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

TO OUR COMRADES IN WAR-PRISONER CAMPS347then deceive the people, as similar governments have donemany times before. It does not want Russia to be a democraticrepublic. All it wants is to replace the bad TsarNicholas II with an allegedly good Tsar, Mikhail. It wantsRussia to be ruled not by her people, but by a new tsartogether with the bourgeoisie.Such is this new government.But alongside it another government is gradually takingshape in Petrograd—the workers and soldiers have set uptheir Soviet, with one elected deputy from each thousandworkers or soldiers. It meets in the Taurida Palace and nowhas more than 1,000 members. And it is genuinely representativeof the people.The Soviet might make certain mistakes at first. Butit is coming to demand, in a loud and powerful voice, peace,bread and a democratic republic.The Soviet of Workers’ and Soldiers’ Deputies insistson immediate convocation of the Constituent Assembly andsoldier participation in the elections and in deciding theissue of war and peace. It insists on the transfer to thepeasants of land belonging to the tsar and the landlords.It insists on a republic and will not hear of a new, “good”tsar. It demands universal and equal suffrage for all menand women. It has secured the arrest of the tsar and tsarina.The Soviet wants to appoint a watch committee whichwould check on every step of the new government and woulditself become the factual government. The Soviet is workingfor alliance with the workers of all other countriesfor joint attack on the capitalists. Many revolutionaryworkers have gone to the front in order, taking advantageof the newly won freedom, to arrange with the soldiers forunited action to end the war, assure the people their rightsand consolidate Russia’s freedom. The Social-Democraticpaper Pravda 148 has resumed publication in Petrograd andis helping the workers carry out all these great tasks.Such, comrades, is the position today.You war prisoners cannot remain indifferent. You mustbe prepared for the great task that will fall to you, andperhaps very soon.The enemies of Russian freedom sometimes count on you.They say: there are about two million Russian war prisoners;