1. The statement of anarchist deserters that the Russian revolution has corroborated the weakness of anarchist theories, is completely without foundation. On the contrary, the fundamental principles of anarchist doctrine remain unshaken and are being confirmed through the test they have gone through in the Russian revolution. The experiences confirm us in this that we remain strongly opposed to any form of power and to capitalism.
2. The anarchists have never denied that between the first days of the revolution in the anarchist sense and the final purpose of anarchism, or the anarchist commune, is a period of time during which the rest of the old servitude slowly disappears and the new forms of a new society gropingly struggle into life. These periods, full of faults and errors and uninterrupted efforts towards perfection, can be given different names: the period of gathering experiences in living without masters, the period of deepening the social revolution, or the first step to the anarchist commune. One may also call it the period of transition, in order to denote the characteristic features which lead from the imperfect to the perfect form of social life. We prefer, though, not to use this demarcation, because it has already acquired a distinct meaning in the socialist movement of the last 50 years. With the term "period of transition" is connected something statistical and stiff. The expression "period of transition" in the program of international social-democracy Is so penetrated by the histpric-marxian spirit of slowness and historically conditioned predestination that it is unacceptable to us anarchists.
3. We are not of the opinion that the anarchist-communist system must be preceded by a syndicalist step, as a period of transition from state to- anti-state anarchistcommunism. In the theory of the syndicalist order, which shall come in the place of the Soviets, is plainly discernible the influence of the orthodox, Marxist theory of the stepping stones which according to the relentless iron laws of social development must follow upon one another.
4. We also reject the use of the expression ' 'dictatorship of labor," in spite of the efforts of some comrades who advise us to accept it. This ' 'dictatorship of labor" means nothing else than the widening of the formula "dictatorship of the proletariat", which is now so conspicuously gone into bankruptcy. It must, finally, unavoidably lead to the dictatorship over the masses of a part of the proletariat, the party, the officials and some leaders. It is impossible to co-ordinate anarchy with any kind of dictatorship, even with a dictatorship of the class-conscious workers over the others, even if it were in the interest of the others! We are agreed that the period of deepening of the social revolution may be designated as the gathering of anarchist experiences or, if one so desires even the dictatorship of labor, on the ground that in this period the interests of the workers will stand higher than the interests of the parasites. One could just as well call these periods "the period of the dictatorship of consumption", "dictatorship of justice", "dictatorship of agreement" or by some other equally foolish name. We are compelled to exclude the contents of the word "dictatorship". With the idea of dictatorship is connected the idea of Ludendorff and Rennenkampf, the idea of unbridled brutal force and government power. The introduction of the idea of the dictatorship into the anarchist program would cause an unpardonable confusion in the minds.