Vladimir Lenin
"Disgrace" as the Capitalists
and the Proletarians Understand it
Today's Yedinstvo prints on its front page in bold type a proclamation signed by
Plekhanov, Deutsch, and Zasulich. We read:
"Even nation has a right freely to determine its own destiny. Wilhelm of Germany
and Karl of Austria will never agree to this. In waging war against them, we are
defending our own freedom, as well as the freedom of others. Russia cannot
betray her Allies. That would bring disgrace upon her."
That is how all capitalists argue. To them non-observance of treaties between
capitalists is a disgrace, just as to monarchs non-observance of treaties
between monarchs is a disgrace.
What about the workers? Do they regard non-observance of treaties concluded by
monarchs and capitalists a disgrace?
Of course not! Class-conscious workers are for scrapping all such treaties, they
are for recognising only such agreements between the workers and soldiers of all
countries as would benefit the people, i.e., not the capitalists, but the
workers and poor peasants.
The workers of the world have a treaty of their own, namely, the Basle Manifesto
of 1912 (signed, among others, by Plekhanov and betrayed by him). This workers'
"treaty" calls it a "crime" for workers of different countries to shoot at each
other for the sake of the capitalists' profits.
The writers in Yedinstvo argue like capitalists (so do Rech and others), and not
like workers.
It is quite true that neither the German monarch nor the Austrian will agree to
freedom for every nation, as both these monarchs are crowned brigands, and so
was Nicholas II. Nor, for one thing, are the English, Italian, and other
monarchs (the "Allies" of Nicholas II) any better. To forget this is to become a
monarchist or a defender of the monarchists.
Secondly, the uncrowned brigands, i.e., the capitalists, have shown themselves
in the present war to be no better than the monarchs. Has not American
"democracy", i.e., the democratic capitalists, robbed the Philippines, and does
it not rob Mexico?
The German Guchkovs and Milyukovs, if they were to take the place of Wilhelm II,
would be brigands, too, no better than the British and Russian capitalists.
Third, will the Russian capitalists "agree" to "freedom" for nations which they
themselves oppress: Armenia, Khiva, Ukraine, Finland?
By evading this question the Yedinstvo writers are, in effect, turning into
defenders of "our own" capitalists in their predatory war with other
capitalists.
The internationalist workers of the world stand for the overthrow of all
capitalist governments, for the rejection of all agreements and understandings
with any capitalists, for universal peace concluded by the revolutionary workers
of all countries, a peace capable of giving real freedom to "every" nation.
Written: April 22, 1917
First Published: Pravda No. 39, April 23 (May 6), 1917
Transcription/Markup: Brian Basgen and David Walters
Online Version: Lenin Internet Archive (marxists.org) 1999
...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Go to the beginning of the document
Go to previous page
Go to next page
Go to the end of document
