FOREWORD THE tragic fate of Russia has attracted the attention of civilized mankind. Much has been said and written about the amazing degradation of the political, social & economic life of a country which hitherto was justly considered the biggest reservoir of wealth and economic potentiality. In our day the fact can scarcely be denied that Russia's present suffering was caused by and is the direct result of the incompetent and sinister Communist practice wrought upon her people by a small but unscrupulous and closely organized group of professional agitators or incurable theoreticians belonging to the Marxian school. Idle are the attempts to explain the systematic destruction of Russian economics by the much debated Allied "blockade," or the drought and other meteorological fluctuations, no matter how unfavorable such may have been. At present the most stubborn Socialist adherents are somewhat ashamed to attribute all the blame for the prevailing conditions in Russia to the events and circumstances which have had but an insignificant and rather remote bearing upon the destinies of her people. During a period of five years the Bolsheviki have been given the chance to work out a practical program for putting their theories into effect. Nor was there lack of effort on their part to "Use the weapons of hell to attain the Communist paradise." Hell they have attained, while paradise is still to be found in the column of articles lost. In the case of Russia, the world is witnessing the most complete failure of a governmental system that has ever been recorded in history. Every department of present Russian life distinctly proves the hopelessness of further attempts to erect a stable economic edifice upon the sandy foundations of Marxian principles. On the plains of Russia, Socialism has suffered a defeat so conclusive as to make its recovery impossible. The Soviet leaders themselves have been compelled to admit their failure. Their battle-cry of 1917: "Proletarians of all countries unite to smash Capitalism," has been converted into a new motto: "Capitalists of all countries unite to save Communism." Having received but little encouragement from international labor, the Red rulers of Russia are now seeking the support of International Finance. Those "who got slapped" by the Russian workers and peasants, have suddenly turned their attention to the pocketbook of the Western Banker. For it is not impossible that short-sighted greed may induce the wealth-owning classes to disastrous endeavors to consolidate the waning power of Communism in Russia. The Genoa and Hague Conferences were early manifestations of this new policy which may be put in operation on a colossal scale. But whatever course the dealings with the Soviets may assume, it is apparent that the first stage of the Socialist experiment in Russia has been completed and a new phase is rapidly evolving. "With International Finance playing an important part in the future development of Russia, the whole trend of events must necessarily become the joint function of two factors, Communism and Capitalism, seeking to make concessions to each other. Socialists are hoping that these mutual reverences will result in converting Capitalism into mild Communism, while capitalists expect Communism to assume the form of mild Capitalism. In all probability both groups will fail in their expectations as, from a strictly scientific viewpoint, Capitalism and Socialism are phenomena mutually excluding each other. However, this volume is not intended to deal with the problematic future. Its object is merely confined to an analysis of the actual "achievements" of Communism, in the light of economic and social policies enforced by the Bolsheviki during the whole period of their amazing misrule. In this sense the volume as it stands is nothing but the balance sheet of Communism, and it is no fault of ours that the account presents a vivid picture of fraudulent bankruptcy