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

356V. I. LENINimperialist slaughter. Second, as a result of the militarydefeats sustained by tsarism, the old officer corps wasreplaced by new, young, predominantly bourgeois, officers.Third, the entire Russian bourgeoisie, which between1905 and 1914, and particularly between 1914 and 1917,had intensively organised its forces, joined with the landlordsin a common struggle against the decadent tsaristregime in the hope of enriching itself by seizing Armenia,Constantinople, Galicia, etc. Fourth, to these imperialistforces was added the deep-going and rapidly unfolding proletarianmovement. The proletariat, which performed therevolution, demanded peace, bread and freedom. It had nothingin common with the imperialist bourgeoisie, and itgave leadership to the majority of the army, composed ofworkers and peasants. The conversion of the imperialistwar into civil war has begun.Hence, the basic contradiction of the present revolution—onethat reveals it merely as the first stage of thefirst revolution brought about by the imperialist war. TheGuchkov-Milyukov landlord and capitalist governmentcan give the people neither peace, bread, nor freedom. Itis a government for continuing the predatory war. It hasopenly declared that it will abide by the tsar’s internationaltreaties, and these are all predatory treaties. At best,it might postpone the crisis, but it cannot ward off famine.Nor can it give the country freedom, no matter how many“promises” it makes (promises are cheap), because it isbound by the interests of landlordism and capital. From thevery start it tried to arrange a deal with the dynasty, theobject being to restore the monarchy.That is why it would be the height of folly to adopttactics of “supporting” the new government in the interests,supposedly, of “combating reaction”. That struggle requiresthe arming of the proletariat—the only serious, effectiveguarantee both against tsarism and attempts by the Guchkovsand Milyukovs to restore the monarchy.Deputy Skobelev is therefore right in saying thatRussia is “on the eve of a second, real [wirklich] revolution”.The people’s organisation for this revolution alreadyexists and is growing. That organisation is the Soviet