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

A CARICATURE OF MARXISM35negation of wars really waged for liberating nations is topresent the worst possible caricature of Marxism. Plekhanovand the French social-chauvinists harp on the republic inFrance in order to justify its “defence” against the Germanmonarchy. If we were to follow Kievsky’s line of reasoning,we would have to oppose either the republic or a war reallyfought to preserve the republic!! The German social-chauvinistspoint to universal suffrage and compulsory primaryeducation in their country to justify its “defence” againsttsarism. If we were to follow Kievsky’s line of reasoning,we would have to oppose either universal suffrage and compulsoryprimary education or a war really fought to safeguardpolitical freedom against attempts to abolish it!Up to the 1914-16 war Karl Kautsky was a Marxist, andmany of his major writings and statements will alwaysremain models of Marxism. On August 26, 1910, he wrote inDie Neue Zeit, 23 in reference to the imminent war:“In a war between Germany and England the issue isnot democracy, but world domination, i.e., exploitationof the world. That is not an issue on which Social-Democratscan side with the exploiters of their nation” (Neue Zeit, 28.Jahrg., Bd. 2, S. 776).There you have an excellent Marxist formulation, one thatfully coincides with our own and fully exposes the presentdayKautsky, who has turned from Marxism to defence ofsocial-chauvinism. It is a formulation (we shall have occasionto revert to it in other articles) that clearly brings out theprinciples underlying the Marxist attitude towards war.War is the continuation of policy. Hence, once there is astruggle for democracy, a war for democracy is possible.National self-determination is but one of the democraticdemands and does not, in principle, differ from other democraticdemands. “World domination” is, to put it briefly,the substance of imperialist policy, of which imperialistwar is the continuation. Rejection of “defence of the fatherland”in a democratic war, i.e., rejecting participation insuch a war, is an absurdity that has nothing in common withMarxism. To embellish imperialist war by applying to itthe concept of “defence of the fatherland”, i.e., by presentingit as a democratic war, is to deceive the workers and sidewith the reactionary bourgeoisie.