The general principle of industrial conscription recognized by the Russian Constitution, section ii, chapter v, paragraph 18, which reads: "The Russian Socialist Federate Soviet Republic recognizes that work is an obligation on every citizen of the Republic," and proclaims, "He who does not work shall not eat." It is, however, one thing to proclaim such a principle and quite another to put it into action.
On December 17, 1919, the moment it became clear that there was a real possibility that the civil war was drawing to an end, Trotsky allowed the Pravda to print a memorandum of his, consisting of "theses" or reasoned notes about industrial conscription and the militia system.He points out that a Socialist State demands a general plan for the utilizationof all the resources of a country, including its human energy.At the same time, "in the present economic chaos in which are mingled the broken fragments of the past and the beginnings of the future," a sudden jump to a complete centralized economy of the country as a whole is impossible.Local initiative, local effort must not be sacrificed for the sake of a plan.At the same time industrial conscription is necessary for complete socialization.It cannot be regardless of individuality like military conscription.He suggests a subdivision of the State into territorial productive districts which should coincide with the territorial districts of the militia system which shall replace the regular army.Registration of labor necessary.Necessary also to coordinate military and industrial registration.At demobilization the cadres of regiments, divisions, etc., should form the fundamental cadres of the militia.Instruction to this end should be included in the courses for workers and peasants who are training to become officers in every district.Transition to the militia system must be carefully and gradually accomplished so as not for a moment to leave the Republic defenseless.While not losing sight of these ultimate aims, it is necessary to decide on immediate needs and to ascertain exactly what amount of labor is necessary for their limited realization.He suggests the registration of skilled labor in the army.He suggests that a Commission under general direction of the Council of Public Economy should work out a preliminary plan and then hand it over to the War Department, so that means should be worked out for using the military apparatus for this new industrial purpose.
Trotsky's twenty-four theses or notes must have been written in odd moments, now here now there, on the way from one front to another.They do not form a connected whole.Contradictions jostle each other, and it is quite clear that Trotsky himself had no very definite plan in his head.Buthis notes annoyed and stimulated so many other people that they did perhaps precisely the work they were intended to do.Pravada printed them with a note from the editor inviting discussion.The Ekonomitcheskaya Jizn printed letter after letter from workmen, officials and others, attacking, approving and bringing new suggestions.Larin, Semashko, Pyatakov,Bucharin all took a hand in the discussion.Larin saw in the proposals the beginning of the end of the revolution, being convinced that authority would pass from the democracy of the workers into the hands of the specialists.Rykov fell upon them with sturdy blows on behalf of the Trades Unions.All, however, agreed on the one point-that something of the sort was neccesary.On December 27th a Commission for studying the question of industrial conscription was formed under the presidency of Trotsky.This Commission included the People's Commissars, or Ministers, of Labor, Ways of Communication, Supply, Agriculture, War, and the Presidents of the Central Council of the Trades Unions and of the Supreme Council of Public Economy.They compiled a list of the principal questions before them, and invited anybody interested to bring them suggestions and material for discussion.
But the discussion was not limited to the newspapers or to this Commission.The question was discussed in Soviets and Conferences of every kind all over the country.Thus, on January 1st an All-Russian Conference of local "departments for the registration and distribution of labor," after prolonged argument, contributed their views.They pointed out (1) the need of bringing to work numbers of persons who instead of doing the skilled labor for which they were qualified were engaged in petty profiteering, etc.; (2) that there evaporation of skilled labor into unproductive speculation could at least be checked by the introduction of labor books, which would give some sort of registration of each citizen's work; (3) that workmen can be brought back from the villages only for enterprises which are supplied with provisions or are situated in districts where there is plenty.("The opinion that, in the absence of these preliminary conditions, it will be possible to draw workmen from the villages by measures of compulsion or mobilizationis profoundly mistaken.") (4) that there should be a census of labor and that the Trades Unions should be invited to protect the interests of the conscripted.Finally, this Conference approved the idea of using the already existing military organization for carrying out a labor census of the Red Army, and for the turning over to labor of parts of the army during demobilization, but opposed the idea of giving the military organizationthe work of labor registration and industrial conscription in general.