From: glevy-AT-acnet.pratt.edu
Date: Fri, 16 Feb 1996 23:04:02 -0500 (EST)
Subject: Re: Revolution


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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