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

72V. I. LENINsuperstructure, and that it is impossible to eliminate themeconomically without eliminating capitalism itself. Not asingle instance can be cited to disprove this. On the otherhand, political evils represent a departure from democracywhich, economically, is fully possible “on the basis of theexisting system”, i.e., capitalism, and by way of exception isbeing implemented under capitalism—certain aspects in onecountry, other aspects in another. Again, what the authorfails to understand is precisely the fundamental conditionsnecessary for the implementation of democracy in general!The same applies to the question of divorce. The readerwill recall that it was first posed by Rosa Luxemburg in thediscussion on the national question. She expressed the perfectlyjustified opinion that if we uphold autonomy withina state (for a definite region, area, etc.), we must, as centralistSocial-Democrats, insist that all major national issues—and divorce legislation is one of them—should come withinthe jurisdiction of the central government and centralparliament. This example clearly demonstrates that one cannotbe a democrat and socialist without demanding fullfreedom of divorce now, because the lack of such freedom isadditional oppression of the oppressed sex—though it shouldnot be difficult to realise that recognition of the freedom toleave one’s husband is not an invitation to all wives to do so!P. Kievsky “objects”:“What would this right [of divorce] be like if in such cases[when the wife wants to leave the husband] she could notexercise her right? Or if its exercise depended on the will ofthird parties, or, worse still, on the will of claimants to heraffections? Would we advocate the proclamation of such aright? Of course not!”That objection reveals complete failure to understandthe relation between democracy in general and capitalism.The conditions that make it impossible for the oppressedclasses to “exercise” their democratic rights are not theexception under capitalism; they are typical of the system.In most cases the right of divorce will remain unrealisableunder capitalism, for the oppressed sex is subjugated economically.No matter how much democracy there is undercapitalism, the woman remains a “domestic slave”, a slavelocked up in the bedroom, nursery, kitchen. The right to