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

194V. I. LENINwhatever for believing that the millions of workers who nowhave excellent weapons in their hands will necessarilypermit themselves to be “peacefully disarmed” by the bourgeoisieinstead of following the advice of Karl Liebknecht,i.e., turning their weapons against their own bourgeoisie.The question is not, as the pacifist Kautskyites maintain:either a reformist political campaign, or else the renunciationof reforms. That is a bourgeois presentation of thequestion. The question is: either revolutionary struggle, theby-product of which, in the event of its not being fullysuccessful, is reforms (the whole history of revolutionsthroughout the world has proved this), or nothing but talkabout reforms and the promise of reforms.The reformism of Kautsky, Turati and Bourderon, whichnow comes out in the form of pacifism, not only leaves asidethe question of revolution (this in itself is a betrayal ofsocialism), not only abandons in practice all systematicand persistent revolutionary work, but even goes to thelength of declaring that street demonstrations are adventurism(Kautsky in Die Neue Zeit, November 26, 1915). It goes tothe length of advocating and implementing unity with theoutspoken and determined opponents of revolutionary struggle,the Südekums, Legiens, Renaudels, Thomases, etc., etc.This reformism is absolutely irreconcilable with revolutionaryMarxism, the duty of which is to take the utmostpossible advantage of the present revolutionary situation inEurope in order openly to urge revolution, the overthrow ofthe bourgeois governments, the conquest of power by thearmed proletariat, while at the same time not renouncing,and not refusing to utilise, reforms in developing the revolutionarystruggle and in the course of that struggle.The immediate future will show what course events inEurope will follow, particularly the struggle betweenreformist pacifism and revolutionary Marxism, includingthe struggle between the two Zimmerwald sections.Zurich, January 1, 1917