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

208V. I. LENINSchleswig, Prussian Poland, etc. Tsarism and its flunkeys,the Russian imperialist bourgeois (Plekhanov, Potresovand their ilk included, i.e., the majority of the OrganisingCommittee party in Russia), “forget” that Russia has annexednot only Erserum and part of Galicia, but also Finland,the Ukraine, etc. The French bourgeoisie “forgets” that,together with the English, it has robbed Germany of hercolonies. The Italian bourgeoisie “forgets” that it is robbingTripoli, Dalmatia, Albania, and so on without end.7. That being the objective state of affairs, it is theobvious and imperative task of every sincere socialist policy,every honest proletarian policy (not to speak of consciousMarxist policy) first of all and above all consistently, systematically,boldly and unreservedly to expose the pacifistand democratic hypocrisy of one’s own government and one’sown bourgeoisie. Lacking that, all talk of socialism, syndicalism,internationalism is a sheer deception of the people.For exposure of annexations by one’s imperialist rivals(regardless of whether they are named or merely implied,by denouncing annexations “generally” or by similar “diplomatic”methods of concealing one’s thoughts) is the directconcern, the direct business, of all venal journalists, allimperialists, including those that parade as socialists, suchas Scheidemann and Co., Sembat and Co., Plekhanov andCo., etc.8. Turati and Co., Kautsky and Co., Longuet and Merrheimand Co. utterly fail to understand that this is theirdirect duty. They represent a definite trend in internationalsocialism and, objectively, in practice—regardless of howsupremely virtuous their intentions may be—are simplyhelping their “own” imperialist bourgeoisie to dupe thepeople, embellish its imperialist aims. These social-pacifists,i.e., socialists in words and vehicles of bourgeois-pacifisthypocrisy in deeds, now play exactly the same part as theChristian priests, who for centuries sought to embellishthe policy of the oppressing classes—the slave-owners, feudalsand capitalists—and make their rule acceptable tothe oppressed classes by preaching Christian love of one’sneighbour and Christ’s commandments.9. A policy designed not to mislead the workers, but toopen their eyes to reality, should consist in the following: