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

BOURGEOIS PACIFISM AND SOCIALIST PACIFISM181A R T I C L E (O R C H A P T E R) IITHE PACIFISM OF KAUTSKY AND TURATIKautsky is the most authoritative theoretician of theSecond International, the most prominent leader of the socalled“Marxist centre” in Germany, the representative ofthe opposition which organised a separate group in the Reichstag,the Social-Democratic Labour Group (Haase, Ledebourand others). A number of Social-Democratic newspapers inGermany are now publishing articles by Kautsky on theterms of peace, which paraphrase the official Social-DemocraticLabour Group declaration on the German Government’swell-known note proposing peace negotiations. Thedeclaration, which calls on the German Government topropose definite terms of peace, contains the following characteristicstatement:“...In order that this [German Government] note maylead to peace, all countries must unequivocally renounceall thought of annexing foreign territory, of the political,economic or military subjection of any people whatsoever....”In paraphrasing and concretising this, Kautsky set outto “prove” in his lengthy articles that Constantinople mustnot go to Russia and that Turkey must not be made a vassalstate to anyone.Let us take a closer look at these political slogans andarguments of Kautsky and his associates.In a matter that affects Russia, i.e., Germany’s imperialistrival, Kautsky advances, not abstract or “general”demands, but a very concrete, precise and definite demand:Constantinople must not go to Russia. He thereby exposesthe real imperialist designs ... of Russia. In a matter thataffects Germany, however, i.e., the country where themajority of the party, which regards Kautsky as its member(and appointed him editor of its principal, leading theoreticalorgan, Die Neue Zeit), is helping the bourgeoisie andthe government to conduct an imperialist war, Kautskydoes not expose the concrete imperialist designs of his owngovernment, but confines himself to a “general” desideratumor proposition: Turkey must not be made a vassal state toanyone!!