ,

app aren t can neverth eless be recognized , an d for this we m u st

,

g o b ac k to G racc h u s B ab eu f , wh o u n d er th e Dir ectory lou dly , ,

p reach e d th e ab olition of p rop erty , an d th e di vi din g u p of all

lands an d all rich es This affiliation h as escaped the attention
.

o f m ost con tem p oraries , bu t to d ay we h ave th e p roof th at from -

th e E qu als of 1 7 96 to the S ociali sts at th e en d of the Mon

archy of July (i e th e monarchy of Loui s Philipp e) the trad tion
. .
i

was continu ed withou t interrup tion One m an was foun d in .

fact to receive i t from th e h an d s of B ab eu f to preserve it wi th ,

a sort of savage piety and tran smi t it to new generation s : thi s

was Bu onarotti 1‘
.

It was B u on arotti who I n 1 828 p u blishe d th e H i s tory of

th e Con s pi racy of the E qu a ls ( qu ot e d i n th e last chap t e r of
thi s book ) wh ich was for t en ye ars th e gosp el of the
,
.

F ren ch p rol etariat stu die d in all th e workshop s so that .

,

1
M alon, Hi s toi re da soci ali sme , 1 1 . 20 5 . I bi d p
2
.

2 I bi d i i p 1 9 7
. . . .
1
Thureau D an in , -
g op ci t V1 1 0 6 1 0 8
. . . .
 TH E GROWTH OF S O C IALI S M 1 19

th e workin g m en becam e inf e ct ed with Babouvism e

-
.
1

B u t in t ra cin g thi s p rop agan da to B u on arotti s Babou

’

—
vi s ti c fervour M Th u reau D an gin stop s s ho rt of th e t ru th
.

an d it is M al on who s u p p li e s th e re al exp lan ation to th e

p e r sist en c e o f C o mm u nist tra di tio n B a b e u f it wil l b e .

,

rem em b ere d was an Ill um in at u s acti n g acco rdin g to hi s

, ,

own conf e ssio n u n der o r ders from in visibl e chi ef s an d it

, ,

was by th ese sam e agen ci es th at th e work he h ad begun was

carrie d on Th e i de a of comm uni ty (i e
. . .

s ays Malon had been trans mi tted i n the da rk throu gh the

,
” 2
s ecret s oci eti es a n d els e wh ere h e adds that B u on arotti
,

h a d in sp ired n e arly all th e se cret soci etie s dur ing th e first

” 2
thi rty five year s of the cen tury
-
.

It rs th erefo re n ot onl y as th e coadj u tor of B ab euf bu t ,

as th e a d ep t of Ill u m ini sm that Buonarotti m u st be ,

regar d e d .

B u t whil st C omm uni sm un der the V ari ou s form s d e ,

scri b ed above con tinu ed its course throu gh th e su cceedin g

g r o u p s of re vol u tio n ar y S ocialists Ill u m i ni s m h a d d e ve l ,

op ed alon g an oth er li n e m ore in conf orm ity with its origin al

u
p p r os e n,
a m e ly A n a rch y Of t h is c ree
, d P r o u dho
. n h ad

becom e th e chief exp on en t Hith erto alth ou gh an archi c .

,

doctrin e s h ad b een freely p re ach e d by Marat Clootz an d , ,

Heb ert th e ap p ellation of An archist had been clai m ed

,

by n o on e b u t rem ain e d a t erm of opp robrium which even

,

an en ra ge of 1 7 93 wo ul d have i n di gn an tly re s en t e d It
’

was left to Prou dh on to ad op t the n am e of An ar ch y (i e

'

. .

wi th ou t govern m en t ) as th e p rofession of a p olitical fai th in

‘
e on t ra di s tin cti on to C o mm uni sm
1
.

Th e diff eren ce b etween th e two syst em s m u st b e cle arly

un d erstoo d if w e are to f ollow th e confli cts th at m arked

th e cou rse of th e revolu tion ary m ovem en t from thi s

m o m en t on war ds .

B ri efly th en whilst Comm un ism de clare s that all lan d

, ,

we alth an d p rop erty m u st b e taken ou t of p ri vate h an ds

,

a n d p lac e d u n d er t h e co n t rol of th e S tat e An archy ,

advocat e s p re cisely th e opp osite p rin cip le th e com p lete ,

abolition of the S tate an d th e seizu re of we alth by th e

1 Malon op . ci t 1 1. . 147.
2
I bid p . . 1 63 .
2
I bid .
p 147
. .

1
g
Th urea u - D an in , op . ci t vi . 1 32 .
1 20 WORLD RE VOLUTION

p eop le fé fOn ee again we co m e b ack to the old m asonic

f o rm ul a Lib erty and E qu ality C omm unism which is .
,

th e a p p lication of th e p rin cip le of absolu t e E q u ality ,

rega rds hum an ity o nl y i n th e m ass an d wo ul d c u t all m en ,

d own to on e d ead l evel ; An arch y which p roclai m s com ,

l
p ete Lib erty wou ld le ave every m an free to live as h e
,

p l e as e s to do
, as h e wi ll with h i s own to rob or to m u rd er , .

Th e form er is ri gid b u reau cracy ; th e latt er In dividu alism ,

run m ad .

Now it is obviou s that between the two creeds there

c an b e n o un d erstan din g t hat in d ee d th ey a re m o re ,

Opp ose d to e ach other t h an eit h er is op p ose d to th e exi stin g

social syst em F or un der the con stitu tion al govern m ents

.

en joy e d by all civili z e d co u n t ri e s to day a c ertai n degree of

‘

both Lib erty an d E qu ality p revails an d so in E n glan d at , ,

any rate ou r form of govern m en t m ay b e sai d to r ep re s en t

,

th e h app y m e an b etween tw o p rin cip l e s wh ich if p u she d ,

to extrem es m u st rem ain for ever irre concilable

,
.

It was thu s t h at th e m asonic form u la aft er l eading ,

m ankin d in to th e m orass of revolu tion fromth e m iddle of ,

th e n i n et een th c en tu ry on wards divi d ed th e revolu tionary

f orce s in to th e two h ostil e cam p s in dicat e d in th e ch art
accom p anyin g this book un der th e p arallel colu mn s of
S ocialism an d An archy This rift which had fir st m ad e .
,

itself felt in 1 7 94 when Rob e sp ierre t u rn e d on the An ar

ch i st s who h a d p ave d his way to p ower n ow with th e ,

adven t of Prou dh on op en ed ou t n ever to close again Th e .

re st of t h e h istory of wor ld revol u tion u p to th e p re s ent day

largely con sists in the war b etween th e S tat e S ocialists

an d An ar chists whose bitt er h at re d of e ach oth er exceeds
, ,

ev en t he hat re d of eit h e r for th e C ap italist system both

‘

a re e a ge r to de st roy .

By Prou dhon su rn am ed by Krop otkin e the Fath er

,
” 1
of An ar chy th is hatred was above all lo gically direct e d
, , ,

again st Rob es p ier re the Fath er of S tat e S ocialism an d

, ,

expre ss ed in n o mil d t e rms :

1 Th ey h ave reproach ed me with b ein th e Father of Anarchy g .

‘

Th ey wi sh to d o m e t oo m u ch ho n o u r Th e Fath er of An archy is th e
.

im nior tal Proud h on , wh o p rop ou n d ed it for th e first t im e in 1 84 8 .

Krop otkine b efore the Cour d App el of Lyon , P roces des a narchi stes
’

p 100
. .
 .

TH E GROWTH O F S O C IALI S M 1 21

All th e runners after popu lari ty m ountebanks of th e revolu ,

tion have taken for th eir oracle R ob esp ierre th e eternal d enu n
, ,

ciator with th e em p ty brain th e serp en t s tooth

’

, Ah ! I , .

kn ow hi m too well thi s reptile I h ave felt to o well th e wrigglin g

, ,

of hi s tail to sp are in him th e secret vi ce of d emocrats th e cor

, ,

ruptin g ferm ent of every R ep u bli c E n vy 1

.

For the nin eteen th cen tury devotee s of R ob esp rerre -

,

Prou dhon h a d n othi ng bu t loathi ng an d cont em p t an d ,

th erefo re durin g the years p recedin g th e 1 84 8 revolu tion

occu p i ed an alm ost isolate d p osition I am n eith er a .

”
S a int S im oni en , nor a Fo uriérist e , nor a B ab ou vi s te
-
he ,

wrot e in 1 84 0 ; an d again : I h ave n o d e sir e to in crease

th e n um b er of th e s e m adm en Th e sy st em of Four ier h e .

de scrib ed as th e last dr eam of debau ch ery in delir ium

Lou is Blan e was th e m ost i gn oran t th e vain e st th e
“
, ,
”
em p ti e st t h e m ost i m p ud en t an d n au se ou s of d eclairn ers
,
.

‘
F ar from m e th en C omm uni sts ! h e crie s
, yo ur p r e s ,

” 2
en c e stink s in m y n ostrils th e si gh t of you di s gu st s m e , .

Th e only p oin t in which Prou dh o n f ou n d him self in

accord with th e S ocialists was in hi s de clam ation s again st
o ty d i t hi s b b li v d him s lf to b ti ly
“

p p
r e r a n n ,
e e e e e e en r e
”
ori gin al Prop erty h e declared
. is th eft ! It is not
, ,
“

on ce in a thou san d years th at su ch a sayin g is m ade I .

have n o other treasu re on e arth excep t thi s defini tion of

p p
ro e rty b u t I hold,
i t m o re p recio u s t h an th e m illion s of

Roth schi ld !
’
Unh appily Prou dhon s t reasu re was n ot hi s own for ,

h e h ad borrowe d it al m ost verbatim fro m B ri ss ot who in ,

1 7 8 0 had writt en : E xclu sive p rop erty is a theft in

” 2
Nature Th e thi ef in th e n atu ral s tate is th e ri ch m an
.
, , .

Moreover Bri ssot hi m self had n ot o riginat ed th e idea ,

whi ch m ay b e foun d in th e writin gs of both Weish au p t
S o m u ch for Prou dh on s one ch erish ed
’
an d Ro u sse au .

p oss e ssio n .

I n his blasp h em i e s likewise Prou dhon had n ot even th e

m erit of o ri gin al ity for we seem to h e ar
“
th e p erson al
'

,
”
en em y of J e su s C hrist An a ch ar si s Clootz in su ch p hr ase s
, ,

1
P J Proudh on Idée gen erale de la revolu ti on a n X I Xi éme siecle
. . ,
’ ’ ’

pp . 1 88 , 1 8 9
2
Th urea u - D angm , La Mona rchi e de Jui llet, vi 1 2 8 . .

2 R echer hes p hi l hi l d i t d i té l l l ‘ ’

c os op q u es s u r e ro e p p
ro r e c o vo .
 1 22 WORL D RE VOLUTION
as the se: God th at is folly and co a rdi ce ; God i s
” 1
w
tyranny an d m is ery ; God is E vil An d going on e step
'

fu rth er he cri es : To m e th en Lu cifer S atan ! wh o ever ,

y o u m a y b e th e d e m on,
that t h e f aith of m y f ath er s
” 2
opp ose d to God an d th e Chur ch .

It is Prou dhon racked wi th a d em on of hat red bitt er

, ,

n e ss an d reven ge i n whom th e deva statin g fir e of wo rld

, ,

revol u tion is i n carn ate d a d evil th at d rive s hi m fr om th e ,

com p any of hi s fellow m en to d well like the Gadarene -

.

dem oniac in the wildern ess .

One m an t h ere was who so u ght ou t Prou dho n in his

savage isolation Michel Baku ni n ,
the first of th at ban d ,

of Ru ssian s lat er to b e kn own by th e n am e adop t e d by

Prou dh on that of An archist

, an d oft en b efore th e

ou tbreak of 1 84 8 these two wou ld sit f ar into the ni gh t dis

cu ssing the world revolu tion that was to overthrow th e '

Prou dh on s re solu tion : I shall arm ’

e xistin g order .

m yself to th e teeth again st civilization ; I shall begi n a war

that will en d onl y with m y life ! 3
m ay b e regard e d as th e
battle cry of th e p arty led later on by B aku ni n su rn am ed
-

th e geniu s of de st ru ction

Bu t ither An archists n or S ocialists cou ld alon e have

ne

availed to brin g abou t the revolu tion ary ou tbreaks that

m arke d th e fir st h alf of th e n in et een th cen tu ry ; theo ry ,

however violent m u st ever prove p owerle ss to p ut in

,

m otion the con cret e m achinery n ee de d for th e su bver sion

of law a n d o rder an d as in t he fir st Fre n ch Revolu tion it
,

was the S e cret S ocie tie s that p rovide d the real driving
force b ehin d th e m ovem en t .

I t is p oss ible th at som e of th e l e aders of tho u ght dur in g

”
that p eriod kn own as ,
th e d awn of S ocialism rem ain e d ,

un con sciou s of the s e cret influ en ce b eh in d them ; oth ers

however wi ttingly co op erat e d with them Bu onarotti as

,
-
.
,

we have seen wa s one of th e p rin cip al le aders of th e S ecret

,

S ocietie s ; S ain t S imon an d Ba z ard

-
con sul t ed Nubiu s as
”
a D elp hi c oracle Mazzini p rofe ssing Christian and
.
,

p at ri ot tho u gh h e W a s had joi n e d t h e r a n ks,of th e C ar

1 Thurea u D an gin
p ci t vi 1 39
-
,
o . . . .

Proud hon La R évoluti on cm X I Xiéme siécle p 290

3
_
,
'

, . .

3 Thu reau D angi

n op ci t vi 1 27-
, . . . .
 THE GROWTH O F S O C IALI S M
bon ari where hi s activi tie s m erely excited the derision of
,

the Hau t e Vente F or the m etho d s of th e C arbon ari were

.

not thos e of t h e Hau t e Ven t e whi ch held that the mi nd ,

r ath er t h an t h e body sho ul d b e th e p oin t of attack .

Th e m ur d ers of whi ch our p eople ren d er th em selves gui lty

in France , S wi tzerland , and also in Italy, writes Vin d ex to
Nu biu s , are for u s a sh am e an d a rem orse we are too .

advan ced to content our selves with su ch m eans Our p red .

ece ss ors in Carbonarism di d n ot u n derstan d th eir p ower It .

is n ot in th e blood of an i solated m an or even of a traitor that it

m u st be ex ercised ; it i s on the m asses Let u s n ever .

cea t o corru p t Te rtu lli an was ri gh t in saying th at th e blood

lse .
p w

of m artyr s wa s th e see d of Ch ristian s do not let u s m ake

m artyr s , bu t let u s p op ul arise vi ce am ongst th e m u ltitu d es .

Let th em b reath e it in by th eir five sen ses let th em drink it , ,

let th em b e satu rated in it Make vi ciou s h earts an d you

.

will h ave no m ore Catholics Keep the priest away from labour .
,

from th e altar from virtu e , Make him lazy an d gourm and

.
, .

You will thus have a thou san d tim es b etter accom p lished
y ou r tas k th an if y ou h a d b lu n t e d th e p oint of you r stiletto
u p on th e bon es of som e p oor wretch es .

It is corruption en m ass e th at we have u ndertaken ; the

corrup tion of the p eople by th e clergy an d th e corrup tion of the
clergy by our selves the corrup tion that ou ght on e d ay to p u t
,

th e Chu rch in h er tom b Th e b est dagger wi th which to strike

.

th e Church is corrup tion To th e work , th en , even to the very

.

” 1
end .

was thu s that M az z m i excited the derision of the

It
Hau te Vent e for as Nu biu s writing to B epp o on April
, ,

7 1 836 o bserved :
, ,

You know that Mazzini h as j u dged him self worthy to

co op erate wi th u s as in th e gran d est work of ou r
-

Ven te S uprem e h as not deci ded thu s Mazzini behaves too .

m u ch like a con spirator of m elodr am a to sui t th e ob scu re role

we resi gn ourselves to p lay u ntil our trium ph Mazzini likes .

to talk abou t a great m any thi n gs ab ou t h im self above all He , .

n ever ceases writin g th at h e is ov erth rowin g thrones an d altars ,

th at he fertilizes th e p eop les th at h e is th e p roph et of hum an ,

itariani sm etc etc an d all th at redu ces itself to a few mi serable

,
.
,
.
,

d efeats or to assassinations so vu lgar th at I sh oul d send away

one of m y lacqu eys if h e p ermitted him self to get rid of one of
m y enemi es by su ch sham efu l m ean s Mazzini is a dem igod to .

fools b efore wh om h e tries to get h im self p roclaim ed the p ontiff

of fraterni ty of whi ch h e will b e th e Itali an god I n the
'

1 Crétin eau J oly, -

n . 147 .
 where he acts this p oor Josep h is only ridiculou s ; in order
S p h ere
to b e a com p lete wild b east h e will always wan t for claws He , .

is th e bou rgeoi s gen ti lhomm e of th e S ecret S ocieties 1

.

Mazzi ni on his p art su sp ecte d th at secrets were bein g

kep t f rom him by th e chief s of th e H au t e Ven te a n d ,

Malegari assailed by th e sam e fe ars wrot e from Lon don

, ,

in 1 83 5 t o Dr B rei d en st ein th e se si gni fican t wo rds :

.

We form an associ ation of brothers in all points of the globe ,

we h ave d esires an d interests in comm on we aim at th e em an ,

cip a tion of hu m an ity we wish to break every kin d of yoke yet

, ,

th ere is one that i s un seen that can h ardly be felt yet that
, ,

weigh s on u s When ce com es it ? Where is it ? No one kn ows or

.
,

at least no one tells Th e association is secret even for u s th e

.
, ,
“

veteran s of secret socretl es .

Not only am on gst th e revolu tion ary le aders bu t in th e

in du st rial cen t re s a n ew an d m ysterio u s p ower was m akin g
its elf felt th e tyr an ny of Tra d e U nion ism S t rikes n ot .

to b e explain ed by th e existin g in du st rial gri evan ce s broke

ou t con tin u ally in S cotlan d a n d th e m an uf act urin g town s

1 n th e No rt h of E n glan d du rin g those ye ar s of 1 8 34 to 1 8 6 0 .

an d were con du ct e d with a ferocity h ith erto u nkn own in

th e history of th e wo rk in g classe s ; m en wh o wou ld n ot -

cc op era
-
te were n ot m erely boycott ed bu t m u rdered th eir ,

h o u se s burn t down an d th eir wive s an d chil dren d riven

h alf cla d into th e st reets at m i d n igh t
-
2
Th e se ou trage s .

re ach e d th ei r h ei gh t in 1 8 59 an d at S h effi el d co n ti n u e d for

fifteen ye ars I n Man ch e ster th e brickm akers h an d s were

.
’

i er c e d a n d m ai m e d by n ee dle s m ixe d in t h e clay th ey

p
3
h an dle d .

It wou l d b e absu rd to att ribu t e su ch m ethods to h on est

Trade Union leaders anim at ed solely by an arden t or even
a f an atical d e sire to im p rove th e workers lot A nu m b er of ’
.

th ese m en in dee d cam e forward to deny com p licity an d

in so m e case s off ere d a reward for th e det e ction of th e

Crétin eau Joly , op ci t u 1 4 5

1 -
. . .

H ecketh orn s S ecret S oci eti es , 1 1 224

’
2 . .

3 J
u stin M C art hy , A Hi story of Ou r Own Ti mes , iv 1 5 2
’
. .

4 I
bid
. S ee t h e trial of t h e lead ers b y th e Comm ission t hat sat in
S h effi eld m J un e 1 8 6 7 , rep ort ed in t h e A nn ual R egi ster for th at y ear
'

N ot e th e referen ces to th e m an d at e s of t h e s ecret tri b un als and th e

d es cri p t ion s of th e t error d isp layed b y th e witn esses wh en qu es tioned on

this p oint .
 T HE GROWTH OF S O C IALI S M

The tru th is clear th at Illumini sm followi ng its u s u al ,

cou r se of in sin u atin g itself in t o every organi zation fram e d

for t he b en efit of hum anity and tu rni ng it to an exactly

,

op p osit e p u rp os e was u sin g Trade U nion ism which h a d

‘

, ,

b een de si gn ed to lib erate th e workers , for their com p lete

en slavem ent .

I n th e m in ds of con tem p orarie s no doubt exists that a

hidden an d m alevolent agen cy was at work Alison .
,

writing in 1 84 7 of the desp otism exercise d by the r u thl ess

trade uni on s in con demni n g thou san d s of p eop le to
”
com pul sory idl en ess an d re al de stit u tion adds : ,

Nearly the whole of the loss arisin g from th ese stri kes fell on
th e innocen t an d in du striou s lab ou rers willing an d anxi ou s to
,

work bu t de terred from doin g so by th e threats of the u nions

, ,

an d the dark m en aces of an u n kn own commi ttee Th e m ode in .

which th ese comm ittees acquire su ch desp otic au th ori ty i s p re

c isely th e sam e as that which m ad e th e Comm i ttee of Public
S afety d espotic Terror terror terror 1
'

Ju stin M C arthy 1 n hi s h istory of th e sam e p eriod con

’

firm s this assertion

It began to be comm on talk that am ong th e trad es associa
tions th ere was system atic terrorizing of the worst kin d an d ,

that a Vehmgeri cht more s ecret and more gri m than any known to
the mi ddle ages was issui ng its senten ces in m any of our great
in du strial comm u nities 2
.

S o S ocialist l eaders an d workin g m en alike p laye d the -

p art of h el p l e ss u
p pp e ts p ul l e d by wi re s from b ehi n d held ,

in th e han ds o f their sinister dire ctors .

We sh all n ow see how th e cou rse of world revolu tion

coin cide d with th e activiti e s of these sam e se cret agen ci es .

1 A li son
’
sHi story of E urope i 25 5
, . .

1
J ustin M carthy, A Hi story of Our Own Ti mes, iv 1 52
’
. .
 C HAPTE R V

THE R E VOLU TI ON OF 1 84 8

Russian S ecret S oci eties Th e D ekabrist ris ing The Fren ch R evolution
of 1 83 0 Th e bou rgeoi si e b efore 1 84 8 Th e S ecret S ocieties
Ap athy of the Governm en t Th e outbreak of Febru ary Fall of
t h e Mon ar chy Th e S o cial D em ocr atic R ep u blic Nat ional work
s h ops A sso ciation s of workin g m en Th e 1 7 th of March Th e -

1 6 th of A pril The 1 5 th of M ay Th e d ays of J une R eaction

Th e E urop ean confl agration .

TH E first visibl e resul t of th e work of th e S ecret S oci eti es

in th e m n et eenth centu ry occu rred in Ru ssia whither the ,

doctrin es of illu mini z ed freem asonry h a d b een carri e d by

Nap oleon s armi es an d b
’

w
u ssi an o ffi cers wh o h a d t rav
”

elle d i n Germany
1
It was owin g to the int ri gu e s of th e se
.

societies th at th e ban d of tru e reform ers callin g th em selve s

Th e Association of Welf are was dissolved an d two n ew
p a rti e s w e re f o rm e d , t h e fi r st k n ow n a s th e No rt h e rn Asso
ci ati on dem an din g con stit u tion al m on archy th e s e con d ,

calle d the S ou thern Association u n der C olonel Pe st el wh o ,

was in direct comm u nication with N u biu s which aim ed

n ot o nly at a Rep u blic b u t at th e ext erm in ation of th e
,

whole royal fam ily Many attem p ts i n dee d were m ade on

?

th e life of Alexan der I throu gh th e agen cy of th e S e cre t.

S ocieti es an d aft er h i s d eath in 1 825 an in surrection b ro k e

3
,

ou t le d by t h e
, Unit ed S lavs who were conn e ct ed wit h
th e S ou th ern Association an d th e Polish S ecret S oci e ti e s at
Warsaw Th e pret ext for t his ou tbreak kn own as The
4
.
,

1 L a R u s si e en 1 83 9 , by Astolp h e d e C u s tin e , 1 1 4 2 ; The Cou rt of R u ssia .

in the Ni neteen th Cen tu ry, by E A B rayley Hod g etts , i 1 1 6 . . . .

2
The R evolu ti ona ry Movem ent i m R u ssi a , by Konni Zilli acus , p 8 .

Brayley Hod g ett s , op ci t i 1 22 . . . .

’
3
D es ch a m p s op ci t, . Frost s S ecret S oci eti es , ii 2 1 3
. . .

Zilli acus , op ci t ; Brayley Hod g et ts , op ci t i 1 23

. . . . . .

1 26
 TH E RE VOLUTION OF 1 84 8 1 27

D ekab rist risin g b ecau se it occu rre d in D ecem b er was ,

th e acc e ssion to th e t h ron e of Nich olas I at th e re qu e st of .

h i s elder b roth er C on stantin e an d a crowd of m u ti nying ,

s oldi ers were p er su ade d to m arch on th e Win t e r Palac e a n d

p r ot e st a gai n st t h e acc e pta n c e of t h e c rown by Ni ch olas ,

rep re s en t e d to t h em by t h e agitato rs as an act of u su rp a f

tion Th e m ann er in which th e m ovem ent was en gin eere d

.

h a s b een d e scrib ed by th e Marqui s d e C u stin e wh o trav ,

elle d i n Ru ssia a few ye ars lat e r :

Well inf orm e d p eople h ave attribu te d this riot to th e influ

-

ence of th e S ecre t S ocietie s b y wh ich R u ssia i s worke d

Th e m ethod th at th e con spirators had em ploye d to rou se the
.

army was a ri dicu lou s lie : th e rum ou r h a d b een S p rea d that

Nicholas was u su rp in g th e thron e from his broth er Con stan tin e ,

wh o th ey sai d was adv an cin g on Pet ersbu rg to d efen d his

, ,

righ ts b y arm e d for ce Thi s is th e m ean s th ey took in ord er to

.

d e cide th e revolu tion ari e s to cry u n d er th e win d ows of th e

”
Palace : Lon g live th e C on stitu ti on ! Th e lead ers h a d p er
su a d e d th em th at this wor d C on stitu tion was t h e n am e o f t h e
wi fe of Con stantin e th eir su pp os ed E m press You see that an
,
.

i d ea of d u t y was at th e b ottom of th e soldi ers h earts sin ce

’

they cou ld on ly b e led into reb ellion by a trick:

1

This stran ge in ciden t t en ds to con firm the assertion of

Pére D e sch am p s t h at th e wor d C on stit u tion was th e
si gn al agreed on by the S e cret S ocieti es for an o u tbre ak
of revol u tion It h ad b een em p loyed in th e sam e m an n er
.

in Fran ce i n 1 7 9 1 an d as w e sh all s ee it was em p loyed

, , ,

agai n in Ru ssia at i n t ervals th ro u gho u t the revolu tion ary

"

m ovem ent .

Th e D ekab rist ri si n g was en d e d by th ree rou n ds of

g p
r a e s h ot a
-
n d fi ve, o f t h e ri n gl e ad er s w e r e h an ged In .

n o s en se was it a p o p ul ar in su rre ctio n in f act th e p e o p l e ,

regar de d it wi t h st ro n g disapp roval as an act of sac ril ege ,

an d so littl e di d it aid t he cau s e of lib erty t h at Gen eral

Levash off de clared to Prin ce Tro u b etzkoy it h a d th rown

” 2
back R u ssia fif ty years .

Fu rther evi d en ce of the conn ection b etween the Fren ch

Revolu tio n an d th e engin eerin g of r evolu tion i n Ru ssia rs
s up p li e d by d e C u sti n e on h i s t rav els in th e latt er co un t ry

1 D e Gu st in e , op . . .
y
4 2 ; B ra ley H od g et ts , op
ci t 1 1 . ci t. i 1 92
. .

2
B rayley Hod getts , op ci t i 2 0 1 , 20 5
. . . .
1 28 WOR LD RE VOLUTION
fo u rteen ye ars lat er Now in those d ays b efore the aboli
.

tion of serf d o m , th e p e asan ts on an e stat e were bou gh t an d

'

sold wi th th e lan d a n d sin ce th e E m p ero r s serf s were th e

’
-
,

b est treated i n the wh ole cou n t ry th e inh abitan ts of e state s

n ewly acqu ire d by th e C rown b e cam e th e obj e cts of envy
“

to their fellow serfs I n this ye ar of 1 839 t he p easants

-
.
,

hearin g th at th e E m p eror h a d j u st bou ght som e m ore lan d ,

sen t a dep u tation to Peter sb u rg con sistin g Of rep re sen ta ,

tive s fro m all p arts of Ru ssia to p etitio n t h at th e dist ricts

“

from which th ey cam e should also b e added to th e royal

dom ain s .

Nicholas I received them kindly for whilst adop tin g

.
,

rep re ssiv e me asu re s toward s i n su rre ction h i s sym p athi e s

were with th e p eople We m u st not forget that it was h e.

who visited Rob ert Owen at N ew Lan ark to stu dy his

sch em e s of social reform When th erefo re the p easants .
, ,

p etitio n e d h i m to b u y t h em h e a n sw er e d with gr e at gen tl e

n e ss t h at h e regrett e d h e co u ld n ot b u y u p all Ru ssia b u t ,

h e a d de d : I h op e that th e tim e will com e when every

p e asa n t o f this E m p i re will b e fr ee ; if it o nly d ep en ded on
m e Ru ssian s would en joy fro m to day th e in dep en den ce -

that I wi s h for them an d that I am wo rki ng with all m y

”
might to p rocure for them in th e fu tu re .

Th ese word s interp ret e d to th e serf s by savage an d

,
”
envio u s m en le d to th e m ost t erribl e ou tb re ak of viol en ce
,

all along the Vol ga Th e Father wishe s for ou r d eliver

.

”
an ce crie d th e delu ded dep u tie s on their retu rn to th eir
,

hom e s , h e only wishe s for ou r hap pin e ss h e tol d u s so ,

him self ; it i s therefore the seign eurs an d th eir over seers

_

who are ou r en em ie s and opp ose the goo d d esign s of th e

F ather ! Let u s avenge ou rselves ! Let u s aven ge th e
E m p ero r .

An d fo rthwith the p e asan ts 1 m ag1 n1 n g they were ,

carryin g ou t the E m p eror s intention threw t h em selves ’

u p o n th e sei gn eur s an d th eir overse er s roast ed t h em alive , ,

boile d others in copp ers disem bowelled th e delegate s p u t, ,

everythi ng to fi re an d swo rd an d d evastat e d th e wh ol e

p rovin ce .
1

N OW when we com p are this in ciden t with the Great

I
‘

1
La R u ssie en 1 839 , 11 . 2 1 9 -220 .
 TH E RE VOLUTION OF 1 84 8 1 29

F e ar that took p lace in Fran ce p re cisely fif ty ye ars

e a rli er (i e in July 1 7 89) h ow c an w e do u b t th e conn e ction
. .

be tween th e two ? I n both th e p retext an d th e o rganization

are iden tical Th e b en evol en t in t ention s of Lo u is XVI
. .
,

int erp ret ed by th e emi ssari e s to th e p rovin ce s in th e wo rd s ,

Th e Ki n g de sire s y ou to b u rn down th e Ch at e au x ; h e
onl y wish e s to keep hi s own th e p lacard s p ar a d e d
throu gh th e town s h ead ed E di ct of th e Ki n g or d erin g
, ,

th e p e asan ts to b ur n an d d e stroy an d th e m assacres an d

,

bu rni n gs th at followed all t his was exactly rep e at e d in

Ru ssia fif ty y ears later qui te obviou sly by th e sam e

organ ization th at h ad en gin eered th e earli er ou tbreak .

H ow oth erwise are we to exp lain it ?

Five ye ar s aft er th e Ru ssian exp losion of 1 825 th e

secon d Fren ch Revolu tion too k p lace whi ch however , , ,

h ar dly en t er s in to th e scop e Of th is book Th e revolu tion .

of 1 8 3 0 was in th e m ain n ot a social b u t a p olitical rev olu

tion a ren ewed att em p t of th e Orléani st e con sp iracy to

,

eff e ct a ch an ge Of dyn asty an d as Su ch form ed a m ere

corollary to th e in su rrection s of Jul y an d Octob er 1 7 8 9 .

It is tru e th at b en e ath the tum ul ts of 1 830 as b en eath th e ,

S i ege of th e Bas till e an d th e m ar ch on Versaill e s th e su b ,

versive for ce of Illum ini sm m ade itself felt an d th at d urin g ,

th e glo riou s d ays of J ul y the h atr e d of Chr istiani ty

exp re ss e d by t h e Terror b roke ou t again in th e sackin g of
”
th e Archev éch é in th e p ill age an d de s ecr ation of th e
,

chur ch es an d in the attacks on reli gion in th e p rovin ce s

, .

B u t th e dri vin g force b ehi n d th e revolu tion th at p re cip i

t ate d Ch arle s X from th e thr on e was n ot S ocialist b u t
.

Orléani ste ; it was a m ovem en t led by th e t ricoul eur of

Jul y 1 3 1 7 89 n ot by th e red flag of Au gu st 1 0 1 7 92
, , , ,

em bl em of th e soci al revolu tion ; its st ren gt h lay n ot with

th e workm en b u t with th e bou rgeoi si e an d it was th e ,

bou rgeoi s i e who trium p h ed .

Th e ré gim e th at followe d h a s well b een n am e d th e

”
bou rgeoi s m on ar chy F or Lo ui s Phi lip p e on c e th e ar d en t
.
,

p a rtisan o f r evol u tio n f ollow e d th e,u su al p ro gr am m e O f

dem ago gy an d as soon as th e rein s of p ower were in hi s
,

han d s tu rn ed a d eaf e ar to th e d em an d s of th e p eop le It .

wa s thu s t h at in 1 84 8 o rgan ize d by th e S e cret S oci eti es

, ,
1 30 WORLD RE VOLUTION
directed by the S ocialists exe cu t ed by the working m en ,
-

an d a ggr avat e d by th e in t ractabl e attit u de of th e Ki n g an d

"

his mi ni sters the secon d great ou tbre ak of World Revalu

,

tion took p lace .

There was then j u st as in th e first Fren ch Revolu tion

, ,

re al grievan c e s th at rankl e d in th e m in d s of th e p eop le

el e cto ral ref o rm th e adj u stm ent Of wages and h ou rs of

,

labour an d p articul arly th e burni ng qu e stion of un em

,

ploym ent were all m atters that dem an de d imm ediate

,

attention The p eople in 1 84 8 even m ore than in 1 7 89 had

.

g ood c a u s e fo r co m p lai n t .

Bu t in j u stice to th e bou rgeoi si e it m u st be reco gni zed

that they were in th e m ain sym p ath etic to th e cau se of th e
workers . Bou rgeois opin ion even the S ociali st Mal on ,

admi ts , was op en to ren ovating con ception s .

B efore 1 84 8 the French bou rgeoi si e had as yet n o fe ar of

social in surrection s ; they readily allowed them selve s to
in du lge in inn ocent S ocialist spe culation s It was thu s th at .

Fouriérism e for exam ple fou n ded entirely on seeking th e

, ,

g r e at e st s u m o f h app i n e ss p ossibl e h a d n um e,
r o u s sy m
” 1
p a t h i z ers i n the p rovin cial bou rgeoisie .

Like the aristocrats of 1 7 88 who had volun tarily off ered

to su rren der their p ecu n iary p ri vileges an d on th e fam ous ,

4 th of Au gu st 1 7 89 th em s elves dealt th e de ath blow to th e -

feu dal syst em by ren oun cin g all other ri ghts and privileges ,

so th e bou rgeoi si e of 1 84 8 sh owed their willin gn ess to co

op erate not?m erely with reform s bu t with th e m ost dr astic
so cial chan ge s dire ctly o pp ose d t o their own in t ere sts .

I n th e first weeks of 1 84 8 Malon says again ,

it was n ot ,

onl y th e p roletarian s wh o sp oke of p rofou n d social reform s ;

th e bou rgeoi si e that Four iériste prop agan da (bu t above all th e
novels of E u gen e S u e an d of George S an d) h a d alm ost recon ciled
with S ocialism thou ght th em selves the hou r h ad com e an d all
, ,

th e can di dates talked of am eli oratin g th e lot of th e p eople of ,

realizin g social dem ocracy of aboli shin g mi sery

,
Great pro .

p r i e t o r s b e li ev e d t h at t h e P rov i sio n al G o v ern m e n t was co m

p os e d o f C o mm u ni sts a n d o n e
,
d ay twe n ty of th e m ca m e to
offer Gam ier Pages to give up th eir goods to the comm u nity 2 ’
“

Bu t th e art Of th e revolu tion ari e s h a s always b een to

che ck refo rm s by ali en atin g th e sy m p at h i e s of t he class in
1
Malon Hi stoi re du s oci a li sme, 2 I bid 520
‘

, . 11. .
 THE RE VOLUTION O F 1 84 8 1 31

ow er an d t h y had n o in t en tion of allowi n g th e o l to

p , e p p
e e

b e con t ent e d by p acifi c m e asur e s or to look to an y on e b u t

them s elves for salvation .

As on the eve of all gre at p u blic comm otion s a great ,

m asoni c congress was h eld rn Am on gst th e Fren ch

m asons pre sent were the m en who pl ayed the leadin g p arts
in th e su bsequ en t revolu tion Loui s Blan e C au s sidi ere , ,

Cremi eux Le dr u Rollin etc an d it was then de cided to

, , .
,

enlist th e S wiss C an to n s i n th e m ovem en t s o that t he

cen tre Of E urop e sh oul d form n o barri er again st th e tide .

It was by the S ecret S oci eties th at the p lan of cam

p a i gn was dr aw n u p a n d t h e r evol u tio n a ry m achin e s et in
motion C au s sidi ére a p romin en t m em b er of these as so
.
,

ci ati on s an d at th e sam e ti m e P refe ct of P olice i n P aris

,

durin g th e tum ul ts of 1 84 8 h a s him self p rovide d u s with ,

th e cleare st evi d en ce on this p oi n t .

Th e S ecret S ocieties h e wr ites h ad n ever ceased to

, ,

exi st even after the set back of May 1 2 1 838 -

Thi s freem asonry , .

of d evoted soldi ers h a d b een m ain tain ed wi thou t n ew affi liation s

un til 1 84 6 Th e ord ers of the day p rinted in Bru ssels or som e
.
,

tim es in secret by com p ositors of Paris had kep t u p its zeal , .

Bu t the frequ en cy of th ese proclam ations whi ch fell soon er or ,

later into the han ds of the p olice ren dered the u se of th em very ,

dangerou s Relation s b etween th e affiliat ed an d th e lead ers h ad

.

thu s becom e rath er restricted when in 1 84 6 th e S ecret S oci eties , ,

were reorgani zed and took u p som e ini tiative again Paris was .

the centre aroun d whi ch radiated th e di fferen t ramifi cation s

ex ten di n g in to th e p rovin cial town s I n Paris an d m th e prov .

in ces the sam e sentim en t in spired all th ese militan t p halanxes ,

m ore preoccu p ied by revolu tion ary action than by social the
ories . Gun s were m ore talked of than Comm u nism an d th e ,
‘
onl y form ul a unanim ously accep te d was R ob espierre s Declara ’

tion of th e Ri ghts of Man Th e S e cret S oci eties foun d th eir .

’

real stren gth 1 n the h eart of th e p eop l e of th e worki n g classes -

,

whi ch thus h ad its vangu ard a certain disciplin ed force always ,

ready to act th eir co op eration was n ever wan tin g to any

-

p oliti cal em ot ion a n d th e y were fo u n d in t h e foref ron t of the

”
barricad es in February 1
.

Bu t th e workin g classes were n ot adm itt ed to th e inn er

-

coun cils of the l ead ers ; th e p lace of th e van gu ard was on

1 D es ch am p s , op . ci t 1
. 1 28 1
.
, qu otin g Gyr , La Franc- Maconneri e, p 3 6 8 , .

an d also E ckert .

2
M émoi res dc Ca u ssi di ere, i 3 8 , 3 9 . .
1 32 WORLD RE VOLUTIO N
th e barricades when the shootin g b egan ; not in the m eet
i ngs where the p lan of cam p ai gn was drawn up .

Am on gst these secret agen ci es the H au t e Vente n at

urally p lay ed th e l e adi n g p art an d two y ears b efore th e ,

revol u tion b roke ou t Piccolo Ti gre was abl e to con rat ul at e

g
hi mself on the com p l et e su cce ss of hi s eff orts to bring abou t
a vast u pheaval .

On th e 5 th of Janu ary 1 84 6 t he energetic agent of

Nu biu s writ e s in th e se hop eful t erm s to hi s chi ef :
Th e j our ney that I h ave j u st accom plish ed in E urop e h as
b een as fortu n ate an d as p rodu ctive as we h ad h op ed Hen ce .

forth nothin g rem ain s bu t to p u t ou r h an d to th epf ttask in ord er

to reach the denou ement of th e com e dy

’

Th e h arvest I h ave .

reap ed h as b een abu n dan t an d if I can b elieve th e n ews

commu nicate d to m e h ere (at Livorno) we are app roachin g the
ep och we so m u ch d esire Th e fall of thron es i s n o lon ger a
.

m atter of dou bt to m e n ow th at I h ave j u st stu die d the work of

ou r so cie tie s in Fran ce in S wi tzerlan d in Germ any a n d as far
, _
, ,

as R u ssia The assaul t which in a few years and p erh ap s even

.

in a few m onth s from now will b e m ade on th e p rin ces of th e

earth will bu ry th em u n d er th e wreckage of th eir im p oten t
armi es an d th eir d ecrepit thron es E verywhere th ere is enthu .

siasm in ou r ranks an d ap ath y or in di ff eren ce am on gst th e

e n em i es . This is a certain an d infallible sign of su ccess .

W h at h av e w e aske d i n retu rn for ou r lab ou r s a n d o u r sacrifi ce s ?

It is n ot a revolu tion in one cou ntry or an other That can .

always b e m anaged if one wi sh es it I n order to kill th e old .

world su rely we h ave h eld th at we m ust stifle th e Catholic an d

,

C hristian germ an d y ou with th e au dacity of geniu s have

, , ,

off ered yourself with th e sling of a new David to hit th e p on

”
.

tifi cal Goliath on th e h ead .

Piccolo Tigre was p erfectly ri ght in his estim ate Of th e

ap athy an d in diff eren ce of th e rul in g classes and in th e ,

su ccess this attitu de p rom ised to the con sp i rato rs No .

civilize d m odern govern m ent c an b e overthrown by vio

len ce if it re alizes the dan ger th at th re at en s it an d firmly
re solve s to d efen d itself It is n ot re sistan ce b ut weakn e ss
.

that p ro du ce s revolu tion for weakn e ss invit e s au dacity

,

an d au dacity is th e e ss en c e of t h e revolu tio n ary sp i rit .

Osez ! said S t Ju st ce rrrot est tou t e la p olitiqu e de la

.
-
,

R evolu tion . D are ! this word is th e whol e p olicy of

Crétineau -J oly , L E gli se R omai ne fa ce de la R evoluti on , 387

’
1 en 11 . .
 TH E RE VOLUTION O F 1 84 8

re volu tion S o whi lst th e revol u tion ary forces were m u s

.

terin g the Governm ent of Fran ce rem aine d su blim ely

,

oblivi ou s to th e comi ng dan ger On th e su rf ace few si gn s .

of p op ul ar efferv e scen c e were ap p aren t Th e in c en di ary .

doctrin es of t he agitator s seem e d to h ave m ade little h e ad

way am ongst th e great m ass of th e p eop l e Th e p easan ts .
,

indeed with their p assion ate love of p osse ssion saw little
, ,

to att ract them in the comm un al own ershi p of th e lan d

an d con t inu e d t o di g an d p lan t with un dim i n ish e d ardou r .

Onl y in th e town s the fire of revolu tion ary S ocialism was

sm oulderin g silen tly un noticed or ignore d by th ose in
,

p ow er T h e g .overn m en t r e ass u r e d by t h e loyal s,p i rit o f

t h e arm y an d delu ded by th e p erfect calm that reigne d in
th e st reets m ade n o p rep aration s for defen c e Th e circu
,
.

lation of seditious p ap ers was kn own to be sm all the ,

theorie s of Bu chez an d of Loui s Blan e were b eli eve d to

have taken n o h old on th e m asse s on e co u ld aff o r d to

shru g on e s sh oul ders at the nu m b er of th eir followi ng As

’
.

to Prou dhon th e p olice h ad de clare d in 1 84 6 : Hi s doe

trine s are very dangerou s th ere are gu n sh ots at th e en d of
.
,
-

”
them ; fortun at ely they are n ot read Perh ap s th e m ost .

un con cern e d p erson was th e Kin g h im s elf N 0 hu m an .

”
p ow er w r ot e M, C u vi ll i er Fl e u r y. co u l d h av e m ad e ,

him re ad a p age of M Lou is Blan e of M Pierre Leroux of .

, .
,
” 1
M Bu chez or of M Prou dhon
.
,
. .

S O with su blim e in sou cian ce the m on archy of Jul y

awaite d th e exp losion .

This is not th e p lace to relate in detail the p oli tical

,

even ts which le d u p to th e f o u r m on ths revolu tio n of 1 84 8 .

Minist erial corru p tion always the bane of Fran ce from

th e fi rst revolu tion on wards
‘

opp osition to ele ctoral

refo rm in diff eren ce to the in t ere sts of th e o l ovi d d
, p p p
e e r e

qui te suffici ent groun ds for insurre ction I n vain de .

Tocqu eville warn ed th e Cham b er of D ep u tie s whi ther this

stat e of p u bli c aff ai r s m u st l e ad them : My p ro fo u n d
”
conviction is that we are sleep ing on a volcano An d .

aft er qu otin g variou s scan dalou s in stan ce s of corrup tion

h e went on to s ay :
1
Imbert d e S aint Amend Marie -
A meli e et la société franc i se 1 84 7 ,
a
, en
pp . 1 0 2 -1 1 0 .
1 34 WORLD RE VOLUTION
It is by acts as th ese that great catastrop hes are pre
su ch

p a r e d . L e t u S s e ek i n h i st o ry th e efii ca ci ou s cau ses th at have

taken away p ower from th e governin g classes ; th ey lost it wh en

th ey b ecam e b y theiregoi sm u nworthy to retain it Th e .

evils I p oin t ou t will b rin g ab ou t th e grave st revolution s ;2d o

y o u n o t f e el b y a s o r t o f in t u i ti on t h at th e soil of E u rop e trem b le s

once m ore ? I s th ere n ot a breath of revolu tion m the air ?

D o you know wh at m ay h ap p en rn two years : in one year ,

p e rh a p s to m
-
o rr o w ? K e ep yo u r laws i f you w i ll bu t for ,

Go d s sake ch an ge th e S p irit of th e Governm ent That spirit

’
.

lead s to th e abyss 1
.

No tru er wo rds were ever sp oken C orru p t an d selfish .

p oliticia n s will always b e t h e m ost u s e fu l alli e s o f A n a r

eh i s t s We cannot dou bt that Prou dhon and Blan qu i

. ,

re j oic e d over th e callo u s attitu d e of the Govern m en t as

h e artily as d e Tocqu eville dep lore d it Th e very re al ‘

.

g r o un ds fo r p o p u l a r di s e o n te n t w ou l d s e r v e as d e T o c q u e ,

ville clearly saw to m agnify doct rine s which ten d to

,

n oth i n g l e ss than th e overt hrow of all th e fou n dati on s On

”
which society re sts .

Th e rfnni steri al ban qu ets p lann e d by the heads of th e

m aso ni c lo d ges for t h e 22n d of Feb ru ary and f orbi d d en
2

by t he govern m en t p rovi d ed the p retext for in su rrection .

When in th e m ornin g of th at day th e ob edi ent arm y of the

p r ol e ta riat ass em bl e d i n a n sw er to t h e s u m m o n s o f t h e

revolu tion ary p ap er s L e N a ti on a l an d L a R éf orm e th e cry ,

of A bas Gu izot ! th at rose from th eir ranks was less

a p rotest again st Gui zot s p olicy th an a call to revolu tio n
’

for revolu tion s sake D elu ded by the p rom 1 ses of th e

’
.

Utop ian S ocialists infl am ed by the te achings of th e

,

An archists it was n ow no longer electoral reform n or even

,
x

u niversal su ff rage that co u ld satisfy th e p eop l e ; it was n ot

a m ere Rep u blic th ey d em an ded or a change of m ini st ry ,

it was th e com plet e overthrow of th e existing system of

g ov er n m e n t i n f avo u r o f t h e social m il le n ni u m p r o m is e d
th em by the th eorists a n d which the agitators h ad urged,

th em to e stablish by f orc e of arm s .

Th e di smi ssal of Gui zot by th e Kin g on th e 23rd of

Feb ru ary did n othin g th erefo re to allay p op ul ar agi tation
, , ,

an d a ccordin g to t h e u su al revol u tion ary p ro gram m e th e

1 Em ile d e Bonn eeh os e Hi stoi re ,
de Fra nce, 11 . 64 7
2
D es ch am p s ,
op ci t ii 2 82
. . . .
 THE RE VOLUTION OF 1 84 8 1 35

in surgents p roceeded to barricade the streets an d to pillage

th e gun sm iths sh op s
’
.

B u t even th en it p rove d diffi cult to brin g abou t a

confl ict for th e sym p athie s of th e b ou rgeoi si e were still
,

with th e p eop le a n d th e Nation al Gu ar ds se ein g in th e

, ,

worki ng m en their brothers showe d relu ctan ce to u se force

-
,

again st them ?
This feelin g of camarad eri e cont em p tu ,

ou sly d e scrib e d by Marx as charlatanry of gen eral fra

” 2
ternity ,
was di sp ell ed by the m en acin g attitu de the
workin g m en were p ersu ade d to assum e an d inevi tably
-
,

th e dem on st rations th at f ollowe d the hoistin g of th e

re d fl a g th e m archin g of p roc e ssion s am on gst whi ch coul d
,

b e seen th e glin t of steel an d b ran di sh in g of sab re s le d

to a collision with th e troop s I n the conf u sion a num b er .

of th e in su rgen ts fell victi m s to t he fire of th e i rritat e d

soldi ery This S ki rm ish describ ed as the m assacre of th e

.
,
“

Boul evard des C ap u ci ne s gave the si gn al for revolu tion

, .

T h rou gh ou t th at ni ght of Feb ru ary 23 24 th e S e cret -

S ocieti e s were at wo rk issui n g their orders ; m e an whi le

Prou dh on bu sie d hi m self drawin g u p a p lan of attack 3
.

Dawn fou n d th e city in a stat e of ch aos the tree s of th e ,

bo ul evards were broken to the grou n d the p avin g stone s ,

-

torn u p excited ban ds of in su rgents

, worki ng m en of the -

fau bo u rgs stu d ents schoolboys de sert ers from th e

, , ,

Nation al Gu ard coll e cte d roun d th e Tui lerie s sh ots ,

were fired in at the win dows of th e youn g p rin ces This .

was the m om ent ch osen by Loui s Blan c an d hi s fri en ds to

issu e a p rot e st again st th e em p loym en t of t roop s in civi l
comm otion s w hich han ded from barricade to barricade
, , ,

imm en sely enbolden e d the au dacity of the revolu tion arie s ,

who now p roceed e d to seize m un ition s an d attack th e

m unicip al Gu ard killin g a num b er of th em Th e h e sitatin g
, .

p olicy o f t h e g ov ernm en t an d t h e de clar ation s of t h e agi ta

t ors inevi tably aff ect e d th e m o ral e of the t roop s an d by ,

th e m iddl e of th e m orni ng they cease d to off er any fur th er

re sistan c e an d lef t th e p e op le i n p oss e ssion of th e field .

Alre ady Prou dhon an d Floeon h ad p ost e d up a p lacard

dem an di ng th e dep osition of th e King an d am on gst th e ,

1 Cam bridge Modern Hi s tory , vol . xi . 97 .

1
M arx La, Lu tte des cla s ses enFra n ce, p 4 0 . .

1 Cambridge Modern Hi s tory, vol xi p 99

. . . .
1 36 WORL D RE VOLUTION
l eaders C au ssi drere Ar ago S ob rier an d others
, , , th e
word Rep u blic m ad e itself h e ar d I n vain Lo ui s .

Phi li pp e p rofitin g by th e error com m itt e d by hi s p re d e

,

ce ssor Loui s XVI in p recisely th e sam e circum stan ces

.
,

m oun ted a gorgeou sly cap arison ed h or se in or d er to

in sp e ct t h e t roop s assem bled in th e Tu ileri es gard en s an d
p r o m i s e d re f o rm s to t h e e xcit e d o
p p u lac e ; t h e h o u r o f th e
O rléani st e dyn asty h ad Stru ck an d at on e o clock th e ,
’

royal f am ily ch os e th e p ru den t cou r s e of fli gh t .

Thu s in th e sp ace of a few h our s th e m on archy was

swep t away an d th e S ocial D em ocrati c Rep u blic
was p roclaim ed ?

B u t n ow th e m en wh o had b rou ght abo u t th e crisis

were face d with the work of recon stru ction a very
diff eren t m att er F or it is on e th in g to sit at on e s de sk
’
.

p e ac e ably w r itin g abo u t t h e b e au ti e s o f r evol u tio n it is ,

qui t e an other to fin d one self in th e m idst of a tu m u ltu ou s

city wh ere all the sp rings of law an d o rder h ave b een
broken ; it is on e thin g to talk rom antically abou t th e
”
sovereign ty of th e p eop le it is l e ss soothin g to on e s ,
’

vani ty to b e conf ron t ed with workin g m en of real fl esh -

an d blood in sol en tly d em an din g th e fu lfil m en t of th e

p ro m i s e s o n e h a s m a d e t h e m T hi s was .th e e xp e ri en c e that

f ell to th e lot of th e m en com p osin g th e Provision al Gov
e rn m en t th e day aft e r t h e Ki n g s ab di cation All a dvo
’
.

cate s of social revolu tion they n ow for th e first tim e saw

,

revolu ti on f ace to face — an d like d it l es s well th an on p ap er .

Th e hoistin g of th e red fla g by th e p op ul ace

de scribe d by Lam artin e as the sym bol of th reats an d
di s orders h a d S t ruck t erro r in to th e h earts of all excep t
Loui s Blan c and it was not u n til Lam artin e in an im p as
,

s ion ed sp ee ch had b e so u gh t th e an gry m ul titu d e to re store

the tri cou leu r th at th e r e d fl a g was fin ally lowere d an d th e

dep u tie s were able to retire to th e H Otel de Ville an d dis
cu ss t h e new schem e of govern m en t .
.

I n all th e hi story of th e Labou r Movem en t n o m ore

'

dram atic scen e has ever b een en acte d th an th at which now

took p lace S eat e d aroun d t h e coun cil table wer e th e
“

Loui s Bl an e L a Révoluti on de 1 8 4 8 , p 23 ; Memoi res

’
1
, . de Ca u ssidi ére,
p 62
. .
 T HE RE VOLUTION OF 1 84 8

m en wh o for th e last t en y e ars h a d fire d th e p eopl e with

en th u siasm for th e p rin ci p les of th e fir st Revolution

Lam artine p an e gyrist of th e Gir on de Loui s Blan e the

, ,

R ob espierrist e Le dru Rollin wh ose chi ef s our ce of p ride

, ,

was his sup p osed re sem blan ce to D an to n .

S u d denl y th e d oor of th e cou n cil ch am b er b ur st op en

an d a wo rkin g m an en t ered gu n in h an d his f a ce con
-
, ,

vu l sed with r age foll owe d by s ever al of hi s com r ad es

, .

Advan cin g towards th e table wh ere sa t th e trem blin g

dem ago gu es March e for thi s was th e n am e of th e lead er
, ,

of th e d ep u tation st ru c k th e fl oo r wi th th e b u tt en d of hi s
,

g u n an d sai d lo u dl y : C itiz en s it is tw e n ty f o ur h,o ur s -

si n ce th e revolu tion was m ade ; th e p eop le await th e resul ts .

Th ey sen d m e to t ell you th at th ey will brook no m ore

d elays Th ey wish for th e ri gh t to work
. th e ri ght to
”
work at on ce .

Twen ty four ho u rs sin ce th e revolu tion had b een m ade

-
,

an d t h e N ew H eaven s a n d th e N ew E art h had n ot y et b een

creat ed ! Th e th eorists h ad cal cul ate d withou t th e imm en se

im p atien ce of th e Peop le they h ad forgott en th at to ,

sini p le p ractical min d s to give is to gi ve qui ckly an d at

on ce ; th at th e imm en se social ch an ges rep re sen te d by

Lo ui s Blan e in hi s Orga ni s a ti on du trava i l as quit e a sim m e

m att er h a d b een accep t e d by t h e worker s in th e sam e

un qu e stio ni n g sp irit ; of th e en o rm o u s di ffi cu lti e s in ciden t al

to th e rea d j u st m ent of th e con diti on s of th e labour of th e ,

tim e it m u st take to re con stru ct th e wh ole S ocial system ,

March e an d hi s com p ani on s coul d h ave n o con cep tion .

”
Th ey h ad b een p rom ised th e ri gh t to wo rk an d th e ,

ggi an t ic o rg an i zation th at b rief form ul a en tail ed was to b e

accom p lish ed in on e d ay an d in stan tly p u t in to op eration .

Lo ui s Blan e adm its th at hi s fir st em otion on h earin g

th e tirade of Mar che was th at of an ger ; it were b ett er if
1 ‘

h e h a d sai d of sh am e It was h e m ore th an any other wh o

.

h a d S h own th e wo rkers th e lan d of p ro m ise an d n ow that it ,

h ad p rove d a m ira ge h e m o re th an any oth er was to

, ,

blam e B efore p romi sin g one m u st kn ow how to perform

.

— an d to erform with ou t delay

p .

It was app aren tly Lam artin e whom the workin g m en -

1
Lo uis Blan e La R evolu ti on de 1 84 8 p 3 1
. , . .
1 38 WORL D RE VOLUTION
re g ra ded as the chief obstacle to th eir dem an d for the
ri ght to work for th rou gh ou t hi s sp eech March e h ad fixed
-

h i s e ye s , blazing With au d acity on those of th e p oet of

”
,

th e Giron de Lam artine ou t rage d by t hi s attit u de there

.
, ,

u p on rep lied 1 n an im p eri ou s ton e that were h e th re at en ed

by a thou san d de aths were h e led by Marche an d hi s com

,

p a n io n s b e f o r e t h e loaded cann on s d own b en eath th e

win dows he woul d n ever S ign a de cree of whi ch h e did n ot
,

u n derstan d th e m e ani ng B u t fin ally con qu ering his irri

.

t ation h e adop t ed a m ore con ciliatory ton e an d p lacing

, ,

hi s h an d on th e arm of th e angry wo rkm an h e b esou ght

him to h ave p atien ce p ointin g ou t that l egitim at e as hi s
,

dem an d m i ght be so great a m easu re as th e organi zation

,

of labou r m u st take ti m e t o elaborat e th at in th e f ac e of ,

so m any cryin g needs th e govern m en t m u st b e given tim e

to form ulat e its schem e s that all com p et en t m en m u st be ,

con su lte d .

Th e eloqu en ce of th e p oet tri u m phed gradu ally ,

March e s in di gn ation die d down ; th e workm en hon e st

’

m en tou che d by th e evi den t sin cerity of th e S p eaker

.
,

looked into each oth er s eye s qu e stionin gly with an exp re s

’
,

sion of relen ting an d Marche interp retin g their attitu d e

, , ,

cri ed ou t Well th en yes we will wait We wi ll have

, , , ,
.

con fid en c e in our governm en t Th e p eop le will wait ; th ey .

p lac e t h re e m o n t h s o f m is er y at t h e s er vic e o f t h e

Rep u blic ! 1

H ave m ore p athetic words ever b een u tt ered in the

whol e history of social revolu tion ? Like their forefathers
of 1 7 92 the se m en were re ady to su ff er t o s ac rifice them ,

selve s for th e n ew form e d Rep u b li c repre sen te d to them as

-

th e on e hope of salvation for Fran ce an d ani m at e d by this ,

n obl e en t h u siasm t h ey were willin g to t ru st th e p olitical

Ch arlatan s wh o had led th em on with fair p ro m ise s into

abortive in surrection E ven whilst Lam artin e was u rgin g
.

p ati e n c e Lo ,u i s B l an e still i n t en t on h i s u
,
n t ri e d th e ori e s ,

h a d retire d in to th e em b rasu re of a wi n dow where with , ,

Flocon an d Le dru Rollin he d rew u p th e de cree foun de d , ,

on th e 1 0 th articl e of Rob e sp i erre s De claration of th e ’

Rights of M an by which the Provision al Governm en t

”
.

D aniel S tern , o p
. ci t. i 37 9
. .
 THE RE VOLUTION OF 1 84 8 1 39

un dertook to aran t ee work to all citiz en s

gu Lo ui s .

Blan e was p robably th e onl y m a n p re s ent wh o b eli eve d in

th e p os sibili ty of carryin g ou t thi s p ro mi s e yet all en ded ,

by su bscribin g to it an d th e s am e day th e de cree was

,

p u blicly p r oclai m e d t hr o u gh o u t Pa ris .

Two days later th e N ati ona l Workshops whi ch were to ,

p rovid e t h e p r o m is e d e m p loy m e n t w e re o p en e d u n d e r t he,

di rection of Em i l e Th om as an d of M Mari e Th e res ul t . .

was in evitably di sastrou s n ec essary work b ein g in suffi ,

cient th e workm en were sen t hi th er an d thith er from one

,

em p loyer to an oth er u se l e ss jobs were devise d th at n ec es

,

sari l y p roved di scour agin g to t h e m en en gage d on th em ,

whil st the workers in th e skille d t rades for whom n o

em p loym en t coul d b e f oun d had to b e m ain tain e d on an
”
u n em p loym en t d ol e Thi s last m easu re the m ost dem or
.
,

ali z in g of all h a d th e efl eet of attractin g th o u san d s of

,

workers from all over th e coun try an d even from abroad , ,

into th e capit al ?

Th e o rgani zation of th e Nation al Worksh op s an d their

lam en table failu re h as frequ en tly b een ascribed by oppo
n en t s of S ocialism to Lo ui s B lan e This is in accu rate Th e. .

m ann er in whi ch the se worksh op s were con du ct e d w a s not

that advocat e d by Louis Blan e in hi s Organ i sa ti on du
travai l an d m u st b e ascribe d sol ely to MM Mari e an d
,
.

Th om as Bu t th e p rin cipl e on which th ey were foun ded

.
,

n am ely th e du ty of th e S tat e to p rovi de work or p aym en t

for every m an w as n everth el ess th e on e a d op t e d by Loui s

,

Blan e from Rob espi erre On ce thi s p rem is e is accep t ed .

m any of th e di ffi cu ltie s that co n t rib u t ed to th e f ailur e of

th e Nation al Workshop s are bou n d to f oll ow Th e m ere .

fact th at a m an h a s n o lon ger to d ep en d on h i s own eff o rts

to seek an d fin d em p loym en t m u st in evitab ly l ead to lack
of en t erp ri se an d to i dl en e ss on th e p art of t h os e wh o do

n ot wan t to wo rk ; m o reover if p aym en t is to b e re ceive d ,

wh eth er a m an is in or ou t of em p loym en t it will be

'

obviou sly a m att er of in diff eren ce to th e slacker whether

h e keep s h i s job or lose s it .

Th at in a civili zed stat e n o m an S houl d b e allowed to

1 D an i el S t ern op ci t i 4 84
,
. . . . S eealso rep ort of M ay 29 given in The
E conomi st for J un e 3 , 1 84 8 (vi .
140 WORLD RE VOLUTION
starve b ecau se h e cann ot fin d work is clearly evid ent bu t ,

th at som e d egree of p rivation S houl d attach to un em p loy ‘

m en t is absolu t ely n ece ssary to th e very exist en ce of

in du stry .

T h e t ru th is as M erm eix p oin ts ou t the Provi sion al

, ,

Governm en t of 1 84 8 h a d p rom ise d th e im p ossible b ecau se

a govern m ent cann ot gu arant ee work sin ce it does not
” 1
dep en d on it to p rovi de con su m ers Moreover the fun ds .
,

with which it p ays ou t u n em p loym en t d oles can only be

raise d in th e fo rm of taxation wh ich au to m atically redu ce s

t h e sp en din g p ower of th e comm u nity t h u s cre atin g fu r ,

ther u nem ploym ent .

Magnificent th en as the reco gn ition of th e right to

, ,

work m ay be in th eo ry n o Govern m en t has so far b een ,

able to p u t it in to p ractice with ou t aggravatin g the evil it

has set ou t to cure .

I f th erefo re Lou is B lan e cann ot b e held resp on sible

, ,

for th e m eth ods of th e Nation al Wo rkshop s it i s im p os ,

sible to d eny th at his p recip itat e action in form ul atin g the

p r ocla m atio n of t h e ri gh t to wo rk la rgely co n t rib u t e d
to th e ch aos th at followed Moreover we S hall s ee th at .
,

wh en a t last h e was able to p u t his own theorie s in to p rae

tice the exp erim en t p roved not m u ch m ore su ccessful th an
that of MM Th om as an d Mari e
. .

It was on th e 1 0 th of March th at a comm ittee began

i t s s ittin gs at th e Lu xem bou rg p re sided over by Lo uis ,

B lan e with th e workm an Alb ert as vice p re siden t B ef ore -

.

th is board em p loyers an d em p loye d were su mm on ed to

atten d an d p u t forward their c laim s or grievan ces ; b u ilders
a n d t h eir workm en m ast er bakers an d baker boys o m n i
, ,

b u s ownersan d drivers all arrive d in crowds to d iscu ss th e ,

qu e stion s of h ou rs an d p aym ent I n gen eral th e em p loyers .

S h owe d th em selve s m a gn an im o u s an d p erfe ctly re ad y to

co o p erat e in any re ason able refo rm s

-
2
b u t this as Mm e , , .

d A goul t observe s cou ld n ot satisfy th e am bition of Lou is

’
,
” 3
B l an e which dre am t of chan gin g th e world
, A sane .

a n d p ractical m an with th e in t ere sts of th e p eop l e really

“

at h eart given hi s opp o rtun ity m i gh t have l ai d fo re ve r th e

, ,

1
Merm eix (G Terrail) L e S yndi cali sm e con tre le s oci a li sme, p 5 1
. . .

2 g
Th e em p loyers ave evid en ce of th e m ost conciliatory d isp osition
( D aniel S tern , op ci t ii 4 9)
. . . 1 bi d p 4 8 . .
 TH E RE VO L U TION OF 1 84 8 14 1

foun dation s of an i m p rove d in du st rial syst e m bu t Lo ui s ,

Blan e se at e d in th e h istori c arm ch air of th e Ch an celi er

Pas qu i er coul d onl y f all back like hi s p red e ce sso rs of 1 7 89
, ,

on th e f atal gif t of eloqu en c e an d at every m o m ent

, b egan
again th e ep i c recital of th e Revolu tion an d th e tableau
” 1
of th e gre at t hin gs accom p lish e d by th e p e op l e .

S t ran ge thi s t en d en cy of S ocialism that i m agin e s itself

p g
ro r e ssiv e to h ar k b ac k e t e rn ally to t h e p ast !
Th e wo rki n g m en on th eir p art S h owe d t h em selve s in
-

th e m ain p erf e ctly san e an d reason abl e d em an din g p rot ec ,

tion from t h e exp loitation of m i ddl e m en an d a re du ction -

,

in th e h ou rs of labou r to t en or el even a d ay givin g for ,

th ei r reason a th eory t en abl e p erh ap s at a p eriod wh en

worki n g d ays con si st ed of fou rt e en or fif t een hou rs b u t ,

wh ich to day h as b een p e rvert ed into th e di sastrou s sys

”
tem kn own as C a C ann y n am ely th at th e lon ger t h e
’
,

d ay is th e f ewer wo rk er s a re em p loye d an d th at th e ,

workers who a re occu p i ed absorb a salary whi ch m i gh t b e

”
di vide d am on gst a gre at er n u m b er of wo rker s Th ey .

also criticise d excessive work as an obstacle to th eir

e du cation a n d t h e i n t ell e ct u al d ev elop m en t of th e p e op l e .

At any rat e wh eth er sou n d or n ot in th ei r p olitical

,

e con om y th e p e op l e of Paris at t hi s c risis sh owe d th em

,

selve s in n o way p ron e to viol en ce ; th e p eop le di d n ot wish

for bloo d sh ed an d for barrica d e s for b urn in gs a n d d estru c
,

tion Red u ced to its S im p le st exp ression th ey as ked for

.
,

two thi n gs o nl y bre ad an d work : wh at j u st er dem an d

could h ave b een fo rm ul at e d ? And th ey were ready as ,

March e h a d sai d to wait to su ff er to sacrifice th em selve s

, , ,

n ot o nl y for th eir own ulti m at e welf are b u t for th e glo ry of

Fran ce Misled as they h a d b een by visi on arie s illu sio n ed
.
,

as th ey were on th e b en efits of th e first Fren ch Revolu tion ,

th ey aske d for n o rep etition of its h orrors b u t onl y to b e

allowe d to wo rk in p e ace an d fraterni ty .

Citizen s , wrote th e cloth p rinters to the Provi sional

Governm en t at th e en d of M arch 1 84 8 we workers ourselves ,
, ,

p rin t er s on stu ff ,
w e off er y ou our f e eb l e c o op eration we b rin g
-
,

y o u 2 0 0 0 fra n c s to h elp toward s th e su ccess of your n oble crea

tion . Let th em b e reassu red th ose wh o m ay believe in a

1
D an iel S t ern,
op ci t p 4 1
. . . .

Mem oi res de Ca u ssidi ére i 286

’
2
, . .
142 WORL D RE VOLUTIO N
re tu rn to the bloody scen es en acted in our history ! Let them
b e reassu red ! N eith er civil war n or war abroad sh all ren d th e
'

e n trails of ou r b eau tifu l Fran ce ! Let th em b e reassu red on ou r

N at ional Assem bly for th ere will be neith er Montagnards n or
,

Girondins ! Ye s let th em be reassu red an d le t th em h elp to give

,

t o E u rop e a m agic sight let th em S how th e u n iv erse th at in ,

Fran ce th ere h as b een n o violen ce in th e revolu tion th at th ere ,

h as only been a chan ge of system that honou r h a s su cceed ed to ,

corru p tion th e sovereignty of th e p eop le an d of e qu ity to odiou s

,

d esp otism force a n d ord er to weakn ess u ni on to castes to

, , ,

tyran ny this su blim e devi ce : Liberty E qu ality Fratern ity , , ,

r
p g o r ess civi lizati
,on h a pp in ess f or all an d all f or h ap p ess !
i
,
n 1

What mi ght not h ave b een don e wi th a p eop le su ch as

this so fill e d with gay en thu siasm with nobl e p at ri otis m
, , ,

if on ly they h a d had l eaders worthy of them ? Bu t on on e

side Louis B lan e h elp le ss and h esitating now th at h e was
,

brou ght f ace to f ace with re alities p u shin g asi de san e ,

refo rm s in f avo u r Of u nre alizabl e ide als a n d on th e other ,

B lan qu i Pro u dhon wild b e asts crou chin g to s prin g

, , ,

waiting to ren d an d de st roy that very civilization for which

the p e op le were re ady to sacrifice their all !
B u t Lou is B lan e obse sse d with his ide a of workin g ,

m en s a s sociation s le d the p eop l e from th e p ath of t ru e

’

refo rm i n to th e wi ld ern e ss Th e Nation al Wo rk sh op s h e . ,

aft erward s de clared were a f ailu re b ecau se th ey were n ot ,

con du ct ed on the S ocialistic lin es he advocat ed an d th e ,

Govern m ent refu sed to give him fun ds to p u t hi s own

th eo ri e s in to p ractic e Bu t as Mm e d A goul t exp lain s
’
.
, . ,

wh at the Governm en t really refu sed to M Blan e was a .

bu dge t an d a m inistry which woul d have satisfied hi s

am bition s The Governm en t did p rovide M Blan e with
. .

fu n ds to start association s of working m en on his own -

lines an d gave him a p erfectly free h an d in organizin g

,

th em The first of these exp eri m en ts was m ade at th e

.

H otel d e Clichy which M Blan e was allowed to tran sform

, .

’
from a d ebtors p rison in to an en orm o u s n ation al tailo rs
' ’

shop ; he was th en given capital free of in t ere st su bsist ,

en c e m on ey was advan c e d to th e workers an d an ord er ,

for u n if orm s for th e N ti on al Gu ar ds was plac ed by

a
th e Governm en t Th e u su al con t r acto r s p rice f or th e se
’
.

uni form s was el even fr an cs e ach a su m fo un d suf fici ent ,

1 D aniel S tern , o p
. ci t. i 51 4
. .
 TH E RE VOLUTION OF 1 84 8 143

to p rovi de the profit of the m ast er tailor rem u neration for ,

hi s wo rk sh op an d tools in t erest on hi s cap ital an d wage s

,
” 1
for th e workm en B u t n ow that th e p rofits of th e rap a
.

cion s capitalist were to b e eli m in at ed it was exp ect ed th at

a h an dsom e balan ce woul d rem ain over after the cost of
m at erials had b een defraye d an d this was to b e divi de d ,

e qu ally am on gst th e worker s Unhap pily when the fir st .

order was com p l eted the cost proved to be far hi gher th an

u n der th e old cap italistic syst em an d th e u n if orm s work ed ,

ou t at 1 6 in st e ad of 1 1 fran cs e ach Moreover tho u gh .

,

th e p ri n cip l e of glo ry love an d frat ernity was so st ron g

, ,

th at th e tailors worked twelve an d thi rt een h ou rs a day ,

”
a n d th e sam e even on S u n d ays th e ragge d n ew recruits ,

to th e arm y were kep t waitin g so lon g for their uniform s

th at driven to exasperation they went s everal ti m e s to
, ,

C lichy an d qu arrell e d viol ently wi th the tailors over the

d elay Thi s says Mm e d Agoul t w as th e ori gin of the
.
”
, .
’

sci ssion b etween th e p eopl e in blou ses an d th e p eople

” 2
in u nifo rm s which led at last to a m ortal co m bat .

Loui s Blan e s other exp erim en ts were att en de d with

’

n ot m u ch m o re su cce ss His association of arm chair .

-

m akers dwin dled in on e ye ar fro m 4 0 0 m em b er s to 20 ,

a n d ou t of 1 80 associatio n s in all only 1 0 su rvive d un til

A further breach was brou ght abou t b etween th e

soldier s an d the in du strial workers by the attem p t of the
Govern m en t to e stablish e qu ality in th e arm y On th e .

1 4 th of M arch it had p assed the d ecree o rderin g th e

sm art e st battalion s of th e Nation al Gu ards to ren oun ce
their distin ctive un iform s an d likewise all in si gn ia of
su p erior rank More p rep ost erou s still th e election of new
.
,
‘
oflicers was to b e m ad e h en c efo rth by u n iver sal suff r age ?

Th e resu lt was of cou rse an exp losion of in di gn ation

am on gst th e soldiers an d on th e 1 6 th of March a p roces
,

sion of 4 0 0 0 to 50 0 0 Nation al Gu ards m arched on th e

HOtel d e Ville to p rot est again st th e d e cree H ere they .

1
P roblems and P ri ls of S oci li m b y J S t Loe S t achey quoting
e a s , . . r ,

con t em p ora
ry acco un t on thi s ex p eri m ent in The E conomi st for May 20 ,
1 84 8 (vol vi .
p .

2
D am el S tern , op ci t 1 1 1 6 5
H eekethorn , S ecret S oci eti es , 1 1 222 , 223
. . . .

3
. .

Daniel S tern , op ci t ii 55 ; C a u ssid iere ,

. . . o p
. ci t . i 1 76
. .
144 WORL D RE VOLUTION
en countered a crowd of workm en an d youn g boys with ,

whom th ey cam e into collision ; in su lts an d blows were

exch an ge d a n d t h e b re ach b etween th e bou rgeoi s i e an d th e
,

p p
e o l e was n o w d efi n it el y cr e at e d .

This breach was necessary to th e S ocialist l eaders if

th ey were to retain thei r ascen dan cy an d the revolu tion ,

was not t o en d in the p eaceful am elioration of th e workers ’

lot Accordi n gly th ey seized the op p ortu n ity off ere d by

.

p o p u l a r e xcit e m e n t to o r ga n iz e a d e m o n st r atio n f o r t h e

followin g day an d as in th e first Fren ch Revol u tion th e

,

p p
e o l e w e re o rd e re d ou t en m as s e A h u g e c r owd was t o .

assem ble in th e Place d e la C on co rde an d m arch to the

H otel de Ville in ord er to congrat ulat e th e m em b ers of th e
Provi Sion al Govern m en t an d dem an d th e p ostp on em en t
of th e el ection s wh ich m i ght p ossibly rem ove th e S ocialists
,

from p ower T his pro gramm e n aively drawn u p by th e

.
,

S ocialists th em se lves Lo uis Blan e C au Ssi di ere an d , ,

Ledru Rollin was issu e d to all th e different districts of

P aris on th e eveni n g of th e 1 6 th
B u t alre a dy the o rganizers of the p roce ssion fo un d
th em selve s ou tdistan ced by the clu bs actin g un der th e
ord ers of th e S ecret S ocietie s an d whilst th e p eople were ,

b ein g in vit e d by th e m em b ers of th e Provi sion al Govern

m en t to co m e an d d em on st rat e in f avou r of th ei r rem ainin g
in offi ce Blan qui was con c ertin g an other agitation for th e
u
p p r os e o f e j e cti n g th e m I t was th u s that
. wh e n t h e ,

imm en se p roce ssion arrive d at th e H Otel de Ville on the

1 7th of Mar ch Lo ui s Blan c an d his colle a gu e s foun d t h em
,

selve s conf ron t e d n ot by co n gr at u lato ry an d a d m i rin g

ban ds of workers b u t by a hostile arm y at th e he ad of ,

which were foun d th eir enem ie s an d rivals to p ower

B arb és Blan qui C ab et S ob rier an d ot h ers
, , wh ose ,
” ”
exp r es sron ,
says Lou is Blan e h eld so m ethi n g sinist er , .

I n vain Loui s B lan e took refu ge in hi s h abitu al revolu

tion ary eloqu en ce de clarin g t h at th e on ly d e sire of th e P ro
,

vision al Governm en t was to m arch with th e p eop le to live “

,
”
f or th em if n ecessary to di e for th em ; th e crowd weari ed
, ,

o f su ch p rot e statio n s g av e way to p rolon ge d m u rm u rs

, .

” ”1
Th e p eop le crie d on e of th em exp e ct m o re th an words
“
, , .

1
Ca ussid iere , o p . ci t . i 1 82
. .
 TH E RE VOLUTION OF 1 84 8 145

B u t words in th e en d p revail e d an d fl oods of orato ry

,

o u r e d f o rt h by L e d r u Rolli n a n d La m artin e fin ally h a d

p
th e eff e ct of calmi n g th e agitati on of t h e crowd whi ch ,

toward s five o clock in th e aft ern oon gr adu ally m elt ed

’

away to th e cri es of Vive Louis Blan e Vive Le dra Rolli n !

“

C au s si di ere aft erwar d s d escri b e d thi s d ay of March

17 as th e p acific vi ctory of th e p eop le by calm an d
“

re ason in re ality it was a victory for th e S ocialists of th e

Provision al Govern m ent From th e p eop le s p oint of vi ew
.
’

th e d ay h a d p roved as abo rtive as m ost of th e g re at

days of th e first revolu tion in whi ch they had acted
'

S i rnp ly as th e tools of p olitical a dv en t u rers Th e gre at er .

n um b er of th e wo rkm en
”
says Mm e d Agoul t wh o h a d
, .
’

joine d sp ontan eou sly in th e m anif estation in a sin cere an d

n a rv e sp i rit of Rep u blican fr at erni ty were p er su aded that ,

they h a d given th e Governm ent a m ark of resp ect an d h a d

”
d efen d e d th em again st royalist p lots F or them selve s
.

th ey h a d gain ed n othin g b u t an in crease of h ostility on th e

p a rt o f t h e b ou rge oi s i e , who h a d watc h e d wit h g r owi n g
anxi ety th e m en acin g asp ect of th e p rocession .

“
Th e re sul t of
,
th e d ay of March the 1 7 th was to
thr ow back irretrievably th e cau se of the Paris workm en .

S o far th ey had gain ed certain p oin ts in th ei r p ro gramm e

th e establish m en t of th e social an d dem ocratic
”
Rep u blic the p romise of universal suff rage at th e comi ng
,

ele ction s th e re co gni tion by th e P rovision al Governm en t

,
”
of th e ri ght to work an d th e ap plicatio n of thi s p rin
,

ciple in th e Nation al Wo rkshop s whi ch h owever un s ati s

, ,

f acto ry fro m th e p oin t of view of th e S tat e had reli eved ,

u nem p loym en t .H ad t h e revolu tion ce ase d early in March

b efore th e p assin g of th e irnp oli ti c decree con cernin g the
Nation al Gu ard s it m u st h ave en d ed in a t ri um p h for th e
,

workers B u t th e action of th e S ocialists in th rowin g this

.

app le of discord b etween th e p eopl e an d the bou rgeoi si e

tu rne d the tide in favou r of reaction Not onl y in Pari s .

b u t all over th e country th e di splay of f orce exhi bit ed by

th e p roc e ssion of Mar ch 1 7 creat e d wi d esp re a d alarm Th e .

ovi n c e s h a d n o in t en tion of f alli n g again as i n 1 7 93

p r , ,

u n d er t h e dom in atio n of th e Paris p op ul ac e an d a stro n g ,

C on servat ive S p irit was arou se d th at boded ill for th e

146 WORL D RE VO LUTION
su ccess of S ocialist candi dates at the election s From .

”
this m om ent writ e s the Com te sse d Agoul t
, th ere ’

begin s for the p roletariat a serie s of reverses in which it is

to lo se all the advan tage s it had won in a few hou rs an d of ,

whi ch it had m ade u se generou sly it is t ru e an d with , ,

” 1
g r e at n e ss b u t, wit h o u t disc ern m en t or fo re si gh t .

Thi s was the wh ole cau se of the workin g m en s failu re -

’

in 1 84 8 I n ste ad of actin g on th eir own initiative in ste ad

.
,

of p re ssin g th e advan tage s they h ad re ally gain e d they ,

allowe d th em selve s to b e led in to fru itl e ss a gitation by a

ban d of p olitical Ch arlatan s who were m ainly occu pi ed in

qu arrellin g am on gst them selve s .

Thu s whilst Lou is Blan e continu ed to rep resen t him self

to th e p eople with hi s u su al eloqu en c e as th e sol e rep re
s en t ative of their cau s e th e p artisan s of Ledru Rollin
,

( am o n g st t h e m Ge o r g e S an d th e n ov elist ) i n t ri gu e d to
e stablish a revolu tion ary govern m en t un der his d ictato r

ship an d B lan qui stirred u p the workm en to resist the

,

convocation of th e Nation al Assem bly M e anwhile .

Lam artin e seeing hi s own p ower wani n g en deavou re d to

,
'

fri gh ten Ledru Rollin with vision s of B lan qui sh arp enin g
his dagger in the backgroun d an d at th e sam e time con
”
,

tinne d to confer secretly with Blan qui in th e h op e of

winn in g him over to his side Am idst all this confu sion of
.

p la n s t h e p pe o l e co u n t e d fo r n ot h i n g b u t e ac h f act i o n ,

hope d by a fur th er p opul ar m anife station to tri u m ph

fin ally over its rivals .

On th e 1 6 th of Ap ril th e p eopl e of Paris were on ce m o re

sum m on ed forth on th e p ret ext of ele ctin g fou rt een offi cers
for th e staff of th e arm y acco rdin g to th e n ew de cree of
,

el e ction by p o p u lar suffra ge At 1 0 o clock in th e m orn in g

.
’

a p roce ssion of 80 0 0 workin g m en assem ble d in th e Ch am p

-

d e Mar s h oldin g aloft th eir bann er s with S ocialist d evi ce s

,
”
su ch as : Abolition of th e exp loitation of m an by m an .

,
” ”
E qu ality Organ ization of work etc This arm y
, , .
,

which h ad start ed ou t qui te p e aceably n ow stirre d u p by

”

B lan qui in cre ase d to

,
an d th en p rocee de d to m arch

on th e H Otel d e Vill e Wh ere at a p an ic sp re ad thr o u gho u t

,

th e city . S care n ews was p asse d fro m m ou th to m o u th :

1 D aniel S tern , p
o . ci t 1 1
. . 1 54 .
 THE RE VOLUTION OF 1 84 8 7

Th e F au bour g S t Antoin e h as risen in revolt ! Th e

.

Comm un ists have taken th e In valide s they are settin g ,

fir e to it ; p rol e ta rian s in ar m s a re p p
r e ar in g to
sack Pari s !
On arrival at th e Place d e Greve b efore the en tran ce to
th e H Otel d e Vill e a num b er of troop s h owever were dr awn , ,

u p a n d n ow th e scissio n t h at h a d b een cre at ed b etwe en

,

th e sol di e rs an d th e workin g m en b e cam e a gain ap p arent

-
.

Th e in clin ation to frat ernize with th eir com rade s in blou ses
th at earli er in th e Revolu tion had m arked the attitu d e of
th e t roop s h ad ch an ged to active hostili ty an d from th eir ,

ran ks aros e the cry : Down with the Co mm uni sts ! Down
with Blan qui ! Down with Loui s Blan e !
Th e ti de had tu rn ed irrevocably against th e workers .

AS th e dej e ct ed battalion s of the in du st rial p rol e ta riat

fil ed p ast th e H Otel d e Vill e throu gh the serrie d r anks of
th e sol di ery an d fin ally di sp erse d n o dou bt rem ain e d th at
,

th e day had en de d in defe at an d it was to th e S ocialists

th e workers owed t h eir h um ili ation The workin g m en .
-

had n ot on their own ini tiative assu m e d the m en acing

attitu de th at alarm ed th e citizen s of Paris ; they had not
devise d th e tru cul en t m ottoe s in scrib ed u p on th eir bann ers .

It was Blan qui with hi s ferociou s m etho d s of agitation ,

it was Loui s Blan e with his foolish theoriz ings wh o h ad ,

tur ne d their j u st dem an ds for social reform into war on the

comm un ity an d create d the gu lf that yawned b etween the
workm en an d the rest of P aris Up to th e ou tbreak of .

th e 1 84 8 revolu tion th e bou rgeoi si e as we have s een had , ,

regard e d th e aspi ration s of th e p e op l e with th e greate st

sym p athy ; th e work of the S ocialists was to d estroy thi s
u n der stan di n g an d to co n solidat e n ot o nl y th e bou rgeoi s i e

bu t th e wh ole n on in du st rial p op u lation in a m ass ant ag

-

oni sti c to th e wo rk ers It is from thi s m om en t th at we can

.

date th at n arrowin g d own of th e word p p

e o l e to
“ ” 1
si gnify onl y th e in du strial p roletariat th e s en se in ,

wh ich it h as b een u sed th rou gh ou t by Marxian S ocialists ,

an d th at has co n t rib u t e d so large ly to th e di vo rce b e tween

S ocialism an d d em ocracy .

The 1 6 th of Ap ril was followe d by a gre at wave of

1 D aniel S t ern , p
o . ci t 1 1 .
. 1 5.
148 WORL D RE VOLUTION
re action in all qu art ers of th e city Th e au tho rs of the .
.

m anife station b e cam e the obj e cts of in di gn an t denu n cia

tions ; a fu riou s crowd carri e d a coffin b eneath the win dow
”
of C ab et On e h alf of Paris
. wrote the Prefect of the ,
” 1
Poli ce wish es to im p rison th e oth er
,
E ven th e alli e s .

of th e S ocialists were s u dd en ly sm i tt en with m isgivi n s

"

g ,

an d it was Geo rge S an d th e di sci p l e of Bab e uf an d Pi erre

,

Lerou x who was b elieved to have w ritten th ese word s in

,

the B u lleti ns de la R épu bli qu e for th e 20 th of Ap ril :

As to th e Comm unists again st whom so m any cries of repro ,

bation an d of an ger have b een h eard th ey were n ot worth th e ,

trou b le of a d em on stration Th at a little num b er of sectarian s .

S hou ld p reach th e chim eri cal establi shmen t of th e im p ossible

e qu ality of fortu n es n eed n ot su rp ri se or alarm one At all .

p eri o d s m i s gu id e d m in d s h av e p u rsu e d the realizati on of th is

dream withou t ever attain in g it ?

action was not confin ed to Paris alone All over

Th e re .

Fran ce the tide tu rn ed irrevocably again st S ocialism and ,

in th e ele ction s th at followed th e p eop le sh owe d th em selve s

overwhelm in gly in favou r of th e m o d erate s Bu t the .

revol u tion ari e s h a d gai n e d on e p oi n t n am ely th at th ey ,

h a d p u t an en d to wh at Marx de scrib e d as t h e ch ar
”
latanry of u niversal frat ernity a n d th e gul f b etween t h e ,

in du strial p rol etariat an d the re st of the n ation yawned

m o re wi d ely th an ever .

When th e n ew Nation al Assem bly m et on the 4 th of

May the extrem ists Prou dh on C ab et Lou is Blan c an d , , ,

Blan qu i were all re j ect ed by th e el ectors as also the ,

Labou r can di d at e s in favou r of Comm u nism wh o had

b een p u t forward by th e Comm ittee of the Lux em bourg :
and it was Lam artin e wh o n ow re ceive d th e p lau dits of th e

crowd This was largely owin g to the attitu de of Lou is

.

Bl an e wh o had m ade it cle ar that h e ai m ed at n othin g l e ss

,
” 3
th an th e absolu te dom in ation of th e p roletariat
“
a ,

o ositio h l d b f o a s i it d atio oss ssi

'

p p
r n t a t p a ce e ,
re p r e n n p e n g
an en ergetic a n d i nt elli gen t bou rgeoi s i e m u st n e c e ssarily ,

en cou n t er d et e rm i n e d opp ositio n .

Loui s Blan e m oreover p ossessed th e irritatin g char

, ,

act eristi c c omm on to m an y S ocialists of i m a gini n g t h at h e

, ,

1 D aniel S tern , p
o . ci t
. ii 1 7 9 1 8 0
.
-
.
2
I bi d .
p 1 83
. .

2 I bi d
, op . . ci t 1 1. . 20 7 .
 THE RE VOLUTION OF 1 84 8 14 9

al on e ani m ated by sin cere love for th e p eo p l e an d

w as ,

hi s di s cour se to th e Asse m b ly on th e l 0 t h of May a gain ,

”
deman di n g a m i nistry of work an d p ro gress w as so ,

tin ged wi th thi s p eculiar form of egoism as t o p rovo k e cr i es

of p rote st Fin all y th e wh ol e As se m bly rose in a b od y
.
,

whil st from al l si des sh ou t s wen t u p : You h ave n ot th e

m on opo ly of love f or th e p eop l e ! We are all h ere f or th e
social qu es ti on w e h ave all co m e in th e n am e of th e pe op l e !
,
-

The wh ol e As se m bly is h ere to d efen d th e ri gh ts of th e

p p
e o l e ! 1

Th e n ew as s e m bly th u s foun d itself cr u sh ed be tween

tab le b y th e m en ace of Co mm uni sm on th e oth er th e revo ,

lu ti on aries wh o n ow l egall y exclu ded fro m th e governm en t

, ,

were obli ged to cas t abo u t f or a fur t h er p rete xt to stir u p

th e pe op l e Th is w as p rovi d e d by a r evolt in Polan d whi ch
.

th e Pr u ss ian t roop s h ad ru thl essly su pp r e sse d on th e 5th

of May an d th e workin g m en of Par is were su mm on ed to
,
-

assem b le in th eir th o u san d s as a p ro test a gains t thi s di s

l y f a r b it rar y a u t h o ri ty Acco r din gly o n th e 1 3 th a
p a o .
,

p r oc e ss ion of 50 0 0 to 6 0 0 0 p eop l e l e d by S o b ri,er an d

Hu be r a p rofess ional agi ta to r of equi vocal an te c ed en ts
, ,

m arch ed to th e Place d e la C on co rde sh ou tin g : Vive la ,

Polo gn e ! Th e workin g m en in th e cr owd wh o h ad-

,

star te d ou t in all goo d fai th to a gitate as th ey h ad been ,

to ld to do in f avo ur of opp resse d Polan d wer e ani m ated

, ,

by n o revolu tion ary in te ntion s an d n ever drea m t of over

thr owin g th e As se mb ly el ected by uni ver sal su ff ra ge B u t .
,

as u su al a gen ts of di so rd er h a d m i n gl ed in th eir ran ks

, ,

p o li ce or m ob in Order to p rovo ke a ot w ell dr es se d

ri ,
-

wom en n o t of th e p e op l e were ob served in citin g th e cr owd

?
to viol en ce
At th e b ri d ge of th e Co n co rde th e p roces si on seem ed to
h esita te b u t B lan qui n ow p lac in g hi m self at its h ea d
, , ,
”
cried lou dly Forward !
, an d t h e wh ol e m as s su r ged

towar ds th e p al ac e occu p i ed by th e A sse m b ly Th e sm all .

n um be r of Nation al Gu ar d s as se m b l e d p r ove d p o w erles s

t o st em th e on com in g ti d e of 1 5 0 0 0 0 m en an d wo m en -
,

1
D ani el S tern, pp 2 37 23 8 .
-
.
1 50 WORLD RE VOLUTIO N
which p ressed onwards wi th su ch force that a nu m b er of
p e o p l e w er e c ru sh e d to d e at h at th e en t r an c e of th e Palac e .

It was then th at Lam artine b raver th an his p redeces ,

sors the revolu tion arie s of 1 7 92 cam e forward ou t of the ,

Assem bly an d fac ed the p eople .

Citizen Lam artin e sai d one of the l eaders Lavi ron

, , ,

we h a ve com e to re ad a p etition to th e Assem bly in

favo ur of Polan d .

You sh all not p ass Lam artine an swered im p eriou sly

, .

By wh at ri ght will you p revent u s from p assing ?

We are th e p eople Too long have you m ade fine phrases ;
.

th e p e opl e wan t som ethin g b esi d e s p hrase s they wish to ,

”
o t h e m s elv e s to t h e Ass em bly an d si gni fy their wishes
g .

How t ru e was th e word u tt ered by a voice in th e crowd

at thi s j un cture : Unhapp y on es what are you doing? ,

You are thr owing back th e cau se of lib erty for m ore than
a centu ry !
I n vain th e m en who had raise d the storm now t rie d to
qu ell it Whilst the crowd p re ssed onwards into the hall
.
.

of th e Assem bly Thom as R a sp ail B arb es Le dru Rolli n

, , , , ,

B u ch e z , Loui s Blan e stru ggled ami d st th e suffocating

heat of the May day an d the o d ou r of m assed hum ani ty to
m ake th eir voice s heard Louis B lane at the table declare d .

th at th e p eople by their cries had violate d their own

sovereignty th e crowd resp on de d with S ho u ts of :
Vive la P ologne ! Vive l organisation du travail ! ’

Loui s Blane attacked with the weap on h e him self had

,

forged was redu ce d to im p ot en ce ; it was n o longer th e

,

theorist wh o h a d delu ded them with words that the p eople

dem an de d bu t Blan qui the m an of action th e in stigator
, , ,

of vi ol en c e an d fu ry Blan qu i ! Where is Blan qui ? We

.

wan t Blan qui ! was the cry of the m ul titu de An d .

in stan tly borne on the sh ou lders of th e crowd th e stran ge

, ,

fi gure of th e fam ou s agitator app eared

,
a little m an p re
m atu rely b en t with wil d eye s dartin g flam e fro m hollows
,

deep sunk in th e sickly p allor of h is face with black hair ,

sh ave d close like a m onk s his black coat b u ttoned u p to ’

m eet hi s black tie hi s han ds en case d in black glove s

,

an d at this S ini st er vi sion a silen ce fell up on th e crowd .

Blanqui sui tin g hi m self to th e tem p er of his au dien ce

, ,
 THE RE VOLUTION OF 1 84 8

thereup on delivered a haran gu e dem an ding that Fran ce

shoul d i mm e di at ely d e clare war on E ur op e for th e deliver

an ce of P olan d tru ly a strange m easur e for th e reli ef of

p u blic m is ery in P a ris ! M e an whi l e Lo u is B la n e with a ,

P olish flag thru st in to his han ds was m aki n g a valian t ,

eff ort to recover h is p op ul arity An eloqu en t d iscour se on

.

th e sovereign ty of th e p eop le had at last the desired

eff e ct an d am idst c rie s of
,
Long live Lou is Blan e ! Lon g
live th e social an d dem ocratic Rep u blic ! h e too was
h oist e d on to th e shoul ders of th e p eop le an d carrie d in
triu m ph Bu t th e em otion of th e m om en t p rove d too gre at
.

for the frail body ; Loui s Blane hi s f ace streami n g wi th ,

p e r sp i ratio n
,
att e m p t e d i n vai n t o add re ss th e c r owd b u t ,

n o so un d cam e fro m his lip s an d fin ally l owere d to e arth , ,

h e fell f ain tin g on a seat .

The d em en tia of the crowd ur ge d on by the , Cl u b

” "

istes ,
n ow re ache d its h e ight Whi lst B arb es vainly
.

a tt em p t e d to deliver a sp ee ch th e t ribun e was ass ail ed by

a group of m aniacs wh o with clen che d fists thr e aten e d

,

e ach other an d drown e d hi s voice in t u m ul t u ou s cri e s .

To add to the confu sion the galleries began to bre ak down

u n der the wei ght of th e in cre asin g crowd an d a b ur stin g

water— tank fl oode d th e corridor .

At th is j u n ctu re Hu b er who had likewise f allen into a

,

lon g swoon su ddenl y recovere d con sciou sn e ss an d

, , ,

m ou n tin g th e trib un e de clare d in a voice of thu n der that

,

th e Assem bly was di ssolve d in th e n am e of th e p eo p le .

At th e sam e m om ent Bu chez was flung ou t of hi s seat ,

Lou is B lan e was driven by th e crowd ou t on to th e espla

n a d e of th e I n valid e s R a sp ail f ain te d on th e lawn S ob rier
, ,

was carrie d in triu m ph by the workm en an d Hub er ,

di sap p e are d .

Th en followed the inevitable reaction The troop s .

arrived on th e scen e an d di sp ersed th e crowd B arb es was ,

arreste d Lou i sBlan e with tum ble d h air an d torn clothe s

.
, ,

su cceeded in escap in g from the Nation al Gu ard s an d took

refu ge in th e Assem bly on ly to fi n d hi m self assail e d wi th
,

cries of in di gn ation .

You always talk of you rself ! You have no he art !

Whilst th ese extrao rdi n ary scen es had b een taki ng
1 52 WORL D RE VOLUTION

place at Assem bly an o t h er crowd of 20 0 p eop le had

th e
’

inva d ed th e Prefe ctu re of Police, where C au ssi diere fol ,

lowing th e exam p l e of P etion on th e l 0 th of Au gu st ,

rem ain e d disc ree tly waiti n g to s e e wh ich w ay th e ti d e

turne d b efo re decidin g on th e cou rse he sh ou l d take Faced .

by an an gry m ob of in su rgen ts th e wretched C au s sid iere ,

hith erto in th e van gu ard of revolu tion n ow b egan to talk

.
,

of con stitu tion al au th ority an d th reat en ed to ru n a

reb el th rou gh th e body with h i s sab re :
1

With th e aid of th e Rep u blican Gu ard the Prefectu re of

'

Police was fin ally evacu ate d an d th rou gh ou t Paris the ,

”
troop s set abou t restorin g order Th e r ep re ssion write s
.
,

th e C om t e sse d A goul t is with ou t p ity b e cau se the

’

attack has b een t errible words ever to b e rem em b ere d “

by the m akers of revolu tion Th e fi ercer th e on slau ght th e

.

fi ercer m u st b e th e re sistan ce an d an archy can on ly en d in

'

desp otism E ven th e revolu tion ary l eaders are oblige d to

.

admi t th e reaction ary eff ects of May the 1 5th an d th e ,

p p
e o l e t h e m s elv e s always ,i m p re ss e d by a disp lay of

au th ority S ide d wi th th e victors Wh en on the 1 6 th of

,
.

May th e arrest ed con spirators l eave for Vin cenn e s they

h ear on goin g th rou gh th e Fau bou rg S t An toin e th e
,
.
,

i m pre cation s of th e crowd of m en wom en an d ch ildren , ,

who in sp i te of the extrem e h eat of th e day follow th e

, ,

carriage s with in su lts in t h eir m ou ths as far as the first

”
hou se s of Vin cenn e s .

B u t thi s revu lsion of p op ul ar feeling was O nly m o m en

t ary ; b efore lon g th e S ocialists h a d re e stablished their
ascen dan cy over th e p eop le I n th e by ele ction s on J un e
.
-

th e 5 th Pierre Lero ux P rou dhon an d C au ssi di ere were all

, ,

su cce ssful an d th e S itu ation was fu rther com p licate d by

,

th e ele ction of Lou is Nap oléon Bon ap art e .

It was n ow th at th e I m perialist schem e s of the B on a

p a rtist e s fi r st b e ca m e ap p ar e n t a n d t h at th e c ry o f , Viv e

l E m p ereu r !
’
was first h e ard Th e le aders of this faction
.
,

n o l e ss th an th ose of th e S o cialists realiz ed that th e over ,

throw of th e existin g governm en t m u st b e brou gh t abou t

by a p op u lar in su rrection an d th e u su al weap on of class
, ,

hatred was em p loye d by both with e qu al u n scru p u lou s

1 Mémoi res de Ca u ssidi ere, 11 . 1 36 .
 THE RE VOLUTIO N OF 1 84 8 1 53

ne ss . S ide by side with the hawkers of su ch gu tt er p re ss -

journal s as th e R obespi erre th e P ere D u ches n e th e , ,

Carma gn ole th e j ou rn a l de la Ca h ui lle th e ven d or s of th e

, ,

N apoleon R épu bli cai n p resse d th eir ware s on th e sol di ers ,

warnin g th em th at th e bou rgeois Terror wo ul d repre

sen t th em as th e m urd erers of th eir b roth ers an d in voki ng
?
th e re d flag of social revolu tion
Th e govern m en t ele ct e d by th e syst em of uni ver sal
su ff rage so lon g dem an ded thu s foun d itself b etween two
fir es an d th e whole revolu tion ary m ovem en t turne d into
,

a con t est b etween th e warrin g p olitical p artie s .

Th e in du st rial situ ation had now b e com e chaoti c .

Trade was p aralysed by th e feelin g of gen eral i n secu rity

an d by con tinu al st rike s of workm en whilst th e m en ,

e m p loy e d in th e Nation al Wo rksh op s sh owe d an i n cre asin g

t en d en cy to revolt This m eth od of absorbin g un em p loye d

.

labou r h a d as we h ave seen fro m the b eginni n g p roved

, ,

a failure ; an d at last after a vain attem p t to irnprove

,

m att ers by di sm issin g th e p rovin cial workm en who h a d

crowded in to Pari s an d by reintrodu cing th e syst em of
,

p i e ce wo
-
rk th e
, G ov ern m en t a nn o u n c e d its i n t en tio n of
abolishin g the Nation al Work shop s A decree to thi s .

eff e ct was p ass e d on th e 21 st of Jun e an d in evi tab ly

brou gh t abou t th e fin al crisis On th e eveni n g of th e sam e

.

day ban d s of workm en again assem ble d a n d to th e rival ,

crie s of Vive Barb es ! an d Vive N ap oléon ! p lann ed

a fresh dem on stration .

Th en followe d th e three fearful days of Jun e th e 22n d

to th e 25th Barricades were on ce m ore erected in th e
.

st reets an d w ar to th e knife was declare d on th e Rep u blic

, .

A s in every ou tbre ak of th e World Revolu tion th e in s u r ,

g e n ts w ere co m p os e d o f wa rr i n g e l em en ts all re solve d to ,

de st roy th e existin g order an d all ani m at e d by op p osin g

M ain s . h
T s'
u acco rdi n g to th e rep ort of Pani sse th e h e ad of
, ,

th e di vision for gen er al se cur ity th e crowd s t h at took p art ,

in th e in surrection in clu d ed b e side s th e workm en dr iven

,

by h un ger an d d esp air to revolt a n u m b er of h on est an d ,

cred ul ou s p eople du p ed by th e agitators C omm uni sts ,

dream ers of a Utopia am ongst whi ch each has his system

1 D aniel S tern , p
o . ci t
. ii 3 4 1
. .
1 54 WORL D RE VOLUTIO N
a nd di sagreeing wi th e ach other ; Legitim ists dem an di n g ,

th e re storation of th e Bou rbon dyn asty in th e p erson of th e

D u e d e C ham bo rd ; Bo n ap artist e s p art isan s of a regen cy ;
,

an d , fin all y , th e scu m of all p artie s convi cts an d wast rels ;

,

in a word th e en emi e s of all society m en vowe d by

_ , ,
” 1
instin ct to ide as of in surre ction theft and pill age , , .

Again st thi s terrible arm y th e troop s led by th e Gen ,

erals C avai gn ac an d Lam o rici ere reinf o rc e d by Nation al,

Gu ards from all over Fran c e di sp laye d th e great est vi gour,

,

an d on th e 26 th of J un e , af t er t errible fi ghtin g wh ich left

n o l e ss than kille d an d woun ded in th e streets of

Paris C avaign ac rem ain ed m ast er of the situ ation an d a
,

mi litary di ctatorship assu m ed cont rol .

It is unn ecessary to follow the Fren ch Revolu tion of

1 84 8 throu gh it s fin al p oli tical stages the e le ction of
Prin ce Loui s N ap oléon to the Pre siden cy of the Repu bli c
in D ecem b er of the sam e ye ar th e cou p d Eta t carri ed out
’
,

by hi m three years later (on D ecem b er 2 by whi ch ,

th e C on stitu tion of 1 84 8 was overthrown an d fin all y , the , ,

p r ocla m atio n o f th e E m p i re o n D e c em b e r 1 0 1 85 2 with , ,

the p rin ce as N ap oléon III at its head . Thr ou ghou t this

.

r iod th e fi re of social revolu tion co ul d on ly sm oul der

p e

feebly , an d wi th the accession of th e E m p eror was tem

p O r a r il y e xti n gu i sh e d in F r a n c e .T h e re g i m e that f ollow e d ,

like th at which su cceeded to the first Fren ch Revolu tion ,

was one of absolu te rep ression Th e S ocialist le ad ers were
.

arreste d n o le ss th an
, p r iso n er s w er e taken by the

Governm ent an d a gre at num b er dep ort e d withou t t rial .

At the Sam e tim e th e S ecret S ocietie s were p u t down with

an i ron han d all th e lib erti e s gu aran t ee d to th e Fren ch
,

p p
e o l e ,
in cl u di n g t h e lib e r ty o f t h e p r e ss w e r e abolis h e d ,

by the C on stitu tion of 1 852 an d thi s desp otism was ,

accep te d by a m ajority of
.
to vote s For .

a s in 1 80 0 th e n ation , we arie d of revolu tion , was ready to

throw itself at the feet of a strong m an who woul d restore
order and give it p e ace on ce m ore .

The revolu tion of 1 84 8 thus en ded inth e total defeat of

the workers and for thi s it is i m p ossible to deny th at th e
,

p ri n c ip al bla m e lay w i th t h e S ocialist leaders abov e a ll

1
Daniel S tern 1 1 598 , . .
 THE RE VOLUTION OF 1 84 8 5
“

with Loui s Blan e It is onl y j u st to re co gnize the excel

.

lent in t ention s of th e m an wh o d evot ed all hi s energi e s ,

to th e reorganization of labou r on an ideal S ystem yet it ,

m u st su rely b e adm i tt e d th at social exp er im ents of thi s

kin d can only b e j u dged by resul ts Th e scientist who .

fails in a laborato ry exp erimen t m ay b e p ardone d for f ail

u re b u t in th e ease of m en who j u ggle with h u m an live s
,

f ailure is crim e If a duk e were to in ven t a n ovel syst em

.

of d r ai n age a n d witho u t assu ri n g hi m s elf of its efficacy

, , ,

were to in stall it in all hi s t en ants cottages thereby killin g

’

th em off by di p htheri a he woul d not b e regard ed as a ,

n obl e en t h u siast wh ose o nl y cri m e was exce ss of z e al b u t ,

as a crim in al fool for wh om n o m ercy shoul d b e dem an d ed .

Why th en sh oul d re ckl ess ven ture s m erely b ecau se th ey ,

are con du ct e d in th e n am e of S ocialism en sur e th e ,

imm u nity of their au th ors ? Louis Blane m ay well have

b een a S in cere an d well m e ani n g m an th e fact rem ain s-
,

th at throu gh hi s ap p lication of im p racticable s chem e s an d

obstin ate b eli ef in hi s own inf alli bility h e led th e workin g
classes to di sast er No on e has recogniz ed thi s truth m ore
.

clearly than th e an archist Prou dhon who in these words ,

h as app ortione d to thi s dangero u s dream er the blam e h e

so trul y deserve s :
A great respon sibili ty will rest in hi story on Loui s Blan e .

‘‘
It was h e who at the Lux em bour g with hi s riddle E qu ali ty ,

Fraternity Lib er ty wi th his abracadabra E very on e accord

’ “
, ,

i n g to h i s stren gth to every one according to hi s n eed s !

,
’

b egan that m iserable opposition of ideologi es to id eas an d wh o ,

rou sed comm on sen se again st S ocialism H e thou ght hi m self the .

b ee of th e revolu tion an d h e was onl y th e grasshop p er M ay

'

h e at last after h avin g p oison ed th e workin g m en wi th hi s

,
-

absurd form ul as bri n g to th e ca u se of th e proletariat which on

, ,

a day of error fell in to his feeble hands th e obol of hi s absten tion ,

an d h is silen ce !
1

Bu t a fur ther oach to b e b rou ght again st Lo ui s

rep r

Blan c an d his colleagu e s of 1 84 8 is their h abit of p er

”
p e t u ally r ev ertin g to t h e p ast L et u s r e sp e ct th e.
p ast ,

s ai d Victor Hu go p rovi d,e d it is co n t e n t to b e d e ad ; bu t

if it wi sh e s to be alive we m u st attack it an d try to kill
,

S ociali sts wh o a re qu it e willin g to app ly thi s maxim

”
it.

1 La R evolu ti on au X I Xi eme si ecle, p 1 0 8 . .

1 56 WORL D RE VOLUTION
to the n oble st tra dition s of th e p ast rej e ct it w hen it is a
‘

m atter of revi vi n g exp lo d e d su bversive doctrin e s or

m etho d s S o th e m en of 1 84 8 i n st e ad of con si d erin g th e
.
, ,

n ee ds of th e p re sen t h o ur in ste ad of p r e ssin g fo r ward to

,

m o re enli gh t en ed sch em e s of social refo rm p e rsisted in

.

h arkin g b ack et ern ally to th e p rin cip l e s of th e first Fren ch

Revolu tion ; soaked in th e doct rine s of their revolu tion ary
p re d e c e sso rs all c r av e d to e m u lat e t h em a n d t h u s t h e ,

s o calle d p op u lar d em o n st ration s o rgan iz e d by th em in

-

Paris b etween Febru ary an d Jun e of 1 84 8 were directly

m o d ell ed on those of 1 7 8 9 to 1 7 92 On this p oin t both .

Marx an d Prou dh on are in accord Th e Revolu tion of .

says Marx , coul d do n oth in g b etter than p arody

first 1 7 89 an d th en the revolu tion ary tradition of 1 7 93
a n d P ro u dh on cover s with ridicul e t h e m
1
1 7 95 ann er
in which th e sou veni rs of 1 7 93 were con stan tly
evoke d by th e leader s It was a universal m ania Mm e
.
”
,
.

d Agoul t observe s likewise fro m th e 24 th of Feb ru ary

’

onwards to refer everythin g back to ou r first revolu tion .

Th e f ailu re of 1 84 8 lay th erefore n ot in over z e al for

, ,
-

p g
r o re ss b u
, t i n r e actio n ari n e ss i n bli n d attach,
m e n t to
p ast a n d d e ad t raditio n s .

Th e o u tb reak of revolu tion in Paris had given th e

S i gn al for th e E u rop e an confla gra tion On th e 1 s t of March .

in su rre ction b e gan in Baden on th e 1 2th in Vienn a on , ,

th e 1 3 th riots took p lace in B erlin on th e 1 8 th a risin g in ,

Milan on the 2oth in Parm a on the 22n d a Rep u blic was

, ,

d e clare d in Venice on th e l 0 th of Ap ril a C hartist dem on

'

s trat ion wa s o rgani ze d in Lon don on t h e 7 th of May ,

t rou ble s b egan in S p ain on th e 1 5th in Nap le s an d du r

, ,

i ng th e cou rse of th e ye ar no le ss th an sixty four ou t -

bre ak s of serfs occu rred in Ru ssia .

Of cou rse in th e p age s of offi cial hi story we sh all fin d

,

n o exp lan ation of th is su dden re cu rren ce of th e revolu

tion ary ep id em i c which is on ce m ore conven ien tly

,

ascrib e d to the tim e h on ou re d th eory of con tagiou s

-

p p o u l ar en t h u sias m f o r lib
,
e rty T h u s th e C a m br
.id ge

M odern H i s tory describin g the revol ution in Ge rm any ,

,

1 M arx L a L u tte des cla s ses

, p 1 92 , . .
 THE RE VOLUTION OF 1 84 8 7

ob serves : The Gran d D u chy of Baden was the n atur al

startin g p lace for t he revolu tion ary m ovem en t whi ch
-
, ,

on ce set on foot seem ed to progress alm ost au tomatically

,
”
fro m S tat e to S tate an d town to town .

Pre cisely ; b u t we are given no hi n t as to th e m ech anism

whi ch p ro du ce d thi s au to m atic action all over E urop e .

Th e b u sin e ss of th e offi ci al historian is n ot to in qu i re i n to

cau ses b u t to presen t the sequ en ce of events in a m ann er
u ni n t elli gibl e to th e p h ilosop h er b u t satisfyin g to th e

un in q u i rin g m i n d of th e gen er al p u blic .

Th at th e E u rop ean Revolu tion of 1 84 8 was th e re sult

of m asoni c o rgan ization can n ot h owever b e d o u bte d by , ,

an y on e wh o tak e s t rou bl e to di g b elow th e su rf ace We .

h ave al re ady seen how Mazzini an d the Youn g Italy

m ovem en t h a d p rove d the blin d in strum en ts of th e H au t e
Ven te Rom ain e an d how the sam e society Op eratin g
,

th rou gh th e lo d ge s h ad p rep are d th e groun d in every

cou ntry I n Fran ce th e p art playe d by Freem ason ry 1 n
.

the revolu tion ary m ovem en t was qui te frankly re co gn ize d ,

an d th e S u p rem e C o u n cil of t h e S cottish rit e p re se n tin g

them selve s b efore th e m embers of th e Provi sion al Gov

ernm en t on th e 1 0 th of Mar ch re c eive d th e con grat ul a

tion s of Lam artin e in th ese words :

I am convi nced th at it is from the depth s of you r lodges th at
have em anated first in th e sh ade th en in th e h alf ligh t an d
, ,
-
,

finally in th e fu ll ligh t of d ay th e sentim ents whi ch en ded by

,

p ro d u cin g th e su b lim e ex p losion we witn esse d i n 1 7 8 9 a n d of ,

which th e p eop le of Paris have j u st given to th e world the *

.

second an d I hop e th e last rep resentation ?

, ,

Bu t of cou rse th e p eop le were to b e allowe d to t hink

, ,

th ey h a d acte d on th eir own initiative Thu s the Jewish .

Freem ason Crem ieux whom th e Revolu tion h a d rai se d to

,

a p lace in the Provi sion al Governm en t d e clared in a ,

S p ee ch to th e crowd t h at on th e ru in s of th e sh att ere d

m on archy th e people took for th e et ern al sym bol of

revolu tio n Lib erty E qu ality Fraternity ,
2
it was only
,

to the Freem ason s them selve s this ti m e a dep u tation

of th e Gr an d O rien t on th e 24 t h of March , th at h e
ackn owle dge d the tru e ori gin of thi s d evi ce : I n all tim e s
1 D esch am p s , o p
. ci t. ii 28 2
. .
2
M ém oi res de Ca u ss i di ere, i 1 3 1 . .
 WORL D RE VOLUTION
an d der all ci rcum stan ces
un M asonry ceasele ssly
rep e at e d th e s e su bli m e wo rds : Liberty E qu ality Fra ,
1
ternity .

I n Germ any as in Fran ce th e p rin cip al lead ers of th e

"

revolu t io n H e c ker Fickler an d H erwegh in Baden ;

, ,

Robert Blu m in S axony ; Ja cobi in Ko enigsb erg ; von

Gagern in B erlin were all Freem ason s who h a d b een
s n t at t h af o said Maso n ic C o n ss i 1 8 4 7
“

p r e e e re g r e n .

Th e 1 84 8 Revolu tion was th u s th e se con d gre at

att em p t of illu miniz e d Freem asonry to b rin g abou t a
wo rl d conflagration Bu t th ere was on e co u n try where th e
.

m ovem en t p roved com p letely abo rtive ; th is was E n glan d .

It is t ru e th at for m an y years the Ch artist riots h ad

cre ated wide sp re ad an xiety bu t th e in d ep en den t ch ar ,

acter of the E n glish p eop le had h ith erto always p revent e d

th em from m o dellin g their agitation s on con tin en tal p re c
“

e d en t s ; a n d th e P e op l e s C h art er
“ ”
aim in g rather at
’

p olitical r e f o rm tha n at social di si n t e g r atio n was e ss en ,

tially a n ation al p rodu ct Th at agitato rs working f or th e .

overth row of th e existin g social system h a d in trodu ced

th em selve s into th e m ovem en t as e arlier th ey h a d fou n d
th eir way in to Trad e Un ion ism c ann ot b e d ou bt e d ; it was
this h owever th at le d to th e fin al defeat of Ch artism
, , .

Wh en on th e 1 3th of Ap ril 1 84 8 a gre at d em on str ation

was o rganize d an d a m on st er p etition carrie d to Ken nin g
t on C omm on Lon d on p rep are d itself for self def en c e an d
,
-

p ru d en t t r a d e s m e n p u t u p t h ei r S h u tt e r s i n e x p e ctatio n of

riots b u t th e in si gnifican t p ro p o rtio n s of th e assem bl e d

,

m ob an d the di scovery th at a gre at nu m b er of th e S ign a

,

tu re s ap p en de d to th e p etition were frau dul en t covere d

“

th e whole aff air with ridicule an d th e dre ade d exp losion

en de d in sm oke The tru t h is that in a co u ntry wh ere
.

ref o rm s were in p ro gre ss revolu tion coul d m a ke littl e

h e a d way an d th e p assin g of th e Ten Ho ur s Bill in 1 84 7

,

h a d don e m u ch to qu ell agitation Moreover as we h ave .

,

already seen th e Co op erative m ovem en t h a d b egun an d

,
-

was taki n g a stron g h old on th e im agin ation s Of th e B ri tish

workers It is n ot a littl e to the credit of ou r country that
.
,

Whilst Fran ce contin u ed to turn in a viciou s circl e of

1 D es ch amps , 11 . 283 .
 THE RE VOLUTION O F 1 84 8

abortive revolu tion the E nglish p eop le t ru e to their tra

, ,

di ti on s had stru ck ou t a fresh p ath en tirely on th eir own

,

initiative whi ch bu t for S ocialist opp osition m i ght h ave

,

led a n d m ay yet l ead to the regen eration of th e

indu strial system .

Thu s th e situ ation stood at the en d of 1 84 8 S ocialism .

in every con ceivable form h a d b een t ried an d f oun d wan t

in g It h a d faile d in th e form of p e aceful e xp erim en ts
.

un d er Rob ert Owen S t S im on Fouri er Pierre Lerou x

,
-
, , ,

an d C ab e t ; it had f ail e d still m o re S i gn ally wh en th e

attem p t was m ade to e stablish it by revolu tion ary

m eth ods S o we fi n d th at at thi s crisis a ch an ge cam e over
.

th e revolu tion ary m ovem en t an d S ocialism a derelict

, ,

con cern was taken over by a com p any What that com
,
.

p an y w a s we s hall see in th e n ex t chap t er .

 C HAP TE R VI

THE I NTE R NA TI ONALE

R Ole of th e J ews in Germ any Germ an S ocial Dem ocracy

Lassalle
Karl Marx E n gels
R u s sian An arch y Mi ch el Baku nin
Th e Working m en s
’
A s so cia tion
-
In trigu es of M arx Th e
Allian ce of S ocial D em o cracy Bakunin and t h e Germ an Je w
"
C om p an y .

IN order to follow the n ew cou rse on which th e World

Revolu tion n ow entered it is n ece ssary to un d erstan d som e
thin g of th e events th at h a d taken p lace in Germ any d u r
in g th e m em or able ye ar of 1 84 8 .

We h ave already seen h ow th e p lan of a Unit ed Ger

m any with Pru ssia at its h e ad Ori gin atin g with Fre derick
, ,

th e Gre at h a d b een carrie d on n ot only by hi s su cce ssor

,

Frederic k William II bu t by th e Illu m in ati th e Tu gen d

.
,

bu n d an d th e Mason1 e Lodge s Un d er Frederick William

,
.

III M ast er of the Gran d Lod ge of Pru ssia a fu rth er p act

.
, ,

was con clu ded b etween Pru ssia an d Freem asonry .

Th e lodges j u dged that Pru ssia was of all th e S tate s of E urop e

the on e m ost cap able of carryin g ou t th eir work a n d th ey m a de ,

it th e pivot of th eir p oliti cal action t h e id ea of a u nion

u nd er th eir dom in ation n ever cease d to b e th e aim of all th e
lodges ?

B u t it seem s that in Fre derick William IV they .

en cou n t ere d a reb el With ou t this hyp oth esis th e agitation

.

that took p lace in B erlin on th e 1 8 th of March 1 8 4 8 is

in co m p reh en sible Why sh o ul d th e Kin g of Pru ssia h ave
.

b ecom e th e obj e ct of a h ostil e d em on stration led to th e

cry of a United Germ any in which Pru ssia was to b e
su prem e ? Why sh oul d h e h ave rej ect ed as a crown of
sh am e ( S ch an dkron e) th e I m p erial di ad em subsequ ently
D es ch am p s , p
o . ci t. 11 . 400 .

1 60
 THE INTE RNATIONALE 1 61

off ere d him by th e Nation al Assem bly of Frankfu rt an d

h av e p r e ss e d th e clai m s of Au st ri a to s u p re m acy ? May
n o t th e exp lan ation b e that Fre derick William IV h a d .

bro ken away from th e tradition s of th e Hoh en z ollem s in

refu sin g to ally h i m s elf with th e su bversive fo rc e s of whi ch

hi s p red e ce ssors h a d m ade su ch goo d u se ab road an d th at ,

in p referri n g th e claim of Au strian to Pru ssian su p rem acy

his m otive was relu ctan ce to m ake him self the tool of th e
m aso n s an d to su b scrib e to th eir form ul a as exp re ssed by ,

Mazzini : D elen d a est Au st ria 1

Th e crown of sh am e
which h e d eclin ed to we ar when off ered to him by th e
Frankf u rt Assem bly u n d er the Presi d ent von Gagern ,

Fre em ason an d M em b er of the B u rsch en schaft was th e ,

Masonic crown worn by Fre derick the Great an d his two

su cce ssors offered by th e Freem ason s of Fran ce to th e
,

D uke of B ru n swic k an d p lace d on th e he ad of William I .

in 1 8 7 1 .

Bu t th ere was yet an oth er con sideration that m ay

well h ave wei gh e d with Frederick William IV Fre e .

m ason ry was n ot th e onl y su bver sive f orce at work in

Germ an y B ehin d Freem asonry b ehin d even th e se cret
.
,

societie s that m ad e of Freem ason s th eir adep ts an oth er ,

p ow er was m aki n g its el f f e lt a p

, ow er t h at e v er si n c e t h e

C on gress of Wilh elm sb a d in 1 7 8 2 had b een slowly gaini n g

g r o u n d th e p ow er o f t h e j e ws .

Un til th e mi ddle of th e nin eteen th cen tury the p art

lay e d by t h e J e ws i n t h e revol u tio n ary m ovem en t is m ore
p
or l e ss obscu r e .We have seen th eir m ole like working -

below grou n d during th e first Fren ch Revolu tion s u s ,

p e c t e d by P r u dh o m m e w
, e h av e s e e n t h e m i n si n u ati n g
them selve s in to M asonic Lodge s an d s ecret societi es we ,

h ave se en rich J ews fin an cin g th e H au t e Ven t e Rom ain e ,

an d n eed y m em b ers of th e t rib e acti n g as agen ts of N u bi u s ,

b u t at th e sam e ti m e we have watch e d th e b ui ldin g u p of

C apitalism by J ewish h an ds an d J ews in Ru ssia su p p ort
,

in g th e au th ofi ty of th e C zar H ow are we to exp lain this

.

1 D esch am p s et C lau dio J a nn et , op ci t ii i 24 5 , q uo tin g in s tru ctions

. . .

of M a z z in i p u b li s h ed in t h e Jou rna l d es D eba ts for M ay 1 6 , 1 8 5 1 , wh er e

’

t h e follo win g p ass ag e o ccurs D elenda es t A u s tri a i s th e fi rs t an d las t

word for a ct ion against th at em p ir e We m”u st get h old of Prussia
by ex citin g h er m ilitary p rid e an d h er iras c
.

ibility .
 1 62 WORLD RE VOLUTION .

dou ble rOle of the Jews throu ghou t th e social revolu tion ?
Th e comm on theory th at as vi cti m s of oppre ssion they
em b race d with fervo u r the d oc trin e o Liberty and
E qu ality form ul at ed by th e lodge s is com p lete ly refu ted
by Disraeli in an illu m in ating p assage :
The Jews represent the S em itic pri nciple ; all that is
S p iri tu al in ou r natu re They are the trustees of tradition an d
.

th e conservators of the religious elem ent Th ey are a livi ng an d .

the m ost striking evi den ce of the falsity of that p erni ciou s
d octrine of m odern tim es the natural e qu ality of m an ” ‘

, .

Cosm opolitan fraterni ty or as we shou ld say to day,

-
,

International S ocialism Disraeli goes on to observe is a ,

p r i n cip le w h ich w ere it p oss

,
i bl e to act on it would d eteri orate ,

th e great races an d destroy all the geniu s of th e world Th e .

native ten den cy of the Jewi sh race wh o are j u stly p rou d of th eir ,

blood is again st th e d octrin e of th e e qu ality of m an They have

, .

also another characteri stic the facu lty of acquisition Althou gh

, .

the E urop ean laws have en deavoured to preven t their obtai nin g
p rop erty th ey h ave n evertheless b ecom e rem arkable for th eir
,

accum ulated wealth Thu s it will be seen that all the tenden ci es
.

of th e J ewi sh race are con servative Their bias is to religion .

-
.

p p
ro e rty an d ,
n atur al a ristoc racy 1
.

In a word then the J ews are not genui ne revolu tion

, ,

arie s bu t onl y throw them selves into revolu tions for

,

their own en ds Whilst p rofessing to b elieve in Liberty and

.

E qu ality th ey secretly deride su ch ide as b u t m ake u se of ,

them to destroy existing governm ents in order to e stabli sh

their own dom in ation in religion p rop erty an d p ower , , .

Thu s aceordin g to Disraeli it was th ey who p layed the

, ,

p rin ci p al p a r t i n p p
re a rin g t h e 1 8 4 8 c on fl agra tion :

The influ ence of th e Jews m ay be traced in th e last ou t

break of the destru ctive p rincip le in E urop e An in su rrection .

takes place again st tradi tion an d aristocracy again st reli gion ,

and p rop erty Destruction of th e S em itic prin cip le extirpation

.
,

of the Jewi sh religion wh ether in the Mosaic or in th e Christian

form th e natural e qu ality of m en an d th e abrogation of prop
,

erty a re p roclaim ed b y th e secret soci eties wh o form p rovi sion al

,

gov er n m en ts a n,d m en of J ewi sh rac e a re fou nd at the h ead

of every on e of th em Th e p eople of God co iop erate with
.
-

atheists ; the m ost skilful accum ul ators of prop erty ally them
selves with comm u ni sts ; the p eculiar an d chosen race tou ch
th e han d of all th e scu m an d low castes of E u rop e ! An d all
this b ecau se they wish to destroy that u n grateful Christendom
.

1 L e o L ord Geor e B enti n ck

if f g pp 4 96 4 97 , .
, .
 THE INTE R NATIONALE 1 63

whi ch owes to th em even its nam e an d whose ty rann y th ey can ,

n o lon ger en du re
?

It is a f avouri te ru se of th e J ews to rep res ent th e

of th eJews be gan long b efore th e Chri stian era n or h as it ,

S in ce th en b een con fin e d to coun t ri es wh ere t h e C hristi an

I f C hrist en dom is to b e accu se d of in gratitu de for th e

p riv i l e ge of h arb o u ri n g n u m b ers of t h e ch osen p op le in
e

h er m idst th e p agan wo rld showe d itself qui te e qu all y

,

u n grat eful E gyp ti an s , P ersi an s an d As syrian s kep t them

.
,

in com p let e su bj ection ; in dee d owi ng to their raci al char ,

act eri s ti cs it was f oun d im po ss ible even un der th e m o re

,

lib eral ré gim e of Al exan der th e Great s su ccessors to ’

re ceive t h em in to th e co mm uni ty of n ation s .

p ecu li ar rites an d u n soci al m ann er s wri tes Gib bo n seem ed to , ,

m ark th em ou t a di stin ct sp eci es of m en wh o boldly p rofe s se d , ,

or wh o fai n tly disgui sed , th eir im p lacable hatred to th e res t of

” 2
hum an kin d .

H ere then
, ath er than in C hri stian in tol eran ce m ay
, r ,

be f oun d at l e ast a p ar ti al exp lan ation of th e p erse cu tion

of th e J ews N or wa s p ersecu tion confi n ed to on e side onl y
.

in the war of S emi te again st Gen til e f or given the opp or , ,

tuni ty th e J ews sh owe d th em s elves in n o way b ehin d

,

other races in cru elty .

From th e rei gn of Nero to that of An toninu s Piu s Gi bbon ,

says again th e J ews di scovered a fi erce i m p ati en ce of th e

,

domi nion of Rom e which rep eatedl y broke ou t in th e m ost

furiou s m assacres an d in surrection s Hum ani ty is sh ocked at .

the recital of th e horri d cru elti es whi ch th ey comm i tted in th e

ci ti es of E gyp t of Cyprus and of Cyren e wh ere th ey dwelt in
, , ,

treach erou s fri en dshi p with th e u n su sp ectin g natives In .

Cyrene th ey m assacred Gree ks ; in Cyp rus in

E gyp t a very great m ulti tu d e M any of th ese un h ap py vi ctim s .

were sawed asu nder accordi n g to a p recedent to whi ch David

,

h ad gi ven th e sanction of hi s ex am ple .

H ere f ollow details too horri bl e to tran scri b e ?

Un der th e h um an e rul e of An toni nu s Pi u s th e J ews

1 Life of Lord Georg B enti n ck pp 4 97 4 98 p u blish ed in 1 852
e , .
, , .

D ecl i ne f the R oma n E mpi r

’

gé
2
Gib bon s a nd Fal l o Oxf ord Uni versi ty
s
I z ii 83
. .
1 64 WORL D RE VOLUTIO N
ass um ed the b ehaviour of p e aceable an d in du striou s
”
sub j ects Bu t
. th eir irre con cilabl e h atre d of m ankin d ,

in stead of fl am i n g ou t in acts of blood an d vi olen ce ,

evap or at e d in l e ss dan gerou s gra tifi c ation s They em .

braced every opp ortun ity of overreachi n g th e i d olat ers in

trade .
1

Thu s S in ce th e e arli est ti m es it is as th e exp loit er th at

th e Jew h a s b een kn own am on gst hi s f ell ow m en of all -

races a n d cree ds Moreover h e h as p ersist ently sh own

.
,

hi m self un grat eful As Gibbon again p oin ts ou t in sp it e

.
,

of th e Jews attachm en t to th e Mosaic religion th eir f ore

’

f ath ers wh o first rec eive d th e law given in th un der fro m

Mount S in ai h ad p p
e r e t u ally r e la p s e d i n to r eb e llio n
again st th e visible m aj esty of their D ivin e Kin g even

th ou gh th e ti des of th e ocean an d th e co ur se of th e
p la n e ts w e re s u s p e n d e d f o r t h e co n v en i e n c e o f t h e Is r a el
”
it e s so th at at last even th e Alm i gh ty was le d to declare :
,

H ow lon g will thi s p eop l e p rovoke m e ? 2

Th e tru t h is th en th at th e J ews have always form e d a

, ,

reb elliou s el em en t in every S tat e an d n ot m o re so i n thos e ,

wh ere th ey were p ersecu t ed th an in those wh ere th ey were

allowed to dwell at p eace I n f act a careful stu dy of th eir .
,

ch aracter throu gh ou t hi story sh ows th at th e Jew is well

abl e to en du re p ersecu tion with s ereni ty p rovi d e d h e is
p e r m i tt e d to ca rr y o n hi s n at u r al avocatio n s wit h o u t
hi n dr an ce whilst on th e other h an d h e fin d s it i m p ossibl e
,

to exist u n d er a b en evolent regim e th at limi ts hi s activitie s .

Th u s in Chi n a wh ere th e Jews were welcom e d an d allowe d

,

all th e p rivil ege s of goo d citizen s th e race foun d life unen ,

du rabl e b ecau se th e Ch in am an blan dly d eclin ed to b e

e xp loit e d Th e J ews th eref o re fi n din g it im p ossibl e to gain
.
,

con trol of th e p rin cip al wealth of th e cou ntry sou gh t m ore ,

con geni al clim e s an d still to day ou tside th e tre aty p orts

,
-
, ,

very few are to b e foun d in Chin a .

On th e oth er h an d Germ an y h as always b een th e ,

favouri t e re sort of th e J ews I f they obj e ct to p erse cu tion .

,

h ow c an we exp lain th is f act ? I n n o oth er cou n try h ave

”
they b een so desp ised as in th e Fath erl an d which d o es ,

not re co gni ze th e Isr aelit e s am on gst its p ro gen y We in .

1 Gi bbon D ecli ne the R om an E mpi re, ii 85 2 I bid

’
a nd Fa ll f 5
' '

s o . . . 11 . .
 THE INTE RNATIONALE 65

E n glan d li vi n g un d er a r é gi m e of tol eran ce an d li ve an d

let live u n p ar all el e d in an y oth er lan d c an h ar dl y con ,

cei v e th e b itt e rn ess or even th e e xist en c e of j u den hetz e

, , .

”
Th e social p eri l is th e Jew was a p h ras e currren t in ,
”
Germ an y , th e Jew said Treitsch ke , is our m i s
,

fortun e Yet in S p it e of these am eni ti e s th e Jew h as

.

foun d in Germ an y m o re than in any oth er lan d hi s n at ural

h om e ?
Th e reason m ay p erh ap s b e f oun d in th e f oregoin g
exp lan ation of th e J ewish po in t of vi ew given by Disra eli .

If in d eed the Jew is a n atur al aristocr at a di sb eh ever in ,

th e doct rin e of e qu ality , an d an adm irer of f orceful govern

m en t h e fin ds in Pru ssi an I m perialism a sy st em whi ch
, ,

th ou gh oppre ssive of hi s own lib erti es win s n everth ele ss , , ,

his confi d en ce an d hi s resp e ct Here in th e lan d Of th e .

j ackb oot an d th e sp ur h e en coun ters few of th ose en er

y atin g t h eori e s of h um ani tarian is m those disint egratin g ,

con cession s to dem ocracy whi ch h e regards as

.
d eteri
”
Oratin g to th e gre at race s an d th e geni u s of th e world In .

a word the Jew h as always b een in clin e d to regar d Pru ssia

,

as th e b est in vest m en t for hi s m on ey I f onl y h e co ul d gain .

som e m eas ur e of con trol Over th e great m ili tary m achin e

hi s po sition in E ur ope was s ecu re .

It is thu s that as M Clau di o Jann et Obs erve s

, th e
.
,

Jews had al ways S h own th em selv es th e m ost active in th e

work of th e uni fication of Germ an y an d h e qu ot es from ,
”
an articl e devot e d to th e exaltation of Israel in the ,

J ou rn a l des D éba ts f or Nov em b er 5 1 8 7 9 , t h e f ollowi n g ,

re m arkable words :
I n Germ any from 1 830 onwards th e Jews play an im portant
p ar t : th ey are at th e h ea d of Y o u n g G e rm any I f Ger m a n .

u ni ty h as been h asten ed b y Pru ssi an di p lom acy an d Pru ssi an

mili tari sm thi s work h as b een p rep ared , su pported an d com
, ,

p leted b y th em
2
.

H ere th en is the li nk b etween th e ap p aren tly in com p at

, ,

ible el em en ts of Ju d aism an d I m p erial Germ an y I n spite .

1
Mr Wickh am
. S t eed i n The Ha ps bu rg M on a rchy (p 1 7 2) r elat es tha t .

h e on ce asked a l earn ed A u s trian H e br ew for an exp la n at ion of

“
t h e p ro
ten d en ci es di s p la
sa i d t hi s p u n dit ,
‘e
y
d b y A shken a z i J e ws t h e world over
i s t h e bas is of o ur j ar on , an d , n ex t to
mg
ales P
.

tin e , Germa ny is t h e coun try whi ch we re ard as our hom e g H en ce our .

s en t im en t al lea n in g
towar d s Ge rm any
2 D es ch a m s o
p p ci t ii 4 1 7
, . . . .
 WORLD RE VOLUTIO N
of j u denhetz eth e J ews have always h ad a p ecu liar affi nity
wi th th e Pru ssian s so th at to day aft er the en din g of the
,
-
,

Great War we fin d th e D eu ts che A llgem ei n e Z ei tu ng con

,

fi d en tly declarin g that th ere is n o con t radiction b etween

” 1
th e de siderata of th e J ews an d Germ an int ere sts .

B u t b efo re this allian ce coul d b e effe ct e d it was n eces

sary for th e Jews to establish their p osition in the S tate ,

an d for t h is re ason r at h er th an fro m a sp irit of reven ge

th ey threw th em selve s into the revolu tionary m ovem ent .

It was th ey wh o p rovided the drivi n g force b ehin d th e

masonic in su rrection of 1 84 8 in Germ any which starte d ,

with the cry of J ewish em an cip ation an d p roclai m ed as its

ul tim at e p u rp ose th e su p rem acy of P ru ssia This even tu .

ality had b een clearly fore seen by Disraeli who in 1 84 4 ,

declared thro ugh the m ou th e f S idon1 a th e Jewish hero of .

Coni ngs by :
That mighty volu tion which is at this m om ent preparin g
re
in Germany an d which wi ll be in fact a greater an d a secon d
R eform ation an d of which so little i s as yet known in E n glan d
, ,

is entirely developing u n der th e au sp ices of th e Jews who

°

alm ost m onop ohz e the professorial chairs of Germ any .

J
T h e di alo gu e ds wi th the significan t words
en

S o you see m y dear Coni ngsby that th e world rs govern e d

, ,

by very different p ersonages from what is im agined by th ose

wh o are not b ehin d the scen es 2
.

F ou r years after the se words were writt en th e revolu

tion broke ou t in Germ any exactly as Disraeli had foretold ,

an d if it di d n ot assum e the p rop o rtion s h e h a d an ticip at e d ,

th e ye ar of 1 84 8 i n au gurat e d th e em an cip ation of th e J ews

inGerm an y as sur ely as 1 7 90 had in au gurat ed i t in Fran ce .

Th e acce ssion to the throne of William I th e p ro .

,
”
te ctor of m asonry and th e m inistry of B ism arck op ene d
,

a fresh field to J ewish activiti es For the new rul ers of .

Pru ssia re alized th at the Jews coul d b e very u s eful to

their cau se Hohen zollern tradition had always re co gnized
.

t h e u tility of th e de sp ise d race as agents Fre derick the .

Great had n ot disdaine d to em ploy a Jew n am ed E p hraim

for the p urp ose of coining f alse m on ey 2
p robably t h e
1 D ate of J an u ary
Coni ngs by ( Lon gm an 5 ed ition) , p p 2 50 -252
’
2 . .

1
The Despa tches of E a rl Gower, ed ited by Oscar Browning p 38 5
. .
 TH E INTE RNATIONALE 67

s am e E phraim wh om hi s su cce ssor Fre derick William ,

h a d se n t as a p aid agitator to fin an ce th e tu m ul ts of th e
Fren ch Revolu tion ACcordi ng to a stron gly p ro S emi ti c
.
-

writer in th e R evu e des D eu x M ondes for 1 880 Bism arck ,

h ad re co u rse to th e J ews for rep leni shi n g hi s war ch e sts -

.

”
Th e J ews th e sam e wri t er go es on to obs erve
, were ,

th e onl y p eop le wh o were able to u s e Bism arck so that all

Lib eral reform s in Germ an y from S adowa onwar ds carried
ou t with th e acqui e scen ce of Bism arck t urn ed to t h e p rofit
” 1
of th e J ews .

It was thi s date of 1 86 6 whi ch S e ale d the defini t e al li a

an ce b etween Pru ssianism an d Jewry S ad owa h a d prove d .

,

th e effi ci en cy of th e Pru ssian mi litary m ach in e an d h en c e ,

forth p ersecu tors an d p ersecu t e d were to m arch han d in

han d to th e con qu est of world p ower .

B u t alre a dy Bism arck h ad f oun d a valu able all y in the

p e r so n o f t h e J e wish S ocialist La s sa ll e .

Fe rdi n an d Lassall e th e son of a rich Hebrew m erch ant , ,

was born in 1 825 Torm ente d from hi s you th by h atred

.

of th e C h ristian rac e s wh os e blood even as a schoolboy ,

h e hop ed to sh e d Lassall e e arly em barke d on a revolu tion

,

”
ary career . C o ngenitall y i dl e di sho n est reven geful an , , ,

avowe d atheist La ssall e decl ared hi m self a revol u tion

2
,

ary by p rin ci p l e who woul d not hesitat e at a Rei gn of

” 3
Terror as a m ean s to se cu re his en ds .

Aft er the Germ an Revolu tion of 1 84 8 in whi ch h e ,

p lay e d a l e a di n g p art Lassall e s e ttl e d in B e

,rli n wh e re h e .

lived in sp l en dou r not ca rin g to drink wi n e at le ss th an

,

twen ty or thi rty m arks a bottle an d ent ert ai nin g hi s ,

‘
fri en d s at gorgeou s b an qu ets 1
.

Th e sou rce of Lassalle s we alth w as the H atz feld t

’

p p
r o e rty ,o n w h ich h e liv e d co m p l ac e n tly ; in d ee d he
fran kly de clare d th at h e wou ld willi n gly h ave m arri e d any
wom an wh o cou l d brin g hi m two or three m illion th alers
of reven u e S u ch was th e m an wh o p ose d as t h e ch am p ion
.

of th e wo rki ng classe s -
.

B u t B ism arck had b een qui ck to re co gn ize the a dvan

La Q u es tion d es J uifs en Allem agn e
”
1
by G Valb ert in R evue des , .
,

Deu x M on des , vol . xxx viii p 20 3

. . .

2
Ferdi n and assalle, L by eor G ge B ran d es , pp 1 0.
-
12 .

2 I bid pp 4 4 , 4 6
. . .
4
I bid .
p 88. .
 68 WOR LD RE VOLUTION
tage of harnessi n g th e J ewish agrta tor to the Pru ssian
I m p erial m achi ne an d b efore long we fi n d Lassalle si nkin g
,

hi sr acial hat re d again st the Gentile s in f avou r of th e worst

op p ressors e f h i s kind
"By 1 859 h e h a d b e co m e an ar den t .

Pr u ss ian Jin goist subscribin g to th e wh ol e p olicy of Bis,

m ar ck aim i n g at th e absolu t e ann ih ilation of Au st ria

, ,

whose Germ an p rovi n ce s were to form an in t egral p art

Of th e on e an d i n d ivi sibl e G erm an Rep u blic a p hras e
'

stran gely rem ini scen t of An a ch arsis C lootz s vision of th e ’

m
’

g re at G er an y th e U n iver sal R e p u blic

, y e t at t h e

sam e tim e an enthu siastic p rop agan dist for th e H oh en ‘

z ollern s
1
Un der these circu mst an ce s it i s n ot su rp risin g
.

thatgto th e day of hi s de ath Bism arck always sp oke of

‘ ‘

Lassalle with gratit u de an d re sp e ct .

E ven m ore valu able to th e cau se of Germ an I m p erial

ism was th e f ou n der of th e cree d n ow kn own as Marxian
S ocialism .

Karl Marx th e son of a Jewish lawyer whose real n am e

,

was Morde ch ai was born at Treves in 1 8 1 8 I n 1 84 3 h e

, .

settle d in Paris to stu dy econ om ics bu t his revolu tion ary ,

activitie s le d to his b ein g exp ell e d from Fran ce an d i n 1 84 5 ,

h e m oved to B ru ssels where in collabo ration with h is , ,

Germ an fri en d Fri edrich E ngels h e reorgan iz ed th e C om ,

m un i st Leagu e an d a few years lat er (in 1 84 7) p u blish e d

,

th e now f am ou s Commu ni s t M a n ifes to S oon aft er this h e .

retu rn ed to Germ an y where h e took an activ e p art in th e ,

1 84 8 Revolu tion a n d in th e sam e y ear w e fi n d him in,

B erlin at th e head of a secret C om m u nist soci ety wi eldin g

th e p owers of life an d death ?
For th is it is said that h e w as
condemn ed to de ath b u t su cceed ed in e scapin g to Lon
3
'

d on where h e S ettl e d down for th e re st of h i s life an d

,

devoted him self to his great book D a s Kapi ta l This p on .

deron s work has b een d escrib ed as the B ibl e of th e work

in g classe s
-
I n re ality th e term if em p loye d at all m i ght
.
, ,

be m ore ap tly app li e d to hi s e arlier p rodu ction The Com

‘

muni s t M a nif es to To th e workin g m an D as Kapi tal m u st.

-

1
Ferdi na nd La ssalle b Edoua h B ernstein pp 4 7 6 2 r
2 y ,

E d m on d La skin e L I nte na ti ona le et te P a ngerma ni sme ( quotin g

'
r
, .
, .

N et tlau B a ku ni n) , p 5 6
S . .

3
Lo u is E n au lt , P
ari s bru lé pa r la Commune, p 23 .
°
B eaumont Vas sy ,
La Commu ne de ari s , p 9 P . .
 TH E INTE RNATIONALE 1 69

be co mp letely u nint elli gibl e for even Marxian s of th e ,

e du cat e d class are totall y di vide d as to its m e am n g Bu t .

to th at sm all m i n ority am on gst th e workin g m en th at -

com p ose s th e revolu tion ary proletariat th e m eanin g of

The Commu ni s t M a nif es to d e scrib ed by Marxian s as th e ,

C hart er of Freed om of th e Workers of th e Wo rl d is ,

clear en ou gh Here are all th e diat rib e s agai nst th e

.

bou rgeoi s i e a n d cap italists with whi ch Mar at Heb ert an d , ,

Bab euf h a d fam iliarized the p eop le an d h ere in p lain ,

lan gu a ge are s et forth th e d octrin e s lai d d own in th e co d e

of Weish au p t t h e abolition of in heritan c e of m arria ge ,

an d th e f am ily of p at riotism of all reli gion t h e i n stit u tio n

, , ,

of th e co m m u nity of wo m en an d th e co mm un al e du cation ,

of ch il d ren by th e S tat e This di vested of its trap pin gs .

, ,

is th e real p lan of Marxian S ocialism whi ch envelop ed in , ,

th e al geb raical p hraseolo gy of D as Kapi ta l is l e ss e asy to ,

di scover .

I n n eith er work h a d Marx ori gin at ed anythin g Hi s .

th eory of wa ge slavery was as we h ave seen cu rren t -

, ,

du rin g th e first Fren ch Revolu tion an d h a d b een con ,

tin u e d by Vi d al an d P e c qu eu r to wh om th e i de a of th e ,

socialization of m in es railways an d tran sp ort was also , ,

d u e ; h i s C o m m u n ism was th at of Bab euf of Lo ui s Blan c , ,

a n d C ab e t ; h i s I n t e rn atio n alist sch em e s h a d b een p ro

p o u n d e d by W e is h a u p t a n d C loo t z as also hi s atta

.

cks ,

u p o n reli gion ; h i s d oct ri n e th at Labou r is th e sou rce of ’

”
all we alth h a d b een set forth by su ch early E n glish .

writers as Lock e Petty Adam S m ith an d later by Robert

, , ,

Owen ; even hi s th eory of sur p lu s valu e was not hi s own

1

b u t h a d b een fo rm ul at e d with so m e vagu en e ss by Owen _ ,

m ore definit ely by th e Ch artists in th eir o rgan The P oor

M an s Gu a rdi an) in 1 8 35 seven ye ars b efo re Marx b egan
’

to write Wh en we h ave t raced th ese i d e as to th eir origin al

2
.

1
S rg nt Life of R bert Ow n p p 1 7 0 4 4 1 4 4 2
a a , o The p oor and e , .
,
-
.

workin g clas s es
”
Owen wrote
-
, cre t e all th e wea lt h whi ch t h e ri ch
, a
”
p o ss e s s .

2
M arx s ’
g
pla iarism s m irer th e S yn dicalist
are a d m itt ed ev en by hi s ad
Th e n ew M arx1 an s ch ool , h e writ es
”
S orel .
p erceived Wi th a certain , .

s t u p efa ct i on t h a t p ret en d ed inven t ion s h ad b een p u t d o wn t o th e a cco un t

o f t h e m a s t er wh ich o rigin a t ed wit h his p r ed ec essors or were even comm on
e tim e wh en The Comm u ni s t M a nif es to wa s d ra wn u p
.

p l a ce s a t t h A ccord .

in g t o an a u th or wh o ranks am on gst well inf orm ed p eop le , th e -

a c cu m ulat ion (of cap it al in t h e h a n d s of a f e w in d ivid u als) is on e of th e

1 70 WORL D RE VOLUTIO N
sources what then is left of Marx s syst em ? Absolu tely
,
’

n othin g b u t th e f o rm in which it was con vey ed

“

Werner S om b art h as rem arked on the p e cul iar ap titu de

of th e J ewish r ac e for m aki n g u se of wast e p ro d u ct Th e .

Jews it app ears are the chifi oni ers pa r ex cellen ce of th e

, ,

world This then was th e p articul ar art of Marx wh o

.
, ,

as we know collecte d all th e m aterials for his book on

,

C ap ital in the readin g room of th e B ritish M u seu m It was

-
.

th ere th at h e foun d hi s whole syst em ready to han d C an .

we not see h im like som e vet eran J ewish ra g and bon e

,
- -

m erch an t gom g over the accu m u lat e d débris of p ast

,

social sch em es p assin g throu gh hi s fin gers th e dry bon es

,

of de ad p hilosop hi e s th e shr e ds an d tatt ers of wo rn ou t

,
-

doctrin es th e du st an d ash e s of exploded th eo ri e s and

,
,
,

with the p ractical cunning of the Germ an an d th e Hebrew

brain shrewdly reco gnizin g th e u se tha t m ight b e m ade
of all this l um b er by skilful ly weldin g it i nto on e subver

h
sive w ol e ?

Marx th en was an i m p ostor from the b eginning Posing .

as the p roph et of a n ew gosp el h e was in reality n othing ,

b u t a p lagiarist an d a p lagiarist witho u t th e comm on

,

h on esty to p ay t rib u te to the sou rce s when ce he drew his

m at erial F or after p illagin g freely from all th e earlier
.

S ocialists Marx dism isse s them with a sn eer For Owen d ‘

.
,

C ab et th e Utop ian Socialists as he

describe s th em Marx h a s n oth in g b u t a li ght con tem p t ,
be cau se they con sistently en deavou r to su pp ress the
” 1
class stru ggl e an d to recon cile antagonism s wh ilst ,

am ongst th e Repu blican asse s of 1 84 8 2

Loui s B lan c is
” 3
referre d to as a hi gh p ri est of the S ocialist syn ago gu e .

B u t it was for Pro u dhon that Marx reser ve d his bitter

great dis coveries of Marx , on e of the find s of which he was th e p roud es t

’

With all d u e d eferen ce to

.

( A . M é t in , L e S oci a li s m e e n A n gleterre, p .

thi s n ota ble a cad emi cian t hi s th es is was kn own to t h e m an in th e s treet

( co u ra i t l es rues ) b e f o r e M arx h a d e v er wr i t t en an y t h in g , a n d h a d b ec o m e
a d ogm a in th e S o cialis t world a t th e en d of th e reign of Lo uis Philip p e .

Th ere are a qu an tity of M arxian t h es es of th e sam e kind ( Réflexi ons sur la

vi olen ce, p p 1 7 3 , .

1
Commu ni s t M a nifesto ( edit ed in p am phl et form by S ocialist Labour
Party) , p 2 7 .

2
Letter from Marx to E n gels , J uly 7 , 1 8 68 , B ri efwechsel z wi schen
F ri e dr i c h E n gels u n d K a rl M ar x ( p u b lish e d b v D i et z o f S t u ttg art) , iv 6 5 . .

3
Marx , L a Lu tte des classes .
 THE INTE RNATIONALE 1 71

e stanim osity as B akuni n the An ar chist whilst still un der

, ,

th e spell of M arx de scrib e d in a n illu m i n atin g p assa ge :

,

His vanity h as n o bou n ds a veritable Jew s vani ty

’
, .

Thi s vanity alr eady very great h as b een consid erably

, ,

in creased b y th e adu lation of hi s fri en ds an d di scip les Very .

p erso n al v e ry j
, ealo u s ve ry to u,
ch y a n d very vin di ctive like
, ,

Jehovah th e God of hi s p eop le Marx wi ll n ot suff er that one

,

shoul d recogn i z e an y oth er God bu t him self ; what do I say ?

that one shou ld even render j u stice to an other S ocialist writer
or worker in hi s p resence Prou dh on wh o h as never been a God
.
, ,

bu t wh o was certainly a great revolu tion ary thinker an d who ,

ren dere d imm en se servi ces to the d evelopm ent of S ociali st id eas ,

becam e for thi s reason th e bete nmj g pf Marx To p rai se Prou d

“

"
h on in his p resen ce was t o cau se him a m ortal off ence worthy
of all th e natu ral con se qu en ces of h i s enm i ty ; an d th ese c on
se quen ces a re at fir st h atred th en th e foul est calum ni es
,
Marx .

has n ever recoiled b efore falseh ood h owever odiou s ; however ,

p erfi d o u s i
i‘
t m i g h t b e wh en h,e th o u gh t h e co ul d m ake u s e of i t
wi thou t too gr eat danger for him self against those who h ad
th e m isf ortun e to in cur hi s wrath
1
.

was th e p ersonal charact er of the m an represented

S u ch
to u s to day as th e saviour of th e worki n g c1 asse s
-
How - -
.

far was h e con sist en t in his cham p ion shi p of th e p r ol e

tariat H ere we com e to the great e st iron y of all in th e

ca reer of Marx .

It has b een seen that th e p rin cip al theory p roclaim ed

by M arx was the ne cessity for th e overthrow of C ap ital
i sm a system foun ded on th e exp loitation of th e workers by
,

wh om all wealth is p rodu ced Yet p robably few of hi s .

foll owers h ave t rou bled to in qu ire wh ence Marx derived

hi s own m ean s of livelihood We kn ow th at th rou gh o u t
.

hi s whol e life h e n ever di d a st roke of m an u al labou r th e

onl y form of work that Marxian s reco gni z e as p ro

du ctive an d that hi s writin gs di d n ot bri n g hi m in

sufficien t to m ain tain him self an d his fam ily in comf ort .

How then di d Marx li ve ? On th e bou n ty of Friedr ich

E n gels .

E n gels has b een describ ed by th e S ocialist Gu illaum e ,

S e cretary of th e I n t ern ation al e as a rich m an uf actu rer ,

accu stom e d to regard workm en as m achin e fo d de r an d

1

letter
B a kuni n , ei n e B i ographi e, by D r M ax N ett lau , i 6 9 , uoting
Mi chael
from B akunin in 1 8 7 3 to th e F reres d e l Alli an ce en E sp a ne
"
.

’
.

g
q
.
1 72 WORL D RE VOLUTION
” 1
cann on fodder . His large fortun e had b een m ade ou t
of Lan cash i re cotton S p in ni n g an d it was h e who su p p l e
,

m ent ed th e m eagre earnin gs of hi s collab ora tor f S o we 2

h ave th e l u dicrou s sit u ation of th e se two Germ an op p o

n en t s of C ap italism an d in du st rial exp loitatio n livi n g c om

p l a Cen tly o n ca p ital acc u m u lat e d f r o m t h e ex p loitatio n of

E n glish workers ! How in th e face of this fact can any one
re tain a lin geri n g b eli ef in th e gen u i n en e ss of Marx s
’

S ocialism ? I n d ee d th e m o re we stu dy Marx s writi ngs

’

n ot th ose in t en d e d f or p u blicatio n b u t th e re al exp re ssion

,

of hi s op i n ion s co n tai n e d i n his p rivat e corre sp on d en ce

th e m o re th e conviction is born e in u p on ou r m in d s t h at
M arx n ever b elieved a word of th e doct rin e s h e p rofe sse d
bu t th at to him S ocialism wa S m erely a syst emto b e m ad e
,

u se of for hi s own en ds .

It was th u s th at with the rise of Germ an S oci al D em oc

racy u n d er t h e a egis of Lassall e Marx an d E n gels t ru e
“

, ,

S ocialism th at is to say Fren ch S ocialism d i e d an d ,

its dry bon e s were taken over by the com p any whi ch
”
B aku nin d e scrib e d as the Germ an Jew C om p any th e ,
”
red b u r e au cracy From th is m om en t the vein of ide al
.

i sm th at had ru n throu gh th e earlier stage s of th e revolu

tion ary m ovem en t ce ase s en tirely an d S ocialism re du ce d ,

from a Utop ian dre am to a cu t an d drie d syst em p ractical

- -
,

an d un asp irin g as th e p rosp e ct u s of a Germ an y co m p any

p r o m ot er ,is s e en in all its h e artl e ss m at e rialis m its r u th ,

l e ss Pru ssianism as it had first app eared in t he code of

“

M eanwhile Illu minism h a d continu ed to develop along

th e li ne of An archy N 0 lon ger rep re sen t e d m erely by th e
.

vision ary Prou dhon b u t by th e fi er c e S lavon ic force of

Bakun in An archy for th e first tim e sh owe d itself un der its
,

tru e colou rs H itherto even su ch an archic writ ers as

.

Marat an d Heb ert h ad p rofe ssed to ent ertain som e sch em e

of re con st ru ctio n Prou dhon h ad fo rm u lated an elem en
.

tary theory of S yn dicalism with wh ich to replace th e

existin g o r der ; it was left to Bakun in to advocat e th e

Guillaum e, Documents de l I n terna ti onale, iii 1 53

’
1
. .

1 R emi ni s cences , by H M Hynd m an , pp 2 7 8 , 2 7 9

. . . .
 TH E INTE RNATIONALE 1 73

system of An archy as a p erm an en t in stitu tion n ot as a , .

tran sitory p erio d n e ce ssary to t raver se on th e way to a

regen er at e d social o rd er .

Mich ael B aku nin (or B akouni n e) born in 1 8 1 4 , ,

b elon ge d to th e Ru ssian n obility an d at the a ge of twen ty ,

en t ere d t h e artill ery sch ool at S t H e p asse d .

hi s exami n ation s bril li antly b u t always an in corrigibl e , ,

i dl er sp ent m ost of hi s tim e wh en qu art ere d in a p ro

, ,

vin ci al town lyin g on hi s b e d in hi s dressin g gown

,
1 -
.

B efore lon g h e left th e arm y b u t too k u p n o other p ro ,

fessi on p referrin g to dabble in p hil osop hy an d to m eddl e

,

in hi s frien ds aff airs on e of wh om Bielin ski driven to

’

, , ,

exasp eration wrot e : , I sh ould b e cap abl e of thr owin g him

” 2
down an d stam p in g on hi m with sabots E ven hi s .

i n ti mes an d fell ow An ar chi sts Ogareff an d H erzen had little

-

g o o d to say of hi m I in fi ni t
. ely re gr e t h avin g n ouri sh ed
thi s rep tile wrote th e form er ; h e is a m an with “

wh om it rep els m e to sh ake h an ds ; wh ilst H erz en

d e scri b e d hi m b riefly as a m an with t al en t b u t a d et est
” 3
abl e ch ar acter an d a m au oai s s u j et In ciden tall y .

B akuni n h a d ap p li e d th e sam e d e scrip tion to H erz en .

E m b roil ed in all th e se p rivat e q u arrels too in d ol en t to ,

do an y h on est work B akuni n en d ed by takin g u p th e p ro

,

fes si on of a revolu tion ary a caree r whi ch li ke m any ,

an oth er of hi s ki n d h e foun d both ea sy an d rem un erative

, .

By din t of p erp etu ally borrowin g m on ey from hi s

fri en d s Baku nin was sp are d from exertin g hi m self even in
,

a lit erary way an d d urin g th e cou r se of s even ye ar s 1 84 0

, ,

1 84 7 , workn on sis ted in six n ewsp ap er

_

articl es M ean whi l e hi s revolu tion ary en ergi e s foun d th eir

_

W
ven t 1 1 1 t alk en dl e ss discur sive tal k , with hi s fellow
revolu tio n ari e s lastin g fre qu en tly all throu gh th e ni gh t
, ,

to th e acco m p ani m en t of excell en t Ru ssi an t ea an d san d

wich es . It is thu s th at in 1 84 7 we have alr eady fo un d hi m
di scu ssin g with Prou dh on an d S az an off th e p rosp ect of
”
th e u niver s al revolu tion .

At thi s p erio d Bakuni n s eem s n ot to h ave form ul at ed

a ny d efin it e revolu tio n ary cr eed an d t h u s al tho u gh h e , ,

1
Corresponden ce de Michel B a kou ni n e , p u bli sh ed by M i ch el Drag o
m an ov p 7 .
2
I bi d p 8 . . .
“
I bid p . 13
1 74 WORLD RE VOLUTION
vagu ely regarded C omm uni sm as logically i mp ossible ,

h e was quit e co nt en t to throw in his lot with th e C om

m uni sts of Paris am on gst them hi s fu tu re an tagonist,

M arx Twenty n ine years lat er B akun in describ ed their

.
-

first m eetin g in these words

Marx acqu aintances I m et hi m f or the first
an d I are old .

tim e in Paris in 1 84 4 We were rather good friends He . .

‘

was m u ch more advan ced than I wa s as to day he still is not ,

-
,

m ore advan ced bu t incomp arably m ore learned than I am I .

kn ew nothing th en of p olitical econom y I h ad n ot yet got ,

rid of m etap hysical ab straction s an d m y S ociali sm was on l y ,

that of instin ct He thou gh younger than I was already an

.
, ,

atheist a learned m aterialist an d a thou ghtfu l S ocialist It

, , .

was p reci sely at this epoch th at h e elaborated the first founda

tions of his present system We saw each other fairly often . .
,

for I respected him v ery m u ch for hi s knowled ge an d for his

d evotion p assion ate an d seriou s thou gh always m in gled with
, .

p erson a l vani ty to th e cau se of th e p rol

, etariat a n d I ea gerly ,

sou ght his conversation which was always in structive and witty ,

wh en it was not inspired by p etty hatred which alas ! occurred , ,

too frequ ently There was never however any frank intim acy
.
, ,

between u s Our tem p eram ents di d not p ermi t of it

. He .

called m e a sentim ental id eali st an d h e was righ t ; I called hi m ,

a vain m an p erfi di ou s an d crafty and I was right also

,
1
, .

It is easy to re ad b etween th e lines here t o see how ,

from th e b eginni n g Bakun in was S im ply a tool in th e h an ds

of Marx Th e shrewd Germ an Jew clearly re co gnize d th e
.

valu e of th e Ru ssian as a hu ge dyn am ic force to b e m ade

u se of an d th en cast aside when it had served hi s p ur p ose .

B efore th e Revolu tion of 1 84 8 Bakun in like Marx was , , ,

exp ell e d from P aris bu t aft er th e exp losion of F ebru ary ,

h e con trived to retu rn an d join him self to th e ext rem e

p a rty wit h,
who m h e p ass e d his n i ghts p re achi n g r evolu

tion e qu ality of salari es the levelling down of all classes

, ,

in th e n am e of E qu ality .

B u t C au ssidi ére an d Flocon exasp erat e d by hi s ,

tirades fin ally sent him off on a m ission to the S lavs in th e

, ,

h op e of his b re akin g his ne ck

.
Wh at a m an ! Wh at a .
“

m an ! said C au s sidiére Th e fir st day of a revolu tion .

”
h e is a tre asu re th e secon d h e is onl y good to shoot
, .

1
B a ku ni n , ei ne B i ographi e, by Dr Max N ettla u , i 6 9 ( This
Mi chael . . .

work is un p u blish ed , and only 5 6 cop ies were rep rod u ced in lithog rap h
from m an u scrip t On e of th es e i s 1 11 t h e British Mu seum )
0

. .
 THE INTE RNATIONALE 1 75

Herz en who , cords thi s expression of Opini on adds that

re ,

C au s si di ére hi m self n eeded sh ootin g th e day b efore the

revolu tion b e gan
1
.

Bakun in s jou rn ey east wards efi ectively rid Fran ce of

’

hi s p re sen ce f or m an y year s ; for aft er taki n g p art in th e

revolu tion ary o u tbre aks in Ru ssia Pr a gu e an d fin all y in , ,

Dresden h e was arrested at C hemni tz an d im p rison e d first

,

at Al tenbur g th en at Ko eni gst ein then taken in ch ain s to

, ,

Pragu e tran sferre d to Olm utz where h e remai n e d chain ed

, ,

to th e wall for fi ve m onths an d last of all given over to th e ,

Ru ssian Governm en t by whi ch h e was im p rison ed in th e ,

fortre ss of P et er an d Paul in May 1 85 1 Two m on ths later .

Coun t Orloff cam e to vi sit him an d ur ged hi m to writ e a

conf e ssion of hi s mi sdeeds to th e E m p eror as to a father
conf essor Bakuni n com p li ed bu t Nich olas I on readin g
.
, .

th e docum en t observed bri efly : H e is a br ave boy with

a li vely wit b u t h e is a dan gerou s m an an d m u st b e kep t
,
”
u n d er lock an d key Accordi n gly Bakun in rem aine d in
.

p ri so n f
,or a ti m e in S t P e t e r an d Pa ul lat er at S c hl u
.ssel ,

bour g where h e rem aine d three years d urin g whi ch tim e

, ,

h e con t ract ed scu rvy an d all hi s t eeth fell ou t .

On th e acce ssion of Al exan d er II a fre sh dem an d was .

m ade for a rep riev e bu t th e n ew E m p eror on b ein g sh own

, ,

Bakun in s conf e ssion

’
to hi s p re dece ssor rem arked , ,
”
I see not the least rep entan ce in thi s l etter an d sen t ,

him to S ib eria .

Here Bakunin sp ent four qui te p l ea sant years ; free to

m ove abou t h e actu all y for th e onl y tim e in hi s lif e took
, , ,

u p a littl e work an d fin ally m arri e d a Polish gir l who

,
” ”
sh ared all hi s asp iration s I am com p let ely happ y .
,

h e wrot e in 1 860 Ah ! how swee t it is to live for oth ers

.
,
”
esp e cially wh en it is for a ch arm in g wo m an .

B u t p eace an d qu i et could not con t en t th e re stl e ss

S p i rit of B akuni n for lon g Th e revolu tion ary fever was on .

hi m an d h e craved to b e back a gain at hi s old gam e of

agitation Th e em an cip ation of th e s erf s, whi ch took p lace
.

in th e fo ll owin g year stirred hi m b u t mil dl y ; in this ,

imm en se con ce ssion to th e cau se of lib erty h e saw onl y a

m ean s of sh akin g t h e I m p erial au th ority an d at th e en d ,

1 Corresponda n ce de B a kou ni ne , p p 4 1 , Q . .
 6 WORLD RE VOLUTION
of this sam e year h e su ccee ded in e scap in g from S ib eria ,

when ce h e travell ed across Jap an an d Am erica to Lond on .

Here Baku ni n re ceived with op en arm s by Oga reff an d

,

H erzen foun d hi m self on ce m o re in a con genial atm os

,

p h ere .S u rro un d e d by co n s p i r ato r s of all n atio n aliti e s he

was able to get to work on fresh p lots on sch em es for ,

stirrin g up th e Pol es an d organizin g revolu tion s every

,

wh ere Herzen has thu s describ ed hi s activiti es at thi s

.

crisis :
B akuni n ren ewed his you th ; h e was in his elem ent It is .

n ot only th e rum blin g of in su rr ection th e n oise of th e clu b s th e

, ,

tum ul t in th e streets an d pu bli c p laces n or even th e b arricades

,

that m ade u p his h ap pin ess ; h e loved also th e m ovem ent of the
d ay b efore th e work of p rep aration th at life of agita tion yet
, , ,

at th e sam e tim e ren dered continu ou s by conf eren ces those

sleepless nights those p arleyi ngs an d n egotiations rectifi cati on s
’

, , ,
chemi cal ink cyph ers an d signs agreed upon b eforeh an d
, , .

An d H erzen who took revolu tion m ore seriou sly adds

, ,

that Bakuni n excit e d hi m s elf exactly as if it were a

qu estion of p rep arin g a C hristm as tree that ann oyed

” 1
me .

It is e asy to u n derstan d that to a m an of B aku ni n s ’

tem p eram en t an exist en ce of this kin d m ain tain ed as

ever by th e ch arity of h i s fri en ds was infini t ely p refer
able to a life of hon est toil su ch as m ost h u m an b ein gs are
con d emn ed to l ead In dee d in th e above de scrip tion we
.

find th e key to m any an agitator s career an d we cann ot

’

won der that as lon g as revolu tion p rovide s con stitu tion al
idlers with a lu crative an d am u sin g p rofe ssion th e world
shoul d con tinu e to toss on th e wave s of u nre st .

I h ave dwelt at som e l en gth on th e ch aract er an d career

of B akun in b e cau se m o re t h an a ny on e h e s eem s to m e to

em body th e S p i rit of An arch y a S p i rit wi d ely diff eren t ,

in dee d di am et rically opp osed to th at of S tate S ocialism .

Th e An archi st is un d ou b t e dly a m ore am iabl e b ein g th an

th e S tat e S ocialist ; in st e ad of wishi n g to cu t every on e
down to t h e sam e p att ern h e de sire s on th e cont rary to
, , ,

g ive all m en u n bo un d e d lib er ty to d ev e lo p alo n g w h at e v e r

lin e s th ey p le ase th e i dl er sh ou l d b e fre e to i dl e an d live

on Ot h er m en s labou r th e drun k ar d to drink hi m sel f in t o
’
,

1 Correspon da n ce do B a kou ni ne, p 6 7

. .
 TH E INTE RNATIONALE 1 77

a con di tion of m au dlin i m b e cility th e m ur d erer to cut ,

throats u n til h e we aries of th e p astim e th e thi ef to c on ,

tin ue help ing hi m s elf to other p eop le s goods u n til h e h a s ’

accu m u lat e d en ou gh to satisfy hi m E xagger at ed I n di .

vi du alis m is t h e keyn ot e of his syst em : lib erty n ot ,

e qu ality is hi s goal
, Hi s b elief in th e am iability of h u m an
.

n at ur e en dows hi m with a bon homi e n ot to b e f ou n d

am on gst th e Co mm uni sts wh o regar d their fellow m en as

,
-

creatu res to b e dr agoon ed in to ob edi en ce to th e dictates of

th e S tat e by whi ch of cours e they m ean th em selve s Th e
, -_ _
.

diff eren ce b etween th e two is th at whi ch exists b etween th e

am iable e ccen tric wh o b elievin g in th e inn at e b en evol en ce
,

of th e en ti re ani m al kin gd o m wish e s to Op en all th e ca ge s

,

in a m en ageri e an d l e ave th e wil d b easts free to roam abou t

th e wo rld an d th e lion tam er wh o love s at th e crack of hi s
,
-

whi p to see kin g of b easts an d p erformi n g p oo dl e alike

m eekly rotatin g on a m erry go — ro u n d -
.

It is easy th erefore to un derstan d that An archi sts far

, , ,

m o re th an th eir dou r op p on en ts th e S tat e S ocialists h ave ,

su ccee d ed in en d earin g th em selve s to th e p eopl e with

wh om th ey cam e in contact Th e vision of th e Ru ssian.

g ia n t in his b i g hat was re m e m b ere d aff e ctio n at e ly lo n g

afterwards by th e inh abitan ts of Lu gan o wh ere Bakun i n ,

sp en t som e years and lat er on hi s di scip le Prin ce Krop ot

,

kin e m ade hi m s elf b elove d in Lon don dr awi n g room s -

.

Th e t ru th is that to th e We st ern min d su ch b ein gs are

im p ossible of com preh en sion D eceive d b y th e ou tward .

ur ban ity of th e An ar chi sts it f ails to re aliz e th at b en eat h

,

th e smil in g su rf ace there lu rk s a ti ger re a dy to b e arou se d

by th e sm ell of blood ; it cann ot b eli eve th at p eop le can
r eall y e xist w h o love viol en c e for its own sake wh o c rave ,

to b urn an d m u rder an d d estroy .

Bu t in E ast ern E u rop e creatu re s of thi s ki n d have

a lways exist ed an d w e fin d th e exact p r ototyp e of Baku n i n
,

in th e Baron Un gern von S t ern b erg wh o h a d p u rsu ed a

career of cri m e at th e b eginnin g of th e c en t u ry in h i s islan d
of D a go . Th e f avour it e p astim e of thi s robb er baron wh o ,

h a d vowed h at red to th e wh ole h u m an race th e E m p er or ,

in p articul ar was to l u re S h i p s to th eir de st ru ction by

,

m e an s of a li gh th ou se in stall e d in th e tower of hi s castl e .

 78 WORL D RE VOLUTION
As soon as a vessel was on the p oint of wrecking the baron ,

descen ded to th e beach em barked secretly with several clever

,

an d d etermi n ed m en wh om h e kep t to help him in his n octur n al

exp edition s ; h e recei ved th e foreig m ariners fini sh ed th em off
n ,

in the darkn ess in stead of rescu i n g th em and after h avin g ,

strangled them h e p illaged their ship all this less by cupidi ty

th an by pur e love of evil by a di sinterested zeal for destruction
, .

Disb eli evi n g i n everything an d ab ove all i n j u stice h e regarded

, ,

m oral an d social di sord er as th e closest an alogy to the state of

m an here b elow and civil an d p olitical vi rtu es as harm fu l
chim eras sin ce th ey only op p ose Nature withou t subdui n g it
,
1
.

Thi s was pre cisely the cree d of B aku nin who if h e had , ,

lived a hun dr ed ye ars e arlier b efore b ri gan dage h ad b een

,

san ctifie d by the revolution ary S ocialists an d An archi sts

of Fran ce woul d dou btless h ave foun d a vent for hi s
,

en ergi e s on th e sam e lin e s as t h e robb er baron in st e ad o f ,

m as qu eradi n g as a ch am p io n o f t h e p e o p l e .

S u eh a dyn afinO
I
r
Torce as Baku nin p rovi ded cou ld n ot
fail to b e of i mm en se val u e to th e revolu tion ary m ove
m en t an d it was thu s that du rin g hi s stay in Lon don
, , ,

Marx who in cidentally h ad t aken the opp ortuni ty of

B akuni n s in carceration at Ko eni gste in in 1 850 to declare
’

th at h e was an agent of th e Ru ssian Governm ent cam e

roun d to h i s lodgi n gs an d assu re d hi m that h e had n ot

inten de d to calu mn iate him in th e p ast .

Th e f act is t h at Marx was n ow very b u sy at th e great

schem e of hi s lif e an d nee de d all th e co op eration h e coul d -

m u st er this sch em e was th e organiz ation of th e fam ou s

'

I nt ern ationale .

I n o rder to u n derstan d th e ori gin of this association

it is n ec essary to go back two years that is to say to 1 86 2 , ,

th e y e ar of th e Gre at E xhi bition in th e C rom well Road .

N owwhil st An archists an d S tat e S ocialists were striv

ing for th e m ast ery over th e revol u tion ary m ovem en t the ,

workin g m en of Fran ce had b egun diml y to realiz e th at

-

if th ey h op ed to i m p rove their lot it was to th em se lve s

th ey m u st look for salvation an d n ot to th e theori sts who
h ad h itherto led them to disast er Accordin gly in 1 8 6 2 a .

depu tation of Fren ch workin g m en was sen t to E n glan d on

-

a visit t o th e Gre at E xh ibition to stu dy t e chnical qu e stion s

1
La R u ssi e en 1 8 39 , by A stolp h e d e C ustine, i 1 7 5 . .
 THE INTE RNATIONALE 79

conn e cted wi th labour and durin g the cou rse of their stay
,

th ey h a d th e op p ortun ity to observe th e u tility of Trade

Union s in p rot ecting the int erests of th e workers Thi s .

syst em was d eni ed— to th em for th e coalition s of workin g ,

m en su pp re sse d in th e fir st French Revolu tion still

rem ain e d u n d e r th e b an a n d th e Fren ch m en n ow re solve d
,

to form a new association on th eir own accou n t Al th ou gh .

im bu ed wi th th e m u tu alist th eorie s of Prou dh on th eir

p g
r o r am m e was i n n o way re vol u tio n a ry a n d t h ey h o p e d ,

by p acific m e an s to brin g abou t a reorganizati on of th e

in du strial system An int ere stin g little book which h a s
.

n ow b e co me very rare
/

The S ecret H i s tory of the I n ter

,

n a ti on a l p u blish e d i n 1 8 7 2 had ad mi r ably de scrib e d t h e

, ,

attitu de toward s the social p roblem of two of th ese m en ,

Tolain and Fribourg b ron ze workers of Paris wh o visit ed

,
-

Lon d on in 1 86 4 .

They talked of p eace of stu dy of arran gem ent of associa , , ,

tion . A b etter knowledge of each oth er a m ore fre qu en t ,

interchan ge of th ou ght a clearer vi ew of th e great laws whi ch

,

g ov er n ri se a n d fall i n wa g e s a n d a m ea n s o f st re tch in g,frie n dly

han ds from town to town from sea to sea in case of n eed ,

these are th e ends we have in view they urged not secret plots , ,

and win e shop agitations

- 1
.

Th e path of p eaceful p ro gre ss was p ave d th e m ore .

sm oothl y by th e action of Nap oleon II I wh o in May of .

,

thi s sam e year rep eale d th e laws again st Trade Union s an d

rep lace d th em by a fre sh e dict threat en i n g with p u nish m en t

an y con cer te d att e m p t eith er on th e p art of em p loy er s or

,

em p loy e d to p aral yse in du st ry by m aliciou s strike s or

,

loc k ou ts Thi s ye ar of 1 86 4 as M erm eix p oin ts ou t was

-
.
, ,

thu s a great d ate in the history of th e workers in Fran ce ,

for th e n ew law at last e stablish e s e qu ality of righ ts

”
b etween th e m asters an d th e worki n g m en an d if firm ly -
,

app li ed sh ou l d h av e accu sto m e d th em to re sp e ct e ach

oth er It woul d not h ave p erm itt ed th e m eth o d of

.

’
di re ct action whi ch is n othi n g b u t a serie s of frau dul en t
,
” 2
m anoeu vre s con cert e d an d carri ed o u t Th ere was , .

th erefore at thi s m om en t less reason th an ever to have

,

1
The S ecret Hi s tory of the In terna ti on a l , by On slo w Yorke , a li a s
H ep wort h D ix on
2
. S
M erm eix ( G Terrail) , L e yndi ca li sme contre le soci ali s me, pp 53 5 6 . .
 WORL D RE VOLUTION

re cou rse viol ent m eth ods f or th e redre ss of social evils

to .

Bu t th e work of th e Wo rl d Revolu tionists is always to

stran gle t ru e reform s at th eir birth an d th e n ew lib erty ,

accor de d to th e workers p rove d th e si gn al for fresh a gi

'

”
t ati on on th eir p art I n th e Worki n g m en s Associ ation
.
-

/
’

th ey saw th e v ery in st ru m ent th ey n ee d e d for carryin g ou t

th eir p lans fKarlfMarx was th en in Lon d on an d frequ en tly
'

to b e fou n d in th e clu bs an d cafes wh ere th e workin g m en -

”
fo rgath ered I n evil h o u r
. says th e S ecret H i s tory ,

th e Paris bronz i ers m et t his le arn e d an d u n smi lin g Jew .

From th at m o m ent th e cau se of th e workers was lost .

It w as n ot th at Marx imm edi at ely introdu ced him self

’

in to the m ovem en t On th e cont rary at th e m eetin g in .

,

S t Martin s H all on S ep t em b er when the In ter

’
.

n ation ale was defin itely foun de d Marx p laye d n o p art ,

”
at all I was p resent h e wrote to E ngels
.
, onl y as a ,

du m b p erson age on th e p latform Bu t h e was n am ed .

,

n everth el ess a m em b er of th e su b comm itt ee th e other

,
-
,

m em b ers b ein g Mazzini s se cretary a Polish Jew n am ed

Wolff Le Lu b ez a Fren ch Freem ason C rem er the
, , ,

se cretary of the E n glish Mason s Un ion an d We ston the ’

, ,

Owenite At th e first m eetin g of this comm ittee Wolff

.

m
’
lac d b fo it h stat t s f Mazzi i s wo ki s ’

p e e re t e u e o n r n g e n -

association s p rop osin g th em as th e basis of th e new

,

association ; Le Lu b ez su gge ste d am en dm en ts d escrib ed

”
by Marx as p erfectly chil di sh I was firm ly re solved .
,

h e wrot e n ot to l e ave a sin gl e li n e if p ossibl e of all t h eir

,
”
balderd a sh I n a few week s h e h a d su ccee de d in e stab
’

1i S hin g hi s au thority My p rop osition s were all accep ted

.

by the comm ission ; they only in siste d on th e introdu ction

in th e P re am bl e of t h e stat u t e s of two phr a se s on du ti e s ,

a n d ri gh ts an d on t ru t h
,
m o rality an d j u stice ; b u t I
, ,
”
p lac e d t h e m i n s u ch a way t h a t i t c a n do n o h a rm 1 .

Th e p r ovisio n al stat u t e s o f t h e I n t e rn atio n al e t h u s

am end ed by Marx were th en sen t from Lon don to Paris in
th e f ollowi n g N ovem b er an d acc ep t ed by th e m em b ers
“
»

of th e associ ation .

I n all th e se m anoeu vre s Marx h ad agai n disp laye d hi s

Jam es Guillau m e Ka rl Marx pa n Germani s te

, ,
-
, p 9 .
( Librai ri e Arm and
Collin ,
 THE INTE RNATI ONALE 1 81

skill in m aki ng u se of the ideas of oth ers to s erve his own

p pu r os e . J u st as h e h a d s u cc e e d e d i n ap p r op riati n g th e

theori e s of e arli er S ocialists an d p assin g th em off as hi s

own inv en tion so h e n ow con t rive d to gai n th e rep u tatio n
,

of h avin g fo un de d th e I n t ern ation al e an ach i ev em en t we ,

sh all fi n d h abitu ally att ribu te d to him by Marxian writ ers .

Bu t on thi s p oin t we have fu rth er th e con clu sive evi d en ce

of Jam e s Gu illau m e a S wiss m em b er of th e association an d
,

i ts prin cip al ch ronicler :

It is n ot true that the Internationale was th e creation of
Karl Marx He rem ain ed com pletely ou tside the p rep aratory
.

work that took p lace from 1 86 2 to 1 86 4 He j oined the Inter .

nation ale at th e m om en t wh en th e initiative of th e E n gli sh an d

Fren ch workm en h ad j ust created it Like th e cu ckoo h e came .

an d lai d hi s egg in a n est which was n ot hi s own His p lan .

from th e fir st d ay was to m ake th e great working m en s organ

’
-

iz ation th e in strum en t of his p ersonal views 1

.

Bu t Marx was n ot th e onl y in trigu er to introdu ce him

self in to th e m ovem ent Mon si eur D ru m on t has admi rably
.

d e scrib ed th e m an n er in whi ch m i d dl e class theori sts -

,

en ti rely u n sym p athetic to th e wo rkers su cceeded in ,

cap tu ring th e association :

I n its origin th e Fren ch Internationale was far from being
revolu tionary from seeking di sturb an ces in th e streets from
, ,

likin g insurrection for insurrection s sake The E m p eror ’

.

Nap oleon III the only sovereign since 1 7 89 who h ad S in cerely

.
,

interested him self in th e workin g classes wh o u n derstood their -

,

suff erin gs and desired to im prove their lot ha d followed the ,

p g
ro ress of th e n ew associat i on with sym pathy It was .

only after a time that bou rgeoi s agi tators cou ld m ake th e Inter
nationale d evi ate from i ts goal Thi s fact is ceaselessly rep eated
.

in everythin g th e proletari an s attem p t Th e bou rgeoi s Cap italist .

exploits th em as workers ; wh en th ey d elib erat e togeth er in

order to consider m eans for im provin g their lot the bou rgeoi s ,

R evolu ti on ary th at i s to say th e n eedy bou rgeoi s wh o wants

,

to b ecom e a Capitalist always fin ds a way of introdu cing him

,

self into these associations and of m akin g th em serve for th e

satisfaction of his am bitions ?

It was throu gh th e secret soci eti es th at these bou rgeoi s

elem en ts f ou n d thei r way in to th e n ew association .

1
J am es Guillaume Karl Marx pan G rm ni te p 1 1 (Librairie Armand
, ,
-
e a s , .

COM ,

2 Ed ouard Drumont La Fi n d u n monde

,
’
, p 1 27
. .
1 82 WORLD RE VOLUTION
Fribourg hi m self has de clared that the Intern ation ale
” 1
everywh ere fo u n d su pp ort i n F reem as on ry th at is to ,

say in th e lo d ge s of th e Gran d Orien t an d M Loui s

, , .

En aul t re cords th at in March 1 865 all th e se cre t associa

ti on s of E u rop e a n d North Am eri ca were m erged in th e
I n tern ation al Association of Workin g m en Th e Mari -
,
’

ann e th e Frere s d e la Rép u bli qu e of Lyon s an d

,

Marseille s th e Fenian s of I relan d th e inn u m erable se cret

, ,

soci etie s of Ru ssia an d Polan d th e rem ain s of th e C ar ,

bon ari join ed u p with th e new soci ety This fu sion was
, .

” 2
m ade .

Th e In t ern ation ale th ou gh itself an op en an d avowed

“

association thu s b ecam e throu gh its absorp tion of these

,

existin g s ec re t o rgan izatio n s a h u ge s em i s e cret soci ety -

th at is to say it form e d th e ou t er sh ell th at covered a

,

ram ifi catio n of con sp i raci e s ali en to th e ideas of its fou n d er s

a n d of wh ich th e s ecrets were kn own only to its m i d dle

class di re ctor s 3
.

Th e an ti religiou s p olicy adop t ed by th e In t ern ation ale

-

was th e work of th e se se cret influ en c e s I n this sam e .

ye ar of 1 86 5 a great stu d en t s C on gres s took p lace in ’

Liege at whi ch F on tain e declared :

,

A gWh at w e w i sh f or , we r ev olu tion ari e s an d so ci ali sts ,

i s

p hysical m oral , an d intellectu al d evelopm ent of th e h um an race

,
.

Note that I say physical fir st intellectu al afterwar d s We wi sh .

,

in th e m oral order by th e anni h ilation of all prej u di ces of religi on

,

an d th e Chu rch to arrive at th e n egation of God a n d at fre e

,

exam ination .

An d Laf argu e aft er chantin g th e p raises of ,

our

gr a n d m ast er P r o u dho n at a f ur t h e r sitti n g of th e C o n

gr e ss he ld in B ru ss els h a d e n d e d with t h e c ry : W a r o n ,

God ! Hatre d towards God ! Th at is p ro gre ss ! We m u st

sh att er H e aven like a vau lt of a p ap er !
A num b er of th ese m en p ro u dly clai m e d by t h e

Freem ason s as em b ers of their O rder m

crowd e d in to
1 ’
L A ss oci a ti on Interna ti onale des Tra vailleu rs byE
E E , . . Fribour g
p 31
. .

2
Lo u is Enault P ari s brule par la Commune ( 1 8 7 1 ) p
,

P D es ch am ps on this accoun t d es cri bes th e In ternation ale

,
3
\ . as a
secret soci ety ( op . ci t . ii . an d H ecketh orn in clu d es it in his work on
S ecret S oci eties .

P D escham p s ,. ci t 1 1
. . 52 7 a .
5 I bi d .
p 5 28 6
. .
 TH E INTE RNATIONALE 1 83

t he In tern ation al e which th u s b ecam e p erm eat ed wi th the

,

spirit of Illu m in ism At a m eetin g of th e association .

Garibal di ven tu rin g to p rop ose that faith in God sh oul d

,
”
be a d op t e d by th e C on gre ss m et with a sto ny sil en ce , ,

an d was obli ge d to q u alify th e su gge stion With th e ex p la

n ation th at by th e reli gio n of Go d h e m e an t th e reli gion of

Re ason th e worshi p of th e go d de ss of Re ason h e added ,

1
lat er su ch as was p ractised in th e Fren ch Revolu tion
,
.

Th e workin g m en too k no p art in th ese blasp h em i e s

- .

When Ja clard d eclare d th at ou tside Atheism there was no

h op e for m an To b e reli giou s is to b e ridi cul ou s
F ribou rg th e b ron ze worker Ch an dey an d Le m onnie r
,
-
, ,

com bated th ese views in th e n am e of lib eral Paris an d Of .

”
lib eral Fran ce For as the au thor of th e S ecret Hi s
.
,

tory t rul y ad d s th e se are n ot so m u ch the vi ews of work

,
”
in g me n as of p rofe sso rs an d p hilosop h ers
-
I n deed the .

vi n e growers of N eu ch at al so little un derstoo d th e aim s of

-

th e I nt ern ation al e as to d e clare n ai vely that th e p rin cip al

articl e of the ir bran ch of th e asso ciation shoul d b e : E very “

vine dresser m u st h ave a Bibl e an d not n eglect di vi n e

-

service a su gge stion receive d wi th deri sion by thei r

mi ddl e class di re cto rs
-
?

It is difficul t to writ e of these thin gs cal m ly For to .

deceive th e p eop l e wh ose sim p le faith an d lack of e du ca

,

tion p reven t the m seein g whith er they are b ein g led is a s ,

cowardly as to gu i d e a blin d m an in to a ditch Yet this .

is wh at th e exp loit er s of th e In tern ation al e di d for th e

workin g m en Th e identity of th ese mi ddl e class in ter
-
.
-

lope rs who assem bled at th e S econ d C on gress of th e

association in Lau sann e in 1 86 7 h as thu s b een given by the
au th or of th e S ecret H i s tory;
One delegate from Belgium , six delegates from E ngland ,

seventeen from France six from Germ any two from Italy and , , ,

thirty on e from S witz erlan d cam e together in a room of the ,

C asin o at Lau san n e Three only of th e d epu ties from E n gland

.

were of E n gli sh n am e E n glan d w as m ainly represen ted by two

.
-

Germ an tailors an d a Fren ch fid dle m aker Germ any wa s -

.

rep resen ted b y two doctors on e p rofessor an h otel keep er 39 , ,

-
, .

m ac hi nist an d a gen tlem an of n o profession th at he cared to

, ,

—
D m et souveni rs
’
de l I nternati onale by J am es Gui llaum e
A
1 n ts
,
ocu e , , 11.
( \4 7 4 9 . I bi d 24 8 . .
 84 WORLD RE VOLUTI ON
nam e Italy was re p resented b y two doctors S tam fa and
.
,
.

Tom asi Fou r p rofessors th ree j ou rnali sts an d a comm erci al

,
.
, ,

agen t rep resented th e t oilers of Zurich an d Gen eva Ob serve .

that here is not a gath erin g of th e craftsm en bent on stu dy of

’ ‘

th e qu estion s which aff e ct th em in th eir h ou rs of work an d in _

.

th eir rate of p ay but an assem bly of mi ddl e class dream ers an d

,
-

theorists .

Th e E n glish dep u tie s here d to are fu rth er referre

describ ed Th e tailor E cca riu s

by Jam e s Gu illau m e .
,

fri en d an d d isciple of Marx was a lon g p erson age with ,

a n u nkem p t b e ard hai r f allin g carele ssly over hi s ey e s

, ,

always stu ffin g hi s nose with tobacco th e oth er Germ an

tailor Le ssner was th e tru e typ e of b e arded dem ocrat
, ,
”
wi th bu rning eye s his rOle seem ed to b e to p rot est
p erp etu ally D u rin g di scu ssion E ccariu s sp e aks slowly
.

With an im p ertu rbable p hl egm ; Lessner cann ot contain

h i m self an d exhale s his p assion ate soul in a to rren t of
viol en t an d bitt er words ; b efore an u nint elligent con
.

tra di ctor E ccariu s sh ru gs his S hou lders Le ssn er boun ds ,

.

”
abou t an d s eem s to wish t o devou r his adversary .

E u gen e Du p on t th e Fren chman an d fu tu re p re siden t of

,

th e C on gre ss b elon ge d to qu it e a differen t typ e

, a
you n g m an of thirty re sem blin g all you n g m en with a
” ”
m ou stach e I rem ark in him adds Gu illau m e n oth
.
, ,
” 1
1 n g b u t an inn oc en t f on dn e ss for p unn in g An other .

Lon don m em b er this tim e an E nglish m an not p re sent at

, ,

this C on gre ss was an e ccentric mi llion aire n am ed Cowell

‘

,
”
S t ep n ey deaf as a p ost an enthu siastic C om m uni st
, ,

an d m em b er of th e Gen eral C ou n cil

?

Th e In tern ation al Associatio n of Working m en had -

b e com e a farce I n vain th e re al wo rkm en fro m P aris had

.

p r ot e st e d at th e F i r st Co n gre ss i n Ge n eva a g ai n st th e

i nva sron of their ranks by m en who were not m anu al

Workers declari ng that if the workers Congress were to

,
’

b e com p ose d i n great er p art by e con om ists journ ali sts , ,

lawyers an d em p loyers the thin g woul d b e ridicul ou s an d

, ,
” 3
w oul d annihilat e the A ssociation Marx who in hi s .
,

Preambl e of th e Provision al Rul e s of th e Int ernation al e

”

h ad hi m self de clare d t h at th e em an cip ation of th e work

1 Gu illau m e D ocu ments et c i 30 3 1 2 I bid i 80 1 3 9 note
, , .
, . .
, . . .
, ,
1 I bi d Karl Marx pan Germani s te
.
,
-
, p 24. .
 THE INTE RNATIONALE
ing classes m u st b e b rou ght abou t by the working classe s
- -

”
them selve s waxed in dign an t at wh at h e d e scrib ed as
,
.

th e m anoeu vre of Tolain an d Fribou rg in invo king

th e p rin cip le that only wo rkin g men can rep re sen t -

worki n g m en an d the Fren ch workm en s m otion was

-
,
’

defeated by 25 vote s to
Marx in deed did n ot con ceal his contemp t for the
origin ators of the I n tern ation ale
The workin g m en, p articu larly those from Pan s
”

-
he ,

wrote a m onth after th e Congress to his you n g Jewish frien d

Dr Ku gelm ann
. belong as luxury workers (i e en gravers on
,
. .
_

b ron ze) n o dou bt strongly to the old fil th (dem a lten Dreck

angehoren ) Ign orant , vain preten tiou s garrulou s swollen
.
, , ,

With p om posity th ey were on the p oin t of S p oilin g everythin g,

,

havin g ru sh ed to the Con gress in num bers whi ch in n o way

.

correspon ded to that of th eir adh erents I n the rep ort I shall .

clan de stin ely rap th em over th e knu ckles

’ 2
.

As M Guill au m e t ruly observes : All M arx is already

.

”
in this l ett er .

Th e E nglish d el egat e s f ared no b et ter at hi s han ds for ,

in th e following y ear we fi n d him writing in this strain to

E ngels :

I shall go p ersonally to the next Congress at Brussels so as

to give the coup de gré co to those asses of Prou dh oni ens
in th e offi cial R ep ort of th e Gen eral C ou ncil for in spite of
their efforts the Parisian ch atterboxes have not been able to .

prevent our re election I shall give th em the stick Th e

-
.

swin eh ou nds am on gst the E n glish trade un ioni sts who thou h t
g
we were goin g too far Will n ot catch u s u p easily Things .

are advan cin g an d at the first revolu tion whi ch i s p erh a s

‘

, p ,

nearer than it seem s we that i s to say you an d I will h ave , , , ,

this powerful instrum ent in our han ds We can really be .

well satisfied ! 3

I n th e li ght of these p assages it i s am u sing to find

one of M arx s admi rers exp laini n g that
’
th e e ssen ce of

1 Guillaum e Karl Marx pan Germani ste p 25

, ,
-
, . .

2
Letter from Marx to Kugelrnann on October 9 1 86 6 , l I nterna ti onale
,
’

etle P an Germa ni s me,

-
by E d m on d Laskin e ( 1 9 1 6 ) p 24 , quotin Mouve . g
ment S oci ali s te, 1 90 2 ,
. o

pp 1 7 -
46
. Also Ad olp h e S m ith , The P a n-Germa n
.

Interna ti on ale, p 5 . .

3
Laskin e , op ci t pp 26 , 2 7 , quotin . . g Der B ri ef wechsel z wi schen Kar
Marx a nd Fri edri ch E ngels ( Dietz , S t utt gart) iii 4 0 6
, . .
1 86 WORL D RE VOLUTIO N
Marxian S ocialism is that worki n g classes mu st them
th e -

s el ve s work ou t their oWn salvation

1
.

I t was m oreover n ot onl y th e in du st rial

, , p r ol e

taf iat of Fran c e that Marx de sp ise d bu t also th ose ,

dW ellers in the coun t ry dist ri cts who rem ain e d con t en t e dly

a t work on thei r own bit of lan d an arran ge m en t of ,

course dire ctly opp osed to t he p rin cip le s of C omm u nism

, .

”
Th e Bon ap artes he had writt en con t em p t u ou sly
,

after 1 852 are th e dyn asty of the p e asan ts that is to say

, , ,
”
of th e m ass of th e Fren ch n ation Thi s dyn asty h e goe s .
,

on to p oin t ou t is the refore rep re sen t e d n ot by th e revo

,

lution ary p easant who wi shes to overthrow the old

” ”
order b u t by the con servative p e asan t who stupidl y
, , ,
“

boun d by th e old order wishe s to see him self save d and ,

p r ot e ct e d with hi s p ortion of th e soil un der th e shadow of

” 2
th e E m p ire .

I f then it was the prosp erity of the Fren ch p easan t that

rou se d Marx s ire we mi ght at le as t exp e c t hi m to ext en d
’
,

som e sym p athy towards the p oor an d de stitu te am ongst

‘

th e worki n g classe s Not at all Thi s p o rtion of th e p eop l e

-
. .

i s de si gn at e d by hi m as th e Lu m p enprol etariat th at ,
”
is to say th e , ra gge d p rol etari at for whi ch as Bakunin , ,

p o i n t e d o u t with in di gn ation Ma rx E n gels a n d all th

, e , ,

sch ool of S ocial D em ocrat s of Germ any di splay a p ro

” 3
foun d con t em p t Wh at sectio n of the p rol etariat
.

then did Marx app rove ? Obviou sly th e section that

showe d itself su b m issive to hi s dictat e s .

Th e re sp ective attitu de s of Marx a n d of Bakuni n

towards th e p eop le m u ch re sem ble d those of Rob e sp ierre
and M arat th eir p re de ce ssor s in t h e rival schools of S tat e
,

S bciali sm an d Anarchy To Rob e sp ierre th e p e op le whose

"
.

sovereign ty h e proclaim e d con sist e d sim ply of his own

foll owing am on gst th e m en an d m ore p articu larly the ,

women of th e Paris Fau bourgs ; to M arx th e p roletariat

, , ,

wh ose di ctatorship h e a dvocat e d was rep re sen t e d by the ,

small num b er of workin g m en who S howed th em selves -

willi n g to p lay into the h arrd s of th eir Germ an an d J ewi sh

1
Vi olence the a bour Mooement,
a nd L by Robert Hunter, p 1 4 8 . .

2
M arx , L a utte des cla sses , p 3 4 5
L . .

' ’
2 B akunin , L E ta t et l anarchi e, i 8 . .
exp l oi ters But both to Marat an d to B akun in the p eop le
.

mean t m erely th e t urbul en t elem en ts am on gst th e pop u

lace wastrels cri min als dr unk ard s thi eves an d vaga
, , , ,

bon ds B akuni n p rop osi n g hi s f avouri te toast

. To th e ,

d est ru ction of all law an d or der an d th e un ch aini n g of

evil p assion s !
1
mi ght well have b een th e soul of th e
S p ani sh dwarf rein carn at ed in th e bo dy of th e Ru ssian
gia n t F or crim.in als h e exp r e ss e d hi s p r e dil e ctio n qui t e

Onl y th e p roletariat in rags is in sp ired by th e sp irit

an d f or c e of th e co min g soci al revolu tion a n d in n o way ,
”
th e bou rgeoi s st ratum of th e world n g m asse s His h op e s .

even in th e m ou jiks of Ru ssia were di sap p oin t e d owi n g to ,

th e p at ri arch al con dition s of t h eir li ve s an d th eir re sp e ct

for th e E m p eror so th at it is to th e b ri gan ds th at h e looks
,

for salvation .

Th e onl y m an wh o in the mi dst of th e Ru ssi an peop le h as

th e au dacity to revolt again st th e Comm u n e i s th e brigan d .

Th en ce brigan dage con stitu tes an im portan t p h en om enon in

th e h istory of th e R u ssian p eop le th e fir st revolu tion aries of
R u ssi a Pou gatch eff an d S tenka Raz in e were brigan ds
,
?
,
”
“
Robbery B akunin wri tes again ,
“
is on e of th e m ost ,

honourable forms of Ru ssi an nation al life Th e brigan d is th e .

hero th e d efen der th e pop ul ar aven ger th e irrecon cilable

, , ,

en em y of th e S tate an d of all social an d civil ord er estab li sh e d

,

b y th e S tate He is th e wrestler in lif e an d in death again st a ll

.

this civilization of officials , of nobles , of priests , an d of th e

” 3
crown .

all this B akuni n S h owed hi m self a t ru e an d faithful

In
foll ower of Weish au p t was th e robb er baron of D ago
p e rh ap s an Ill u m i n at u s t oo ? an d it is h ere t h at w e fin d

th e exp lan ation of his cree d Un til t h e dawn of Ill u m ini sm .

crim e an d virtu e good an d evil h eld th eir op p osin g

, ,

p o sitio n s in th e con cep tion s of th e h um an mi n d E ven in .

a
p g an G r ee c e K er k u o n an d P r oc ru st e s f o u n d n o apolo gists

b u t r anke d S im m
,

y as m on st ers of wh om it was n e ce ssary

to ri d th e world It was left to Weish au p t to conf u se the
.

Guilla um e D ocu men ts de l I nterna ti on ale, i 1 3 0

1 ’
, . .

2 Corresponda nce de B a kouni ne p 38

Words addressed to S tudents , by B akuni n and N etchai efi
, , . .

1 ‘
 5 WORL D RE VOLUTIO N ,

issu es to glorify by th e n am e of u seful larceny what 1

had hith erto been describ e d by the u gly n am e of th eft an d ,

to Bri ssot the a d ep t of illu m iniz ed Freem asonry to

, ,

declare th eft to b e a virt u e An d it was Weishau p t who .

h ad first set ou t to d e stroy th at r eli gion an d civilization

which Baku nin an d th e Baron von S t ernb erg ali ke ,

dete sted .

Baku nin then m u st n ot b e regarded as a solitary

dem oniac bu t as an exp on en t of th ose d octrin es of I llu m
,

ini sm which fo un d a fru itfu l soil in h i s wild Ru ssian n atu re .

On this p oin t we h ave defin it e eviden ce for th e S oci al ist ,

Malon who was a m em b er of the I ntern ation ale an d

,

p e r so n a lly acq u ai n t ed with the Ru ssian An archist h as ,

exp licitly stat e d that B aku ni n wa s a di s ci ple of Wei s ,

” 2
hau pt It is only n ecessary to s tu dy th e writin gs of
.

B akun in in order to re co gn ize the tru th of this statem en t .

Moreover in the sam e year of 1 86 4 that the I nter

,

n ation ale was fo u n de d Bakun in an d hi sdi scip le Netch areff

,

start ed a society on p recisely the line s of th e Illu m in ati _

.

Th e p lan of su ch Con sp irato rs has always b een to envelop

one se c ret soci ety in an other on th e syst em of a n e st of

Chinese boxe s th e ou ter on e large an d visible th e inn er

, ,

ones dwin dl ing down to the tiny alm ost invisible cell th at ,

contain s the secret This was th e p lan of Weish au p t .

,

eff e ct e d by his grade s of adep ts i nitiat e d by s u cc e ssive ,

stage s in to th e greater an d the le sser m yst erie s ; an d th is

too was the plan of Bakunin an d hi s confe derate N etch ai eff
Th e society organize d by th em con sist e d of th ree ord ers :
1 ) the I n t ern ation al B rothers (2) th e Natio n al B rothers , ,

a n d ( 3) t h e I n t ern atio n al Allian c e of S ocial D em oc racy ,

which in its tu rn covered th e inne r secret soci ety calle d th e

”
“
F rat ern al Allian ce over which Bakun in exercise d
,

suprem e con trol .

We h ave onl y to com p are th e program m e of the Inter

n atio n al S ocial D em ocratic Al lian ce with th e p lan of Weis

hau p t to re co gniz e th e geviden t conn ection b etween the

two Placed in p arallel colu mn s the ai m s of both will be
.

seen to b e identical :
'

Barru el , Mem oi res su r le Ja cobi ni s me, iv 1 8

’
1 . .
,
2
Arti cle on t h e In tern ation ale , by M alon , in th e N ou velle Revue,
xxvi 7 52 . .
 THE I NTE RNATIONALE 1 89

Warsn AU P T B AKUNIN
Th e order of th e I llumi nati The Alli ance p rofesses Ath e
ab j ur ed Chr isti an i ty . I n th e i sm . It ai ms at th e ab oli ti on
l od ges d eath was d eclared an Of reli gi ous servi c e s , th e repla ce

et e rnal sl eep ; p at ri ot i sm an d m ent of b eli ef by kn owl edge

l oyalty were call e d n arrow an d di vi n e by h um an j usti ce ,

min ded p rej u di ces incom p atible th e ab oli ti on of m arria ge as

wi th uni vers al b enevolence ; a p oliti c al , reli gi ou s , an d civi c

furth er, t h ey account ed all p rin ces arran gem ent . B efore all , it ai ms
us u rp ers an d tyran ts , an d all at th e d efini te . an d c om plet e

th eir ab et ab oliti on of all class es an d th e

p rivilege d ord ers as

t ors . Th ey m ean t t o ab oli sh th e p oliti cal , ec on om i c , an d S oci al

laws whi ch p rot ected p rop e rty equali ty of th e i n dividual of

accum ul at e d by l ong -
c ontin u ed eith e r s ex . Th e ab oliti on of in
an d su ccessf ul in du stry ; an d to h eritance . Al l chil dren to be
reven t f or the fu tu re any su ch b rou gh t up on a unif orm s yst em ,
p
accum ul ati on . Th ey i nt en ded t o so th at arti fi ci al i n equali ti es m ay
est abli sh uni versal lib erty an d di sapp ear .

equ a li ty , t he im p res criptible It a im s di rectly at th e t rium ph

ri gh ts of m an , an d asp rep ara of the cau s e of l ab ou r over cap i

ti on for all thi s t h ey i nt en ded t o t al . It rep u di at es s o- call ed p at ri

root ou t all reli gi on an d ordi n a ry oti sm an d th e rival ry of n ati on s

m orality , an d even t o b reak th e an d d esi res th e uni vers al as soci a

b onds of d om esti c life by destroy ti on of all l ocal ass oci ati on s by

ing th e venerati on f or m arriage m eans of f re ed om .

vows , an d b y taking th e e duca Th e fin a l a im of thi s s oci ety

ti on of chil dren out of th e han ds was to a ccel erate th e uni versal

”
of th e p arents . revoluti on .

Now how is it p ossible to su p p ose that th e extraordi

n ary s i m ilarity b etween t h e se two pr o gramm e s c an b e d u e

to m ere coin ci den ce ? I n th e Al lian ce of Bakun in as in th e

. ,

Commu ni s t M a nif es to of Marx we fin d again all th e p oints ,

of Weish au p t abolition of p rop erty i nh eritan ce m ar , ,

ria ge an d all m or ality of p at riotis m an d all reli gi on

, ,Is it .

n ot obviou s th at th e p lan had b een h an de d d own to th e

su ccee din g group s of S oci al ists an d An arch ists by the

secret societi e s which h a d carrie d on th e t ra di tion s of th e
Illumi n ati an d th at Bakuni n an d still m ore h i s coadj u tor
, ,

N et ch a i eff was si m ply an Illu m in atu s ?

’

N etch areff m oreover is a typ e of nO sma ll i m p ortan ce

, ,
‘ ‘

to the history of social revolu ti on Uni n sp ired by such .

an archi c philosophy as th at p roclaim ed by Weish au p t an d

Bakunin N etchai eff sh owed hi m self a pur e de st ru ctionist
,
1 90 WORLD RE VOLUTION
whose ferocity was u nt em p ere d by the genial m oods of
Baku nin H e w a s a liar a thief an d a m urderer
“
'

. th e , ,

i n carn ation of H atred Malice an d Reven ge wh o stop p ed , , ,

at n o c rim e again st fri en d or foe th at p romi sed to a dvan ce

” 1
wh at h e was p l ease d to call th e Revolu tion I n th e .

R evolu ti on ary Ca techi s m h e co m p ose d in con j un ction with

Baku nin th e followin g p assage s occu r :
Th e tion ary m u st let n othin g stan d between him an d
rev olu

th e work of d estru ction For him exi sts only on e sin gle
.

p leasu r e o n
,
e sin gl e c on s ola t io n on e rewar d o n e s a ti sfa ction , ,

th e su c cess of th e revolu tion Nigh t an d d ay h e m u st h ave bu t .

on e th ou gh t b u t on e aim ,
im placable destru ction I f he .

con tinu e s to live in thi s world it is only in order to annih ilate it

_

all the m ore surely .

For this reason no reform s were to b e advocated ; On

the con t rary e very eff o rt is to b e made to hei ght en an d
,

in crease th e evil a n d sorrows which will at len gth wear out

th e p ati en ce of th e p eop l e an d en co u rage an in su rre ction
” 2
en m ass e . Th e se con d cat ego ry of th e association was
.

th erefore to b e com p ose d o p op le to who m we con cede

e

life p rovision ally in o rder that by a serie s of m on strou s

” 3
acts th ey m ay drive th e p eop le in to in evitabl e revolt .

I n oth er words op p re ssors of th e p eop l e were to b e

,

en cou ra ge d .

To th e san e m in d it is alm ost im p o ssible to b elieve

that an y m an coul d p u t forward su ch t h eorie s b u t this is ,

p re cis e ly th e a d van ta g e obtai n e d by t h e advocat e s o f

World Revolu tion th eir doctrin e s are so m on st rou s th at
th ey app ear u nb elievable to th e world in gen eral Yet .

h ere is n o p ossibility of m isrep re sen tation for th e R evolu ,

ti on a ry Ca techi s m m ay b e s een in p rin t by an y on e wh o

care s to look at it .

B u t like m an y an oth er con spi rator fro m Wei sh au p t ,

onward s Baku n in fou n d him self ou twitt ed by h is coad

,

j u t or. P e rf e ctly un sc r u p ul o u s as to t h e m e a n s h e e m p loy e d

”
h e had at fir st welco m e d N e t ch ai eff as a force b u t by ,

degrees h e cam e to realiz e th e d an ger h e him self in cu rre d

1 H u nter Vi olen ce a nd
the a bou r M ovemen t,
L
iee par
,
2
A lli a nce de la D emocrati c S oci ali s te, etc , pu bl . ordre du Congres
I nternati onal de la H aye ( l 8 7 3) , p o I bi d
 THE INTE RNATIONALE 1 91

by allyin g him self with a m an wh o fail e d to recogni z e even

”
th e p ri n cip l e of h on o ur am on g thi eve s Towar ds 1 87 0 .

Baku ni n di scovered th at N et ch ai efi whil st pret en di n g to ,

be h i s m ost devot ed di scip le h ad all th e Whil e b een a ,

m em b er of an oth er so ci ety still m ore se cret th an th e

Al lian ce S ocial e Dém ocrati qu e an d of whi ch h e h a d n ever ,

di vu l ge d th e inn er m yst erie s to hi s m ast er

Netch ai eff Bakuni n wrote to Talan dier
,
I S a d evote d ,

fanati c bu t at t h e sam e tim e a very dan gerou s fanati c an d on e

, ,

with Wh om an alli an ce coul d onl y b e di sastrou s to every on e .

Thi s is wh y : He was fir st a m em b er of an occul t commi ttee

whi ch really ha d exi sted in R u ssi a Thi s commi ttee no lon ger .
‘

exi sts ; all its m em b ers h ave b een arres ted N et ch ai eff alone .

rem ain s an d alon e h e constitu tes what h e calls th e comm i ttee

, .

The R u ssi an organizati on h avin g b een destroyed h e is tryin g to ,

creat e a n ew one ab road All thi s woul d be p erfectly natural

.
,

legitim ate an d very u seful bu t th e way h e goes to work is

, ,

d etestable Keenl y im p ressed b y th e catastroph e whi ch has

.

j u st d estroyed the secret organization in R u ssia h e h as gradu ally ,

arrived at th e con clu sion that in ord er to foun d a seri ou s and

in des tru ctible so ciety on e m u st take for a b asis th e p oli cy of
Machi avelli an d adop t in full th e system of th e Jesui ts
, .

b odily vi olence an d a lying soul .

Truth m u tu al confi den ce seriou s an d severe solidari ty

, ,

exist only b etween ab ou t ten in di vi d uals wh o form t h e s anctu m

s anctoru m of th e society All th e rest m u st s erve as a b lin d
.

in strum ent an d as m atter to be exp loited by th e h an ds of th es e

ten m en really soli dari z ed It is p erm itted an d even ord ered
.
, ,

that one shoul d deceive th em com p romi se th em steal from , ,

them and even if needs b e ruin th em

, th ey are con spiracy ~

Th en Bakun in go es on to descri b e N etch ai eff s m eth ods : ’

I n th e n am e of th e cau se h e m u st get h old of you r wh ole

p er so n W ith ou t youg k
i q i ng i
t: I
fi
w
n or d er to d o thi s h e wi ll
sp y on you an d try to get hol d of your secrets an d for th at ,

p urp ose in you r ab sen ce left alon e in your room h e will op en

, , _

all your drawers read all your corresp on dence, an d wh en a

,

letter seem s in teresting to him th at i s to say com p romi sin g , ,

from any p oint of view for you or for on e of your frien ds h e will ,

seal it and keep it carefull y as a docu m ent against you or

against your frien d Wh en convi cted of thi s in a gen eral
.

assem bly he dared to say to u s : We ll yes , it is ou r system , .

We consi der as enem ies Wh om it is our du ty to deceive an d

,

com p romi se all th ose wh o are n ot com p letely with u s

, .

I f you have in trodu ced hi m to a frien d hi s fir st th ou gh t will b e ,

 WORL D RE VO LUTIO N
to raise di scord gossip and intrigue b etween y ou m a mord,
s~
,

to m ake you qu arrel Your friend has a wife a daughter he wi ll

“

.
, ,

try to sedu ce h er to give h er a child in ord er to dr ag her away

, ,

from official m orality an d throw h er in to an attitu d e of forced

revolu tionary p rot est again st society All p erson al ties all
th emas an evil wh ich it is their
.
,
"
frien d shi p are
” :

du ty to d estroy b ecau se all thi s con stitu tes a force which bein g
, ,

ou tside the secret organization dimi nishes the u ni qu e force of ,

th e latter Do n ot cry ou t that I am exaggeratin g ; all thi s h as

.

been am p ly d evelop ed and proved by m e 1

.

It will be seen that all th e se were th e exact p rincip les

an d m et h o d s lai d down by Weishau p t for th e Illu m i n ati .

Now it i s cu riou s to fi n d the descrip tion of the inner

ri n g of s e cre t i n t ri gu e de sc ri b e d by Baku n i n in th e above

qu oted l ett er exactly corrobo rat ed by a very differen t

au thority n am ely th e book of Gou genot d es Mou sseaux
, , ,

en titl e d L e j u if le j ud ai s m e et la j u da i z a ti on des peu ples

’

chreti ens p u blish e d j u st a y ear e arli er in 1 8 6 9

’

.
, ,

It was in D ecem b er 1 86 5 th at is to say a ye ar aft er , ,

B aku nin h ad fo rm e d hi S Allian ce in conj un ction with

N et ch areff th at D es Mou s seau x receive d a letter from a
Prot e stan t stat esm an in the service of a great Germ anic
p ow e r saying : ,

re lation s with a Jew who from vani ty betrayed the secret of , ,

the secret societies wi th whi ch h e h ad b een associat ed an d wh o ,

warned m e eight or ten days b eforehan d of all th e revolu tions

which were abou t to break ou t at any p oint of E u rop e I owe .

to hi m the un shakable convi ction that all these m ovem ents of

opp ressed p eople etc etc are devised by h alf a dozen , .
, .
,
- -

indi vi du als wh o give th eir orders to th e secret societies of all

,

E u rop e The grou n d i s ab solu tely m in ed b en eath our feet

.
,

an d th e J ews p rovide a large con tin gen t of th ese m in ers .

The J ewi sh bankers will soon b e th rou gh th eir p rodigiou s ,

fortu n es ou r lords and m asters

,
All th e great R adi cal n ews .

p ap ers of Germ any are in th e han ds of J ews

?

It is i m p ossible to sup p ose any collu sion b etween m en

of op i nio n s so di vergen t as th e Royalist C atholic D es
,

Mou sseaux hi s frien d t he Prot estan t stat e sm an an d th e

, ,

Ru ssian An archists Baku ni n an d N etch ai eff We m u st ,

therefore adm it that e ach m u st have reached his conclu

,

/
1
Corres ondance de x B a kou ni ne, p ublish ed by Mich el D ragom anov
p
/ .

no . 3 2 5 3 27
-
Goug enot d es Mousseaux , op ci t p p 36 7 , 3 6 8 . . . .
 THE INTE RNATIONALE 3

sion s in dep en dently of the oth er an d th e extraordin ary ,

similarity b etween their two acco ts t ds ost oer u n e n m ;

t ainl y to confirm th e assertion t h at thi s m yst erio u s asso

ci ation re ally exist e d O w o
f h m m
was it co p osed ?
1
.

Accordi n g to D es Mou sseau x it was largely controll e d by

J ews who had in sinu at ed th em selve s into th e Masoni c
Lodges an d secret societie s an d cu riou sly en ou gh it was ,

in Octob er of this sam e ye ar 1 86 9 t h at Bakun in wh o h ad , , ,

b een attacked by certain J ews in th e I n tern ation ale wrot e ,

hi s S tu dy on the Germ an Jews wh ere h e rep eats precisely ,

the sam e story of J ewish in tri gu e Th e p assage in qu estion .

ru n s as f ollows :

I begin by beggin g you to believe that I am in no way th e

en em y n or th e d etractor of th e Jews Althou gh I m ay b e con .

sid ere d a can nibal I d o n ot carry savagery to th at p oint a n d I

, ,

assu re you that in m y eyes all nation s h ave th eir worth E ach .

is m oreover an eth nograp hically hi storic p rodu ct an d is con

, , ,

sequ ently respon sible n eith er for its fau lts n or its m erits It is .

thu s that we m ay ob serve in connection with th e m odern Jews

that their natu re lend s itself little to frank S ocialism Th eir .

hi story lon g b efore th e Chri stian era im planted in th em an

, ,

e ssentially m ercantile an d bou rgeoi s ten den cy with th e resu lt ,

that considered as a nation they are par excellence the exploiters

, ,

of other m en s work an d th ey h ave a n atu ral h orror a n d fear

’
,

of th e p opul ar m asses Whom th ey d espi se , m oreover wh ether , ,

openly or in secret The h abit of exploitation whilst develop

.
,

in g the intelligen ce of the exploiters gi ves it an ex clu sive an d ,

di sastrou s b ent an d qui te contrary to th e interests as well as to

th e in stincts of th e proletariat { I know th at in exp ressin g wi th .

thi s frankness m y intim ate opinion on the Jews I expose m yself

to enorm ou s dangers Many peopl g share it bu t very few dare
.
,

w
‘'

p u b li cly to rs
e s i t n
rf Or th e J ew i sh s ect v ery m u ch m ore ,

form idable th an that of the Je sui ts Catholic or Protestant

“ ' '

i
, ,

con stitu tes today a veritable power in E u rop e It reign s .

d espotically in comm erce in th e banks an d it h as invaded three

, ,

qu arters of German j ournalism an d a very con siderable p ortion

of th e j ou rnalism of oth er cou n tri es Woe then to him who has .
, ,

th e clum sin ess to di splease it ! 2

But Bakunin h ad
dere sti m ate d th e con trol of the
un

J ews over th e p ress Th e gre at an archist mi ght tilt with

.

im p uni ty again st p rin cip alitie s an d p owers m ight in cite ,

to m ur der p illage an d reb ellion b u t th e m o m ent h e

, , ,

1 S ee ch art, s o ci ety m arked wi th n ote of interrogation .

2
G uvres de B a kou ni ne, v 24 1 . .
 94 WORL D RE VOLUTION
‘

attem p te d to attack th e Jews h e was un able to o b tai n a

h e ari n g an d his polémi qu e n ever saw th e li ght u n til his
,

works were p u blished thirty or forty years later The .

sam e failu re had atten ded th e efforts of the Héb erti ste
.

Trid on who at abou t th e sam e date wrot e a denun ciation

,

of th e J ews wh ich co ul d n ot b e p u blishe d du ring his

lifetim e ?!

It will b e seen t h at for all their de stru ctive energy the

.

Fren ch and Ru ssian an archists were no m atch for the

Germ an J ews of th e I nt ern ation ale in to which Baku ni n
a n d hi s All ian ce had b een admi tt e d in Au gu st 1 86 9 .

I n deed Baku nin clearly stood in awe of M arx for in the ,

above qu ot e d letter he is careful to sp ecify that h e in clu des

-
,

in his st rict u re s only th e crowd of J ewish p ygmi es wh o

had p en et rated into th e S ocialist m ovem en t an d exem p ts ,
”
th e two J ewish gian ts Marx an d Lassall e an d ten ,

m on ths earlier h e had writt en to Marx him self in term s of

th e m ost servil e fl att ery
You ask whether I continu e to be your friend Yes m ore .
'

than ever dear Marx You see dear friend {that l am

f
'

.
.
, , l

your di sciple and I am prou d of it ,

?

B u t in
a l etter to Herz en on Octob er 28 1 869 B akuni n , ,

exp lain s his attitu d e to Marx an d his re a son for conf erri n g .

on hi m th e titl e of gian t

Marx who detests m e an d who I im agine loves no one b u t

,
’

, ,

him self i s n everth eless a m an very u sefu l to the Inter

nation ale I f at th e presen t m om ent I h ad un dertaken a
.

war against Marx three qu arters of th e m em b ers of th e Inter

n ationale wou l d have turne d against m e an d I f sh oul di h ave v

b een at a di sadvantage 2
. .

Althou gh fro m th e b egin nin g Marx h ad h op e d to m ake

th e i n st ru m en t of his
’
th e Wo rkin g M en s Association -

”
p er so n al vi e ws it was n ot u n til 1 8
, 68 t h at h e s u cc ee d e d i n

definit ely dire ctin g its p olicy along his lin e of S tate S ocial
i sm At th e first two con gre sse s of Geneva in 1 866 an d
.
,

Lau sann e in 1 86 7 th e th eorie s of th e Fren ch Prou dh oni en s

,

still p revaile d ; the Con gress at B ru ssels in 1 86 8 showed ,

however , th e p artin g of th e ways by de clarin g th at the

A

1 Drum ont , La Fra nce j u i ve , p 1 3 . .

2 Guillau m e , D ocu men ts , etc , i 1 0 3. . .

Correspondance de B akouni ne, p 2 90 . .

 THE INTE RN ATIONALE 1 95

m achin e s in strum en ts of work shoul d b elon g to the

an d

workers b u t all p u blic services

,
railways m i n e s et c , , .

to th e comm unity This p rogramm e was theref ore a blen d .

of th e syst em lat er to b e kn own as S yn di calism an d of th e

Comm un ism of Vidal an d Pecqu eu r whi ch h ad b een

adop ted by Marx .

At th e Fourth C on gre ss in B asle in 1 869 th e p olicy of

th e Association veere d still fu rther towards Co mm u ni sm
by th e abolition of p rivate p rop erty in lan d an d of inheri t
an c e .Th e p rogramm e of Weishau p t had thu s b een
a ccep t e d al m ost in its entirety by th e I ntem ation ale
1
.

Fribour g who with the other Fren ch workers of the

,

as sociation opp osed th e abolition of p rivate prop erty in

lan d p oin ts ou t that the history of the I n tern ation ale
,

m u st b e di vided in to two p eriods th e fir st u p to the Con ,

”
g r e ss o f La u sa nn e m u t u alist t h at is to say d em a n di ,n g ,

free con trol of in du stry th e se con d p eriod Ru sso Germ an ,

-
,

wh en th e association b e cam e C omm u ni st that is to say ,

” 2
au t h o ritative From this p olicy as also from th e p ri n
.
,

cip le of class hatr e d u p h eld both by Marx an d B aku ni n ,

Fribou rg di sa ssociat e s him self an d hi s co mr ades en tirely .

I in sist h e writ es , that it sho ul d b e kn own that no ,

u p ri gh t m i n d co ul d have con ceive d th e idea of givin g birth

” 3
to a soci ety of war an d h atred An d sin ce thi s is what it .

had b ecom e Fribo urg declare s that by 1 86 9 th e I n ter

,
”
n ation al e of th e Fren ch fo un der s was de ad qui t e de ad , .

”
Th e workin g m en s Intern ation al rem arks D uhri n g
’
-
, ,

was no lon ger workin g class in th e sen se th at it -

,

m anoeu vred u sed an d exp loit e d th e wo rkers of difl erent

, ,
”5
coun tri e s .

S u ch then were th e in trigu e s of th e m en who calle d

”
them selves th e ch am pion s of th e p roletariat .

1 M Lo u is Enault ( P ari s brulé par la Commu ne p 27 ) an d the Vicom te

.
, .

d e B ea u m on t Vassy ( La Commu ne de P ari s p 3 2 5 ) both rep rod u ce t h e , .

p ro g a m m e of t h e In t ernation ale a s p u blish ed in 1 8 6 7 in whi ch t h e fi ve

r

p o in t s o f Weish a u p t , vi z
The aboli tion of all reli gion , of p rop erty , of th e
. :
f a mily , of h ered ity , of t he n ation (i e of p atriot is m) are ex act ly. .

d u ced Th e d o cum en t whi ch th ey quote is st at ed to have b een

.

by t h e s ecretary of th e In ternation ale an d to h av e been p u bli shed in th e

form of a p am p hl et entitled L e D roi t des tra vai lleu rs I have b een unable .

to d is cover t his p am p hlet in t h e Brit is h M useum or els ewhere .

2
g
Fri bo ur , L A s s oci a ti on In ternati onale des Travai lleu rs , p 2
’
. .

2
I bid .
4
bid p 1 4 0 . . .

5 E g g
u en D uhrin , K ri ti sche Geschi chte der N ati ona lokon omi e, p 56 6 . .
1 96 WORL D RE VOLUTIO N
-“

All talk of condition s of labou r all di scu ssion of th e

,

p r actical p robl e m s o f i n d u st ry h a d b ee n aban d o n ed an d

th e I n t ern ation al e b e cam e si mp ly an engin e of warf are
again st civilization : By its absorp tion of the secret
societie s an d of th e doctrin e s of Ill u m inism all the m achin
e ry of revol u tion p asse d i n to its keep i n g . E very m ove in
th e gam e d evis e d by Weish au p t every m ethod for en gi
,

neerin g d i st u rban c es an d f or sp readin g infl am m ato ry

p ro p a gan da
,
b e ca m e p a rt of its p ro gr a m.
me

S o j u st as th e Jacobi n C lu b h a d op enl y exe cu t e d th e

hidden p lan of the Illumi n ati the I nt ern ation ale holding
, ,

with in it th e sam e t errible secrets carrie d on the work

,

of World Revolu tion in th e full li ght of day .

 C HAP TE R VI I

THE RE VOLU TI ON OF 1 87 1

The Franco -
Pru ssian War Internationalism Karl Marx , p an -
Ger
m anist Th e Comm une Conflict b etween Marx and unin
E nd of the Internationale .
Q ff . ,g

WE have seen in th e last chap ter that as a m ean s for the

re organi zation of in du st ry th e I nt ern ation al e h a d f aile d

S i gn ally of its p urp ose What then of its I ntern ation alism ?
.

How far was the brotherhood of m an which had con sti

tu ted one of its fu n dam ental doctrin e s to avail as a barrier
again st mi litarism ?

Th e conviction that war is a relic of barbarism and

s houl d be done away with , h as b een h eld by h um ani tarian s
-

at every stage in the history of civilization ; th e qu estion

is how so obvi ou sly desirable an en d can b e accom plishe d .

f
I n France , as we h ave seen gro u p s of en thu siasts a s far
,

back as the C onfrere s of the twelfth centu ry had declared

it p ossible , an d the C on stitu ent Assem bly of the First
Revolu tion had devote d th eir energie s to the form ation of
”
a Le agu e of Perp etu al Pe ace Le t all m en b e free as we
.

”
are , a dep u ty h a d cri ed an d we shall have n o m o re
,

wars ! Forthwith the decree was p assed that the Fren ch

n atio n sho ul d n ever again un dertake any war of con qu e st .

Mirab eau alone had S hown the fu tility of su ch re solu

”
tion s in hi s i mm ortal rep ly : I ask m yself h e said to th e ,

Assem bly lul le d in its dre am s of pacifi s m

, I ask m yself
,

wh ether b e cau se we su ddenly ch ange ou r p olitical syst e m

we S hall fo rce other n ation s to change th eir s Un til
.

then p erp etu al p eace will rem ain a dre am an d a dangerou s

dream if it leads Fran ce to disarm b efore a E urop e in arm s ’ ’1
.

’
Albert S orel , L E u rope et la R evolu ti on Francoi se, ii 87
'

1
. .

1 97
 WORL D RE VOLUTIO N
Mirab eau s p roph e tic in stin ct was j u stified when eighty
’

years lat er the sam e d an gero u s dream led th e Fren ch

workers Of the In tern ation ale to we a ken before a Pru ssia
in arm s .

The ide a of a st rike of th e p eople s again st war was

p pro os e d as e arly as 1 8 6 8 at th e C o n gre ss Of th e In ter
n atio n al e in B russels an d D u p o n t th e m o u t hp i e ce of
, ,

Marx closed hi s p re sidential ad dre ss with the word s :

,

Th e cleri cs say : S ee thi s C on gress it d eclares th at it wi sh es

“
,
”
n eith er for governm ent arm i es n or reli gion They say th e
, , .

truth we wish for n o m ore governm en ts b ecau se governm ents

,

cru sh u s with taxes ; we wi sh for n o m ore armi es b e cau se arm i es

massacre u s ; we wish for no m ore religion b ecau se religi on
stifles intelligen ce ‘ .

When therefore two years later the first rum bli n gs Of

, ,

th e Fr an co Pru ssian War were hear d th e Fren ch wo rkers

-
,

fon dly i m agi n e d that th e I n t ern ation al e wo ul d in terven e

an d sto p th e co nfl ict Accordi n gly with tou chin g n a w eté
.

they p u blishe d in their p ap er Le R et ai l on the 1 2th Of J uly

1 8 7 0 an addre ss to th e p eop l e of Germ an y b eggin g th em to
desist fro m strife :
Brothers of Germ any i n th e nam e Of p eace d o n ot listen to ,

th e su b sidi z ed or servile voices whi ch seek t o deceive y ou on th e

tru e S pirit of Fran ce Rem ain deaf to sen seless p rovocation s
.
,

for war b etween u s wou ld b e a fratri ci dal war R em ain c alm .

,

as a great and courageou s p eople can do withou t com prom isin g

it s di gnity Ou r di vi sion s wou ld on ly b rin g abou t on b oth si des
.

Of th e Rhin e th e com p lete trium ph of d esp oti sm

2
.

Wh en h owever a week later on July 1 9 Nap ol eon III

, , , , .

was tricked by Bism arck in to de clarin g war on Pru ssia th e ,

Germ an S ocial D em ocrats rallied in a body to th e stan dard

O f I m p erialism an d th e so call e d
,
C en t ral C o m m itt ee Of-

th e Germ an I n t ern ation al S e ction s sittin g at B run swic k

issu ed a p roclam ation on th e 24 th of Jul y referring to th e
l egitim at e asp iration s Of th e Germ an p eop le for n ation al
”
u n ity , a n d en d in g with th e wo r d s : Lon g live Germ any ! ’

” 3
Lon g live th e I nt ern ation al stru ggle Of th e p roletariat .

D elu de d by th e last hyp ocritical p rot e station S olidar ,

été th e organ Of th e I n t ern ation al e still exp re ssed its

, ,

hop es for th e fu tu re .

Gu illaum e, Karl Marx pan Gem iam ste

'

p 51
* 1 -
. .
, ,
3 I bid p 84
. . .
3
Guillaum e , Documents , 11 . 70 .
 TH E R E VOLUTION O F 1 87 1

Two great military p owers are ab ou t to devour each oth er .

S in ce we h ave Obtaine d thi s imm en se resul t th at th e two p eop les ,

whom th eir m asters h ave declared to be in a state of war in stea d ,

Of h ating each oth er h old ou t th e h and Of frien dship we ca n

, ,

await th e denouement wi th confi den ce

’
1
.

Bu t it was n ot un til th e ti d e Of war had t u rn e d defi

ni tely in f avo ur Of P ru ssia th at th e C om m itt e e of B ru n s
wick saw fit to re sp on d with a p l ea for p eace It is tru e .

th at isolate d workin g m en in Germ any expre sse d th eir

-

sym p ath y wi th th e Fren ch p eop le an d th at the S ocialists ,

B eb el an d Liebknech t were later on th rown into p rison for

p rot e sti n a
g gai n st t h e w ar af t er it h ad b roke n o u t n e ve r ,

th ele ss Li ebkn e ckt hi m self , before it was too lat e h ad ,

ur ge d P ru ssia on to aggre ssion Thu s in th e Volkss taa t for

.

July 1 3 1 87 0 he h ad rep roached B ism arck an d th e

, ,

Ki ng Of Pru ssia for sh owin g them selve s too con cili atory
towards Fran ce an d Of d am agin g th e p restige of Germ an y
” 2
by a too h u m bl e attitu de .

Th e f act th en rem ain s that as a p reven tive to war th e ,

I ntern ation ale p rove d com p letely fu til e for th e very

re ason given by Mir ab e au ei ghty ye ar s e arli er Th e .

Fren ch I ntern ation alists h ad re ckon ed with ou t th e

Germ an n ation al spirit a n d Gui ll aum e writin g in S oli
, ,

dari te on Mar ch 28 1 8 7 1 is oblige d to conf ess :

’

, ,

Wh at an infi ni tesim al mi nority is form ed by these m en wi th

convi ctions ( B eb el and Liebkneckt) ! How m any are th ere i n
Germ any alas ! of whom we can call our selves th e broth ers ?
,

Th e imm en se m aj ority of th e Germ an workin g men are th ey n ot -

,

intoxicated like th e bou rgeoi s i e by B ism arck s vi ctories ? An d

’

are we n ot obli ged tod ay whi lst m aki n g an h on our able ex cep
,

tion Of th e frien ds we have j u st m ention ed to con sider th e ,

Germ a p eople
n i n th e m ass as an Ob stacle to th e R evolu tion ? 3

I t was not til l two year s lat er that the Latin m em b ers
Of th e I nt ern ation al e d iscovere d to t h eir p ain e d sur p ris e

th at th e Central Co mm ittee Of th e Germ an In tern ation al

S e ction s was not , as th ey h ad i m agin e d th e Germ an ,

bran ch Of th e I n t ern ation ale b u t m erely an un offi cial

gr o u p with n o o rgan i zatio n f or th e Germ an G
, ov e rn m e n t
had taken the p re cau tion to forbid th e form ation of an
1 Guill aume , D ocu men ts , etc
.
, 41 . 69 .

’
Laskin e , L I n tern a non ale et lo pa n Germani sme, p 2 0 2
’

-
. .

3 Guill a um e, D ocu men ts , etc , ii 1 3 7 . . .

20 0 WORL D RE VOLUTION
Int ern ation ale am on gst its own p eOple Thu s f althou gh .
1

Germ an s con t roll e d th e p olicy Of th e I n t ern ation ale

abroad the Internation ale was n ot allowe d to exist in
,

Germ any ! As Mr Adolp h e S m ith h a s well expressed it

.

in relation to th e 1 9 1 7 situ ation :

T hat S ociali sm as ? m ad e in Germ any an d d estined m ainl y

“
, ,

for foreign exp ortation wou ld fa cilitate th e inva sion n ot only Of

,

R u ssia bu t also Of Fran ce Italy an d even E n glan d was n ot

, , , ,

very app arent at fi rst Yet this m i gh t have b een su sp ected

.
,

for it was evi dent th at th e S oci ali s t I n ter nati on ale when ever i t ,

was controlle d by Germans became , a pa n -

Germa n ass oci ati on .
2

g
Th e real m eam n g of In tern ation alism b ecam e m tim e
ap p aren t to th e Fren ch workers Th e han d Of Bism arck .

’
had b een stron gly su sp e ct ed in the gre at strike at C reu z ot .

S tri kes always strikes , and still m ore strikes Fribourg ’

.
, ,

wrote in 1 8 7 1 , n o m ore stu dy n or anyth ing th at resem b les

it . Foreign Internationals wh o h old the grou n d su pp ort ,

th e m ovem ent found vi olen t n ewsp ap ers , an epi d em i c Of di s

,
” 4
turb an ces rages in Fran ce and p aralyses p rodu ction .

What was the rOle of Marx in this qu e stion of Inter

n atio n alis m ? I n o rder to realize his fu ll p erfi dy we m u st
refer a gai n to th e Pre ambl e to the S tatu t e s Of t h e I n t er

n ation al e drawn u p by him Th e fir st p rin cip le th at th e .

,

em an cip ation Of th e wo rkers m u st b e b rought abou t by th e

workers them selve s h e had vi olat ed as we have s een j by

”
, ,

in sistin g on th e admission Of n on workers to th e Associa -

tion ; the fu rther p rin ciple of a frat ern al uni on b etween

th e worker s of differen t coun t ri e s was n ow at stake an d ,

M arx repu di ate d this likewise .

Th e t ruth is that Marx h ad n ever b eli eved in universal

brotherh ood any m ore th an h e had b elieved in the dictator
ship Oi th e p rol etariat 5 th ese were slogan s to b e m ade
u se of bu t n o t carri e d in to p ractice Thu s j u st b efore .

S adowa h e h a d wri tt en t o E ngels ,

Th e Prou dhonien cliqu e am on gst th e Paris stu dents prea ches

ac d eclare s war an an ach roni sm n ationalities vain word s
p e e , , ,

attacks Bism arck As di sciples of Prou dhon my good

. . .

1 Guillau m e , D ocu ments , etc , ii 1 3 7 .

3 The P an German I nterna ti onale p 3

-

L a Commu ne de P a ri s , by th e Com t e d e Be
.
, a

B au m on t Va ssy , p 13
Frib ourg L A s soci a ti on I nterna ti onale des Travai lleurs
’
,
 TH E RE VOLUTION OF 1 87 1

frien ds Lafargu e and Longu et are am on gst th em th ey wi sh

th em selves ar e affli cted all th e m ore th at th ey m ake a p arad e Of
a so—call ed soci al sci en ce they are qui te s i mply grotes que
,
1
.

Th e appeal of th e Fren ch workin g m en to th eir

-

broth ers Of Germ any in 1 87 O was n ow de clare d by Marx

”
to b e p ure Jin goi s m .

Th e Fren ch h e wrote to E n gels on Jul y 20

,
n eed a ,

thrashi n g ( di e Franz osen brau ch en Prugel) I f th e Pru ss ians .

are vi ct oriou s t h e cen traliz ation of t h e p ower Of t h e S tate will

,

be u seful to th e cen traliz ation Of th e Germ an workin g c lass -

.

B esi d es Germ an p repon d eran ce will tran sp ort th e centre Of

,

g rav i ty of t h e wo rk i n g c lass -
m ovem en t from Fran ce to G er m a ny,
and i t i s su fii ci en t to com p are th e m ovem en t in th e t wo coun
tries from 1 86 6 un til th e p resent m om ent in order to see th at th e
Germ an workin g clas s 1 S su perior to th e Fren ch as m u ch from
-

th e p oin t Of vi ew Of th eory as Of organi zation .

Th e prep on d era n ce in th e th eatre Of th e worl d of th e Germ an

p rol e ta ri at o v er t h e F r e n ch proletariat would be at th e same
tim e th e prep on deran ce Of our th eory over Prou dh on s 2 ’
.

Now it is cur iou s to n otice t h at Nietzs che who as the ,

p p
r o h e t Of au toc r acy I m p eri alism an d warf are h a s u su ally
, ,

been regar ded as th e opp osit e p ole to M ar x h ad exp re sse d ,

hi m self at th e above qu ot ed dat e n am ely in 1 866 at th e

-
, ,

tim e of Pru ssia s victory over Au stria at S adowa in th e

’

followin g wo rd s :
We hold the cards ; bu t as long as Paris rem ains the centre
of E urop e thin gs wil l rem ain in th e old con di tion It is in evi .

table th at we sh oul d m ake an efi ort to u p set t hi s equi li bri um ,

or at leas t try to u p s et it If w e fail th en let u s h o e to f all

.
p
each of u s on a fi eld Of battl e stru ckby som e Fren ch sh ell 3
, ,

, , .

How are we to exp lain th e extraordin ary resem blan ce

b etween th e poin t of vi ew exp re sse d in th es e two p assa ges ?
C an we attrib u t e it to m ere coin ci d en ce or sh al l w e fin d a ,

co mm on in sp iration at work b ehi n d both writers ? I t is

im po ssible to stu dy th e li ves an d wr itin gs Of Marx an d
Ni etzsche with ou t reco gni zin g a c ertain res em blan ce
b etw een th e two m en ; both were con tin u ally at war with
the re st of th e hum an race both h a d b een em bitt ered by
,
’
1
Laskin e , L I nterna ti onale et le pan -Germa ni s me, p . 23 ; letter of
J un e
2
D er B riefwechs el z wi s chen Ma rx a nd E n gels , iv 296 . .

3 Life of Nietz s che, by D ani el H alevy (E ng trans p 53 . . . .

 02 WORL D RE VO LUTION
a y experien ces an d both were an im at ed by a fierce an d
e rl ,

u n dyi n g h at re d toward s C h r istian ity arisin g fro m th e

_

sam e cau se n am ely th at both wo r shi pp e d f orce If Marx

, .

in carn at e d th e d e stru ctive sp irit we associat e with Bol

shevi sm Ni etzsch e was in re ality an in vert e d Bolsh evi k a
, ,

m an wh o h ad n arr owly e scap e d b eing a violen t revolu

tion ary S ocialist Whi lst Nietzsche desired to m ain tain
.

th e u n e du cat e d classe s in a stat e of slavery Marx ai m e d at ,

th e en slavem en t Of th e i n telli gen tz i a ; whilst Ni etzsch e

a dvocat ed th e au tocracy Of S up erm an Marx p rofe s se d to ,

b elieve in th e dictatorshi p of th e p rol etari at ; whi lst Marx

dev ot e d hi s en ergi es to stirrin g u p class h atred from b elow ,

Nietzsch e by hi s class con sciou sn ess Of a hi gh er class 1

strove to p rom ote it from above I n a word both were in .

,

revolt again st the existin g social ord er t em p ered b y

Christian fo rb e aran ce an d co m p assion which th ey ,

regard e d as d ebilitati n g to m an s hi ghe st f acul ti e s

’
.

This m eeti n g of extrem e s exp lai n s th e f act that

Ni etzsch e fou n d an affi ni ty in Mazzini whil st Marx ent ere d
whol eh eart edly into the aim s Of Bism arck It is im p ossible .

n ot to su sp e ct a co mm o n in sp ir ation b ehi n d th em both ,

workin g for th e ad van cem en t Of p an Germ an intere sts -

.

At any rate in 1 87 0 Marx f aithfully serve d the cau se Of

Germ an I m p erialism I n deed th e Fren ch b ran ch Of the
.

I n t ern ation ale in Lon don actu ally den ou n ced him as an
agent of Bism arck an d Marx wrote to E n gels on Au gu st 3
, ,

1 8 7 0 sayin g th at h e was n ot only accu sed of b ein g a Pru s

,

si an agen t b u t Of havin g rec eive d fro m Bism arck .

Fort un ately adds the au thor Of The P an—

,
Germa n I n ter
nati on a le who qu ot e s the se adm ission s
,
all thi s pri vate ,

cor re sp on den ce h as been re cen tly p rin t e d by the S ocialist

p u blis h er Di e,
tz Of S t u tt ga rt W e are th u s abl
. e to O btain ,

not fro m what other s h ave sai d b u t from what the p rin
cip als th em selves wr o te a cl e ar in di catio n Of their m otive s
,
” 3
an d acts .

I n th e li ght of the se revelatio n s it is diffi cult to see in

l g
Friedri ch N i etz s che , by G eor es Brand es ( E ng p 30 . . .

3 Ad o
lp h e S mi th , The P a n Germa n Interna ti ona le, p 5 ; see also Laskin e ,
-
.

L I nterriai i onale et te pan Germa ni s me, p 83 Note that both t h es e

' -
. .

writ ers are t h em selves S o ciali st s E dm ond Laskine is said to be a R u ssian

.

Je w ; h e wa s ed u cat ed in F ran ce .
 THE RE VOLUTION OF 1 87 1 20 3
’
M arx s revolu tion ary violen ce th e Jewish spirit Of revenge
for th e p ers e cu tion Of hi s race to whi ch it h a s fre qu en tly
b een attribu ted I f Marx resent e d p ersecu tion why di d
.
,

h e throw in hi s lot with th e coun try in whi ch j u denhetz e

m
was ost ram p an t It is p ossib l e th at Bism arck kn ew
?

how to exp loit hi s raci al h at red again st Chri stian civi liza
tion bu t th e fact rem ain s th at as t wo m odern writ er s h ave
, ,

exp re ss ed it Marx was or at an y rat e b e cam e

, , a Germ an ,

of th e Germ an s an d Marx has don e m o re for th e Father

,

lan d whi ch in ci dentally h ad exil ed him ! th an all

th e h or de s of Germ an agents that have fil t ere d across th e
” 1
worl d .

I n thi s attit u de h e was n atur all y su pp ort e d by E ngels

Marx s evil geni u s
’ ”
as Mrs Marx was won t to
, .

d e scrib e hi m a con stitu tion al m ilitarist Th u s wh en th e .

I nt ern ation ale Of Paris again p rote st ed to th e Germ an

p p
e o l e a gai n st t h e in vasio n Of F r en ch t errito ry an d ,

thi s tim e the Germ an S o cial D em ocrats at B run swi ck

re sp on de d with the p rop o sal Of an h on ou r abl e p e ace
”
with the Fren ch Repu bli c E n gels wrote indi gnan tly t o
,

It is ju st the Old infatuation the sup eriority of Fran ce th e

, ,

invi olability Of th e soil san ctifi ed by 1 7 93 an d from which all ,

th e French swini shn esses (les coch onn eries fran gai ses) com
mi tted sin ce th en h ave not been able to take away th e ch aracter ,

th e san ctity Of th e word Rep u bli c I h op e th at these .

e
p po l e w i ll retur n to goo d sen s e on ce th ei r fir st i n toxi cati on
h as p assed oth erwi se i t wi ll be com e d evi li shly diffi cul t to con
,

tinu e in ternational relati ons with th em 3

.

By Marx an d ls th e F
E n gech workin g m en were ren -

therefore abj ur ed to di ssociat e th em selves from th e war

an d to f o rget th e m em o ri e s Of 1 7 92 M ean while th e .

Germ an workers m u st b e kep t qui et .

Lon gu et ( th e French S oci alist) E n gels wrote again is,

very am u si n g ! B ecau se Willi am I h as ran t ed th em a R ep u bli c

,

g .

n ow th ey wan t to m ake a revolu tion in Germ any ! If we

h ave an y influ en ce in Paris we m u st p rev ent th e worki g m en n -

from m ovin g u ntil p eace is m ad e 3

.

1 B ols hevi k R u ssi a , b y G E R ain

. . e an d E Lu bofi , p 1 7 . . .

3 Guill a u m e , K a r l M a rx , pa n Germ a-
n i s te , p 9 5 3
I bid p 99
. . . . .
2 04 WORLD RE VOLUTION
An d ne xt day
adds he
Th e war by b ein g p rolon ged is taking a di sagreeable turn .

The French h ave n ot yet b een thrash ed enou gh an d yet on th e ,

other hand the Germ an s have already trium ph ed a good deal .

It is t ru e th at in th e en d Marx in a letter to the D ai ly

, ,

N ews on Janu ary 1 6 1 8 7 1 p rofe ssed so m e sym p athy with

‘
'

, ,

th e m artyred n ation a nd even exp re sse d th e opinion that,

th e com p let e su p rem acy of P ru ssia not onl y over th e

p p
e o l e O f F r a n c e b u t O f t h e re st Of Germ any wou l d b e f atal
to h e cau se of liberty bu t as by this tim e th e triump h of
t ,

Pru ssia was af ai t a ccompli f or two d ays lat er th e Kin g

Of P ru ssia was c rown ed E m p e ro r Of Germ an y at Versaille s

su ch p rot estation s coul d b e m ade with im punity The .

f act rem ai n s th at as M Guillau m e exp resses it :

, .

I n 1 8 7 0 M arx a n d E n g els G er m an p atriots b efore everything

,

ap plau ded the victories Of th e Germ an armies An d th ey .

took advantage of th eir p osition to try in th e nam e of the ,

Gen eral Cou n cil of th e Internation ale to di ssu ade th e Fren ch ,

p rol eta riat f ro m fi g h tin g a ga i n st th e in va d er s T h eir .

attitu de at this m om ent was a real treach ery towards the Inter
nation ale for the p rofi t Of p an Germ an int erests These are -
.

thin gs that it i s n ecessary to m ake known to all Republicans ,

S ocialists or otherwise in Fran ce and elsewh ere ,

1
.

It will be seen then that In tern ation alism as devised

, ,

by Weishaup t interp ret e d by Clootz an d carrie d ou t by

, ,

Marx an d E n gels an d in our own day by th e agent Of,

Germ any Nich ola s Lenin h a s served two cau ses only
, ,

Germ an I mp eri alism an d J ewish i ntri gu e .

Af t er th e defeat Of th e Fren ch arm ie s at S e dan on

!

S ept em b er 1 1 87 0 the E m p ire was swep t away and social

, ,

revolu tion dealt th e fin al blows to c ru she d an d su ff eri ng

Fran ce .

first ou tbreak of revolu tion occu rred in the p rov

The
in ce s and at Lyon s was carrie d ou t by th e B aku ni sts
, .

Like th e war h orse sm elling th e battle afar Bakunin hi m

-
,

s elf at Locarn o heard th e revolu tion ary S ocialists of Lyon s

,

callin g an d borrowi ng som e money accordin g to hi s u su al

, ,

cu stom h asten ed to the sc ene of action H ere he fou n d

, .

him self on ce m o re in hi s elem ent The city was in a st at e .

1 Guill au m e Karl Marx pan Germani ste p iv

, ,
-
, . .
 THE RE VOLUTION O F 1 87 1 20 5

of chaos ; n one of th e leaders Of th e I n t ern ation al e h ad

any cl e ar ide a wh at t h ey in t en de d to d o ; p u blic m ee tin g s
Ofiext raordi nary vi ol en c e were takin g p lace at wh ich th e ,

m ost san gui n ary m otion s were p u t forward an d receive d

with en thu siasm ; 1
in a word it was a stat e Of aff airs ,

after B aku nin s own h eart ’

.

B u t on ce again th e bou rgeoi s i e ros e in defen ce Of law

an d o rder ; an d th e Comi té de S a lu t P u bli c th at h a d ,

occu pi ed th e Town H all was oblige d to evacu ate Th e , .

rOle of Bakun in hi m self was th u s d erisively describ ed by

M arx :
On th e 28th of S eptem ber the day of hi s arrival the p eople , ,

h ad seized th e H6 te1 de Vill e Bakuni n in stalled him self th ere ; .

then the critical m om ent arri ved th e m om ent awaited for so ,

m any years wh en Baku nin was able to accom plish the m ost
,

revolu tion ary act th e world h as ever seen He decreed th e .

aboli ti on of the S tate Bu t th e S tate in th e sh ap e an d ki n d Of

.
,

two com p ani es Of bourgeois National Gu ards entered by a door ,

that it had b een forgotten to gu ard cleared the hall an d m ade , ,

Baku nin hastily take th e road for Geneva 2

.

B akuni n th erefore brui sed an d batt ere d

, , for h e had
been severely han dl ed in th e fray ret u rn e d to I taly a

chastene d m an Yet wild as app ears his schem e Of saving

.

Fran ce from Pru ssia by th e com p lete destru ction of th e

” 3
whole adm inistrative an d govern m en tal m achin e we ,

m u st admi t th at h e di sp laye d a certain p erspicacity wi th

regard to the fu tu re Of Fren ch S ocialism :
”
I begin to think now he wrote to Palix that it is all
, ,

u p with France S h e will becom e a vi ceroyalty of Germ any

. .

I n th e place of h er real an d living S ociali sm we shall h ave th e

doctri nai re S ocialism of the Germ an s who will say no m ore th an
,
,
” 4
th e Prussian bayonets p ermi t th em to say .

.
fin al trium p h Of Germ an S ocial
Bu t th e Dem ocracy
was re serve d for three years later .

Whilst these events were t aking p lace in Lyon s the ,

Thi rd Rep u blic had b een p roclaim ed after the ab di cation

of N ap ol eon III On the 1 7 th Of S ep t em b er th e S i ege Of
.

1
Guillau m e , D ocu ments , etc , 1 1 92 . . .

A lli a n ce de la Dém ocrati e S ocia li s te, pu bli ce par

’
2 etc .
, ordre du Congres
Interna ti on ale de la Haye p 21
. .

3
Gu illau m e , D ocu ments , etc .
,
ii 98
. .
20 6 WORL D RE VOLUTION
P aris b egan S ix weeks l a t er on th e 3 l st Of Octob er great
.
, ,

o
p p ul ar i n di gn atio n was c r e at e d by th e b eli ef that th e
Govern m en t h ad att em p t e d to con ce al th e n ews of th e ,

su rren der Of Bazain e an d th e capitu latio n of M etz At th e .

s am e ti m e it was ann o un c e d that th e re c en t victo ry ou tsid e

P aris h ad b een tu rn e d in to a defeat an d Le Bou get re cap

tu re d by th e Germ an s ; fu rther that M Thi ers was , .

com in g to Paris , un der a flag Of t ru ce to n egotiate an ,

arm istice Then the p eop le who had en dure d so m u ch

.

th rou gh ou t the siege feeli ng that all th ei r sacrifice s h ad

,

b een in vain rose again st the Govern men t , and the an ar

,

chi c elements , exploitin g the ou trage d p atriotism Of th e

Parisian s threw the city into conf u sion Nation al uni ty
, .

was thu s destroye d an d th e Pru ssian s , em bolden e d by

,

the se dissen sion s i mm e di at ely in crease d th e severity of

,

th eir term s dem an din g the ce ding of Al sace an d Lorraine

,

an d a h eavy war in demn ity

1
M eanwhi le th eir troop s were
.

carryin g terror an d de solation throu gh ou t the provi n ces of

Fran ce b u rni n g p illagi n g destroyin g and killin g with
, , ,

ou t m ercy those who O ff ere d th e l e ast re sist an ce .

Accordin g to th e t erm s Of th e arm istice de clare d after

the coron ation of th e E m p eror William I , th e garrison Of .

Par s with th e excep tion of m en was o r dered to

i

, ,

b e disban ded , b u t th e Nation al Gu ards , kn own to b e

infe cte d with revolu tion ary doctrin e s were to b e ret ain ed , .

It was thu s that som e of th e Fren ch soldiers refu sed to

m arch again st th e Pru ssian s declarin g t hat they p referred ,

to reserve them selves for fighting Fren chm en ; th at civil

wa r W a s to b e preferred to war a gain st a forei gn en em y
?

B u t it was Observe d th at these doct rin es th e o u tco m e of

\

Germ an S ocial D em ocracy , exercise d n o infl u en ce over th e

Germ an m in d for whi lst th e Fren ch di scipl e s Of I n t er
,

n ation alism fell back in battl e n ot on e P ru ssian f alt ere d

?

Th e triu m p hal en try Of th e Pru ssian s into P aris on

March 1 was the si gn al for the revolu tion to break ou t ;
an d on th e 1 8th Of March th e Nation al Gu ards actin g On ,

thi s Occasion in a spirit Oi ou t raged p atriotism at the

in com p eten ce of th e Governm ent in the m atter of n ational
1
Bonn eeh os e p 7 0 7 . .
2
Louis Enault , P aris brulé, p 1 6 . .

Hecketh om s S ecret S oci eti es ,

’
1
 THE RE VOLUTION OF 1 87 1

defen ce took p ossession of th e gu n s ran ge d in the Plac e

,

d es Vosge s le st th ey sh oul d fall in to the han ds of th e

Pru ssian s an d carried th em up to the height s of M ont
,

At the sam e tim e a cent ral comm itt ee of Nation al

Gu ards form e d on th e p lan Of th e C omm itt ee of I n su rrec
,

tion th at had organi zed the plan Of attack on Au gu st 1 0 ,

1 7 92 seize d th e rein s Of p ower I n vain th e Governm ent

,
.

ordere d fre sh troop s to recap tu re th e gun s Th e soldi ers .

wen t over to th e si d e Of revolu tion an d barbarou sly ,

m u rdere d their gen erals Lecom te an d Thom as On ce m ore .

the tri cou leu r defeat ed gave way to th e red flag Of th e

, ,

social revolu tion .

Four days later the aff ray known as t he Massacre Of

th e Place Ven d om e took place when a p rocession of the ,

Frien d s Of Order a n i mm en s e dem on st ratio n com

p os e d O f u n arm e d Natio n al Gu a r ds ci vi lian s wo m en a n d , , ,

children b earing the tri cou leu r as a rallyin g si gn again st

,

di sord er were fired on by th e in sur gen ts an d

h accord
'

in g to certain cOntem p orar es thirty of their num ber

’ i
f

killed 1
.

From this m om ent the revolu tion aries were m ast ers of
P aris The H Otel de Ville was seiz ed th e Govern m en t
.
,

driven out Of Versai lles and the C omm un e e stablished in

its place .

It is im p ossible to follow the even ts of 1 87 1 with the

sam e p recision as those of 1 84 8 owing to th e chaotic n atu re
Of th e m ovem en t Whi lst 1 84 8 in spite of the di versity Of
.
,

views that p revailed am on gst the leaders rem ain ed essen ,

ti ally a S ocialist revolu tion 1 87 1 develop e d m ore alon g th e,

line s Of An archy I t is tru e that at th e o u tset som e att em p t

.

was m ade by Marx an d E ngels to cont rol t h e m ovem ent .

,When the Com mu ne insurrection began in Paris wri tes ,

Prin ce Kropotkine the Gen eral Cou n cil insisted u pon di rect
,

in g th e in su rrection from Lon d on It requi red daily rep orts .

abou t the events gave orders favoure d this an d ham p ered that
, , ,

an d thu s pu t in evi d en ce th e disadvan tage of h avi n g a govern

”
in g body even wi thin th e association
,
2
.

B onn eeh os e Hi s toi re de Fran ce; ii 7 22 ; Lo u is Ena ult P a ri s brulé

“

1
, .
,

l C m m e p 33 ; J o hn L eigh t n P a i s u nder the Commu ne

pa r a o u n , .
p 54o , r
, . .

1
Memoi rs of a R evolu ti onary, ii 6 6 . .
 WORL D RE VOLUTION
B u t th e se o rder s Of Marx seem to h ave b een di sre
g a r d e d a n d,it w a s G e r m an Ill u m i n is m r a t h e r t h an G e r m an
S ocial D em ocracy th at gain ed th e ascen d an cy Wh en on .

th e 2 6 th Of Ap ril a d ep u tati on of Freem ason s arri ve d to

—
con gratul at e th e C omm un e th e Old war cry of Illum inism ,
Th e U niversal Rep u blic in au gu rat ed by Anarch arsis ,

C loot z greet e d their app e aran ce

,
?

B roth er Thirifoc qu e th e o r ator Of the procession , ,

declared that th e C omm u ne was the gre ate st revolu tion

it h ad b een given to the world t o con tem p lat e ; th at it was
th e n ew Tem pl e of S olom on which Freem asons were bou n d
i n du ty to defen d TO which Lefran gai s m em ber Of th e
.
,

C omm une rep lie d th at h e hi m self had b een re ceive d in to

,

th e L oge E cos s ai s e an d h ad lon g b ee n convin c e d that th e

,

ai m Of th e association was th e sam e as t h at Of th e Com

?
m un e social regen eration
I n accordan ce with the p rin cip l e s Of u n iversal

m ason ry n ation al int ere sts were soon lost to si gh t an d

Fren ch p atri otism b ecam e domin ated by th e S pirit Of th e

World Revolu tion H ere again 1 87 1 diff ered essentially .

from 1 84 8 for whilst that earlier m ovem en t led en tirely by

, ,

Fren chm en retaine d its n ation al character thr ou ghou t ,

,

th e C omm un e qu ickly b ecam e an assem blage of cosm o

p olita n e l em e n ts en ti rely u nr e p res e n tativ e O f t h e sp i rit Of
F ran ce .

Am ongst the fo rei gners in the service Of the C om m une

there were 1 9 Poles 1 0 Italian s 7 Germ an s 2 Am erican s , , , ,

2 Ru ssian s 2 Wallachian s 2 Po rt u gu e se 1 E gyp tian 1

, , , ,

Bel gian 1 Hun garian 1 S p aniard an d 1 D u tchm an

,
3
, , .

Generically its elem ents were divided in to I nt ern ation als ,

Jacobin s an d p rofe ssion al agitators Am on gst this hetero

,
.

”
c ro wd h e decla ss es of h e whol e world
’ ’

ge n e o u s t .
t ,

Writes a con tem p orary

_

'

4
there co uld be n o uni ty Of
ac ti om or Of p u rp os e .

N everth ele ss th e Fren ch C om m un ards n u m b ered sev

‘

Leighton P ari s u nder the Commun e p 22 1

1
,
An enth u sias ti c cry , .

la Franc Ma gon nerie! Vi ne la Repu bli que Uni verselle! i s re echoed

’

of Vi ve - -

”
fro m m ou th t o m ou th .

2
D esch am p s , ii 4 2 1 , 4 22 . .

3 ‘
g
Lei h ton , op ci t ( quotin th e Fi ga ro) p 7 5 ; En a ult, P ari s brule,
. . g .
’

p .3 1 5
4 P
a ri s brute, p 42 . .
 THE RE VOLUTION OF 1 87 1 20 9

e ral sin cere p atriots It is im p ossible in deed t o con ceive

.

Of any m ove m ent taki n g p lac e i n Paris with o u t th e r o m an

tic an d p assion at ely pat riotic S p irit of th e Fren ch m aking

:

itself felt an d th e in com p eten ce Of th e Governm en t h a d

,

driven m any enthu siasts over to th e side Of th e revolu tion .

Un happ ily this en thu siasm h ad led to f an aticism Th u s .

Flou ren s killed by a m ou nt ed p atrol whi lst leading a t roop

,

Of i n su rgen ts to Versaill e s
“
h a s b een de scri b e d by an
,

E n glish con t em p o rary as an en th u siast in s earch Of a

social E ldorado who woul d p u t him self at the s ervi ce Of

,
”
th e m ost fo rlo rn cau se I n th e bitt er cold wi n t er s he
.

fed an d cloth e d the p oo r of B elleville goin g from attic to ,

”
attic with m oney an d con solation Bu t t h e t u rb ul en ce Of
.

hi s n at u re had th rown him in to agitation H e was a m an .

Of b arricade s He did n ot seem to think that p aving

.

ston e s were m ade to walk on ; he only cared to see them

heap ed u p across th e street for th e p rot e ction Of arm e d
p at r iots . W h e rev er th er e was a ch a n c e o f b ei ng
‘

killed he was su re to b e He was a m a d m an b u t he

.
,
” 1
was a h ero .

I n j u stice to the m en Of 1 87 1 we m u st adm it their

bravery These Fren ch C om m unards did n ot like t heir
.
,

p r e d e c e sso r s who co m p os e d t h e C o mm u n e O f 1 7 9 2 sit ,

safely b ehin d thick walls or take refu ge in cellars whilst

the crowd they had s et in m otion bore th e b ru n t of the
battle on the great days Of tu m ult ; the m en of 1 87 1 went
boldly ou t into th e streets to face the fire of the soldiery ,

a n d m an y di e d fi ghti n g fired wi th en thu siasm to th e last

, .

Bu t alas ! to what p u rp ose ? If th e Govern m en t had

p rov e d i n co m p et en t th e C o mm u n e p rove d m o re in com

p e t e n t still A n.d as in all a n a r c h ic mo v e m e n ts it was

inevitably the m ost violen t m ore than thi s th e m ost ,

crimi n al el em ent s that Obtaine d con trol M En ault , .

declares that no l ess t h an foreigners an d 1 7 0 0 0 ,

rel ease d convicts took p art in t he sc ene s that f ollowe d ?

Un der the se influ ence s the war on civilization p lann ed

by Weishaup t an d in au gurated by th e Terror Of 1 7 93 broke
ou t afre sh AS in 1 84 8 all th e m em orie s Of that e arlier
.
,

io d f atal p re ce den t fro m which the Fren ch s eem ed

p e r

1
Ld ghton , o p
. ci t
. 1 1 5, 1 1 6 .
3
P ari s brulé, p 2 8 . .
 10 WORLD RE VOLUTION
destined n ever to dep art were on ce agarn evoke d A .

C omi té d e S alu t Pu blic was form e d the cal en d ar of ,

1 7 93 revived an d wi th a pitiable p overty Of im agi n ation

, .

even the n am e s of th e n ewsp ap er s were Oop i ed fro m th ose

Of th e first Revolu tion

.
th e Cri du P eu ple Of Bab euf t h e ,

P ere Du chesne Of Héb ert in which th e gu tt er verbiage Of ,

t h e f am o u s stove m erch an t was fait hf ul ly rep ro du ce d

by hi s im itato r Verm esch .

Naturally th e de Christianization Of Paris in au gurated

-

in 1 7 93 en t ere d again largely in to th e p ro gram m e Th e .

sam e d esecration Of th e chu rch e s too k p lace ; th e im age s

Of th e sain ts were b ro k en or t ricke d ou t in i gn ob le di sgu ise s ,
“

the p ictu re s torn p lat e an d orn am en ts p illage d ; p ar ti e s

,

p lay e d a t ca r ds o n t h e hi gh alta r o r ato r s m o u n t e,d t h e

p pul it to blas p h e m e G o d I n th e c h u r ch. Of S ai n t E u stac he ,

wh ere th e fon t h a d b een filled with tobacco an d th e statu e

”
Of th e H oly Virgi n dr e ss e d u p as a vi van di e re a crow d ,

Of f em al e p at riots Of th e sam e class as th ose wh o h a d

,

sedu c ed th e soldiery in 1 7 89 de claim ed the doctri n es of th e ,

social revolu tion : Marriage citi z ene s ses is th e great e st , ,

error Of an ci en t hum anity TO b e m arri e d is to b e a slave

. .

A tall gaun t wom an with a n ose like th e b eak of ,

a h awk an d a jau n di ce colou re d com p lexion d em an ded -

,

am idst thu n ders Of app lau se th at th e C om m u n e sh ou ld n o

lon ger reco gni z e m arriage by accordin g p en sion s to the
legitim at e as well as th e illegiti m ate wive s of th e Nation al ‘

Gu ards : Th e m atrim oni al stat e is a p erp etu al crim e

again st m orality . We th e illegitim at e com p anron s , ,

will no lon ger suff er th e legitim at e wive s to u su rp ri gh ts

they n o lon ger p osse ss an d which th ey ou gh t n ever to h ave
h ad at all Let th e decree b e m odifie d All for th e fre e
. .

1
wom en n on e for th e slave s !
,

Th e h on e st wom en Of th e p eop l e took n o p art in the se

revoltin g scen e s ; i n dee d th e Ladi es Of th e Market
showed them selves som e Of the m ost det erm in ed opp o
n ent s Of di sor der
?
I n th e p oor st reets Of Paris resp e ct for
reli gion still h eld sway a n d wo m en
, w e p t to s e e th ei r

chi ldren s coffin s lowered into the grave with out a p rayer
’
.

Th ere are m oth ers write s our E nglish con temp orary
, ,

1 Leigh ton o i t 2 8 2 3
P i b 2 l é 2 0 8
p c , p . . . . a r s r1 p _ , . .
 THE RE VOLUTION OF 1 87 1 21 1

qu ite un worthy of course to b ear the children Of p atrrots ,

wh o do n ot wan t their dear on e s to b e b u ri e d like do gs

wh o cann ot u n der stan d th at to p ray is a crim e an d to ,

kn eel down b efore God an Off en ce to hu m anity an d wh o ,

are still we ak en ou gh to wish to see a cross p lan t e d on th e

_

tom bs of th ose th ey h ave loved an d lost ! Not th e cross of

the nin et een th c en tu ry a red flag ! 1

This attitu de on th e p art of the p eople Of Paris n atur

ally p rove d exasp eratin g to th e m akers Of World Revo
lu tion Bakunin like his p rototyp e Marat de sp aire d Of
. . ,

them alto gether .

Th e cau se is lost h e wrote from Locarno on th e 9th of

, ,

Apri l ; it seem s th at the Fren ch th e working class itself are ,

-
,

n ot m u ch m ove d b y this state Of thin gs Yet h ow terrible th e .

lesson is ! Bu t it is n ot enou gh They m u st h ave greater calam .

ities ru d er sh ocks
,
E veryt hin g m akes on e foresee th at n eith er
.

one n or th e oth er will b e wanting An d th en p erh ap s th e d em on .

will awake Bu t as long as it slum bers we can d o nothing It

. .

woul d really be a pity to have to p ay for the broken glasses ,

it would in fact b e qui te u seless Our task i s to d o th e p rep ara .

tory work to organize and spread ou t so as to hold ourselves

,
” 2
in readin ess wh en th e d em on shall h ave awoken .

Bu t as far as th e tru e p eop le Paris were con cern ed Of

th e dem on n ever d id awake an d it was a gan g of foreign ,

adven tu rers t h e m ost h o rrible

, horde that ever invaded
” 3
civilization which carri e d ou t the p illage an d b u rnin gs
, ,

th e o u trage s an d m u rder s th at followe d on e ach oth er

throu gh ou t those dreadful three d ays Of May
Baku nin s claim to resp on sibility in th ese h app enin gs
’

fin ds confirm ation in the wo rds Of Fribou rg on e Of th e ,

o ri gin al fou n ders of the In t ern ation ale : P erson ally we

,

firm ly b elieve that the decrees Of sp oliation thearbitrary ,

ar rests th e shooting Of the hostage s an d th e syst em atic

, ,

i n c en diarism Of the cap ital are th e work Of the Ru sso

” 4
Germ an p arty I n other wor ds th ey were th e work Of
.
,

Germ an Illu mi ni sm an d Of its develop m en t in the Al li an ce

S ocial e Dém ocratiqu e .

1 Leighton p 1 1 7 N ote add s : E arly in April th e Comm une forb ad e

, . .

d ivin e service in t h e Pan th éon Th ey cu t Off t h e arm s of th e cross and

.
,

repla ced it by t h e red fla g d u ri n g a s alu t e of art ill ery

”
.

Corresponda n ce de B ak u ni ne p 3 50 o P ari s brulé p 28

, . .
3
, . .

Fribourg L A ss oci a ti on I nt rna ti nale des Travai lleu rs p 1 4 3

’
4
, e o , . .
 WORLD RE VOLUTION
The p rel u de to thi s fin al stage Of the revol ution was
th e en t ry Of th e Ver saille s t roop s into Paris five days aft er ,

th e de st ru ction of th e C olonn e Ven d Om e On the l 6 th of .

May th e f am ou s m onu m ent ere ct ed in h onou r Of Fren ch ,

victo ri e s an d now d eclared to b e an in su lt to th e p ri n cip l e

O f I n t ern atio n alis m h a d b een overt h rown b y o rd er of t he
,

Com m u n e influ en ced it was sai d by Pru ssian gold ,

1
,

whilst Germ an Officers looked on rejoicin g ?

This ou trage ,

to th e n ation al tradition s of Fran ce infu riat ed t he arm y

Of Versaill e s wh ich h a d b een re cently reinforced by
,

ret u rne d p riso n ers fro m Germ an y a n d on th e 2 1 st Of May ,

a n en t ry was m ade to th e cap i tal t h ro u gh th e Port e d e

S ain t Clo u d Th e -
bloody week Of st reet figh tin g fol
.

lowed By the third day the Versaill e s troop s h a d reached

.

the ap p roach e s to th e Tu ilerie s an d it was then that th e ,

g e n er als o f th e C o m m u n e B r u n el a n d B e rgeret , set fire to ,

th e p alace an d th e R u e Royale .

On ce again the idea Of war on ci ties that had origin ate d ,

with Weish au p t th at h a d b een carrie d ou t by the Ter ,

rori st s of 1 7 93 an d revived by th e Nih ilists who had

advocat ed th e bu rnin g Of town s was p u t into p ractice ,

with t errible eff e ct Am on gst the dregs of the p op u lace .

,

wretched drink sodden Old wo m en degen erate boys

,
-
, ,

arm ed with p araffi n set ou t to bu rn down Paris Th e p lan ,

3
.

had evidently long b een p rem editate d in Germ any ; eight

m on th s b efore that t erribl e night Of M ay 23 a cartoon h ad ,

ap p eared in th e sh op win dows Of Germ an town s dep ictin g

Paris in flam es , with Germ ania above trium p hant and, ,

b en eath , the words : Gefallen gefall en ist B abl n di e ,

,

S tolz e ( Babylo n th e m i ghty is f all en is f all en ! )

4
,

N early a h un dred years earlier, Weishaup t , the arch

e n e m y Of civilizatio n had de clare d Th e day of confl a
, ,
”
g ra t i on will co m e ! Now it had co m e an d P a ris o n c e the , ,
’
cen tre of the world s civilization , was to b e b urn t to the
gr un o d .

I t cannot be dou bted that th e total destru ction Oi the _

I2
f H eckethorn S i ti 2 5 3 S ecret
’

oc e es , n s . .

Bonn eehos e Hi s toi re de Fra nce, ii 7 2 9

.
_
. .

“
(
r

/
3
H eckethorn 3 S ecret S oci eti es , ii 2 5 8 , 2 6 2 ; Lei hton , op ci t p 339 . g . . . .

A Thi s cartoon is re ro d u ced in Le Fon d de l a s ociété sous la Commune

!
( p .
b y C A D au b an
. . .
 THE RE VOLUTION OF 1 87 1 21 3

city wa s desired by th e en em i es of Fran ce an d if thi s p lan ,

was n ot re ali z e d th e h avoc worke d was t erri bl e en o u gh .

Th e Palace Of th e Tuileri es red u c ed to a sh es th e Mini stry ,

Of Fin an c es th e Palac e Of th e Le gion Of H on o ur t h e Palais

, ,

d e Ju sti ce th e H 6 t el d e Vill e with its tr e asu r e s Of art an d

,

ric el e ss n atio n al a r c hi ve s — i n a wo r d th e glo ry Of Ol d

p
Fran ce lost to th e worl d for ever n um ero u s h o u s e s in th e

R u e d e Bac the R u e d e Lill e th e R u e Royale tur n e d in to

, , ,

rows Of black en e d r uin s ; an d so littl e di d th e in cen di ari e s

con cern t h em selves with t h e c au se Of t h e p eople t h at th e

B u re au d e l A s si st an ce Pu bliqu e t h at existe d sol ely t o
’
,

reli eve dist re ss b e sid e s sever al h o u s e s b elon gin g to it Of

, ,

which t h e reven u e s b elon ge d to th e p oo r were con su m e d ,

by the fl am e s Th e gran arie s con tain in g corn wine Oil

.
, , ,

an d oth e r p rovision s de stin e d to re li ev e th e suff e rin gs of

Paris fam ishe d by t h e S iege sh ared a like f at e 1

.

On th e eveni n g Of th e followin g day th e h orribl e m as

sa crin g Of h ostages was carrie d ou t S ix victi m s in clu di n g .
,

th e Ar ch bish op Of Paris an d fou r oth er p ri e sts wh o h ad

b een i m p rison e d seven weeks earli er were sh ot down in 3
,

cold bloo d at the p rison Of La Ro qu ett e ; in vain th e p oor

wom en Of th e di strict with t e ar s an d cri e s b e sou ght for the
life of th eir p astor the aged Abbé D egu erry cur é Of La ,

Mad elein e ; the m assacrers faithful to th e tra di tion s of ,

S ep t em b er 1 7 92 dragge d hi m to his d eath am i dst th e

,

cu rses an d in vective s Of hi s p arishion ers Al l di ed with th e

?

cour age Of thei r ei ght een th cent u ry p red e cessors in m ar

tyrd om At th e last m o m en t th e Arch b ish op h e ari n g th e
.
,

word lib erty u tt ered by on e Of h is m u rd erers s aid with ,

di gni ty , DO not p rono un ce that wo rd Of lib erty ; it

”4
b elon gs onl y to u s who di e for liberty an d faith .

As in S ep t em b er 1 7 92 m en Of th e p eopl e were n ot ,

sp are d an d on th e 27 th of May a gen eral m assacre Of th e

,

p riso n e r s i n cl.u di n g 6 6 gen d a rm e s too k p lac e A m o n gst

, .

th es e was an u nfortun ate m an th e fath er Of eigh t chi ldr en , ,

accu sed Of h avi n g stolen th e blo u se an d blu e trou sers h e

wore who m et with a fearful death at th e h an ds Of a m ob
,

led by a revolu tio a y Am azon arm e d with a cha s s epot

'

n r 5
.

1 P ari s brulé p 2 0 3 , . B onn h ose op ci t

.
2
ec , . .

y La Commu ne de P a i s p 1 1 8
3 B eau m nt Va ss o r
, , . .

3
Bonn e ehose , Leighton 0 17 0 27 P 327 5
,
 14 WORLD RE VOLUTION
B u t th e p lan f th e Illu m in ati for th e des tru ction
O Of

civilization was on ce m o re fru strat ed Civilization h ad .

ris en in self d efen c e as civilization will always r ise an d

-
,

th e fi ercer th e on slau gh t th e m o re fu riou s will b e th e

re action Wh en th e st ru ggl e b etween th e revolu tion ary
.

arm y Of th e C omm un e a n d th e forces of law an d order had

en d e d in a victory for th e latt e r th ou san ds Of victim s ,

strewe d th e streets of P aris ; accordin g to Prin ce Krop ot

kin e n o l ess th an
,
m en wom en an d children p er , ,

i sh ed in th e fray B u t what were th ese to th e An arch ists

.

wh o a cco rdin g to Marx regarded th e p eop le as

,
cann on
,

fodd er ( cha i r a ca n on ) on th e day O f re vol u tio n ? 1

S O en ded th e third e xp erim en t in revolu tio n ary govern

m en t carri ed ou t on u nh appy F ran ce E ven Mr Adolp he . .

S m ith wh o h a d h op ed gre at t h in gs Of th e C o m m un e
,

admits its in com p et en ce S an gu in e revolu tioni sts aft er .

1 87 1 h e writ e s
,
b egan to realiz e th e inn at e weakn ess Of
,
”
m ere th eori e s di vorce d fro m adm inistrative cap acity .

Th ey saw that even wh en in p ossession Of on e Of th e fairest

cities of E urop e with th e bank Of Fran ce in th eir h an ds an
en thu sia sti c arm y at th eir comm an d weap ons and m u niti on s ,

Of war innum erable while th e country was di sorgani zed th e ,

regu lar arm y flyi n g in t error b efore th e in su rrection for it cou ld

n ot rely u p on i t s own soldi ers still th e Comm un e thou gh so ,

stron g an d su ccessfu l was u nable to accom p li sh anythin g

, Th e .

leaders fri ttered away the preciou s m om ents for action in futile
di scu ssi ons an d squ ab bles till th e reaction gath eri n g strength
, , ,

organi zed its scattered forces an d cru sh ed th em Th e sirni litu de .

of thi s with th e p osition Of P etrograd b efore an d after th e

Bolsh eviks seiz ed th e rein s of governm ent will not fail to be
n oti ced b y every Ob server
?
‘

Yet i n sp it e of its gh astly fiasco th e régrm e Of th e C om

m un e m et w ith a im ou s ap plau se from the I nt er
un n

n atio n al e ; at Zurich Gen eva B ru ssels Leip zi g m em b ers

, , , ,

vi ed with e ach oth er in extollin g th e bloo dy deeds com

m i tt ed du rin g those t erri bl e m on th s Of March to May An .

E n glish I n t ern ation alist de clare d that t h e good tim e

”
was re ally com in g and th at soon we shall b e able to
deth ron e th e Q u een Of E nglan d turn B u ckin ghamP alace
,
g

L A lli an ce S oci ale D émoc a ti que p

1 ’
r ,
.

Unp u b li sh ed work by
2 Mr . Ad olp h e S mi th entitled The B etrayal of the
I nterna ti onal .
 THE RE VOLUTION O F 1 87 1 21 5

into a workshop and p ull down the York C olu mn as the

n obl e Fren ch p eople had p ul l e d down th e Ven d om e
” 1
colu mn .

B akun in who now app aren tly con sidere d that the
,

dem on had awoken admi rin gly de scrib e d the Fren ch p ro

,

letaria t a s th e m odern S atan th e au thor of the su bli m e,

” 3
in su rrection Of the C omm un e .

Marx not to be left ou t Of th e m ovem ent which in

-
, ,

re ality h a d in its n egation Of th e S tat e b een con du ct e d on

, ,

p r i n ci p l e s o pp os e d to h i s avow e d o p i n io n s n o w p u blish e d,

a p an egyric Of th e Co mm un e entitled The Ci vi l War i n

F ran ce in wh ich h e referre d to th e S tat e as
,
that p arasite
which exploits an d hin ders th e free m ovem ents of society .

How are we to recon cile this with M arx s advocacy Of ’

S tat e S ocialism ? 3

Gui llau m e comm ent ing on M arx s su dden volte ace

’
, ,

a sks wh e th er h e h a d re ally be co m e con vert ed to the

p ri n ci p l e s Of f e d e r alism a n d qu ot
, e s B ak un i n a s d e cla ri n g
th at th e p ower Of the C omm un e had p rove d so formidable
th at even the Marxian s had b een obliged to take Off their
h ats to it B u t the m e asu re Of Marx s sin cerity in writing
’
.

hi s p an egyric Of th e C omm un e was reve al ed later when

his corresp on den ce with hi s fri en d S orge was p u bli shed
in 1 90 6 It seem s th at at th e end of 1 87 1 several refu gees
.

Of th e C o mm u n e wh o had fl e d to Lon don an d G en eva

refu s ed to Ob ey hi s co mm an ds Thereup on Marx wrote to

.

S orge :
An d th at i s m y reward for havin g wasted n early five m onth s
workin g for the refu gees and for havi ng s aved thei r honour by
,

the pu blication of th e Address on th e Civil War

‘
1
.

Thu s Marx with his sup erb talent for u sin g everythi ng
,

that coul d serve hi s p urp ose tu rn ed th e an archi c régim e

,

Of th e C o mm un e to acco u n t B u t n ow th e m o m ent had

.

com e to su pp ress th at dyn amic force whi ch threaten ed hi s

sup rem acy an d to con centrat e hi s att en tion on the Anar
chi sts of th e I nt ern ation al e

H eckethorn s S ecret S oci eti es , 11 252

’
1 . .

3 G u illa u m e D ocu ments 11 2 53 . .

, ,
3
F irst form ulat e d in hi s Commun i st Manifesto to centrafiz e all
”
instru m en ts of p rod u ction in th e h and s Of th e S tate .

‘
1
Guillaum e, Docu ments ,
 WORLD R E VOLUTION

A NA R C H Y v
. S O I C A LI S M
Th e years th at followe d on th e revolu tion Of 1 87 1 were
”

m ainl y occu p i ed by th e st ru ggl e b etween the two grou p s

rep re s en t e d by Marx a n d B akunrn .

Un til this date the words Anarchy an d An ar

”
chi st th ou gh claim ed by Prou dh on an d Baku nin were
, ,

s eldom u se d an d th e word
,
S ocialist was em ploye d to
cover both the warrin g faction s B u t from 1 87 1 onward s .

we find th e rival cam p s ran gi n g th em selve s definit ely

b en eath th eir op p osin g stan dards an d S ocialism m ore an d ,

m o re b e co m in g the lab el Of th e Marxists Th e diff eren ce .

b etween th e aim s Of th e two creeds has thu s b een clearly

‘

1
defin e d by Malon :
Th e S tate S ocialism of Marx was com p rised in th e con qu est
Of p olitical p ower th at i s to say Of th e S tate b y th e workin g
, ,

class which h a s for its historic m ission t o p u t an en d to th e

class war by the abolition Of classes and to th e present economi c ,

m iseries an d contra di ction s by the nationali zation Of produ c

ti on an d distribu tion Of wealth .

Baku nin on his p art su mm ed u p his p rogramm e in

, ,

th ese words :
Ab olition of th e S tate in all its religious j uristic political , , ,

an d soci al reali z ation s ; reorgani zation b y th e free initiative

of free in di vi du als in free grou p s I t was this formul a th at .

b ecam e later th at Of An archy / 7

An d w e m i gh t add still lat er that of S yn dicalism S O th e

, , .

Ol d an ta gon ism b e tween Lib erty an d E qu ality fl am e d ou t

afresh in th e great stru ggl e b etween Marx an d Bakunin

whi ch was to ren d th e In tern ation ale in twain Thu s .

Bakunin referrin g to the S tate S ocialism Of the Marxists

, ,

vehem en tly declare d it to b e th e vilest an d the m ost

f ormi dabl e lie which ou r cen tu ry h as en gen dered the
O fficial dem ocratism an d the red bu rea u cra cy I .

”
abomi n ate C omm unism he h ad declared to the Pe ace
,

C on gre ss at B ern e in 1 86 9 b ecau se it is a denial of free

,

d om an d I cann ot u n d er stan d anythin g h u m an with o u t

On the other h an d Mau rice He ss th e
” 3
freedo m . , ,

Marxian , had p oin ted ou t th at b etween the C oll ectivist s

1 Art i cl e on th e In tern ation al e in L a N ou vel le R evu e xxvi 7 53 , . .

3 Corresponda n ce de B a kou ni n e, p 2 1 9
‘

. .

3 E V Z enker , A narchi sm ( En g tran s

. .
. .
, p . 148 .
 TH E RE VOLUTION OF 1 87 1 17

an d th e An archists of th e In tern ation ale th ere was all the

di ff eren ce whi ch exists b e tween civilization an d barbarism ,

between lib erty an d de sp otism b etween citizen s con de mn ,

in g every fo rm of violen ce an d slave s addi ct ed to th e u se

” 1
Of b ru tal fo rce .

It was n ot h owever only the bur e au cracy Of the

, ,

Marxian s th at rou sed th e wrath of Bakun in bu t their ,

p a n G
-
e rm a n is m w h ich si n c
,
e 1 8 7 0 had b e co m e m o re a n d
m o re ap p aren t Th e d ream Of th e S ocialists wh o swear
.

”
by th e h ead Of Marx h e wrot e to La Li berte Of B ru ssels
’

in 1 8 7 2 ,
is th e Germ an h egem ony is Germ an om nip o
“
,

ten ce ( la tou te pu i ssa nce germa niqu e) at first int elle ctu al ,
” 2
an d m o ral an d lat er on m at eri al
,
.

Bu t it was th e Marxian s wh o b egan th e attack .

Already in the sp rin g Of 1 87 1 Marx Ou tin e Hess , , ,

Li eb kn e ch t B eb el in a word all th e Germ an s an d Germ an

, ,

J ews Of th e I n tern ation ale ? di sp laye d l ess con cern over

th e ré gi m e Of th e C o mm un e th an over their own war on
th e Al li an ce S ociale D ém ocratiqu e TO t urn Bakuni n an d .

his followers ou t Of th e I n tern ation ale an d rem ain hi m self

in p osse ssion Of th e field n ow b ecam e th e gre at aim Of th e
m an wh o m his J ewish di scip l e s were fon d Of referrin g to as
” 4
th e m odern Mose s .

F ort un at ely for Marx a p ret ext was p rovided by th e

discovery th at Netch ai eff B aku nin s form er ally h a d b een
,
’

g u ilty O f fr a u d a n d at
,
t h e C o n gr e ss Of t h e I n t e rn atio n al e

in Lo n don I n 1 87 1 th e Gen eral C o un cil le d by Marx took ,

th e re solu tion to m ake a n in qui ry i n to th e p artici p ation

of B aku ni n an d th e All ian c e S ocial e D é m ocratiqu e in th e

Affaire N et ch a ieff Th e Jew Nicholas Ou tin e was ordered

'

to dr aw u p th e rep ort O u tine wh o throu ghou t act e d

.
,
”
con sistently as th e acolyt e Of M arx had already m ad e ,

an att em p t to ej e ct th e Al lian c e fro m th e I n t ern atio n al e

1
Oeuvres de B a kou ni ne, v 223 . . iv I bid 34 1 2
. . .

3 G uill a u m e ref errin g to t h e J ews in t h e In t ern at ion a l e en u m erat es as

, ,

t h e m ost im p ort an t M arx , Ou tin e , M a uri ce H es s , B orkh eim , t h e edi tor

of th e Z u ku nf t, a S o ci alis t p p er en tirely con tro ll ed by J ews , H ep n er ,
a
e d itor Of t h e Volkssta a t, an d F rankel , m em b er of t h e Paris Comm un e .

G u ill aum e a d d s : C alu mni at ed an d vilifi ed by a p a ck Of in tri gu ers , we

h ave b een obliged to state that som e of t h e m os t violent (les pl u s a cha rn es
’

con tre n ou s) were Germ an an d R u ss ian J ews wh o s eem ed t o h old t og et h er

( D ocu ments de l I nternati ona le, not e)

’
by a sort Of espri t de corps
.

u m e , D ocu ments , 11 29 7 . .
21 8 WORL D RE VOLUTION
by a ru se At a meetin g of the Gen eva sections of th e
”

association that sam e sp ri n g h e an d his allie s ha d declare d ,

that th e Allian ce h ad n ever b een receive d in to the Int er

n ation al e at a ll an d wh en in rep ly to th is stat em ent th e
,

secretary of th e Allian ce p rodu ce d the original letters

sign e d by E ccariu s an d Ju n g in the n am e Of the I n ter
n atio n al e ann ou n cin g th at th e Gen eral C ou n cil h a d
a d m itte d the Al lian ce on the 25th Of Au gu st 1 869 Ou tin e ,

calm ly repli ed th at the letters were forgeri e s an d brou gh t

forward a Ru ssian Jewe ss Mm e D mitrieff wh o h a d j u st , .
,

arrived fro m Lon don in supp o rt of this assertion ,

1
.

A conf eren ce was fin ally arran ge d between th e two

f action s on th e 25th Of Jul y 1 87 1 at which Ju ng him self , ,

p r e sid e d a n d Ma rx a n d E n gels w er e p r e s e n t Th e doc u .

m ents were again p rodu ce d an d this tim e Jun g was ,

obli ge d to confess that he had sign e d the secon d whi lst ,

E n gels aft er a qu art er Of an hou r Of p revarications m u m

, ,

ble d that it was i m p ossible to deny either of the lett ers .

As to Marx Gu illaum e observe s : The gre at m an u su ally

, ,

so su re of hi m self in the m idst of hi s cou rtiers was dum b ,

foun ded H e was cau gh t in th e flagra n t deli t Of a li e an d

’

” 2
hi s act was au thentically p rove d .

Marx afterwards retaliat ed by accu sin g Bakun in Of

dup licity de clarin g that in 1 86 9 he had b elieved th e
,

Allian ce to have b een di ssolve d whi lst in reali ty it con

tinu ed to work in se cret an d th at by m ean s of this ,

freem asonry its existen ce was not even su sp ect e d by th e

gr e at m ass Of th e I n tern atio n als 3
.

It is im p ossibl e to di sentan gle the tru th from all thi s

web Of lyin g an d int rigu e ; both sides had as we kn ow , ,

accep ted the doct rine th at the en d j u stifies th e m e an s an d ,

both lie d freely to Obtain th e m ast ery S u ffice it th en to .

say that fin ally at the Hague C on gre ss of the Int er

,
.

n ation al e held in 1 872 _

the Lon don General C oun cil ,
”
by a fictitiou s m ajority says Prin ce Krop otkine ,

e xclu de d th e Bakun i n ists an d th e J ur a F e deration they

’
had form e d from th e I ntern ation ale Th e latter now .

m ove d its headqu art ers to N ew Yo rk an d f our ye ars lat er

1 Guillaum e D ocuments , 11 . 1 57 .
2
I bi d . 11 . 1 76 , 1 7 7 .

L A lliance S oci ale Démocrati que

’
3
.
 TH E RE VOLUT I ON O F 1 87 1 9

q uietly expire d at Philad elp hia S O en ded the gre at asso .

ci ati on which for twelve ye ars h a d sp re ad t erro r throu gh

ou t E u rop e Long b efore its d eath th e worki ng m en had

.
-

lost all faith in it a n d th e engin eers Of B ru ssels led by it

, ,

in to an abortive strike had denou n ced it as the leprosy ,

”1
Of E u rop e an d the Com p any Of M illion ai re s on p ap er .

As a m ean s for am elioratin g th e con diti on s of Labour

it had p rove d from 1 86 4 a frau d as a barrier again st inter ,

n ation al confli cts it had p rove d i ts fu tility in 1 87 0 ,

th rou ghou t its Wh ole career it had exist e d m erely as a

hotb ed of intri gu e m ainly p an Germ an an d all its -

p r ot e statio n s O f f r at ern ity had l e d o nl y to t h e O l d co nfl ict

b etween the rival forces Of revolu tion Th e inner history .

O f th e I nt ern ation al e like th e histo ry Of all revol u tio n ary

,

o rganization s fro m the Terror onwards is sim ply a serie s ,

Of p etty rivalrie s an d of m is erabl e qu arrels b etween th e

le aders con du cted withou t the faint est regard for the
,

interests Of the p eop le whom su ch dem agogu es p rofess to

re p re sen t Readers have m erely to glan ce throu gh the
“

volu m inou s D ocu men ts de l I n tern a ti ona le by Jam e s ’

Gu illaum e (4 vols the b e st offi cial record of the

.

p roc ee di n gs O f th e soci e ty to Co n vi n c e t h e,m s e lv e s Of t h e

tru th Of this assertion Fu rther li ght h as b een thrown on

.

the Marxian in t ri gu e s by Gu illau m e s re c ent b rochu re

’

Karl M arx pan Germ a ni s te (Arm an d Colin

,
-
an d ,

by E dm on d Laskine s adm irable work L I n terna ti ona le

’

,
’

ci le pa n Germani s m e ( F lou ry
-
I n Fran ce there, ,

fo re the Marxian legen d has b een com pl et ely shatt ere d

, ,

a n d it is do u btl e ss owi n g to th e f act that n on e of the se

books h ave b een tran slat e d in to E n glish that a b eli ef in

Marx still survives in this co untry Mr Ad olph e S mi th s . .
’

very valu able p am phlet is the o nly E nglish work of this

ki n d known to the p resent writ er and it sh o ul d b e scat ,

tere d b roadcast th rou gh th e lan d 2

.

On th e other han d the Marxian s accu sation s again st

’
,

H eckethorn
'
1 S ecret S oci eti es , ii 23 5
s . .

2 The P a n Germa n Interna ti onale

-
, art icles b y A d olp he S m ith , Offi cial
An glo Fren ch Int erp ret er from 1 88 2 at the C ongres s es Of th e Internation ale
-
.

R ep rint ed from th e Ti mes , p ri ce 3 d C op ies m ay b e O btain ed from Ad olp he

.

S m ith , 1 7 S cars dale Terra ce , Kensin gton , W 8 I t is regre ttable th at . .

M r S m ith s larger work, The B etrayal of the Internati onale, of whi ch he h as

.
’

kind ly allowed m e to m ake u se , h as n ot y et b een p ublished .

 WORLD RE VOLUTION
th e An archists m ay be ad in the p am p hlet L A lli an ce
re
’

S oci a le D ém ocra ti qu e p u blish e d by o rd er Of th e C on gre ss

,

o f La H ay e i n 1 8 7 3 ; th e fir st p art writt en by E n gels an d

Lafargu e th e con clu sion by Marx an d E n gels with th e

,

Obj e ct Of killin g Ba k u n in d e ad ( le tu er ra i de m ort) .

Aft er p eru sin g th e case for b oth side s in this fin al

d isp u t e it is im p ossibl e to retain any illu sion s on th e ch ar ~

acter of either Marx or hi s opp onen t ; we n eed n ot th ere ,

fore h ave re cou r se to an ti S ocialist lit erat u re in order to

-

re ali z e to th e ful l th e p erfi dy an d hyp ocrisy Of that bo gu s

com p any that called itself The In tern ation al Associa

tion Of Working Men
”
.

3 Guillaume Docu ments

, ,
Nihilis m in R uss ia — M u rd er of Alex an d et IL —The re viv ed lll umin a ti

th e re volu tion Of 1 87 1 O bta in ed con tr ol Of th e re volu tion

Of t he
In te rn ational e th e M ar xist sy n ago gu e as

B akun i n des cribed it — bro ke ou t in Ita l y S p ain , , B el

?
by t h e e xpell ed An ar chist s

app ears inTur gh eni eff s ’

n ovel , F a thers a nd S on s in 1 86 1
,

b u t to th e
'

rea d er s Of this boo k t h e t en e t s Of th e Nihi list s

n eces ars y above all to clear t h e gr oun d . Later wh en all

,

1
E t tore Zocc oli , L A na rchia , p
’
z .
222 WORL D RE VOLUTION
thi n g y es everything m u st b e d e stroyed sin ce everythin g
, , ,

m u s t b e rem ad e .

Th e Ni hilist Prin c e Kr op otki n e inf orm s u s

,
declared ,
‘
w ar u p on wh at m ay b e d esc rib e d as th e conven tion al li e s
Of civiliz e d m an ki n d h e refu s e d to bow b efore any .

au th ority excep t th at Of re ason Acco rdin gly h e .

”
brok e of cou r se with th e su p erstition s of hi s fath ers
, ,

with regar d to reli gion whilst in th e m att er Of social ,

relati on s h e assum e d a c ertai n ext ern al ro u gh n e ss

as a p rote st again st convention al p olit en ess Ar t was .

”
involved in th e sam e sweepin g n egation th e Nihilist s ,
’

attitu d e b eing exp re sse d in th e wor d s : A p air o f boots is

m o re i m p ortan t t h an all your Madonn as an d all yo u r
” 1
refin e d talk abou t S h ak e sp e are .

Th e e qu ali ty Of t h e s exe s was a fu n dam ental doc

trin e Of Nih ilism whi ch as th e P ere D e sch am p s p oints ou t
, ,

is onl y an oth er exp re ssion for th e de st ru ction Of fam ily

life ?
Accordin g to th e Nihili sts m en an d wom en live ,

to geth er in little grou p s wh ere all is in comm on I n or der .

to b e wh olly in d ep en d ent th e wom an m u st h erself p rovide

”
h er livelih ood Mat ern ity b ein g an in equ ality Of n atu re
.
,

th e Nih ilist wom an th eref o re willin gly aban don s h er

Off sp ri n g
?

Ab ove all Of cour se reli gion m u st b e destroye d an d

, , ,

S tep ni ak admi ringly de scrib es th e cam p ai gn carri ed on by

th e ban d Of en t h u siastic p rop agan di sts wh o p re ach ed
m at erialism t h rou gh ou t Ru s sia both in sp eech an d p rint .

“
Atheism excit ed p e op l e like a n ew reli gion Th e z ealou s .

wen t abou t like veritabl e mi ssion ari es in search Of living

, ,

soul s in Order to cl e an se them from the abom in ation Of

,
” 4
C hristiani ty .

H a d not An ach arsi s Clootz done likewise u p to th e

very foot Of th e scaff old ? What in dee d is th ere in all thi s
b u t th e resu scitat ed p lan Of Illu m in ism ? P ere D esch am p s
’

su gge stion that Nihilism was S im p ly th e E astern bran ch _

Of B aku n in s Allian ce S ocial e D ém ocratiqu e m odelle d on

’

Weish au p t s Order go es less to th e root Of th e m atter

’

1 Kr op otkin e Memoi rs of
,
a R evoluti ona ry, 11 .

2
D es ch am p s , ii 5 7 4
F ri b ourg , L A ssocia ti on I nterna ti on ale des Tr
. .

availleurs , p 1 84
'
3
. .

3 S t ep ni ak Undergrou nd R ussia , p 5
. . .
 TH E C OURS E O F ANAR C H Y 223

than his fu rth er exp lan ation th at th e you thf u l philosop hers
Of Ru ssia h a d gon e to t h e fo un tai n h e a d by stu d yi n g at -

Germ an u ni versitie s Tur gh eni eff hi m self h ad sp en t three

.

ye ar s in B erlin readin g H egelian p hilosop hy It was .

th erefore di rectly from Germ any t h at Illu m inism u n d er

its n ew n am e of Nihi lism travelled to Ru ssia Th e very .

n am e itself h a d b een fo retol d by Jos ep h d e Maist re in

th e fi rst ye ar s Of th e cent u ry wh en h e d e clare d t h at

th e doct rin e s Of I ll u m ini sm wou ld l e ad m en to b e co m e
”
ri eni st e s
1
.

Yet if th e seed was in di genou s to Ru ssia th e soil

n ot

was p ecul iarly a d ap t ed to its growt h Th e th eory th at .

”
civilization is all wron g h owever p rep ost erou s wh en ,

ap p li ed to We stern E ur op e h a d som et hi n g to com m en d it

,

in th e case Of Ru ssia Th ere civilization con sistin g in a

.
,

for ei gn ven eer h astily ap p li ed to a ru d e n at u ral sur face ,

mi gh t ap p ear ev en to n on an archic mi n d s all wro n g

-

a p rocess th at n eed ed re d oin g from th e o u tset .

C ivilization to b e O f a ny valu e m u st b e n e ce ssarily Of

slow growth m u st m ore over b e gi n at th e bottom
,
i n th e
h earts n ot in th e m ann er s Of th e p eop l e E n glan d had h er .

Alfre d th e Great h er Rich ar d C oeu r d e Lion ; Fr an ce h er

,

S ai n t Lou is an d h er H enry IV Th e se an d oth er gre at

.

f o un d er s of th eir civi lizatio n s h ad im p lan t e d d e ep d own

in th e li fe Of e ach n ation t h ose p ri n ci p l e s Of hu m an ity a n d
com p assion Of h on o u r an d Of j u stic e wh ich in th e latt er
,

co u n t ry even th e R evolu tion cou ld n ot en tirely eradicat e .

Ru ssia h a d n ever kn own t h e se early infl u en ces ; fou n ded

on Tartar i n st e ad Of Ro m an id e as sh e h a d r em ain e d sunk ,

in barbarism u n t il P ete r t h e Gre at b egan hi s ven eerin g

p roc e ss w h ic h app li e d , to t h e r u d e sur f ac e of R u ssian li f e ,

re su lt ed in a fo rm of cul tur e both p rem at ur e an d u n n at ur al .

TO chan ge th e sirni le su ch civilization as Ru ssia had

,

attain ed in th e ni net eenth centu ry was n ot th e n at ural

ow t h O f t h e soil ; it was a G erm an civilization wh olly
g r

fo reign to th e ge n i u s o f h e r p p
e o l e T h e r e was m .u ch
th at was good an d wh ole som e in th e life Of th e Ru ssian ‘

p e asa n ts. D e C u stin e d e clare d th at it was worth c omi n g

to Ru ssia if only to see th e p ure im age Of p at riarchal

1
D es ch am p s ,
224 WORL D RE VOLUTIO N
s ociety an d th e c ele stial faces Of the Old p easan ts
se ated with digni ty at th e en d of the day b efore th e
thr e shold Of th eir cottages ?
One m u st go into t h e in te
rior Of Ru ssia to kn ow wh at p ri m itive m an was worth an d

all that the refin em en ts of society have m ade hi m lose .

I have said an d I rep eat it in th is p at riarch al

” 2
country it is civili z ation t h at sp oils m an
, .

It is e asy th en to u n derstan d how th e illu m in ated

doct rine of a retur n to Natu re mi gh t fin d an e ch o in th e
le ast an archic m in d s wh en app lie d to Ru ssia an d if it h a d ,

b een only this foreign an d artificial civilization th e Nihil

i sts h a d set ou t to d e st roy who cou ld h ave blam ed th em ?
,

I f fu rt h er th ey had h a d anyt h in g b ett er t o Offer in its

, ,

p lac e w h o co
, ul d h av e f ail e d to a pp lau d t h e m ? B u t t h e

t ragedy Of Ru ssia is n ever to h ave b een allowe d to

develop along h er own n ation al lin e s ; S h e h a d b een m ade
by th e Ro m an ovs to imitat e We stern civilization n ow sh e ,

was to b e tau ght by th e revolu tion ari e s to i m itate We stern

m et h ods Of overth rowin g it Baku n in had r age d again st .

Germ an P et ersb ou rgeois I m p erialism ( cet i m peri a li s m e

’

b i ll m l) d it was G m a I ll m i is m
’

p eters ou r geo s a e a n c a n , e r n u n

hi s followers b ro u ght to Ru ssia in its st e ad Th e t en den cy .

to an archy laten t in th e Ru ssian n atu re as exem p lifie d in ,

th e Baro n U n gern von S t ernb erg was to b e exp loit e d in ,

th e in t ere sts Of Wo rld Revolu tion For in S pit e Of th e

.
,

serenity de scrib ed by d e C u stine as ch aract eristic Of th e

Ru ssian p easant in his n orm al m om en ts h e resp on ds on ly ,

too re adily to su gge stion s of violen ce An d wh en we .

con sider th is p e cul iarity wh en we rem em b er th e t en den cy

,

to drun k enn e ss an d to b ru tality that u n derli e s h i s su rf ace

im p assiven e ss we realize th e fearfu l dan ger Of taki n g
from him th e only re st rain ts h e kn ew re sp e ct f or God

an d th e C zar .

Was the I m p erial Govern m ent then to tol erat e th e , ,

cam p aign Of in subordi n ation an d of m ili t an t ath eism con

du ct ed by th e Nihilists fro m 1 866 on wards ?
C an it b e serio u sly m aintain e d that any govern m en t
wou ld hav e b een doin g its du ty if it h ad n ot p rot e ct e d
th e S i m p l e p easan t ry from the se d isin t egrati n g d octrin e s ?
1
L a R u s si e en 1 839 , iv 9 . 1 0
. .
3 I bi d iv 97
. . .
 THE C OURS E OF ANAR C H Y 22 5

Wh at could it do but arrest imp rison exile , su pp re ss , , an d

by all m ean s in its p ower th e germ carri ers wh o wo u ld -

have infect e d th e wh ol e life of th e p eop le ? I f th e m eth ods

adop t e d resem bled th ose of E ast ern p ot entat e s rather th an
th ose of ou r own enligh t ene d l egislato rs it m u st b e ,

rem em b ere d t h at th e ru l er s Of Ru ssia can n o m ore t h an

t h eir su bj ects b e j u dge d by We st ern stan dards Mo re over .

,

with ou t con donin g th e b ru tality Of th e rep re ssion exercised ,

it m u st b e re cognize d th at a revers du medai llon exists

’

Let u s p u t o u r selve s in th e p lac e Of Nich olas I wh o h a s .

,

b een p ersist en tly rep re sent ed as an in tractible au tocrat .

Ascen ding th e t hron e with th e warnin g of the Fren ch

Revolu tion rin gi n g in his e ar s he fou n d him self imm e di ,

at ely confron t e d by th e D ek abrist o u tb reak Obviou sly ,

en gi n eere d by s ec re t fo rc e s a n exp eri en c e t h at l eft a

deep im p ression on his m in d Yet in spit e Of this have .

, ,

we n o t seen h im visitin g Rob ert Owen at N ew Lan ark an d , ,

in 1 83 9 re ceivin g dep u tatio n s Of serf s b eggin g to b e t ran s

‘

ferre d to th e royal dom ain s assu ri n g th em m oreover Of

, , ,

hi s d e sire for th eir em an cipation alas with wh at f atal ,

re su lts ! N O wo n der th en th at we fi n d him declari n g :

, ,

D e sp otism exists in Ru ssia S i n ce it is th e e ssen ce Of m y

g ov er n m e n t b u t i,t is i n acco r d wit h t h e g en i u s Of th e
” 1
n ation . Three hun dre d y ears e arli er th e Au strian
am bassador to Moscow h ad aske d whet her it was th e
character Of the Ru ssian n ation th at had m ade au tocrats ,

or au tocrats th at had m ade th e charact er Of th e Ru ssian

n atio n an d d e C u s tin e e ch oin g th e qu e stion in 1 839 give s

2
, , ,

as his op inion : If the iron rod that directs this still

bru talize d p eople were to c e ase for an in stan t to weigh
” 3
on it th e whol e Of soci ety wou ld b e overt h rown
, .

We h ave only to stu dy th e history Of Ru ssia throu gh

“

ou t th e n i n et een th c en t u ry to re aliz e t h at every st ep

towards reform b ecam e th e si gn al for a fresh ou tbreak Of

revol u tio n ary agitatio n Th e Nihilist m ovem en t followe d
.

d i rectly on th e era Of reform in au gu rat e d by Alexan der II .

Th e em an cip ation Of th e serf s in 1 8 6 1 did n othing to allay

.

agitation an d if as we are assu red th e m easu re fail e d to

, , ,

1 de Gustin e, La R u s si e en 1 83 9 , 11 . 46 .

2 I bid 1 24 1
. . .
3
I bi d . 11 . 21 7 .
226 WORLD RE VOLUTION
s th e p easan ts we m u st at l e as t re cogniz e the sin
atisfy
cerity Of th e E m p e ro r s i n t ention s TO t u rn again st him at
’
.

th is j un ctu re was n atu rally to drive him in to reaction an d

to arre st th e whole m ovem ent Of refo rm .

It cann ot b e too Of ten rep eat e d violence b egets

violen ce ; an d if w e are to see in Nihi lism th e ou tco m e of
r ep re ssion as t ru ly m u st w e re co gnize in S O calle d
, C zar -

i sm th e re su l t of agitation Th e revol u tio n ari e s p lott e d

.

se cretly again st th e S tat e an d th e S tate d efend e d itself by

,

th e se cret m et h ods of th e Thi rd S e ctio n th e au th ori

tie s forbade th e circul ation Of seditiou s p amp h l ets an d th e ,

t raffickers in forbidden lit erature redou bl ed their efforts

to sm u ggle it into th e cou ntry ; e ach S ide p itte d its wi ts
again st th e oth er an d thu s th e viciou s circl e on ce created
,

cou ld n ot b e arre st ed .

It was n ot h owever u ntil aft er 1 87 1 that th e Ru ssian

, ,

revolu tion ary m ovem ent en t ere d on its viol en t p h ase s .

Th e exam p l e Of th e Paris C om m u ne th en sp re ad e astwards ,

a n d th e r evol u tion ari e s n o lo n ger kn own as Ni h ilists b u t

,
”
as Revolu tion ary S ocialists em barked on th e s eri e s Of ,

ou t rages which m arked th e y ear s 1 87 3 1 88 1 — .

M u ch h a s b een writt en abou t th e heroism the self ,

s a crifi c e th e b u rn in g enthu siasm of the Tchaikovsky “

,

C ircl e t h at was in au gu rat ed toward th e end Of 1 87 2 at

S t P et ersb u rg with r am ification s at Moscow an d oth er
.

large town s Of Ru ssia This little ban d Of prop agan dist s

.

that con sis te d solely of u pp er an d m iddle class intellec - -

tu als certainly sh owe d them selve s cap abl e of gre at cou rage
an d en du ran c e when th e m ovem en t p asse d fro m wo rds to

deeds b ut at the ou tset it is eviden t fro m the accou nts

, ,

g ive n by t h e m em b er s t h em s elv e s that th ey d e riv e d

, n o

sm all am o un t of enjoym en t fro m th e n ovelty an d excit e

m ent th e n ew life p rovided .

One m u st kn ow som ethin g Of th e Ru ssian character

from p erson al exp erien ce t o u n der stan d thi s ; to th e
Ru ssian int rigu e p articul arly Of th e p olitical variety is
, , ,

as the breath of life an d we h ave already seen h ow to

,

Bakun in th e prep arin g of revolu tion th e s e cret S i gn s

an d code s ch emi cal inks all ni gh t discussion s over t ea an d
, ,
-

cigarett e s aff orded a joy in com p rehen sible to the

 THE C OURS E O F ANAR C HY
We st ern min d M ore esp ecially was this p assion to b e
.

foun d in th e you n g wom en Of th e co un t ry wh o hi th erto

h a d exercise d in th e service Of th e C zars th eir tal ent for
secret p olitical intri gu e ; C ath erin e th e Gre at h a d m ade
g r e at u s e O f t h e s e No r t h e rn A s p as i a s acti n g as h er
un offi cial am bassado r s an d sp i es an d un d er Nich olas I , .

th e sam e organized fem ini n e dip lom acy was conti nu ed

by p olitical Am azon s wh ose p assion for m eddlin g in
aff airs of S tat e abso rb ed th em to th e exclu sion Of all other
m att ers even love .

It is e asy to un derstan d that to wom en Of thi s typ e th e

revolu tio n ary m ovem en t sh oul d hav e Offere d a career even

m ore en ticin g ; to th e deli ghts of in trigu e were added th e

charm Of novelty an d th e excit em en t p rovided by an ele
m en t of dan ger Th e youn g Ru ssian girls wi th cropp ed
.

hair dressed in boyish garm ents wh o crowde d to Z urich

, ,

—
as stu dents m edical or oth erwise coul d enjoy all th e
sens ation of an adven tur e an d on th eir retu rn to Ru ssia
,

thou san d s of m en an d wom en stu den ts went to live in

town s an d vi llages to carry on S ocialistic p rop agan da
am on gst th e workers To t h e youn g th e st ron g a n d th e
.
, ,

adventurou s this kin d Of life m ay well have p roved con

g en ial ; i n d e e d in P rin c e K ro p o tki n e s o w n
’
acco u n t O f his
adven tur e s as a m em b er of th e Tchaikovsky Circle we
cann ot fail to det e ct an afterglow Of exh ilaration Throw .

in g a p e asan t s shirt an d coat over his silk un dergarm en ts

’

this aristocratic an archist woul d slip ou t Of the Wint er

Palace at ni gh t an d b etake him self to th e slu m s Of S t .

Petersbu rg where m eetings Of th e workers were h eld .

TO p lay at b ein g p easan ts h a s fre qu en tly p roved a

p asti m e to ja d e d a r istoc r acy a n d K r,o p ot k i n e m a s q,u er a d
i n g as Bo ro din in a sh eep ski n con su lt ed as an oracl e by ,

th e oth er sh eep ski n s eviden tly fo u n d the se evenin gs m ore

,

en t er ai ni n g th an th e dre ary fo rm aliti e s Of S t P et er sb u rg

t .

soci ety .

Peter Krop otkine who m ay b e regard ed as th e m ilder

,

typ e Of vision ary an arch ist was born in 1 84 2 at Moscow

, .

Alth ou gh a follower an d an arden t admirer Of Bakunin ,

Krop ot kin e in hi s privat e life S h owed hi m self greatly

”

su p erior to his m ast er Unlike Bakunin he was a worker

.
,
228 WORLD RE VOLUTIO N
th o u gh not in the sen se h e i m p lied in his wri tin gs To .

identify h im self with th e p roletariat in su ch p hr ase s as

”
“
we S h all su cceed in gettin g ou r rights re sp ect e d is Of
cou rse th e p urest affectation Krop otkin e who h a d n ever .
,

worke d wi th hi s h an ds b u t onl y with his brain was ,

e ss en tially an aristoc rat Of th e sam e vari ety as th e aristo

cra t s O f F r an c e wh o b efo re 1 7 8 9 lov e d to d ilat e on th e

n e ce ssity Of de st royin g th e existin g o rder Th e keyn ot e .

Of all Kro p otkin e s writi n gs is u n re ality n ever do e s h e at

’

any p oi n t co m e to grip s wit h life an d it is h ere h e di ffer s ,

”
fr o m Baku n in Th e . Ru ssian gian t was a realist an d ,

in advocating revolu ti o n h e kn ew p erfectly well wh at

revolu tion m e an t violen ce bloodshe d confu sion ch aos , , ,

all thin gs in wh ich h is soul deli gh t ed On h u m an .

n ature as w e hav e seen h e en t ertain e d n o illu sio n s a n d

, , ,

it was for crim in als th at h e exp re sse d his warm e st sym

p at h y . K ro p otki n e l e ss p r actical
, o r p e rha p s l e ss ho n,
e st ,

exp re ssed a bo u n dl e ss b eli ef i n h u m an n at ur e ; a discip l e

Of Ro u ss eau as well a s Of Weishau p t h e h eld that th e ,

i n equ ality Of fo rtu n es an d con dition s th e exp loitation of ,

m an by m an th e dom i n ation Of th e m asse s by a few h a d

, ,

in th e cou r se of age s u n derm in ed an d de st royed th e

‘

p r e cio u s p rod u cts O f t h e p r i m itiv e li f e O f soci e ty 1

a
p assage th at m i gh t well s e em to b e taken v erbati m fro m
th e fa
”
m ou s e ssay on l I n égalité d es C o n dition s
’
.

With th e sam e wild disregard for tru th Krop otkin e

.

e ch o e s Rou sse au s p anegy rics on the happi n e ss an d

’

‘
b en evol en ce Of savages ? the frat ernity an d solidarity f

th at di stin gu ish e s tribal life th e h osp itality of p ri m itive

,

p pe o l e s t h e
,i r re sp e c t f or h u m an li f e ; co m p assio n f o r t h e

we ak an d p er son al self sacrifi ce Arrivi n g in evitably at

,
”
-

th e sam e con clii sion s as Weish au p t Krop otkin e argu e s

,

th at h u m an n atu re b ein g S O inh erently b en i gn all re st rain t ,

sh oul d b e rem oved all law an d govern m ent abolish e d even

, ,

m urd erer s sh oul d gO u np u nish e d an d crim in als sh ou ld b e

” 3
sooth e d with fr at ern al care S O iden tical are m any Of
.

the se th eorie s with th ose Of Weish au p t that it is im p os

sibl e n ot to b eli eve t h at like Bakuni n h e had f all en un der
-

, ,

Krop otkin e P a roles d u n révolte p 1 9 ’ ’

1
, . .
,

3 L es Temps p 21
n ou vea u x , . .

3 P aroles ’
d un révolté, pp 223 , 24 2 , 24 4 . .
 THE C OURS E O F ANAR C HY
th e sp ell Illumini sm an d was con sciou sly workin g for the
of

se ct th at had as its obj e ct th e uni versal revolu tion whi ch

sh oul d deal the d e ath blow to soci ety ” -
.

The conne ction b etween all t he su cceedi ng discip l e s of

Weishau p t can onl y b e e stablishe d by com p arin g their
writin gs when it will b ecom e evident th at p assage s so
,

closely re sem bling e ach oth er cann ot b e attribu t e d to m ere

coin ciden ce an d the m ain ideas of World Revolution will
,

b e seen to descen d in un broken sequ en ce from on e revolu

ti on ar y grou p to an other In deed Krop otkin e hi m self
.

inform s u s th at b etween th e Al lian ce S ociale D ém o

crati qu e of Baku ni n an d th e se cret soci eti e s of 1 7 95
” 1
th ere was a di rect affiliation I f then Nihi lism was .
,

workin g in con j un ction with Bakun in s association an d

we cann ot dou bt it it is easy to see how th e th eorie s of

“

th e Phi lad elp h e s p ercolat e d to th e Tchaikovsky C ircle .

It is thu s th at in Krop otkin e s P aroles d r m révolté ’ ’

where m ore th an in any other of hi s writin gs his p rogramm e

of revolu tion is s et fo rth we s eem to h e ar a gai n t h e voic e
,

of t h at e arli er Illumi n at u s Gracchu s Bab euf m em b er of ,

th e Phil adelph e s an d continu e: of th e p l an of Weish au p t .

Alth ou gh n ot a Comm uni st like Bab euf Kr op otkin e a dvo ,

cat es for exam p le the sam e syst em of trade by barter

, , .

”
D o you wish tools and m achin ery ? h e ask s the p eas
ants ; you will com e to an un derstan din g with the work ers
of the town s who wi ll s en d th em to you in exch an e for
, g
your p rodu cts 2
an d we are s erio u sly aske d to im a in e
g
lif e con du ct ed by m ean s of th is con tin u al wei ghin g u p of
val u es th e p ea san t re qu irin g a scyt h e de sp atching to
th e town a sitting of tu rkeys e ggs an d th e worth b eing
’
-

‘
deem ed in sufii ci ent receivi n g in exchan ge a ch isel
,

whi ch h e do e s not happ en to wan t !

Not m erely in p u eriliti e s su ch as the se doe s Krop otkin e
contin u e the tradition of B ab euf b u t also in th e o rganiza ,

tion of th e com in g revolu tion Bab euf it will b e rem em .

b ere d was th e fi rst t o p re ach th e

, gr e at day of th e

p p
e o l e t h e day wh er e on t h e m a dd en e d m ul tit u de
shoul d fli ng itself up on all wealth an d p rop erty as the
’

1 Krop otkin e , The Grea t Preah Revolution

c , p 58 0
. .

2
P ’
aroles d u n révolté, p . 1 66 .
 WOR LD RE VOLU TI ON
p e
r limi n ary to C o mm un ism This sim p l e an d exp editious .

m ethod lon g sin ce aban don e d by th e C omm u nists in

,

f avou r of the gradu al a cqu isition of p olitical p ower was ,

n ow revive d by th e An arch ists wit h th e obj e ct of in au gu

r ati n g thei r rival syst em an d t h u s i n h i s ch ap t er on
,

E xp rop riatio n we fin d Kropot k in e rep rodu cing alm o st

verbatim th e old pro gram m e of Bab euf .

”
Gen eral exp ropriation alon e writ e s Kropotkine , ,

c an satisfy t h e m u ltit u d e of suff erer s an d op pre ssed .

F rom th e d om ain of th eory th ey m u st b e m ade to ent er

that of p ractice B u t in order th at exprop riation shoul d
.

an swer to its p rin cip l e whi ch is to su p p re ss all p rivat e

“

p p
r o e r ty a n d to g iv e back all to all it m u st b e ac c om ,

p li s h e d on a vast scal e On a s m all sc. al e w e s h o u l d s ee

n ot h in g b u t vu l gar p illa ge ; on a large on e 1 t is th e be gin

” 1
n in g of so cial reo rgan izatio n .

B u t alt h ou gh Bakun in ha d de clare d t h at robb ery was .

on e of th e m ost hon o u rable f orm s of Ru ssian n atio n al

”
life an d th at h e who does n ot u n derstan d robb ery ca n
,
“

”2
un derstan d n oth i n g in th e histo ry of th e Ru ssian m asse s ,

it app ears th at th e p lan of laying viol ent h an d s on all

p p
ro e rty was o n e to which t h e p e o p l e co u ld n o t b e

exp e ct e d y et to rise : It wou ld b e a fatal error Krop ot ,

kin e observes regretfu lly to b eli eve th at th e ide a of

,

exp ro p ri atio n h a s y et p en et r at e d i n to th e m in ds of all

t h e worker s an d b e com e on e of t h ose con victio n s fo r wh ich

” 3
a n u pri ght m an is re ady to sacrifice h i s life F ar fro m i t I .

An d he go e s on to exp lain th e n ec essity of edu catin g th e

p p
e o l e u p to t h is s u bli m e id e al .

In o rd er to er su ade th e Ru ssian p e asan ts to emu lat e

p _

those of F ran ce l n th e pre ce din g cen tury by seizin g social

riche s , we Revolu tion ary S oci alists h e writ e s
.
,

m u st work in ce ssantly from this m o m en t to dissem in at e

th e i dea of exp rop r iation b y all ou r wo rd s an d all ou r a cts
'
“

Let th e wor d exp rop riation p en etrat e into every

,

commu n e of th e co u n try let it b e discu sse d in eve ry village

, ,

an d b e co m e for every workm an a n d every p e asan t

, an ,

in t egral p art of th e wo rd An ar chy an d th en o nl y then , , ,

1
P a oles d u n révolt p 33 7
r
’ ’

e, . .

2
Words to S tu den ts , by Baku nin and
a dd res sed Netchaieq
P aroles d a n révol té, p 3 2 0
’
.
 TH E C OURS E OF ANARC HY 23 1

we sh all be sure th at on th e da y of th e Revolu tion it will

be on all li p s that it will ri se f ormi d abl e b ac k ed b y th e
, ,

whol e pe op l e an d t h at th e b lood of th e pe op le will n ot

,
” 1
h ave fl owed in vai n .

Kr opo tkin e s i d ol Mar at h im self coul d n ot ha ve written

’

a m o re dir e ct in cen tive to violen ce an d wh en w e con si der ,

tha t h e was on e of t h e l ea di n g m em bers of th e Tch ai kovsky

Cir cle an d th at thi s w as t h e ki n d of prop a gan da th e ban d
,

of h e roic m ission aries w as e n gaged in ca rryin g ou t

am o n gst th e p eop le fr om 1 87 2 on war ds w e cann ot won der ,

clar e d , h ad be en inf e cted by th e S oci alist con tagi on ,

2

an d in 1 87 8 wh ole sal e arres ts were or der e d Th en th e .

viciou s circl e be gan a gain : a p rop agan di st B o gu lj ubo fi , ,

w as kn ou ted b y th e po lice an d a wom an re volu tion ary ,

Vera S assu li tch re tali ate d by attem p tin g to shoo t Trepoff

,

th e P refe ct of Poli ce in S t P et er sb ur g ; S assu li t ch w as

.

acqu itt e d b u t Kowalsky th e lea d er of a ban d of revolu

, ,

tion ar ies in O d es sa w as sh ot an d in reven ge M esen t seff

, , ,

(alias S t ep ni ak) on t h e N evsky Pr ospe ct .

Th en foll owe d a se ries of attem p ts on th e lif e of Alex

and er II : in S ep te m ber 1 87 9 th e c on spir at ors led by
.
,

S op hi e P erov skai a an d Leo H artm ann form e d a p lan to ,

blow u p th e h peri al train j u st ou tsi de Moscow bu t onl y ,

E m p er or ; in t h e f ollowin g y ear two oth er Terrorists ,

H al tur in an d S ch elia boff su c cee d ed in exp lodin g a ch arge

,

ace , b ut again th e E m peror es cape d wi th ou t in j ur y .

M ean whil e Alexan d er II with a n ewly ap po in ted .

mini st er Cou n t Lo ri s Melikoff con tinu ed to work ou t

, ,

p lan s f or r e f o rm M elikoff. what e v e r his s

,
h o r tco m i n gs
mi gh t be was a m an of f ar m ore liber al ten den ci es th an hi s
,

p re d e c e sso r s a n d in,d e
e d w e fin d a Fi nn i sh w r it er d e clar ing
th at som e of th e m easures a d op ted by hi m sh oul d h ave
sh own to ev ery th ou ghtf ul pe rso n t h at h e was lann in
p g
 WORL D RE VOLU TIO N
th e introdu ction far re achin g refo rm s which might p er
of -

h ap s h ave led to th e regen eration of Ru ssia 1

Wh eth er .

thi s rs so or n ot it rs certain th at Loris Melikoff was largely

i ‘

in st ru m ental iii d e ci din g the E m p eror to convoke an

advisory assem bly on th e qu e stion of reform s an d m ore , ,

im p ortan t it was Melikoff wh o fin ally on t h e 2n d of

;
‘

March 1 88 1 laid b efore h im th e p lan of a con stitu ti on .

Are w e to b eli eve th at as has b een alre ady su gge st e d ,

th e wo rd C on stit u tion was th e rallyin g cry of th e

secret societi e s ? We h ave seen th at in th e Fren ch R evolu
tion both th e framin g of th e C on stitu tion rn 1 7 89 an d its
accep tan ce by th e ki n g i n 1 7 9 1 b e m
ca e th e sign als for
fre sh o u tb re aks of revolu tion ary fu ry we have seen th e
D ekab rist ou tb reak of 1 825 in Ru ssia led by th e sam e war - v

cry , an d n ow again i n Ru ssia of 1 88 1 th e sam e stran ge

p h en o m en o n occu rs .

No soon er had Melikoff em barked on his career of

reform s than an att em p t had b een m ade to m u rder hi m ,

an d on th e very day th at Alexan der II signed th e Con .

sti tu tion h e was cu t down by th e h an d of an assassin .

E ven Prin ce Kr op otkin e is obli ge d to reco gnize t h e

E m p ero r s co u rage an d n oble self s acrifi ce at that su p rem e
’
-

mom ent when at a si gnal from S op hie P etrovskaia a

, ,

bom b was thrown at th e I m p erial carriage as it p assed

alon g the road by th e C atherine C anal ; only the m ou n t e d
C os sacks Surroun din g it receive d any in j u ri e s an d th e
coachm
,

an u rged the Tsar to allow him to drive on out of

dan ger But Alexan der refu se d to leave hi s foll owers to
.

th ei r fat e an d deliberat ely went forth to m eet his death .

As h e walked towards th e woun ded an d dying C ossacks

lying 1 n th e snow b e side hi s carriage a secon d assassin with
in con ceivable cowardice th rew anoth er bom b and this ,

tim e Alexan der fell m ortally woun ded .

Th e sam e night th e draft of th e Con stitu tion b earing

th e E m o s si at was to i to a h d d f a
’

p e r r gn u re r n n u n re r g
’
m ents by one of his son s advisers .

S o en ded for the m om ent all hop e of refo rm rn Ru ssia .

I n evitable re action followed on this d astar dly crim e Th e .

con sp irator s S ch eli ab off R y s sakoff

, S op hie Pet rov
,

1
The R evolu ti onary Movement i n Russi a , by . Konni Zilliacu s , p 1 0 1
. .
skaia , an d two others were p u t to death it is said with ,

f earful cru elty .

B u t th ou gh we m u st exe cr at e the se barbarou s m eth ods

of retaliatio n w e m u st surely adm it t h at b ru tality was to
,
”
b e f ou n d on both side s I f we p ity th e so call ed m artyr s
.
-

of I m p e ri al d e sp otism m ay w e n ot also as k : What p ity h a d

th ese m en an d wom an felt for thei r victim s not onl y for

th e agents of d esp otism th ey set ou t to de stroy b u t for ,

th e inn ocen t m en of th e p eo p l e sacrifice d with th em ? Wh at

re gard h a d t h ey sh own for h um an lif e in t h ei r att em p ts to

wre ck th e I m p erial train ? Wh at of th e en gine driver an d

'

oth er em p loyés involve d in th e di sast er ? What of th e

m any p eop l e actu ally killed an d wo un ded in this att em p t
th at miscarri ed ? What of the thi rty soldi ers on du ty who
p e rish e d i n t h e e xp losio n at t h e Wi n t er Palac e ?
Let us p ity th en th e m artyr s
, , whose to rtu re s no
circum stan ce s can j u stify b u t let u s r eserve som e p ity
,

for th ose h um ble an d forgott en victim s whom no

revol u tion ary writ er s eem s to co n sider of th e sli ght e st con

sequ en ce
ANA R C HY IN WE S T E R N E U RO P E

I n 1 87 8 Western E u rop e exp erien ce d a rep ercu ssron of

th e Ru ssian T erro r a n d th e four le adi n g An archi sts
, ,

Krop otkin e C afi ero Malat e sta an d B rou sse organize d a

, , , ,

worl dwi d e sch em e of violen ce de scrib e d by them as th e

”
Prop agan da of th e D eed which fou n d its first exp res ,

sion in a n attem p t on the life of Kin g H u m b ert of Italy .

This ou trage was followed by two att em p ts of th e sam e

ki n d direct ed again st th e E m p eror William I of Germ any . .

I f we are to b eli eve S ocialist writ er s n eith er H odel n or D r , .

Karl N obilin g who within a m onth fire d at th e E m p eror in

,

B erlin h ad any conne ction with th e S ocialist or An archi st

,

m ovem en t b ut serve d si m ply as a p ret ext for th e an ti

,

S ocialist law whi ch Bism arck p assed t riu m p h antly at th e

e n d of t h e y e a r This woul d b e qu it e in keep in g wi th Ger
.

m an I m p erial p olicy whi ch h a d always con siste d l n cru sh

,

in g at h om e th e su bversivefo rc e s i t u s e d so freely abroad ,

an d it is qu it e p ossibl e t h at a h alf witt e d yo u th s u ch as

'

H odel with p hoto grap hs of th e le adi ng S ocialists ,

234 WO RL D RE V OLU TION
Liebkneckt an d Beb el p l ac e d in his p ockets by th e B erli n
,
-

p olic e m ay h ave b een h i r e d f or dee d th e , a gen ts

"
of cou rse a f avou rit e resou rc e of au to
‘

provoca teu rs are , ,

cratic governm ents .

Bism arck was thu s able to nrp 1 n the bu d n ot on ly

'

S ocialism bu t An archy which in th e p erson of Joh ann ,

Most th re at ene d to b ecom e a dan ger .

Germ any itself , as Zenk er observes m ay b e t erm e d ,

” 1
th e m ost free from An arch ists of any cou nt ry rn E ur op e
k

m
.

The geni us of th e Ge rm an p e op l e is n at u r ally di sin

clin e d to I n dividu alism a n d wh e t h e r in th e f o rm of ,

Pru ssian mi lit arism or of S tat e S ocialism always favou rs

m ass form ation It was th u s by the S oci al D em ocrats .

them selve s th at Most was fin ally e xp elle d I t will b e n oticed

“

.
_

th at wh enever agitators threaten seriously to distu rb t h e

ac i G m a y th y it h m i l s r ss d
'

p e e n er n e a r e e er s u rn a r y u pp e e

or use d f or exp ort p r ef e r ably to E n gla n d W h e t h e r i n .

accord an c e with this p lan or on hi s own initiative M est !

cam e to Lon don in 1 8 7 9 where h e o rganiz ed a society ,

”
calle d the U nit e d S ocialists on th e p rin cip le s of Marx s ,
’

Commu ni s t M a nifes to an d havi n g for its m otto th e ,

”
Marxi an battle cry Worker s of all cou ntrie s unit e I -
, , .

At th e sam e tim e h e foun de d a secret association u n der

‘

th e n am e Of th e Prop agan dist C lub with a vi ew to p re

” 2
p ari n g th e gen er al r evol u tio n .

Yet in Lo n d on h e f ou n d an even l e ss fru it ful field for

his lab ou rs than in B erlin E n glan d th e an ci en t refu ge .
,
”
of p ol itical o ff en ders wrote Zenker in 1 8 95 alth ou gh it , ,

h as shelt ered B akuni n Krop otkine Reclu s M ost P enkert , , , , ,

Loui se Michel C afi ero M alat esta and oth er Anarchist , , ,

l eaders an d still sh elt ers s om e of th em ; alth ou gh Lon don

,

is rich in An archist clu bs an d newsp ap ers m eetings and , ,

c on gre ss e s ; yet p oss e ss e s n o An ar ch ism n ative to th e

“

soil an d has form ed at all tim es m erely a kin d of exch an ge

,
’

o r m arket p lace for An archist ide as m otive f o r c e s

-
an d , ,

t h e lit er at u re of agitation Lon don is e sp e cially th e he ad .

qu arters of Germ an An archism ; th e E n glish workin g

classe s have however always re gar de d their ide as very
, ,

1 E . V . Zenker ,
A na rchi s m ( E n g .
p 238
. .

Dr . Zach er ,
Di e R othe I
 THE C OURS E OF ANAR C HY 23 5

col dl y whil e th e Governm en t h ave always regarded the

,

ecc en t ric p roce e din gs of th e An ar chi sts as lon g as th ey ,

confin ed th em selve s m erely to talkin g or writin g in th e ,

” 1
m ost lo gical spiri t of th e d octrin e of lai s s er a i re .

In d eed so st ur dy was th e resistan ce offere d by B ritish

,

Labour to Most s doctrine s th at wh en h e en d eavo u red to

’

p u b li sh hi s a
p p e r F r eed om n o p rin t er co u l d b e f o u n d to s e t
u p th e ty p e Al as ! with th e sp re ad
. of e du cation

s u ch ob s tacl es h ave lon g sin ce b een rem ove d !

I n 1 88 1 P rin ce Krop otkin e visit e d Lon don an d foun d

hi s recep tion eq u all y discour agin g At hi s m eetin gs h e was .

obli ged to talk to almost em p ty b en ch es . O nl y in th e

“

town s of th eN orth w
.

ere an archi c doctri nes met with som e

_
‘ “

”
d egree of en thu siasm Th e y ear I p asse d in Lon don
. he ,

wr ot e de sp on den tly was a y ear of real exil e For one

,
.

who held advan ced S ociali st opini on s th ere was n o at m os

p h e r e to b r e at h e i n T h e r e was n.o si g n o f t h at an i m at e d
S ocialist m ovem en t whi ch I foun d so largely develo p ed
on m y ret urn in

What was it th at p rovide d th e fresh im p et u s to th e

p l an o f Wo rld R e vol u tio n d u r in g t h os e fi v e y e ar s ? I n t h e

p ast ,
as w e h av e se en th e s e c re t soci e ti e s, had p r ovid e d t h e

m edi um thr ou gh whi ch it was abl e to work an d af t er their ,

absorp tion by the I nt ern ation ale th e so call e d Workin g -

M en s Association had b ecom e th e great cover for its

’

activi ti es B u t now th at th e I nt ern ation al e was de ad it

.

b ecam e n ece ssary for th e secret societie s to r eor gani z e an d ,

it is at thi s crisis that we fin d th at form i dabl e s e ct

sp rin gin g to lif e again the ori gi n a l I llu m i n a ti of

Th e facts abou t thi s re su scitat ed o rd er are v ery diffi

cul t to ascertain for n atur ally th ey h ave b een carefu lly
,

k ept from th e p u blic an d as in th e case of th e earli er ,

1
An hi m p 24 2
a rc s ,Z enker here dis pl ys rem arkable di scernm ent
. . a
wi t h r egard to th e attit u d e of t h e Bri t i h G ov e nm en t whi ch is u s u ally s r ,

in co m p reh ensibl e to foreign ers , t h e p rev al en t i d e a on t h e Co ntin en t

( p
es e ci all y in F ran ce) b ein g
th at t h e to l eran ce di s p l ay ed in t his co un try
g
t ow ar d s ali en agi tators sprin s from a p rof oun d M a chi avelli an p oli cy of
en co ura in g gs u bversive i d eas f or t h e wea kenin o f rival p o wers To th e g .

F ren ch min d our n ation al n ai vete is in con c eiv a ble ; it ca nn ot b eli eve th at
g
we really re ard t h ese p eop le as h arm less eccentri cs Wh om it would be
tyranni cal t o s u p press .

1 Memoi rs o a R evolu ti ona r

f y, 1 1 2 5 1 . .
 236 WORLD RE VOLUTI ON
I llum in ati of 1 77 6 every effort has b een m ade byintere sted
writers to con ceal th e exist en ce of the so ci ety or if it m u st , ,

b e ad m itt e d to rep re sen t it as a p erfe ctly inn ocu ous an d

,

u ni m p ortan t association .

Wh at we do know definit ely is that the s ociety was

n ot in 1 896 as it h a s b een
1
refo u n de d in D res de n in 1 880

asserte d b u t it seem s that its exist en ce was n ot di s

covered until 1 899 That it was con sciou sly m odell ed on
.

its ei ght eenth centu r y p re de c e ssor i s cl e ar fr o m th e f act

-

that its chi ef on e Leop old E n gel was th e au thor of a

, ,

len gthy p an egyric on Weish au p t an d hi s Ord er en title d ,

Ges chi chte des I llu mi n a ten Ordens (p u blishe d in an d

in 1 90 3 th e o ri gin al lodge at I n gold sta dt was restore d The .

offi cial organ of the association from 1 8 93 onwards was

D as Wort Th e socrety is s till in exist en ce an d is b elieved
.

to num b er adh erents not only on the C on tinent b ut in ou r '

co u rse we shall b e assur ed that th is association had

Of
no co n n e ctio n with th e co u rse of th e Wo rld Revolu tio n ;
.

y e t t h e f act r e m ai n s that th e y e ar of 1 880 in whi ch it

, was
refo u n de d i n au gu r at e d a re c ru d e sc en ce of t he revolu tion
,

ary m ovem en t both in E u ro p e an d Am en ca .

On th e 20 th of Au gu st of thi s sam e y ear a secret

revolu tion ary con gre ss was h eld at Wyden in S witz erlan d ,

which br ou ght abo u t a defini t e ru p ture b etween th e two

.

Germ an gro up s th e S ocial D em ocr ats led by Li eb ,

kn e ch t an d B eb el form ally exp ellin g th e Ana rchi sts led by

, ,

Joh ann Most an d Ha sselm ann Th e theory of the latt er as .

su mm ari z e d by Z acher will b e seen to b e identical with th e

p la n o f t h e fi r st Ill u m in ati : Th e y h eld t h e existi n g o rd er

of thin gs to b e so co rr u p t t h at th ey w e re r e ady to co m p ass

its overth row by any m ean s however violent with out con , ,

cernin g them selve s as to wh at sh oul d take th e pla ce of that fl

.

wh ich they de stroye d Thei r i dea l was uni versa l cha os

.
,

whi ch mu s t have as i ts neces s ary consequ en ce the w a r of a ll

” 2
aga i n s t a ll a nd the break u p of a ll ci vi li z a ti on
-
.

Th e conn e ction b etween these p lott er s an d th e Nihilists

of Ru ssia is als o cl e arly app arent Two days aft er th e
.

D ie R eligion in Ges chi ch te u n d G eg en wart

”
1 E ncyclopedi a ed it ed
, ,

by Fri edri ch S ch i ele nd Leop ld Zs ch arn ack ( Tubin gen 1 9 1 2) article

o

on I ll u m in a t en
”
.
a Zach er Di e R othe I nternati onale
2
,
,

.
 THE C OURS E OF ANAR C H Y 237

a ssassin ation of Al exan der II H as selrn ann h a d addre ssed a .

m eetin g in N ew York from wh ich a m essage of sy m p athy ,

was sent to th e Ru ssian Nihi lists containi n g this p hr ase :

B roth ers we th o rou ghl y approve your p rocedur e Kill
,
.
,

de stroy m ake of everyt hin g a ta bu la ra sa till you r en em i e s

,
” 1
an d o u r s h ave b een ann i h ilat e d Th e exact fo rm ul a of .

N1 h1 h sm will b e h ere re co gni ze d .

Th e S ocial D em ocr ats di ff ered onl y fro m th e An archi sts

in b eli evin g th at this con su mm ation sho ul d b e effe ct e d by
a m ore gradual process ; an d h erein as Z acher p oin ts ou t , ,

li e s th eir sole claim to m oderation if th e S ocialist

p a rty att e m p ts b e fo re th e o u t er wo rld to p lay th e r ol e of
a p eaceable p arty of reform thi s is n othin g m ore th an a ,

str at e gical m an oeu vre in order to m aintain a show of

legality in th e face of p u blic op ini on an d n ot to fright en
‘

waverers away However divergent th erefore m ay

.
, ,

b e th e vi ews of th e two f action s of Germ an S ocialists i e , . .

th e S ocial D em ocrats an d An archi st s with re gard to th e ,

p olicy to b e p u r s u e d a n d th e fi n al goal to b e attain e d y et ,

they both rest u p on th e sam e f oun dation th at is th e con

'

, ,

vi cti on th at th e p re sen t syst em cann ot con tin u e an d m u st

therefore be overthrown whi ch can onl y take p lace by ,
”
forcible m ean s .

Moreover by the resp ective organ s of th e two p arties

, ,

th e S oz i a ldem okra t of th e so calle d m oderat e s an d th e ,

-

Freihei t of th e An archists we fin d th e ori ginal ideas of ,

Weishau p t Clootz an d B akuni n clearly exp re sse d Thu s

, , .
,

for exam pl e in th e m att er of reli gion th e S oz i a ldem okra t

,

fo r the 25 th of May 1 880 de clare s that it m u st b e c an

di dly avowed C hristian ity is th e bitt ere st en em y of S ocial
D em ocracy When God is driven ou t of the b rains
.

of m en th e wh ol e syst em of rivil e ge by th e gr ac e of God

,
p
co m e s to th e groun d an d when H eaven here aft er is recog ,

ni z e d as a bi g li e m en will att em p t to e stab li sh H e aven

,

here Th erefore whoever assails C hristianity assails at

.
,

th e s am e ti m e m on archy and cap italism

” 2
, .

I n th e s am e m ann er th e F rei hei t for F eb ru ary

‘
charact eriz ed C hristian ity as a swi n dle invent e d by
”
j u ggl ers an d went on to ob serve : Do bu t read th e
,

1
Zach er Di e Rothe Interna ti onale p 2 8
,
2 I bid
p 25
, . . . . .
 WORL D RE VOLUTIO N
B ible throu gh su pp osin g you can overcom e th e disgu st
,

th at m u st seize you wh en you open th e p ages of th e m ost

inf am o u s of all sh am eful b oo k s das in fam st e aller
S ch an db uch er an d you m ay soon observ e th at th e God

wh om this twa d dl e in cu lcat e s is a m illion h e ad ed fire -

,
” 1
sp ittin g ven gean ce bre athin g ferociou s dragon
,
-
, .

Th e w ar on th e bou rgeoi si e wage d by Marat Rob es ,

p i err e , Cl o o t z a n d H,
e b e rt u n de r t h e i nfl u e n c e o f t h e

Illum in ati is again de clared by F rei hei t for D ecem b er 1 8 ,

1 880 : It is n o lon ger aristocracy an d royalty th at th e

‘

p p
e o l e c a n i n t e n d to d e st roy H er e p e r ha
.
p s b u t a c ou p d e

g r a ce o r two . a re y e t n e e d e d No b u t i n
. t h e co m,i n g
on slau ght the obj ect is to sm it e th e entire mi ddl e class with -

”
annihilation Or again : E xtirp at e all th e con t em p tibl e
.

brood ! S u ch is th e refrain of a revolu tion ary son g .

S cren ce n ow p u ts m e an s in to our han ds which m ake it

p ossibl e to arr an ge for th e whol e sal e d e stru ction of th e
” 2
bru t e s in a p erfectly qui et an d bu siness like fa shi on etc -
,
.

I n J ul y 1 88 1 th e An ar chi st s assem bl e d a sm all I n t er

n atio n al R evol u tion ary C o n gre ss in Lon don u n der th e

aegi s of Johann M ost an d th e Germ an J ewish Nih ilist -

,

Hart m ann au th or of th e p lot for blowin g u p th e C zar s

’

t rain s two ye ar s earli er at which P rin c e Krop ot kine was

p r e s e n t as d e l e gat e f r o m t h e A n ar ch ists o f Ly on s A m o n g st .

th e re solu tion s p asse d were th e followi n g :

Th e revolution aries of all cou ntries are unitin g into an
In tern ational S ocial R evolu tionary Working Men s Associa ’

tion for th e purpose of a social revolu tion Th e h ead qu arters .

of th e Association is at Lon don an d su b com m ittee s are form e d

,
-

in Paris Gen eva an d N ew York

, , Th e comm ittees of each
.

cou ntry keep u p regular correspon dence am on gst th em selves

an d wi th th e chi ef com mi ttee by m ean s of int erm edi ate addresses
for th e sake of givi ng con tinu ou s inf orm ation ; an d i t is th eir
du ty to collect m on ey for th e p u rch ase of p oison an d arm s as ,

well as to di scover p laces su itable for th e con stru ction of m in es ,

e tc . To attain th e p rop osed en d th e annihilation of all rul ers , ,

m ini sters of S tate n obility th e clergy th e m ost p rom inen t

, , ,

ca pitalists an d oth er ex p loiters any m ean s are p erm issible

, , ,

an d th erefore great att en tion sh ou ld b e given sp e c ially to th e

stu dy of chemi stry and th e preparation of explosives as being ,

th e m ost im p ortant weap on s etc ,

.

ach e , Di e R othe I n terna t on 7 I bid p

2
1
,
Z r i l
a , p
e 2 . . .

‘ enker, A n archi sm
1a
Z Z
23 1 ; ach er , Di e R othe I nterna ti ona le
, p . .
 THE C OURS E OF ANAR C HY
Thi s was a little too m u ch even for the c onfi di ng B ritish
Govern m en t an d jM ost was at last con dem n e d to ei gh t een
'

m on th s im p risonm en t D isgu st e d at thi s t re at m ent an d

’
.
,

still m ore at his di fficul ti es with th e p rintin g of h s F rehei t

i

Most gru m blin g l eft th ankl ess old E n glan d an d went to

, ,

th e N ew World wh ere h owever h e was if p ossibl e tak en

, , ,

even l e ss s erio u sly ”

1
.

Prin ce Krop otkin e also sh ook th e du st of B ritain off hi s

”
feet . My wif e an d I h e writ e s felt so lon ely in
, ,

Lon don an d our eff orts to awaken a S ocialist m ovem ent

,

in E n glan d seem ed so h op el e ss t h at in th e au tum n of 1 882 ,

we deci d ed to rem ove again to F r an ce We were sur e th at .

in Fran ce I shoul d soon b e arrest e d ; b u t w e oft en said to

” 2
e ach ot h er B ett er a Fren ch prison th an this grave
,
.

P eop le who s ee in th e Ru ssian revolu tion ary m ov em en t

only th e n atu ral re sul t of rep re ssion will do well to n ot e
thi s p assage Th e am azin g de gre e of l ib erty accorde d by
.

th e B ritish Governm en t to th e f o rei gn agitator elicits from

hi m no word of gratit u de or app re ciatio n n or do e s it seem ,

to occur to hi m that th e fact of E n glan d b ein g a free

'

coun try mi ght h ave som ethin g to do with th e difficul ty of

ro u sin g in it a S p irit of reb elli on To Krop otkin e thi s land .

of lib erty even m ore than C zarist Ru ssia was

, a gr ave , .

It will b e seen that th e re cru de sc en ce of th e revolu tion

ary m ov em en t cann ot th en b e att rib u t e d to a ny s u bver sive

t en den ci es on the p art of the p eop le b u t coin cides exactly ,

with the reorganization of the Illum in ati E ven th e m ost .

in cre dul ou s m u st su rely admi t it to b e a cu ri ou s coin ciden c e

th at th e society was recon stru ct e d in 1 880 an d that on
Janu ary 1 1 88 1 , that is to say th e very y ear when ,

Prin ce Krop otkine was lam entin g th e lack of S ocialist

ent h u siasm am on gst th e B ritish wo rki n g classe s Mr -
.

Hyn dm an i n th e N i n eteen th Cen tu ry an n ou n ce d Th e

”
D awn of a Revolu tion ary E p och It is evident that on ce .

again the p eop le were n ot in th e se cret of th e m ovem en t

a n d t h at p rep ar ation s were goi n g fo rward witho u t thei r

kn owle dge in co op eration with forei gn revolu tion ari es

-
.

1 Zenker p 24 3 , . .

2
Memoi rs of a Revoluti ni st 1 1 2 54 I n the light of thi s sent en ce it
o , . .

was am u sing to fin d th e Brit ish p es s f rrin g t o Prin ce Kropotkine in

r re e

hi s obit u ary notices as a sin cere lover of E n gland !

24 0 WORL D RE VOLUTION
Th e conn ection b etween th e secret organization s of this
d at e with Germ an Illu mi n ism is m o reover cl e arly eviden t , , .

Th u s in Lo n don a lodge called by th e sam e n am e as that to

which the Illu m in at u s Gracch u s B ab euf h a d b elonge d
th e P hi lad elphes carrie d on the rite of M em p his
fo u n ded , it is said by C agliostro on E gy p tian occu ltism
,

a n d ini tiat e d ade ts in to th e hi gher gr ade s of illum i ni z ed

p
Freem asonry It wa s h ere that Johann Most an d Hart
1
.
'

m ann co n du ct e d their in t ri gu es and that in sp it e of th e ,

re calcit ran c e of th e p rin t er s they su cceeded for a tim e ,

in p u blishin g their jo ur n al Frehei t an d it was by asso ,

ci ation s of th e sam e ki n d in N ew Yo rk C h icago an d , ,

Phi ladelp hia that both Most and H artm ann were received
on their arrival in Am erica Th at these Am erican associa .
r

tion s were continuou sly in tou ch with th e An archi st m ove

m en t in E n glan d is cle ar from th e f act that d el egat e s h ad
b een sen t by them to att en d th e aforesaid In t ern ation al
C on gre ss in Lon don in J ul y 1 88 1 with th e obj ect of
stu dying chemical m ethods whi ch mi ght b e u seful to th e
” 2
work of revolu tion .

I n all t h e se p lottin gs E n glan d seem s to have b een th e

chi ef obj e ctive as th e followin g ext raordin ary p assage that
,

app e are d in th e N ew York World a y ear or two later

t e stifi es :
CA ECRA S E Z LE S I N F A ME S !
I RA !

The storm of revolu tion i s loom in g and lowering over E urope

whi ch will cru sh ou t an d obliterate for ever th e hydra h eaded
_
-

m on archi es and nobilities of th e Old World I n Ru ssia th e .

Nihilist i s astir I n Fran ce th e C om mu nist is th e com in g m an

. .

I n Germ any th e S oci al D em ocrat will soon rise again in h is

million s as in th e days of Ferdi n an d Lassalle I n Italy the .

Internationalist is frequ ently h eard from I n S p ain th e m arks .

of th e B lack Han d h ave b een visib le on m any an occasion In .

Irelan d th e Fenian an d Avenger terrorise an d in E nglan d th e ,

Lan d Leagu e i s growin g All cry alou d for th e blu e b lood of th e

.

m on arch a n d th e aristocrat Th ey wish to see it p ou rin g again

.

on th e scaffold Will it be b y th e gu illotin e that cu t off th e head

.

of Loui s XVI ? Or by th e h eadsm an s ax e th at d ecapi tated

’
.

Ch arles I ? Or by th e dyn am ite that search ed ou t th e V itals

.

of A a
lex n d er th S
e e co n d ? Or will it b e by th e h angm an s noose
’

arou n d th e n eck of h t e n ext B ri ts

i h m o ac
n r h ?

1
Des ch am p s ,
iii 6 2 8
. .
2
I bi d iii
. . 6 29 .
 THE C OURS E OF ANAR C HY 24 1

No one can tell bu t that the com in g E nglish sans cu lottes ,

th e descen dants of Wam b a th e FOO1 an d Gu rth th e S wi n eh erd ,

will di scover th e n ecessary m ethod an d relentles sly em p loy it .

Th ey will m ake th e nobles wh o fatten an d luxuriate in th e

castles an d abb eys and on the lan d s stolen from th e S axon
, ,

sacrilegiou sly robb ed from th e Catholi c Chur ch an d kep t from

th e p easantry of th e vill ages an d th e labour er of th e town s
wi sh th ey h ad n ever b een born Th ey will b e th e ex ecu tion ers
.

of th e fate so j u stly m erited b y th e ari stocrati c crim in als of th e

p ast a n d th e p re s en t Th e cr y t
.h a t th eir s i s b lu e b loo d a n d
that th ey are th e p rivileged caste will n ot avail the m en an d
wom en of rank wh en the E nglish Repu bli c is born Th ey will .

h ave to expiate th eir tyranni es th eir m ur d ers th eir lu sts and

, , ,

their crim es in accordan ce with th e law given on S in ai am id th e

thu n d ers of h eaven : Th e sins of th e fath ers sh all b e visited
” 1
u pon th e chil dren even u nto th e thir d an d fourth gen eration s .

S ir Lep el Griffin who qu ot e s the se ravin gs adds th e

, ,

S i gn ifican t wor d s : It is n ece ssary to n ot e th at th e N ew

York World is e di t e d by a Germ an .

I f we do n ot b eli eve in a conn ection b etw ee n occul t

forces an d wo rl d revolu tio n how are w e to exp lain th e se
p e rio di c o u tb u r sts of re vol u tio n ar y f u r y p r oc ee di n g n o t
from th e p eop l e b u t from th e en em i e s of th e coun try
a gain st whi ch they are dire ct ed ? Accor ding to Mr Hyn d .

m an in th e afo re said articl e th e m ovem en t was largely

, ,

develop ing un der the au sp ices of th e Jews an d it is int er ,

e stin g to co m p are t hi s p rop h e cy with that of Disra eli that

h ad imm e diat ely p re ce ded th e 1 84 8 exp losion for th e ,

p oi n t o f V i ew i n both wi ll b e s een to b e i d en tical

Th e influ en ce of th e J ews at th e p resent tim e is m ore notice
able than ever . Th ey are at th e h ead of E urop ean cap i
t ali sts I n p oli tics m any Jews are in th e front rank Th e
. .

p ress in m ore th an on e E u rop ean cap i tal i s alm ost w h olly in

th eir hands Th e R oth schilds are bu t th e leadin g nam e am ong a
.

whole series of capitalist s etc , Bu t whilst on the on e h an d

.

th e Jews are thu s b eyon d di sp u te th e lead ers of th e p lu tocracy

of E ur op e another section of th e sam e race form th e
leaders of th at revolu tionary p rop agan da whi ch is m aki ng way
a gain st th at very cap itali st class rep resen ted b y th ei r own
f ellow-J ews Jews . m ore th an any oth er m en h ave h eld
forth against those wh o m ake th eir livin g not by p rodu cing
valu e bu t by tradi ng on th e di ff eren ces of valu e ; they at thi s
,

m om ent are actin g as the lead ers in th e revolu tionary m ove

1 The Grea t R epu bli c , by S ir Le p el H enry Grifi n pp 3 -4
. .
24 2 WORLD RE VOLUTI ON
m ent which I have end eavoured to trace S urely wehave herea . .

very strange phenom en on Those therefore who are

.
, ,

accu stom ed to look u pon all Jews as essentially practical an d

con servative as certain t oo to enl ist o n th e S id e of th e p revail
, , ,

ing social system will b e obliged to reconsid er th eir con clu sion s
, .

Bu t th e whole su b j ect of th e ba d an d good eff ects of J ewish

“

influ en ce on E ur op ean social con di tion s i s worth y of a m ore

thorou gh investigation th an can be un d ertaken h ere E nough .
,

that in the p eriod we are app roachin g n ot th e slightest influ en ce

on th e sid e of revolu tion wi ll b e th at of th e Jew .

Th at Jews b elon gin g to both th e revolu tion ary cam p s

of An ar chy an d of S tat e S ocialism w ere n ow c o op er atin g -

in th eir effo rts to overth row th e e xistin g Social syst em is

seen from an oth er p assage in Mr Hyn dm an s works in .
’

which h e de scrib e s a visit h e p aid to Karl Marx wh en th e

anarchist H art m ann was presen t Th at t h e se two Jews
1
.

both de sire d th e d own fall of th e co u n try wh ich so foolish ly

off ered th em hosp itality is fu rth er evident
“
.

Al re ady twelve y e ar s e arlier Marx h a d form e d h is p lan

of attack on Gre at B ritain I n th e I n stru ction s issu e d by
.

'

th e Ge n eral C o un cil of th e I n t ern ation ale si gn e d by

Du p on t th e acolyte of M arx an d de sp atch e d from Lon don
, ,

to Gen eva in 1 870 th is axiom h ad b een laid down :

,

Althou gh revolu tion ary ini tiative m u st co m e from

Fran ce E n glan d alon e can serve a s a lever for a seriou s
,
”
e co n o m ic revolu tio n .

B u t this revolu tion was n ot to b e b rou gh t abou t by th e ,

E n glish workers for th e in stru ctio n s go on to say :

,

Th e General Cou n cil b eing placed in the hap py p osition of

h avin g i ts h an d on th e great lever of th e proletarian revolu tion ,

what f olly to let it fall into purely E nglish han ds ! 2

Th is p olicy is then su mm ed up in the followrn g m essage

by Marx :
1 E n glan d i s th e only cou ntry rn which a r eal S ocialist
.

revolu tion can b e m ade .

2 The E n glish p eople can not m ake this revolution

. .

3 Foreigners m u st m ake it for th em

.
.

4 Th e forei gn m em b ers , th erefore , m u st retain their seats

.

at th e Lon don board .

1 Hyn dm an ’
R emi ni s cen ces , p 280
s . .

2
D es ch am p s , ii 56 9 . .
 THE C OURS E O F ANARC HY 24 3

5 Th e p oint to strike at first is

. Ireland , and in Ireland th ey
ready to b egi n th eir work
1
are .

The se E n glish D up ont added ,

have all the m ate ,

rials n ee d e d for a S ocialistic revolu tio n ; what t h ey lack

are th e gen er alizin g sp irit a n d th e revolu tion ary fi re .

Th e au th o r of th e S ecret H i s tory wh en ce we glean thi s ,

g e m O bs,e r v e s :

What then ? Karl Marx E u gene Du pont an d George , ,

E ccariu s m u st clu tch their power an d keep th eir seats Th ey

,
.

sa
y so b ol dl y T. h e s e gen tlem e n w e re awa re th at a r evolu

tionary m arch is n ot an easy thin g in Lo n don wh ere the p eop le ,

a re so in di vi du al in th eir tastes a n d tem p ers an d so stu pidly ,

attached to in dep en dent j u dgm ent private p rop erty and , ,

p erson al ri gh ts Bu t t.h e y we re n o t w i th ou t som e h op e I n .

turni ng to the West they saw a star descen di ng to the Irish S ea .

That star they followed with b eseeching eyes : it trem bled over
Cork The only p oin t wh ere we can strike th e great blow
“
.

again st offi cial E nglan d is on Irish soil I n Irelan d the m ove .

.

m ent i s mad e a hu n dre d tim es m ore easy for u s by th e two prim e

facts th at th e soci al qu estion is th at of ren t an d that th e p eop le ,

are m ore revolu tionary a n d ea p er a t ed th an i n E n glan d .

A fin al p hrase com plet ed M Du p ont s accoun t : .

’

Th e position of th e Int ernationale in face of th e Iri sh qu es

tion is very clear Our first care is to p u sh th e revolu tion in
.

E ngland To thi s en d we m u st stri ke th e first blow in Irelan d 2

.
.

Throu gh what agen cy was this blow to b e stru ck ?

What was the organization on which th e World R evolu
tioni st s dep en d e d for th e exe cu tion of th eir p lan ? Again
a secret soci ety Fro m th e Fren ch Revolu tion onwards it
.

was always by secret soci etie s th at C ontin ental agitators

h a d carri e d on th eir wo rk in I relan d Th e S oci ety of .

United I rish m en foun de d m 1 7 9 1 was as we have alre ady ,

seen di rectly m odelled on th e m eth o d of Weish au p t th e

, ,

S e cret S oci etie s u n der F enton Lalor in 1 84 8 h a d f ollowe d

th e sam e tradition a n d n ow th e F enian s w h o h a d co m e
, ,

into b ein g b etween 1 8 58 an d 1 8 7 0 were o rganizin g th em ,

selve s on th e sam e m o d el Th is was th e soci ety on whi ch

.

M arx an d hi s coun cil dep en de d for su p p ort Th e stat e .

m en t will of co u r se be in di gn an tly d eni e d by th e con sp ir acy

of hi sto ry whi ch se e k s to p r ove F en ian ism like N 1 h 1 h sm ,

1
The S ecret Hi s tory f
o the I n terna ti on a l by On slow Yorke
, , p 1 56
. .
2
I bi d p 1 5 9
. . .
 WORLD RE VOLUTION
to b e in digenou s to th e soil in wh ich it fl ou rished a m ove ,

m ent wh olly un conn e ct ed with th e c en t ral organizatio n of

World Revolu tion B u t as it h ap p en s th e conn ection
.
,

b etween Marx an d th e revol u tion ari es of I relan d is n ot a

m att er of Su r m ise b u t of fact for it r e sts n ot only on th e
,

above qu ot ed m e ssage d at ed Jan u ary 1 1 87 0 bu t receive s

-
, ,

furth er confirm ation fro m a n en t ry in th e records of th e

I n tern ation al e con taining a m e ssage of sym p athy
addre ssed to the F enian s in D ecem b er 1 86 9 by th e Gen
eral C o u n cil of th e I n t ern atio n al e in Lon do n
1
It was .

eviden tly , th erefore on the stren gth of th e m ann er in

,

which this overtu re was receive d th at M arx a few weeks

l at er desp atch e d hi s confi den t declaration to Gen eva .

B u t th e I n t ern ation al e had faile d to b rin g abou t th e

“

desired revolu tion in I relan d an d it was not u ntil the dat e

,

we h ave now re ache d 1 882 aft er Illu m inism had b een

,

re con st ru ct e d that Fenianism which in abou t 1 8 7 2 h ad

,

b ecom e a secret soci ety known as th e I rish Repu blican

,
”
B rot herh ood em barked on its cou rse of dyn am it e ou t
,

ra ge s in Gre at B ritain an d Am erica Th e p atriotic .

C ath olic prelat e M o n sign or Dillon in a co u rse of le ct ur es

, ,
.

h eld in D u blin th u s eloqu en tly warn e d I relan d of th e

,

dan ger to itself an d to all C hristian coun tri es from the

con spiracy th at was seeking to de st roy every n ation al an d
reli gio u s ide al :

I t is not an expression of Irish di scontent fin ding a vent in

d ynami te whi ch E ngland h as m ost to fear from anarchy .

Th e dark di rectory of S ocialism is p owerful , wi se an d deter ,

m ined I t lau gh s at Ireland an d h er wron gs It h ates an d

. .

ever will h ate th e Irish p eop le for th eir fi delity to th e C ath oli c
faith Bu t it seizes u pon those su bj ects which Irish di sconten t
.

in Am erica afford s to m ake th em teach th e m illion s everywh ere

th e p ower of dyn am ite an d th e knif e , an d the revolver again st
, ,

th e com p aratively few wh o h old p rop erty This is th e real .

secret of dynami te ou trages in E n gland in R u ssia an d all th e , ,

world over ; an d I fear we are bu t u pon th e threshold of a social

convu lsion whi ch will try every n ation wh ere th e wiles of the
secret soci eties h ave obtain ed th rou gh th e hate of sen seless
,

Christian sectari es t h e power for Ath eism to dom inate over th e

,

risin g gen eration an d d ep rive it of Christian faith , an d th e fear

and the love of God .

1 Guillaum e ,
Documents de l I nternati onale, i 25 1
’
.
 THE C OURS E OF ANAR C HY
Mon sign or D illon goe s on to de scrib e th e m ann er in
which th e occult p owers enlist th eir du p e s an d sh ows the ,

terrible fat e of
th e Irishm an wh o first b egin s to listen to th e sedu cer of th e
secret society and afterward s becom es him self a sedu cer a
, ,

lead er p erh ap s a traitor in th e d eadly con sp iracy to ru in

, ,

religi on t o d estroy Go d
, His career is often this : At first a hop e .

ful you n g am b itiou s stu den t of hi s cou n try s history h e b egin s

’

, , ,

to feel in di gnation at her wrongs an d wish es to right th em I n ,

.
.

a fatal hou r h e m eets th e tem pter He is sworn into th e terri ble .

sect He gets a comm an d an im portan ce in th e organiz ation

.
, .

He is you thfu l bu t th e season of life wh erein to m ake an hon est

,

livelihood p asses rapidly in intrigu e He knows th e cou rse into .

which h e h as fallen is b a d is inj u riou s to religion b u t h e h op es , ,

to rep ent Bu t havin g lived his b est d ays to con spire h e

.
,

now m u st con sp ire to live an d inured to ba d h abits h e is at last , ,

rea dy for anyth in g .

B y d egree s h e herds with the worst class of Ath eistic

an d S ocialist p lott ers .

An d this is stran ge for while the Irish consp irator m ay b e as

,

able to p lot m ischief as th e worst of th e m iscrean ts with whom

h e associates in Fran ce h e diff ers from th em in this th at in th e
'

, ,

secret of his soul he never loses his faith Th ey know this well .
,

an d th ey watch him u se h im bu t n ever fu lly tru st him

, Many , .

a broken Irish h eart th e children of th e Revolu tion in Paris h ave

m ad e already Many a on e of th ose Irish vi ctim s wi sh es again
.

for th e d ays of his boyish innocen ce an d blessed faith God .

grant tha t th e race of wretch ed m en wh o h ave so often in

th e p ast ensnared generou s h eart ed Cath olic Iri shm en in Irelan d -
,

in Great Britain in Am erica an d elsewh ere m ay en d for ever

, , , .

From su ch false agents an d from th e m ach ination s of all en em ies

,

to Irish Faith we m ay well pray GOD S AVE I RE LAND

, , .

Th e New World like the Old was soon to exp eri en ce , ,

th e eff ects of t h e gre at con sp i racy I n 1 886 th e An ar ch ists .

of Am erica le d by Johan n Most gave evid en c e of t h ei r

, ,

p re s e n c e by a dy n ami t e e xp losio n i n t h e H ay m ark e t of

C hicago B u t it was n ot u n til 1 8 9 1 t h at th e s eri e s of
.

An arch ic ou trage s de scrib e d as th e peri ode tra gi qu e b egan ’

in e arn est Was it again a m ere coin ciden c e t h at in Jul y

.

1 889 an I nt ern atio n al S ocialist C on gre ss in Paris d ecid ed

t h at May 1 wh ich was the day on whi ch Wei shau pt f ou nded
,

the I llu mi n a ti , sh ou ld b e ch osen for an annu al I nt er

n ation al L abour dem on stration an d that it was wi th a ,
 46 WORL D RE VOLUTION
dem on st ration orgam z ed by the An archi sts on M ay 1 .

_
,

1 89 1 that th e peri ode tragi qu e b egan ?

’

For three y ear s a gan g led by R ava ch ol contin u ed to

t errorize th e p opul ation of Paris with bo m bs an d dyn ami te
ou t rage s a serie s of crim e s th at en ded with th e stabbin g of
,

Pre siden t C arn ot at Lyo n s on J u n e 25 1 894 , .

Lat er on followed th e attacks on crowned heads

th e m u rder of th e Em p re ss of Au st ria in 1 898 of Kin g
.
,

H um b ert of Italy in 1 90 0 of Kin g C arlos an d th e Crown ,

Prin ce of Port u gal in 1 90 8 of th e Kin g of Greece in 1 9 1 4 , .

Profe ssor Hun t er who in hi s book Vi olen ce and the

,

La bou r M ovem en t deals in an in t ere sting m anner with th e

p syc h olo gy of t h e m e n wh o p e rp e t r at e d th e s e d e e ds ask s

our sy m p at hy with th em on th e scor e of th eir devoti on to

a cau se Q u oting E mm a Gol dm an s exp lan ation th at they

.
’

were im p elle d not by th e t each in gs of an arch ism bu t by

th e trem en d ou s p re ssu re of co n ditions m akin g life u n b e ar
.

”
able to th eir sen sitive n atu res Professor Hu nt er go es on
‘
,

to ask how it is p ossible for society to take the live s of th es e

”
torm en t ed sou ls driven to de sp eration by th e sorrow
,

an d su fferi n g of th e worl d .

Now to begin with a gre at nu m b er of the p erp etrators

,

of An ar ch ist o u t ra ge s can n ot b e p lace d i n th e cat e gor y of

torm ent e d souls b u t b elon g S imp ly to th e class of com m on
,

crim in als who if th ey had lived a cou p le of centu ri es

,

e arli er wo ul d h ave fo u n d a co n genial c areer as footp ads

, ,

c u t t h roats or ban di tti

-
On e gro u p of Germ an An arch ists
, .

in N ew Yo rk who live d by arson th at is to say by

i n surin g th eir p remises for am ou nts far in exce ss of their
re al valu e an d th en b u rni n g th em down with keros en e

e n de d by m u rd eri n g an d robbi n g a n old wo m an in J ersey

C ity ; R avach ol th e l e ader of th e Paris Terrorist gan g w a s

, ,

fin ally convicted an d execu t e d for stran glin g a m en dican t

herm it ; whilst th e m otor ban dits of 1 9 1 2 led by B onn ot ,

whom we a re also aske d to regard as reb els again st

”
society seem to th e lay m in d in distingu ishable from the
,

highwaym en of rom an ce .

B u t in th e case of th ose torm en t e d soul s which i t

woul d perhap s b e nearer th e tru th to de scrib e as u nb al
an c ed b r ain s who app e ar to b e victim s of an idea rath er
 THE C OURS E O F ANARC HY 24 7

th an of m ere cri min al instincts th e p oint overlooke d

—
,

an d we cann ot h elp thin king wi lft overlooked by

Profe ssor Hunt er is that th ey were n ot solitary f an atic s
a ctin g on irre sistibl e in di vi du al i m p u lse b u t th e a gen ts of a

con sp ir acy Th e art of the secret so ci eti es h as always b een

.

to seek ou t p hysical an d m ental degenerat es an d work u p on

th eir m in ds un til they h ave rou sed th em to th e requi sit e
degree of revolu tion ary fervour Boun d at th e sam e tim e .

by terribl e oath s th e wretch e d tools select e d for each

,

c rim e se t f o rt h on th ei r tasks kn owin g ful l well there coul d

b e n o t urnin g b ack for fear of th e ven ge an ce of their

in stigator s E ven as recen tly as th e attack on M Clem en
. .

Oean t h e weak mi n de d yo u th C ottin admi tte d that h e was

-

a m em b er of a secret society an d hi s connection with the

An archist m ovem ent was cle arly e stablished by th e p ap ers
fo un d at hi s lodgin gs .

It is n ot th en th e se p oor creatur e s who shoul d b e led to

th e scaff old or cage d in p ri son c ells un til they lap se in t o
im b ecili ty ; th e lu n atic asylum sh oul d b e reserve d for su ch
as the se th e scaff ol d for th e su p erior s of the secret soci eti e s
,

wh o dire ct t h eir st roke s B u t h ardly le ss gu ilty are th e

.

san e an d re sp on sible S ocialists like Profe ssor Hun t er who ,

by their glo rification of or1 m e 1 m p el other weak minds to ,

follow th e sam e course .

Whilst An archy was thu s m aki n g itself felt throu ghou t

E u rop e S ocialism p ur su e d a m ore l eisu rely cou rse As in
, .

all revolu tion ary m ovem en ts violen ce had won the day ,

an d t h e d e clin e in p o p ul ar f avou r t h at had b egun

w it h t h e

anti Marx ian dem onstration s of 1 87 2 con tinu e d to the en d

-

of Marx s life
’
Alth ou gh by 1 88 1 h e h a d S p ent thi rty two
.
-

y ear s in Lon don h e was p ractically u nknown to th e

,

B ritish p u blic 1
an d cou nt e d n o following am on gst
B ritish workm en Moreover at th is dat e h e contrive d to
.
,

fall foul of on e of hi s stau n ch e st su pp o rt er s am o n gst th e

int elli gentzia M r Hyn dm an wh om h e accu se d of pilferi n g
, .
,

hi s works with ou t ackn owl e dgm en t Hi s attack s .

,

write s Mr Hyn dm an
. of t h e m ost vin d ictiv e ch aract er
, ,

1
Hyn dm an ’
s R emi ni s cen ces , p 27 2
. .
 WORLD RE VOLUTION
”
were followed u p by E ngels with even m ore of vit rioli c
” 1
fervou r for ye ars .

Of the variou s B ritish S ocialist organrz ation s in au gu

rate d du ri n g this p eriod I do n ot p ro p os e to t re at 1 n d etail .

N eith er th e S ocial D em ocratic F ed eration foun ded in 1 883 ,

by M r Hyn dm an n or Th e Fabian S oci ety form e d by

.
,
”
,

Mr S idn ey Webb in th e sam e ye ar n or the Christian

.
,

S ocialists u n der th e R ev S t u art H eadlam

. o rigin at ed ,

a ny n ew doct ri n e s b u t m erely elaborat e d t h e id e as of t h ei r

,

C o ntin en tal in sp irer s Many m em b er s of the se soci eti es

,
.

were p robably n ot S ocialists at all b u t m erely h one st

social refo rm ers whilst the le ss sin cere
,
drawin g room -

S ocialists livin g in lu xu ry an d tilting against the social

system to which th ey owe d their m ode of exist en ce took
u p S ocialism as a n ovel f orm of excit e m en t an d carri e d

little wei gh t for their infl amm atory sp eech e s m et with

,

sc ant ap p re ciation even in th e p oore st qu art ers of Lon don .

That they su ccee ded in obtainin g a c ertain following

am on gst m alcont ents m ainly of th eir own class is
u n d en iabl e b u t it was n ot t h ey who su pp li e d th e drivi ng
,

fo rce b eh in d th e great revolu tion ary m achin e which thirty

fo u r y e ars lat er was to deliver th e su p rem e attack dre am t
W ish t f th d st ctio f civilizatio
by
’

of e a u p or e e ru n o n .
_

Hyndman s Remi ni scences, p 283

’
1 . .
 C HAPTE R I X

S YN D I CAL I S M

Q uarrels amon st g
S ociali sts Th e old Guilds Revolutionary S yndical
is m Ou t com e of An archy Th e Gen eral S trike— Georg es S orel
S yn di cali sm vers us S ociali sm Guild S oci alism N ew
Au stralia f
“

WH I LS T S ociali sm in E n glan d was th u s p u rsuin g a labori

ou s cour se an d still rem ain e d alm ost exclu siv ely con fin e d to

drawin g room s th e sam e doctrine s m et with continue d and

-
,

active h ostility from th e Fren ch p e asants .

Mr Hyn dm an in hi s R emi ni s cen ces describ e s M

. .

C lem en ceau as exp re ssin g hi s o p ini o n that S ociali sm coul d

n ever m ake way in F ran c e i n his day .

Lookin g onl y at th e town s you m ay thi nk oth erwi se thou gh ,

even th ere I con si d er th e p rogress of S ociali sm i s overrated .

Bu t th e town s do n ot govern Fran ce Th e overwh ehn in g .

m aj ority of Fren ch voters are country voters Fran ce m ean s .

rural France an d th e p easantry of Fran ce wi ll n ever b e S oci al

,

i s ts . Always p roperty own ershi p p ossession work thrift , , , , ,

acqui si tion indi vi du al gain S ocialism can n ever take root in

, .

su ch a soil as thi s North or S ou th it is j u st th e sam e Preach

. .

nation alization of th e lan d in a Fren ch village an d you wou l d ,

b arely escap e wi th your life if th e p easants u n derstood wh at ,

you m eant
1
.

It is stran ge how frankly S ocialists at tim e s admi t

that for all th eir talk of dem ocracy their p lan s for th e
, ,

e
p p o l e s w e lf are are diam etrically op p ose d to th ose of th e
’

M
"
e
p p o l e t h em s e lv e s r Hy n dm a n.
g s on to relat e that
o e .

M Paul B rou sse wh en con sul t e d on C lem en ceau s p e ssi

.
,
’

mist opini on of t he F ren ch p e asan ts agree d that to ,

”
p re ach n a t io n a liza tio n in t h e villa ge s wo ul d b e s u icidal ,

1 Remi ni scences , p 32 1
. .
250 WORLD RE VOLUTIO N
b u t seem ed to think th e p easant s might be tricked into
S ocialism all th e sam e .

Th eword S ocialism need never be u sed at all ; but the ideas

of natu ral an d comm u n al organ i zation an d admi ni stration wou ld
soon fin d th eir road into his mi n d I n thi s way the p easant s .
’

conception of th e sanctity of p rivate an d the curse of pu blic

ownership wou ld gradually b e sh aken an d he would b e on ,

th e p ath to p ractical S ocialism b efore h e knew wh at h e was

1
i
'

go n g on .

Mr Hyn dm an rem arks that h e thou ght this idea qu it e

.

adm irable .
0

B u t while th e S ociali st s were m akin g p lan s for ed u

cating th e p eop le u p to their own lofty ide als the S ocial

is t cam p in Fr an ce was itself di vided in to at le ast th ree
warring faction s th e Gu e s di sts th e Brou ssi st es (or ,

P o s sibili st es) an d th e Blan qui stes

,
whi ch continu e d to
I n f act as Mr Hyn dm an
” 2
e xcomm un i cat e e ach ot h er .
, .

g o e s o n to i n f o rm u s t h e co nfl
, ict b e ca m e a t ti m e s so bitt er
tha t th e Gu e sdi sts an d th e Brou ssi stes coul d not m eet
in one h all withou t th e certain ty of bloodshe d or at any ,

r at e of s evere co n t u sion s followin g A sp irit of fraternity

, .

so m arke d by b rotherly hatre d h ad abou t it som ething of

th e lu dicrou s .

When therefore an I ntern ation al S ocialist C on gre ss

took p lace to b rin g abou t th e u nity of the workers of the
world it was foun d ne ce ssary to assem ble in two
sep arat e halls p u rp osely ch osen at som e distan ce from one
another to avoid th e p ossible con sequ en ce s of frat ern al
” 3
g re e ti n g s .

Th e two p oints on which the se opp osrng faction s dif

fered th e m ost violently were th e n ece ssity for th e class war
an d th e dom in ation of Germ an S ocial D em oc racy On the .

first qu e stion the Brou ssist es held m ore m oderat e vi ews ,

b eli evin g in th e p ossibility of imm e diate reform s whilst

p p
r e a ri n g t h e way f o r S ocialis m by e vol u tio n ary m e thods ;
th e Gu e sdists how ever as con sist en t Marxist s adop t e d
, , ,
“
for their fu n dam ental p rin cip l e th e doctrin e of the class
stru ggl e , a doct rin e say s Laskine
, im p ort ed from ,

1 R emi ni scences , p 32 6 . .

'
1
M erm eix , Le S yndi cali sme contre le S oci ali sm , p 90. .

1 R emi ni scences p . .
 S YNDI CALI S M

Ge rm an y an d profoun dl y forei gn to th e Sp irit of Fren ch

” 1
S ociali st s.

I n ran gin g hi m self un der th e bann er of Mar x Ju les ,

—
Gu esde h a d execu t ed a com p let e volte f ace ; at th e tim e
of th e S oc ialist revolt a gai n st th e d omin ation of M ar x

af t er th e Comm un e Gu es d e in a l ette r to th e B u lleti n de la

,

F ederati on j u ras si enne p ublish ed on Ap ril 1 5 1 87 3 h ad

, , ,

d en ou n c ed th e M arxis t p roco n su ls an d th e inf am ou s

rol e of t h e fo un din g of po w er by Marx an d t h e Gen er al

l ) b f fi
’
2
Co un cil ( of t h e In t ern atio na e u t,a t er a v e y e ar s
so jour n in S witze rlan d whi th er h e h ad fled to escap e
im p risonm en t Gu esde ret u rn ed to Fran c e an enth u si
“

Th e m eth ods by whi ch Gu esde an d ot h er Fren ch

S ocialists were w on over by th e su btl er Ge rm an J ews to
th e Marxian cam p is th u s r ef erre d to i n a si gni fican t
sen t en ce by M ar x him s elf :
I n eed n ot tell you M arx wrote to S orge on Nov em b er 5
,
”
,

1 88 0
,
that th e s ecret s tri n gs by whi ch th e lea d ers from Gu esd e
an d M al on to Clem en ceau h av e b ee n se t in m otion m u st r em ain

be t ween ourselv es We m u st n ot sp ea k ab ou t th em
” 3
. .

who had b rou gh t abou t th e conv ersion of Gu es d e ; at

any r ate fro m 1 87 6 o n war ds t h e Gu e s dists b e cam e sim p ly

th e F ren ch b r an ch of Ge rm an S ocial D em ocr acy .

Th is po licy n atur ally e st ran ge d th em from th e Fren ch

work ers to wh om th e p ri n ci p le s of b ureau cratic Com
'

m uni sm h a d always b ee n rep ell en t S till as in 1 86 2 it was

.
, ,

to Prou dh on rath er th an to Marx t h at th e m ore rev olu

tion ar y el em ents in clin e d whi lst th e gr e at m ass of F r en ch
,

workm en sa w in p eaceful corp orative as sociation th e tru e

p at h of p g
r o re ss It
. was th e j u n ctio n of t h e se variou s cu r
ren ts th at towar ds 1 895 b rou gh t abou t a f ur t h er d ev elop

m ent in th e revolu tion ary m ovem en t S yn di ca h sm .

S yn di calism
”
Mr Ram say Mac d on al d obse rves is
, .
,

” 4
lar gely a revolt again st S oci ali sm Th at su ch a revolt
.

km e , L I n ternati onale et le pa n -Germa n i sme , p 2 1 8

’

fi
. .

P 1 22
 WORLD RE VOLUTION
S houl d have taken p lace is h ardly su rp risin g For over a .

h u n dre d y e ar s the wo rkin g m en of E u rop e had seen th e

-

m idd le an d u p p er class m en wh o co n stitu t e d th em selves

th eir ch am p ion s livin g in lu xu ry sl eep in g in th e gil d ed
b ed s of th e Tu ileries i n 1 7 94 h ou se d in safety and com fort
,

wh ilst th e p eopl e p erish e d on th e barri cade s of 1 84 8 enjoy ,

i ng p le asant t rip s to S witz erlan d as del egat e s of th eI nt er

n atio n al e dr awi n g con tinu al su bscrip ti on s fro m th e p ock
,
”
e t s of th e wo rk er s i n su p p ort of con gresses or leagu e s
'

or association s d evise d to b en efit Labo u r a n d n ow th e

tim e h a d co m e to ask : Wh at h ave w e gain ed from all ou r

'

sacri fices ? Wh at h ave th e se m en done in ret u rn for th e

confi d en ce we placed in th em ?
Not u nn atu rally th erefore th e theo ry of S yn dicalism
, , ,

con sistin g in th e im m ediate con trol of in du stry by th e

workers th em selve s seem e d greatly p referable to th e
,

t e diou s an d dou btfu l m eth od of ele ctin g S ocialist dep u tie s

to rep re sent th em in Parliam ent M oreover in th e S yn di
.
,

c ali st id e as en t ertai n e d by m any of th e Fren ch wo rkm en

th ere was nothin g e ssen tially revolu tion ary ; th eir con
c ep tion of re organiz e d in du st ry ap p roach e d m ore to th e

Old i d e a of ilds d co o atio s t a to h

“

gu a n rp r n h n t e

aggre ssive com bin e s advocat ed b y revolu tion ary S yn di

ca li sts. They th ou ght regretfu lly of th e days of th e Old
R egim e b efore th e in tro du ction of cu t th roat com p etitio n
» -

wh en m en worke d p eaceful ly at their trade s boun d ,

to geth er by ti e s of com rade ship un der pa tron s who sh owed

som e con cern for th ei r welfare Wh erever h e b elon ged.

th e com pa gn on was alm ost c ertain by vi rt u e of hi s ,

corp orative p rivilege to fi n d em p loy m ent Th e regulations

, .

p r o vi d e d t h at h e sh o u ld n o t fi n d co m p e tito rs a m o n gst h i s

com rade s Th e kn owled ge of his t rad e reco gniz ed aft er

.
,

th e t e sts t h rou gh whi ch h e had p asse d con stit u t e d a ,

capital for him of which the revenu e s were alm ost certain
’

An d if t h is compagn on wan t ed to m ake a tou r of Fr an ce h e

fou n d help an d reli ef Provi d ed th at h e j u stified hi s claim
.

as m em b er of a corp oration , h e was welcom e d an d a p lace

fo u n d for him . D efe ctive an d im p erfe ct like all hum an
thi n gs th e econ om ic o rganization of th e Old Régim e was
,

neverthel e ss b en efi c ent a n d h ow m u ch p refer abl e to th e

,
 S YN D I CALI S M 253
w ant a zation into which the regi m e of lib erty h ad
of org ni

bru squ ely p recip itat ed the workin g m en aft er the R evolu -

” 1
tion .

Th e su pp re ssion of the corp oration s by th e law of

1 791 confirme d by fu rth er laws u n der th e Terror an d in ,

th e C ode of Nap ol eon I h ad dealt th e d e ath blow to th e

.
-

g u i ld syst e m a
, n d w h en at last Na p ol e o n III i n 1 86 4 .

rem ove d th e b an on t rade u n ion s an d th e wo rk ers o n ce ,

m ore saw their chan ce of coal e scin g in d efen ce of th eir

comm on interests th e Germ an S ocial D emocrats of th e
,

first I nt ern ation ale h a d t urn ed the wh ole m ovem en t to th e

advan tage of C omm u nism a syst em inh e ren tly rep u g
n an t to t h e F ren ch wo rker s As far as t h ey were con cern e d.

th e S yn dicalist movem ent was thu s in its ori gin s an

att em p t to get back to th e freer ide as of frien dly corp ora
tio n s j u st as in E n glan d th e co op erative s y stem in au gu
,
-

rat e d by th e Roch dal e Pio n eer s took an ev er firm er h old

on th e mi n ds of workin g m en -
.

It was in or der to m eet th ese dem an ds that aft er the ,

death of the I nt ern ation al e a general U nion d es C h am bre s ,

S yn di cale s was form ed u n der th e leader sh ip of B a rb aret i n

1 87 3 a wh olly p acific o rganiz ation which aim e d at in du s
,

trial harm ony an d in 1 87 6 a gen eral con gre ss of Fren ch

,

workm en m et in Paris at which seven ty u nio n s an d twenty

,

ei gh t wo rk m en s cl u bs fro m
’
thirty nin e town s w th a i -
,

m em b ership stat e d to n u m b er a m illion workers were .

rep re sen t e d by m o re th an 80 0 del egat e s At th e op enin g .

of th e C o n gre ss it was exp re ssly i n sist e d on t h at n ot

p ri n ci p l e s of social p olitics b u t t h e p ely e con o m ical an d

u r

p r actical i n t er e sts of t h e wo r k i n g m en wo u l d en -
a
g ge th e
” 2
m eetin gs , an d rea l i mprovem en ts in th e in du strial
system form ed th e su bj ect of discu ssion .

B u t as in th e case of th e I n t ern ation al e th e World

Revolu tionists su cceeded in obtai nin g con trol over th e
m ovem en t ; B rou ssi st e s Gu esdists b u t above all An ar
, ,

chi st s en de d by i nvadi n g its ran ks an d blockin g th e p ath

of p e acefu l p ro gre ss .

It is n o figu re of sp ee ch to say that S yn dicalism is

1 Mermeix ( G . Terrail) , L e S yndi ca li sme contre le S ocia li sme, p p 6 2 , 6 3 . .

2
Z
ach er, Di e R othe I n terna ti onale .
254 WO R LD RE VOLUTION
S im p ly a fu rther develop m ent of th e creed of An archy for ,
,

it re sts on th e sam e basis n e gation of th e S tat e Its .

e arli e st exp on en ts we re avow e dly An archists ; in Am eri ca

the t erm s were i n f act syn ony m ou s Moreover it was .
,
”
Prou dh on th e Fath er of An archy wh o h a d fi rst f orm u
, ,

lat e d th e wh ole th eory of S yn dicalism : Accordin g to m y

i de a railways a m in e a m an uf actory a sh ip et c are to
, , , , , .
,

th e wo rk er s wh o m t h ey occu py wh at th e hiv e is to th e
b ees th at is at th e sam e tim e th eir in st ru m en t an d th eir
,
”
dwellin g th eir cou n try th eir t erritory th eir p rop erty
, , , .

F or t his reason Proudh on o pp ose d th e exp loitation of th e

ra ilways wh ether by co m pa n i e s of C ap italists or by th e
” 1
S tat e .

S yn dicalism is therefore govern m ent by t rade u nron S

, , ,

an d m u st i n evitably l e ad to an ar ch y F or n ot on l y are th e .

work ers to run in du stri e s b ut th e whole country On their “

”
own an d wit h n o S tat e to act as u m ire it is obvio u s
,
p
th at ch aos m u st re sul t Th e mi n ers mi gh t raise th e p rice
.

of coal th e ba ker s th e p ric e of b re ad an d th e re st of th e

, ,

comm unity wou l d h ave n o m ean s of redre ss for in th e ,

conflict th at wou ld en su e b etween th e differen t grou p s of

workers th e key in du stri es alon e cou l d exercise any real
au th ority For th e p ower of each in du stry wou l d b e in
.

exact r atio to its ab ility to h old u p t h e co u n t ry an d S in c e ,

soci ety cann ot get on for a day with ou t b read coal or

“

, ,

tran sp ort the m in ers th e railway m en an d the food

, ,
-
,

p u rv e yo r s wo u l d h av e an i mm en s e adva n ta ge ov e r th e

workers en gaged in su ch trad e s as boot m akin g tailo rin g -

, ,

or u p holst ery who m i gh t st rike in vain a gain st exto rtion

, .

Wom en workers wou ld of cou rse have n o voice at all

-
.

It is n ot h owever th e syst em of S yn dicalism b u t the

, ,

m eth od by which it is to b e b rou gh t abou t that constit u t e s

its p rin cip al clai m to b e ran ged in the c ategory of an archy ,
.

This m et h o d is t h e Gen era l S tri ke .

Now as M erm eix has p oin t ed ou t there are three ki n ds

, ,

of Gen er al S t rike : ( 1 ) th e C o rp or ative Gen er al S t ri k e of

th e workers ( 2 ) th e Parliam en tary Gen er al S t rike of th e

'

S ocialists an d ( 3 ) th e R evoslu ti on a ry Gen eral S t rike of th e

,

S yn di calist l e aders » Let u s d eal w

i '

ith the se one by on e

!
.

Proudhon La Revoluti on au X VI I I e si ecle p 24 9

1
, , . .
 S YN D I C A LI S M 25 5

( 1 ) Th e C o rp o r ativ e G en e r al S t rik e as co n c e iv e d by
the work er s was n ot or i gi n ally a m e asu re o f viol en c e .

S tri k e s t h ro u gh o u t th e e arly h istory of th e Labou r Move

m ent h a d b een th e workers on ly m et h o d of obtainin g
’

r e d re ss from exp loitation an d n o on e b u t a Ro b e sp i erre or

,
’
a Len in wou l d d eny th e worker s ri ght to lay d own hi s tools
if th e con dition s of his labou r ap p ear to him un j u st .

Th e C orp orative Gen eral S t rike was sim p ly a d ev elo p

m en t of th is tim e h on o u re d m e t h od of exp re ssin g discon
-

ten t wh ich carried ou t on a larger scal e woul d en able ,

w oke rs in all in du st ri e s to b ri n g an effe ctive su pp o rt t o

the dem an d s of th eir opp re sse d com ra d e s As M erm eix .

rkin g m en s co n c ep tion of t he way in

’

p oi n ts o u t t h e wo
,
-

which th e p lan woul d work was very n arve :

S om e d ay on e wou ld stay at hom e ; on e wou ld n ot go to th e
worksh op Th e bou rgeoi s who fatten s on th e sweat of th e p eop le
.

wou ld waste away b ecau se th e p eop le wou ld cease to sweat ; it

would b e a strike of fold e d arm s on e w ou ld n ot go d own

into th e str eet in tum u ltu ou s crowd s on e wou ld n ot exp ose on e ,

self t o th e brutahti es of th e p olice an d th e gu n s of th e soldi ery .

On e wou ld walk ou t in a fam ily p arty , to lu n ch on t h e for tifi ca

tion in th e woods of Vin cenn es in th e B ois d e B ou logn e or
, ,

even fu rth er in th e sm ilin g su bu rb s wh ere th e ex p loit ers h ave

their country hou ses Would n ot this m ethod be m u ch b etter

.

than that of the S ocialist p olitician s wh o first of all advised one

to vote for th em , th eir electoral su ccess b ein g th e firs t stage on
th e way to fi n al victory , an d wh o on ce elected wou ld thin k on ly , ,

of th eir re election ? Th e gen eral strike wou ld b e th e revolu tion

-

carried ou t as a hu ge j oke On e wou ld divert on eself with th e

.

exp ressi on s of th e em p loyers growi n g d ay by d ay m ore di s

con solate One would watch th em grow p ale yel low di storted
.
, , ,

an d th eir rage woul d b e p owerle ss again st th e b rave proletarian s

wh o wou ld sim p ly m ake u se of th eir ri gh t to i dlen ess th e righ t
of Man a n atu ral an d sacre d righ t whi ch th e bou rgeoi s h a s so
,

long selfi shly enj oyed alon e Wh en it h ad h ad en ou gh of it

.

th e class of leech es would ask to cap itu late Th e proletariat .

would dictate its con dition s : Give m e back wh at you h ave

stolen from m e that i s to say give m e b ack everythin g an d we
, ,

wi ll becom e good fri ends again I will go back into you r work .

S hop to work n ot as on e exp loite d for you r p rofit , bu t to work

”
as a free social p rodu cer An d th e bou rgeoi si e coul d n ot d o
otherwise th an subscribe to this treaty .

That in re ality the worker woul d gr ow p al e y,e llow

1 M erm eix ,
L e S oci ali sme contre le S yndi cali sme, pp 1 3 5 , 1 3 6
. .
 ”

256 WORLD RE VOLUTION

wou ld in fact be dead b efore th e em p loyer reached the en ds
of hi s re sou r c e s did n ot ent er i nto th e reckonin gs of th e
,
”
brave p roletarian s n or do e s it still to d ay when the p lan
,

of th e gen eral st rike is p lace d b efo re th em .

( )
2 Th e Pa r lia m e n ta r y G e n er al S t r ik e as ap pr oved by ,

certain S ocialists aim s at qui t e a di ff erent den oumen t; it

,
’

is n ot to end in im p roved relation s b etween th e workers

a n d em p loy er s or in an en ten te b etw een t h e wo rk er s an d

th e Govern m en t b u t in th e overthrow of th e p olitical

,

p a r ty w h ic h h olds t h e r ei n s of p ow e r i n f avo u r of t h e

S ocialists th em selve s A gen eral strik e con du ct e d on th e se

.

line s woul d n ot di sp ossess th e S oci alist p arty of the

com m an d which it has arro gat e d to itself over th e workin g
”
classe s ; on th e contrary it woul d confi rm this com m an d ,

an d le av e to it th e r O le it has ch osen of b u sin ess m an to

” 1
th e p rol etariat .

E ven Mr Ram say Macdon ald arch opp o nen t of the

.
,
-

revolu tio n ary gen eral st rike adm its th e exp e d i en cy of th e ,

”
p olitical va ri e ty T h e ge
. n e r al st rik e h e obs erv e s c a n , ,

b e d e clare d for two p u rp ose s It can b e u se d to secu re .

som e S p ecific dem an d say an ext en sion of th e fran chise ,

th e re si gn ation of th e Governm ent or th e defe at of a war ,

p a rty . A S a last r e so rt as a co u p d e g r ace, it m a y b e ,

” 2
j u stifiabl e an d n ee d n ot b e u n su cc essful
, .

I n o rder t h erefore to p lace Mr Ram say Macdon ald

, ,
.

an d hi s fri en ds at th e hel m of t h e S tat e to overt h row a ,

Govern m en t th at retain s an in su lar p rej u dice again st

fo rei gn i n vasion and to p ar alyse n ation al defen ce it m ay
, ,

b e n ecessary to b rin g u p on th e co u nt ry th e im m en se
su fferin g cau sed by a gen eral strike which when carri ed , ,

ou t by S yn dicalists as Mr Macdo n ald hi m s elf rem ark s

, .
,

hits th e p oor p opl e e h e avi ste t h —

e m i d dl e class e s n ext
, ,
” 3
an d th e rich l e ast of all .

F or revolu tion ary S ocialists today as in 1 7 93 to u r s , ,

”
les m oy en s son t bon s .

( )
3 B u t t h e R evol u tio n a r y G e n e r al S trike the form of ,

e n e r al st rik e advocat e d by th e S yn dicalists a n d th at n ow

g
fo rm s th e p ro gram m e of ext rem ist t rade uni on leaders ,

1 M erm eix , Le S oci a li s me con tre l e S yndi cali sme, p .

2
J . R am say M a cd on ald , S yndi cali s m , p 6 1 . .
3
I bi d p 62. .
 S YN D I CA LI S M 25 7

ai m s n either at a reo rganization of in du stry nor at a chan ge '

of govern m en t in th e p olitical s en se b u t at th e co m p l et e ,

de stru ction of con stitu tion al governm ent by vi olen ce of th e

m ost frigh tful kin d I t i s h ere that we com e back to th e
'

conn ection b etweeri An archy and S yn dicalism ; not only

is th e S yn dicalist syst em a develop m ent of th e creed of
An archy bu t its m eth od for i n au gu ratin g it com p ris e s th e
,

exact p ro gr am m e of t h e e arli er An arch ists .

Now it will b e rem em b ered th at th e i d ea of u seful

larceny h ad fir st b een su gge sted by Weish au p t a p rin ,

cip le ap p lau d e d by B ri ssot a n d p u t in to p ractice by Marat

wh en h e u rged the p opul ace to pillage th e sh op s Bab euf .
,

th ou gh a C omm u nist h a d carri ed on th e sam e tradi tion in

,

his p lan of th e Great D ay of th e P eop le wh en th e ,

p p
e o l e w ere to ris e as on e m a n a n d lay viol e n t ha n ds u p o n

p p
r o e r ty .F ro m Bab e uf o nwa r d s t h e sch e m e h a d b e en
logically aban don ed by C omm uni sts S in c e C o mm u n ism

aim s n ot at m ob ru l e b u t at b u reau cracy b u t con tinu ed

alon g th e line of An archy Pro u dh on in hi s revival of .

B ris sot s axiom Prop erty i s th eft Bakun in in hi s glori

’
,

fi cation of robb ery an d fin ally Krop otkin e in hi s th eory of

,

Th e Great E xp rop riatio n all followe d ou t th e sam e

,

idea n am ely that of a Great D ay of revolu tion wh en

, ,

th e m adden e d m ul titu de driven by wan t an d de sp er ation

, ,

shou ld rise again st all wealth an d p rop erty in on e over

p ow e ri n g o n slau g h t H a.d n ot B ak u n i n a n d N etch areff

in dicate d thi s de sign in an illumin ating sen t en ce : We

m u st in cre ase an d h eight en th e evils an d sorrows so as
to wear ou t th e p atien ce of th e p eople an d drive them
’

”
to in sur rection en masse B y this m ean s only the
.
,

social revolu tion could b e accom p lish ed an d civilization ,

ob n oxiou s civilization wip e d ou t at on e stroke

, .

B u t how were th e p eop l e to b e driven to t h is p itch of

exasp eration ? Obvi ou sly by h u n ger Th e want of b read .

alone as theO rléanistes of 1 7 89 h a d cl early p erceive d can

, ,

b e dep en de d on to p rodu ce p op u lar in su rrection an d in the ,

ei gh t eenth c en t u ry fam i n e h a d b een e asy en ou h to en i

g g
n eer by b uyin g u p su p p lie s waylayin g wa ggon s of co rn or
, ,

throwi ng sack s of flou r into th e river B u t a hun dred ye ars .

later im prove d m ean s of tran sp ort an d th e com p licated ,

 WORLD RE VOLUTION
m odern system of food distrib u tion had m ade su ch p rim i
tive m eth ods im p racticable How th en were want an d .
, ,

h u n ger to b e brou gh t abou t ? O nly by so m e gi gan tic cou p

,

that woul d p aralyz e th e wh ol e cou n try an d le ad to th e

Gre at E xp rop riation dream t of by th e An archi sts S yn di .

c ali sm n ow p ro vide d th e weap on by wh ich this was to b e

accom p lished th e Genera l S tri ke .

Let u s exam in e th e p ro gram m e of th e revolu ti on ary

General S t rike as re su m e d by Merm eix from th e declara
tion s its advocat e s an d we S h all see h ow exactly th e
of , .

Gran d S oir of th e S yn dicalists corre sp o n ds with th e

An ar chi sts idea of th e Gre at D ay of Revolu tion

’
.

First of all a serie s of isolat e d stri kes is to take p l ace

,

in variou s in d u st rie s by way of p artially p aralysin g C apital

an d of u n settli n g Labou r .

Then at a given si gn al th e work ers rou sed to violen ce ,

by wan t an d i dlen e ss are to invade th e w orksh op s m ine s

, , ,

factori e s etc an d t ake p osse ssion of th em At t his stage

,
.
, .
,

of co u rs e th e Govern m en t will b e obli ge d to call in th e aid

,

of th e p olic e an d soldi ery a n d th e fi gh t will b e gin , Th e .

revolu tio n ari e s will cu t th e t el egrap h a n d t el ep h o ne wi re s ;

railway li n e s wi ll b e torn u p to p reven t th e t ran sp ort of

troop s or p rovision s ; at th e sam e tim e it is h op ed th at a

n um b er of th e sol di er s will go over to t h e S id e of th e revolu
tion By this m ean s th e cap ital will b e starve d ou t th e
.
,

m arkets will b e em p ty an d th e in habitan ts ren dered sav

,

a ge by hun ger m ay b e exp e ct e d to t u rn on th e Gov ern

m en t an d also on th e bou rgeoi s i e .

Of cou r se th ere is always th e p ossibility that th e p opu

lation in stead of tu rni n g on th e Gov ernm ent will turn
, ,

u p on th e revolu tion ari e s b u t th is last p rosp e ct do e s n ot

,

di scon cert th e p artisan s of revolu tion by th e General

S t ri k e T .h e Pa r isia n s wi ll fi g h t am on gst them selve s ; well ,

th en thin gs will go all th e b ett er E verythi n g tha t wi ll make

,
.

”
confu si on wors e wou ld be an a dva n ta ge An d in th e end .
,

if th e revolu tion ari e s f ail to overth row th e Govern m ent ,

th e h avoc they will work will b e i rretri evabl e B efore .

evacu atin g th e wo rksh op s th e S yn dicalists will re so rt to

s abota g ;
e all t h e i n st ru m e n ts o f labo u r will b e dest royed .
 S YN D I CALI S M

Th e railway s will rem ain u nu sabl e ; th e ru m of th e cap it al

will be com p le te 1
.

Wh at th en ? After that frankly the ap ostles of S yn di

cali sm p ro mi se n ot h in g ; th eir con cep tion c e ase s with thi s

final cli m ax a seri es of at rociou s scen e s of b u rnin gs , ,

of r
”
ui n s of m u rd ers of t error
,
carri ed ou t by tram p s
, , ,

oach s m a a u d er s wit h t erro r risi n g fro m b elow an d

p er r , ,
” 2
en d in g in a fe arful m el ee .

On e m u st re ad for one self th e work of M Georges S orel .

to realiz e th at th is idea well ch aracteriz ed by Merm eix as

,
” 3
th e d re am of a n eu rasth en ic n egro kin g can s erio u sly ,

en t er i n to th e calcul ation s Of a m an o u tsid e a lun atic

asylum Bu t to M S orel th e p ro sp ect offers n oth in g

. .

alarm i n g ; on th e cont rary whilst adm ittin g that the Gen ,

eral S tri k e will b e a catast rop he of which th e process

” 4
baffle s d e scrip tion th e l e adin g ap ostl e of S yn dicalism
,

regards it as th e goal towar d s wh ich all agitatio n sh oul d

ten d . S yndi ca li s ts h e declare s , con cen tra te a ll S oci a l ,

” 5
i sm i n the dra ma of the Genera l S trike .

It is in fact as a dram a as a sp e ctacl e th at M S orel

, , , ,
_
i

looks u p on the fin al cataclysm or rather as a gigan tic ,

cock fi ght of su ch san gui n arin e ss an d of su ch dim en sion s

-

"
tn es sin g it For what is .

lendem ai n de la revolu ti on
will b e en ou gh to have live d
”
to see a ti d al wave p assin g over the old civilization .

It will th u s b e seen n ot as a m att er of su rm ise b ut

,
.

of fact th at th e Gen eral S t rike as n ow advocat e d by t h e

,

ext remist leaders is sim p ly th e p relu de to th e Gre at

6
E xprop riation .

By allyin g th e latt er p lan with th e worker s idea of a ’

corp orative General S trike th e S yn dicalists h ave evolve d

th e sch e m e of Th e D ay which is to overthrow civiliza
1
M erm eix , p p 53 56
1 .
-
1 2
. bi
I d p 1 59 3
I bid p 232 . . . . . .

i l i l 2 0 2 5
I bi d p 1 6 1
’
4
R eflex on s s u r a v o en ce , p . . . . .

S ee th e p am p hlet called The S ocia l Genera l S tri ke by t h e Britrsh

‘
0

S yndi calist J a ck Tan n er , wh ich a d m it s t his desi n

“
E x p r op i a t i on ,
r g .

g
which is to b e brou ht about by t h e G en eral S tri ke , m eans t akm g b ack
”
g
wh at b elong s to th e workin clas s , an d t h e a u th or oes on to s ay : Th e
-
g
n eed for foo d an d t h e n ec es s ari es o f lif e wo u ld for ce t h e p eop le t o h elp
t h em selves Hunger forces even th e m os t tim id to take what t h ey are
.

en ti t led to F rom th e p oint of vi e w of th e p e op le th em s elves it is ap p alling

.

g
to i m a in e wha t th is sytem of food d istrib u tion wou ld lead to .
 WORLD RE VO LUTIO N
tion Of cou rse th e workers th em selve s h ave no con cep tion
.

of th e re al d e si gn a n d e ach tim e that a Ge neral S tri k e is

,

att em p t ed dou btle ss im agin e it to b e a b rilliant inspiration

on th e p art of t h eir l e a d er s in vi ew of a su d d en em er gen cy .

Th e m in ers are st rikin g for a hi gh er wage Let u s stan d .

by them ! H appy t h ou gh t let all wo rk er s p re sent a soli d

fron t to th e opp re ssion of C ap italism ! On e two
three all to geth er st rike !
Thu s p l ayin g on th e S i m ple camaraderi e of th e workers ,

an d u rgin g t h em to solidarity in t h e i n t ere sts of Labo u r ,

th e S yn di calists h op e to drive t h em on wards into th e m elee

wh ich is to en d in no am elioration of th e workers lot ’

b u t S im ply in th e de st ru ction of th e e xistin g social order .

Wh at is to avert th e catastroph e ? O nly great er kn owl

e d ge on th e p art of Labou r . Th e first th in g th en is to
.
, ,
'

dispel th e illu si on th at th e Gen eral S t rike is a m odern an d

p gr o r e ssiv e m e asu r e T h e
. wo rk er s s h o u ld b e to l d n ot
only its real p u rp os e bu t its history ; th ey S h ou ld be shown
th at in st ead of b ein g th e ou tcom e of any p re sen t em er
,

g e n oy it,
is a n old sc h em e t h at has b ee n goi n g o n f o r a t
le ast fifty y e ar s an d h as b een tu rn e d down as i m p racticabl e
by all intelli gent group s of workers Let u S n ow follow th e
‘

vicissitu de s of th e ide a throu gh ou t th e last half c en tu ry

' -
.

As a revolu tion ary m eth od Merm eix su gge sts that th e

i de a of th e Gen er al S t rike m ay b e t race d to th e p h rase of
.

Mirab eau : Thi s p eop le whose m ere imm obility wou ld b e

formi dabl e .

Now M irab eau as we kn ow was an Illum in atu s Had

, , .

then even th e p lan of th e Gen eral S t rike as the weap on

wherewi th to deal the de ath blow to civilization entere d
in to th e gi gantic con cep tion of Weish au p t ? I n a vague
sen se t hi s i s p ossibl e bu t in its details th e Gen eral S trike
,

is as I have shown essen tially a m easu re adap t ed to

, ,

modern con di tion s .

Th e p lan was first definit ely p rop ose d at th e C on gre ss

of th e I n t ern ation al e inB ru ssels in 1 8 6 8 wh en th e d e ola
,

ration was m ad e th at if p rodu ction were arre st e d for

a certain tim e th e social body could not exist an d t h at it ,

was on ly n ece ssary for p rodu cers to cease to p rodu ce in

order to m ake th e p erson al and de sp otic enterprises of
 S YNDI CALI S M _
1
” 1
Govern m ent i m p ossibl e From th is date th e ide a of th e
.

Gen eral S t rik e was cu rren t an d in 1 87 3 th e B el gian se ction

,

of th e I n t ern ation ale in vit e d th e o th er s ection s Of th e

association to p rep are for th e att em p t to b rin g it off bu t =

th e C on gre ss of Geneva de clare d it to b e at p re sen t

im practicable .

I n 1 884 the Governm ent att em p t ed to arre st class .

warf are by fou n ding Bourse s du Travail or Labour ,

E xch an ge s whi ch shou ld not on ly p rovide work b u t m ain

,

tain h arm ony b etween em p loyers and em ployed Bu t the .

B ourses like th e Ch am bre s S yn dicales soon b ecam e hot

, ,

b eds of revolu tio n ary intrigu e an d in 1 888 the p lan of the ,

General S trike was p resse d with ren ewed vigour by th e

An archi st carp ent er Tort eli er .

Af t er achi evin g som e su cce ss in th e fau bou rgs of P aris ,

Tort elier thi s sam e year cam e to Lon don wh ere h e ,

p re ac h e d hi s gosp el b ef o re a Labo u r C o n gr e ss B u t t h e .

”
ap ostle of th e Gen eral S tri ke with hi s thick set figu re ,
-
,

bul l s neck h oarse voice an d slovenly attire whose asp ect

’
, , ,

su gge ste d th at \of a sat ellite of Marat was n ot ta kenseri ,

ou sly by B ritish workin g m e n an d m et with scan t su cc e ss

-
.

I n Fran ce however th e cherishe d schem e of Tort eli er

, ,

foun d in creasin g f avo ur Th e ide a of th e Gen eral

.

S trike
”
,
says Merm eix charm s the workin g m asses
,
”
b ecau se it is so S im p le An d i n Fran ce there are always
.

th e an archic elem en ts who crave to f a i re s au ter le ba z ar .

Thu s at a con gress of m em b ers of th e S yn di cate s an d of th e ‘

B ou rses held at Nante s in 1 894 the p olicy of th e Gen eral

S trike was definitely adop te d by 65 vot e s again st 3 7 I n .

th e f ollowi n g y e ar th e form idable association kn own as

the C onfederati on Gén érale d u Travail was f ou n ded by the
extrem ists with th e Gen er al S t rike as th e p ri n cip al p lank

in its p latform From this date 1 895 onwards a seven

.
, ,

year s wa r was waged b etween th e C G T and the Bou rses

’
. . .
,

un til i n 1 90 2 th e Bou r se s were fin ally extin gui she d an d

S yn di calism was left i n t riu m p h an t p osse ssion of the fi eld .

S everal att em p ts have al re ady b een m ade to bring

abou t the revolu tion ary General S t rike m S p ain in
1 874 in B elgiu m in 1 90 2 in S we den in 1 90 9, in S ou th
‘

, ,

1 Merm eix
p 1 31 , . .
 ‘
WORL D RE VOLUTIO N
Africa in1 91 1 in Fran c e in 1 920 b u t so farthe firmn e ss of
, ,

ov e rn m e n ts a n d t h e r e sista n c e of th e co mm un ity at lar e

g g
h ave avert e d th e cli m ax of th e Gran d S oir dre am t of by
th e S yn di calists an d th e p rin ci p al su ff erer s h ave b een th e
“

s t rikers t h em selve s B u t t h is fact in n o way det ers th e

“ ’

advocat e s of th e Gen eral S t rike f rom p u rsui ng their pu r

p os e w
, h ic h h a s n ow b e co m e t h e acc ep t e d p olicy of th e

C G T At th e sam e tim e ot h er revolu tion ary m easures

. . .

have b een ad op te d with a vi ew to fretting away th e foun

d ati o n s of C apital Thu s aft er 1 889 wh en th e dockers of
.
,

Glasgow enf orced th eir dem an ds for higher p ay by goin g

“

”
th e p oli cy of C a C anny b e cam e a definite p art of
’
S low ,

t h e S yn d icali st p ro gr amm e I n 1 89 7 sabotage wh ich h ad

1
.
,

h ith erto b een regar de d as a m e asu re of violen ce to b e

em p loy e d i n t h e op en warfare of revolu tion was in t rodu c e d ,

as a m eth od of p assive re sistan ce Railwaym en h a d dis .

covere d that with a p ennyw orth of a c ertain in gredi ent

en gi n e s cou l d b e p u t ou t of wo rkin g a n d th e b ri gh t id ea of ,

applyin g thi s m eth od to oth er in strum en ts of labou r

m et with an en thu siasti c I esp pnse f at t h e C on gréSS of
" “
’

Tou lou se in 1 897 Pou get on e of its m ost arden t advocat es

.
, ,

de scrib es this in ciden t as th e bap tism of s a bota ge ” 2

.

On e variety of sabotage kn own as Obst ru ctionism ,

i ntrodu ce d in 1 90 5 con sists in followin g ou t regu lation s

,

to th e lett er accom p lish m en t of d u ty with exce ssiv e

care an d n o l e ss exce ssive slown e ss Pou get gleefu lly .

de scr b es th e in conven en ce to which railway t r avell ers

i i

3
m a y b e p u t by th is plan For it sh o ul d b e rem em b ere d
.

th at th e m eth ods of S yn di calism are di rected n ot m erely

again st the Governm en t or em p loyers b u t again st th e
wh ol e com m u nity It is th erefore p erfe ctly accurat e to
.

distin gui sh b etween S yn di calism an d S ocialism b e cau se ,

th e p olicy of S y n dicalism is avowedl y an ti social an d -

oli garch ic whi lst S ocialism at least p rofe sses con cern for
,

th e welf are of the m ajority .

Th e p lan of th e Gen eral S t rike fu rther em p h asiz e d thi s

division b etween th e S ocialists an d S yn dicalists F or .

althou gh as we have seen S ocialists are n ot un willing to

~
, ,

1
Emile Pouget , Le S a botage, pp 6 8 .
-
,

2 I bid .
p 17. .
3
I bid pp 55 64
. .
-
.
 S YN D I CA LI S M

o sider the idea of th e p arliam en tary Gen eral S tri ke

c n

which will brin g th em in to p ower th ey h ave always con ,

tin u ed to p refer th e ball ot box as a m eth od of p roc e du re -

.

A S to t h e revolu tion ary Gen eral S trik e this was opp ose d ,

thr ou gh o u t even by th e follower s of Marx rep res ent e d m ,

Fr an ce by th e Gu esdi sts I onl y wish som e on e wou ld .

”
e xp lain to m e said Jul e s Gu esde
,
how b reakin g st reet ,

lam p s di sem bowelli ng soldi ers an d burni ng down fac

, ,

tori e s can con stitu te a m e an s of tr an sform in g p roperty .

We ou ght to p u t an en d to all thi s war of words call in g

itse lf revolu tion ary No corpo rative action h owever
.
,

viol en t p artial strike or general strike woul d be able to

, ,
” 1
t ran sform p rop erty .

Th u s al th ou gh the Marxian s were at on e with th e

S yn dicalists in wishin g to b rin g abou t th e gr an d cat a stro
p h e ,
t h ey difi er e d o nl y in t h e m ann e r by whi ch it was to be
"
efi ect e d Th ey (th e S yn di cali sts) said : Th e catast rop h e
.

wil l b e cau sed by th e Gen eral S trike It is th e Ge n eral .

S trik e th at will b e th e catastro p h e

’
Thi s catas trop h e is .

distin gu ish e d from th at whi ch is awai t e d by th e Marxists ,

th e S ocial ist p olitician s in that it wil l n ot b e b ro u gh t,

ab ou t by chan ce it will arise when th e workm en wish it

, .

S yn di calism discip lin es th e catastrop h e which th e S ocialist s

” 2
awai t with th e fat ah sm of m arabou ts .

B ut accordin g to Ge orges S o rel th e Marxian s have

‘

en tir ely m isin t erp ret e d th eir m as t er s m e ani n g W hi ch in

’

reali ty exclu d e d any hyp oth e sis con stru c te d on fu t ur e

Utop ias in f act S orel rep re sen ts Marx to h ave actu ally
,

declared th at whoever has a programme f or the fu tu re i s a

Now of cour se if M arx reall y said this th e whole

, ,

th eory of Marxian S ocial ism is foun de d on a f all acy an d is

p r ov e d to b e a syst em in whi ch M ar x hi m self n ever
b eli eve d B u t to do hi m j u stice We m u st re co gniz e th at
.

th ere is som e tru th in S orel s con ten tion th at M ar x n ever ’

p re t en d e d to h av e d evis e d any defini t e syst em for the

organi zation of th e proletariat th at h e m erely m ade u se ,

1
Paul Leroy Bea uli eu , Le Collecti vi sme p 6 50
. .

2
M erm eix , p 1 22. .

1
Réflexi ons su r la vi olen ce, p p 1 85 , 1 9 1 . .
 WORL D RE VOLUTIO N
of th e o mous m ass
en r ady m ade m aterial which he of re -

fo u n d in t h e B ritish M u seu m for his great work on

.

C ap ital an d that it was hi s discip le s who re ad into it ideas

1
,

for th e recon st ru ction of t h e social syst em .

On the se gro u n ds S orel is able to claim Marx as his

ally that is to say as a p u re destru ctionist
, , n ot as a
S yn dicalist for n owhere in Marx s writin gs coul d on e fi n d
’

a ny h int of th e S yn di calist th eory Of in du st rial o rgan iza

tion ; bu t above all it is as th e gre at p rom oter of th e class

war that S orel fin ds in Marx hi s tru e affi ni ty To this on e .

p oi n t t h e ap ostl e of S y n dicalism is re ady to sac rific e all

”
othe r con sideration s The scission of cl a ss es
. he ,

de clare s is the basis of all S ocialism

,
2
th e one thin g to
b e avoide d is Soci al p e ace .

In dee d S orel s on e fear is th at m odern n ation s stu p e

,
’

fi ed with hu m an itarian ism ( a bru ti es par l hu ui au i tai r

’

i si u e) 3
th e p h r ase m i gh t b e taken st rai gh t from _

Nietzsch e m ay p reven t th e confli c t TO gu ard again st

4
.

this dan ger every eff ort m u st b e m ade to keep u p th e cl as s

w ar not o nl y by in citin g Labou r to attack C ap ital b u t by
, ,

st iff eni n g th e re sistan ce of C ap ital to th e dem an ds of

Labou r Th e m o re ardently C ap italistic th e bou rgeoi s i e
.
,

th e m ore will th e p rol etariat b e fill e d with a war like spirit -

con fiden t in its revolu tion ary force th e m ore will the ,

m ovem ent b e assu red

” 5
.

It is nece ssary th erefore by violen ce to force C api

, ,
”
tali sm to occu p y it self solely with its m aterial rOle so as ,
“
to give back to it the warlike qu alitie s it on ce p os
”
se ssed E m ployers Of labou r m u st b e m ade to u n der
.

stan d that th ey h ave n othi ng to gain by wo rks Of social

” 7
p e ac e o r by d em oc racy All t h en S o rel c o
. n cl u d e s ,

h op eful ly can b e save d if by viol en c e it ( th e p rol etariat)

,

su ccee ds in con solidatin g class di vision s and in re stori ng to

t h e bou rgeoi si e som eth in g Of its energy ; that is th e great

ai m towards whi ch m u st b e dire ct ed th e tho u ght of all

1
R éflexi ons su r la vi olence, pp 1 8 5 , 1 9 1 . .

3
I bi d p 2. . I bi d p .

S ee S orel 3 whole ch ap ter on La D écad ence bour

’
g eoise et la vi olence ,
i . e
. th e d isinclin ation of employers to ht labour fig .

5
Ibi d p 1 0 5 . .

7
Ibi d p 1 0 9 . .
 S YN D I CA LI S M 265

men wh o hypnotized by th e events of the day b u t

are n ot
” 1
thi nk of th e con dition s of th e m o rrow .

S u ch th en is th e aim Of S yn dicalism as s et forth by its

, ,

chi ef exp on ent George s S orel At first sigh t th e on e m erit

“
,
. .

it seem s to p osse ss i s frankness Hith erto revolu tion ary .

writers to which ever faction they b elon ge d h ad always

, ,

p r o f e ss e d t h at t h ei r syst em wo ul d c o n d u c e i n so me d e gree

to h u m an h app in ess ; even th e An archists app eared to

derive en joym ent from th e p rosp e ct Of their lun atic
d re am s Of th e fu tu r e B u t S orel p ro m ise s n othin g ;
.

Utop ias of easy hap pin ess he op enly derides ; even on

t h e syst em of S yn dicalism h e has p ractically n othi n g to
say th e on ly thin g t h at m att ers is to keep u p revolu
tion ary ardou r Yet aft er all we fin d t h at S o rel i s n ot
.
, ,

m u ch m ore h on e st th an hi s p re dece ssors for whi lst

‘

, ,

denoun cing th e vision ary S ociali sts who lead th e prol e

tariat towards a m irage S orel goe s on t o adm it th at th e ,

Gen eral S t rike whi ch like D er Tag of th e Germ an s m u st

, , ,

e ver b e h eld b efo re th e ey e s Of th e p eop l e is in re ality a ,

myth It will p robab ly n ever com e off bu t j u st as th e early

.
,

C hri stian s m ain taine d th eir reli giou s ar dour by lookin g

forward to th e secon d advent so th e p eo pl e m u st b e ,
.

tau ght to c entre all th eir hop e s on th e com in g cataclysm .

Thu s the i d ea of the Gen eral S t rik e will serve th e p urp ose
of co n ti nu ally u n s ettli n g in du st ry an d frettin away th e
g
fou n d ation s of C ap ital .

To th e n orm al m in d th e theory of S orel as set forth in

th e fore goin g p age s m u st of cou rse ap p ear u n b eli evable ;
th e i n cre d u lo u s sh o ul d t h eref o re re a d hi s book for them
s elv e s in o rder to b e co nvi n c e d th at su ch m ews can b e

seriou sly p u t forward Is S orel however sin cere or is he

.
, , ,

secretly a n agen t of reaction ? Th e hyp oth e sis is n ot

b eyon d th e bou n ds of p ossibility At any r ate if th e au th o r .

Of R eflexi ou s s u r la vi olen ce h a d b een

’

p u t u p by th e Gov
e rn m en t to discre dit th e whol e S ocialist m ovem en t by

workin g it ou t to a redu cti o a d a bs u rdu m h e cou ld n ot have ,

stat ed hi s case m ore ably or h ave Offere d soun der argu e

m ents for th e defen ce of th e existi n g order again st t h e

encroachm en ts of so call ed d em ocracy -
E xp eri en ce .

’
1
R eflexi ori s su r la vi olence, p 1 20 . .
 66 WORLD RE VOL UTION
sh ows s ays S orel th at in all cou ntri e s where dem ocracy
, ,

c a n dev elop its n atu re f reely th e m ost scan dalou s corru

p
tion is disp layed with out anyon e con si d erin g it of u se to
” 1
con ceal its rascaliti e s a n d aft er a scat hi n g i n d ict m e n t
'

of dem ocratic gov ern m en t in Am erica an d els ewh ere h e

“
en ds wi th th e words : D em ocr acy is th e lan d of p l en ty
dream t of by u n scru p u lou s finan ci ers ” 2
.

B u t it is for th e p arliam en tary S ocialists th at S o rel ~

re ser e s his bitt ere st sco rn

v T h e sol e Obj e ct of th e s e p eop l e
.

I n t ell ectu als who h ave em braced th e p rofe ssion Of

thinkin g f or the prol etariat 3
is to b rin g th em selve s
into p ower I n re asoni n g on social conf licts th ey see in
.

th e co m batants only in st ru m en ts Th e p rol etariat is th ei r .

arm y which th ey love with th e love a coloni al a dm ini s

,

t rator m ay feel for th e ban d s wh ich en able him to su bj ec t

a gre at m an y n egro e s to his c ap ric e s ; t h ey co n ce rn t h em

selve s with l eadin g i t on b e cau se they are in a hu rry to win

qu ickly th e great battle s which are to deliver u p th e S tate
to th em ; th ey keep u p th e ardou r of th eir m en as th e
.

ardou r Of th e troop s Of m ercen ari es h a s always been k ep t u p

b y exhortation s to com i n g p illa ge by app e al s to h at re d , ,

a n d also by sm all f avo ur s which alr eady p erm it th em to

distrib u t e a fewp osts

” 4
Bu t in re ality it will n ot b e th e
.

p r ol eta r iat w h o w i ll s h a re t h e sp oils f or t h e p ros p e ct o n

which the le ader s eye s are fixed is th e day when th ey
’

will h ave th e p u blic tre asu re at th eir disp osal ; they are
dazzled by th e im m en se re serve Of rich e s which will b e
delivere d then to pillage ; wh at feastin gs wh at cocottes , ,

wh at satisfaction s to van ity ! 5

Th en th en at last our , ,

offi cial S ocialists can reason ably hop e to achi eve the goal
” 6
of th eir dream s an d sl eep in gorgeo u s m an sion s Aft er .

th at it woul d b e very n ai ve to su pp ose that p eop le

“

p rofiti n g by d em a g o g ic di ctato r shi p wo u l d e asily g iv e u p

” 7
th eir advantages .

As to th e dictatorship of t h e prol etariat advocat ed

b y th e S ocialists b u t on which they do not m u ch care
” 8
t o giv e e xplan ation s S orel declares tha t this woul d b e
,

1 Re fle x i on s s u r la vi olence, p 3 2 0 . . Ibi d p 3 21
. . .

3 I bi d p 1 8 6
. . .
4 I bid .
p 233
. .

5 I bid p , 1 1 2
. .
0 I bi d .
p 10 1
. .

I bid p . .
3 I bid .
p 23 4
. .
 S YN D I CA LI S M 26 7

a return to the Old Régim e a p lan f or feu dalizin g C ap ital

, ,

an d h e qu ot e s Bern st ein i n sayi n g th at it woul d en d si m p ly

in th e di ctatorshi p of clu b o rator s an d littér at eur s

1
Wh o .
,

h e asks is to p rofi t by su c a gov

,
h e rn m e n t C ertainl y n ot
?

th e coun t ry whi ch wou l d b e ru i n e d

,
b u t wh at d o e s th e
,

fu t u re Of th e coun try m att er as lon g as th e n ew régi m e

p r ovi d e s a g oo d ti m e f o r a f ew p r of e sso r s w h o i m a g i n e t h ey
inven t ed S ocialism an d a few D reyfu sard fin a n ci ers ? 2

I n th e op ini on th eref o re of th e gre at S yn di calist

, , ,

J ewish fin an ce is l argely in t ere st e d in th e trium p h Of S tat e

S ocialism .

Th e in con sist en cy of Jau res an d other Fren ch S ocial

i st s on th e q u e stion of D reyfu s is sh own u p in S orel s book
’

by a p arall el dr awn from th e fir st Fren ch Revolu tion Of ,

which h e ru thl e ssly sh att er s th e l egen ds an d d est roys th e

” 3
p r e sti ge of t h e g r e at r evol u tio n ar y days a n d h e, asks
why Dan ton of wh om Jaur es in hi s gre at hi story Of th e
,

Revolu tion h a d m ad e a h ero b u t wh ose con du ct dur in g

,

th e s a d days of S ep t em b er w as n ot v ery worth y Of

” 4
admi r ation ,
sh oul d b e d efen ded on th e score of acti n g
in th e in t ere sts of n ation al d ef en ce wh en Jaur es hi m self ,

too k p art a gain st th e an ti S emi t e s who also b eli ev e d th ey

-

were actin g in the int ere sts Of n ation al defen ce in th e

m att er of th e Affaire D reyf u s Th e revolu tion ari e s were .

rep re sen t e d by Jau res as sacrifi cin g i mm ediate hu m an

ten dern ess an d pity for th e su ccess Of th e cau se b u t th en ,

S orel in qu ire s : Why h ave writt en so m u ch on th e

inh um ani ty of th e torm ento s Of D y s Th ey too
r r e f u ?

sacrificed imm ediat e hu m an t en d ern ess to wh a t seem ed

” 5
to th em th e salvation Of th e cou n try .

Not onl y Jaur es an d C l em en ce au in Fran ce bu t the

“

S ocia lists of E n gl an d b ecom e in t u rn th e b u tt of S orel s

’

p l e asa n t ri e s :

S idn ey Webb en j oys a very ex aggerated repu tation f or

com p eten ce : h e h a d th e m erit of com p ili n g uni nt erestin g
dos si ers an d th e p ati en ce to com p ose on e of th e m ost in di gesti
,

ble com pilati ons on th e hi story of Trad e Uni oni sm bu t h e is ,

on e Of th e m ost borne m in d s whi ch cou l d only dazzle m en li ttle

’

1 R éflexi ons sur la vi olence, p p 234 , 23 5 .

2
I bid p 1 02
. .

I bid p p 1 24 1 30 , 238 , 23 9
. .

2
. .
-
.
9 I bid p 1 4 7
. .

5 I bid p 1 4 6
. . .
268 WORLD REVOLUTION
accu stom ed to think Th e p eople who introdu ced his glory
.

in to Fran ce di d n ot u n derstan d a word of S ociali sm an d if h e i s ,

really as h is tran slator asserts in th e fi rst rank of contem orary

, p ,

au thors of e conom ic history the intellectu al stand ard of these

,

h istorian s m u st b e very low .

An d S o rel add s that i n th e Op i ni on Of Tar de S idney Webb

, ,

w as si mp ly a blotter of p ap er ( u n ba rbou i lleu r de

In order to app re ciate th e an tagom sm b etween th e

opp osin g cam p s of S yn di calism an d S tate S ocia lism it is
onl y n ece ssary to re ad S orel s book in con j un ction with ’

Mr Ram say Mac D on ald s li ttle work on S yn di calism

.
’

where th e fantas tic p ro gr am m e of revolu tion p rodu ced

” ”
by th e S yn dicalist is a dm irably sh own u p If th e .
,

B ritish advocate of S ocialism con clu des th e gran d p ro ,

gramm e Of S yn dicalism is a m ere delu sion its imm e di at e

’
,

action i s m i schievou s S abotage de stru ction of in du st rial

.
,

cap ital p erp etu al strike s inj u re the workers far m ore than
,

any ot h er class an d ro u se in soci ety re actio n ary p assion s

,

a n d p rej u dic e s which d efe at th e wo rk of every a gen cy

m aki n g for th e em an cip ation Of labou r They p u t labour .

in th e wron g Th e S yn dicalist mi gh t b e an a gen t provoca

.

” 2
teu r of th e C ap italist h e certai nl y is hi s tool , .

B u t in this feu d b etween S yn dicalism an d S ocialism

th e m ere co ntinu ation of th e Old co nflict b etween An archy
an d C o m m u ni sm i t wo ul d b e folly to see any se cu rity
for soci ety Th e rival revolu tio n ary cam p s m ay b e
. an d

are bitterly an tagonistic in th eir aim s b u t both will ,

stan d to geth er for th e overthrow of th e existin g social

order an d onl y when th e cou n try has b een red u ce d to
,

chaos by revolu tion or to bankru p tcy and ru in by S ocial

,

ist admi nistration will th e le ad ers Of the opp osin g force s

,

take each oth er by the throat in a life an d death stru ggle - -

.

Alth ou gh as we h ave seen in th e p re cedin g p age s, the

,

root ide a of S yn d icali sm organization an d control of

in du stry by in dep en dent grou p s of work er s h a s so m e “

what b een lost to si gh t by S yn dicali st writer s wh o have ,

concentrat ed th eir att ention m ore on th e revolu tion th an

R eflexi ons s u r la vi olence, p 1 6 3
’
’
1 . .

J . R am sav M a cD on ald S y ndi ca li s m , p . . 1 67 .

 S YN D I CALI S M 69

on its m orrow a m o re con stru ctive p hase of th e sam e

,

theory h as b een in au gur at ed i n recen t years by th e m ove

m en t kn own as Gu i ld S oci a li sm .

N ow Guil d S ociali sm is n oth ing n ew To any one .

fami liar wi th S ocialist lit er atur e th e task of em barkin g on

th e gosp el of Gu ild S ocialists as set fo rt h in th e wri tin gs ,

of Mr G D H C ol e m u st ap p e ar som et hi n g like sittin g

. . . .
,

down to read thro u gh a D i cti on ary of F amou s Q uotati m s .

B u t thi s is an experi en ce to whi ch th e p ati en t st u den t of

S ocialism m u st resign hi m self for sin ce by th e middl e of ,

th e last cen t ury everyt hin g th at cou ld b e said on th e

h ad b een said already fur th er exp on en ts of th e ,

creed can only di sh u p th e cold rem ai n s left by th eir

p re d e c e sso r s T h e p roc e.ss is h ow e v e r f r e q u en tly v ery , ,

su cc e ssful ; n othi n g is easier th an to gain a rep u tation as a

brilli an t S ocialist writ er by sim p ly re arran gin g th e sam e
th eori e s th e sam e p h rase s an d th e sam e catch word s in a
, , ,

diff eren t m ann er to t em p t the j ade d p alat e Yet n ev er .

h ave th e ch ef s Of S ocialism p ro d u ce d a galantin e to com

‘

p a r e wit h t h at O f M r G D H C o.l e ! H e re . a littl e.bit o f .

Loui s Blan c th ere a scrap from Vidal b u t above all soli d

, , , ,

slabs of Marx an d S orel An d all thi s con cealed by a .

cu nni n g glaze of m oderni ty !

I n re ality Gui ld S ocialism is si m p ly S yn dicalism with
th e addi tion Of a S tat e B u t th e S tat e is n ot to ex ercise
.

a ut h ori ty o nl y to act as a m uni ci p al body al so as a bank er

, ,

to th e worker s an d occasion ally as um p ire in in du stri al

,

di sp u t e s Nation al fin an ce woul d b e de cide d by

. a Join t
C o mmi tt ee rep re sentin g equ ally th e S tat e an d th e Gui l d
C o n gr e ss Th e S tat e woul d own th e m e an s Of p ro d u ction
.

as t ru st ee for th e comm u ni ty : the Gui lds woul d m an age

th em also as tru st ee s for th e comm u ni ty an d woul d p ay
, ,
” 1
to th e S tat e a sin gle tax or ren t .

Th e assur an ce of Gu ild S oci ali st s th at th e Gui lds wo ul d

al ways h o n o u rably act u p to th ei r p ar t as tru st ee s is base d

on confi d en ce in m an al th ou gh w e n ote that a large ,

p o rtio n O f t h e h um an rac e th e p r e sen t em p loyi n g class is

, ,

to b e regarde d with th e blacke st su sp icion App arently .

th e f act of b e co min g a Gui ldsm an m ir acul ou sly do e s

1 Na ti ona l Gu i lds , an A ppea l to Trade Uni on i sts , p .
 WORL D RE VOLUTIO N
away with all su ch cha ract eristics as greed and self inter -

e st
. All this is p u re B u ch ez an d we h ave on ly to tur n back ,

to p age 1 0 9 of this book to see Guilds where every m an is

a m a st er in op eration whilst Lou is Blan c s associa ,
‘
’

”
tion s of workin g m en fin an ce d by th e S tat e d em ons trate
‘
-
, ,

the p re cise syst em of Gui ld S ocialism an d in ciden tally

its failu re in th e p ast .

U nh appily it is n ot in th e spi rit of Bu chez or even of

th e f an atic Loui s Blan e that Gui ld S ocialists set abou t
th eir task For all its p rofession s Of sp irit u ality an d love
.

for hu m anity Gu ild S ocialism 1 s avowedly revolu tion ary

,
.

To Revolu tion ary Trade Uni oni sm the Gui ld idea

” 1
loo k s its aim is th e re alization of In du st rial U nion
,

i sm th e bu ildin g u p of th e wh ol e body of Labour in to on e

,
” 2
fi gh tin g force Borrowing Marx s p hr aseology on th e
.
’

”
doctrin e of wage slavery it sets ou t to p rom ot e class
-
,

h atre d of th e m ost vi rul en t d e scrip tion an d advocat e s

stri k e s to overthrow th e C ap itali st syst em I n its den u n .

ci a ti on s of S tat e S ocialism th e i nfl u en c e Of S orel is cle arly

det ected .

Th e on ly p oin t then in whi ch Gui ld S ocialism sh ows

, ,

itself su p erior to S yn di calism is that in ste ad Of con een ,

tra tin g sol ely on d e stru ction an d th e Gen eral S tri k e it ,

”
m ake s som e p lan s for th e m orrow of th e revolu tion .

I n its con cep tion of gu ilds of b u sy worker s co op eratin g -

in a spi rit of frat ernity to m ake a su cc e ss of their trade ,

it tak e s u s back to th e ori gin al idea of S yn di calism

Prou dhon s Old sim ile of th e hive wh ere we see in im agin a
’

tion th e swarm s of h appy b ees flittin g throu gh th e sum m er

sun sh in e laden with hon ey for th e com b ful l of joy in their ,

Yet all that is to b e said in favour in du strial of th e

sy st em that Gu ild S ocialism advocat e s ca n equ ally b e said

Of C o op eration -
C O op erative in du stry exem p lifi ed by
.
-

su ch sch eme s as p rofi t sharin g co p artner sh ip etc is -

,
-
,
.
,

sim p ly Guild S oci alism with ou t its econ om ic f allaci e s

an d also withou t revolu tion This is precisely why co op er .
-

ation fin ds in S ocialists an d S yn dicali st s alike its bitt erest

opp on en ts ;
1
The Gui ld I dea , p 1 4 . .
1 Nati ona l Guilds , p 1 9 . .
 S YN D I C A LI S M 27 1

B u t th ere is also a further diff eren ce b etween Co Op era -

tion an d Guil d S ocialism C O op eration is an hon e st m ove

.
-

m ent for it h a s always b een wil lin g to p ut its theori es to

,

th e t e st b y in au gu r atin g in du stri e s on a c o op er ative basis -

.

S om etim es th e se exp eri m en ts h ave f ail ed som etim es th ey ,

h ave trium ph antly su cceede d Co op eration h as n ot b een .

-

p r ov e d a f ail u r e .

B u t it will b e n otice d th at n eith er S yn di cali st s n or

Gu il d S oci alists ever p rop ose to start in du st rie s on th e li n es
th ey advocat e b u t always to exprop riat e by violen ce
,

th ose already in exist en ce an d han d th em over to th e

work ers I n thi s re sp ect th eir record com p ares unf avour
.

ably wi th th at of S ocialists Th e e arlier S ocialists wh ose

.
,

sin cerity we cann ot d ou bt did att em p t to carry ou t th eir

,

sch em e s by m ean s Of C o mm u ni sts S ettl em ents ; S yn di cal

’

i sm ven tu re s On n o su ch exp erim en ts Thi s is th e m ore .

sign ifican t in th at th e re ason given by S ociali sts for th eir

failur e s in th e p ast do e s n ot ap p ly to S yn di cali sm For .

if on e is tactl e ss en ou gh to qu e stion S ocialists on th e s e

abortive eff orts on e is in evitably m et with th e stock reply :
Oh Of cou rse S ociali sm cann ot exist in isolat e d com
, -

m u ni ti es ; in ord er to t e st its efficacy it m u st b e adop t ed

”
by th e S tat e Now al th ou gh w e kn ow that it was n ot
.

thro u gh ou tsi d e oppo sition or com p etition b u t from i n t er

n al di sin t e gration t h at th ese settl em en ts wen t to p i e ce s it ,

is n everth ele ss obviou s th at S tate S ociali sm can only b e

p r actis e d by a S ocialis t S tat e T h is co n di ti o
.n how ev er is , ,

qui t e un n e cessary to th e exist en ce of S yn di cali sm sin ce th e ,

syst em it a dvocat e s is to con sist Of au ton om ou s group s of

work er s in d ep en dent of S tat e con trol Th ere is th erefore .

n o re ason why t h e se sh o ul d n ot exist u n d er th e p re sen t

regi m e What is th ere to preven t a sy ndi cat e of mi n er s

.

from taki n g over a m i n e or of f actory work er s b u yi n g a

,

facto ry an d runn in g it on S yn di calist lin e s ? Th e h u ge

,

fun d s of th e Trade Union s W ou l d surely b e b ett er sp ent in

an o u tlay of t hi s ki n d t h an in st rik e s th at d ep l et e th eir

exch e qu er to n o p u rp ose F or n ot onl y woul d a su cc e ssful

'

exp eri m en t on t h e s e lin e s satisfy t h e asp ir ation s of all t h e

wo rkers who took p art in it b u t woul d p roclaim to the ,

world th e effi cacy of th e S yn di calist th eo ry H en cef o rth .

27 2 WOR LD RE VOLUTION l

onl y S yn dicalist indu stri e s woul d attract w orkers an d ,

em p loy ers who co ntin u e d to m ain tain th e O ld syst em of

wage p aym ent woul d fin d th em selve s denu de d of em p loy
ees .Thu s withou t any violen ce with ou t th e sheddin g of a ,

drop Of blood the whole in du strial system cou ld b e

‘

revolu tioniz ed .

Why is this not don e ? S i m ply b ecau se the leaders Of

S yn dicalism kn ow th at it co ul d n ot su cc eed They are well .

aware that an in du stry which adop t e d th e p rin cip le of

control by all th e workers woul d com e to grief as surely as
a ship th at adop t e d th e p lan of n avi gation by all the crew .

I n a wo rd t h ey do n ot b elieve i n th e th eorie s they t each

, .

On e exp erim en t foun ded to a certain ext en t on S yn di

c ali sm m ay h owev er b e qu ot e d, This was th e settlem en t
,
.

in au gu rat e d by William Lan e in Paragu ay at th e en d of

th e last cen t ury Lane an E n glish jou rn alist who h ad
.
,

settl ed in Au stralia app e ars to h ave b een a p erfectly

,

h o n e st m an wh o h a d b ecom e deep ly im b u e d with th e doc

t ri n e s both Of Karl Marx an d Of S yn dicalism Hen ce h e .

b eli eved th at the f actory h an d was th e ri gh tful owner of -

th e f acto ry t h at th e sh eep sh e arer was en title d to th e fu ll

,
-

p r ofits O f t h e s h e a ri n g i n d u st ry t h at t h e l e gal ow n er s,O f all

form s Of p rop erty were robbin g th e m an u al wo rk ers Of
” 1
t h ei r d u e s Lan e th erefore en tered whol e h eartedly
.
, ,
-

in to th e gre at S yn dicalist strike s wh ich at th is dat e of 1 890

were p aralysi n g th e t rad e of th e cou ntry B u t p erceivi n g .

th e fu tility of this m eth od Of warf are which had th e

eff e ct Of re du cin g th e h i gh wa ge s of Au st ralian worker s to

th e level of forty five y e ar s e arlier -

Lan e decided to
"
f oun d a wo rk er s p ara di se in an oth er lan d Acco rdin gly at .

th e en d of 1 892 h e se t sail wit h 25 0 f aithfu l f ollower s for

Paragu ay wh ere h e start ed a colony u n der th e n am e of
,

th e N ew Au st ralia a few m ile s from Asu n cion .

Th e su bsequ en t adven tu re s of th e settlers h ave b een

vivi dly d e scrib e d by Mr S t ewart Grah am e in a n arrative .

which is m u ch m ore am u sin g th an Three M en i n a B oa t

_
,

an d h a s th e addition al m erit of be i n g t ru e It sh ou ld b e .

S oci ali sm f ai led , by G S tewart Gr ah am e (J ohn M urray ,

l
1
Where .

p 5 I n vi ew of th e ab ove qu otation it wo u ld p erh ap s h ave b een

. .

m ore a ccu rat e to n am e th e b ook Where S yndi ca li s m f a i led B u t th e g en eri c .

t erm of S o ci alism is freq u en tly u sed t o in clu de S yn d icalis m .

 S YN D I CALI S M 1
27 3

re ad by every one in t ere st e d in S ocialistic vent u res for ,

onl y a bri ef résu m é can b e given h ere .

At fir st everythi n g p romi sed well ; th e coloni sts ent ere d

in to p ossession of acres of th e very fi n e st lan d in
Paragu ay with p astu rage su ffici en t to keep at least
,

h e a d of cattl e an d sin c e all were fill e d with

,
com m u n al
ard ou r an d also with th e warm e st confiden ce in th eir
,

leader th ere seem e d n o re ason why a fl ou rishin g settl e

,

m en t sh oul d n ot resul t B u t p recisely th e sa m e ex p e ri

.

en ce s b efell William Lan e as had b ef all en E ti enn e C ab et

forty four y e ar s e arli er Th e coloni sts b efore lon g took

-
.

tur n s in qu arrelli n g am on gst th em selves an d in accu sin g

Lan e of tyranni zin g over th em Th e m an wh o work ed
.

ar du ou sly for ei gh t h our s in th e v egetabl e gar den en vi e d

t h e m ore fort u n at e fellow who sp en t hi s day ri di n g abou t
th e p astu re s h er di n g cattl e Th e cowboy on th e oth er
.
,

h an d con si dered th at th e sch oolm ast er h ad a con siderably

,

easi er j ob an d h e was p erh ap s m ov ed to com p are hi s lot

,

with th at Of th e coloni st wh ose p rin ci p al du ty ap p eared

”
to b e to blow th e di nn er h orn .

I nevitably bitter ch arge s of favou ritism were lev ell e d

at th e head of Lane an d at th e h eads of th e f orem en in
ch arge of every i n du stry ”
We have surren dere d all civil
.

”
ri ghts an d b e co m e m ere co gs i n t h e wh eel wr o t e on e of ,

th e coloni sts wh o had com e to N ew Au st ralia to fin d joy

”
in work by all for all I n f act a m an is p ractically a
.

slave Lan e doe s th e thi nkin g an d th e colonists do th e

.

”
work R esul t barbarism
.
,
.

At th e en d of four t een m onth s Lan e foun d h i m self

obli ged to exp el a n u m b er of m alcon t ents ; in th e followin g
year ( 1 894 ) n o le ss th an a third of the colon y se c ed ed of
th eir own accord We cam e said on e to foun d Utop ia
.
”
, ,

”
an d we h ave su cc eed e d in creati n g a H ell u p on E art h .

B u t on th e arrival at this j un ct u re of 1 90 n ew com ers who -

,

had b een attracted to th e N ew Au stralia by d elu sive

rep orts Lan e was hi m s elf dep os e d a n d start e d Off at th e
, ,

h ead of a few f oll owers to fo un d an oth er settl em en t wh ich ,

h e n am e d C osm e .

F or a few years the two coloni e s stru ggl e d on in m isery ,

b u t fin ally in 1 899 Lane aban don e d his exp eri m en t a t

 74 WORLD RE VOLUTIO N
C osm e an d retu rn e Au stralia B y dint of em ployin g
d to .

n ative lab our on th e hat e d wa ge syst em th ey had set ou t

to de stroy th e C o sm i an s p artly su cceeded in re storin g
,

th eir sh att ered fortun e s ; b u t b efore lon g the S ocialist

p r i n ci p l e was r e co g n iz e d as a f ail u re an d aba n do n e d by
both settlem ents in favo ur of I n dividu alis m
From thi s m om ent th e en ergy of th e colonists reviv
.

ed .

I n an in cre dibly sh ort sp ace of tim e h ou se s sh ot u p sur

ro u n de d by well til] e d kitch en gard en s -
Very soon .

th e grass lan ds were on ce m ore dott e d with cattl e

in a word N ew Au stralia b e cam e an average co m m u nity
,

Of san e sob er h ard wo rkin g self re sp ecti n g f arm ers livi n g

, ,
-
,
-
,

at p e ace with one an oth er and taking for their m otto :

Wh at we h ave we h ol d
The exp eri m en t of N ew Au stralia Off ers an in t ere stin g
demon stration of Prou dh on s th eory Of th e h ive an d th e ’

b ee s when carrie d ou t to its u lti m at e co n clu sion F or in .

N ew Au st ralia as in all oth er com m u n al settl em en ts th e

, ,

p r i n cip al di ffic u lti e s en co un t e re d w e re t h e l ack of p u blic

”
S p irit a n d th e in clin ation to slack Th ere i s absolu tely .

no regard for com mon p rop erty on e m em b er of th e colony

”
,

wrote to th e P a ll M a ll Ga z ette M oreover it was freely

.
,

alleged by alm ost every colonist again st som e oth er th at

th e latt er was wo rkin g le ss vi go rou sly for th e b en efit Of
all th an h e wou ld h ave don e in hi s own int erest ”
Mr . .

S t ewart Grah am e goe s on to sh ow u s h ow this lack of

energy wo u ld b e ov erco m e in a S ocialist S tat e an d by a ,

curiou s coin ciden ce h e illu strat e s th e fat e Of won t ’

works un der S ocialist adm inistration by th e sam e sim ile

as P ro u dh on in a de scrip tion of th e m assacre of th e dro n e s ,

qu ote d from M aeterlin ck s La Vi e de l a bei lle; ’ ’

One m orni n g th e lo cted word of comm an d goes

n g- exp e
throu gh th e hive an d th e p eacefu l workers tu rn into j u dges an d
,

exe cu ti on ers E ach one is assailed b y th ree or fou r envoys

.

of j u sti ce . Many will reach th e door an d escap e i nto

.

sp ace bu t towards eveni ng im p elled b y h u n ger an d cold

.
, ,

th ey retu rn in crowds to th e entrance Of the hive to b eg for

shelter Bu t th ere they en cou nter anoth er pitiless gu ard The
. .

n ex t m orni ng b efore settin g forth on th eir j ourney th e workers

o

, ,

will clear the threshold strewn with the corp ses of the u seless
,
 S YN D I CALI S M 75

On clo ser insp ection th e in du st rial system of the hive

is th u s seen to b e le ss p eacefu l than it h ad b een repre sent e d
by th e F ather of S yndi calism Prou dh on Yet all th e .

m ore it dem on st rate s th e m anner in whi ch alon e S ocialist

or S yn dicalist adm i ni stration c an b e carri e d ou t on a large

s cal e .

I n isolat ed settlem ents of th e ki n d idl er s or obj ectors ,

can b e bani sh e d bu t on ce th e syst em h a s b een m ade

,

u n iversal th e refu sal to do t h e share of wo rk allott e d to

on e can on ly b e p u nish abl e by de ath Th e t ext ado p t ed by .

mi litant S ocialists as their battle cry I f a m an wi ll n ot

-
,

work neither sh all h e eat m u st b e literally carrie d ou t by

a S ocialist S tate an d the p roletarian discip les Of C a
,
’

”
C anny no less th an the idl e rich
,
as also th ose workers ,

for wh o m no em p loym ent can b e fou n d will fin d that th e ,

law of th e hi ve c an b e even m ore ferociou s than th e hat ed

”
g ov er n m e n t of C ap itali sm .

Mr S t ewart Grah am e has well said that few even

.
,
”
am ongst S ocialists realize th e ferocity of S ociali sm Th ey
, .

imagin e th at th at classic p attern of S ocialist adm inistra

”
tion th e Rei gn of Terror was an acciden t th at n eed n ot
, ,

re cur if th e exp eri m en t of S ocialism is rep e at e d Bu t we .

have only to exam ine the writi n gs of S ocialists to recogn iz e

th at th e Rei gn of Terror was sim p ly S ocialism carri ed ou t
to its lo gical con clu sion Th u s we fin d even a S ocialist .

of su ch rep u t e d m od eration as Mr H M Hyn dm an writ . . .

ing these words :

The whole noble array of barri sters solicitors accountants , , ,

surveyors agents and abou t ni n ety ni n e hu n dr edth s Of the

, ,
-

p r ese n t di str ib u tor s wo u l d b e wh olly u seless in a prop erly

organi z ed society Th ey live u pon th e exi sting bou rgeoi s system
'

They will di s appear with the hu ckster arran gem ents on

which they thri ve 1
.

S in c e
there is at p re sen t no way of m aking h u m an
b ein gs disapp ear it is Obviou s th at th ey m u st b e ki lled
Off for as Robe sp ierre p erceive d they cann ot all b e
, , ,

abso rb ed by work of e ssential u tility an d can th erefore ,

-

only b e left to di e of starvation S O all S ocialist roads lead .

back to th e old system of dep op ul ation an d it is qu e stion ,

1 H M Hyn d m an The H i stori cal B a si s of S ocia li sm

. .
, p 4 61
. .
27 6 WORL D R E VOLUTIO N
abl e wh ether th e guillotin e was not the hum aner m ethod .

S yn dicalism at any r at e do e s n ot con ce al its int en tio n s

in th is m att er Th e m assacre of th e dron e s
. an d Of t h os e

wh om overcrowding of th e hive forc e s to b eco m e dron es

form s an e ssen tial p art Of th e p ro gram m e th at M erm eix
.

”
has well de scri b e d as a N eronic d re am .

I n th e exu ltation s of Geo rge s S o rel over th e com 1 n g

d eath St ru ggl e b etwe en C apital an d Labour we seem to ,
‘

b ear a Ro m an E m p eror rej o1 c1 n g 1 n antici p ation over th e

'

colli sion b etween two r acin g ch ariots th at is to strew th e

aren a with th e m an gle d rem ain s of m en a n d horse s a n d
dren ch its san d in blood .

S yn dicalism as form u lat e d by Geo rge S orel is t h e p lan

of th e Wo rld Revolu tion strip p e d of its illu sory wr ap p i n gs

an d reve al e d in all its n ake d d efo rm ity It i s avowedly

.

anti p atriotic anti reli giou s an ti dem ocratic ; it is in th e

-
,
-
,
-
,

word s of one of its own advocat e s Pou get ,t he n e gation ,

”
of th e syst em of m ajoriti e s an d its sole mm 1 3 rul e by
,

force an d violen ce F ar m ore th an S ocialism it is th e

.
,

direct continu ation of th e p ro gramm e Of th e Illu m in ati .

C an we not s ee Weish au p t sm ilin g 1 n hi s grave as we read

th e words of S orel : It is i m p ossible not to see th at a sort
of i rre sistibl e wave wi ll p ass over th e old civilization

( S in ce writin g t he above chap ter I h ave been i nform ed on good au thority

t hat M G eorg es S orel h as d efin itely gon e over to th e R oyali s ts I wond er
. .

how m any youthful S yn d icalis ts are told of this incid ent in the lif e of
AUTHOR S NOTE )
’
th eir p rophet . .
 C HAPTE R X

THE R E VOLU TI ON OF 1 91 7

The Great War R 6 1e of B ritish S ociali sts R 6 1e of erm an S o cial G

D em ocrat s Th e R u s sian R evolu tion B olsh evisrn R 61 e of
th e J ews P
Th e rotocols of Nilu s Germ an Or ani sation g s

WHE N the Great War b roke ou t in 1 9 1 4 it was on I nt er

n ation al S ocialism th at Germ any co u n t ed to b re ak th e
,

resistan c e O f h er en em i e s .

E verywh ere th e grou n d had b een carefu lly p rep are d .

I n E nglan d from th e fo u n di n g of t h e Fir st I n t ern ation al

,

onwards Germ an intri gu e h ad n ever ceased to p lay a

,

leading p art in th e su cceedin g S ocialist organization s e ach ,

of which in t u rn had b een divert e d fro m its o ri gi n al cou rse

in the directio n of p an Germ an in t ere sts

-
.

Altho u gh th e influ en ce of Marx am on gst th e B ritish

workin g m en was p ractically ni l du r n g his lifeti m e the
i

-
,

M arxian tradition h ad b een carri ed on by his colle agu e

E n gels an d hi s B ritish m iddle class d iscip le s who form ed
-

the S ocialist association s in th is co u n t ry .

Thus the S econ d I nt ern ation ale fou n de d in 1 882 , ,

b ecam e Germ aniz ed by 1 893 an d rem ain ed so u n til the,

ou tb reak of war when it was su sp en de d a n d did n ot recon

,

stru ct itself u ntil th e Gen eva C on gre ss of 1 920 Th e .

F abian S oci ety in au gurate d in 1 883 fell alm ost i m m e

, ,

d i ately u n d er th e cont rol of Mr G B ern ard S h aw wh o . .

h a s made n o secret of h i s in t ern atio n al sympathi e s I n th e .

sam e year th e S ocial D em ocratic F ed eration was foun ded

by Mr H M Hyn dm an with j u s ti ce as its organ and in
. . .
, ,

the followi ng ye ar of 1 8 84 p rodu ce d an off sh oot in th e

S ocialist Leagu e fo u n d e d by Willi am Morris wrth th e
co op eration of Mr B elfo rt B ax an Au strian semi
~
.
,

27 7
 WORLD RE VOLUTIO N
An archist am ed An drea S cheu several E n glish An ar
n ,

c h i st s an d D r Avelin g th e hu sban d of Marx s ’

, .
,

dau gh ter as e dito r of its organ The Commonwea l

,
,
.

Th is ceased to exist in 1 892 Th e origi n al S D E m ean . . . .

while contin u ed its cour se b u t in 1 9 1 1 ch anged its n am e to ,

th e B riti sh S ocialist p arty .

Th e ali en infl uen ce in all th e se association s is th u s

p lai n ly visibl e b u t it was n ot su f fici
,
e n t to co n t en t F ri e d
rich E n gels who th eref o re set to work on an oth er en ter
,
”
p ris e t
, h e I n d e p e n d en t Labo u r P a rty wh ich with t h e , ,

collaboration of Mr Keir Hardi e he afterwards boasted .

,

th at h e h elp ed to creat e E n gels the n in st ru cted Dr . .

Aveling wh o h a d fo rm ed a
“ ’
,
free un ion with M arx s
dau ght er to join the E xecu tive C o mm ittee Of the I L P
1
.
, . .

whi lst E le an o r herself was told off to work for th e Ga s

”
Workers an d Gen eral Labou rer s Uni on
’ ’
.

E ngels now im agin ed th at , with th e aid of th e In dep en den t

Labour Party h e wou ld obliterate th e S ocial Dem ocrati c Fed er
,

ation and th e Fabian s , as a pu ni shm ent for not showi ng suffi cient
su b servien ce to Germ an leadership He evidently believed that .

he was em in ently su ccessfu l in th ese efforts On Jul y 20 , 1 889 , .

E ngels wr ote to S orge : I think that we are going to m ake great

”
p rog r e ss h ere T h en h e go e s on .to ex p lain t h at as t h e An glo
S axon s are slow an d du ll of com preh en sion , it was quite natu ral
that E n glish workmen shou ld be bossed (geboss t) by Germ an s
“
.

I n a su b se qu en t letter E ngels boasts that the gas workers

of Lon don were led by Tu ssy, th e di m inu tive nam e of Marx s
” ’

you n gest dau gh ter (E leanor) Finally, in 1 892 E ngels rep eats .
,

trium phantly :
We are m akin g great progress here in E ngland Affairs .

advan ce splen didly Next year th ere will b e seen m arching .

b ehin d Germ any , not only Au stria and Fran ce , bu t also

E ngland 2
.

The se hop e s foun d th eir fu lfilm ent on th e de clara tion

of war in 1 9 1 4 Wh at p art did th e S ocialists p lay ? Th e
.

t ru e m e anin g Of I nt ern ation alism was th en revealed .

Alth ou gh th e war on th e p art of Germ any was on e Of p u re

aggre ssi on an d On th e p art of E nglan d one of ur gen t
,
-

n atio n al defen ce the whole Germ an S oci a l D emocra ti c P arty

,

How a dm irably Marx was fitted to d irect th e aff airs of the h um an

1

rac e is sh o wn by th e way h e m an a ged his own fam ily E leanor M arx .

,

h er h u s b an d , D r Aveli ng , an d h er . sist er a ll com m it t ed suic id e.

1 Ad olph e S m ith , The P an Germa n Interna ti onale , p 6 . .
 T HE RE VOLUTION OF 1 91 7

i n a body wen t over to the Germa n war party whilst all th e -

,
1

S ocialist organi zation s in thi s coun try th e I n d ep en den t

Labo ur Party th e B ritish S ocialist Party an d th e S oci alist
, ,

—
Labour Party oppo sed E n glan d s p artici p ation in th e w ar 2 ’
.

Not con ten t with thi s Pacifist attitu d e b ef ore th e ou t

break Of h ostili tie s certain S ocial ists n otably t h e m em
,

b ers of th e I L P con tin u ed aft er th e w ar h a d b egun ,

. . .
,

to give active en cour agem en t to th e en em y M r Ram say . .

Macdon al d wh o h ad p u b lish ed a viol en t in di ctm en t Of th e

,

B ritish Governm en t on Au gu st 1 3 1 9 1 4 was m en tion ed on , ,

several occasion s with th e warm est ap p robation in th e

Germ an p re ss At a con gre ss of th e I L P in Norwi ch in
. . . .

Ap ril 1 9 1 5 a resolu tion was p asse d by a hu ge m ajority

,

Opp osin g re crui tin g Wo rse still in du strial trou ble s were
.
,

stirred u p am on gst th e workers delayin g th e su pp ly of war ,

m at eri al s to th e t roo p s so th at th e R eferee d e cl ared th at

, .

Germ an S ociali sts an d their E n gli sh alli es were resp on

sible for t h e d eath of th ou san d s of E nglishm en on the
” 3
battle front
-
.

It is onl y j u st to a dd that the qu e stion of th e war

b ro u gh t abou t a sp lit in th e B ri tish S o ci ali st Party an d ,

th ou gh th e n am e was retai n e d by th e an ti war p arty a -

p arty largely co m p ose d fro m 1 9 1 6 on war ds of Ru ssian

J ews an d forei gn An ar chi sts with The Ca ll for th eir organ ,

a grou p Of B ritish S ociali sts u n der th e l eadershi p of Mr , .

Hyn dm an stoo d ou t for n ation al defen ce an d in 1 91 6

, ,

reo rgani z e d t h em s elve s un der t h e n am e of th e Nation al

”
S o cialist Party I n 1 920 thi s soc i ety re sum e d th e ori gin al
.

n am e of th e S oci al D em ocr atic F e d er ation whi lst at th e ,

sam e d at e th e B ritish S ocialist Party n ow affi liat e d to th e ,

Thi rd ( Moscow) I nt ern ation al e b e cam e th e B ritish Com ,

m u ni s t Party an d ch an ge d th e n am e of its organ from The

Ca ll to The Commu n i s t Th e f act th en rem ain s tha t at th e
.

ou tbre ak of war B ri tish S ocialism was rep re sent e d by n o

n atio n al an d p at riotic p arty Th e work of Germ any had .

b een well an d trul y don e .

1
On thi s poin t s ee La skin e s admi ra ble p am phl et , Les S ocial is tes da
’

Kai ser , la fin d u n mens on ge (Floury ,

’

2
The Two I n terna ti ona ls , by R P alm e D u tt ( La bo ur R esearch D e art
.
p
m en t , 34 Ec cles ton S q u ar e) , 1 920 , p 3 . .

’
1
Las ki n e , L I nterna ti onale et te pa n Germa ni s me, p p 3 7 7 -382 -
. .
280 '

WORLD RE VOLUTIO N
Unless the se p relim in ari e s are clearly reco gniz ed th e ,
“

attitu de of th e S ocialists m u st app ear onl y as th e m ost

extr ao rd in ar y p ar a d ox Why sh oul d th e so called ch am
.
-

p io n s Of dem ocracy h ave acco rd ed th eir sym p athy to

I m p erial Germ any th e m ost m on archic an d th e m ost
,

au tocratic coun try in th e worl d rath er th an to Rep u blican ,

Fr an ce th e h om e of th e revolu tion ary tradition ? It is tru e

,

th at th e Governm en t of Germ any u n d er Wilh elm II w as .

p robably t h e b e st i n E u r o p e f r o m t h e p oi n t o f vi e w o f t h e

working classe s b u t th is was p re cisely b ecau se it rep u di

-
,

at ed th e S oci alistic theory of th e di ctato rship of the p ro

let ari a t an d owe d its su cce ss to th e f act t h at it t re at e d th e
,

p pe o l e lik e ch il d r en ca r e d f o r t,h em li k e c h il d re n p un is h e d ,

them like chi l dren an d n ever allowe d th em to dictat e

, .

Th e p ro Germ an sym p ath i e s of B ritish S ocialists are

-

th erefo re in com p reh en sible u nle ss we realiz e th at all th eir

i d eas h ad b een in stille d into their m in d s by Germ an
a gen ts . I am an ti Fren ch b u t I am n on e th e le ss anti
-
,

E n glish Marx th ei r p rop h et h a d declare d an d th e

, , ,
1
,

an ti Al li e s attitu de of I n t ern ati on a

-
S ocialists in
this cou ntry was th e n atu ral re su lt of th e se influ en ce s .

I n Fran ce Germ an p rop agan da h a d b een le ss su ccessfu l .

Alth ou gh th ere were a few n otoriou s p ro Germ an s in th e -

S ocialist an d Radical cam p s th e Fren ch S ocialist p arty

stood solidly for n ational defen ce E ven Jau res wh ose .
,

illu sion s on Germ any h a d excit e d susp icion s of com p licity

with th e en em y warn ed his coun trym en th at th ey m u st
,

b eware of th e I llu mi n a ti , wh o seek to organi z e th e p ro

” 2
leta ri at on a non n ation al basis -
An ti p atriotism is a
.
-

sentim en t n ot e asily arou se d in Fran ce an d in sp ire s little ,

admi ration there when p rofe sse d by forei gn ers I n thi s .

conn e ction it is am u sin g to observe th e attitu de of George s

S orel S yn dicalist an d th erefore I n t ern atio n al as h e
, ,

m i ght p ro fe ss to b e toward s ou r B ritish p acifi st s .

Arbitration h e rem arks always gives resu lts di sastrou s

, ,

to E nglan d ; bu t th ese good p eop le (the E ngli sh Lib erals) prefer

1
B ri efwechsel z wi schen Ma rx u nd E n gels , iv 33 5 , d at e of S ep tem b er .

1 2, 1 8 7 0
eech of M
.

d i B run et , S ocrah st d ep u ty for C harleroi

2
Q u o t e n sp .
,
g
Au us t 2 , 1 920 .
 THE RE VOLUTION OF 1 91 7 28 1

to pay or even t o com promi se th e fu ture of th e1 r cou ntry rath er

than affront th e horrors of war . Many E nglishm en think
that by hum iliating their country they will becom e m ore s ym
p a thi qu es t hi s i s n ot clea rly p rov e d 1
.
’

B u t it was by p acifi ci sm th at th e gre at con sp iracy

g ai n e d its e n d i n R u ssia .T h is is n o t t h e p lac e to r e coun t

th e story of th e Ru ssian Revolu tion whi ch is still too fre sh ,

i n th e mi n ds Of th e p u blic to need rep eatin g ; all th at con

cern s u s h ere is to trace the course of th e World Revolu tion
throu gh ou t the m ovem en t an d to con trovert th e p u rblin d
declaration s of certain leadin g p olitician s in thi s cou n try ,

who p er sist e d in regardi n g th e Ru ssian u p h e aval as som e

thi n g qui te n ew in th e hi story of th e world Thu s in th e .

Hou se of Lo rds on Febru ary 1 0 1 920 Lord Cu rzon , ,

observed :
When we look at Ru ssia who can regard that spectacle with
,

ou t con stern ation an d di sm ay ? a cou n try at this m om en t

p ey to a revolu tion Of a ch aracter un p reced en t e d in history
r .

B ecau se althou gh every one is always drawin g an alogi es wi th

,

what h app en ed in Fran ce 1 4 0 or 1 50 (si c! ) years ago th ere is

n o an alogy wh atever . E veryb ody kn ows that th e cir cum stan ces
of wh at i s h app eni n g in R u ssia a t th e p resen t tim e are wh oll y
wi th ou t p arallel in th e history of th e world an d you can 1m ag1 n e ,

h ow in wh at are called th e inn er circles of statecraft at every

mom ent we are conf ronted with thi s ap pallin g sp ectacle ou tsid e
"

our door u p settin g u s

, , p erp lexin g our resolu tion an d con ,

fou ndi ng our calcu lation s at every tu rn .

Wh at won der th at our forei gn p olicy is frequ en tly at

f aul t a n d th at our stat e sm en fi n d th em selv e s p erp lexe d
a n d conf o un de d at every t ur n if t hi s is th e ext en t of th eir

h istori cal kn owle dge ? Not on ly is there an exact an alo gy

b etwe en the revolu tion s of Fran ce an d Ru ssia b u t as ,

every on e who has st u di e d th e latt er m ov em en t kn ows th e ,

Ru ssian Revolu tion from Novem b er 1 9 1 7 onwards was a

di rect con ti nu a ti on of the Fren ch Thi s was adm i tt ed by th e
.

Bolsh eviks th em selve s who rep eat edl y declare d th at th e

,

first Fren ch Revolu tion m u st b e cop ie d in every detail an d ,

wh o from th e o u tset took Marat an d Rob e spi erre as th eir

m odels .
2

1
R éflexi on s su r la vi olence, p 89 . .

2
S irP a u l D ukes inform ed m e th at a t a m eetin g
of th e B ol sh eviks
g g
h e atten d e d in R u ssia at t h e b e inn in Of t h e R evolu tion , M arat was h eld
u p as t h e g
reat ex am ple to b e f oll o w ed I n J u n e 1 9 1 9 an arti cle in t h e
.
 82 WORL D RE VOLU TIO N
'

I t ha s b een obj ect ed that in two i m p ort ant p oints the

Ru ssian Revolu tion diff ers fro m th e F ren ch firstly th at , ,

whilst the Fren ch Revolu tion was Nation al th e Ru ssian ,

was I n tern atio n al ; secon dly that th e F ren ch Revolu tio n

,

was direct ed again st th e aristocracy b u t th e R u ssian ,

Revolu tion aim ed p articu larly at th e de st ru ction of the

bou rgeoi si e B oth th e se stat em ents are in accu rat e Th e
. .

F ren ch Revolu tion like the Ru ssian Revolu tion con

, ,

t aine d b oth Nation al a nd I n t ern ation al elem ents I n its.

declaration all m en are b roth ers the Fren ch C on stitu

en t Assem bly gave exp re s sion to th e p u re st I n t e r n atio n al

i sm an d Cloot z th e ap ostle Of this doct ri n e re ceive d as

, , ,

we have s een th e lou de st acclam atio n s from th e C onven

,

tio n I t was o nly wh en th e Jacobin s declaration Of world

’
.

an archy m et with opp ositio n from forei gn cou n trie s an d

also ran cou n t er to th e inn ate p atriotism of th e French
p pe o l e th a t th e C o n v e n tio n f o un d its e l f f o rc e d i n to a n
attitu de of Nation alism it had n ever int en ded to assum e ,

a n d u n der th e do m in atio n of Rob e sp i erre th e gre at e st

,

Opp on ent of I n t ern ation alism Clootz an d th e, p ar ti d e

l etran ger were con dem n ed to de ath I n Ru ssia on the

’
.
,

oth er han d th e R evolu tion did not b ear at the ou tset an

,

en ti rely I n t ernation al charact er : am ongst the S ocial

Revolu tion ari e s wh o b rou gh t abou t th e risin g of March
1 9 1 7 were sev eral n ation al gro u p s ; the M en sh eviks like
wi se com prise d a n ation al p arty led by P lech anov It was
, .

no t u n til th e B olsheviks seiz e d th e rein s Of p ower that th e

Revolu tion b ecam e frankly I n t ern ation al a n d this was ,

facilitat e d by th e f act that th e Ru ssian p eo pl e were le ss

at ri otic t h a n t h e F ren ch a n d also t h at whilst th e Jacobi n s
p ,

of F ran c e cou ld co u n t on no su p p o rt from ab road th e

B olsheviks depen de d alm ost entirely on forei gn co op era -

tion and fou n ded all their hop e s on the prosp ect of a wo rld
revol u tio n .

Dai ly Hera ld d es crib ed th e closing down by the Bolsh evik au thori ties of
‘

a play entitled The D ea th of D a n ton for fea i t m igh t b e Off en s ive t o the
, r

m em ory of R ob espierre A R ussian wh o h ad b een im p risoned und er th e

.

Bolsh eviks wrot e to m e after read ing m y French R evoluti on : Yo ur

boOk s eem s to b e th e d iary of o u r o wn revolut ion , so th o rou gh ly
well h ave our a p es learnt th e1 r r6 1es everybo d y in R u s s ia kn ew by

h eart that bloody era , though many of th e actors hard ly knew h ow to s ign
th eir n am es !
 THE RE VOLUTION O F 1 9 1 7 2 83

I n th e m atter of th e class w ar t h e Bolsh eviks of Ru ssia

p u r su e d p re cis e ly t h e sa m e co u r s e as th e revol u tio n a ri e s of

Fran ce I n both coun t ri e s th e m o n archy an d aristoc racy

.

were th e fir st to suff er ; in both th e tu rn of th e bou rgeoi si e

cam e n ext I n the sum m er of 1 7 93 as we have seen w a r
. , ,

o n th e bou rgeoi si e was de clare d by th e Co nven tio n a n d th e ,

battl e crie s of that p eriod have b een adop t ed verbatim by

-

t h e Bolsheviks Let u s follow th e sa m e p roc e ss , as ca rrie d

.

ou t by Lenin , in hi s own wo rds

What is the fir st stage ? It i s the transfer of p ower to th e

capitali st class (bourgeoisie) U p to th e March revolu tion of
,
.

1 9 1 7 power in R u ssia was in th e h an ds of one anci ent class ,

n am ely th e feu d alist aristocrati c lan down in g class h eaded b y

- -

Nicholas R om an ov After that revolu tion p ower h as b een in

.

th e han ds of a di ff eren t a n ew class nam ely th e cap itali st clas s

, ,

b o i si ) Th shifti f ow from on e class to

( th e u rge o e e n g o .
p er

another i s th e first , th e m ain fu n dam ental sym ptom of a revolu ,

tion both in th e strictly scientifi c an d th e p ractical political

,
“

sense of the word To this extent the ca pitalist or bourgeois

.
,

d em ocratic revolu tion in R u ssia is at a n en d 1

.

In Ru ssia as in Fran c e w a r on th e bou rgeoi si e was o nl y

th e s eco n d sta ge of th e m ov em en t an d in both th e com ,

l et e s u bj e ctio n of th e p eo p l e fo rm e d th e n ext p oin t on th e

p
p g
r o r a m m e .

Th e Bolshevi k revolu tio n was fro m th e very b e gi n ni n g , ,

avowedl y anti dem ocratic an d in no s en se th e o u tcom e of

-

th e Ru ssian revolu tio n ary m ov em en t U n til th e e n d of th e .

last century the subversive fo rce s in Ru ssia h a d b een

m ainl y an archi c re sul tin g fro m th e doct rine s of Bakun in
,

a n d Kr opotkin e ; b u t with th e f o rm atio n of th e Ru ssa n

S ocial D em ocratic Party a d efinit e M arxian school was

in au gurated and fo un d fu rther su pp ort in th e J ewish B u n d
of S ocial D em ocr ats It was at a co n gress of the Ru ssian
.

S ocial D em ocratic Party in Lo n don in 1 9 0 7 t h at th e sp lit

took place resul tin g in divisio n into th e two gro u p s of
,

Bolsh evi ks u n der Leni n an d M en sh eviks u n d er M art off ,

th e form er si gn ifyin g th e m ajo rity th e latt er th e m i n o rity , ,

b u t si n ce th en the t erm s h ave co m e to den ot e the ext rem e

an d th e l e ss ext rem e p arty .

At the ou tb reak of t h e M arch revolu tion of 1 9 1 7 the

t
The S ovi ets t Work
a , p 8 . .
 WORL D RE VOLUTIO N
B olsheviks were however c om p letely in the m inority
, ,

am on gst th e variou s revolu tion ary grou p s a fact frankly

a d m itt e d by th e Bolsh evi k s th em selve s 1
an d it was o n ly

by a co u rse of system atic d ecep tion an d fin ally by fo rce Of ,

arm s th at th e p arty which m i gh t b e d escrib ed in Bakunin s

,
’

”
words th e Germ an Jew C om p any
,
-
th e re d b ur e au ,
”
c racy ,su cc ee de d in e stablish ing its dom in ation S u ch .

o
p p u la rit y as it h a d ac h i e v e d had b e e n w on by th e ol d
m e th od of th e co n sp iracy p r o m isi n g o n e t h i n g an d
doin g p re cisely th e op p osit e Th u s accordi n g to th e word .

of co mm an d of th e S ec ret S oci eti e s C on stitu tion

th e Bolsh eviks h a d clam o u re d for a C o n stitu ent Assem bly ,

a n d thei r fir st a c t was to di ssolve th e ass em bly el e ct e d by

u n iv ersal su ffra ge ; exp loitin g th e w ar we ari n e ss of th e -

troop s th ey had p rom ised th e p eop le imm e diate p eace an d ,

h avi n g by th e se m ean s cre at e d di saffe ction first in th e

n avy then in th e First arm y an d fin ally throu gh o u t all th e
, ,

t roop s they in au gurat ed a régim e th at coul d only exist on

,

warf are an d of which the wh ole p olicy is aggre ssive m ili

t arism ; th ey had p rom ise d th e p e asants th e lan d th ey
covet ed an d th en denied th em the right to own th e crop s
,

th ey grew on
F r o m th e et however th e Bolsh eviks had n ever
, ,

su cceede d in Obtainin g a followin g am on gst the p easants of ,

whi ch th e revolu tion ary elem en ts looked to th e S ocial

Revolu tion ari es for salvati on an d it was on th e workm en ,

of th e town s t h at t h ey co u n t e d for su p p o rt B u t h ere .

again their p romi se s p roved delu sive an d th e worker s wh o ,

im agin e d th at they were to run th e in du strie s in wh ich th ey

were en gage d foun d them selve s bitt erly disillu sion e d .

Gre at eff orts have b een m ade by th e Bolsheviks to p er

su ade S yn dicalists that th eir p lan s are iden tical as we see ,

in th e overt u re mad e by Zinovieff in th e n am e Of th e Thir d

I n t ern ation ale to th e I W W of Am erica ( date of Janu ary
. . .

wh ere sooth ing assuran c e s are given on th e su bj ect

1
At th e b eginn in g of th e R evolu tion th e S ocialist R evo lution ary ,

Party b ecam e by far th e strongest in th e wh ole p olitical fi eld Th e p eas .

a n t s , sold iers , an d ev en th e m as s es
t h e workers vot ed for th e S oc iali st
of
R evolu tion aries ( Trotz ky , The Hi s tory of the R u ssi a n R evolu ti on to B res t
Li tovs k (Allen an d U n win) , p A r ep ort in th e
. hi t e ap er on B olsh ev W P
ism a s sert s th at 90 p er c en t Of t h e p op ulati on Were in favour of th e m on
arch y (d at e of Octob er 14 ,
 THE RE VOLUTION O F 1 91 7 5

of the S tat e Ou r aim is th e sam e as your s

. a co m on m
wealth withou t S tat e with ou t Govern m ent wi th ou t , ,

classes in whi ch th e workers sh all admi ni st er th e m ea n s of

,

p rodu ction an d di strib u tion for th e co mm on b en efit Of all .

B u t th e app eal goe s on to exp lain th at this cann ot b e d on e

all at o n c e an d th e old p roc es s of th e
, with erin g away of
”
th e S tat e ori gi n atin g with Lo uis Blan e is to tak e p lace
, , .

I n th e f ac e of Le nin s vi ews on control by th e wor k er s th e

’

hyp ocrisy of this p r ot estation is however , , app aren t .

S ocialism Lenin wrote in May 1 9 1 8 can onl y b e

'

, ,

reach ed b y th e d ev elop m en t of S tate C ap itali sm th e careful ,

organi zation Of fin ance control an d di sciplin e am on gst th e , ,

workers Withou t thi s th ere is n o S ocialism

. To every .

d ep u tation of workers whi ch h as com e to m e com plaining that a

factory was stoppin g work I h ave said : If you d esire th e con ,

fisca tion of your factory th e d ecree form s are rea dy an d I ca n , ,

si gn a decree at on ce Bu t tell m e : can you take over th e m an

.

a em ent Of th e con cern ?

g H ave you calcu lated wh at you can

p r od u ce ? Do ou know th e relation s of your works wi th R u ssi an

y
and forei gn m arkets ? Th en it h as app eared th at th ey are in
exp eri en ced in th ese m atters ; th at th ere i s n othi n g ab ou t th em
in th e Bolsh evik literature n or in th e M en sh evik ei th er Th e
‘

, .

workers wh o base th eir ac tivi ties bnS tate S ocialism are th e m ost
‘

” 1
su ccessful .

B olshevism then is not S yn di calism it is S tat e S ocial ,

i sm it is M arxi sm it is C o mm u ni sm in a wor d it is
, , ,

B a bou vi sme .

It is therefo re no figur e of sp eech t o de scri b e it as th e

m ost reaction ary sch ool of thou ght n ow in exist en c e for it ,

d oe s n ot even carry on th e t r adi tion s of 1 84 8 or 1 8 7 1 b u t ,

go e s ri gh t back to th e c en t u ry b ef o re last t h e Bolsh e vik

evol u tion Of 1 9 1 7 b egan wh ere t h e F ren ch R evol u tio n l eft
r
Off I n it p ossible to con c eive anyt hin g m ore ret ro
gr e s siv e .

Let u s n ow follow th e p rogr amm e of Bolsh evism as set

forth by its own advocat e s in o rd er to realiz e its exact

res e m blan c e to th at Of Bab euf We sh all fin d it m ost .

cle arly p rop ou n ded in the p am phl et Of B u ch arin th e ri gh t ,

h an d of Lenin from whi ch th e foll owi n g p assage s are

,

taken :
The Chi ef Tas k of u r Ti mes b y Vla di mir Oulianofi ( Lenin) p u bli sh ed
1
o
Workers
, ,
’
by th e S oci ali st Fed era tion , p . 12 .
 WORLD RE VOLUTION
We already know that t he root all plundering of th e e vil of
wars of opp ressi on of th e workin g classes an d Of all th e atrociti es
,
-

of cap itali sm i s th at th e wealth of th e world h a s b een en slaved

,

by a few S tate organi z ed capitalist ban d s wh o own all th e

-
,

wealth of the earth as th eir p rivate property To d eprive .

th e ri ch of th eir p ower b y dep rivi n g th em of th eir wealth b y

‘

f orce th at is th e p aram ou n t du ty of th e workin g class of th e

,
-
,

Lab ou r P arty th e p arty Of C omm u ni sts

,
I n a C omm u ni st .

ord er all th e wealth b elon gs n ot to individu als or classes bu t to ,

soci ety as a whole ; n o on e m an is m aster over it All are equ al .

com ra des Th e work is carried ou t j ointly accordin g to a

—
.
,

p re arr an ged la b ou r p lan A cen tral b u reau of stat i sti cs caleu .

lates h ow m u ch it is requi red to m anu factu re in a year : su ch

an d su ch a nu m b er of boots trou sers sau sages blacki n g w h eat , , , , ,

cloth an d so on It will also calcul ate th at for this purpose su ch

, .

and su ch a num b er of m en m u st work on the fi eld s an d i n the

sau sage work resp ectively an d su ch an d su ch a num b er in the

.
,
.

‘
large comm unak tailori ng worksh op s etc an d working h and s , .
,
-

will b e di stribu ted accordi ngly The whole of produ ction is .

con du cted on a strictly calculated and adj u sted plan on the ,

b asis Of an exact e stim ate of all th e m achines app aratu s all , ,

raw m aterial an d all th e labour p ower in the comm u nity

1
.
,

C om p are this with Bab euf : A sim p le aff air of n u m b ering

thin gs an d p eop le a sim p le op eration of calcu lation s an d ,
” 2
com bin ation s .

All this , Bu ch arin goes on to inform u s can b e ,

attain ed only by workin g to a sin gle p lan an d by organizin g

” 3
th e wh ol e com m u n ity into one va s t la bou r commu n e .

This p roce ss which is to b egin with th e bou rgeoi si e, I s

,

to be carri ed ou t
b y m ean s of in trodu cin g labou r record b ooks an d lab our service .

E very one of th e ab ove n am ed class shou ld receive a sp ecial -

book in whi ch an accou nt is kep t of hi s work , that i s to say of

his com pul sory servi ce Fixed entries in hi s book en title h im .

to buy or to receive certain food produ cts , bread in the first

p la ce . I f su ch a n in divi du al refu ses to work th er e is no
correspon di ng entry in his book He goes to th e store bu t is . .

told Th ere is nothin g for you Please to show an entry con

,
.

” 4
firmin g you r work .

This m ay b e very p leasin g to th e proletarian Wh o see s

i n im agi n ation th e i dl e rich b ein g force d to shoul der
1
N B u ch arin The P rogra mme of the World Revolu ti on ( S ocialis t
.
,

Labour Press Glasgow , pp 1 6 1 7 , .

, .

2 P 63 of this book .

World
.

1 P rogramme o f the Revoluti on , p 1 7 . . I bid p 55

. . .
 THE RE VOLUTION OF 1 91 7 28 7

sp ade or p ickaxe in order to se cu re a m eal bu t the p role ,

tari an smi le f ades away as th e en d of th e p age is rea ch ed

an d th e se o min o u s wor ds ap p ear : Of cour se labour
servic e for th e rich should onl y b e a tran sitory sta ge
”
toward s gen eral labour service .

If we t u rn to The R u s si a n Code of La bou r La ws (p u b

li sh ed by th e P e op le s Ru ssian I nf orm ation B ur eau in
’

1 920 ) w e sh all fin d th at a ll citize n s of th e Ru ssian S ocial

ist F ederal S ovi et Repu blic over 1 6 an d un der 50 y ears of

a ge with certain exem p tion s in case of illn e ss are

su bj e ct to com p ul so ry labour of ei gh t h our s a day

1
.

I n fact a gr eat p art of Lenin s wr itin gs are devot e d to

’

th e p roblem of enf o r cing thi s sy st em to th e hi gh er dis ,

” 2
cip lin e of t h e toil ers iron di sci pli n e dur in g work with
,
” 3
absolu t e su b m ission to th e will of on e pe rson for which ,

p urpose a m er ciless dictator shi p m u st b e exercise d

4
.

Moreov er w e fin d th at aft er al l
, wage slavery still -

e xists f or a wh ol e se ction of th e Ru ssian C ode r elat es to

,
”
th e tran sf er an d di sch arge of wage e arn ers B u t in -
.

tim e th e wages th ou gh n ot th e slavery are to di sappear for ,

B u chari n exp lain s th at sal e an d p u rchase will by degrees

An ch an ge of goo ds m u st th en be gin between town an d

ex

coun try wi thou t th e agen cy of m on ey m uni cip al in du strial

,

organi zations send out textil e iron an d oth er good s into th e

, ,

cou ntry while th e vill age di stri ct organi zations send brea d to
,

th e to wn s in exch an ge wh en produ ction an d di stri bu tion

are th orou ghl y organi zed m on ey wi ll p lay n o p art wh atever ,

an d as a m att er of cour se n o kin d of m on ey du es will b e d e

m an de d from any on e Mon ey will h ave gen erally be com e
.

In order to attain this ideal con diti on of thi n gs the

Worki n g class m u st en gage in a
-
bloody p ainful heroic
, ,
”
stru ggl e .

We have onl y to turn back to th e e arlier p ages of thi s

book to see th at thi s is iden tically an d in every de ta il th e
p l an of th e B ab ou vi s t es ; t h e Thi r d I n te rn ation al in i ts
N ew C o mm u nist M anife sto in f act adm its its di rect
P p 6 an d 1 6 ‘ The S ovi ets Work p ZB
1 . at .
.
fl
I bid , p 3 5 . I bi d p 40
P rogramme of the World
.

R evolu ti on , p 6 9
. .
 88 WORLD RE VOLUTI ON
descent from B abeuf How are we to exp lain the continu
ity of idea ? S im ply by th e fact that both system s are
foun ded on the s am e doct rine s those of Illu m ini sm an d ,

that th e p lan now at work in Ru ssia has b een han de d down

-

throu gh th e secret societie s to th e p re sen t day .

Th e Bolsh evik revolu tion has in fact followed ou t th e

code of Weish au p t in every p oint th e abolition of m on
archy abolition of p atriotism abolition of p rivate p rop
, ,

erty a n d of inh e ritan ce abolition of m arriage an d m or ality

‘

, ,

an d abolitio n of all reli gion .

On th e last two p oin ts qu erie s will b e raised Has th e ;

B olsh evik Govern m ent ofi i ci a lly abolish e d m arri age ? N 0

sim p ly b e cau se it has n ot dared to do so b u t its int en tions ,

in this resp e ct are m ade qui te cl e ar in th e p am ph let of

M adam e Kolon tay th e fri en d of Len in Commu ni sm a nd
, ,

the F ami ly in wh ich i t is exp lain e d that th e Old fo rm of

1
,

i n dissolu ble m arriage is to give p lace to th e free an d

hon est u nion of m en an d wom en who are lovers and com
”
rade s th at is to say sim p ly to free love Doe s this .

i m ply th en th e comm u nity of wom en M u ch discu s

sion h a s b een devote d to thi s qu e stion he at ed c on trover ,

si e s h ave taken p lace as to whether th e m an date of

E kat erin odar o rderin g th e socialization of wom en was
a p art of th e B olsh evik p ro gramm e or m erely th e act of an
in dividu al comm issar Yet all th e ti m e th e an swer is qu it e
.

sim ple Bolsh evism is avowedl y Marxism ; to follow th e

.

p r e c ep t s of M a rx i n ev ery d etail is t h e s u p re m e a i m o f t h e

l eaders An d th e ofi i ci a l and open commu ni ty of women

.

i s laid down i n M arx s Commu ni s t M an if es to 2

’
I f th ere .
,

f ore th e B olsh evists h aVe n ot e stablish e d it in Ru ssi a it is

,

b ecau se p u blic op inion was evidently too stron g f or them .

Th e m an dat e of E kat erinodar nev er in t en ded f or p u bli ,

cation in We st ern E u rop e gave away th e p lan an d p re

,
~

ven t ed its execu tion B u t Madam e Kolon tay s p am p hlet

.
’

le ave s n o dou bt as to th e u ltim at e de si gn For free love .

m u st in evit ably l ead to the sam e con clu sion th e rem oval
of all p r ot e ction fro m wo m en Th e h yp ocritical p ret en sion
.

Publi sh ed by Th e Workers S o cialist F ed eration , 1 5 2 F leet S treet

’
1
.

2
P
M anif esto of th e C om m un ist arty p ubli sh ed in p amp hlet form by
the S oci ali st Labour P
art y , p 19 . .
 THE RE VOLUTION OF 1 91 7 .
289

fo by M arx and the B olsheviks of wi shing to

rward
’

p u t
abolish p rostitu tion can d eceive n o one C omm u nism
wou ld sim p ly rep lace vol u ntary prostitu tion by forcible
rap e .

I n th is m att er th e Bolsh evi ks go m u ch fu rther th an

Bab eu f wh o doe s not tou ch on th e comm u n ity Of wom en
, ,

alth ou gh h e is no le ss in sist ent on th e n ece ssity for th e

b re ak u p of the fami ly by taking away th e children from
-

th eir p aren t s ; an d hi s fu rth er stip ul ation that th ey shoul d

n ot b e allowe d to b ear t h eir fath er s n am e u n l e ss h e h a d
’

”
d istin gu i sh e d hi m self by great virtu e s certainly seem s to ,

in dicat e abolition of th e p resent m arriage syst em B u t in .

th eir p lan of t h e co mm un al e du c ation of ch il dren th e

Bolsh evi k s h ave followed Bab euf to the lett er Th e .

E n glish C omm u n ist Mr B ertran d Ru ssell h as de scrib e d

, .
,

th e i d e a fo rm u lat e d by Madam e Kolont ay m ore or l ess

‘
vagu ely so as not to alarm We st ern m oth ers as h e
saw it in op eration du rin g hi s stay in Ru ssi a an d it is ,

cu rio u s to n otice th at B ab eu f s p lan of t eaching the chil ’

d ren d an ci n g h as b een caref ul ly followe d a n i ro ny wh ich

even M r Ru ss ell co ul d n ot fail t o p erceive sin ce t h e e d u

.
,

cation Oi these E u rythm ic dan cers contrast ed p atheti c

ally with th e lon g h ou rs Of p ain ful toil to which th ey
” 1
were soon to b e su bj e ct in the worksh op or factory .

Th e exact re sem blan ce b etween th e Bolshevi k syst em with

that of Bab euf 1 s i u rth ens hown by thi s passage from Mr
M
.

‘
Ru ssell s book :77
’

It 1 s necessary first to adm it that childr en shoul d be delivered

u p alm ost entirely to th e S tate Nom i n ally the m oth er still .
,

com es to see h er child i n th ese schools bu t 1 n actu al fact the , ,

drafting of children to th e cou n t ry m u st interven e an d th e ,

whole tem p er of the authorities seem ed to b e di rected toward s

breaki ng the li n k between mother and child .
2

I n the m att erli gion th e Bolsh eviks seem to have

of re

b een un able to carry ou t th eir p ro gramm e en tirely for , ,

alth ou gh chu rch es have b een de se crat e d an d d e stroye d ,

ikon s torn down an d sp at u p on an d countle ss p rie sts ,

m ur dere d religiou s wo rship h as n ot b een Officially p ro

,

" B t and R u s s ll The P ra cti ce a nd Theor o

’ 1
: er r e y f B ols hevi sm (Allen
and Un win) 1 920
,

, , p
Cf with p
z
2
I bi d .
p 66. . .
~59 of
. t h is book .
 290 WORLD RE VOLUTION
hibit ed as under th e Fren ch Terror Bu t th e in t ention s Of .

th e S ovi et Govern m en t on th is qu e stion adm it of n o m i s

u n derstan din g Tu rnin g again to B u ch arin we fin d th e
.

followi ng p rin cipl e s lai d down :

One of th e agencies in achieving this ob j ect ( dullin g th e
minds of the p eop le) was the b elief in God an d th e D evil A .

great num b er of p eople h ave grown accu stom ed to b elieve in all

this whilst if we analyse th ese i d eas an d try to u n derstan d th e
,

ori gin of religi on an d why it i s so strongly su pported by th e

bou rgeoi s i e it will b ecom e clear that th e real significan ce of
,

religi on i s th at i t i s a poi son which i s still b ein g in stilled in to th e

e
p po l e It w i
. ll also b e com e cl ear wh y t h e p arty of t h e Com
mu nists is a stron g antagonist of religion 1
.

Adop tin g the aph orism of Marx that religion is Op ium

”
to th e p eop le B u ch arin go e s on to sh ow th e m en tal
.
,

degeneracy th at re su lts from any religiou s b elief s an d ,

em p h asiz e s hi s con clu sion s with t h e se wo r ds i n large b l ack

lett erin g : R eli gi on mu st be f ou ght if n ot by vi olen ce a t a ll, ,

”
even ts m en tby a rgu .
2

All reli gion s m oreover fall u n der the b an for aft er

, , ,

de scribi n g the follie s of fasting an d p en an ce Bu charin ,

add s :
E qu ally foolish thin gs are done by th e religi ou s Jew the ,

Moslem Turk th e Bu d dhist Chinese , in a word by every one

, ,

wh o b elieves in God R eligion n ot only leaves p eop le

.

in a state of barbarism , bu t h elp s to leave them in a state of

slave ry .
3

In we seem to he ar again th e voi ce of

these wo rds
”
Anarch arsi s Clootz , th e p er son al enem y of J esu s Christ ,

u t terin g his de clam ation s on th e n ul lity of all reli gion s .

What is all this in deed b u t Illumi nism of which the ,

“

anti reli giou s fury h ad blaze d ou t su cc e ssively in Weis

-

h aup t , C lootz th e ch i efs of th e Alta Ven di ta in Prou dh on ,

'

, ,

an d i n Bakun in ? I n d e e d th e fin al aim of th e Illu m i n ati ,

th e de st ru ction of C hristian civilization h a s b een frankly ,

adm itted by th e Bolsh eviks of Ru ssia Wherever I wen t .

in Ru ssia , th e R ev C ou rtier For st er said on hi s retu rn

.

from th at u nh app y cou n t ry th e Bolsh eviks assu re d m e

,

th at civilization was all wron g an d m u st be don e away

with An imp ortan t follower of Leni n Observe d : We h ave
.

1 P ro ra m me o the World R evolu ti on

g f p 73 , . .

I bid p 77 3
I bi d p 7 6
. . . . . .
 THE RE VOLUTION OF 1 91 7 29 1

n ow b een at work for two years an d y ou see what w e have

al re ady done b u t it will t ake u s twelve ye ar s to d e st roy
,

And Mr Lan sb ur y that

’
th e civi lization of th e worl d . .
,

ob edi en t p u p il Of Len in s af t er hi s vi sit to Ru ssia ech oe d

’
,

th e sam e se n tim en t in th e colum n s of th e D ai ly H era ld :

We b eli eve th at m an ha s b een on th e wron g road ever
” 1
sin ce th e dawn of th at thi n g w e call civiliz ation Th e .

very word s em p loy ed by Rob ert Owen u n der th e infl u en ce

of Illum ini sm n early 1 0 0 y e ar s e arli er !

Yet an oth er witn e ss to th e p er sist ence of thi s th eo ry is

Mr H G Wells whose vision s of th e fu ture exp oun de d in
. . .
,

th e con clu di n g ch ap t ers of hi s Ou tli nes of H i story an d

articl es on Ru ss ia are sim p ly a com p ou n d of Rou sseau ,

Weish au p t Clootz an d B ab euf Th u s at th e en d of th e

, ,
.

form er work we fin d Mr We lls an tici p atin g a p arti al .

return to th e n om adic lif e th e i d en tical exp re ssi on

em p loy e d by B arru el in d e scribin g Wei sh au p t s th e ory
’
,

whil st th e sam e writer s vi ews on In t ern ation alism are

’

p u r e C loo t z W h
. at e ls e is t h e Wo r ld S tat e n o w b ein g
advocat ed by Mr Wells in th e S u nd ay Ti mes b u t Cloot z s
.
’

Uni versal Rep u bli c or hi s idea of uni on b etween all

,

d f li b C l
’

p p
e o l es re g ar l e ss o n atio n a ty u t oo t z s so li dar ity
of th e h u m an r ac e Th e followin g gen ealo gy of an
extraor din ary r em ark by Mr Wells on t h e su bj e ct Of citi e s .

will sh ow h ow cu ri ou sly h e h as b een im pregn at ed with

”
illumin ated th ou gh t an d in ci d en tally illu strat e s th e ,

m eth od by whi ch on e can acqui re th e rep u t ation of b ein g

an advan ced thinker tod ay :
B arru el exp lain ed th at th e p lan of We ishau p t h ad been
to do away with fix e d abod es so th at m an sh oul d return
to th e n om adi c lif e an d th at this h ad b een th e infl u en ce
2
,

at work b ehi n d th e Fren ch Jacobin s wh en th ey se t ou t to

d e st roy th e m an uf actu rin g t o wn s of Fran ce 2
B e free and .

e qu al , h e qu ot es fr om th e ori gin al writin gs of Wei sh au p t ,

an d y ou will b e C osm op olitan s an d citiz en s of th e wo rld .

Know h ow to appreci at e equ ali ty an d lib ert y an d you will

n ot fear to see Ro m e Vi enn a Pari s Lo n don C on stan ti
, , , ,

rald
for J un e 3 0 1 920 , .

M émoi res su r le Jacobi ni sm , iii 1 27 , 1 30 , . an d 1 98 , quotin g Ori gi nal

s chrif ten , P
ar t II , lett er N o 1 0 to C at o . .

3
I bi d pp 1 4 1 ,
. .
 292 WORLD RE VOLUTION
n Op Ie b urnin g This p lan as we have seen was
.
1
, ,

p u t i n to ex e c u tio n d u ri n g th e C o mm u n e o f 1 8 7 1 a n d still ,

f orm s an im p ortan t p art of th e p ro gramm e of Worl d

R evolu tion .

I n 1 7 96 Bab euf Illu m in at u s exp re sse d th e ho p e th at in

, ,

tim e all th e large town s of Fran ce woul d disap p ear as it ,

was in town s th at wage slavery flour ish ed an d th at C ap i

t ali st s were abl e to surroun d t h em selve s with l ux u ry an d
di sp lay 2
.
_

S even ty y ears lat er the Nihilist s u n der th e infl u en ce of

Germ an Illu m inism declared : We m u st b urn down th e
to wn s . Wh at is th e good of these town s ? Th ey on ly
3
serve to en gen der s ervitu de
An d in 1 920 M r H G Wells excu se s th e ru i n of th e
. . .

t own s of Ru ssia u n d er Bolsh evism by sayin g It was not

C o mm u ni sm which b u ilt u p these grea t i mpossi ble ci ti es ,
” 4
bu t C ap italism .

Now thi s i s an argu m en t too silly to ha ve b een invent ed

by any on e of Mr Wells s in t elligen ce an d w e can only
’
.
,

con clu de t h at in p u ttin g it forward h e is sim p ly rep eatin g

a p hrase th at h e h as h eard from his Ru ssian frien ds to ,

wh om th e i d ea of th e n ece ssity for d oin g away with town s

h as d e scen ded direct fro m Weish au p t th rou gh th e S ecret
S oci etie s .

It is obviou s th at ideas su ch as th e se 1 n n o way corre

sp on d to t h e d e si re s of th e p p
e o l e i n a n y cou n t ry E ven .

th e p e asants of Ru ssia do n ot want a ret ur n to savagery ,

whilst to th e p roletariats of We stern E urop e n oth in g woul d

b e m ore abhorrent th an th e de st ru ction of citi e s Th ey .

love th e bu sy lif e of town s an d all the am eni ti e s of civi liza

tion ; th ey ask for b ett er hom e s a high er stan dar d of livin g , ,

for m odern conveni en ce s th at will li ght en th e b u r den of

th e wo rkin g wo m an for th e device s of sci en ce for cin em as
-
, ,

a n d m u sic to b e gu il e t h eir h our s of l eisur e They do not .

wish to solve th e h ou sin g qu e stion by b ecomi ng n om ads .

Th e cu re for social evils slum s sweatin g un em p loy , ,

m ent exp loitation

,
is not less civilization bu t more The .

1
Memoi res le Ja cobi ni sme, iii 1 97
s ur . .

B u onarotti , Conspi ra ti on pour l egali te di te de B a beuf ,

’ ’
2

1 g
Fribour , A ssoci a ti on Interna ti onale des Travai llenrs , p . 1 84 .

1
S u nday E xpress for Oct 3 1 , 1 920 . .
 THE RE VOLUTION OF 1 91 7

p e op l e u nderst an d thi s very well , an d

th u s th e p ro .

g r amm e o f t h e r e vol u tio n ar y l e a d er s is still as it h a s b ee ,n

throu gh o u t in direct opp osition to th e wish e s of th e p eop le
, .

I f an y d ou bt on thi s p oin t still r em ain s if th e hi story ,

of t h e Wo rld R evolu tion relat e d in t hi s boo k doe s n ot

p r ov e that t h e r e vol u tio n ary m ov em e n t f or t h e last 1 4 0

y ears has b een th e work of a con sp ir acy wh os e aim s are
en ti rely u n conn e ct e d wit h th e int ere sts an d dem an ds of

th e p eop le h ow are we to accoun t for th e foll owin g u n de

,

niabl e f acts ?

1 Th at alth ou gh th e grievan ce s of th e p eop l e through

.

ou t t hi s p erio d h ave vari e d acco rdi n g to th e ch an gin g

con di tion s of our civilization th e p ro gramm e of th e so cial

,

revolu tion h as n ev er vari e d F or if th e su ccee din g ou t

.

breaks h ad b e en m ade by th e p eop l e each woul d h ave b een

di stin gui sh e d by di ff eren t w ar cri e s di ff eren t a i m s arisin g
-
,

from th e exi gen ci e s of th e m om en t ; in st ead of th is each

o u tbreak h a s b e en carried on to th e sam e slo gan s h a s ,

rep eate d th e sam e catch words an d each h as b een

-
,

di re ctly cop i ed from th e e arlie st an d un til 1 9 1 7 t h e

m ost su cce ssful att em p t th e first Fren ch Revolu tion

, .

a
2 That th e lea d ers of th e m ovem ent h ave n ever in a
.
,

sin gle in stan ce b een m en of th e p eop le bu t always m em

, ,

b ers of the up p er or middl e class e s wh o coul d n ot by any

p ossibility b e re g a r d e d as vict i m s o f o pp re ssio n A n d if .

it is obj ect ed th at th ese m en were di sin t eres t ed f an atics

fi gh tin g in a cau se th at was n ot their own then ,

3 Th at with rare excep tion s su ch as Louis Blan c

.
, ,

th ey invariably di sp laye d com p let e un con cern for th e

su ff erin gs of th e p eop le an d a tot al di sregar d for hum an
life No in stan ce has ever b een record ed of pity or sy m
.
“

p at h y dis p lay e d by t h e T e rr o ri sts o f F r a n c e towa r ds a n y

in di vidu al m em b ers of th e worki ng classe s ; on th e con -

f rary th ey tu rn e d a de af ear to all com p lain ts

, Th e .

Marxists an d B akunini sts m u tu ally accu se d each oth er

”
of re gar di n g t h e p eop l e as cann on fodd er .

4 Th at each ou tbreak h as occur red n ot when the

.

cau se of th e p eop le was h op eless b u t on the eve of grea t

5 . That e ach h as b een foll owed n ot by o m b ut by

ref r
2 94 WORLD RE VOLUTION
a period of re action For twen t y ye ars af ter the first
.

Fren ch Revolu tion the very word refo rm cou ld hard ly

b e b re ath e d even in E n glan d .

6 . Th at in spit e of th e f act th at e ach ou tb re ak h a s

thu s th rown back th e cau se of th e p eop le e ach has b een ,

rep re sen t e d to th e p eop l e as a st ep f o rwar d an d fu rt h er

revol u tio n s h ave b e en advocat e d .

Th e revol u tio n ary m ovem ent of 1 7 7 6 to th e p re sen t

day is therefo re the work of a continu ou s con sp iracy work
in g for its own en ds an d a gain st th e int ere st s of t h e
p p
e o l e .

Bu t n ow we com e to th e further qu e stion wh o are

th e m o d ern I llum in atr th e au thors of th e p lot ? What is
th eir ul tim ate Obj ect i n wishin g to de stroy civilizatio n?

Wh at do th ey hop e to gain by it ? It is th is app aren t

a bsen c e of m otive this seemin gly aim le ss cam p ai gn of
,

destru ction carrie d on by the Bolsheviks of Ru ssia th at ,

h a s led m any p eop le to b eli eve in th e th eo ry of a J ewish

conspiracy to de stroy C hristianity An d in dee d if on e .
,

e xam i n e s th e p re sen t r é gi m e of Ru ssia ap art frOm th e

revolu tio n ary m ovem en t of th e last 1 4 0 years t h is p ro ,

vide s a very con clu sive solu tion to th e p roblem To th e .

un p re j u dice d Observer Bolsh evism in Ru ssia m ay well

app e ar to b e a wh olly J ewish m ovem en t .

For m any y ear s b efo re th e p re sen t revolu tion th e J ews

“

h a d p lay ed a l e a d in g p art in th e fo rce s of disru p tion in th at

coun t ry Th e corre sp on dent of The Ti mes at Odessa in
.

1 90 5 d e scrib e d th e riots th at took p l ace the re at th e en d of

Octob er wh en excited J ewish factory girls donne d red
b lou se s a n d ribbon s an d Op enly flau n ted them in th e f ace s
”
of th e C ossacks Ou t of a p op ul ation of
. inh abit
ants over on e third were Jews an d abou t
-
, took
p ar t in t h e rioti n g T h e.m ai n p art of t h e s e d em o n st ra

tor s were stu den ts an d J ews ; excite d J ews u nblu sh

”
in gly exh ibit ed Repu blican em bl em s re d fl a gs were
,

u nf ur l e d th e Ru ssian n atio n al fl a g was di sh o n o u re d by

,

havin g all colou r excep t t h e st rip of red torn from it th e ,

E m p ero r s p o rt r ait was m u tilat e d I n th e fi gh t th at en su e d

’
.

over 4 0 0 J ews an d 5 0 0 C h ristian s were kill e d Th e writ er

.
 TH E RE VOLUTION O F 1 91 7 ,
29 5

of thi s article furth er sh owed th e dem on stration to have

been o rgan ize d at headqu arters ; am on gst other S ocial
i sti c frat erni ti e s th e Ce n tral J ewish organi z atio n loca t e d in
S witze rl an d sen t emi ssari e s fro m its b r an ch e s in War saw
” 1
an d Poland to Ode ssa .

Mr Wickh am S teed in hi s bo ok The H a ps bu rg M ou

.
,

a rchy q u otes a letter writt en in this sam e y ear of 1 90 5 by

,

a semi Jew on the qu e stion of th e J ews in Hu ngary in

-
,

which thi s rem ar k able p as sage oc cur s :

Th ere is a Jewi sh qu estion and thi s terrible race m eans not
only to m aster on e of th e gran dest warrior nation s in th e world ,

bu t it m ean s an d is con sciou sly strivin g to en ter th e li sts

, ,

against th e oth er gr eat race of th e north (the Ru ssi an s) th e only ,

on e th at h a s hi th erto stoo d b etw een i t an d its goal of world

p ow er A.m I wr o n g
? Tell m e For alr eady E n glan d an d Fran ce .

are if n ot actu ally domi n ate d b y J ews very n early so whil e th e

, , ,

Uni te d S tates b y th e h an d s of those wh ose gr ip th ey are ign o

,

rant of are slowly bu t su rely yi eldin g to th at i n tern ation al an d

,

in si di ou s h egem ony Rem em ber th at I am h alf a Jew by bloo d

.
,

bu t th at in all I h ave p ower to be I am n ot 2

.

Twelve years lat er thi s p rop h ecy was t erribly fulfi lle d .

For wh at ever th e J ewish Pre ss m ay say to th e con t rary

, ,

th e p rep o n d eran ce of J ews am on gst th e Bolsh eviks of bot h

Hun gary an d Ru ssia h a s b een too evid en t t o n ee d fur th er ~

p r oo f T h
. e E x e cu tiv e Of th e C o mm u n i st Gov e rn m e n t
e stablish e d in H un gary in Mar ch 1 9 1 9 con sist e d in a

D ire ctorat e of Five whi ch in clu de d four J ews B ela Kun ,

B ela Vago S i gm un d Kunfi an d Josep h Po gany Th e

, , .

S e cr etary was an oth er Jew Alp ari S z am u elly al so a .

,

f ”
J ew was
,
th e h e ad o t h e T err o rist t roo p s s I n R u ssia J e ws
h ave again p re d omin at e d An ar ticl e in The Ti mes for .

March 29 1 9 1 9 , state d th at :
,

Of th e twen ty or thir ty comm i ssaries or lea d ers wh o provi d e

,

1
The Ti mes for N v em ber 22 1 90 5 ar ti cle en titled
~ o Th e R eign f , ,
o
”
Th e C hi ef R abb i Gas t er wr ot e in The Ti mes of N ov em
’

Terror at Od es sa .

b er 25 to cont radi ct th ese sta tem ents , b u t b rou h t forwar d no proofs to g

t h e con trar y .

1
The Haps bu rg Mon a rchy p 1 69 I n Austria H un ary , t h e . .
-
g
a u th or ob s erv es on p 1 55 , t h e sp rea d of S o ci ali s m h as been lar ely t h e
. g
res ul t of J ewi sh p rop a and a g
Dr Vi ctor Adl er , t h e foun d er an d lea d er
. .

of th e Au st ri an p ar ty , i s a Jew , as ar e m any of hi s fo ll owers

”
I n H un ar y . g
t h e p arty w as also foun d ed an d insp ir ed by t h e J ews .

3
S ee t h e p am phl e t , I n the Gri p of the Terror, by u m en , pr in ted by L
J ord an Gas kell A ents , W H S mit h
. g S o n , 1 86 S tran d
. . .
 WORL D RE VOLUTION
'

th e central m achinery of th e B olsh evist m ovem ent not less than "

7 5 p er cen t are J ews I f Leni n i s th e brain s of th e m ove

.

m en t th e J ews p rovi d e th e ex e cu tive Offi cers Of th e leadi n g

, .

c om rni s sari es Trotsky Zin ovi ev Kam en eff S tekloff S verd loff
, , , , , ,

Uri tsky Joffe R akovsky R ad ek M en j in sky Lari n Bron ski

_

, , , , , , ,

Zaalk i n d Volodarsky Petroff Litvinoff

,
1
S m irdovi t ch an d
, , , ,

Vovrowsky are all of th e J ewish race while am on g th e mi n or ,

S ovi et Offi cials th e num b er is legion 2

.

I n fact th e J ewish Pre ss has on occasion s adm itt e d th is

influ en ce in Bolsh evism Thu s in The Commu ni s t a n ews .
,

a
p p e r p u b li sh e d i n Kh arko ff (n u m b er f o r Ap ril 1 2 ,

we fi nd Mr M C ohan boastin g th at
. .
,

with ou t exaggeration it m ay b e said that the great Ru ssian ,

social revolu tion was in d eed accom plish ed by th e h an ds of th e

J ews . It i s tru e th at th ere are n o Jews in th e ranks of th e
R ed Army as far as p rivates are con cern ed bu t in th e com ,

m ittees an d in S ovi et organi zation s as Comm i ssars th e J ews , ,

are gallan tly leadi n g th e m asses of th e R u ssi an p roletariat to

vi ctory . Th e sym bol of Jewry which for cen tu ries h as ,

struggled again st capitali sm h as b ecom e also th e sym bol of th e ,

R u ssian p roletariat whi ch can b e seen even in th e face of th e

,

h as de corat e d th e cap s of Len in s gu ards ’

.

E ven in E n glan d th e activiti e s of J ews are cl e arly evi

dent in th e Bolsh evik cam p ; th e au di en ce s at red fl a g
m eetin gs h ave b een observe d to con tain a very large
J ewish elem en t J ewish int erru p t er s h ave b een sent to
,

sh ou t down sp eaker s at p atriotic m eetin gs J ewish agi ,

t at ors h ave taken p art in every riot an d u rge d yo u n g

B ritish h ooligan s to violen ce an d acco rdin g to th e adm is , ,

sion of th e D ai ly H era ld a very large num b er of its ,

re aders are J ews Th e Jewi sh Chroni cle h a s in fact frankly

4
.

d eclared th at there is m u ch in th e f act Of Bolsh evism

i tself in th e f act th at so m any J ews are Bolsh eviks in th e
, ,

1
A p rom in en t m em b er of th e J ewish B u n d in 1 90 7 and B olsh evi st
am b as s a d or t o E n lan d g .

2
On thi s p oint s ee th e rem arkable p am p h let , Who ru les R u ssi a ?
b li h d b t h e A sso ci a t ion Umity of R u s sia , 1 2 1 E a st 7 th S tr eet , N ew
p u s e y
York ( 1 920 ) wh ere th e exact n am es an d n u m b er of J ews in th e different
d ep artm en ts of th e p resen t R u s sian Governm ent ar e iv en g .

3
Q u o t e d in A m eri c an ed ition of The rotocols , p 88 P . .

1 L et t er t o th e Morni ng os t from Geor e P M u d e , A u g 3 1 , 1 920 g P . g . .

 THE RE VOLUTION O F 1 91 7

f act th at the ide als of B olsh evi sm at m any p oints are con
” 1
son an t wi th th e fin e st ideal s of Ju daism .

I n th e f ace of all thi s overwh elmin g eviden ce on th e

ro le of the J ews in th e revolu tion ary m ovem en t what ,

won der th at th e am azin g P rotocols of the E ld ers of Z i on ,

first p u bli sh ed in R u ssi an by S ergy e Nilu s in 1 90 2 an d in

2

E n glish u n der th e title of The Jewi s h P eri l in 1 920 cam e ,

as a revelation an d app eared to p rovi d e th e clu e to th e

oth erwise in solu ble p roblem of Bolsh evism H ere was th e ?

wh ole exp lan ation a con sp iracy of th e J ewish race th at

b egan p erh ap s at Golgoth a th at hi d itself b ehi n d th e
,

ri t u al of F ree m aso n ry th at p rovided th e drivin g force

,

b ehin d th e su cceedi n g revolu tion ary u p he aval s th at ,

in spir ed t h e so m bre h atred of Marx the m ali gn an t fur y

,

of Trot z ky an d all thi s with th e fixe d an d un alt erable

,

u
p p r os e o f d e st royin g t h at C hr istia n ity whi ch is hat efu l
to it . Is thi s th eory tru e ? Possib ly B ut in th e op ini on
.

of th e p re s en t writ er it h a s n ot b een p rove d it do es n ot

p r ovi d e t h e w h ol e key to th e m yst e ry .

Th e onl y way in which th e t ru th can b e reache d is by

scien tific inve sti gation An d the fir st st ep in th e p roce ss
.

of e stablishi n g th e au t h en ticity or n on au th en ticity of th e

-

fam o u s Pr otocols is to en de avour to trace th eir ori gin .

Now to any on e fami liar with th e lan gu age of S e cret

S oci etie s th e i d eas set fo rth in th e Protocols are not n ew ; .

on th e co n t ra ry m any p assage s hav e a str an ge rin g of

,

fam iliarity To th e p re sen t writ er th e thou gh t that

.

rec u rr e d at every p age was : “

Where h ave I re ad th at
b efore ? an d by degree s t he conviction grew : Bu t thi s is
sim p ly Illu m in ism ! S O strikin g in deed are cert ai n
-

, ,

an alo gi e s n ot only b etween the co d e of Weish au p t an d th e

Protocols b u t b etween th e Protocols an d lat er S e cret
,

S oci eti e s con tinu ation s of th e Illu m in ati th at a con tin ui ty

, ,

Of i d e a t h ro u gh ou t th e m ovem en t b e co m e s app aren t Th e .

followin g p arall els m ay p rove of in t ere st as eviden ce of th e

th eory th at th e Protocols are foun de d on m u ch e arli er
m odels :

1
Arti cle en titled P eace , War, an d Bolshevi sm , April 4 , 1 9 1 9 .

2
Th e cop y i n t h e B ri t is h M u s eum is d at ed 1 90 5 , but th ere is said to
h ave b een an ear li er edi tion in 1 90 2 .
298 WORLD RE VOLUTIO N

I LL UMI NI S M
P ROT OC OL S
(Weish au p t , 1 7 7 6 1 7 86) -

H e wh o want s to rule m ust ‘

Apply y ourselves to th e art of

h av e recou rs e to c unn in g an d coun t erfeit , to h id in g an d m ask

hyp ocrisy (p . in g yo urselves in O b s ervin g oth ers
We m ust n ot s top short b efore ( B arru el , iii 27 , Ori gi na lschriften ,
.

b rib ery , deceit , an d trea ch ery , if p .

t h es e are to s erve th e ach ieve

m ent of Our ca u s e (p .

Th e en d j ustifi es th e m eans .
The en d s an ctifies th e m ean s .

In , m akin g o ur plans we m ust The good lfoof th e Ord er j u stifi es

p ay att en tion n ot so m uch to calu m n i es , p oisonings , m urd ers ,
wh at is good an d m oral , as to p erj uries , trea son s , reb elli on s ;

what is n ec es sary an d fi
pro table briefly , all th at th e p rej u di ces
of m en call crim es ( B arru el , iv .

1 82 , 1 89, quotin g evid en ce of

C ossan d ey , U tz sh cneid er , and

Grun b erger) .

With the Press we will d eal We m u st take care that our

in th e followin g m ann er . We writers b e well p uffed an d that
will h arn ess it an d will gui d e it th e r evi ewers do n ot d epreciat e
with firm reins ; we wi ll also h ave th em ; t h erefore we m ust en d eavour
'

t o g ain con trol of all ot h er p ub by ev ery m ean s t o gain over th e

lis hing firm s (p . revi ewer s an d j ournalists : an d we
All n ews is received by a few m ust a lso try t o gain t h e b ook
a gen ci es , in wh ich it is centraliz ed s ellers , who in tim e will se e it is
from all p a rts of th e world . t h eir in t eres t to si d e with us

Wh en we at tain p ower th ese ( R obison , p .

a gen cies will b elon g to us en t ir ely If a writer p ubli sh es anyt hin g

an d will onl y p u blish s u ch n ews th at at tract s n o ti ce , an d is in
as we allow (p . its elf j ust , but d oes not accord
No on e d es irous of attacking with our plan , we m u st end eavour
us with his p en would fi nd a to win him over or d ecry him
p u blish er (p .
( Robison , p . 1 94 )

Our p rogramm e will in d uce a E very p erson shall be m ade a

th ird p art of th e pop ula ce to spy on an ot her and on all ar ound

wat ch th e rem ain d er from a p ure hi m ( S partacus to Cato ; Robison .

s en s e of d uty an d from th e p rin p .

ci p le of volu n tary governm ent

servi ce Th en it will n ot b e con
.

s id ered d ish on ourab le t o be a spy

o n th e con trary , it will b e re ard ed g

as pr ai sewort hy (p 6 5) .

We will tran sform the u ni ver We m ust acquire the d irection

si ties an d recons tru ct th em ao of ed u ca tion of ch urch m an age
cord in g to our own plans . The m ent of th e p rofessori al chair
 THE RE VOLUTION OF 1 91 7 99
PR OT OC OL S ILL UM INI S M
an d of the p ulp it
p .

pr ep ared m eans of ela borat e

by
secret p rogramm es of acti on .

We inten d to a p p ea r as th o u hg We
m ust prea ch t he war m est
we were th e li berators of th e con cern for h u m ani ty an d m ake
la bourin g m an . We shall s ug peop le in diff erent to all oth er

him r elat ion s ( R obison

gast to to j oin th e ranks , p .

of o ur armi es of S o ci ali s ts , Anar We m us t win th e comm on

p eop le in every corner

lat t er we always p atroni z e , p re p .

t en di ng to h elp t h em ou t of fra
ternal p ri n cip le an d th e gen eral
in t erest of h um ani ty evoked by
our soci alis tic m asonry (p .

In th e so- con s id ered leadin g We must try to obt ain an

co un tries we h ave cir cu lat ed an in fl u en ce in th e p rin tin g

insan e, dir ty , and d isgusting lit er ho u s ee, booksell ers
’
shops .

Pain ting an d en g r avin g are hi ghl y

worth o ur care ( R obis on , p 1 96
. .

Not e ad ds Th ey were s tron ly g

su s p ected of . h avin g p u bli sh ed
som e sca n d alou s cari cat ures an d

scrupled at no m ean s , however

bas e , for corru p t in g th e
"
n ati on )

An Illum in at ed R egent s h all be

on e of th e m os t p erfect of m en
“

H e sh all b e p ru d en t , fores eein g ,

as tu te , irrep roach a ble ( In stru ction
B for th e
. grad e of R eg ent) .

I n the pla ce of existing govern It is n ecessary to es ta bli sh a

m en ts we will p la ce a m onster ,
whi ch will b e call ed th e A dmi ni s a form of governm ent t hat will
tration of th e S u p er gov ernm en t -
.
sp read o ut ov er t h e wh ole world
I ts h an ds will be ou ts tret ch ed (B arruel 11 1 , .

like far -rea chi n g p in cers , an d it

at its di sposal th at it will n ot

possibly be a ble to fail in su b

Ou r Interna tional S uper govern -

 WORLD RE VOLUTION
HAUTE VE NTE R OM AI NE
P ROTOCOL S ( 1 8 22 -
1 84 8)

We will d es tr oy th e m
fa ily Th e essen tial thi n g is to isolat e
lif e of t h e Gen til es (p .
a m an from hi s famil y , to ma ke
We di stra ct t h em by
will als o him lose hi s m or als He
var ious kin d s of am u s em en t , gam es , loves th e long conversa tions of
p as tim es , p as sions , p u bli c h ouses , th e cafes an d th e idl en ess of
et c .
(p .
s h ows . Af ter h avin g sh own

hi m h ow p ainf ul are hi s d u t ies

of an ot h er exi st en ce (Pic colo

Ti gre to th e Vent e Piem ontais e ;
Crétin eau -
Joly , ii ,

The p eople of th e Christians , Let us

b ewild ered b y al coh ol , th eir; you th s rup t bu t let us pop ular iz e

t urned craz y by clas sics an d early vi ce am on gst t he m ul titu d e .

d eb au ch ery , to whi ch th ey have Let us cau se t h em to dr aw it in

b een in s ti gated by our agents by th eir fi ve sen s es , to drink it
by wom en in pla ces of am u se
o ur in , to b e s atur ated wi th it . It
m ent — to th e latt er I add th e so is corru p t ion en ma sse t hat we
call ed so ciety wom en th eir ha ve un d erta ken ( Vind ex to
volunt ary followers in corru p tion N u bius ; Crétin eau -J oly , ii .

Th e m asoni c lodge throughou t I t is u po n th e lod ges that we

th e world un con s ci ous ly acts as coun t to d ouble o ur ran ks . Th ey
a mask for our p urpose (p . form , wi th ou t kn owin g it , our

p r ep arat ory novit iat e ( Pic colo

g
Ti re to th e Vente S u prem e
C rétin eau -
J oly ii, . 1 20 )

Most p eople who enter secret This vani ty of th e citiz en o r or

soci eties are a d ven t urers , wh o th e for b eing enr olled

bou rgeoi s
want so m eh ow to make th eir in Freemasonry is som ethin g so
way in lif e , an d wh o ar e n ot banal an d so uni versal t ha t I am

serio usly min d ed . With s u ch a lways full of admi ration for

p eopl e it will b e easy for us to

p ur sue our ob ect ,

j an d we will la un ch a mi d s t th eir feastin gs
m ake th em s et our machinery in
toleran ce an d p ersecu tion . Thi s is
positively m ore than we requi r e
to m ake ad epts ( iccolo Ti r e to P g

We em ploy in servi c e Prin ces of a soverei n g h ou s e

an d t h os e wh o h ave n ot th e

p arties ; m en d esirin g to te
 THE R E VOLUTION OF 1 9 1 7 30 1
P ROTOC OL S HAUTE VE NTE ROMAI NE

es tabli sh monarchi es , S ocialists, by th e gr ace of God , all wi sh to b e

kings by t h e grace of a R evolu
tion . Th e D uke of Orlean s is a

Freem ason . A p rin c e who h as

n ot a kin d om to g exp ect is a good
fortun e for us (Piccolo Ti gre to
N ubius)

We h ave taken great care to There is a cert ain p ort ion of

discred it th e Clergy Of th e Gen t he cler gy t hat n ib bles at th e
tiles in t h e ey es of t he p eople , and bait of our d octrines with a

th u s h ave s u c ceed ed in inj urin g m arvellou s viva city ( Nubius

th eir m ission , whi ch could h ave to Volp e ; Crétin eau J oly , 11 .

b een very m u ch in our way . 1 30 )

Th e influ en ce Of th e cler gy on th e I t is c orru p tion en masse that
p eo ple is diminishin d aily To g . we h ave un d ertaken th e cor

d ay freed om of reli ion p rev ails g ru p tion of th e p eop le by th e

everywh ere , b ut th e tim e i s on ly clergy an d th e corru p tion of t h e

a few years off wh en Christianity clergy by t h em s elv es , th e co r

will fall to p ieces alto eth er g ru p tion t h at ou ght to en a b le us

(p . on e d ay to p u t th e C h urch in h er
to m b ( Vind ex to Nu biu s ; Cré
tin eau -J oly , ii ,

We m ust fin al
'

extract th e very Our en d is de

th e
con cep tion of G od from th e stru ction for ev er of C at h oli cis m

m ind s of the Christian s an d even of th e Christian id ea

(p . 1 7) ( Dillon , The Wa r of A nti chri st,
We m ust d estroy all p rofessions et c .
, p .

of faith (p . In ord er to kill th e old world

s urely we h ave h eld that we m u st
fl
st i e th e C ath ol c an d C hrist ian
i

germ ( Piccolo Tigre to N u b iu s ;

Crétineau J oly ii 38 7 ) -
, .

ALLIANC E S OC IAL E
D EM OCR AT IQ U E
( Bakun in s S ecret S ociety,
’

P ROTOCOLS —
1 8 6 4 1 8 6 9)
We p ersuad ed t he Gentiles Th e fou rth g
c at e ory of p eople
t h at Lib eralism would brin g to b e em ployed t h u s d escrib ed by
t h em to a kingdom of reason B akun in Vario u s am b itio us
(p . 14) m en in th e s ervice of th e S t at e
We inj ected th e poison of Lib er an d Lib erals of d iff erent sh a d e s .

a li sm into th e organism of th e With t h em on e can con sp ire

S tat e (p . a ccord in g to th eir own p ro

We preach Liberalism to the gramm e , p ret endin g to follow
”
G entiles (p . th em blin d ly .
30 2 WORLD RE VOLUTION
P ROTOC OL S ALL I ANC E S O C IALE
DE M OCRATIQ UE
’

We will r
en t u st t h es e i m p or Th e third ca t egory of Bakunin
tan t p o s ts (governm en t )
p os t s to thu s d escrib ed A great n um

p eople wh ose record an d Ch ar b er of highly p laced anim als wh o

‘
a ct ers are so b ad as to form a can b e exp loited in all p os sible
gulf b etween th e n at ion an d t h em ways . We m u st circu m ven t

elves wh o , them , o utwit th em , an d by get

s an d to su ch p eople
'

in case th ey disob ey our ord ers , tin g h old of their d irty s ecret s

m ay exp ect j u dgm en t and im m ake of th em our slaves By .

An d all thi s is with thi s m ean s th eir w th i

p risonm ent . p o er ,
e r

th e ob j ect th at t h ey sho uld d efen d conn ection s , th eir in flu en ce , an d

o ur int er est s u n til t h e last breath th eir ri ches will b ecom e an in ex

of th eir b odies h au stible treas ure an d p reciou s
p a s sed
h as out a

h elp in v arious en t erpri s es .

We will p re-
arra n e g for th e In th e sam e way with th e

election of p resid ents whose fourth ca t e oryg We m ust take

record is m arked with som e th em in ou r h an d s , get h old of
p as t
Pan ama S cand al o r ot h er sh a dy th eir secret s , com p rom ise th em
com p let ely in su ch way th at
hidd en tran saction (p . 34 ) a
”
retreat will be impossible to them .

Out of govern m ents we m ad e The fifth g

cate ory of B akun in
aren a s on wh ich p arty wars are con s ist s of D octrin aires , con
fou ght o ut Insuppres sible spirators , revolu tion aries , all t h ose
b ab blers tran sform ed p arliam ent who ba bble at m eetin gs and on
ary an d a d mini strat ive m eetings
p ap er . We m u st p u sh t h em an d
into d eb atin g m eetings . Au d a draw th em on un c e asin gly into
c iou s j ournalists an d imp ud ent m ani
p racti cal an d p erilou s
p am ph leteers are contin u all y at f est ation s which will h ave th e
t ackin g
th e ad ministrative p owers resu lt m aking th e m aj ority
of of

(p .
th em disapp ear whilst m akin g a

few am on gst th em real revolu

”
tion ari es .

We
.
I “

will creat e a universal 5 Th e As sociation will em ploy all

econ om i c al cri sis . .

1
S im ulta its m ean s an d a llit s p ower to
n eou sly we will throw on t o th e increa se an d au gm ent evils and
streets hu ge crowd s of workm en m isfortun es which m u st at la st
g
throu h ou t E urop e . Th ese m a sses wear out th e p atien ce of t he

p eop le an d ex cite th em to an

s elves u p on an d s h ed th e blood insurrection en masse .

of th ose of wh om , in th eir
ignorance, th ey h ave b een j ealous

Marx was evid en tly 1 n this secret I n Réflexi ons sur la v

“ 0

1 i olence .

(P . 1 83) Georges S orel s ays M arx th ou ght the great catastroph e wo31 ld
”
_

an en orm o us econ omic cri sis

_

b e p reced ed by .
 THE RE VOLUTION OF 1 91 7 30 3
‘
P R orOC OLs
D fi MOCRATI Q UE

in gs th ey will th en be able to

I ri th e first place m u st be de
ex ecu t ion s with g
re ard to all stroy ed the m en wh o ar e m ost

(p .
s u d d en d ea th m ay m ost fri hten g
We m ust t ak e no a c coun t of

h av e t o b e sa crifi ced in ord er to

o b tain fu t ur e p rosp eri ty (p .

Th e m as oni c lod ge throu gh out

th e world un consc iously a cts as a bsur d id ea th a t I have been
'

a maskrf orz o ur p urpo se (p . won over to Freem asonry . B ut

p erhap s Freemasonr y woul d ser ve

as a m ask or a s a p assport
( Le tt er to H erz en an d Ogarefi ,
Corresponda nce de B akou ni ne,

_ j
Thr these p arall els th e p lan of World R evolu
ou gh all
”
tion ru n s lik e a complot su i vi an d wh en w e fu rt h er ,

com p are t h em with the u tt eran ces of the m odern Bol

sh eviks we see th e p lan car ri e d ri gh t u p to th e p r es en t
'

m om en t Let u s n ow con si der h ow th e Protocols of the

.

E lders of Zion t all y with th e Bolshevist p r o gr amm e :

B OL S HE VI S M

H ow m n we e cur e stri ct uni ty

'
s

of the coun try t h at th e govern of will ? By su b ec tin

j g th e will
m en t of th e sam e sh oul d be in of th ousan d s to th e will of on e

( Leni n , The S ovi ets at Work ,

Th e system of governm ent m ust

be th e work of on e h ead .

Th e d esp o tism Of cap ital which

'

Wha t is th e first sta ge? I t is

is en tir ely in o ur h an d s will h old the tran sfer of po wer to t he
ou t to it (t h e S t ate) a stra w , to cap it alist Class . U p to th e M arch
R evolu tion of 1 91 7 power in
R u ss ia was in t h e h an d s of on e

(p anci en t cl ass , the f eu d alis t

aris to crati c lan d owning c l a s s

h e a d ed by Nich olas Romanov

30 4 WORL D R E VOLUTION
P R OTOC OL S B OL S HE V ISM
an aris tocra cy of our o wn
. on a Aft er that revolu t ion , po wer h as
p lu tocra ti c basis . We es ta blis h ed been in t h e ha n d s of a d ifi erent ,
t hi s n ew ari s tocracy on wealth , a n ew class , nam ely , t h e ca pi ta lis t

of whi ch we h ad con tr ol . class (th e bou rgeoi si e) ( Len in ,

(p .

S oon we will st art or gani z ing

g r ea t m on op oli es r es ervoir s of th e S t a te m on opoli es whi ch
colos s al wea lt h (p . w e h av e alr ea d y est a b li sh ed , and

t h er eby p r ep are for S t at e m onop

oli z a ti on of th e forei gn t rad e

(Lenin , The S ovi ets at Work ,

p .

Our governm en t is in so ex ceed

We ad vocate a m er cil ess di cta
in gly st ron g p osi t ion
a in th e

si gh t of th e la w t ha t we m ay
alm ost d es cri b e it b y th e po w er
ful exp res si on of di cta t orshi p
(p
Wh en we a ccom p li sh our cou p We m u st stu d y th e p eculi ari
d E ta t, we will sa y to t he p eop l e : t ies of th e g
hi hl y diffi cu l t an d
been goin g
.

E v eryt hing has n ew roa d to S oci alism wi th o u t

v ery ba dl y ; all of y ou h ave
s u ff er ed ; n ow we ar e des troyin g wea kn essa . We m ust try to
t he ca u se of s ufi ering s t h at
your ov er co m e our d efi ci en ci es in tim e
i s to s ay , na t iona li t ies , fr on t ier s ,
( The S ovi ets at Work , p .

an d n ation al cu rren ci es . Ce r Wha t we have alr ea d y d ecreed

tainl y yo u will be free to co n
is y et far from ad eq uate r ealiz a

d em n us , but can your j u d gm en t t ion , an d t he main pr oblem of

b e fair if yo u pronou n ce it b ef ore co n si s ts

tod ay p recisely in con

y o u h av e ha d ex p erien ce of wh a t cen tra t in g all efi orts u pon th e

"
we ca n do for yo ur good L
(p .
the reform s whi ch h av e alread y

becom e th e law , bu t have n ot

Our laws will be S h ort , Clear , E con om ic im movem en t d ep en ds

on hi gh er dis ci p lin e of t h e to ilers .

p reta tion , so t h at ev er ybod y will

problem th e S ovi et a uth ority s h ould

Th e main fea t ure in t h em will be pr esen t to t h e p eop le in all its com
the Obe di en ce req uir ed toward s p r eh en siv en ess ( The S oviets at Work ,

au th ority , an d t hi s respe ct for p 26)

.

a u th ority will be carried to a

Th en all kin ds of a b u se will d ema nds

cea se, beca use everybod y will th e abs olu te - su b m is si o n of th e
 THE RE VOLUTION OF 1 91 7 30 5
P ROTOCOL S B OL S H E VI S M
be res p onsibl e b efore th e one m asses t o th e sin gle will of those
s uprem e p ower , n am ely , th at of wh o direct t h e lab our p roc ess
th e sover ei n ( p g .
( The S ovi ets a t Work, p .

We will m ake it Clear to every I t m u stt t ake s om e t im e b efore

on e th at freedom d o es n ot con th e ord in ary rep re s en t at ive of

s ist in d is solu t en es s or in th e th e m a s ses will not o n ly see

right of d oin g what ever .

p eop l e but co m e to feel t h at h e m u s t n ot

pl ease . We will t each th e j u st sim p ly s eiz e , grab ,

s n a t ch

to gr e
”

world th at tru e freed om con sist s an d t ha t lea d s a t er di s

o n ly in t he in viola bili ty of a g
or aniz ation ( The S ovi ets at Work ,

m an hi s p rop erty ,
an d of
’
s p erson p .

wh o h ones tly a dh eres to all th e

laws of so cial lif e (p .

In ord er to d em on stra te ou r We
wi ll turn our h eart s into
en slavem en t of th e Gen tile gov steel , whi ch we will t em p er in t h e
ernm ent s in E urop e we will show fir e of s u ff erin g a nd th e blood of

o ur p ower to on e of t h em by th e fighters for fre ed om . We wi ll

m ean s of cri mes of vi olen ce , t h at m ake our h ear t s cru el , h ard , an d
is to s ay , by a rei n g of t error im m ovable , so t h at no m er cy will
en t er in to th em , an d so t h at t h ey
will n ot qu iv er at th e si gh t of a

s ea of en em y blood, et c .
( Kra sn aya
Gaz ette, t h e o ffi cial or gan Of th e
Petrogr ad S ovi et of Workers , R ed
Ar my ,
’
an d p ea san t s d ep u ti es ,
presid ed over by Zin ovieff , a li a s
Ap felb aum , a Jew . D at e of Au g u st
31 , 1 9 1 8) 1

We m ust d estroy all profes R eligion m u st b e fou ght , if _

n ot

sion s Of faith (p . by vi olen ce , at al l even t s by ar u g

m ent ( Bu charin , P rogramme o f the
World Revoluti on , p .

When th e tim e com es for us A hi ghly g

or ani z ed int elli gen ce
to t ake s p ecial p oli ce m ea su res d ep art m en t , or rat h er t he ren ewed

by p u ttin g th e p resent R ussian Okhran a of the Old au t o cracy ,

sy st em of th e Okhr an a in force is a n eces sary p art of t his

(p regi me . Lenin was p erfe ctly right

to em p h as iz e t hi s b efore t h e last
S oviet conf eren ce in Moscow
( D ec . 1 9 1 9) ( M il iukov in The N ew
R u s si a for F ebru ary 1 2 ,

Q u oted in Am erican ed ition of t h e P rotocols p 8 9 N in e years

1
, . .

earli er M C op in Al b an celli in hi s Conj u ra ti on j u i ve con tre le m onde chreti en

’

.
,

(p . h ad wri t ten : Fran ce h as kn own an d sh e h as forgott e n !

t h e regi m e of t h e M asoni c Terror S h e will kn ow an d th e world will kn ow .
,
”
with h er th e régi m e of th e J ewish Terror
, .
 06
1
WORL D RE VO LUTION
Th e fo regoin g p arallel s p rove , th erefo re a cle ar con ,

nec tion b etween th e P rotocols an d fo rm er S ecret S ocietie s

working for World Revolution , and al so b etween th e Pro
tocols an d B olsh evi sm B u t they d o not n e ce ssarily
'

e stablish thei r au th enticity One p ossibility im m e d iat ely

.

su gge sts itself Migh t th ey not b e a forgery com p o un de d

.

by som e on e verse d in th e lore of S ecret S ocieties ? S u p

p osi n g Nil u s to hav e b e en a st u de n t of t h is s u bj e ct a n d
also as h e was kn own to b e a p ron ou n ced an ti S em it e it
, ,
-
,

wou ld n ot h ave b een diffi cu lt for him to recon st ru ct th e

p gro r am m e of Wo r ld R e vol u tio n f ro m e a rli er m od els ,

weavi ng into them at th e sam e tim e th e ide a Of a J ewish

co n sp iracy Why th en was this very obviou s exp lan atio n
.
, ,

n ot p u t fo rwar d by th e J ews ? Why on th e co n t r ary wh en , ,

it was su gge ste d by th e p re sen t writ er in a n ewsp ap er

article , di d it m eet m erely with resen tm en t ? Here was a
loop hole in deed ! B u t in stead of u sin g it the advocate s of
Jewry content e d th em selve s with angry exp ostu lation s or ,

fell back on absurd exp lan ation s a s th at the P rotocols ,

'

were invent e d by th e Ru ssian p olice or by the Tzarist

re actio n ari e s in Lon don , or that th ey were cop i ed from a
n oto rio u s fo rgery by Go ed sch e why ch oose a fo rgery
wh en su ch a dmi rable au thentic m odels were at han d ? or

again th e attem p t was m ade to draw a re d herrin g across

,

th e track by dwellin g on N ilu s s p er son ality an d h i s own

’

literary work which had no b earin g wh at ever on th e

,

qu e stion The p oint was to p rove wh ether th e docu m en t

.

wh ich he p ur p ort ed to h ave di scovered was genu ine or not .

Th e tru th is then , that th e Protocols have n ever b een

,

refu t e d , an d th e fu tility of th e so call e d refu tatio n s p u b

-

li sh ed as also th e f act of their t em p orary su pp re ssion

, ,

have don e m ore to convin ce th e p u blic of their au th en

ti ci ty th an all th e an ti S emit e writin gs on th e su bj e ct p u t
-

to gether .

Th e onl y li n e of defen ce n am ely that this docu m ent

, ,

was the work O f illum ini z ed Freem asonry an d n ot of a ,

p u re ly Jewish associatio n has b een r e j e,ct e d by t h e a d vo

cat e s of th e J ews them selve s an d the onl y con clu sion th at

,

we can dr aw is eith er th at th e Protocols are genu ine an d

what they pret en d to be or that these advocate s pu t
,
 THE RE VOLUTION OF 1 91 7 30 7

forwar d by th e Jews h ave som e in terest in con ceali n g t he

qu estion th en arises : Were t he J ews con cern e d in

Th e
th e organi z ation of Il lum i ni sm an d its su bse qu en t d evelop
m en ts ? At p re sen t thi s is n ot clearly p rove d It is tru e .

that C agli ostro was p robably a Jew th at KOlni er w h o ,

p ar tly in d oc t rin ate d Weish a u p t m ay h av e been a Jew t h at ,

a c ertain S im oni ni wrote to th e Abbé Barru el in 1 80 6

foun ded by two Jews wh ose n am es th e au t h o r h as

h ave ont ribu t e d to the fun ds of th e Ill um i n ati or of t h e

c

Du c d Orléa n s b u t all thi s re sts so far on n o con tem po rar y

’

docum en tary evi d en ce Th e i llu mi nés referred to by

.

S im oni ni m ay Well h ave b een th e M artin i st es f oun ded as ,

it is kn own by the Jew P asch ali s an d frequ en tly referre d to

,

un d er thi s n am e We shoul d re qui re m ore than su ch vagu e

.
-

a ssertio n s to refu t e t h e eviden ce of m en wh o li k e B arru el ,

an d Robison devot e d exh au s tiv e st u dy to t h e su b j e ct an d

,

attribu ted th e wh ole p lan of th e Illum i n ati an d its ful fil

m en t in the Fren ch Revolu tion to Germ an b rai n s N either .

Weishau p t Kni gge n or any of th e osten sible foun d er s of

, ,

Illu mi nism were J ews ; m oreover as w e h ave see n J ews , ,

were exclu ded from th e as sociation exc ep t by sp ecial

p er m issio n
2
No .n e o f t h e l ea di n g r evolu tio n ar i es of F r an c e

were J ews n or were th e m em b ers of th e con spir acy of

,

Th e claim of th e E lders Of Zion to h ave in sp ire d all

revolu ti on ary ou tbre ak s si n ce 1 7 8 9 is n ot t h eref ore at

p re sen t su bstan tiat ed by hi story an d it is n ot u n til th e

_
,

Al ta Ven dita from 1 8 20 on war d s th at th ey can b e p rove d

to h ave taken an active p ar t in th e m ovem en t Yet .

as agen ts of thi s se cret soci ety n everth eles s att ribu t e s its
,
”
effi ci en t o rgan izatio n to Itali an gen iu s From thi s da te .

1
D escha m ps , Les S ocietes iii 6 5 9
secretes , . .

2
S in ce th es e word s w er e wr it t en , an d at t h e m om en t of thi s boo k
goin g to press a n um b er Of La Vei lle Fra nce h as a ppear ed ( d ate of M arch
,

3 1 A p ril
-
m whi ch it is s ta t ed t h a t fiv e J ew s w er e co n c ern ed I n th e
organiz a t ion an d in s p ira t ion of t h e I ll u m i n a t i Wesse ly , M os es M en d els
so hn , an d t h e b an ker s I t z ig F r iedl a n d er
,
an d M ey er B u t t h e con t em
, .

porary au th ority f or t his s ta tem en t is n ot gi v en .

30 8 WO R L D RE VOLUTION
on ward th eir role is h owever m ore ap p arent I n Germ any
, , .

b efore 1 84 8 Disr aeli h im s elf de clared th em to b e takin g th e

le ad in th e revolu tion ary m ovem en t an d with th e First ,

I n t ern ation ale th ey com e forward into a blaz e of li gh t .

Hen ceforth alon g th e lin e of S tat e S ocialism th eir infl u en ce

i s n o lon ger dou btful .

B u t wh ilst th e qu e stion Of J ewish o rgani zation from th e

b eginn in g of th e Worl d Revolu tion rem ain s obscu re th e ,

workin gs of illum iniz e d F reem asonry are Clearly visible It .

is stran ge that in th e controversy th at h as raged over th e

Proto cols so littl e att en tion h as b een p ai d to th e f act that .

”
th e s o call ed
-
E lders of Zion were admitt edly m ason s of
th e 33rd degree of th e Gran d Ori en t C on sidere d from thi s
.

p oi n t of vi e w , all th e ir stat e m e n ts re gar din g th e p ast h i s

tory of th e Revolu tion are su bstantiat e d by f acts F or if

’

”
by we is m ean t illum iniz ed Freem ason s th en the ,

assertion th at it is we who were th e first to cry ou t to th e

p pe o l e Lib er ty E, q u ality a n d, F r at e rn ity is cl e a rly
accu rat e Nothin g can b e t ru er th an that sin ce th e Fren ch
.

Revolu tion th e n ation s h ave b een led from on e disap

”
p oi n t m e n t to a n ot h er a n d t h at
, t h e s ecr ets of its
p er

p a r ato r y o r ga n izatio n w ere th e wo rk o f o ur h a n ds th e

h an ds of th e Freem ason s an d Illu m in ati I f th en th e
.
, ,

Protocols are genu ine they a re the revi s ed progra mm e of

,

i llu mi n i z ed Freem a s onry formu la ted by a j ewi sh lodge 0 f

the Order .

B ut whilst th e influ en ce of th e J ews cann ot b e p rove d

throu gh o u t th e e arly history of th e soci ety Germ an in spi ,

ratio n an d organization is app aren t fro m the very b egi n

nin g . It was th e Germ an Weish au p t who foun de d th e

I llu m in ati wi th th e aid of his Germ an coll eagu e s it was th e ,

Germ an Kni gge who effect e d its allian ce with Fren ch

Freem asonry Germ an em issarie s Wh o intro du ced it to th e
,

lodge s of th e Gran d Ori en t ; it was th is Germ an Illu m ini sm

th at in spired th e cam p ai gn of un iver sal corru p tion waged
by th e Alta Ven dita an d th e an arch ic fu ry of Baku nin ; and
again it was p an Germ anism workin g by th e m eth ods of
’

-
,

th e Illum i n ati t h at assure d th e su cce ss Of Marx an d

,

E n gel s an d se cu re d control of all S ocialist organizations up

to th e pre sent day .
 THE RE VOLUTION OF 1 91 7 09

This revolu tion ary m achi n e th at thre aten s th e p e ace of

the world to d ay th ou gh m an ip u lat ed in th e p ast by m en
,

of all n ation aliti e s Fren ch Italian J ewish Ru ssian an d, , , ,

in a few in stan ce s E n glish is p rim arily the work of

Germ an han ds an d is still m ain ly con trolle d by Germ an s
with th e aid of th eir J ewish allies Th e Germ an mi litary .

au th oriti es sen t Leni n an d th e Jew Rad ek in a sp eci al train

to Ru ssia Germ an officers organ iz ed th e Bolsh evik arm ie s
, ,

an d Germ an p oison ga s co n trib u t e d to th e fin al d efeat of

Wrangel .

It was also Germ any who fann e d th e flam e s of civil war

n ow ra g mg in I relan d S inn Fein wh ich in its o rigin s was
.
,

largely a n ational an d reli giou s m ovem ent is now b eing ,

exp loit e d by th e I n t ern a tion al Ath eist m ovem ent wh ose ,

dark dire ctory as in 1 884 , lau gh s at I relan d an d h er

,

”
wron gs . F or th e p lan of th e con spiracy h as always b een .

to ad op t a protegé an d enl ist its aid as an ally Hith erto the

’

two protegés in variably sele ct ed h ave b een I relan d an d

’

Polan d Bu t n ow that Polan d h a s dared to assert its

.

in dep en den ce Polan d has b een th rown to th e wolve s an d ,

wh en th e day com es as it m u st com e if th e World Revo

,

lu ti on t riu m p h s for I relan d to re sist th e tide of Bolshev

,

i sm , then I relan d wi th all h er n ation al an d religiou s

aspiration s will b e thrown to th e wolve s likewise The .

organization of th e revolu tion ary m ovem ent is even now

l e ss in th e h an ds of S inn F ein th an of th e I rish Rep u blican
B roth erh ood m odelled like its p red e ce ssor s th e F eni an s
, ,

an d t h e U nit e d I rishm e n on t h e Ill u mi n ati of,W is a

e h up t 1
.

Th e sam e organi zation is at work in I n dia an d both are ,

dire ct ed n ot by Moscow b u t by th e invisible coun cil whi ch

, ,

hol d s in its h an ds th e th reads of th e wh ole con sp iracy .

Bolsh evist p rop agan da all over th e worl d h a s b een

carri ed ou t by Germ an organ ization an d fin an ced by Ger
”
m an as well as by Jewish gol d I affirm wrote Bou rt .
,

z eff th e Ru ssian refu gee th at sin ce Au gu st 1 9 1 4 an d in

, , ,

a relatively sh ort lap se of tim e th e Germ an s h an de d over ,

so n ally to L en i n m o re th an m a ks for th e
p er r

organization of Bolshevist agitation in th e Alli ed C oun

1
For this reason S inn Fein will not b e foun d m arked in the chart
accom p anying thi s book I t 1 s no t a p ar t of th e World R evolution
.
j a: .
 10 WORLD RE VOLUTION
tri e s B ern stein a m em b er of th e Germ an S ocial D em o
.
,

cratic Party h a s declared in the Ofli cial organ of th e p arty

, ,

Vorwarts th at h e kn ew as far back as D e cem b er 1 9 1 7 th at

,

Len in was in th e p ay of Germ any More re cently B ern .

,

st ei n h as learn t from a re sp on sible p erson th at th e su m

g iv e n to L eni n was m ore th an g old m ar k s or ,

Th e J ewish Bolsh evi k em issari e s to th e

re c en t To u r s C on re ss
g A b r a m o v i t c h a n d C la
, r a Zetkin,
were di scovered by th e Fren ch au th oriti e s to h ave received
m oney from Germ any for th e exp en se s of p ro p agan d a in
Fran ce Th e J ewish agitator is the tsetse fly carryin g th e
.

p oiso n germ of Bolsh evism from th e b ree din g groun d of

-

Germ any .

As long as E n gland retain s any b eli ef in C arlyl e s ’

theory of n oble p ati ent deep p iou s a n d solid Ger , , , ,

”
m any th e t ru e cau s e Of th e evils n ow afflicting E u rop e
,

will n ever b e u n d erstood D ou b tl ess there are n oble an d .

p io u s el em en ts i n Germ an y b u t let it n ot b e fo rgott en th a ,

t
Germ any holds withi n h er a p oison cen tre wh ich h a s
b e com e a sou rce of m oral infection for th e whole world .

Th e cam p aign of m ilitan t ath eism an d m o ral corru p tion

that is n ow b ein g carri ed ou t syst em aticall y in our own
coun try in Fran ce an d in Am erica is of Germ an devisin g
, , ,
.

Weish au p t in his ap olo gy for Illum ini sm said th at D eism “

,

I nfidelity an d Ath eism were m ore p reval en t in Bavaria

,
” 2
th an in any co un t ry h e was acqu ain t ed with S even ty .

years lat er in 1 84 6 Lord S h aft esb ury t ravelling in Ger

, , ,

m any rem arked : H ere is a p ecul iarity am on g the Ger

,

m an li tera ti ; p rofe ssorial Chai rs are held an d p u blic le ctures

g iv e n by m e n of o p en ack n ow l e d ge d a n d boast
,
f ul ,

Ath eism an d if we are remi n d e d th at D israeli had

declared m ost of these profe ssorial ch airs at th is date to b e

m on op olized by J ews let u s n ote th at Lord S h aft esb ury ,

g o e s o n to say : N or do e s o p i n io n f r ow n t h em dow n W e .

h ave bad p eo p le in E n glan d bu t few dare to p ar ade th ei r ,

m ake b eli efs W

” 3
-
ith ost en tation an d joy Germ an Ath e .

Ar ticle by M r Ad olp h e S mi th , ELen in : R u ssian QTrait or and G erm an

“
1
.

g ”
A ent , in th e N a ti onal R evi ew far A pril 1 92 1 Th e wh ole of th rs nn p or t an t .

rt i cle , from whi ch t h e ab ove q uot at ion s are t aken , sh o u ld b e read care»
p
ully .

2 ’
P
R obison s roof s of a Conspi ra cy, p 1 0 2 . .

1 E
L
d win H odd er , if e of ord S haf tes bu ry, p 36 2 L . .
 TH E RE VOLUTION OF 1 91 7 31 1

i sm Jewish anta gonism to Chri stianity h ave com bin ed

an d

to form th e great anti reli giou s force th at is m aking itself -

felt in th e wo rl d to d ay .

Again I nt ern ation alism th e p olicy of n ation al sui cide

.
, ,

advocat ed by th e m o d ern revolu tion arie s h a s b een fre ,

u n tly att ib u t e d to t h e J ews an d it is ob vio u s th at a

q e r ,

rac e W ith o u t a coun t ry of its own m u st s ee i n th e p rop a ga

tion of I nt ern ation alism m u ch to com m en d it ; b u t th e

ori gin ator of I n tern ation ali st doct rin e s as they are
p re ac h e d to d ay was n ot a J e w b u t a Germ an A n a c h ars i s

Germ an som eti m es in d e an fi rst I n ter .

1

n ation alism t h en is si m p ly an oth er wo rd for pan Germ an

“
’

-
, ,

i sm an d it will always b e n otice d th at advocat e s of I n t er

,

n ation alism in t his co u n t ry b et ray a p e cul iar ten dresse for

Germ any As Mr Adolp he S m ith h a s well exp re sse d it :

. .

Th e S ocialist an d revolu tion ary doct rin e s tau ght

u n d er t h e m an tl e of Marxism sp read th e id ea that a

S ocialist h a s n o cou nt ry u n l e ss of cou rse h e has th e good , ,

”
fort un e to b e a Germ an An d again : Th e doct rine s of .

th e Older S ocialists th e S ocialists at wh om Bism arck ,

ai m ed by hi s an ti S ocialist law were now re serve d for -

,

forei gn exp o rtation ab road they were j u st wh at was

want ed to di sint e grat e com m u nitie s to weaken the sen se ,

of n atio n ality an d l e ss en th e d e si re for st ro ng arm i e s of

,

defen c e . I n all fields of action the German a s an

I n tern a ti on a li s t n eeds to b e stu di ed with far great er care
” 2
than as yet h a s b een b estowe d on hi m Th e I ntern a .

tion al doct rin e s of Wei sh au p t an d of his discip le Clootz

have serve d the cau se of Germ any well .

It will b e u rged B u t why sh o ul d Germ any en cour age

,

Illu m inism sin ce she herself is n ow a victim of World

,

Revolu tion ? Tru e the S p artacists of Germ any today ,

a re u n do u bt e dly th e di re ct d e scen dants of S p artacu s

1
On M arch 2 9 1 9 1 3 an influ n ti l G m an J ewish Association th e
, ,
e a er -
,

in a strongly anti
”
C n tral S ci ty Of G erm an Citi en s of J wish F aith
e o e z e ,

Zioni st resolution d eclared : On th e soil f t he G m an F th e la nd we

,
o er a r
wi s h , as Germ Germ a n Civiliz ation an d t o rem ai n
an s , to co - op erat e i n
t ru e t o a p art n ership th at ha s b een h allowed by religion an d h istory
( W i c kh a m S t e ed ,
The Ha ps bu rg Mon a rchy , p 1 77
Ad olp h e S m ith , The P a n Germa n I n tern a ti on al, pp 4 , 9 , 1 2
.

2
. .
 WORLD RE VOLUTIO N
Weishau p t from whom th ey ta ke th eir n am e ; Li ebknecht 1

an d Rosa Lu xem bou rg were both l e adin g m em b er s of th e

“

Order I n evitably th ose wh o h an dl e p oi son ga s are liable

.

at m om en ts to inh al e its fu m e s B u t Germ any has S p ar .

ti ci sm well u n de r con trol m e an wh ile it c an b e u sed as a

bogey to p reven t h er di sarm am en t by th e Alli e s B etween .

B erlin an d Moscow th e u n derstan din g is co m p let e Nich o .

las Lenin i s n ot th e cont rollin g b rain of th e gi gan tic con :

sp ira cy Great p ain s h ave b een tak en to rep re s en t th e

.

p re s e n t di ctato r o f R u ssia as a S u p e rm an of vast c o n

cep ti on s Lenin s own writin gs refu te this th eory Wh ere
.
’
. .

in all hi s n u merou s p am p hl ets d o we fi n d a h in t of gen iu s

or ev en of o ri gi n al th o u gh t ? Th e writi n gs of Rob e sp i erre

b ear at le ast th e stam p of his p erson ality Bab euf I llu m .

,

i n a tu s th ou gh h e was b rou gh t som e n ative in sp iration to

,

b ear on hi s di atrib es bu t from th e days of Marx onwards

,

revolu ti on ary S ocialism h a s always born e th e s am e

m achine m ad e Ch aract er and Len in s p am p hlets ’
-

re sem bl e n ot h in g so m u ch as th e in st ru ction s of a bo gu s

com p any p rom ot er directin g oth er wou ld b e bo gu s com -

p a n y p r o m ot er s h o w to do t h e t rick ”
Mr Wells h a s . .

h ast en ed to assu re u s th at Leni n s writi n gs are n ot repre

’

s en t a tiv e of h i m s elf that th e gre at m an m u st b e seen to

,

b e app re ciat ed ; y et h ow is it th at th e m any arden t pil

g r i m s to t h e sh ri n e o f th e d eity at Moscow ,
h ave n e v er b een

able to b rin g back a single p h rase u ttere d by the oracle

that gi ve s evidence of the slight e st gleam of in sp iration
o r of con c ern for th e p eop le of Ru ssia ? Th e on e p oint

that app ears to occu py him is how to m ake the system

work in spit e of th e opp osition of th e p eop le .

Lenin th en is neither a dem ago gu e n or a sup erm an

, , ,

bu t th e agen t of the gre at Germ an J ewish com p any that -

h op es to ru l e th e wo rld .

How d o th e Germ an s and th e J ews com e to b e allied 1 n

this desi gn ? Are not their aims m utu ally antagonistic
—
.

I f we regard th e J wis p la e h n a s a acial con sp iracy

r
y e s .

B u t th ere is n o eviden ce to sh ow that the wh ole J ewish

race is con cern e d in it ; on th e con trary m any J ews in ou r ,

1
On this p oint see Weltf rei ma urerei , Weltrevoluti on Weltrepubli k
, , by
Dr . Wichtl ( Munich , 1 92 1 ) , p z .
 THE RE VOLUTION O F 1 91 7 31 3

own country as in France have sh own them selve s fearle ss

, ,

opp onents both of Germ any an d Bolsh evism N or do es .

reli gio u s f an aticism ap p e ar to en t er i n to th e qu e stion Th e .

in sisten ce on th e ide a of a J ewish M e ssiah is th e le ast

convin cin g p art of the Protocols It is n ot reli giou s J ews .
,

even Talm u di c J ews b u t ap ostat e J ews wh o h ave th r own

,

th em selve s in to the revolu tion ary m ovem ent I n th e .

diat rib e of B u ch arin agai n st reli gion qu ot e d above the ,

J ewish fai th is derided equ ally with that of th e C h ristian

or th e B u ddhist Yet if w e examin e th e p lan of Bolsh ev
.

i sm we sh all s ee th e m otive for a c ertain se ction of th e J ews

to take p art in it Now the avowed p lan of th e Bolsh evists
.

is to d o away with th e right of private p rop erty an d

e stablish u ni versal Com mu ni sm B u t th e ru se Of th e con
.

sp ira cy has always b ee n to u se wo r ds with a d ou ble

m ean in g an d n ot o nl y this bu t wit h m ean in gs di am etri

, ,

cally op p osed to each oth er Th u s wh en th ey p rocl ai m th e

.

dictator shi p of th e p roletariat th eir re al in t ention is t o

b rin g abou t th e com p lete en slavem ent of th e p rol etariat ;
when th ey talk of th e e qu ality of sexe s wh at they real ly ‘

m e an is to red u ce wo m en to a p ositi on lower th an th e r ank

”
of squ aws Th e word con stitu tion
. as we h ave seen h as , ,

b een em ploye d throu gh ou t as th e si gn al for cru shi n g an .

att em pt to introdu ce con stitu tion al govern m en t or for

overthrowin g it when it h a s b een e stablish ed I n th e sam e .

way th e word C omm u ni sm has a dou ble m e ani n g .

To th e sim p le p roletarian C om m un ism conveys a very

allu rin g ide a n am ely th at of
, h avin g everyth in g in
,
”
comm on . Of th e re al th eory of C om m un ism h e h a s n o
con ception bu t th e p rop agan di st wh o tri e s to Win hi m
,

over to C omm un ism kn ows very well He knows m ore .

,

over th at C omm uni sm is a syst em which has b een tri e d

,

an d in every in stan c e f oun d wan tin g an d th at on t h e li n e s , ,

which h e advocat e s can n ever su cc ee d

,
.

For th e onl y f orm of C om mu nism which it h a s e ver

b een p ossible to carry ou t su cce s sfu lly is th at p racti sed by
re li gio u s co mm u ni tie s Mon ast erie s an d nu nn eri e s are of
.
,

cou rse C om m u nist b u t th e fact wh ich m ake s this p a ssible

, ,

is th at th ey are com p ose d of p eop l e wh o h ave re n oun ce d

all in t erest in e arthly thin gs an d cen tre all th eir th ou gh ts
31 4 WORL D RE VOLUTION
an d desire s on the Kingdom of He aven S ecu lar Com “

m u ni sm by i ts in sist en ce on m at erialism elim in at e s th e

, ,

on ly f actor t h at m ake s th e syste m fe asibl e b eli ef in God

an d th e H ere aft er It is in con ceivable th at leadin g C om
.

m u n i st s shoul d b e u n aware of this fun d am ent al error in

th eir te achi n g or of th e failu re th at has att en de d every
,

attem pt to p u t it in to practice in th e p ast above all , of

its col ossal failur e in Ru ssia .

I f th en C om m u nism or S tat e S ocialism has b een

, ,

p r ov e d i m p r acticabl e if m o re ov er it is a syst
, ,em t h at n o ,

on e wh o un d er stan ds it c an p ossibly wan t wh o is to p rofit ,

by e stab li shin g it ? S orel an swered th e qu estion lon g a go

A few p rofe ssors who im agin e they invent e d S ocial
i sm an d a few D reyfu sard fin an ci ers I n oth er word s th e .
,

I ntellectu als who cherish th e hop e of b ein g given Ofi ci al

osts i n th e S ocialist S tat e wh ich will give th em an
p
advantage over th eir fellow m en an d a few Jewi sh fin an -
,

ci ers Werner S om b art su mm in g u p th e system of th e

.
,

latter says : Th eir aim was to seize u p on all com m erce

,

a n d all p rodu ction ; th ey had an ov erp owerin g d e sire to

exp an d in ev ery di r e ctio n Th e syst em Of free t ra d e was

.

all p art of th is p lan an d can b e traced back as far as

An ach arsi s Cloot z wh o was dou btl ess con siderin g th e
,

int ere sts of hi s fri en ds th e J ews when in hi s Uni vers a l

R epu bli c h e advocat ed all th e p eopl e s form in g on e n ation ,

a ll the trades f ormi n g on ly on e tra de all in t ere sts fo rm in g ,

”
only on e interest It is e asy to see th at S tate S ocialism
.

m ay b e m erely th e prel u de to th is sch em e an d h ere M , .

S orel and M Gop in Alb an celli are cu riou sly in accord

. .

One form u la th e latt er wrote in 1 9 0 9

,
sum s u p the ,

Whole Collectivi st p rop agan da : All for th e S tate All for the .

S tate ! Th e p eop le im agin e th at this m ean s : All for All ! an d

th ey m arch forward intoxicated with hop e towards th e con
, ,

qu est Of this fallaciou s idea not dream in g th at the S tate being

,

h en ceforth in th e h an d s of th e J ews all for th e S tate will

b e all f or th e J e w s ! T h e d i ctato rs hip im p os ed by
J wi s h ac w i ll b a fi a ci al i d st i al d comm ercial
‘

th e e r e e n n , n u r a n ,

1
dictatorship .

What coul d b etter describ e th e governm ent of Ru ssi a

1 La Conj ura ti on j ui ve contre le monde chréti en , pp 4 4 8 , 4 50
. .
 !LI IE
-
RE VOLUTION O F 1 91 7 31 5
X

to d ay ? The plan of wrestin g all capital ou t of pri vate

h an d s an d p lacin g it in th e h an ds of th e S tat e as un der ,

C o mm u ni sm or in th e h an d s of in du strial syn di cat es as

,

un d er S yn dicalism m ay well b e th e p relu d e to S tat e

,

C ap italism or to gigan tic tru sts Con tr oll e d by in t ern ation al

fin an ci ers I n thi s case the so call e d war on cap italism is -

sim m
.

y a war in favou r of cap itali sm of rui ni n g all sm all ,

hol d ers of weal th or p rop erty in order to enri ch a rin g of

m ul ti mi lli onaries A p assage in Mr Wells s articl es on
’
-
. .

Ru ssia l en ds colour to thi s theory :

Big bu si n ess is by n o m ean s antip ath etic to Comm uni sm .

Th e larger big bu sin ess grows th e m ore it approxim ates to

Collectivi sm It is the u pp er road of th e few instead of th e
.

lower road of th e m as ses to Collectivi sm 1

.

C o nversely then m ay n ot C omm un ism b e th e lower

, ,

road wh ich th e m asse s are b ein g in vit e d to follow l e adin g

”
to bi g b u sin e ss th at is to say to sup er C ap itali sm ?
, ,
-

O n ce em bark ed on thi s road th ere c an b e n o tu rni n g back .

Th e p re sen t Cap italist syst em th at is to say th e syst em ,

th at aim s at th e di strib u tion of cap ital am on gst as large a

n u m b er of h an ds as p ossibl e h avin g b een destroy ed by
th e worker s own folly in favour of co n c en tr ation of
’

cap ital in the h an ds of th e S tat e th ey will b e obli ged to ,

work or starve Th eir n ew m ast ers wi ll have th em com

.

p let ely at t h e ir m e r cy .

It will b e u rged : Bu t the workers will n ever stan d

thi s ; th ey wil l rise a gain st th eir tyrants and overthrow
th em ! What gov ernm en t of thi s kin d could m aintain
itself rn p ow er ?
B u t thi s rs wh ere th e r 6 1e O
f th e Ge rm an armi e s com e s
iin
. It rs qui te tru e th at a group of int ern ation al fin an ci ers
coul d n ot of its own stren gth m ain tain itself in p ower
a gain st an enra ge d in du stri al p roletariat b u t if we ,

i m agi n e thi s fin an ci al p ower backe d by a su p erb m ilitary

syst em if in a word we p ictur e an a lli ance between
, , ,

P ru ssi an mi lita ri sm a nd i n terna ti on a l fin ance th e p lan n o ,

lon ger app ears im p racticable .

It is this alli an ce that today m en ace s civilization an d ,

it is an alli an ce of lon g stan di ng as we have seen in the ,

1 S u nda y E xpress for N ovem ber 28 , 1 920 .

31 6 WORLD RE V OLUTION
e arlier chapt ers of this book Th e p re sent camp aign of
.

—
an t S em itism ragin g in Germ any is largely a strate gic
i
m an oeu vre wi th th e O b j ect of rein statin g Germ any in t h e
ey e s Of th e wo rld a n d t h rowi n g all th e blam e for bot h t h e

war an d th e revolu tion on th e J ews Germ any will n ot .

relin qu ish h er J ews as lon g as th ey can h elp h er towards

th e attain m en t of h er dream of world p ower N or will th e -
.

I ntern ation al Jew forsake Germ any as long as by her

’

m ilitary stren gth sh e rem ain s th e h o rse to back .

Yet form i d able as thi s coalition m ay b e d oe s i t p ro

, ,

vide th e wh ole force of Bolsh evism Th e organization

?

y ;es b u t t h e f o r c e n o I n f ollowi
. n g h e h istory of World
t
R evolu tion on e other factor an im m en se factor m u st
, ,

b e tak en in to con sideration th e p ower of an arch y All .

Bolsh evists are n ot Jews or Germ an s ; all are n ot in spire d

by J ews or Germ an s The i mportan ce of the cons ti tu ti on a l
.

des tru cti oni s t cann ot be over es ti ma ted It is e ssen tial to

-
.

re co gniz e th at th ere are m en an d wom en in th e world wh o

will throw them selve s in to any su bversive m ovem en t for

sheer love of violen ce it is idl e to seek with th em a
m otive Thi s has b een so all throu gh th e revolu tion ary
.

m ovem en t For alth ou gh down th e li n e of S tat e S ociali sm

.

th e influ en c e of th e Germ an s an d th e J ews is cle arly e vi

-

dent down th e lin e of An archy exc ep t for th e ori gin al

, ,

in spiration of Wei sh au p t an d th e agitation s of Most an d

H art m ann it is h ardly to b e foun d at all Bakun in was
,
.

th e a u t h o r Of a polemi qu e a gain st th e J ews ; S o rel was a n

’

ard en t an ti D reyf u sard ; Lev C h orny th e Ru ssian An ar

-
,

chi st at th e b eginnin g of the p re sen t revolu tion warn e d

,

th e Ru ssian p eop le agai n st th e J ewish le ader s of Bolsh ev

i sm . I f m odern C omm u nism th at is to say Marxian , ,

S ocialism ,
is Germ an an d J ewish S yn dicalism an d ,

An archy a re p e cu liar to the Latin an d S lavonic races It .

was this fearful elem en t th at co ntrib u t ed largely to th e

ferocity of Bol sh evism an d exp loitin g th e n ative t en
, ,

d en cy of th e Ru ssian p eopl e towards viol en ce cou ld in ,

au gu rat e an orgy of blood an d terror .

B olsh evism u se s S yn dicalism li ke An archy to e stab , ,

lish its p ower it en cou rage s th e Gen eral S trike wh ich

, ,

e n ters in n o way i n to its own p ro gramm e b u t th e sp i rit of

’

,
 THE R E VOLUTIO N OF 1 9 1 7 31 7

Syn dicalism exist s ap art from B olsh evism an d i s as mu ch to

be feared I f revol u tion b reaks ou t in t hi s count ry it will
.

b e a S yn di cali st revolu tion th e Gen eral S t ri ke with its

fearfu l p rogram m e of s a botage an d viol en ce its carn ival of
,

rioti n g an d d e str u ction . B u t it is n ot S yn dicalism th at

will win th e d ay The le sson s of history p rove th at
.

an archy ephem eral in its e ssen ce m u st always give way

, ,

b efore organization And if this o rganization is n ot su p

.

p i e d by th e force s Of law an d Ord er it will b e th e i ron

l ,

b u reau cracy of th e Germ an arm i e s an d the i n t ern ation al

fi n an ci ers which wi ll e stablish its dom in ati on over a
ru i n ed co u n try an d a h el pl es s p eople
.
 C ON C LU S IO N

B olsh evrsm in E ngland Our I llu m in ati—D anger

— now threatening
civ ili z at i on— M e th o d s of d efence .

I N th e cou rse of th is book I have en deavou red to trace th e

workin gs of th e great con spiracy t h rou gh ou t th e hi story
of th e last h u n dre d an d fo rty y e ar s ; a few Co n clu din g

word s are n ow n e cessary in order to in dicate th e m ann er

in wh ich it is b ei n g carri ed on in ou r coun try a t th ep re sent
m om en t an d th e m ean s by which it m ay b e defeat ed .

It is ext r aor din ary h ow in th e li gh t of Illu m in ism m any

t hin gs th at are h app en in g today whi ch app ear at first
in exp licabl e b e com e cle ar as dayligh t ; for n ot o nly do the
six p oints of Weish au p t form th e exact p ro gramm e of th e
revol u tio n ary p arty i n E n glan d b u t it wou l d h ard ly b e a n
,

exa ggeratio n to say t h at every d evic e n ow em p loy e d by it

can b e t r ac ed bac k to t h e code Of th e Illu m i n ati .

Now it will b e rem em b ere d th at th e p recep t m ost

em p h asiz e d by W eish au p t was t h at th e Illu m i n ati sh ou ld

n ot b e kn own a s su ch a n d af t er th eir s u p p re ssion i n

,

Bavaria every eff ort was m ade by the con sp irator s to p er

su ade th e world th at t h eir Or der h a d ce ased to exist As .

th e in stru ction s for t h e degree of Regen t exp re sse d it :

Th e gre at stren gth Of ou r O rder li e s in its Con ce al
m ent ; let it n ever app ear in an y p lace in its own n am e ,

bu t always covered by an other n am e an d an other ,

” 1
occu p ation .

Thi s device h as alway b een exactly carried ou t ; Free

m asonry C arbon ari sm S ocialism th e I nt ern ation ale
, , , ,

h ave all in t u rn serve d a s covers to th e desi gn s Of th e con

an d th e sam e m
\

S p i racy ,
eth od is b ein g f ollowe d to d ay .

E very eff o rt is m ad e to p ersu ad e th e p u blic that n o COn

1 Rob is on s P roo s o a Cons i ra c
f f
’
p y p 1 95 , , . .

31 8
 C ONC LU S IO N

sp iracy e xists for on ce its exist en ce is gen erally recogni z ed

,
-

i ts d efe at is cer tain I ts wh ole su cce ss depen ds on se crecy

. .

Thi s m u ch h owever is k n own

, ,
.

Th e Or der of th e I ll u mi n ati exists in E n glan d ; its

stat u t es are th ose of th e h ead lod ge in Germ any reorgan ,

iz e d in 1 880 At th e sam e tim e an association call ed

.

Co m asonry whi ch h a s its h ead qu art ers in Paris a n d

-
,

deri ves from th e Gran d Orient is also active By way of ,

.
_

winn in g th e confi d en ce of the wom en it is h op ed to enl ist ,

th ey are fre q u en tly tol d th at th e O rder h a s t h e ap p r oval of

the Gran d Lod ge of E n glan d This is ab solu t ely un tru e
. .

B ritish Mason ry h a s rep u di at e d th e Gran d Orient an d

recogn i z es no f orm of ma s on ry tha t admi ts wom en a s mem

133 ” f 50 ; 1 b» M
g
.

B u t accordi n g to the p lan

,

activitie s of th e con sp iracy are co n du ct ed un der oth er

”
n am e s an d ot h er occu p ation s Th e i n st ru ction s to t h e
.

Regents go on to exp l ain th e diff eren t gu ises u n d er whi ch

“
on e m ay work N ext to Freem asonr y th e form of a
.

le arn ed or lit erary so ciety is b est sui t ed to ou r p urpo s e ,

an d h a d F ree m asonry not exist ed thi s cover wo ul d h av e ,

been em p loyed ; an d it ma y b e m u ch m ore th an a cover ,

it m ay be a p owerful en gin e in ou r h an d s By e stablishi n g .

re a din g soci eti e s an d su bscri p tion lib rari e s a n d tak in g

, ,

th e se un der our di rection an d su pp lyi n g th em thr ou gh our

,
”
lab our s we m ay tu rn th e p u blic mi n d whi ch way we will
, .

Th e way in whi ch th e n ec e ss ary lit eratur e is to b e forc ed

on th e att en tion of th e blic is d sc i b d in th assa
p u e r e e p ge

al read q u o te d in th e p ar all els to th e P rotocols :

y
We m u st take care writers be well pu ff ed and that the
our
revi ewers d o n ot d ep rec i ate th em ; th erefore we m u st en d ea vour
b y every m eans to gain over th e revi ewers an d j ou rna li sts ; an d
we m u st also try to gain th e boo ksellers wh o in tim e will see th at ,

it is their interest to si de wi th us .

Thi s is e xactly What we see hap p eni n g today Not .

onl y h ave th e m odern Illumi n ati su ccee de d in organi zin g b

”
su ch avowe dl y su bver sive lit erary societie s as th e
F abian S oci ety and oth er m in or association s b u t al so in
, ,

gai nin g co n trol over o r din ary ci r cul atin g lib rari e s an d
book sh o p s by p laci ng at th eir h ea d m en or wom en who
‘

,
320 WORLD R E VO LUTIO N
are definit ely workin g for the p rop agation of revolu tion ary
doctri nes At th e sam e tim e jou rn alists even in the employ
.
,
”
of th e so call ed -
C ap italist Pre ss devot e lon g and ,

im p ortant n otice s to every book th a t is calcu lated to serve

th e cau se work s ran gin g from h eavy treatises on in tel
lectu al S ocialism to th e lowe st form of dem oralizing fiction .

N 0 book subversive of order or m o rality ever p asses ~

u n n otice d i n th e p re ss .

Of cou rse th e great er p art of t h is o r gani zation is carri ed

ou t by th e p ower of gol d n ot n e ce s s ari ly by b rib ery b u t

si m p ly by m aki n g agitation a p ayin g j ob or by Off ering ,

t h e m ost lu crative p osts to adep ts or at le ast a gen ts of th e

con sp 1 r acy B u t ap a
. rt from t h e s e m at eri a l a d van ta ge s

su btler m eth o d s are em p loyed Of th e se the two which .

p r ov e t h e m ost effe ct u al w er e t h u s laid dow n by W eis

h au p t :
1 E xploi ti ng gri evan ces
. Am on gst th e p eopl e to .

en rol are ab ove all th ose who have exp eri en ce d mi s

fortu n e n ot by m ere acci d ents b u t th ro u gh som e kin d Of
, ,

in j u stic e th at is to say th ose t h at on e can m ost c ertain ly

, ,

cou nt am on gst m a lco nt ents : th ose are the m en th at we

m u st call into th e bosom of Illuminism as in t o their
” 1
asylu m .

2 B u t by far th e m ost p ot ent in du cem ent Offere d was

.

th e promi se of power Th e p u p ils are convin c e d t h at th e

“

Ord er wi ll ru le the world E very m em b er th erefore .

b e com e s a ru ler Robison qu oting this p assage add s :

.

We all think ou rselve s qu alified to ru le The diffi cul t .

task is to ob ey with p rop riety ; b u t we are hon e stly gen

e rou s in ou r p rosp e cts of fu t u re co mm an d It is therefore .

an allu rin g t h o u gh t both to good an d bad m en

, B y thi s .

” 2
lu re the Order wi ll s pread .

How truly h as Robison s p rop hecy b een fu lfill ed !

’

Nothin g in deed coul d b etter d escrib e the m en tality of the

converts to what is n ow called Bolsh evism than th ese
two p assages N early all the p rom ot ers of disorder today
.

will b e foun d to b e either p eop le su ff ering from som e real

or i m a gi n ary i n j u stic e or t h ose wit h an i n o rd in at e de sire to

ru l e ov er t h ei r fellow m en They are co nvi nced th at if only

-
.

’
2 R obison
1
Barru el , iii 35 , , s P roof s , p 2 1 3
. .
 CON C LU S ION

the re n s of
i p ow er w er e o n c e co n fid e d t o th eir ha n ds t h e

wh ole social syst em woul d be m iraculou sly tran sform ed ;

they are furth er convin ced th at this d ay mu st com e for all f

have b een tau ght to b elieve that their Order will one day
ru le th e world . It is this that gives them th eir imm ense
confid en ce for young Oxford I ntelle ct u al an d Trade Union
,

Le ad er alike h a s b een assure d of the im p ortant p ost h e is to

occu py un der th e com ing regim e N either of cou r se has.
, ,

b een adm itte d into th e real p lan of the con sp iracy ; n either
p robably s u sp e ct s t h at a n y s u ch co n s p i r acy e xists fo r , ,

accordin g to the pyrami dical scale Of Weish au p t e ach is ,

acqu aint ed only with th e directors imm e diat ely above him
an d kn ows n oth i ng of th e h i gh er ad ep ts wh o are really

controll in g the m ovem ent .

Anoth er m otive th at u n dou btedly drive s m any p eop le

into th e revolu tion ary cam p is fear They th ink that if a .

revolu tion is to take p lace in th is cou n t ry t h ey will en su re

th eir safety by throwi ng in th ei r lot with the su bver sive

p a r ty . Mi r ab e a u Ill u m
, i n at u s voic
, e d p re cis e ly t h is p olicy
when he said to h i s followers : You h ave nothi ng to fear
'

from th e aristocrats ; those p eop l e do n ot p illage th ey d o ,

n ot b u rn th ey do n ot assassin at e
, wh at h arm can they
”
do you ? On th e p olicy therefore of p ro pitiating a m alig
, ,

n an t deity n u m b er s of tim orou s p eop l e b e co m e ap olo gists

,

for Bolsh evism i m aginin g t h at all su ch u tt eran ce s will b e

,

count ed to th em for right eou sne ss wh en th e day of con

fla gration arrives Revolu tion ary V iol en ce h a s b een care
.

fu lly d e si gn e d to p ro du ce this eff e ct for th e m eth od of th e

,

con sp iracy is th e sam e today as it was a h u n dre d an d forty

”
y ears ago “
calu m ny corru p tion an d terror
, ,
.

B ut a littl e kno led e of h .

rsto

ou l oel th e I llu sron s O f sa e

tion t h os o
t wo t ach th em
m
that in ti e s of revolu tron n o one s life i s s af e th at m en ’

h ave n ever yet b een S p ared on th e scor e of p ast p ro fe ssion s

of sym p athy with subv ersive d oct rin e s t h at on th e c on ,

trary it h a s in variably b een th e l e ss ext rem e revolu tion

ari es who have fared th e worst D em agogu e s on ce in .

p o w er n e e d t h e co o p e r-
atio n o f bold a n d d e s p otic m e n a n d ,

the se are n ot to be fou n d am on gst th e tim orou s an d tim e

3 22 WORL D RE VOLUTION
server s b u t am on gst the agents of re action The Fren ch .

Revolu tion em p loyed th e Marqu is de S ade b u t killed off

th e Giron di n s an d in Ru ssia S ocial Revolu tion arie s an d
,

M en sh eviks h ave p erished by th e score whilst Tzari st

officials an d m em b ers Of th e Okhra n a h ave occu p ied
Official p osts u n d er th e S ovi et Governm en t .

Th ere is n othin g th en to b e gained by cowardice an d

, , ,

there is m u ch to b e lost A m an wh o die s for hi s convi o .

tion s can m ou nt th e scaffol d with sgpeai ty gu t what m g st m ,

be p ew bi tt er re m o r s e o f t h os
M
e M
w h o
W
h av e
W
sold
W M
th ei r so ul s
W W
a n d “ W
W W
ro ed
nf rng
_
h .

h s fo of t erro rism of fri gh tenin g p eop le i nto ,

si din g wit h on e is p e cu liarly Germ an

, S ab re rattli n g .
-

u n d ou bt e dly p rov e d a h i ghl y effe ct u al m et h od of over

com in g Op p osition am on gst n eu trals du rin g th e recen t war .

An d th e Germ an p sych olo gy in th e s o calle d Labou r m ove -

m en t is everywh ere ap p arent today It is cu riou s to n otice .

th e organization of illu m ini z ed Freem asonry du rin g i n du s

”
trial crise s . All m odern revolu tion s wrot e E cker t in ,

1 857 , p r ov e t h at t h e O r d e r is divi d e d i n to two disti n c t

”
a r ti e s : on e p acific t h e oth er warli k e or as Mon si gn o r
p , , ,

D illo n de scrib e s th em th e p arty of di re ction

, an d th e

p a r ty o f actio n At
. m o m en ts of t u m u lt th e w ar p arty

d e scen d s into th e aren a Whi lst th e p e ace p arty retire s in to

th e back —g ro u n d T h e
. Pac ifi c lod g e s h ast e n by e v e ry
m ean s to p rot e ct th e b rother s of t he b elli geren t division by
rep re s en ti n g th em as over arden t p atriots wh o have -

allowed th em selve s to b e drawn on by th e curren t b eyon d

”
th e li m its of order an d p ru d en ce .

This p roce ss is rep e at ed every tim e a revolu tion ary

strike is n ow threat en ed an d th e so calle d m oderate ,
-

Labou r l eaders whilst di ssociatin g them selve s from th e

,

actu al p rep ar atio n of revolu tion give it all th e supp ort in ,

th eir p ower by rep resen tin g th e E xt remi sts as h ot

hea d e d enth u siasts whom it is im p ossible to re strain b ut
wh ose cau se n evert h ele ss is j u st Th e p u blic always .
,

deceive d by th is m anoeu vre f alls on the n e cks of the ,

m oderat es ,
t ru stin g to t h em to save th e situ ation an d f

brin g th e h ot h e ads to reason the tru th b ein g th at th e very

-
,

m oder ation of th e form er im m en sely aids th e work of revo

 C ON C LU S ION 23

lu tion by recon cilin g th ose who would be alienated by th e

violen ce Of th e E xtrem i sts .

Trade Unionism in its o ri gin s a wholly p acific system

,

for th e p rotection of th e workers has thu s b een cap tu re d ,

by the con sp irators an d th e in du strial disp u te s which form

,

th e ost en sibl e p ur p ose Of each su ccee din g crisis are m erely

p r e t e xts co v e ri n g t h e re al d e si g n o f Wo r ld R e vol u tio n .

Revolu tion by th e General S trike is not th e onl y d an ger .

to b e feared ; S tat e S ocialismby th e ballot box will ru in u s -

m ore slowly b u t n one th e l e ss surely F or S tat e S ocialism .

,

with its cru shin g of all in dividu al en terp rise m u st in evi ,

tably d estroy our comm erce brin g abou t vast u nem p loy ,

m en t an d fin ally bankru p tcy an d starvation whi lst the ,

p ro G-
e rm a n sy m p at h i e s o f its l e ad e r s will l e ad to t h e ru p
tu re of ou r allian c e with Fran ce on which th e se cu rity of ,

both co u n tri e s dep en d s At the sam e tim e all m e asu re s of

.
,

m ilitary an d n aval d efen ce will b e aban d on e d n ation al ,

tradition s will b e swep t away S ocialist teach ers will in cu l ,

—
cate anti p at riotism an d m aterialism in to th e m in ds Of the
rrsrn g gen eratio n an d Germ any will b e abl e to take ov er
,

th e B ritish E m pi re with o u t an effort .

Th e m anner in which th e wom en of this co u n try h ave

b een enl ist ed in the service of th e con sp iracy can also b e
traced to illum i ni z ed F reem asonr y Ju st as in th e first .

Fren ch Revolu tion th e advocat es of Wo m en s Ri gh ts ’

were p ersu ad e d to throw th em selve s into th e m ovem ent ,

so the con sp iracy to d ay h a s su cceed e d in cap tu rin g a large

p pr o o r tio n of th e F e m i ni st m ov e m e n t f o r its u
p p e
r os
of gen eral d em o ralization .Th e fem al e mi ssion ari e s wh o
rec en tly visit e d E n gland for th e p u rp ose of p re achi n g

Th e Ri gh t to Moth erh ood a th eo ry which was of

cou rse given wide p ublicity in th e Press were n ot soli
tary ent hu siasts wh o h ad evolve d this th eory ou t of th eir
o wn inn er con sciou sne ss b u t m ou thpi ece s rep e atin g
,

a p h rase that h as lon g b een cu rren t in th e lan gu age of

illum in iz ed Freem asonry an d form s a p art of th e p lan for
th e b re ak u p of f am ily life 1
.

1
M Gop in Alb an celli writing m 1 9 1 0 d escribed th e cam p aign bein g
.
, ,

carri ed o u t b y th e Oc cu lt P wer o for th e d em oraliz ation of F en ch r

wom en a n d Ch ildr en All faciliti es o f c orru p tion are off ered t o

moth ers O f fam ili es th e fam ily , th ey go s o far a s to s ay , m ust b e d estroyed
 WORL D RE VOLUTION
Nothin g 1 s m ore extraordin ary than th e way app arently
intelligen t wom en h ave allowe d th em selve s to b e drawn
into a p lot of which th ey will b e th e chi ef vi ctim s Wom en .

have obviou sly far m ore to lose th an m en b y the dest ru o

tion or ev en by a decrease of civilization ; whi lst th e ,

S uffragis t h a s everythin g to lose by th e abolition of th e

Parliam en tary syst em wh ich accords h er th e vot e sh e h a s
so long dem an de d b u t th e m odern Illu m in ati followi n g
, ,

Weish au p t s pre cep ts by flatterin g their vanity and

’

g ivi n g t h e m hi n ts o f e m an ci p atio n h av e s u cc ee d
,e d i n

p er s u a di n g n u m b er s o f wo m e n to assist i n di i
gg g n t h e i
_
r

own grav e s Th ese words of warn ing writt en 1 23 ye ars ago

.

mi ght well b e laid to h eart by the wo men Of ou r cou nt ry

an d of Am erica to d ay :

Th ere 1 s nothin g I n th e wh ole constitu tionof th e Illu m in ati

th at strikes m e with m ore horror than th e p roposals of Hercules
a n d Min os to enli st th e wom en i n thi s sh ockin g warfare with all
”
th at i s good an d pu re an d lovely and of good report Th ey
, , .

cou ld n ot h ave fallen on any exp edient th at will be m ore effectu al

an d fatal I f an y Of m y cou ntrywom en sh all h onou r th ese
.

a
p g e s w i th a read in g I wo u l d ca
, ll on th em i n t h e m ost ea r n
,
e st
m ann er t o consi der this as an aff air of th e u tm ost im p ortan ce
,

to th em selves I woul d conj u re th em by th e regard th ey h ave

.
,

for th eir own di gni ty an d for th eir rank I n society to j oin again st ,

th ese en emi es of hum an natu re an d p rofligate d egraders Of their

sex ; an d I wou ld assu re th em th at th e p resen t state of th in gs
alm ost p u ts it in th eir p ower to b e th e saviours of th e world .

Bu t if th ey are rem iss an d yi eld to th e sedu ction th ey will fall

, ,

from that high state to which th ey h ave arisen in Christian

E u rop e an d again sink into th at in signifi can cy or slavery in
whi ch th e sex is fou nd in all ages an d cou ntries ou t of th e hearin g
of Ch ristianity .

For as Robison t rul y adds :

Wom an is in debte d to Chri stiani ty alone for th e high rank
sh e h old s in so ci ety . It is u n dou btedl y Christiani ty th at
h as set wom an On h er thron e .

I f n ot o nly Ch ristianity b u t all reli gion is to b e

destroye d th en in deed wom en will sin k to a con dition
,

wh ich Robison describ es as lower th an a M ah om ed an

p a r a d is e.

. rp o s t itu t ion is h on ou red conf eren ces are h eld in it s t em p les

.

( o f t h e G ra n d Ori n t) o
e n fre e m at ernity (la li bre ma terni té) ( L e P ou voi r
occulte contre la France, p p 4 1 7 , .
 C ON C LU S ION

Bu t ven m ore horribl e than the degradation of wom en

e

is th e system atic dem oraliz ation of children which is

n ow b ein g c arri ed ou t by th e co n sp iracy Th e p lan of
. .

Weishau p t for obtainin g influ en ce in th e sch ools has b een

followed by th e e stablishm ent of S ocialist S u n day S ch ools ,

atten d ed it is said by no l ess th an

, ,
chil dren in th e
Unit ed Kin gdom where th e p oison of class h atred of
,
-
,

g ree d a,n d o f m at erialism is s e du l o u sly i n still e d i n to t h e

chil d m in d
-
.

At th e sam e tim e still followin g faithful ly in th e foot

,

st ep s of Weish aup t o u r Illu m in ati are carefu l to win th e

,
”
sym p athy of those wh o h ave a hankerin g for reli gion ,

by telling off a few of their num b er to p rofess th e d octrin e s

of Ch ristian S ocialism Thu s Mr Lan sbur y retu rnin g
. .
,

from th e lan d whose Governm en t h a s adop t e d as its ,

”
m otto Reli gion is opiu m to th e p eop le
,
where the ,

chu rch e s h ave b een desecrated and Christian s cru cifi ed

for th eir f ait h p roclaim s in th e sam e b re ath hi s all egian ce
,

to Ch rist an d Len in B eb el th e Germ an S ocialist was

.
, ,

m o re h on e st wh en h e d e clare d : Christian ity an d S ocial

”
i sm stan d towards e ach other as fi re an d wat er Yet in .

th e f ace of su ch de claration s w e fin d a di gn itary of th e

Church of E n glan d p roclaim in g th at if Christ cam e to
e arth today H e woul d b e a Bolsh evik C an we n ot h ear .

again th e exul tin g ton e s of Weishau p t sayin g Th e m ost ,

adm irab le thin g of all is th at great Prot e stan t an d reform e d

th eolo gian s wh o b elon g to our O rder really b elieve th ey
see in it th e tru e an d gen ui n e m i n d of th e Christian reli gio n .

Oh ! m an wh at cann ot you b e b rou ght to b eli eve !

,

Not am ongst the Prot estant clergy alone is th is stran ge

d elu sion to b e fou n d ; C atholics li kewise have allowed
th em selve s to b e blin d ed to th e real force s at work b eh in d
th e t rou ble s i n I relan d Have th ey fo rgott en th e warnin gs
.

of their eloqu en t pred ec e sso r th e Abbé B arru el ? Do t h ey

fo rget th e p rop hecy of C ardin al Mannin g now so t erribly ,

fu lfille d : On the day wh en all th e armi e s of E urop e will

b e en gage d in an imm en se confl ict th en th at day th e
'

, , ,

revolu tion which un til n ow h a s b een wo rki n g s e c retly

u n dergro u n d will have fo u n d th e favou rable m om ent to

"

show itself in th e light of day

 26 WORLD RE VOLUTION
C ar di n al Mannin g rep e atediy arn ed his generatio n 3!
m
w m

t£ OQ L ie S ; Mo n si gn o r D illo n still m o re
0 ; . 2? .

S Q t
Clearly in dicat ed th e atu re of th e f orm i d able sect th at
n

was to brin g abou t thi s con summ ation an d alsoth e occu lt ,

forc e b ehin d it :
We only wan t a kn owled ge of th e evi l to avoid it .

all s ecret soci eti es aim in g at bad an d irreli giou s en ds are

n o oth er th an deadly i llu m i n a ted F reem as on ry Let them .

b e call e d by wh at ever n am e th ey are a p art of th e syst em ,

of revolu tion ary frau d i nv en t ed an d cast u p o n e art h by ,

S atan to co m p ass th e ru in of so u ls an d th e d e st ru ction of

”
th e rei gn of J e su s Ch rist h

tru e m eanin g of th e Worl d Revolu tion b e u n der stoo d .

N either gree d of gold nor power n eith er p olitical n or social ,

th eori es however subversive cou ld alon e h ave p rodu ced

, ,

th e u n sp e ak able ho rror s th e m oral p erversion th e far

more th an b estial cru elties th at h ave m arked its cou rse
, ,

Th e d escrip tion of bloody baboon ery ap p li ed to Bol

sh evi st at rociti e s is un j u st to ap e s B easts m ay wo un d an d .

kill th ey do not tort u re do n ot gloat over th e sufferin gs ,

of th eir victi m s ; sav a ge s m ay do th e se th i n gs b u t even ,

they con t ent th em selve s with tortu rin g th e bo dy th ey d o ,

n ot s et ou t to d e st roy the so u l Th e S p irit of evil th at fin ds .

exp re ssion in th e d efi lem en t an d d e se cration of sacre d

thin gs in th e syst em atic destru ction of all n obility all

, ,

decen cy of th ou ght an d life above all in th e p oisoning of , ,

th e ch ild min d can b e exp laine d by n o n atu ral laws or

-
,

m ere hum an p assion s .

Let u s not f orget th at th e cul t of S atan which flou rish e d

in B avaria at th e sam e ti m e as Illu mi n ism a n d was in ,

all probab ility conn e ct ed with it is p ractised today in ,

ou r ow n cou n try Th e p ower s exer cise d by th e m odern

.

Illu m in ati areOc cul t p owers an d ran ge from hypn otism to

black m agic wh ich sin ce th e d ays of th e m agician C a gli L
, ,

ostro h ave always form ed p art of th e stock in trade of the

,
- -

sect It is therefore no fan tastic theory bu t th e lit eral

.

truth to s ay that the pre sent world crisis is a confli ct

 C ON C LU S ION

who like B arru el regard ed th e Fren ch Revolu tion m erely

, ,

as the first stage in th e cam p aign m u st b e taken as th e ,

battl e cry of the Whit e Arm y to d ay : Th e Fren ch Revo

-

lu tion is S atanic in its p rin cip l e an d can b e only re ally

killed ext erm in at ed an d finish ed by th e contrary prin
, ,
”
ci p le . La R evolu tion fran caise e st satani qu e dan s son
i n ci t n u t et re Vr ai m en t t u é e ext ermin ée fini e
p r p e e e p e , ,

q u e p a r le p ri n ci p e T h e C h ristian p ri n cip l e

that is th e force th at m u st b e opp osed to th e S at anic

p ow er of t h e Wo rld Revolu tion .

It is b ecau se E n glan d with all h er shortcom in gs in

, ,

spit e of th e recen t b etrayal of h er t radition s in th e com p act

en t ered into wit h th e Bolsh evi ks by h er p olitician s in ,

S p it e of th e att em p ts to p oiso n th e l if e blood of h er p e op l e -

with ali en germ s of co rru ption yet rem ain s th e stron gh old ,

of C h ristian civilization t h at th e con sp iracy h a s m a d e h er

,

the p rin cip al p oin t of attack I f n lan d go e s th e wl o fi

Ll
.

world goe s with h er Marx

m

m m s a i d f
M
g g

m
.

w w
w
‘

m
w h

thfi fi
r

w
”
storm i ii a t e a cu p -
An d it was also Marx wh o u tt ere d th e
.

m efi
fi g us in th e p ast It is recorde d th at th e C o m t e
.

de Proven ce wh en in E n glan d durin g th e Fren ch R evolu

tion said to on e of th e gen tlem en abou t him that if ,

this cou ntry was to e scap e th e gen eral wreck of n ation s ,

it wou ld owe its p reseryation to reli gion Aft er th e .

’

revolu tion of 1 84 8 a F r en ch m an obs erv e d to Lo r d S h aft es ,

b ury : You h ave b een save d by th e reli gion of you r

p p
eo l e An d today
. L e n i n h a s d e clare d t h e g r e at e st .

obstacl e to th e su ccess of Bolsh evism in E n glan d to be

th e f act th at th e E n glish worki n g m an foun ds hi s ide as -

u p on th e Bibl e .

I f th e p eople of ou r co u n try will b u t realize th e

di abolical n at u re of th e con sp iracy at work am o n gst th em ,
3 28 WORLD RE VOLUTION
th e p owers of
Hell cann ot p revail again st u s I n i gno .

r an ce an d i n di fferen ce li e ou r p rin cip al dan ger E very .

o u tb re ak of th e World Revolu tion th at h a s so far occu rred

has b een ren dere d p ossibl e by the ap athy of the n ation in
g e n er al . Le t t h e wo r ds o f B arr u el u tt e r e d i
, n t h e f ace of
t h e sam e p eril a hu n dre d an d twenty five y e ars a go ri n g in
-
,

ou r e a rs today :

Cease to flatter you rselves Th e dan ger is certain it is

'

.
,

continu al it is terrible it threatens you all withou t exception

, , .

Keep you rselves however from giving way to that kin d of

, ,

terror which i s only cowardi ce an d discou ragem en t for wi th all

th e certain ty of th e d an ger I say to you n on e th e le ss : Will to
!

b e save d an d you will b e saved One can n ot tri u mph over a

'

n ati on that resolves to def end i ts elf Know h ow to will as th ey

.

do an d you will h ave n othin g m ore to fear from th em .

I llum 1 n1 sm is m u st erin g all its forc e s for a su p rem e

,

on slau gh t in ou r own co un t ry at th e p re sen t m o m en t Bu t .

th e n ation at h eart is sou n d a n d h a s re solved to defen d

itself Is it p o ssible th at thi s little islan d of ou rs is fin ally
.

to stem th e ti de of World Revolu tion and s ave not

herself but Christi an civilization ?

THE E ND