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

TWELVE BRIEF THESES255ly, the Swiss party must choose which trend it wants to follow.3. In the second article Greulich says: “Switzerland cannotwage an offensive war.”Greulich strangely overlooks the irrefutable and obviousfact that in both possible eventualities—namely, if Switzerlandjoins Germany against England, or England againstGermany—in either case Switzerland will be participatingin an imperialist war, in a predatory war, in an offensive war.Bourgeois Switzerland can under no circumstances eitheralter the nature of the present war or, in general, wage ananti-imperialist war.Is it permissible for Greulich to depart from the “realmof facts” (see his fourth article) and discuss some hypotheticalwar instead of discussing the present one?4. Greulich states in his second article:“For Switzerland, neutrality and defence of the fatherlandare identical. Whoever rejects defence of the fatherlandendangers neutrality. One must appreciate that.”Two modest questions to Comrade Greulich.First, shouldn’t one appreciate the fact that faith inproclamations of neutrality and intentions to maintain itin the present war is tantamount not only to blind faith inone’s own “bourgeois government” and other “bourgeois governments”,but is simply absurd?Second, shouldn’t one appreciate that in reality the positionis as follows?Whoever in this war accepts defence of the fatherlandbecomes an accomplice of his “own” national bourgeoisie,which, in Switzerland, too, is a thoroughly imperialistbourgeoisie, since it is financially tied to the Great Powersand is involved in imperialist world politics.Whoever in this war rejects defence of the fatherlanddestroys the proletariat’s faith in the bourgeoisie andhelps the international proletariat wage its struggle againstthe bourgeoisie’s domination.5. At the close of his second article Greulich says:“Abolishing the Swiss militia would not yet mean eliminatingwar between the Great Powers.”Why does Comrade Greulich overlook the fact that theSocial-Democrats conceive abolition of every army (and,