ractical "revolutionary
evolution," as he called it, was described by Marx (in resigning from a
communist society) in 1851: "We say to the working people, 'You will
have to go through ten, fifteen, fifty years of _civil wars and wars
between nations_ not only to change existing conditions, but to _change
yourselves and to make yourselves worthy of political power_.'" (My
italics.)

"Revolutionary evolution" means that Socialists expect, not a single
crisis, but a long-drawn-out series of revolutionary, political, civil,
and industrial conflicts. If we substitute for the insurrectionary civil
wars of Marx's time, _i.e._ of the periods of 1848 and 1870, the
_industrial_ civil wars to-day, _i.e._ the more and more widespread and
successful, the more and more general, strikes that we have been
witnessing since 1900, in countries so widely separated and
representative as France, England, Sweden, Portugal, and Russia and
Argentine Republic, Marx's view is that of the overwhelming majority of
Socialists to-day.[290]

The suppression of such widespread strikes will become especially costly
as "State Socialism" brings a larger and larger proportion of the wage
earners under its policy of "efficiency wages," so that their incomes
will be considerably above the mere subsistence level. A large part of
these increased wages can and doubtless will be used against capitalism.
Socialists believe that strikes will become more and more extended and
protracted, until the capitalists will be forced, sooner or later,
either to repressive violence, or to begin to make vital economic or
political concessions that will finally insure their unconditional
surrender.

Already many non-Socialist observers have firmly grasped the meaning of
revolutionary Socialism. As a distinguished American editor recently
remarked, "Universal suffrage and universal education mean universal
revolution; _it may be--pray God it be not--a revolution of brutality
and crime_."[291] The ruling minority have put down revolutions in the
past by "brutality and crime" under the name of martial "law."
Socialists have new evidences every day that similar measures will be
used against them in the future, from the moment their power becomes
formidable.

FOOTNOTES:

[284] Rose Luxemburg, "Social-Reform oder Revolution."

[285] "La Guerre Sociale" (Paris), April 20, 1910.

[286] Kautsky, "The Road to Power," Chapter V.

[287] The organ of the Civic Federation, Nov. 15