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

390 NOTES424344tabled a resolution urging the party to affiliate with Zimmerwaldand endorse the political programme of the Zimmerwald Right.The Left forces, in an amendment moved by the Lausanne branch,called for mass revolutionary struggle against the war, declaringthat only a victorious proletarian revolution could put an end toimperialist war. Under Grimm’s pressure, the amendment was withdrawn,but it was again proposed by M. M . Kharitonov, a Bolshevikdelegated by one of the party’s branches. Out of tactical considerationsGrimm and his supporters were obliged to approve the amendmentand it was carried by 258 votes to 141. p. 87Bund (General Jewish Workers’ Union of Lithuania, Poland andRussia) was composed mainly of semi-proletarian elements, Jewishartisans in Russia’s Western areas. Was a vehicle of nationalism andseparatism in the labour movement.Bulletin of the Bund Committee Abroad, successor to the InformationLetter of the Bund Organisation Abroad, published in Geneva.Two issues appeared, in September and December 1916. Followeda social-chauvinist policy. The “Letter from Russia” here quotedby Lenin appeared in No. 1 of the Bulletin and is analysed in moredetail in Lenin’s article “The Chkheidze Faction and Its Role”(see pp. 171-74 of this volume). p. 88Potresov, A. N. (1869-1934)—prominent Menshevik leader andtheoretician of liquidationism. Played a leading part in the magazinesVozrozhdeniye (Regeneration), Nasha Zarya (Our Dawn) andother publications of the Menshevik liquidators. Took a socialchauviniststand in the First World War. p. 88The Italian Socialist Party was founded in 1892 and from thevery start became the scene of a sharp struggle on all basic politicaland tactical issues between the opportunist and revolutionaryforces. At its Congress in Reggio-Emilia (1912), the more outspokenreformists, who supported the war and co-operation with the governmentand the bourgeoisie, were expelled under pressure from theLeft. Prior to Italy’s entry into the First World War, the party opposedwar and advocated neutrality. In December 1914 it expelleda group of renegades (among them Mussolini) for supporting the imperialistpolicy of the bourgeoisie and urging Italy’s entry intothe war. When Italy did enter, in May 1915, the party split intothree distinct factions: (1) the Right wing, which helped the bourgeoisieprosecute the war, (2) the Centrists, who made up the majorityof the party and pursued a policy of “no participation in the warand no sabotage of the war” and (3) the Left wing which took amore resolute stand, but failed to organise a consistent struggleagainst the war. The Lefts did not realise the need to turn theimperialist war into a civil war, or to break with the reformists,who were cooperating with the bourgeoisie.The Italian socialists held a joint conference with the Swisssocialists in Lugano (1914), took an active part in the internationalsocialist conferences at Zimmerwald (1915) and Kienthal (1916).