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| ==Revolutionary terror and Marxism== | ==Revolutionary terror and Marxism== | ||
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| In his article, “The Victory of the Counter-Revolution in Vienna”, ''Neue Rheinische Zeitung'', No. 136, 7 Nov. 1848, Karl Marx wrote: “… there is only one means to shorten, simplify and concentrate the murderous death throes of the old society and the bloody birth pangs of the new, only ''one means'' – ''revolutionary terrorism''.”<ref>Karl Marx – Friedrich Engels – Werke, Berlin: Dietz Verlag, Vol. V, 1959, pp. 455-7. ; for English translation see </ref> | In his article, “The Victory of the Counter-Revolution in Vienna”, ''Neue Rheinische Zeitung'', No. 136, 7 Nov. 1848, Karl Marx wrote: “… there is only one means to shorten, simplify and concentrate the murderous death throes of the old society and the bloody birth pangs of the new, only ''one means'' – ''revolutionary terrorism''.”<ref>Karl Marx – Friedrich Engels – Werke, Berlin: Dietz Verlag, Vol. V, 1959, pp. 455-7. ; for English translation see </ref> | ||
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| Many later Marxist-Leninists, in particular ], criticized ] leaders for terrorism tactics. He stated that "among the phenomena for which Bolshevism has been responsible, ], which begins with the abolition of every form of freedom of the Press, and ends in a system of wholesale ], is certainly the most striking and the most repellent of all".<ref>], Chapter VIII, The Communists at Work, The Terror</ref> | Many later Marxist-Leninists, in particular ], criticized ] leaders for terrorism tactics. He stated that "among the phenomena for which Bolshevism has been responsible, ], which begins with the abolition of every form of freedom of the Press, and ends in a system of wholesale ], is certainly the most striking and the most repellent of all".<ref>], Chapter VIII, The Communists at Work, The Terror</ref> | ||
| ==Origins, evolution and history== | |||
| German Social Democrat ] traces the origins of ] to the "]" of the ].<ref name="Kautsky">{{Cite book |url=http://marxists.org/archive/kautsky/1919/terrcomm/index.htm |title=Terrorism and Communism |author=] |year=1919 |chapter=Revolution and Terror |chapterurl=http://marxists.org/archive/kautsky/1919/terrcomm/ch01.htm |quote=Kautsky said: "It is, in fact, a widely spread idea that ]ism belongs to the very essence of ], and that whoever wants a revolution must somehow come to some sort of terms with terrorism. As proof of this assertion, over and over again the great ] has been cited." (Translated by W.H. Kerridge)}}</ref><ref>] by ]</ref> Lenin considered the ] use of terror as a needed virtue and accepted the label Jacobin for his ].<ref>Schwab, Gail M., and John R. Jeanneney, , p. 277-278, Greenwood Publishing Group 1995</ref> This, however, distinguished him from Marx.<ref>Schwab, Gail M., and John R. Jeanneney, , p. 278, Greenwood Publishing Group 1995</ref> | |||
| The deterministic view of history was used by Marxist regimes to justify the use of terror.<ref>Chaliand,Gérard and Arnaud Blin, , p. 105, University of California Press, 2007</ref> Terrorism came to be used by Marxists, both the state and dissident groups, in both revolution and in consolidation of power.<ref>Martin, Gus, , p. 32, Sage 2007</ref> The doctrines of Marxism, Marxism-Leninism, Maoism and anarchism have all spurred dissidents who have taken to terrorism.<ref>Lutz, James M. and Brenda J. Lutz , p. 134, Taylor & Francis 2008</ref> Marx, except for a brief period in 1848 and within the Tsarist mileu, did not advocate revolutionary terror<ref>McLellan, David, , p. 229, MacMillan</ref>, feeling it would be counterproductive.<ref>Lutz, James M. and Brenda J. Lutz , p. 134, Taylor & Francis 2008</ref> Communist leaders used the idea that terror could serve as the force which Marx said was the "midwife of revolution"<ref name="Final solutions">{{cite book|last=Valentino|first=Benjamin A. |title=Final solutions: mass killing and genocide in the twentieth century|date=8 January 2004|publisher=Cornell University Press|isbn=978-0801439650|page=94}}</ref>, and after World War I communist groups continued to use it in attempts to overthrow governments.<ref>Lutz, James M. and Brenda J. Lutz , p. 134, Taylor & Francis 2008</ref> For Mao, terrorism was an acceptable tool.<ref>Martin, Gus, , p. 52, Sage 2007</ref> | |||
| After World War II Marxist-Leninist groups seeking independence, like nationalists, concentrated on guerilla warfare along with terrorism.<ref>Chaliand,Gérard and Arnaud Blin, , p. 97, University of California Press, 2007</ref> By the late 1950s and early 1960s there was a change from wars of national liberation to contemporary terrorism.<ref>Chaliand,Gérard and Arnaud Blin, , p. 98, University of California Press, 2007</ref> For decades terrorist groups tended to be closely linked to communist ideology, being the predominent category of terrorists in the 1970s and 1980s, but today they are in the minority, <ref>Chaliand,Gérard and Arnaud Blin, , p. 6, University of California Press, 2007</ref> their decline attributed to the end of the cold war and the fall of the Soviet Union.<ref>Wills, David C., , p. 219, Rowman & Littlefield, 2003</ref><ref name="books.google.com">Crozier, Brian, , p. 203, Transaction Publishers, 2005</ref> | |||
| ==See also== | ==See also== | ||
Revision as of 14:03, 6 November 2010
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Revolutionary terror refers to the institutionalized application of force to the counterrevolutionaries, particularly during the French Revolution from the years 1793 to 1794. The term has also been used to describe the Red Terror in Soviet Russia, the reign of the Khmer Rouge, and others.
Revolutionary terror and Marxism
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In his article, “The Victory of the Counter-Revolution in Vienna”, Neue Rheinische Zeitung, No. 136, 7 Nov. 1848, Karl Marx wrote: “… there is only one means to shorten, simplify and concentrate the murderous death throes of the old society and the bloody birth pangs of the new, only one means – revolutionary terrorism.”
Edvard Radzinsky in his biography of Joseph Stalin noted that Stalin wrote a nota bene — "Terror is the quickest way to new society" — beside the above passage in a book by Karl Kautsky.
Lenin, Lev Trotsky and other leading Bolshevik ideologists recognized mass terror as a necessary weapon during the dictatorship of proletariat and the resulting class struggle. Thus, in his The Proletarian Revolution and the Renegade K. Kautsky (1918), Lenin wrote: “One cannot hide the fact that dictatorship presupposes and implies a “condition”, one so disagreeable to renegades , of revolutionary violence of one class against another … the “fundamental feature” of the concept of dictatorship of the proletariat is revolutionary violence.”
Similarly, in his book "Defence of Terrorism" (Terrorism and Communism, 1920) Trotsky emphasized that "...the historical tenacity of the bougeoisie is colossal... We are forced to tear off this class and chop it away. The Red Terror is a weapon used against a class that, despite being doomed to destruction, does not want to perish." .
On the other hand, they opposed to individual terror, which has been used earlied by Russian "People's Will organization. According to Trotsky, "The damaging of machines by workers, for example, is terrorism in this strict sense of the word. The killing of an employer, a threat to set fire to a factory or a death threat to its owner, an assassination attempt, with revolver in hand, against a government minister—all these are terrorist acts in the full and authentic sense. However, anyone who has an idea of the true nature of international Social Democracy ought to know that it has always opposed this kind of terrorism and does so in the most irreconcilable way."
Many later Marxist-Leninists, in particular Karl Kautsky, criticized Bolshevik leaders for terrorism tactics. He stated that "among the phenomena for which Bolshevism has been responsible, Terrorism, which begins with the abolition of every form of freedom of the Press, and ends in a system of wholesale execution, is certainly the most striking and the most repellent of all".
Origins, evolution and history
German Social Democrat Karl Kautsky traces the origins of revolutionary terror to the "Reign of Terror" of the French Revolution. Lenin considered the Jacobin use of terror as a needed virtue and accepted the label Jacobin for his Bolsheviks. This, however, distinguished him from Marx.
The deterministic view of history was used by Marxist regimes to justify the use of terror. Terrorism came to be used by Marxists, both the state and dissident groups, in both revolution and in consolidation of power. The doctrines of Marxism, Marxism-Leninism, Maoism and anarchism have all spurred dissidents who have taken to terrorism. Marx, except for a brief period in 1848 and within the Tsarist mileu, did not advocate revolutionary terror, feeling it would be counterproductive. Communist leaders used the idea that terror could serve as the force which Marx said was the "midwife of revolution", and after World War I communist groups continued to use it in attempts to overthrow governments. For Mao, terrorism was an acceptable tool.
After World War II Marxist-Leninist groups seeking independence, like nationalists, concentrated on guerilla warfare along with terrorism. By the late 1950s and early 1960s there was a change from wars of national liberation to contemporary terrorism. For decades terrorist groups tended to be closely linked to communist ideology, being the predominent category of terrorists in the 1970s and 1980s, but today they are in the minority, their decline attributed to the end of the cold war and the fall of the Soviet Union.
See also
References
- "Social Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy", by Barrington Moore, Edward Friedman, James C. Scott (1993) ISBN 0807050733, p.101: "Social Consequences of Revolutionary Terror"
- French revolutionary terror was a gross exaggeration, say Lafayette experts. By Chandni Navalkha. April 28, 2008. accessed 5-20-2009
- BOOK REVIEW Exposition of revolutionary terror. The Gate, by Francois Bizot. Jul 4, 2003. accessed 5-20-2009
- Karl Marx – Friedrich Engels – Werke, Berlin: Dietz Verlag, Vol. V, 1959, pp. 455-7. ; for English translation see
- Edvard Radzinsky Stalin: The First In-depth Biography Based on Explosive New Documents from Russia's Secret Archives, Anchor, (1997) ISBN 0-385-47954-9
- Karl Kautsky, Terrorism and Communism (1919), Ch. V. The book is item F558 O3 D90, one of two books on terror from Stalin’s private library, seen by Edvard Radzinsky (Stalin, 1996, pp. 150, 569).
- "Black book of Communism", page 749
- Leon Trotsky (1911). "Why Marxists Oppose Individual Terrorism". Marxists.org.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help) - Karl Kautsky, Terrorism and Communism Chapter VIII, The Communists at Work, The Terror
- Karl Kautsky (1919). "Revolution and Terror". Terrorism and Communism.
Kautsky said: "It is, in fact, a widely spread idea that Terrorism belongs to the very essence of revolution, and that whoever wants a revolution must somehow come to some sort of terms with terrorism. As proof of this assertion, over and over again the great French Revolution has been cited." (Translated by W.H. Kerridge)
{{cite book}}: External link in|chapterurl=|chapterurl=ignored (|chapter-url=suggested) (help) - The Gulag Archipelago by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
- Schwab, Gail M., and John R. Jeanneney, The French Revolution of 1789 and its impact, p. 277-278, Greenwood Publishing Group 1995
- Schwab, Gail M., and John R. Jeanneney, The French Revolution of 1789 and its impact, p. 278, Greenwood Publishing Group 1995
- Chaliand,Gérard and Arnaud Blin, The history of terrorism: from antiquity to al Qaeda By , p. 105, University of California Press, 2007
- Martin, Gus, Essentials of Terrorism: Concepts and Controversies, p. 32, Sage 2007
- Lutz, James M. and Brenda J. Lutz Global terrorism, p. 134, Taylor & Francis 2008
- McLellan, David, The thought of Karl Marx: an introduction, p. 229, MacMillan
- Lutz, James M. and Brenda J. Lutz Global terrorism, p. 134, Taylor & Francis 2008
- Valentino, Benjamin A. (8 January 2004). Final solutions: mass killing and genocide in the twentieth century. Cornell University Press. p. 94. ISBN 978-0801439650.
- Lutz, James M. and Brenda J. Lutz Global terrorism, p. 134, Taylor & Francis 2008
- Martin, Gus, Essentials of Terrorism: Concepts and Controversies, p. 52, Sage 2007
- Chaliand,Gérard and Arnaud Blin, The history of terrorism: from antiquity to al Qaeda By , p. 97, University of California Press, 2007
- Chaliand,Gérard and Arnaud Blin, The history of terrorism: from antiquity to al Qaeda By , p. 98, University of California Press, 2007
- Chaliand,Gérard and Arnaud Blin, The history of terrorism: from antiquity to al Qaeda By , p. 6, University of California Press, 2007
- Wills, David C., The first war on terrorism: counter-terrorism policy during the Reagan administration, p. 219, Rowman & Littlefield, 2003
- Crozier, Brian, Political victory: the elusive prize of military wars, p. 203, Transaction Publishers, 2005