V. I. Lenin

Notes to the Resolution of the Stuttgart Congress on “Militarism and International Conflicts” {1}

Accordingly,the Congress considers it to be the duty of the working class and especially of its representatives in
the parliaments, in View of the class character of bourgeois society, to
use every means to struggle against and to deny appropriations for the
aggressive policy of states, and to act in such a way as to educate working-class youth in the spirit of socialism and an awareness of the brotherhood of nations .*)
. . .

*) The Russian amendment also had this provision:
“in such a way that the ruling classes would not dare to use it (youth) as
an instrument to consolidate their class domination against the fighting
proletariat”. These words were deleted by the commission not because
anyone disagreed with them in principle, but because they were regarded by the Germans as
being illegal and capable of providing a pretext for the dissolution of
German Social-Democratic organisations. This abridgement did not alter the
essential meaning of the corresponding passage of the resolution.

. . .

Inthe event of a danger of war, the working class and its parliamentary representatives in the countries concerned must, relying
on the support of the international Bureau, do everything they can to
prevent a declaration of war, by every means which they consider
reasonable, and the choice of which depends on the degree of aggravation of the class struggle and the general political situation .*)
. . .

*) The Russian amendment said that these means (to prevent war) are
changed and intensified (sich \"andern und steigern )
depending on the aggravation of the class struggle, etc. The commission
deleted “intensified”, leaving only “changed”.

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Notes:
{1}
The International Socialist Congress at Stuttgart (the Seventh
Congress of the Second International) was held from August 18 to 24, 1907.

The Congress was attended by 886 delegates representing socialist
parties and trade unions. The German delegation was especially numerous
(289 persons), most of them trade union officials, a fact which had a
strong effect on the stand of the German Social-Democratic Party in the
discussion and adoption of the Congress resolutions.

Thedelegation from Russia consisted of 37 Social-Democrats, 24 S.R.s
and 7 trade unionists. On the Bolshevik delegation were V. I. Lenin,
A. A. Bogdanov, I. P. Goldenberg (Meshkovsky), B. A. Knunyants,
M. M. Litvinov, A. V. Lunacharsky, N. A. Semashko and M. Tskhakaya.

The Congress examined the following questions: 1) Militarism and
international conflicts. 2) Relations between political parties and trade
unions. 3) Colonial question. 4) Immigration and emigration of workers. 5)
Women’s suffrage.

Leninheld several conferences of Bolshevik delegates to define their
line in the Social-Democratic section, in the Russia delegation and at the
Congress; he took part in the meetings of the Social-Democratic section,
where he fought the opportunist line of the Mensheviks, and in the meetings
of the Russia delegation, where he defended the R.S.D.L.P. stand against
the S.R.s.

Duringthe Congress, Lenin carried out a great deal of work in uniting
the Left-wing forces in international Social-Democracy, resolutely fighting
the opportunists and revisionists. The conferences he organised with
Left-wingers (Clara Zetkin, Rosa Luxemburg, Leon Tyszka, Georg Ledebour and
others) were the first step in rallying the revolutionary Marxists.

Thework of the Congress was concentrated in the committees, which
drafted the resolutions for the Plenary Meetings. Lenin took part in the
work of the committee on “Militarism and International Conflicts”. In the
discussion of the draft resolution motioned by August Bebel, Lenin proposed
amendments, which were supported by the Polish Social-Democrats, and
secured a basic change in the draft in the spirit of revolutionary Marxism.

Therewas an acute struggle on the colonial question. The opportunist
majority of the committee, headed by die Dutch “socialist” Van Kol,
motioned an opportunist draft resolution which was supported by a majority
of the German delegation. The resolution on the colonial question adopted
by the Congress denounced all colonial policy straightforwardly and without
reservations.

The Congress adopted a resolution on the immigration and emigration of
workers, which met the demands of the revolutionary

Social-Democrats, and of the internationalist education of workers in all
countries.

Leninattached great importance to the adoption by the Congress of a
resolution on the relations between the trade unions and the political
party of the working class. In the committee Lenin’s line on the
partisanship of the trade unions was supported by A. V. Lunacharsky. On
this, question, contrary to the efforts of the Right wing, the Congress
adopted a resolution confirming the principle of partisanship of the trade
unions.

For Lenin’s articles on the Stuttgart Congress see present edition,
Vol. 13, pp. 75–93.

p. 200