20
PARTISAN REVIEW
The thing he forgets, however, is that one cannot satisfy everybody
at once, the rich and the poor, the oppressor and the oppressed. That
would be too good to be true. To put it a bit differently, the Fascist
revolution pretends to ignore that which is the main-spring of any positive
revolution, the class-struggle. Now, the tremendous effect of the events
in February has been to render the class-struggle perceptible to those who,
out of touch with the daily social conflict, might have gone on doubting.
But let the reader judge for himself.
From the 7th of February on, after reading the newspapers, it became
apparent to me that the working class constituted the sole rampart capable
of protecting the interests of the Left, the spirit of the Left, if you like.
I did not then understand "spirit of the Left" in a l\1arxist sense.
My
course of reasoning might have been that of any sincere radical, that of
any man concerned with parliamentary liberties. There was even dis–
coverable in my attitude at the time a potentiality for working class
exploitation in the interests of the small bourgeoisie; I realize this today,
and I repudiate it. But let us go on.
I accordingly had quite ingenuously signed a call for anti-Fascist
concentration and the general strike. My signature appeared beneath
that of Alain, who had never been looked upon as a Marat. The
Marxian Communists had found difficulty in bringing themselves to sign
this appeal, since it embodied a broad spirit of conciliation, with a view
to JOtnt action. A few days later, a very intimate friend of my family,
who had invited me to dinner for the following day, called me on the
telephone to cancel the invitation; and this, to the letter, is what she
said to me:
"I cannot receive any one who has a pistol trained on me and
mine."
Now, this person knew me very well, and from my earliest chtld–
hood had shown me many acts of kindness. I may add that, before reading
the call, my host had even invited me as being "of the Left,'" with the
remark: "You will wear a red rose in your buttonhole and give us a
nice little talk." For in the salons, those microcosmic societies, any
opinion will be tolerated so long as it is not manifested by deed.
From this on (I pass over other similar occurrences), there were but
two courses of procedure open to me. One was to make honorable
amends by saying, "I am sorry, but I am afraid I went a trifle too far."
A bait was here set for my indolence; and I was informed that the Place
de la Concorde, on the 6th of February, was jammed with artisans and
small trades-people. The other course was to bring myself to a realiza-
