Collected Works of V. I. Lenin - Vol. 26 - From Marx to Mao

CAN THE BOLSHEVIKS RETAIN STATE POWER?99government, as was the case under tsarism, nor the effortto continue the same policy camouflaged in pompous phrasesunder the republic, nor nagging, insult, chicanery, procrastination,underhand dealing and evasions (all that withwhich Kerensky rewards the peasants and the oppressednations), but would receive warm sympathy proved bydeeds, immediate and revolutionary measures against thelandowners, immediate restitution of full freedom forFinland, the Ukraine, Byelorussia, for the Moslems, andso on.The Socialist-Revolutionary and Menshevik gentlemenknow this perfectly well, and are therefore dragging in thesemi-Cadet bosses of the co-operative societies to help thempursue their reactionary-democratic policy against the people.That is why they will never dare canvass popular opinion,take a popular referendum, or at least a vote of all the localSoviets, of all the local organisations, concerning definitepoints of practical policy, for example, whether all the landedestates should at once be handed over to peasant committees,whether certain demands of the Finns or the Ukrainiansshould be conceded, etc.Take the question of peace, the crucial issue of today.The proletariat “is isolated from the other classes”.... Onthis issue the proletariat truly represents the whole nation,all live and honest people in all classes, the vast majorityof the petty bourgeoisie; because only the proletariat, onachieving power, will immediately offer a just peace to allthe belligerent nations, because only the proletariat willdare take genuinely revolutionary measures (publication ofthe secret treaties, and so forth) to achieve the speediestand most just peace possible.The proletariat is not isolated. The gentlemen of NovayaZhizn who are shouting about the proletariat being isolatedare only betraying their subjective fear of the bourgeoisie.The objective state of affairs in Russia is undoubtedly suchthat the proletariat, precisely at the present time, is not“isolated” from the majority of the petty bourgeoisie. Preciselynow, after the sad experience with the “coalition”,the proletariat enjoys the sympathy of the majority of thepeople. This condition for the retention of power by theBolsheviks does exist.