21.08.1997

The situation in Russia

From The Call, paper of the British Socialist Party, August 9 1917

Last weekend witnessed some swift changes in the situation in Russia. Rapidly following the report of the resignation of M Kerensky came the announcement that he had resumed office and had been successful in forming a cabinet, the majority of which will be radical-socialist.

This is quite a new designation for Russian political sections, and we presume that it covers a combination of socialists and the left wing of the Cadets. The decision was arrived at after a conference of all political parties, when a compromise was reached on the basis of two conditions: (1) that of the socialists, that the new government should remain faithful to the declaration of July 21; and (2) that of the Cadets, that the government should possess entire liberty of action in all its policy and be completely independent of the influence of any political party.

We assume the declaration of July 21 is the one issued by the newly established coalition in which it assured the country that it had not forgotten the peace programme of the Revolution. The present government will therefore be pledged to continue the efforts to secure a general peace.

The condition put forward by the Cadets evidently seeks to abolish the responsibility of socialist ministers to the Soviet.

What the effect of the new turn of affairs will be we are as yet unable to judge. Perhaps the best indication of the situation is contained in the decision of the Soviet to issue a proclamation to the peoples of the whole world pointing out the tragic position in which the continuation of the war will place them and especially the Russian Revolution, the overthrow of which would involve the wreck of democracy and of all hopes of a lasting peace.

From the present tendencies in the European labour movement we look forward with stronger hope than formerly to a response to this appeal.