Leon Trotsky, The Lessons of October - Platypus

16 The Lessons of Octoberpower but, instead, a free people are ”remaining at their post.” The ideasas well as the formulas are defensist through and through! And further inthe same article:”Our slogan is not the empty cry ’Down with war!’ whichmeans the disorganization of the revolutionary army and of thearmy that is becoming ever more revolutionary. Our slogan isbring pressure [!] to bear on the Provisional Government so asto compel it to make, without fail, openly and before the eyes ofworld democracy [!], an attempt [!] to induce [!] all the warringcountries to initiate immediate negotiations to end the worldwar. Till then let everyone [!] remain at his post [!].”The program of exerting pressure on an imperialist government so as to”induce” it to pursue a pious course was the program of Kautsky and Ledebourin Germany, Jean Longuet in France, MacDonald in England; but itwas never the program of Bolshevism. In conclusion, the article not onlyextends the ”warmest greetings” to the notorious manifesto of the PetrogradSoviet addressed ”To the Peoples of the World” (a manifesto permeatedfrom beginning to end with the spirit of revolutionary defensism),but underscores ”with pleasure” the solidarity of the editorial board withthe openly defensist resolutions adopted at two meetings in Petrograd. Ofthese resolutions it is enough to say that one runs as follows:”If the democratic forces in Germany and Austria pay no heedto our voice [i.e., the ”voice” of the Provisional Government andof the conciliationist soviet -L.T.], then we shall defend our fatherlandto the last drop of our blood.” 2The above quoted article is not an exception. On the contrary it quite accuratelyexpresses the position of Pravda prior to Lenin 5 return to Russia.Thus, in the next issue of the paper, in an article ”On the War,” although itcontains some criticism of the ”Manifesto to the Peoples of the World,” thefollowing occurs:”It is impossible not to hail yesterday’s proclamation of the PetrogradSoviet of Workers’ and Soldiers’ Deputies to the peoplesof the world, summoning them to force their governments tobring the slaughter to an end.” 32 Pravda, No.9, March 15, 19173 Pravda, No.10, March 16, 1917