Philip’s Reviews > Bolsheviks And Workers Control > Status Update

Conclusion

Any honest read of the events 1917-1921 will lead one to realise that the Bolsheviks were not Paris 1871 but 1789 when the old aristocracy was overthrown & a bourgeois dictatorship set-up 'in the name of the people' as every bourgeois government has styled itself since.
It is the job of revolutionary communists to not see themselves as leaders but as proletarians, and free the people once and for all

END

The 4th All-Russian Congress of Trade Unions accidentally votes to allow proletarian democracy in the trade unions to choose its leaders.
Lenin, Stalin & Bukharin came down on the congress with a vengeance, immediately reversing the vote & expelling the leader who, while appointed by Lenin & opposed the motion, let it get approved.
He was found criminally negligent (in allowing the Congress to express its own wishes)

Epilogue
May

The last gasp of socialism as the Workers' Opposition still influential in the Metalworkers’ Union. The Central Committee of the Party disregarded every one of the votes and appointed a Metalworkers’ Committee of its own. So much for ‘elected and revocable delegates’.

March

The Kronstadt Uprising!
It takes over the 10th party congress (March 8- 16) and unleashes the full reactionary wrath of Lenin and his cult following. They unleash a wave of measures aimed at stamping out the Workers' Opposition and any claims that what the party wants isn't what the workers want.

LENIN IS THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE
THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE IS THE PARTY
THE PARTY IS THE PROLETARIAT

1921
January
February

The cult of Lenin makes sure they will have a majority at the 10th party congress soon to start in March by using their Petrograd stronghold to take over any opposition and hijacking the central committee. The Baltic fleet sailors supposedly supported the Leninists by 90% in a vote but events will soon show otherwise...

November
December

Trotsky gets criticised publicly for being TOO transparent and honest with the 'militarisation of labour' and 'labour discipline'.
The 'Workers' Opposition', calls for the workers to be in control of their local unions, Lenin is very honest on his criticism, slamming them because if that were to happen then there would be no need for the Bolshevik dictatorship.

April
June
July
August
October

Despite the civil war being all but won for the Bolsheviks, they keep going ahead with 'labour discipline'(forced labour), the wage system, scientific management, former bourgeois owners again dictating the factories now under party appointment, and breaking unions trying to resist the new Bolshevik bourgeois dictatorship hiding under its red flag.

1920
January
February

Lenin is now trying to put the trade unions, many controlled by Bolsheviks, under direct party rule.

December

Internal party conflicts on whether they should listen to the masses or only pretend to do so while speaking on its behalf.

1919
January
March
April
June
October

The new rulers of Russia have taken all power away for the elected soviet, strengthened party discipline, and labour discipline, strikes are illegal, unions are subordinated. Bolshevik bourgeois dictatorship is almost complete.