Collected Works of V. I. Lenin - Vol. 13 - From Marx to Mao

416V. I. LENINhad received two million dessiatins, and out of six milliondessiatins of forest land had received only one milliondessiatins. He described the poverty of the peasants whohave been reduced to such a state that not only “have theyused the fences round their huts for decades to heat theirstoves”, but “saw off the corners of their own huts”; “outof big old huts they build small ones in order, when rebuilding,to save a log or two for firewood” (1344). “In face ofthese conditions, under which our peasants live, the gentlemenon the Right sigh for culture. In their opinion, culturehas been killed by the muzhik, you see. But can a coldand hungry peasant think of culture? Instead of land theywant to offer him this culture; but I don’t trust them hereeither, I think they, too, will be glad to sell their land, onlythey will bargain to make the peasant pay dearly for it.That’s why they agree. In my opinion—and the peasantsparticularly should know this—it is not a question of theland, gentlemen. I think I shall not be mistaken in sayingthat there is something else behind this land, some otherkind of power, which the feudal nobility are afraid to handover to the people, are afraid to lose together with the land.I mean political power, gentlemen. They are willing to giveup the land, and they will do so, but in such a way that weremain their slaves as of old. If we fall into debt we shallnever free ourselves from the power of the feudal landlords”(1345). It is difficult to imagine anything more strikingand apt than this exposure by a worker of the essence of theCadets’ plans!The Social-Democrat Serov, during the 20th session, April2, 1907, mainly criticised the views of the Cadets, asthe “representatives of capital” (1492), “representatives ofcapitalist landownership”. He quoted detailed figures showingwhat redemption meant in 1861 and rejected the “elasticprinciple” of a fair valuation. Serov, from the Marxiststandpoint, gave a faultlessly correct answer to Kutler’sargument that it was impossible to confiscate the landwithout confiscating capital. “We do not at all put forwardthe argument that the land is nobody’s, that the land isnot the creation of human hands” (1497). “Having achievedself-consciousness, the proletariat, represented here by theSocial-Democratic Party, rejects all forms of exploitation,