Re: Revolution

[glevy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Interesting points, Justin.

It is often claimed that a revolution is NEVER possible without an
insurrection and that the ruling class of any nation will NEVER give up
state power voluntarily.

Even if some statements are true, though, IN GENERAL, that does not make
them absolutes.

To wit:

Consider the Hungarian Soviet Republic of 1919.

In 1918 the Karolyi government, a liberal democratic regime that was
supported by the Hungarian Social Democratic Party, arrested the entire
leadership of the Hungarian Communist Party and outlawed the HCP. First,
they arrested the entire Central Committee of the HCP. A new CC was
elected. The new CC was arrested. I believe that *4* successive CC's were
imprisoned.

In March, 1919, the "Allies" issued the Vix Note which called upon the
Hungarian government to give up a large amount of its territorial
sovereignty (2/3?). Anyway, the Karolyi government found the terms
unacceptable, so what did they do?

They sent a representative (a leading member of the SDP) to visit Bela
Kun _in his jail cell_ and *ask* Kun to take state power! Bela played
hard to get and insisted on a whole series of conditions. The government
representative agreed to *all* of the HCP's demands ... and the Hungarian
Soviet Republic was born on March 21, 1919 -- without an insurrection or
a drop of blood being spilled.

Actually, the Hungarian Soviet Republic was led by a coalition government
of the CP and the SDP. But, all of the most important decisions were made
by the CP and the most important positions were held by the CP. Where
there was a Commissar who was a member of the SDP, there was an assistant
Commissar from the CP and vice versa.

133 days later the Hungarian Soviet Republic was drowned in a bloody
counter-revolution and Rumanian Army invasion.

The government of the Hungarian Soviet Republic made some serious errors
in policy (e.g. regarding the peasantry), but -- ultimately -- their
downfall was due to "outside" forces.

The point behind the above story (at least the point I want to make now)
is that the study of history teaches us to beware of making absolute
statements about what is NOT possible.

Jerry


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