of Bolshevism in agricultural Russia and the restoration of capitalism. Lenin, as usual has furnished phrases for his friends—but it is to be noted that these phrases are very similar to those he employed before his supposed reforms. The following expressions in his speech at the Communist Congress in March (1921) must be interpreted in the double light of his previous speeches—above quoted—and of the relatively insignificant action actually taken as a result of all this verbiage. Lenin said:
It is impossible to deceive a class of the population, and it is dangerous to go on deceiving one's self. It is time to admit frankly that the peasants manifestly refuse to accept any longer proletarian dictatorship.
The right of the free disposal of their surplus products must be the necessary incentive for the peasants, and I invite the party to acknowledge its grave blunder in attempting to deprive the producers of this right, the most elemental of the peasants' instincts.
We must grant freer economic relations between workers and peasants. As a matter of fact, we hitherto have acted in a too military manner, and in some cases have gone too far in nationalizing trade. If some Communists thought the organization of a socialistic state was possible in three years, they were dreamers. Freedom of economic relations means free trade, and free trade signifies a return to capitalism.
Those who believe that in this Russia of peasants Socialism can be realized, simply believe in Utopia.
Let us see what all this means. In spite of Lenin's statement that the peasants can no longer be deceived he is attempting to deceive them with the long tried
