CHAPTER XI.
THE ARMED FORCES OF GEORGIA.
The Social-Democrats of Georgia are pacifists in the sense that they abhor war, and avoid it as much as possible, but not in the sense that they refuse to meet force with force, and deliver themselves unarmed into the hands of their opponents, merely seeking to influence them by words. Where it is threatened by force, Democracy also requires to defend itself by force.
Thus, when the Social Democracy of Georgia became a power, it was obliged to provide itself with weapons. In the Revolution of 1905, the Georgian Social-Democrats urged the arming of the proletariat, but events taught them greater wisdom. The possession of arms by the proletariat causes some of them to have the feelings of bandits, and leads them to individual acts of violence and crime. The question once again became acute in the Revolution of 1917.
When the delirious joy which marked the beginning was followed by a soberness, many comrades, even in Georgia, discussed the question of how the Revolution could be defended against a threatened armed attack from the counter revolution. It thus appeared to be necessary to arm the working class, but not all workers without distinction.
Only tried and disciplined comrades should receive arms.
The workers' guard was founded on the 5th September, 1917.
At the beginning it was of slight account, as it lacked arms. In December the necessity and likewise the possibility, of arming a larger body of men arose out of
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