snatched from the hands of the old rulers and handed over to the revolution. That is the fundamental task. A general ed, and from that time, though lemporarily victorious, waited only for the final push which came in 1917 with the October Revolution. The young Leon Trotsky was a leading figure in the Soviet and evoked the experience and lessons of those fifty memorably tumultuous days in this book, which he wrote two years later in cxile, He points out the single most important lesson of 1905: that the struggle for very basic demands, if organised through organs of workers" power, can grow over into a struggle for State power; indeed, that it must begin to do so if it is not tobe hamstrung by its own ellectiveness.
STRIKE The butchery of Bloody Sunday triggered off a wave of uncoordinand reorganisation of the inexperlenced Kussian working class during the spring and summer, The days of intimidation were numerco, in car October a wave of strikes started in the printing-industry in St.Petersburg across the country, particularly the railway and telegraph services, In St Petersburg, the workers in several industries set up a General Council to coordinate their strugsles. This was to rapidly grow into the Soviet of Workers" Deputies, which embraced the masses of the whol city and served as the model of onganisation for other towns and cities in Rissia, From October, the strike spread across the country, adopting the demands for an 8-hour day, civil liberties, amnesty for all political prisoners and the recall of the Constituent Assembly (Parliament) with universal Tranchise.
In the next few wceks, even though the sinke was suspended for some time, the St Petersburg Soviet grew in size and influence, is the working class organ of struggle in the city: If consisted of an assembly which was permanently in session-deciding the course of the strike, the demands to be adopted, the tactics of the workers in struggle and the overall organdeputies at any moment. Through its members-deputies directly elected by the workers-the Soviet exercises direct lesderdio over all social mant festations of the proletariat as a whole and of its indiridual groups, organises its actions and provides them with a slowan and a banner.
The representation of the workers in struggle was based primarily on the factories, because they were the main links which hound the working class together with a common interest -a working class which in any other terms was very inadequately organised. The strike committees, and what workers organisations that there were, looked - to the Soviet for leadership.
ORGAN OF STRUGGLE One delegate to the Soviet was clected for roughly every 500 workers, though smaller factories often had one ated strikes and widespread discussion deputy for less. At the height of its influence, the Soviet had 562 deputies, representing 147 factories and plants, including workers from Political parties alone could never have done the job of the Soviet. The and rapidly spread to ofher industries, creation of a non-party organ was essential to give representation to the broadest masses, even those who would never think of joining a party, ful of candidates. But Capitalism is finished gone for good, and soon capitalist politicians as the pinnacle of democracy, are not even pale flecting shadows of such ergans of direct workers' democracy. In Trotsky's worls:
to give unity to the revolutionary for political polemics and mutual mained an organ of struggle.' strike confronted the workers with a whole number of problems. The day class struggle. For example, the workers here, as in all situations of mass upsurge, were faced with the Petersburg workers setting up a makeshift barricade in 1905. As Trotsky pointed out: The power still has to be strike only creates the necessary preconditions; it is quite inadequate for achieving the task itself "peaceful road to socialism" (via 500 MPs in Parliament) is a gross slander which must he dealt with, Polemical articles based on fact-criticisms of policy and programme is one thing but lying distortion is something else Please remedy this unprincipled attack on the W.R.P and its leadership.
Stop Steward CAV(Acton)
EDITOR'S REPLY:
We do not leave a tape of Gerry Healy's speech at the press conference, hot the suhstance of his remarks are confirmed Bounceois parliaments, so praised by The Soviet's task was not to transform itself into a parody of parlinment, not to organise equal representation of th interests of different social groups, hut struggle of the proletariat.. the Soviet could not transform ibell into a club indoctrination. It had to be and reFUNDAMENTAL TASK From the beginning the mass general Soviet, by broadening its responsibilities, undertonk to tackle these severe problems and carry the strike forward. It was born, and grew, out of the actual needs of the workers, thrown up by the course of events in the day to dant.
Fraternally. Tom Hillier, AUEW by both the Red Weckly reporters present duction apparados and wich at the centralised apparatus of power, lolating parts of the country from one another and sowing general confus ion, must itself he sufficiently organ ised not to become the fust victim of the anarchy it has created, The more completely the strike renders the State organisation obsolete, the more the organisation of the strike itacl is obliged to assume state functions.' The main problem still exists:
The power still has to be snatched from the hands of the old rulers and handed over to the revolution. That is the fuadamental task. A genoral strike only creates the necessary pre conditions; it is quite integ unte for achieving the task itself.
To meet the needs of the workers in the midst of the strike, the Soviet was forced to lake over the functions of the State which it had so thoroughly disrupted, if it was not to perish at its own hand, The strike threatened to starve itself, to cut off all its communication with other centres of struggle, and render itselt detenceless in the absence of bourgeois law and order. At the same time as the Soviet took on the task of solving these basic problems, it was nurturing the clements of workers" State power and rendering the okl State power redunMoreover, statements of a similar kind were made on other occassions during the campaign, Vanessa Redgrave-exGained & number of tmer that the WRP hoped to field 500 candidates in future elections, and in a statement on the radio she declared that the WRP would to carry through the nationalisation of the leading companies under workers control, without compensation.
But Red Weekly did not say that Gerry Healy advocated a peaceful parlia mentary road to socialian. We simply said that Gerry Healy claimed that the way forward was to build up the WRP so that legislation that would be supported by the working clam and the middle class.
This sratement does not necessori! inpolve the parliamentary road, Te leaves the question open, just as the WRPS Caledonian Roed, N.1. (5 mins Kings X tubel. This week (6 March): "The struggle in Ireland".
NOTTINGHAM RED CIRCLES: Wide ranging series of discussions based on the politics of the Fourth International. Every 2nd and 4th Tuesday in the month at Bren in the Lion Hotel, Clumber Street CHILE SOLIDARITY CAMPAIGN: National Action Conference, Seturday 23 March, 11 am at Digboth Hall, Birming ham. Credentials from: Chile Solidarity Bisters Road, London N7 70G. FREE IRELAND FORUMS: Fridays at opin in veneral Piccon pan, calcooni Hoad (Kings X Tubr), Friday & March "Ireland after the elections what now?. speaker Gery Lawiess ASIAN WORKERS IN STRUGGLE:Five pages of intervices with Asian workers essential reading for alf socialists. In this month's "Race Today". Single copies 15p, annual subscription 2 from 184 King's Crass Road, London WC1. 'IMPERIALISM IN LATIN AMERICA: Ernesto Loclau speaks at Latin American Front meeting, Thursday 14 March at 7pm in the Architectural Association, Planning Lecture Hall.
BIAMINGHAM: A Men against Sexism group is being formed to study the rule of sexual oppression in capitalist society, and to fight its manifestations in daily life and polities, Telaphone 021-427 7433 WORKERS FIGHT public meeting: 'After the elections', speaker Clive Bane Sunday 10 March at 8pm in Golden Lion King's Cross Road, N.1.
MINERS-SHREWSBURY BENEFIT Moriday 11 March at 7.30pm. Henry Cow plus Alex Glasgow and the Combine. 50p at Theatre Royal, Stratford, E 15. Organised by London student urgesang Miners Support Committee WOMEN AND THE TORY OFFENSIVE': 25 psge pamphlet analysing the Tory offensive against wornen workers and women in the hame, and taking up the immediate struggle. Price 15p inc. postage -10p for orders of six or more from. ING Women's Commission, 97 Cal agonien Rost. London N.1 "UKRAINE: UNREST AND REPRESSION -pemphlet produced by the Committoo to Defend Ukrainian Prisoners, price 15o plus pap from: 83 Grigory Crescent, Eliham, London S.E.9.
anti-working class measures did not necesarily mean that Parliamentary elections are the only source of political open. In the same way, the WRI's declara tion that its aim is to get the Labour lead ership to adopt a socialist programme does not necessarily imply that it is nossile to win the Labour leadendiup to a socialist programme: it just lemes the question open The fact that the author of this letter himself interpreted Gerry Healy's remarks as a capitulation to Parliamentarise under lines the dangers which such lack of clarity inroies, It is this failure of the WEP to raise the most importar ismes in a clear-cut way that we were criticising We, of couns, agree with the Trotsky practice in our etection campaign. Any reproaches on that count would be bedler