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

CAN THE BOLSHEVIKS RETAIN STATE POWER?91to say quarter-Bolsheviks) on the question that interestsus.The leading article in Rech of September 16:“Discord and confusion reigned in the Alexandrinsky Theatre,and the socialist press reflects the same picture. Only the views of theBolsheviks are definite and straightforward At the Conference, theyare the views of the minority. In the Soviets, they represent a constantlygrowing trend. But In spite of all their verbal pugnacity, theirboastful phrases and display of self-confidence, the Bolsheviks, exceptfor a few fanatics, are brave only in words. They would not attemptto take ‘full power’ on their own accord. Disorganisers and disrupterspar excellence, they are really cowards who in their heart of heartsare fully aware of both their own intrinsic ignorance and the ephemeralnature of their present successes. They know as well as we all dothat the first day of their ultimate triumph would also be the firstday of their precipitous fall. Irresponsible by their very nature, anarchistsin method and practice, they should be regarded only as a trendof political thought, or rather, as one of its aberrations. The best wayto get rid of Bolshevism for many a year, to banish it, would be toplace the country’s fate in the hands of its leaders. And if it werenot for the awareness that experiments of this kind are impermissibleand fatal, one might in desperation decide on even this heroic measure.Happily, we repeat, these dismal heroes of the day are not by anymeans actually out to seize full power. Not under any circumstancesare they capable of constructive work. Thus, all their definite andstraight-forward views are confined to the political rostrum, to soapboxoratory. For practical purposes their position cannot be takeninto consideration from any point of view. In one respect, however,it has some practical consequence: it unites all other shades of ‘socialistthought’ opposed to it....”This is the way the Cadets reason. Here, however, isthe view of the biggest, “ruling and governing”, party inRussia, the Socialist-Revolutionaries, also expressed in anunsigned, i.e., editorial, leading article in their officialorgan Dyelo Naroda of September 21:...“If the bourgeoisie refuse, pending the convocation of the ConstituentAssembly, to work with the democracy on the basis of the platformthat was endorsed by the Conference, then the coalition mustarise from within the Conference itself. This would be a serious sacrificeon the part of the supporters of the coalition, but even those campaigningfor the idea of a ‘pure line’ of power will have to agree to it. We are afraid,however, that agreement may not be reached here. In that case a thirdand final combination remains, namely: the government must beorganised by that half of the Conference which on principle advocatedthe idea of a homogeneous government.“Let us put it definitely: the Bolsheviks will be obliged to form a Cabinet.With the greatest energy, they imbued the revolutionary demo-