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

A CARICATURE OF MARXISM33lands (and such is the war of 1914-16), then all talk of defendingthe fatherland is “sheer deception of the people”.How, then, can we disclose and define the “substance”of a war? War is the continuation of policy. Consequently,we must examine the policy pursued prior to the war, thepolicy that led to and brought about the war. If it was animperialist policy, i.e., one designed to safeguard the interestsof finance capital and rob and oppress colonies andforeign countries, then the war stemming from that policyis imperialist. If it was a national liberation policy, i.e.,one expressive of the mass movement against nationaloppression, then the war stemming from that policy is a warof national liberation.The philistine does not realise that war is “the continuationof policy”, and consequently limits himself to the formulathat “the enemy has attacked us”, “the enemy hasinvaded my country”, without stopping to think what issuesare at stake in the war, which classes are waging it, and withwhat political objects. Kievsky stoops right down to thelevel of such a philistine when he declares that Belgium hasbeen occupied by the Germans, and hence, from the pointof view of self-determination, the “Belgian social-patriotsare right”, or: the Germans have occupied part of France,hence, “Guesde can be satisfied”, for “what is involved isterritory populated by his nation” (and not by an aliennation).For the philistine the important thing is where the armiesstand, who is winning at the moment. For the Marxist theimportant thing is what issues are at stake in this war,during which first one, then the other army may be on top.What is the present war being fought over? The answeris given in our resolution (based on the policy the belligerentpowers pursued for decades prior to the war). England,France and Russia are fighting to keep the colonies they haveseized, to be able to rob Turkey, etc. Germany is fightingto take over these colonies and to be able herself to robTurkey, etc. Let us suppose even that the Germans takeParis or St. Petersburg. Would that change the nature ofthe present war? Not at all. The Germans’ purpose—andmore important, the policy that would bring it to realisationif they were to win—is to seize the colonies, establish