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

134V. I. LENINthose of Nicholas Romanov and his family) own 70 milliondessiatines. Can Russia be delivered from “patriarchal” relationswithout the total abolition of these feudal latifundiaof the upper thirty thousands, what do you think, Mr. Historian?The second trend is “bourgeois constitutionalism”. ThusMr. Milyukov names, the Octobrists. “For the big bourgeoisie,”he writes, “this trend, perhaps, is too conservative becauseof its close ties with the bureaucracy and the nobility.”They are united by “a negative aim: joint defence against themore radical social or political trends”. “The bourgeois constitutionalistsof June 3 and November 9”, seeking strongpointsfor themselves, are trying “to assimilate at least theupper section of the mass of the peasantry [the strong andvirile ones, as Mr. Stolypin calls the]. But for the timebeing this sort of social basis lies entirely in the future.”“That is why this trend has perhaps the weakest prospectsof finding a social basis”!!It is a favourite tendency in our country—unfortunatelyeven among would-be Social-Democrats—to attack “revolutionaryillusions”. But could anything be more naïve thanthis liberal illusion that the social basis of the counter-revolutionarybourgeoisie (“joint defence”) and the landlords is“weak”, that they can be defeated by other means than amost vigorous and ruthless revolutionary offensive of themasses, an uprising of the masses? The serious historianagain gives way to the commonplace liberal.The third trend is the Cadets. Mr. Milyukov calls it “democraticconstitutionalism” and explains that “the essenceof this position consists in a combination of a radical politicaland radical social programme”. The historian is quiteeclipsed by the diplomatist and politician. In actual factthe entire policy of the Cadets runs counter to the radicalismof the masses. In words—especially at a “conference” wherethere are Cadets from the provinces who are somewhatmore closely aware of the sentiments of the masses—weare radicals, we are concerned for democracy and the masses.Mr. Milyukov (particularly under the influence of the“conference”, we may be sure) makes no mistakes about themasses. He recognises as an indisputable fact that the“growth of political consciousness in recent years has been