Collected Works of V. I. Lenin - Vol. 16 - From Marx to Mao

94V. I. LENIN1905-07, which proved its reality. Stolypin is taking anotherstep further along the Prussian path—it would be a ludicrousfear of the bitter truth not to recognise this. Wemust go through a peculiar historical stage in the conditionscreated by this new step. But it would be criminal aswell as ludicrous not to recognise the fact that Stolypin hasso far only complicated and aggravated the old state of affairswithout creating anything new. Stolypin is “putting hisstake on the powerful” and asks for “20 years of peace andtranquillity” for the “reformation” (read: spoliation) of Russiaby the landlords. The proletariat must put its stakeon democracy, without exaggerating the latter’s strengthand without limiting itself to merely “pinning hopes” on it,but steadily developing the work of propaganda, agitationand organisation, mobilising all the democratic forces—thepeasants above all and before all—calling upon them toally themselves with the leading class, to achieve the “dictatorshipof the proletariat and the peasantry” for the purposeof a full democratic victory and the creation of thebest conditions for the quickest and freest development ofcapitalism. Failure to fulfil this democratic duty on the partof the proletariat will inevitably lead to vacillations andobjectively play into the hands of the counter-revolutionaryliberals outside the labour movement and the liquidatorswithin it.Proletary No. 50, November 28(December 11), 1909Published according tothe text in Proletary