Polemic on General Line of International ... - From Marx to Mao

In the Decree on Peace issued after the October Revolution,while proposing an immediate peace without annexationor indemnities to all the belligerent countries, Lenin calledupon the class-conscious workers in the capitalist countries tohelp, by comprehensive, determined, and supremely vigorousaction “to bring to a successful conclusion the cause of peace,and at the same time the cause of the emancipation of thetoiling and exploited masses of the population from all formsof slavery and all forms of exploitation”. 1The Draft Programme of the Party which Lenin drew upfor the Seventh Congress of the Russian Communist Partylaid down explicitly that “support of the revolutionary movementof the socialist proletariat in the advanced countriesand “support of the democratic and revolutionary movementin all countries in general, and particularly in the colonies anddependent countries” constituted the important aspects of theParty’s international policy. 2Fifthly, Lenin consistently held that it was impossible forthe oppressed classes and nations to coexist peacefully withthe oppressor classes and nations.In the “Theses on the Fundamental Tasks of the SecondCongress of the Communist International”, he pointed out:. . . the bourgeoisie, even the most educated and democratic,now no longer hesitates to resort to any fraud orcrime, to massacre millions of workers and peasants in orderto save the private ownership of the means of production.” 3Lenin’s conclusions were:1V. I. Lenin, “Report on Peace”, delivered at the Second All-RussianCongress of Soviets of Workers’ and Soldiers’ Deputies, Selected Works,Eng. ed., FLPH, Moscow, 1952, Vol. II, Part 1, p. 331.2V. I. Lenin, “Rough Draft of a Programme”, delivered at the SeventhCongress of Russian Communist Party (Bolsheviks), Selected Works,Eng. ed., International Publishers, New York, 1943, Vol. VIII, p. 334.3V. I. Lenin, Selected Works, Eng. ed., International Publishers, NewYork, 1943, Vol. X, p 164.267