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

CAN THE BOLSHEVIKS RETAIN STATE POWER?109The grain monopoly and bread rationing were introducednot by us, but by the capitalist state in war-time. It hadalready introduced universal labour conscription within theframework of capitalism, which is war-time penal servitudefor the workers. But here too, as in all its history-makingactivities, the proletariat takes its weapons from capitalismand does not “invent” or “create them out of nothing”.The grain monopoly, bread rationing and labour conscriptionin the hands of the proletarian state, in the hands ofsovereign Soviets, will be the most powerful means of accountingand control, means which, applied to the capitalists,and to the rich in general, applied to them by the workers,will provide a force unprecedented in history for “setting thestate apparatus in motion”, for overcoming the resistanceof the capitalists, for subordinating them to the proletarianstate. These means of control and of compelling people towork will be more potent than the laws of the Convention andits guillotine. The guillotine only terrorised, only brokeactive resistance. For us, this is not enough.For us, this is not enough. We must not only “terrorise”the capitalists, i.e., make them feel the omnipotence of theproletarian state and give up all idea of actively resistingit. We must also break passive resistance, which is undoubtedlymore dangerous and harmful. We must not only breakresistance of every kind. We must also compel the capitaliststo work within the framework of the new state organisation.It is not enough to “remove” the capitalists; we must (afterremoving the undesirable and incorrigible “resisters”) employthem in the service of the new state. This applies both tothe capitalists and to the upper section of the bourgeois intellectuals,office employees, etc.And we have the means to do this. The means and instrumentsfor this have been placed in our hands by the capitaliststate in the war. These means are the grain monopoly,bread rationing and labour conscription. “He who does notwork, neither shall he eat”—this is the fundamental, thefirst and most important rule the Soviets of Workers’Deputies can and will introduce when they become the rulingpower.Every worker has a work-book. This book does notdegrade him, although at present it is undoubtedly a docu-