The Stalin school of falsification - Marxists Internet Archive

Stalin School of Falsification - Chapter 14
the Government is not ours, but bourgeois, and strives to confine the development of the revolution. For
this reason we were unable to arrive at any agreement. We will support the meas ures in so far as they are
directed toward fortifying the con quests of the revolution. We support the revolution but we do not
support the Provisional Government as such.
In the last analysis, Voitinsky's resolution comes down to a vote of confidence.
He reads the resolution of Voitinsky and the resolution of Kamenev -- Stalin, which is appended [see
page 800].
VASSILIEV: Cannot understand why an agreement was not reached. After all, the majority has already
expressed itself in favor of supporting the measures aimed to further the development of the revolution.
In essence, I am in agreement with the second text, but am unable to see any difference between the two.
After all, in question here is not the support of the Government, but of certain measures-the support and
strengthening of steps taken by the Provisional Government.
KAMENEV: Inquires whether the question has been settled of counterposing his resolution to Steklov's
resolution.
NOGIN: We must first formulate our own opinion.
KAMENEV: In Steklov's resolution the point dealing with support is absolutely inacceptable. It is
impermissible to have any expression of support, even to hint at it. We can not support the Government
because it is an imperialist gov ernment, because, despite its own declaration, it remains in an alliance
with the Anglo-French bourgeoisie. In the Communist Manifesto there is a statement to the effect that we
give support to the liberal bourgeoisie, but only in the event of its being attacked. But from Steklov's
report it is obvious that it is not they who are being attacked, but rather it is they themselves who are
attacking the Soviet of Workers' Deputies. In yesterday's amendments to the resolution we stated that
support at the present time is impossible. In view of the dual power, the will of the revolutionary people
is embodied not in the Provisonal Government but in the Soviets of Workers' Deputies; and also that the
latter must be strengthened and that they must come to a clash with the Provisional Government. Our
task is to point out that the only organ worthy of our support is the Soviet of Workers' Deputies. The task
of the Congress is to proclaim to all Russia that the sole expresser of the will of the revolutionary people
is the Soviet of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies, and that we must strengthen and support them and not
the Provisional Government.
At the Conference, all the Bolshevik speakers must point out that our task is to support the Soviets.
Whether or not we should introduce our own resolution or major amendments to the resolution of the
Executive Committee -- that is the question which we ought to discuss here.
FEDOROV: The cardinal issue is the question of our atti tude to the Provisional Government. In order to
express our attitude to the Provisional Government we must first know what it represents. At the head of
the Government are the representatives of the landlord class and of the big bour geoisie. The policy of
these classes is the exploitation of the proletariat and the peasantry and the pursuance of imperial ist aims
in the war. But whether or not the Government puts this policy into effect-that depends on the relation of
forces. In order that this relationship of forces be favorable to the proletariat and the peasantry, it is
necessary to strengthen the Soviets of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies. It is impermissible to support and
place our confidence in a Government which does not merit it. Life itself demands a clear-cut answer. It
is necessary that the proletariat and the peas antry be informed of our attitude to the Provisional Govern
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