Page:Alice Riggs Hunt - Facts About Communist Hungary (1919).djvu/30

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page has been proofread, but needs to be validated.

26

have a show of power, as there must be a temporary dictatorship, and the dictatorship of the proletariat is much to be preferred to the dictatorship of capitalism. The women did not take a very great part in the revolution and the peasant women are very ignorant and can be easily led. It really makes little difference whether the Entente succeeds in starving the Government of Hungary or not, as the seed of communism is planted and cannot be killed. I am not nationalistic or individualistic enough to care very much whether this particular government lasts or not, as communism is sure to triumph by the mere establishment of it in Russia and Hungary, so that the workers can see that it can be done."

Miss Gosthonyi was twice arrested by the Socialist Government of Austria during the month of May for her activities in the communist movement at Vienna after the establishment of the second revolution in Hungary.

Paula Poganyi, a strong anti-militarist and pacifist worker in Hungary, became a communist at the time of the first revolution last November. Although opposed to the use of force she strongly upholds the Communist Government, but believes that women must teach men the folly of organized murder.

"Revolution is not made by revolutionists, but by economic circumstances," said Miss Poganyi. " The revolutionists only educate the people to be conscious. Capitalism has fulfilled its historic task. This was proved by the world war, and is proved by the results of the Peace Conference in Paris. Its existence is of immense danger to the race, and keeps the greatest part of humanity in slavery, and drives the people to murder each other in new wars. The Leaders of this Hungarian Government do not want to kill for the sake of killing. Their orders punish most severely even quite unimportant illegal things done by the members of the Red Guard or other officials. But it seems that the prophecy, 'Capitalism will not consent to surrender its power without a struggle,' has become a reality in Hungary too, for capitalism here is not dead, it is only agonizing in the form of counter-revolution. It asks help from the Entente, and Roumanian troops march towards Budapest, Czecho-Slovaks approach and Austrian agitation begins in Western Hungary. With every possible underground method and artificially caused famine, capitalism is trying to weaken the young Soviet Government of Hungary.