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

THE YOUTH INTERNATIONAL165There is reason to believe that this error arises entirely outof the laudable desire to emphasise the need to strive forthe “complete destruction of militarism” (which is perfectlycorrect); but the role of civil wars in the socialist revolutionis forgotten.2) On the question of the differences between socialistsand anarchists in their attitude towards the state, ComradeNota-Bene 76 in his article (issue No. 6) falls into a veryserious error (as he also does on several other questions, forinstance, our reasons for combating the “defence of the fatherland”slogan). The author wishes to present “a clearpicture of the state in general” (together with that of theimperialist predatory state). He quotes several statementsby Marx and Engels, and arrives at the following two conclusions,among others:a) “...It is absolutely wrong to seek the difference betweensocialists and anarchists in the fact that the former are infavour of the state while the latter are against it. The realdifference is that revolutionary Social-Democracy desiresto organise social production on new lines, as centralised, i.e.,technically the most progressive, method of production,whereas decentralised, anarchist production would meanretrogression to obsolete techniques, to the old form ofenterprise.” This is wrong. The author raises the questionof the difference in the socialists’ and anarchists’ attitudetowards the state. However, he answers not this question, butanother, namely, the difference in their attitude towards theeconomic foundation of future society. That, of course, is animportant and necessary question. But that is no reason toignore the main point of difference between socialists andanarchists in their attitude towards the state. Socialistsare in favour of utilising the present state and its institutionsin the struggle for the emancipation of the working class,maintaining also that the state should be used for a specificform of transition from capitalism to socialism. This transitionalform is the dictatorship of the proletariat, whichis also a state.The anarchists want to “abolish” the state, “blow it up”(sprengen) as Comrade Nota-Bene expresses it in one place,erroneously ascribing this view to the socialists. The socialists—unfortunatelythe author quotes Engels’s relevant