That the tactics of the Narodnaya Volya alone were not sufficient to overthrow absolutism became evident at about the time
the Marxian letter was written (April 1881). The death of Alexander II marked the highest point ever attained as a result of the terrorist tactics of that period. Indeed what mote could be attained than the killing of the Czars? But society did not move in accordance with this striking example; no class arose to support the brave fighter and so he was finally executed in the unequal struggle.
Marx did not live until these facts became evident, dying in 1883. In this very year however there arose a new body in Russia that set itself to work to establish a new foundation for the
revolutionary movement. Since the 60’s there has been an industrial capitalism and an industrial proletariat in Russia. In the beginning, however, this possessed no special class-consciousness, resembling in many ways the little tradesmen of the cities, mere uprooted peasants, with peasant narrowness, but without that peasant strength which comes from contact with their native earth. In the 80’s however. Russian capitalism and proletariat began to rapidly develop. It now became evident that here was a wholly new revolutionary class. The first to recognize this were the Marxists – Axelrod. Deutsch, Plekhanov, Vera Zassulich, who, in 1883, founded the League for the Emancipation of Labor . This organization was in full accord with the German Social Democracy. It took up, not simply the battle against absolutism but also made the organization and education of the laborers to the end of conducting an independent class-struggle, a part of their program. Even at this time the conditions for the formation of a labor party in Russia were very unfavorable. Rut the comrades whose names we have just given did not permit this fact to discourage them. They labored with tireless activity, until in 1898, they at last succeeded in founding a Russian Social Democracy.
They did not attain this however, except after a continuous energetic fight against the Narodniki and the terrorists, to which, in the days of its greatest effectiveness, they had themselves belonged. Both their ultimate aim and their tactics brought them into conflict with the Socialist Revolutionists, who after the old terrorist wing had disappeared, sought to bring about a revival of the traditions of the Narodnaya Volya through the invigorating power of the new labor movement, by establishing the Socialist Revolutionary Party in 1901.
The Social Democracy sees in the industrial proletariat the force that must carry the revolutionary and socialist movement. A strong industrial proletariat, however, presupposes a developed capitalism. The Social Democracy resting upon the capitalist
development of Russia, sees in. its rapid progress the inevitable preliminary condition of revolution.
The terrorists seek to found socialism on the inherited village communism. The enthusiasm for the little industry, the dislike of the economic development that dissolves the village communism, the desire to confine this development – all create reactionary economic tendencies among the terrorists, and bring their economic goal into opposition to that of the Social Democracy.
On the other hand also terrorism tests fundamentally upon the firmly rooted distrust of the political initiative and revolutionary attitude of the masses which existed at the time of its origin, as well as upon the conviction that only through the heroic courage of a few chosen individuals and, not through action of the masses can absolutism he overthrown. The Social Democracy makes it its special mission to destroy this very distrust, to arouse the masses, and to show them that only through themselves can they be freed; that they cannot depend upon any Messiah, that the boldest and most sacrificing heroism of individuals is incapable of accomplishing what only an uprising of the proletarian masses can accomplish.
As a result there followed the hitter struggle of the Russian Social Democracy, first with the Narodniki and then with the Socialist-Revolutionists, that has already been going on for two years, and that is just as “peculiarly Russian” and “historically unavoidable” as terrorism itself: unavoidable and necessary in order to raise the revolutionary movement out of its imperfect outgrown forms tip to a higher plane.
If they have today attained this higher plane and are able from it to direct socialism in its battle against absolutism with far different resources and objects than were possible for the Narodnaya Volya . then this is due, apart from the mightiest factor of all, the economic development, to the Russian Social Democracy, and the tireless criticism that it has directed against the Narodniki and their allies, the Socialist-Revolutionists.