V. I.

Lenin

“Don’t Gaze Up, Gaze Down!”

This is what Mr. I. Zhilkin says in today’s issue of the Left-Cadet Nasha Zhizn . He sadly notes the “glow of self-satisfaction” on the
faces of the Cadets. He is moved to protest by Mr. Milyukov’s delighted
statement that “the Cadets are dissociating themselves from the extreme
Left”. He scoffs at the “unusual political wisdom” of the
Cadets, who admit that the situation is “hopeless” and at the same
time talk boastfully about boldly steering the ship of state into the fairway.

Let us examine these reflections, for they concern the fundamental question in
the present political situation. We think it particularly important to emphasise
that events are compelling even those who totally disagree with the
views of the Left Social-Democrats, and are most vehemently opposing us, to
appraise the situation correctly.

According to rumours emanating from the Russian reactionaries’ club in Paris,
“all wavering in Peterhof has ceased. Goremykin has been given a free
hand”, i.e., freedom to make short work of the Duma. And Nasha Zhizn , which does not share the Bolsheviks’ proclivity to paint everything
in gloomy colours, says: “We have every reason to believe that these
rumours are trustworthy....” “The fight is becoming more intense.... He
who raises the sword shall perish by the sword,” says the leading article in
this newspaper in conclusion. And Mr. I. Zhilkin writes: “Are there many
people in Russia who believe in a peaceful, victorious out come of parliamentary
work? One must be a romantic, a visionary, an idealist, to be carried away by
such rosy dreams.” And in the next column Mr. V. Khizhnyakov writes:

“We cannot avoid revolutionary storms—this must be admitted. The Duma is powerless to turn the movement to the peaceful path, for
it lacks the power to improve the conditions of life of the people, and
without such a power there is no other road but that of revolution. One is
already conscious of an ever-growing feeling of discontent, of a rap idly
waning faith in the almighty power of the Duma and giving way to despair

[lack of faith in the Duma, like lack of faith in God, is by no means an
indication of “despair”].

The atmosphere is gradually becoming electrified: some times we hear the distant roll of thunder; it will not
be very long, perhaps, before the storm bursts.”

This is said by people whose opinion we particularly value because of their
preconceived hostility to revolutionary Social-Democracy. Events have
compelled these people to repeat the very propositions on which we have
always insisted, and for which the liberal bourgeoisie has always denounced,
abused and reviled us, inventing a heap of scandal, lies and slander about the
“Bolsheviks”.

“ Don’t gaze up, gaze down!” This means that in view of the objective
historical conditions, which do not depend upon our will, the parliamentary
struggle cannot become the main form of the liberation movement in Russia at the present time. Needless to say, it is not a matter of
“repudiating” this form of struggle, not a matter of rejecting
it. The fact is that, owing to the course of events, the main and
decisive struggle is advancing in another arena. The liberal bourgeoisie has on
innumerable occasions slanderously stated that we Bolsheviks “are
recklessly pushing the people towards extreme measures” ( Rech ,
No. 88). But, gentlemen, was it really we who “pushed” Zhilkin,
Khizhnyakov and the leader-writer of Nasha Zhizn? Was it really we who
“pushed” the Kursk and Poltava soldiers, the Kiev, Saratov and other
peasants?

We have “pushed” and roused those whose faces were always
“glowing with self-satisfaction”. We have said that the form of the
struggle for liberation does not depend upon our will, that we must soberly and
fearlessly look in the face of reality, which precludes the “path”
that even Nasha Zhizn now admits is closed. We have said that
socialists cannot and must not sacrifice the fundamental interests of democracy
and of socialism for the sake of momentary successes; that it is their duty to tell the masses the bitter truth that the
Cadets are unreliable, that the Duma is powerless and that revolutionary storms
are inevitable. If, having been enchanted by the oratory of the Cadets at
election meetings, the masses do not understand us today, and if, carried away with
joy in the first days of the first Russian parliament, they do not understand us
tomorrow, the day after tomorrow they will be convinced that we are
right. Events will make them see that the revolutionary Social-Democratic Party
is not tempted by tawdry successes, that it calls upon them firmly and
consistently to “gaze” in the very direction where the struggle is
inevitably developing that will decide the fate of genuine (and not Cadet)
people’s freedom.

Our revolution is the great Russian revolution precisely because it has roused
vast masses of the people to participation in making history. Class
contradictions among these masses are still far from having revealed themselves
in full measure. Political parties are only just taking shape. Therefore it is
not within our power either to direct the masses or restrain them to any great
extent. But we can, after studying the actual situation and the relations
between classes, foresee the inevitable trend of their historic activities, the
main forms of their movement. We must spread our socialist knowledge among the
masses as widely as possible, undaunted by the fact that truth is often very
bitter, and not easily discernible beneath the tinsel of fashionable political
labels or gaudy political institutions: and not allowing ourselves to be
enchanted by beautiful fiction. We shall do our duty if we do everything to
enlighten the masses and prepare them for forms of the movement which, though
imperceptible to the superficial observer, nevertheless, inexorably follow from
the whole economic and political situation in the country. We shall fail in our
duty if we only gaze “up”, and miss what is going on, growing,
approaching and impending below.

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