to the Russian Marseillaise: "Rise, brothers, all at once against the
thieves, the curs--the rich ones! Against the vampire Tsar! Beat them,
kill them--the cursed evil-doers! Glow, dawn of better life!" The simple
ideology, the easy catch phrases in which the language of this ideology is
couched, the primeval character of the passion aroused, contribute to the
success which the party enjoys among working people and homeless paupers.
Therein lies the power of the Bolsheviki. But reaction is bound to come
and here again the peasants will play the chief role. All accounts of
conversations with peasants tend to show that they have very vague ideas
of socialism. In fact the Social-Democrats have not taken the trouble to
acquaint the peasants with the principles of their teaching, leaving that
field almost entirely to the influence of socialist-revolutionists.

Among the intellectuals none have come nearer to the understanding of
peasant psychology than those men and women who from the first espoused
the cause of the peasant. Realizing the space separating educated men from
their less fortunate brothers, they gave up their life as intellectuals
and "went among the people." They donned peasant garb and acquired
peasant tongue. From this group of workers for freedom later the
Socialist-revolutionary party developed. "All land for the peasant" is
their slogan, while their promise to expropriate all land without any
compensation naturally meets with approval on the part of the land-hungry
peasants. Moreover, their program does not demand immediate complete
socialization of Russia, leaving that to a gradual process of evolution
and change of existing conditions. In the ten years preceding the first
revolution thousands of young intellectuals joined the party and fought the
tsar's regime. They showed a degree of self-abnegation found only in people
whose heart is kindled with the true spirit of devotion to a great cause.
The revolution of 1905 would never have taken place but for their organized
"terror from below." The high regard held for them by the widest circles