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

REPLY TO P. KIEVSKY (Y. PYATAKOV)27war, simultaneously introduce and extend democracy amongour armed forces and in our “rear”. We tell the masses now(and they instinctively feel that we are right): “They aredeceiving you in making you fight for imperialist capitalismin a war disguised by the great slogans of democracy. Youmust, you shall wage a genuinely democratic war againstthe bourgeoisie for the achievement of genuine democracyand socialism.” The present war unites and “merges” nationsinto coalitions by means of violence and financial dependence.In our civil war against the bourgeoisie, we shall unite andmerge the nations not by the force of the ruble, not by theforce of the truncheon, not by violence, but by voluntaryagreement and solidarity of the working people against theexploiters. For the bourgeoisie the proclamation of equalrights for all nations has become a deception. For us it willbe the truth that will facilitate and accelerate the winningover of all nations. Without effectively organised democraticrelations between nations—and, consequently, withoutfreedom of secession—civil war of the workers and workingpeople generally of all nations against the bourgeoisie isimpossible.Through utilisation of bourgeois democracy to socialistand consistently democratic organisation of the proletariatagainst the bourgeoisie and against opportunism. There is noother path. There is no other way out. Marxism, just as lifeitself, knows no other way out. In this path we must includefree secession and free merging of nations, we must not fightshy of them, not fear that they will “defile” the “purity” ofour economic aims.Written August-September 1916First published in the magazineProletarskaya RevolutsiaNo. 7 (90), 1929Published according tothe manuscript