...cratic, activity" full) capitalism. The more we expose capitalism before the workers for its "greed and cruelty," the harder it becomes for capitalism of the first sort to hold on, the more inevitable its transition to capitalism of the second sort. And that is to our advantage, that is to the advantage of the proletariat.

Do you think I have fallen into contradiction? At the beginning of the letter I found the words "realism, democracy, activity" bad, and now I find them good? There is no contradiction here: what is bad for the proletarian is good for the bourgeois.

The Germans have an exemplary journal of the opportunists, *Sozialistische Monatshefte* (Socialist Monthly).\(^{22}\) There, gentlemen like Schippel and Bernstein have long been attacking the international policy of revolutionary Social-Democracy by shouting that their policy degenerates into "lamentations of compassionate" people. That is a trick of the opportunist swindlers, my dear fellow. Ask someone to get you that journal from Naples and translate their articles, if you are interested in international politics.

Probably you too in Italy have such opportunists—only Marxists are lacking in Italy, that is what makes it so vile.

The international proletariat is squeezing capital in two ways: by turning it from Octobrist into democratic, and by driving out Octobrist capital from itself and transferring it to the savages. And this broadens the base of capital and brings its death nearer. In Western Europe there is almost no Octobrist capital left; almost all capital is democratic. Octobrist capital from England and France has gone to Russia and Asia. The Russian revolution and the revolutions in Asia = the struggle to drive out Octobrist capital and replace it with democratic capital. And democratic capital = the last-born.

It has nowhere further to go. Beyond that, it is kaput.

How do you find *Zvezda* and *Mysl*? The former is dull, in my opinion. The latter is entirely ours and delights me immensely. Only they will shut it down quickly.

What about arranging for me to get books on the agrarian question from *Znanie*? Talk to Pyatnitsky. I cannot find a publisher, and that's that. I could cry for help.\(^{23}\)

I read your postscript: "my hands are trembling and freezing" and I am indignant. What lousy houses on Capri! This is an outrage! Even here we have steam heating, it is quite warm, while with you "your hands are freezing." You must revolt.

A firm handshake. Yours, Lenin

I received an invitation from Bologna to go to the school (20 workers). I replied with a refusal.* I do not want to have dealings with the Vperyodists. We are again transferring workers here.

(Italy)

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Sent from Paris to the island of Capri

First published in 1924

in *Lenin Miscellany I*

Printed from the manuscript