diskusbooks Chapter 308 Alice's Self-Reflection
Chapter 308 Alice's Self-Reflection
"Comrade Alice, you said these people are complete opportunists, aren't they? They belittled you and your comrades to nothing, and even..."
"Alright, comrade, stop talking. Of course I know, so what? Our front is what it is. But in the end, it is very difficult for our own comrades to leave the labor union and join us in the revolution. We have gone west, but our home is still being taken over by others."
Alice said that she gathered her comrades who had traveled west with her: Zhu Kefu, Darlington Butler, Tuhachevsna, Karda Karachi of the Jacobins, and Walker Comney of the Fighting Proletarian League.
"We are all comrades who have traveled west together. I understand that our front was divided in Kansas and Montana in the early days, and now it has evolved into what it is today."
"But I must say that, in any case, we are comrades on the same front, and we should be patient with each other."
Alice said that, in any case, they must stand together and ignite the spark of civil war on the battlefield, but first and foremost, Alice wanted the revolution to be on the right track.
History progresses in a spiral, with both left and right paths, but she fears stagnation or even regression. She doesn't want to see cannibalistic creatures still existing in the world after everything is over, because then the blood of so many people would have been shed in vain.
"We believe that our comrades standing here are proletarian revolutionaries. Our dream is to kill those parasites who sit on high towers and suck the blood and sweat of labor, to make them disappear. Everything we do is for the liberation of human society."
"But we must be clear about one thing: we, the leaders of the revolution, are the ones who will be the first to be revolutionized."
Alice's words left everyone speechless. Alice's gaze remained cold as she said, "On the journey west, up to this point, I read a book that was originally about Emily Lannister, but the editor did not sign his real name."
"He criticized me in such a way that I can read it to you—When Alice Delalaye was president, she brought unprecedented prosperity to Amelia. She changed the world, but she deceived everyone. She did abolish her own throne, but the broken crown was replaced by the power called president, and she was enslaved by the monster called capitalism."
"Indeed, she was a hero to many, but she was also a number one capitalist. The capital group she controlled expanded wildly throughout the 1960s. Under the guise of nominal state-owned land use rights, the capital group purchased and controlled the land. Her irresponsible departure did destroy the fanaticism built on worship, but at the same time, it gave birth to complete capitalism. Today, I can say with certainty that Amelia has long deviated from the democratic country she claimed to have established, and has become a complete capitalist paradise."
After Alice finished reading, everyone fell silent: "Yes, perhaps I am such a person, comrades. I, Alice Delalaye, was a dictator in the past, using the name of revolution to carry out dictatorship. The democracy I established was built on my personal despotism."
"And now, in this revolution called the Revolutionary Front of West Columbia, I have not been spared either. On various important matters, I have not consulted with my comrades, nor have I held organizational meetings to vote. I must make a profound self-criticism. Comrades, I admit that I, Alice de la Leah, have acted as a dictator in the name of revolution."
Alice understood perfectly. She had long realized that everyone, from the Universal Star Group to the westward-bound comrades of the West Columbia Revolutionary Front, saw themselves as saviors and leaders.
But is the leader right? Must we obey whatever the leader says? If so, then they might as well not start a revolution and just wait at home for the birth of an enlightened monarch.
Alice feared this very situation: a person could be deceived, even if he had supreme power, even if he was incredibly kind; a person could be misled, even if he was insightful and well-informed; a person could be changed, even if he originally had a sincere heart.
But people, the vast majority of people, Alice believes they won't, people express their desires because they know what they want.
"Comrades, we must all admit that we are always looking forward to the victory of the revolution and are working hard for it, even with our lives. But we must know what path we are going to take and what kind of consensus we are building on."
Alice looked at everyone and said, “I propose that we convene a Front conference to completely reorganize the entire Front and implement a Front conference system. All comrades must reach a consensus—the despot is a tyrant.”
Alice's meeting prompted her comrades to think deeply. Her speech today was crucial, and they keenly realized that this issue would be key to the front. She did not want her words to guide the front's progress, nor did she want the front to fall apart.
She wanted her comrades on the front to form a united force, to stand shoulder to shoulder.
But this is not an easy path, not before, and not now. Zhu Kefu nodded and said, "I know what you mean, Comrade Alice, but I'm afraid others won't think that way. You know... even we find it difficult to accept these things, let alone the general public, they..."
"Of course, I know that this is the direction we are heading, but ultimately, the banner we hold high must follow an absolute truth—science."
"We all know science, which is the law of reality. Our revolution must follow the laws of nature and utilize them. The people in our base areas are not well-educated, so we will train them. If our comrades have difficulty understanding our path, then we will begin to learn, just as children become adults. We must reorganize the front to make it a mature and scientific organization."
"Don't expect anyone to come and save us, comrades. Not just the me you want. Listen to me, if someone is given great fame and power, then he, or what he creates, will sooner or later become something rotten."