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The Russian revolutions of 1905 & 1917, & the troubles which afflicted the popular democracies in 1953 & 1956 have many characteristics in common. Recent studies of revolutionary phenomena indicate that these fall into 2 categories: (1) the revolution `from below' which, involving a violent class struggle, gradually developed from a movement of the masses, & (2) the revolution `from above' which comes about through a brutal seizure of power by a revolutionary elite. The revolutions of 1905 & 1917 were mass movements which a catalytic element set off. In both instances an econ strike became a poi'al strike. Thus the popular movements of East Berlin, Vorkuta, Poznan & Budapest were similarly marked by strikes, which contributed to the creation of a pre- revolutionary situation, of which another indication was the defection of the intellectuals. However, the crisis of the socialist world has not reached the stage of maturity where a fatal repetition of the model of 1917 will occur. Tr by J. A. Broussard from IPSA.

The cherished notion of an intellectual collaboration led Saint Simon to take part in the planning of an encyclopedia which, differing from the 18th cent one, was not intended to be a critical work but an elaboration of sci in general. This same notion led him to develop the notion of a 'clergy of scholars,' that is, a corps of scholars destined to organize the results of all sci's into a semblance of its original unity. The formula may now seem a bit out of date though it deals with a problem that is still a real one: the selection of sci as the principal director of soc life, in effect, poses the problem of sci's relationship to the religious & metaphysical tradition. Tr by J. A. Broussard from IPSA.

The reaction against the New Deal of Roosevelt & Truman, the fear of increased power of the State, the hostility toward ai planned society, the present prosperity of the US--these factors have favored the rebirth of a conservative ideology. Conservative Americans are not, however, senseless & reactionary defenders of laissez faire & of isolationism. Their pessimistic view of human nature, their distrust of abstract solutions, & their respect for past experience push them toward a decentralized & hierarchical state. Can this conservative ideology, which has had considerable success in US intellectual circles & in the Republican group around President Eisenhower, become an effective pol'al force? Circumstances are favorable for such a development, but against it are the egalitarianism & the belief in human achievement that are deeply rooted in the conscience of the American masses. Tr by J. A. Broussard from IPSA.