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quoted, was used with reference to the state of affairs within the party, not with reference to world-politics in general. By stating this he confused the issue still more—to his disadvantage. The situation within the party is of course closely bound up with the general political situation.
What was the question debated in the Communist League towards the end of the forties? It was whether a new era of revolutionary outbursts in the near future was opening. Marx, taking the general situation into account, came to the conclusion that these outbursts could not be expected in the near future, and he was right in that. If Crispien compares the present dispute with the disputes of that day, he can only mean one thing—that at the present time we cannot expect any revolutionary outbursts.
Crispien and Co., however, tried to prove the contrary. They tried to assure us that they "also" are in favour of a world revolution. Martov tried to help him, but rendered him the worst service. His speeches, apart from base calumnies against our party, mild denunciations of Millerand the imperialist, and adulation for the Polish bourgeoisie, had a so-called general part, in which Martov, with a sincerity worthy of all praise, attacked the "fanaticism" of the masses, the "naive," "religious" faith of the workers in the possibility of introducing Socialism immediately. Martov reverted to this same topic a dozen times. He never stopped complaining, lamenting, and deploring the fact that the labouring masses of our day are so immature, uneducated, raw and primitive, that they believe in miracles, in the possibility of a rapid advent of Socialism. Martov thus put his cards on the table. It became clear to everybody that Martov and those who share his views, Crispien and Dittmann, regard it as their task not to help the working class to bring about Socialism as soon as possible, but that, their task is to persuade the "uncultured," "primitive," and "backward" labouring masses that they must abandon their "fanaticism," their "naive" and "religious" faith in the rapid advent of Socialism. We cannot but express our thanks for the service that Martov has rendered us. It was sufficient merely to point out this part of Martov's speech. It was sufficient to ask all those present: Don't you see that this so-called "naive,
