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

REVISION OF THE PARTY PROGRAMME163It is true that the present imperialist war, by its reactionarycharacter and the hardships it entails, revolutionisesthe masses and accelerates the revolution, and this mustbe stated. It is also true that imperialist wars in general aretypical of an imperialist epoch, and this may be mentioned.But it would be wrong to say this about all “wars” in general,and, moreover, under no circumstances should crises andwars be tied up together.VWe must draw our conclusions on the chief questionwhich should, according to the unanimous decision of allBolsheviks, be primarily dealt with and assessed in thenew programme—the question of imperialism. ComradeSokolnikov maintains that such treatment and assessmentcould be more expediently given piecemeal, so to speak,dividing up the various characteristics of imperialismamong various sections of the programme. I think it wouldbe more to the purpose to present it in a special sectionor a special part of the programme, by gathering togethereverything that there is to say about imperialism. The membersof the Party now have both drafts before them, and thecongress will decide. We are in full accord with ComradeSokolnikov in that imperialism must be dealt with. Whatwe must find out is whether there are differences of opinionas to how imperialism should be treated and assessed.From this point of view let us examine the two draftsof the new programme. In my draft five basic distinguishingfeatures of imperialism are presented: (1) capitalistmonopoly associations; (2) the fusion of banking and industrialcapital; (3) the export of capital to foreign countries;(4) the territorial partition of the globe, already completed;(5) the partition of the globe among international economictrusts. (In my pamphlet Imperialism, the Highest Stage ofCapitalism, which came out after the Materials Relating tothe Revision of the Party Programme, these five distinguishingfeatures of imperialism are cited on p. 85.*) In ComradeSokolnikov’s draft we actually find the same five basic features,so that on the question of imperialism there is appar-* See present edition, Vol. 22, p. 266.—Ed.