V. I.

Lenin

An Equilibrium of Forces [1]

1) The result to date (Monday, October 30 [17]) is an equilibrium of forces, as
we already pointed out in Proletary , No. 23.

2) Tsarism is no longer strong enough, the revolution not yet
strong enough, to win.

3) Hence the tremendous amount of vacillation. The terrific and enormous
increase of revolutionary happenings (strikes, meetings, barricades,
committees of public safety, complete paralysis of the government, etc.), on
the other hand, the absence of resolute repressive measures. The troops are wavering .

4) The tsar’s Court is wavering ( The Times and the Daily Telegraph ) between dictatorship and a constitution.

The Court is wavering and biding its time . Strictly speaking, these
are its correct tactics: the equilibrium of forces compels it to bide its time, for power is in its hands .

Therevolution has reached a stage at which it is disadvantageous for the counter-revolution to attack, to assume the offensive .

Forus, for the proletariat, for consistent revolutionary democrats, this is not enough . If we do not rise to a higher level, if we do not manage to
launch an independent offensive, if we do not smash the forces of tsarism, do
not destroy its actual power, then the revolution will stop half way, then the
bourgeoisie will fool the workers .

5) Rumour has it that a constitution has been decided upon. If that is
so, then it follows that the tsar is heeding the lessons of 1848 and other
revolutions: he wants to grant a constitution without a
constituent assembly, before a constituent assembly, apart
from a constituent assembly.

What kind of constitution? At best (for ’the tsar)=a Constitutional-Democratic
constitution.

Thisimplies: achievement of the Constitutional-Democrats’ ideal, skipping the
revolution; deceiving the people, for all the same there will be no
complete and actual freedom of elections.

Shouldnot the revolution skip this granted constitution?

---
Notes:
[1]
An Equilibrium of Forces was completed several hours before the telegraph brought the news to Geneva that the tsar’s
Manifesto of

October 17 (30) has been made public. The questions touched upon in
An Equilibrium of Forces were developed in detail in the
article “The Denouement Is at Hand” (see pp. 447-54 of this volume).