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

280V. I. LENINof Liebknecht and those of the Centre, which should not belumped together?To side with Liebknecht implies: (1) attacking the mainenemy in your own country; (2) exposing the social-patriotsof your own country and (with your permission, ComradeGrimm!) not merely of other countries; combating them, andnot uniting with them—as you do—against the Left Radicals;(3) openly criticising and exposing the weaknesses not onlyof the social-patriots, but also of the social-pacifists andCentrists of your own country; (4) utilising the parliamentarytribune to summon the proletariat to revolutionary struggle,urging it to turn its weapons against its enemy; (5) circulatingillegal literature and organising illegal meetings;6) organising proletarian demonstrations such as, for instance,the demonstration on Potsdam Square in Berlin atwhich Liebknecht was arrested; (7) calling on the workersin the war industries to strike, as the Internationale grouphas done through its illegal leaflets; (8) openly demonstratingthe need for complete “regeneration” of the present parties,which confine themselves to reformist activity; actingas Liebknecht acted; (9) unreservedly rejecting defence ofthe fatherland in an imperialist war; (10) fighting reformismand opportunism within the Social-Democratic movementall along the line; (11) just as relentlessly combating thetrade union leaders, who in all countries, particularlyGermany, England and Switzerland, are the vanguard ofsocial-patriotism and opportunism, etc.Clearly, from this point of view much in the majoritydraft is subject to criticism. But that can be discussed onlyin a separate article. Here it is necessary to emphasise thatthe majority at any rate proposes certain steps in this direction,while Grimm attacks the majority not from the Left,but from the Right, not from Liebknecht’s positions, butfrom those of the Centre.Throughout his article Grimm confuses two fundamentallydifferent questions: first, the question of when, at whatprecise moment, should one or another revolutionary actionbe carried out. Attempts to decide that question in advanceare meaningless, and Grimm is only throwing dust inthe workers’ eyes when he reproaches the majority onthis point.