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

412 NOTES142143144145publication in 1949 under the name Frarkfurter AllgemeineZeitung; speaks for West German monopoly interests. p. 320Vossische Zeitung—a moderate liberal newspaper published inBerlin from 1704 to 1934. p. 320See Lenin’s The State and Revolution (present edition,Vol. 25). p. 325Soon after its formation, the Provisional Government appointedthe Octobrist M. A. Stakhovich Governor-General of Finland andthe Cadet F. I. Rodichev Minister (or Commissioner) for FinnishAffairs. On March 8 (21), the Provisional Government issued itsManifesto “On Approval and Enforcement of the Constitution ofthe Grand Duchy of Finland”. Under this Finland was allowed autonomywith the proviso that laws promulgated by the Finnish Dietwould be subject to confirmation by the Russian Government. Lawsthat ran counter to Finnish legislation were to remain in force forthe duration of the war.The Provisional Government wanted the Finnish Diet to amendthe Constitution to give “Russian citizens equal rights with Finnishcitizens in commerce and industry”, for under the tsarist governmentsuch equality was imposed in defiance of Finnish laws. At thesame time, the Provisional Government refused to discuss selfdeterminationfor Finland “pending convocation of the constituentassembly”. This led to a sharp conflict, resolved only after the GreatOctober Socialist Revolution when, on December 18 (31), 1917, theSoviet Government granted Finland full independence. p. 331Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism was written in the firsthalf of 1916, and on June 19 (July 2) was sent to Petrograd via Paris.It was to have been published by the Parus publishing housewhich, on Maxim Gorky’s initiative, was putting out a series ofpopular surveys of West-European countries involved in the war.Lenin maintained contact with the publishers through the editorof the series, M. N. Pokrovsky. On September 29, 1916, Gorkywrote Pokrovsky in Paris that Lenin’s book was “reallyexcellent” and would be put out in addition to the regularseries. However, the Parus editors strongly objected to Lenin’scriticism of Kautsky’s renegade position and substantially alteredthe text, deleting all criticism of Kautsky’s theory of ultra-imperialismand distorting a number of Lenin’s formulations. The bookwas finally published in mid-1917 with a preface by Lenin, datedApril 26.Parus (Sail) and Letopis (Annals)—the names of the publishinghouse and magazine founded by Gorky in Petrograd.Letopis—a magazine of literature, science and politics whose contributorsincluded former Bolsheviks (the Machists V. A. Bazarov andA. A. Bogdanov) and Mensheviks. Gorky was literary editor, andamong the other prominent writers contributing to Letopis wereAlexander Blok, Valeri Bryusov, Fyodor Gladkov, Sergei Yesenin.