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

360V. I. LENINre-establishment of the police! Build up the people’s militiainto a genuine all people’s militia led by the proletariat,into “our state”, with the capitalists paying the workers fortime served in the militia. Supplement the “miracles ofproletarian heroism” which the proletariat displayed yesterdayin battle with tsarism and will display tomorrow inbattle with the Guchkovs and Milyukovs, with “miraclesof proletarian organisation”. That is the slogan of themoment! That is the earnest of success!The workers are being impelled onto that path byobjective conditions: famine, the need to distribute grainstocks, the inevitability of “Zivildienstpflicht”*, the needto secure peace. Our peace terms, Lenin said, are as follows:(1) The Soviet of Workers’ Deputies, as a revolutionarygovernment, declares forthwith that it is not bound by anytreaties concluded by the tsarist government or the bourgeoisie;(2) it publishes at once all these vile, predatorytreaties; (3) it openly proposes an immediate truce to allcountries in the war; (4) it proposes the liberation of allcolonies and of all oppressed nations as a condition of peace;(5) it declares that it has no confidence in any of the bourgeoisgovernments and calls on the workers of all countriesto overthrow them; (6) it declares that, since the war loanswere contracted by the bourgeoisie, they must be paid bythe capitalists.This policy would attract to the Soviet of Workers’Deputies the majority of workers and poor peasants. Confiscationof the landed estates would be assured. This wouldnot yet be socialism. It would signify the victory of the workersand poor peasants, one that would assure peace, freedomand bread. For such peace terms we, too, would beprepared to fight a revolutionary war! Lenin recalled thestatement made in No. 47 of Sotsial-Demokrat (October 13,1915) that the Social-Democratic movement does not in advancerenounce such a revolutionary war.** Assistance fromthe socialist proletariat of all countries would be assured.The foul appeals of the social-patriots (such as Guesde’s* Civilian-service duty.—Ed.** See present edition, Vol. 21, pp. 401-04.—Ed.