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University of Central Florida STARS

PRISM: Political & Rights Issues & Social Movements

1-1-1939

Changes in bourgeois : From the Jacobins to the "Munichites"

Peter Wieden

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Recommended Citation Wieden, Peter, "Changes in bourgeois nationalism: From the Jacobins to the "Munichites"" (1939). PRISM: Political & Rights Issues & Social Movements. 382. https://stars.library.ucf.edu/prism/382

(From the Jaoobko to tb Wtmbh%tean)

by Peter'Wiedm

Oa the son hami* the subJugation of )the Buate$118, the Csmb, ths Slm, AX-a and Ethiobiana - and fl&ly &Leo the Spanlards -- bp the fasairt cumemro; snd, on the other, the nstiodal PWC for XSbemtion of the farrr Inanbred million people of Ohina fmm tb Japanese Ingerial&sts, slrd the natfozml af;mggIr *or liberation of the writma mibjected peoples agalaef the farcit* alien rule - all these fe.cta call far the closet attention by tha wrMzg &as$ ta the nat20ndt question*

M~rmozyof the French Bmlution I- which, one hredan8 iifty w, gwpt away deoaging fadaUsm aod inaugurated a new ere. - fe s Forther iadocermeat to bhewrkingclsmsto enter into the study of the stlm.Ilat%ng . pmblsns rebting to the national tpeetion. The @emand 1l;alSan faecist8 deolarad merciless h~q~lpn',theprodnota (md ideas of the h'rench B6oolution. The rsmtf ionary bow~geoisi$.':ih-'el counttfer - ad not bast in 3amce -. - ia conWnua11y prerrared t~' betram of these prodtaEtr ard idatas. W uortdag alas&dsfq&r-)A I ths"e#~P$kodmtp~ and Idea8 against ths onwsrd of fasoget bar-%m. .. : ,) ,4 Jk -\+qi: ' !, ::, #, :i;.$',;,;, ;$;I $$::;? " Li:(+f$#/:p!:, I \ " '7-v; ..-.,,r7,, me ~kemh~m a did' bt thy iamgwate burgeois-dsmocratie lib.. -ties; as a pm@wmclosely related to fhe flrat, it dm brought the hen13:h to $he forefont of the worlb8a attention. Rreqpthee tbs naffolu wsp end are being formed in the procwa of the bollxgeoie-d~~~cratiarem~lutioa~ The breahmzp of femblisan, the llbemtion of the serfs, the eweof tb ~WZWWbmierr of ths esCates of the re* ard*af the guilba, the confiZbS8 oi tourn emd ea8te T- all this recmlted in s rallying together of the pews h%aa naf ion* psdbltr method to obecun, this gg~olutionsss_historical_orizia oJ tb mti-. The fascist ideologists tr~tto conver6 the nation -into a halll enimirl snd wlf wstical comity of #blood and soil". Fiey +mdd ifbto hLde from we the trntb that &ions arise apd vanish c~coordingto hietorical procmses: that they are not eternal, not something far above time and spaoo bPb mresent -lmnan develonmsnt

f t is -necessary to ma-rer thts coturtercrvolutionary at bmpt to befog the issue by pointing to a whole seriep of historical facts* wttoe ~ollcgation, the dewfar the un%ficatioo&f the nuntoa nstio,q, red e &ere in comeot ath the =omfc d t eebow mTmlier in any p2QEifascount, t, bsmas.. tb sgrZier 16 gained ecoaomic and polit;%$ influence, the monclr did the o~rneptiop~f the nation arise, %ntwilclosrrt ~sbtionshipto the struggle

$02 ~BPL~O~P~. 1 :f"'!i""'4, ' f ', , ii ('7 ,, Phe ~~a~mi~allyppogresgi~e tta~& aZty repablics o~~threnth. fsPdal -era as early as the middle of the fourteenth ~dwy~Simultaneo~sl~ with the fall of the nobility and the riae of democratto hndeacier within the mwOZQJO~JY)~~ of the city repibltca, the demmd as 83cp~~ssedthat this frame9mrk be burst agunder and Italy unit ad nationally* This CO~CW~~O~-8 most forcefay express& 3y OCoa di IUenzi, triMe of the Ro- people, WM ailed upon all the citiee of italp unitedly to throw off their Y* end to o~ldrepresentatives to a nations$ psrl$amenf %ti Bnwt* ,#r h 1. & I .? ' . -- ; >':?, . , I 1 .- 7 , .' I( i, I I .,.4- -?age2- medid Fr &-ded a united Prance d most of centralization. In mediem1 Hith f.ne mailer nobility from f~~*~~mcelerateb by the rnweral Oermanp, the national capita* of lm,mtmiem asla the Pearant lbsrj to coll.rpt~ewretcwly after the +20forp of the princes, and to rlee againI ) only in relation trith tho l'mnch

5 T I IbmluQion+ , I,Iu4 .I and the ? mommy, in ahort,

*Blai?EW €3 ,(Iits birthI ,, 1 + , 8, , ,+:,;I$. 00-e $talin has taught .us'~QW :t-ol diatinguish the object chatacfelc istfca of the natf0~3 ', , 1 ag nation is a ~~tij~i&~ll;y:$~~%~@tablecommunity of -me'

I territory, ecoaomia life*. and paychD'l$&od, (,- ,L -up manifested in.a comty of cultwe@.* - e

] td(#'

~hesfrobjective charact eristioa.ii6d* their nzbjective Completion tbroagfi nati~-~nalsentimnt, national contaoiousbes~. The neon19 Je.wmes a ma 321 t natton; it experlanoes and senses itsself to be a utas uaiw. In thaUhistoe . , of the P~enchR~lution, hndreds S;:1~ jqconvincing ! ..- r~ e~~mp3ssof this may be found, how p-sants and townben; the artibaas 'and intelleatuale from various districtat who had been separated by feuda3. di~iiiohs, feudal nridlegeo feudal f cuaaom, by dialect and mode of life, united in a pattonal maas and bar tw I breathed in French national eentlmenf pad national co~ciauanesstogether with the bregth of freedom. Opt of this rehlutionary inasa,expek:ien~oe+oee the. song ard flag of witr, the w~4~qeeilleiaewand the Trimlor, aroee the con8oiousness of being part of 'great aat ion, arose remluCionar~rpsf riatitma

'< ft la no &&dent that the oonaishat champione of the batrgeoird-

bgoolns a nation.

Tm nation t this

I , L I..

-44 '1-1

*, 1nternationd -Paer~ 9- -0s 3- RaJaffonal1.1~ Xt is notleeable that in %we nation tho demand imedlat elg wa8 to go yet a atep -there not only to ataka a people krto a nation, bu$ to join all peoplw in hamraoibJri !be oonwp0ion of the oit breeke through all the f%r$$mamifeatatlone of tbs EhRe== $he ctanception of extendtag f he =remlutioaax~r unity to ali mantrier, It $8 a ~oaeaiousneeoof a unllrewmi3 atimgglo, mib~aaLngall )nrmanitp, whfah wae eqreeesd in the pmclraafiolr of the Bighte of Hen, and whioh wm% ito upvsrd way to the Owman philorapher Fiohtete deohration of the uqequslitgr 00 dl that besro a humen aapeats# ta Beethoven' 8 rbirr2ng song of hwmivt 50 embraad, millions, by the Li'se of the wb63Le woR&$-e peme of the Rreaoh Remlution broke through flp ~mwoirala of femblism, mt aside toll barc%ere, united separated di~triptr,anb bmu&t together 3arrarlr aacl Bretone, Prottelac~aleand Lorrsinere, lato one uni$ed nation. J&w, emdf ad wl$h eotory, they wished to @weep foma~dand rdlte the dtJr of tbe lauPrul rase. &oh ie the trandeaoy of young ,rmlutiomaw eapffafiem, whiob ir refleoted in these dananda, the tend- tOW8rd8 fh8 tmif&mtfon of tho world through the produet ton and excbgej,i&~,gods, Bhfough techaiqoe, aolmaeme asd o~lcatione~In aahual faob;!,%he oation la but a stage in fhir 4wdop. but Q stage over whish f hey obi$ld of l&p, and g stage W~Wdu~bion is moh goartier fhaa use e

upon eerfdomg hti neither crspitsliem nor the pat ion aaa the Mgbet, ewer of pmd~~ti~nrI& the dam of mpitellr* owiety, Ubertg, equslitg aad fraternity were pl~ag&&rnq&ae aaa tbeae aspirations*

wha bad hitherto been e~laihdand opprerred hopdl that they would nu* belong to the nation as fres*Bud won they were oonv$aod of the faot tkt, with $he downfall of feudalhm, the hiwtory of oh81 rtqleswas not ended, fbab the clasr domination of tihe bwgeoirle wso aridng out of the vhtorp of aapibrJisrm and the boPrgeoiadamiwstia per*. olution. The nation wae divided into exploiters aab exploited, into wrpitslrr isfe and proletarians, into om~eaeingclassee and appreseed olsseerr In the ebruggle agaioet fsYdaliam, fbe.:natioa was 8 united fronb or the wbrkbng people, After the rio8oqr over feudalism, however, the Slmited, f b* bourgeofr, T-, rgght *be b the qPality of tbe nafion was tm- 8 $old, If'WXe arid= ouf of L, he struggle of ax1 working people -bet Ze f-9 $he nation *e more a& -re the denof th. 6amgmtvl% ere anb more am~pt the intereat8 of tbe elaae* The ted wrker, ' the r of all typere is dm part of the nstioh wlb~h&P8 is%Z&&ed W Yli-~$0# & $he abmgg1e $02 fv8e8omt the reolrltrtlons~~rorigtn F the untt ed front of all foilere -r the bwcmee geroepttbZe. 8e ir fs*c %tiincttfvelgprepared $0 he natiaa: Poadga rule ia even barder to a3(j,ure fbsn the meof ae;aiaat fore$gn eesr, ending a amvg of freedam, be it eosr so ll~auaqd ehadoyl.

acl defensive warr, e 4p the memorp of that rmIutionsry paat when the maee oat%0 fight for ife freedom, when the united ma$ of eill toilere On $be other had, the wohmrs, in the Ctoufee of the2r. olaee irtruggla wiaat the bourgeoieie, must realglee that the ruriog obaa oontirvnzay wc~sentaits om egoistto claie;kr~e~ee*esa %ationaZ Saterestag: tbt tw ~Qiagolass holds down the in %hame of the b&iona3 as Po)) bueiaese e;Lm Iptm$eats" nub only a oloafc ansawrp. 4sa;le but se a p~$maug190apOD against the oppreese80 !&$a hemledge must derelop among clas~~asciolr.wrkera the &wpm% ni'afnta%of national unity and natioasliem. Tbe most abmdworkers ob- Wne8 ever, inoreari ng underetaadhg of the sharp rejeation of bourrn~is ns)$~zmltmt by WBrx, 1851&e&t3* and Lenine Ia oollaectiun wl th the fire$ impwit&- Zst mati war, maeese of ths workere csple to abomihate bowgeoia aatiooalirar I sa8 ita deapi~ablsp~oduot, m~ial pabiotl8lae Many r80r)l~ti~~worlcetl / %den(iiiiebthe ~atqonalidea with the reactionary c~viaisma$ the baurgeolsie, sod tie the soci~-pabriofism of the Bwond intemma*%ona;ltm oppbaed the aompZete negatiion of the natiog. 'Sn this, hqmmo, they overlooked the taut that, although the nation' fr indeed ru;le4 by *he bargeoieie, it ie nu+ SQentfoaL Hith the bowgeQiaiec The hmm&r%Internabional, in ite dfesfo on *he occaeios of the bwentpOirst anqivereary oP the weat eoo&lf rt *era- lutton, characteriseb bhq nation se followet ., .

r9!hq aation is not the ggwg of Paaoieto, retotlonary finaacim end iodusfnia3 mqgiatee who rob snd betray the poplee 1Phe aabios 18 the dlliooa of wurkers, peasante and working people generally * - the people %bat ie devoted f o ite count;m, cheriehee ite liberty and defends ite

national oonaciousnese f mm the revolutionary pstrio tiem of the ~aoobin~to bhe counbe~~,~eWlutio~ohandrcism of the bper%a%%stbowg~o&tsfe and *ha freach@muscapitulabion of the %iu~ieb~politlciaae, One ma* @allto onth80 miad j&&g which baas t&ea phoe in canl$ali@& !be relation of botqge~isimhenation, the dicectim 'in which it hag %ought to carul%%%e national feeling, all thie has alpmy8 depend& upOn the parttmihr st- of &aveIagraetrt of capitaltap at s gfvm period* When was developin&ithin the narrow shell 99 feudsliem, and mare and more impetuo\raly striving to beak out into freedom, the bowgeo%s%u stood at the head of f he ae~tiona3and remlutionarp moosmen%. Th43 nsw prodw* ioe foroee within the old feuda3, order (the rise of mmufacfariag anit of -chine in dr~duatlon) conatifutsd an increaeingly MU$@ mntrdkotion fo the feudal roduotive relations which were dependen* upon serfdom. Produdire foxwee are :the moot mobile and scnolutionaq .lm.nte of' productaonfl n tha flfiato~r of the CO-~S% Pthdy of the brief Uh$@!% (~lrrhedhsa)~ (-9 la:

fought for the abolition of sePPdom, for oapitall- needed -wor$ua who had the right Co migrate: it fought agafrr~tthe 1Lmitatione of the fda3 order, Pap eaplhalism needed f cee opmp it faugh8 for the elstetloo of $he 0uZtwal 1-01 beoaueet ...' 8The new praducB$ve fbrces that the worketa in pmqbioa #hall be befter eduoated snd more intelligen$$b% the downtrodden and igaorant irerim, tkt thep be able to anderatand madd@y and operate it proper%;pQ-

41,' I, !Ehe liberty of movement of t;he.M&kera,;.P'b no longer ti& to the roil: fhs brq$ddng up of the medieval isolation of eobtee, guilbs, provinces, aod BO ong gpB the infiltration of knowledge and duoatLon ipto the maeeea -- all this formed the beef e upon whish the nation appeared* During: itcl revolutionary pbare, the boargeoisie fighta cranaciously for the nation; that &a, for a aooial wn&G tion in yhiah the inhabitants of a country are not eeparated the one from the ofher by unsumouatable barrier8 of-bizth, etstfon and deecent, buf ia which they all feel thqnselvee to be oitiieio'e. bw~ehmen, Britiah, ftaliaas, or Oerc me. It ia tmre, of course, that the exploited workere and other tbirrrs were only abtttad, through the bourgeois-deruocretia rewlu'tion, to formal oltisco- $hip; in a.otaal faat the bmw~~oiedemocrat%aasate wag only an inetrrslent ' for tiWr oppreeaion. 8aturslQ, they onlp became qvsre of thir truth after the +ictorp of the bwgeoisie, an8 in the oourlre of a long and bitter olaecl rtrrrg-

-qpe. 7 !I I $ 9he illiterate serf, for whom Ma.feudal meter was the firs6 and find autbrity, oould not feel himeelf tb be a oitiren of a etate, a 3rooh;laan or a Qermea. Be had firat to break the bad8 of serfdom in order to unf te wlth PI. other ottieens to conetitute a natft$$

1 ,.4j$~;ff#$i; , The nqw grodqotive forces, wMqh'

But the proceee of decay did Ime res~tia- bourmoiaia ha* gone further. It lays the axe st the roots of alL nations. If %a preparing t-6 deatrroy all the Id-a and aahievements of the bourgsoiwdsmwretia reoolaf goo* and wltb tbfs Che fo~tionof &&pti~~aa~On the one side, we see,fascfem- whiab not only drives foreign peoples info colo~1a.Zalevery but aJ,m cuaverts the memBsre of %ta own people Orom oitizenq Into _nibJects without rights. -- __=___ ...- __------he 7 - On the of the nstioa ~JTthe reacrfionarrg bd3&oide* ECtler and ~aoba,Miikeul%d Bannet, are h% two ride8 of one and:.Y;the mecalm .%athe fesoirb, ao lo. th, norrfsclcSrtr ocm6ries of the cmpitali&$world, -CT~ i~n-be-

orerthrow of the rrtl- ofmlrr of iiau)ce capSbaf, fh~mge esmpe from s d* a&$n0 into barbetrim,. aab fmm bbs ihrmtm orkrbrophe of a ruu hpridir* worXd war. f;$?;; ,I$;, 3{;,;;$,.; 3{;,;;$,.; 1 mt oaly the ioteraotr of th drkiog olasr, ha sleo those of the entire petion, Zn every.caps tallst couh6~,~f;i'$m~ndwith ma-growing urgenay the 6.a- 61 $he emeJ?L @wqg oP oagitali&~,whoee domination not ody bsfteas down

mieery (Ud de8geir, not anly 80 i~j~e8tb 3lat&0- 9%%$ben~e

Wpof, bhe nation, now tt?ab%ea1qgi$:: I .- it lore it~%dominatlan through a ~rat mttllonal movement* Xt ir no$ bg o that the Omma faroirbr are mnir~gmn, ud 80- 60 use moh impariBff8t fi 8 #8ei~h,~rgmaee2 @emmaRd@b,* rro ?a, ine)iead of the word %ation centilg, they bave even be- to qa%nr*tho yee of tbs terpp bition to qualify it sr 6m ~%xrpmtion'of the Barolu%Son* 5he Sorther t arYklirt ~rarsioaproodr, the & *w dallhrabely anderrmr Qo extinguish *ha Q8pmn nation an8 OQ Wu6 *- ratwid' whiab will be prepared to rW itr blood for tb %ad *PgireUB of OeXmata f~~~ capita. Xb LI the wU& af tbe fawLet @o$aborr thaf th, birmsar eUla@ feu% fihslPre&ver to be a mttuq hat "io1for.r~ of the Pllebarq8 1%irr well icocm $hat the $uairt'bowgr~v%ri)alaa teare that ths tlde of a gm3iaefq. aatiopal mvmrrf ary map oven@It. aonfronfd bg tMr dtua$ian, the at$ilmds o$ the mrlba& aUrr bwardr $he nstiaa aim underg~era ahaogsr In .'Oh. ~tSenalUberaMon rtrry%la ag.irrof alien.invaders the w~rWngolaee etago into tbe 1eadwqMp of the mr#on. !b ir the moat

On the one eZde they eae the betrayal of %hareao$ionwy bmrc geo%p$e and the wailfat Sng b~~rgeofeie Zn decldve oifma- tione; on the other sido rteadfaatnese dth whiah the *hair muse Bg8iaot slim all nationr sre 1Mng sad workdag fraterndly eide by eide, developing their mationel oultuse in aom- plate freedom, sad Murffeating in complete bawony their love for, and loydty kr, their oommon fatherlaad, the Soaialief Sovief* Only too oflien have the nationalist io lo\r&-moutbs in a3l ow%ries'proved thmeelvee in critiaal period8 to be capitulatora an8 trsitorlr. bP1!-, the 9panieh unaflonsl2et ,usdaivered ap hi8 oauntry to the Ckrmanrr and ~talha# and with their help ha8 ~~asaecl.ed$he slpaniah people, @nationalistw born geoiaie of $ranee baa bear syetlvmatrl~allyedeebliag IPraaae .od mrcderiw one poeltioa dter bbe othei to bhe dsedly enaier of 0"rm~ce. @nationel* leader$ of $hb Ceech agreriana -.w~!'etipatised se a *traAtorff everyone who was in fae~of a bi-lingual system A-c'hsve delivered Qaecr~a~elo~~sover to Oenaan fascia ~vttbouta rtmggle. 'I r't?'yhae been ard is now, the wdceva who - pejeoting all marlreGplaoe bwking of ' xktionalisa and orrposlng all' ohusinim -- boo, in the hour of danger, ~~he&ahead of the matiin, ateadsly, and m8olufe ' <+: in at=&e. ., ~

f the Oomu11ist

I ' Qmtsare tbe trreconcilable oq@pnts.. 92%wincialg of bourgtwie ~aIiioa&$mt of evew vartetp~ at we not e ~ottereof nation+ nihllilag, and ~houldnner aot as mob. !the tad% edvczing the workers and all toillsr. fa the sptr$t of gro1etsrla.n Znternationaliam ie one of the f'unbente;L fasko of evwy Commnairb Mty. But whoever thinks tbat this permitg him, or even compel8 hfsl, to meet s+ all the nationel sentiments of the broad toiling masaea ir far from gqauine blehedm, aob beaeretood notbiag of the haabing of Senin apb 8balia on .Bhnsbioaal queqtt~n.~* s bww rwcr of the produofive foraee, hmm befngs gafhered together In wkX% gxloapr kr oFde~ta wry on the struggle agaiaat nature. At a higher atqs ~aaomedt& co@ng together in oft7 conrrmaitiep which often apaa&ed into, sbteai ln this period f he overyhelming majority of bwma binge were exctuded

f ss ar joy= realitg c- 4BfL oitfsea of tb sOOief moa feels being, a member of a great sn, the korgian or the Uebek, ia$ -faat is the eaeeatlal, %he deoicsive factor in the flowering of 8), 9Ul.Wa~ mep by eteg, national differenoea mtreaf behtnd ttht

In the pre-eacialiet world it was only a few, n bainga euoh as Sheksepesre and Methe, Leonard0 1: 1: 'J Upon the path orrf of the llafiow oonfinemtlt of tb. prirnitioe forsets bwaxde the expsaascc a4 imrPanity, alppeared the m&loruk Ve the loatisa( '9t;? 1; ' tMs mass of workere and pssesatlr, artitmar and inWle~f9ol.~who are i - I bodl tagether by territory crlld -m, -tory sod pv~bl~w- I a;Z1 %reign m&e+ We f%g;ltfor the relf4etembat of a3 laatbaa, far I their liberation fmn the alutches of deeqtog crapiWf a wMah obotraato , bardtogmeat, wrppresrea the& areatLee pwwo axad Mdsr*in~tbeir fbmdia*%~?m* Phzemgh ~uofs5ler~*we dealre to r&iae md ubdl mal$ee tbat af whioh &be fighter. fop ireed4lo dresared wh4JI they ddcld the amtion to be bomf a d*? bo wlrloh a3.X its lpemberrr bdLoag with gauOaely WW rlghts ruld gewndlar oppprtaaitiea for Bsn.16pmmti.