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

REVISION OF THE PARTY PROGRAMME169the countries that plunder, by imperialist methods, manycolonies and foreign lands, and thus make a very large (comparatively)portion of their population participants in thedivision of the imperialist loot.I would therefore suggest that the point on this exploitationof a number of weak countries by the richest should beinserted in that section of my draft where social-chauvinismis described (page 22 of the pamphlet*). The relevant passagein the draft would then assume the following form (theadditions are in italics):“Such a perversion is, on the one hand, the social-chauvinisttrend, socialism in word and chauvinism in deed, theuse of the ‘defence of the fatherland’ slogan to hide thepredatory interests ‘their own’ national bourgeoisie pursues inan imperialist war and to maintain the privileged position ofcitizens of rich nations which make enormous profits by pillagingcolonies and weak nations. Another such perversion,on the other hand, is the equally wide and internationalmovement of the ‘Centre’, etc.”It is necessary to add the words “in an imperialist war”for greater accuracy. “Defence of the fatherland” is nothingbut a slogan to justify the war, the recognition of it as legitimateand just. There are different kinds of wars. Theremay also be revolutionary wars. We must therefore sayprecisely what we mean: imperialist war. This is of courseimplied, but to avoid misinterpretation, it must not beimplied, but stated directly and clearly.VIIFrom the general or theoretical part of the programmewe shall now turn to the minimum programme. Here we atonce encounter the ostensibly “very radical” but reallyvery groundless proposal of Comrades N. Bukharin andV. Smirnov to discard the minimum programme in toto.The division into maximum and minimum programmes isout of date, they claim. Since we speak of a transition tosocialism there is no need for it. No minimum programmes;* See present edition, Vol. 24, p. 470.—Ed.