Lenin CW-Vol. 23.pdf - From Marx to Mao

96V. I. LENINThe Kautskyite advocacy of “disarmament”, which isaddressed to the present governments of the imperialistGreat Powers, is the most vulgar opportunism, it is bourgeoispacifism, which actually—in spite of the “goodintentions” of the sentimental Kautskyites—serves todistract the workers from the revolutionary struggle.For this advocacy seeks to instil in the workers the ideathat the present bourgeois governments of the imperialistpowers are not bound to each other by thousands ofthreads of finance capital and by scores or hundreds of correspondingsecret treaties (i.e., predatory, plunderingtreaties, preparing the way for imperialist war).IIAn oppressed class which does not strive to learn touse arms, to acquire arms, only deserves to be treated likeslaves. We cannot, unless we have become bourgeoispacifists or opportunists, forget that we are living in aclass society from which there is no way out, nor can therebe, save through the class struggle and the overthrow ofthe power of the ruling class.In every class society, whether based on slavery, serfdom,or, as at present, on wage-labour, the oppressor classis always armed. Not only the modern standing army, buteven the modern militia—and even in the most democraticbourgeois republics, Switzerland, for instance—representthe bourgeoisie armed against the proletariat. That is suchan elementary truth that it is hardly necessary to dwellupon it. Suffice it to recall that in all capitalist countrieswithout exception troops (including the republicandemocraticmilitia) are used against strikers. A bourgeoisiearmed against the proletariat is one of the biggest,fundamental and cardinal facts of modern capitalistsociety.And in face of this fact, revolutionary Social-Democratsare urged to “demand” “disarmament”! That is tantamountto complete abandonment of the class-struggle point ofview, to renunciation of all thought of revolution. Ourslogan must be: arming of the proletariat to defeat, expropriateand disarm the bourgeoisie. These are the only