LEPIPSKY COLLECTION.
But this will not happen. Firstly, the Cadets will not give a legal
workers' party to anyone except Messrs. Potresov and Co. Secondly, if
they do give it, we will still create our own special party and will
definitely combine legal work with illegal work.
Absolutely not again in the style of the Second International!
Absolutely not with Kautsky! Absolutely a more revolutionary
program and tactics (elements of it are present in K. Liebknecht, in the Socialist
Labour Party in America, the Hollandic Marxists, etc.)
and absolutely combining legal work with illegal work.
Republican propaganda, struggle against imperialism, still revolutionary propaganda, agitation, and struggle
with the goal of international proletarian revolution, with the seizure
of power by "Soviets of Workers' Deputies" (and not Cadet
scoundrels).
...After the "great rebellion" of 1905—the "glorious revolution"
of 1917! 2) ...............
Please forward this letter to Lyudmila 3) and drop me a line about how much we agree, how much we disagree,
and also about the plans of A. M. and others. If our deputies are returned,
one of them must be brought without fail for a couple of weeks to Scandinavia.
I shake your hand firmly.
Yours,
1) In No. 58 of "Sotsial-Demokrat," published on January 31, 1917,
in the article "A Turning Point in World Politics," V. I. Lenin wrote the following
regarding the possibility of a separate peace between Tsarist Russia and Wilhelmine Germany: "The Tsar could say to Wilhelm: 'If I openly
sign a separate peace, then tomorrow you, my most august *contractor*
will have to deal with the government of Milyukov and Guchkov, if not
Milyukov and Kerensky.
For the revolution is growing, and I cannot vouch for the army,
with whose generals Guchkov is corresponding, and whose officers now,
more so than yesterday's gymnasium students'." See Collected Works, Vol. XIII, p. 483.
2) After the great rebellion of 1905—the glorious revolution of 1917.
3) Lyudmila—Comrade Lyudmila Stal.

44.
Dear A. M.! We have just received your telegram, Formulated in such
a way that it almost sounds ironic (please think about "directives" from here, when the news is archi-scarce, and in Piter
there are probably not only factually leading comrades in
our party, but also formally authorized representatives of the Central
Committee!).
Just this minute I read the telegram from the Petersburg
Telegraph Agency of the 17th with the program of the new government
and with news of Bonar Law's communication that the Tsar has not yet abdicated
and that he is unknown where.
Yesterday it seemed so that the Guchkov-Milyukov government
had already completely won and had already entered into an agreement with the dynasty;
today the situation is that there is no dynasty, the Tsar has fled,
obviously preparing a counter-revolution!...
We have begun working on theses, which may be we will finish
this evening, and then, of course, we will send them to you immediately.
If possible, wait for the theses, which *) correct (resp.
cancel) what I am writing now only in my own name.
-------Just now we managed to compose, together with Zinoviev, the first
draft of the theses, a rough draft, very unsatisfactory
editorially (we, of course, will not print it t h a t way), but giving,
I hope, an idea of the essence 1).
We earnestly ask you to acquaint Yury [Pyatakov] and
Evg. Bosh, as well as Lyudmila [Stal], with this, and also to drop us at least
a couple of words before leaving—and also be sure to agree
*) The words (if you have time to see them) are crossed out in the manuscript text.
Ed.
A. Kollontai.
17-III. 1917.

LENINIST COLLECTION.
with someone remaining in Norway about forwarding ours to Russia and the Russian
to us.
Please do this and ask this remaining (or Norwegian, knowing Polish, French or English) comrade to be archiaccurate. We will send money for expenses.
In my opinion, the main thing now is not to get entangled in stupid
"unification" attempts with social-patriots (or, even more dangerous, those fluctuating in the vein of the Organizational Committee,
Trotsky and Co) and to continue the work of one's own party in a consistent-
[ly]-internationalist spirit.
The current priority is to broaden the work, organize the masses, awaken
new strata, backward, rural, servants, cells in the army for a systematic, thoroughgoing Entlarvung 2) of the new
government and prepare for the conquest of power by the Soviets of working
deputies.
Only such a power can give bread, peace, and freedom.
Now—to finish off the reaction, no shadow of trust or support
for the new government (no shadow of trust in Kerensky, Gvozdev,
Chkhenkeli, Chkheidze and Co.) and armed waiting, armed preparation of a broader base for
a higher stage.
With freedom of the press, to republish (as materials for the history
of the recent past) our local things here, and telegraphically inform
us whether we can help with writing from here via Scandinavia.
We are afraid that we will not be able to leave damned Switzerland
anytime soon.
I shake your hand firmly.
Yours, Lenin.
I wish you every and all success!
P. S. I am afraid that the prevailing disease now in Piter
will be "simply" infatuation, without systhematical work on a party
of the new type, by no means à la "II International."
Outwards!
Raise new strata! Awaken new initiative, new organizations in all strata and prove to them that peace will only be given by
an armed Soviet of Workers' Deputies, if it takes power.
1) The theses about which Vladimir Ilyich is speaking here have not yet
been published, they are printed below, p. 329.
2) Denunciation.