Collected Works of V. I. Lenin - Vol. 21 - From Marx to Mao

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V. I. LENIN
frame of mind of most Second International leaders has
developed. Observers representing the most various points
of view have long noted that the opportunists are in fact
prevalent in the Second International’s leadership. The war
has merely brought out, rapidly and saliently, the true
measure of this prevalence. There is nothing surprising in
the extraordinary acuteness of the crisis having led to a
series of reshufflings within the old groups. On the whole,
however, such changes have affected only individuals. The
trends within socialism have remained the same.
Complete unanimity does not exist among French socialists.
Even Vaillant, who, with Guesde, Plekhanov, Hervé and
others, is following a chauvinist line, has had to admit that
he has received a number of letters of protest from French
socialists, who say that the war is imperialist in character
and that the French bourgeoisie is to blame for its outbreak
no less than the bourgeoisie of any other country. Nor
should it be overlooked that these voices of protest are being
smothered, not only by triumphant opportunism, but also
by the military censorship. With the British, the Hyndman
group (the British Social-Democrats—the British Socialist
Party 21 ) has completely sunk into chauvinism, as have also
most of the semi-liberal leaders of the trade unions. Resistance
to chauvinism has come from MacDonald and Keir
Hardie of the opportunist Independent Labour Party. 22
This, of course, is an exception to the rule. However, certain
revolutionary Social-Democrats who have long been in
opposition to Hyndman have now left the British Socialist
Party. With the Germans the situation is clear: the opportunists
have won; they are jubilant, and feel quite in their
element. Headed by Kautsky, the “Centre” has succumbed
to opportunism and is defending it with the most hypocritical,
vulgar and smug sophistry. Protests have come from the
revolutionary Social-Democrats—Mehring, Pannekoek, Karl
Liebknecht, and a number of unidentified voices in Germany
and German-speaking Switzerland. In Italy, the line-up is
clear too: the extreme opportunists, Bissolati and Co. stand
for “fatherland”, for Guesde-Vaillant-Plekhanov-Hervé. The
revolutionary Social-Democrats (the Socialist Party), with
Avanti! at their head, are combating chauvinism and
are exposing the bourgeois and selfish nature of the calls for