social and administrative form. The meeting becomes the point of cohe- 
siveness of the mass-licence with the ideology of the intelligentcia. Form 
of will-expression — resolution; form of action — violence. 
In regard to this deluge of gatherings and committees, the ruling organs 
were helpless. But abreast of them the embryos of a new organisation 
arose, — out of the actual process of decay, and out of the socialist formula 
(dear to the intelligentcia), a class-administration should be created inde- 
pendently of the bourgeois State. 
On this meeting-and-committee principle, an organ was to be created 
uniting these multitudes in the person of their representatives; this was 
the Soviet of the workmen's and soldiers’ (later also of the peasants, 
farm hands) deputies with its executive committee, consisting of the 
representatives of various revolutionary groups, parties, etc., — some of 
them fictitious, — and simply of eminent revolutionists, who framed 
their own rights. The Soviet possessed neither a distinct organisation, nor 
organs, nor statutes, nor competence, but acted en bloc, mixing itself 
up in everything as far as possible. The Bolshevic motto “all power to 
the Soviets”, expressed the real direction of this movement. The Soviet was 
a disorderly gathering of delegates not representing the population, but 
indefinite multitudes and gatherings headed by a self-appointed revolutio- 
nary committee. Later, however, it gave birth to all sorts of commissions, 
departments, “secretariats” with indefinite and unlimited duties; orders, 
mandates, etc. acquired a magic power, although they were secured by 
nothing. Orders were contradictory, absurd and incapable of execution. 
So the inhabitants fulfilled the orders only in part or anyhow; the punish- 
ment was meted out to them by mere chance, and quite independently 
of any disobedience. 
The first influential Soviet (Council) was naturally that of Peters- 
burg; the rise of other Soviets in other towns called forth the necessity 
of union. This union took place in the same Sovietic form as that of a 
session of delegates of the Soviet with a suitable executive committee. 
An indefinite number of delegates came to these sessions, which, of 
course, were brief, and therefore had even more the character of informal 
meetings. The executive committee remained in Petersburg, but, with 
the exception of its name, had no greater power than all the other com- 
mittees, so that it often sat and carried resolutions in indefinite common 
sittings together with them. Neither differentiated organs. nor differ- 
entiated functions existed. 
With such a system, groups won a special importance, which, though 
small in numbers were well welded together and ready to act regardless 
of anything, — to which groups, in the first place. belonged the groups 
of the Bolshevics. 
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