Of Nomadology. Religion and the War Machine

They watched with rapture the parliamentary strength, and the political and educational institutions, of Western Marxism, the massive trade unions, the вЂpowerful’ and openly conducted strikes, the May Day demonstrations, etc., etc. They were held spellbound by the вЂmight’ of European Marxism. Then came the great collapse of 1914, when, despite all the previous professions of anti-militarism and internationalism, the power of the Western parties was harnessed to the war machines of the belligerent governments. But the Russian emigres still believed that the inherent вЂclass consciousness’ and power of the Western proletariat would overcome this вЂbetrayal’ and its consequences. They found it hard to shed this belief even some years after they had themselves become Russia's rulers. Stalin had known none of their enthusiasms and none of their illusions. He had never sat at the feet of Jaures, Bebel, Kautsky, and Guesde. He had never had any first-hand impression of the apparent might of the Marxist movement in the West ...»