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

466V. I. LENINteachers and engineers—transform their knowledge into aninstrument for the exploitation of the working people,saying they want their knowledge to serve the bourgeoisie,otherwise they refuse to work. But their power has beenbroken by the workers’ and peasants’ revolution, and astate is rising against them in which the people themselvesfreely elect their own representatives.It is precisely at the present time that we can say thatwe really have an organisation of power which clearlyindicates the transition to the complete abolition of anypower, of any state. This will be possible when every traceof exploitation has been abolished, that is, in socialist society.Now I shall deal briefly with the measures which thesocialist Soviet Government of Russia has begun to realise.The nationalisation of the banks was one of the first measuresadopted for the purpose, net only of wiping the landownersfrom the face of Russian earth, but also of eradicatingthe rule of the bourgeoisie and the possibility ofcapital oppressing millions and tens of millions of the workingpeople. The banks are important centres of moderncapitalist economy. They collect fantastic wealth anddistribute it over this vast country; they are the nervecentres of capitalist life. They are subtle and intricateorganisations, which grew up in the course of centuries;and against them were hurled the first blows of Sovietpower which at first encountered desperate resistance in theState Bank. But this resistance did not deter Soviet power.We succeeded in the main thing in organising the StateBank; this main thing is in the hands of the workers andpeasants. After these basic measures, which still require alot of working out in detail, we proceeded to lay our handson the private banks.We did not act in the way the compromisers would probablyhave recommended us to do, i.e., first wait until theConstituent Assembly is convened, then perhaps draft a billand introduce it in the Constituent Assembly and by thatinform the bourgeoisie of our intentions and enable them tofind a loophole through which to extricate themselves fromthis unpleasant thing; perhaps draw them into our company,and then make state laws—that would be a “state act”.