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

NOTES577180181182Apart from Lenin’s signature there is also that of Stalin. Thewords “Reply, January 28, 6.30 p.m. ... Keep us informed” werewritten by Stalin. p. 517Lenin delivered his speech at the closing sitting of the Land: CommitteeCongress and the peasant section of the Third Congress ofSoviets.The Land Committee Congress opened in Petrograd on January17 (30), 1918. Its first sitting was attended by 472 delegatesfrom 43 gubernias and 243 uyezds. The Congress subsequentlyworked together with the peasant section of the Third All- RussiaCongress of Soviets which ended on January 18 (31). It was thenattended by more than 1,000 delegates. The various sections ofthe Congress worked out the details of the Basic Law on the Socialisationof Land (see Note 167). p. 518The morning sitting of the Central Committee on February 18,1918, discussed the German offensive and the dispatch of a telegramto the German Government announcing readiness to concludea peace.The pretext for the German offensive was Trotsky’s refusalto sign a peace treaty in Brest- Litovsk. At 7.30 p.m. on February16, 1918, the German Command officially informed the Sovietrepresentatives at Brest- Litovsk that the ceasefire between Russiaand Germany would be terminated at noon on February 18 anda state of war resumed. Under the Brest- Litovsk armistice agreement,concluded on December 2 (15), 1917, the parties were boundto give a seven- day notice of their intention to abrogate the agreement.The German Command violated this commitment. TheSoviet Government sent a protest to the German Governmentover the breach of the armistice agreement, but received no reply.On the morning of February 18 reports were received that Germantroops had gone into action.At the Central Committee meeting, Lenin’s proposal thata telegram should be sent to the German Government immediatelywas opposed by Trotsky and Bukharin; Zinoviev favouredits dispatch. When put to the vote Lenin’s proposal got 6 voteswith 7 against. It was decided to call the next meeting at 2.00 p.m.the next day, but in view of the unfurling German offensive itwas called on the night of February 18. p. 520The reference is to the Central Committee meeting on the eveningof February 17 which discussed the question of a possible Germanoffensive. Five members of the Central Committee (Lenin, StalinSverdlov, Sokolnikov and Smilga) voted for Lenin’s proposalthat the talks with Germany should be renewed immediately;6 voted against (Trotsky, Bukharin, Lomov, Uritsky, Ioffe andKrestinsky). However, when the question was formulated asfollows: “If the German offensive becomes a fact, without therebeing any revolutionary upsurge in Germany and Austria, dowe conclude a peace?” Trotsky voted in the affirmative. Bukharin,