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

40V. I. LENINwill not be frightened by the cries of “rivers of blood” raisedby individuals, parties and groups willing to sacrificemore millions of Russian soldiers for the sake of Constantinople,Lvov, Warsaw, and “victory over Germany”.No “rivers of blood” in an internal civil war can evenapproximately equal those seas of blood which the Russianimperialists have shed since June 19 (in spite of the verygreat chances they had of avoiding this by handing overpower to the Soviets).All you Milyukovs, Potresovs and Plekhanovs be carefulabout your arguments against “rivers of blood” in civilwar while this present war continues, for the soldiers haveseen seas of blood and know what they mean.The international situation of the Russian revolutionnow, in 1917, the fourth year of a terrifically burdensomeand criminal war, that has worn out the peoples, is suchthat an offer of a just peace on the part of a Russian proletariatvictorious in the civil war would have a hundredto one chance of achieving an armistice and peace withoutthe shedding of further seas of blood.For a combination of warring Anglo-French and Germanimperialism against the proletarian socialist RussianRepublic is impossible in practice, while a combination ofBritish, Japanese and American imperialism against us isextremely difficult to realise and is not at all dangerousto us, if only because of Russia’s geographical position.On the other hand, the existence of revolutionary andsocialist proletarian masses in all the European states isa fact; the maturing and the inevitability of the worldwidesocialist revolution is beyond doubt, and such a revolutioncan be seriously aided only by the progress of theRussian revolution and not by delegations and not by playingat Stockholm conferences with the foreign Plekhanovsor Tseretelis.The bourgeoisie wails about the inevitable defeat of aCommune in Russia, i.e., defeat of the proletariat if itwere to conquer power.These are false, selfish class wailings.If the proletariat gains power it will have every chanceof retaining it and of leading Russia until there is a victoriousrevolution in the West.