Taushev Aleskeevich
Taushev Tomas Aleskeevich a is an Belarusian revolutionary Soviet politician, and Marxist theorist. He leads the 'Taushevists" within The Communist Party of the Soviet Union.
Birth and Family Background:
Taushev Tomas Alekseevich was born in the city of Minsk in 1888, during a time when the Russian Empire ruled over Belarus. His family was part of the working-class intelligentsia—his father, Aleksei, worked as a railroad clerk, and his mother, Darya, was a schoolteacher. Though his parents were privately politically active they identified as “Liberal’s”, they valued education, instilling in Taushev a love for books and critical thought from a young age.
The city of Minsk, Taushev was taught to be a businessman, pressured by his father, who wanted to the family to get out of poverty. However, Taushev, became interested in political change, do his father’s hard work who often rarely sleep and was never happy. Writing in one of his letters, “He looked like he was always suffering, forcing a smile that never lasted long.”.
At 16, Taushev, joined The Social Democratic Labour Party, by his girlfriend, later wife, Yakubova Ruzha Timofeyevnv.
Taushev, at local meeting’s was considered a staunch “Menshevik” and sympathized with the pacifist movement. He, even, wrote a short piece that was “The Cause For Permanent Destruction” that attacked Leinin’s party platform.
At 17, he rejected more moderate method’s, particularly after the failure of the 1905 revolution, this was also due to his family living situation rapidly deteriorating. By that point, his father moved the family to a cramped house with two other relatives. These would result in violent clashes between his parent’s, as Taushev became more radicalized.
Slowly, he began to abandon many pacifist belief’s arguing for more direct action, writing, “The 1905 Failure, has made me realize, we cannot change through peace, the sad truth is that there must sacrifices for betterment of the revolution.”
Rise to Prominence Within the Revolutionary Underground:
Taushev, at 18, attended Moscow State University, his father was threatening to was cut him off after participating at a student protest and was nearly expelled. However, Taushev an avid reader, he was deeply impressed by the work’s of Georges Sorel during his time in university, and started to embrace many Syndicalist idea’s.
This is when he wrote, his famous thesis, “The Syndicalist Question” in 1906, where he outlined, a visioned state that only holds the power to control foreign affair’s of the proletariat, while allowing worker unions to run everything. He cited, sources to the ideas of Georges Sorel and Peter Kropotkin and justified the use of limited state through quoting Marx. This got him widespread recognition within the higher figures of the RSDLP, with some writing letters of responses or wanting to meet him.
In September of 1906, he was arrested, by the police, for trying to rally protest’s at factories. He spent 8 months' in prison. These experiences, in tsarist prisons which, at the time, described in a letter to his brother as “where the cruel and lowest forms of humanity lives.” It seemed to reinforce his belief in the overthrow of the oppressive system, for which he blamed on capitalism.
After his release, Taushev in November met Alexandra Kollontai and made a long-lasting friendship. It was though this connection he was able to travel to see the 5th Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party, in London in 1907.
Time in London and America:
It was here, he met his rival turned friend, Leon Trotsky, their first meeting didn't go well with after, Taushev, called him “arrogant and rude” in his letter home to his wife for dismissing his idea's.
In, March 1907, Taushev funded by Alexandra, met with Emma Goldman in New York, where the two debated the status of the state and met more figures of the American anarchist movement. He expressed hope of rebuilding the bridge between the anarchist and Marxist movement.
Connections:
In 1912, Taushev, brought his wife, Yakubova Ruzha Timofeyevnv to one of the higher level meeting’s. It was here Yakubova met Nadezhda Krupskaya and their similar personalities they quickly became close friend’s. Taushev as a result saw Lenin more often and the men started to form a mutual respect despite their difference’s. However, Lenin's inner ever jealous mostly kept him at a distance with his influence and Syndicalist idea's.
Changing Views:
By 1914, Taushev had become convinced by Leon’s idea of “Permanent Revolution” theory despite voicing concerns in the past, as, he believed that the socialist state should defend all workers around the world.
In 1913, his paper "How would a Marxo-Syndicalist State Defend itself?", in it, he claimed a revolutionary state surrounded by capitalist power's will not survive by waiting, further adding it must strike first and be on the offensive until capitalism is dismantled across earth.
When the war broke out, Taushev did not support the war and saw the “defencists” as traitors to such an extent he often refused to interact with defencists members, often using harsh language towards them. In 1916, he was forced to flee Ireland for his anti-war activism going to Sweden, to meet figures like Zeth Höglund and Karl Kilbom.
Revolution:
When the Russian February Revolution occurred, he immediately got on a ship to return home.
By this point, Taushev had joined the Bolsheviks to outmaneuver the Mensheviks. He helped organize workers in Petrograd along with Joseph Stalin with the 'July Day's' and was eventually imprisoned along with Trotsky. After his release during the Kornilov affair and he helped preparations for conflict with Kornilov's forces.
As the civil war broke out, he was appointed political commissar by minister of war, Loan Trotsky and first served in the south with Josef Stalin. Their relationship turned from indifference towards open hostility. Taushev attack Stalin's harsh measures against rebel forces writing, "His 'revolution' will be built over graves of its own supporters'. Stalin countered against his criticism, he was outraged with Taushev went behind his back and instead of giving an execution orders for 15 pirsoner's. Taushev instead sent them to work camps. Taushev labelled him a ‘power hungry’ threat and Stalin labelling him a ‘native’ counterrevolutionary.
This animosity got so bad that Trotsky had to reassign Taushev to fight white forces in Siberia.
Post-Civil War:
After the war, he served on the front during The Polish-Soviet War to help boast moral and keep men ideologically loyal. To keep tension away, Taushev was sent to the northern front near Lithuania. He supported Leon Trotsky's plan for Poland to become a 'temporary' puppet state instead of an SSR, this state would be called The Polish Socialist Republic lead by Julian Marchlewski.
Taushev, also supported Troskty's call to attack Czechoslovakia to connect with The Hungarian Soviet Republic. However, it was overruled and Vladimir Lenin and instead of sent arm's indirectly. He was also angered by Lenin's later deal with Bulgaria which allowed them to Puppet Romania if The Soviets and Hungary got there claimed land. Taushev believed this was an act of imperialism and a 'moral' compromise of Marxism.
As of 1923, Taushev still building more influence in the party, if he takes over he will push the Union into an alternative direction.
Ideology:
Originally an follower of Marx, Taushev's exposure to syndicalist idea's during his university years made him more in favor of giving the power to the union's while balancing the realism of Marxism.
"Marxo-Syndicalism", an ideology that promotes a state, where military takes control of foreign affairs to pressure revolution while the economy is run by worker union's. Taushev, believes Marxo-Syndicalism, is the alternative, rejecting the over centralization and while favoring a safeguard to minimal degree to protect the revolution's gain's.
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