V. I. Lenin

Source: ru:PSS/v24; en:CW/CW41;es:MT
Translated: machine translation (DeepSeek) from the Russian; AI-translated.

THE NATIONAL QUESTION

(THESES FROM MEMORY)

A) Significance of the national question at the present moment.

B) Historical place of national movements (i.e., historical presentation of the national question).

C) Two theories on the national question.

D) Self-determination of nations.

E) Equality of rights and guarantees of minority rights. Autonomy.

F) Cultural-national autonomy.

G) The national principle in Party organisation.

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A. Introduction.

Significance of the national question in the present historical period

1. Government nationalism. The whole counter-revolution is tinged with nationalism.

2. The same applies to bourgeois liberalism (Struve & Co.).

3. With the incredible, unheard-of oppression of nations (57% of the population of Russia)—nationalism among the oppressed nations (the pan-European scramble).

4. Violation of the R.S.D.L.P. programme (distortion of self-determination + cultural-national autonomy).

5. The split of Jewish separatism. National exclusiveness.

B.

6. The national question must be presented historically and economically. The national question is a world-wide phenomenon.

7. The epoch of national movements—the end of the Middle Ages and the beginning of modern times, the epoch of bourgeois-democratic revolutions. National movements everywhere at this time.

8. Economic foundations? Capitalism requires the consolidation of the home market. The market is the centre of commercial intercourse. The principal instrument of human commercial intercourse is language.

9. Consolidation of national regions (re-creation of language, national awakening, etc.) and the creation of the national state. Its economic necessity.

10. The political superstructure over the economy. Democracy, sovereignty of the nation. Hence the “national state”…

11. The national state is the world rule (K. Kautsky in I, 18, pp. 23 and 23–25 of “Internationalität”), while the “state of nationalities is the exception”.

K. Kautsky on O. Bauer: Bauer underestimates the striving for the national state.

(“the strength of the Drang”)

12. The epoch of national (bourgeois-democratic) revolutions of the 19th century (Italy, Germany). In Western Europe it is ended. In the East it has only just begun, and in Asia…

C. Two Marxist theories on the national question.

13. Rise of proletarian parties in the national states. The backward East. “Theories” of the national question. (Little attention has been paid to the theoretical basis. K. Kautsky + O. Bauer.)

14. O. Bauer. Nation = Kulturgemeinschaft. The slogan of “national culture” ((like a red thread)). National character—the main thing. (A heap of reservations, but that is not important.)

(Kautsky’s assessment: Kulturgemeinschaft = O. Bauer’s main mistake.)

15. “Socialism will strengthen the principle of nationality” (O. Bauer I, 5—p. 532 of his book).

16. Bauer’s fundamental error—refined nationalism. Nationalism pure and simple, without exploitation, without a scramble.

17. The policy of the ruling classes is “conservative-national”, ours is “evolutionary-national” (O. Bauer).

18. “We are not satisfied with the old internationalism” (O. Bauer)

(O. Bauer I, 6).

19. ΣΣ in O. Bauer

(α) idealist theory of the nation

(β) slogan of national culture (= bourgeois)

(γ) nationalism purified, refined, absolute, extending even to socialism

(δ) complete oblivion of internationalism.

Σ = national opportunism (Pannekoek).

20. The muddled O. Bauer, exposed by K. Kautsky.

(α) Eigentümlich und hinfällig that O. Bauer talks all the time about national culture. (I, 17) (p. 15 of “Internationalität”)

(β) “Nie ist eine rein nationale Kultur weniger möglich gewesen” (ibid., p. 15 of “Internationalität”)—

((the world language may be English, or perhaps + Russian))

* “By emphasising national culture.” Ed.

(δ) The nation is not a Kultur-, not a Schicksal-, but a Sprachgemeinschaft.

(ε) O. Bauer arrives at “strengthening of the national element”…

*** Enormous exaggeration of the national… element (p. 35 of “Internationalität”). Complete oblivion of the international. Ed.

**** Language and territory. Ed.

D. § 9 of the programme = political self-determination.

22. Its significance in principle and the usage of the whole of international democracy since 1848 = political separation, formation of a national state.

23. Its significance from the standpoint of the history of national movements throughout the world—creation of the national state.

24. The attempts to interpret this § differently are ridiculous (laughable)!!

(α) (α)

The democratic principle in the national question is inseparably connected with the historical and economic conditions of national movements.

25. Departure from the democratic principle is a betrayal and oblivion of the whole of history.

The unfinished nature of the bourgeois revolution.

(β) (β) Russia = a national state in its foundations, base, centre

The border regions—national.

Extreme oppression.

The unfinished nature of the bourgeois-democratic revolution, which is impossible without the national movement and the striving for the creation of national states in general.

26. Russia’s international situation: next to Austria

(γ) (γ)

(with an unfinished bourgeois revolution in respect of the national question) and the awakened Asia (republican China).

Tsarism—the most reactionary state system. Hence the doubly inevitable national movement and the demand on the Great Russians to recognise the right to self-determination.

27. Concrete example. Norway (6 centuries under Denmark). At the beginning of the 19th century [epoch of the Napoleonic wars] ceded (by treaty between Sweden, England and Russia) to Sweden. Taken by war of the Swedes against the Norwegians.

Annexed to Sweden. Retained full autonomy (Storting, army, taxes, customs, etc.). Decades of friction and struggle.

1905. Beginning of the great revolution in the East of Europe—next to it an unfinished bourgeois-democratic revolution in a neighbouring, very free, West European state. Result? The Norwegian revolution of 1905.

The August revolution in Norway. Decision of the Storting (August 17, 1905). Agitation of the priests and landowners in Sweden.

Treaty with the neighbouring state. Peace and complete consummation.

Duty of the Swedish worker? Not only for freedom in general, not only for autonomy, but necessarily for the right of secession.

28. 1905. Finland and Poland.

Deals between the national bourgeoisie and the Russian bourgeoisie. Tasks of the class parties: struggle against nationalist deals, for alliance with the revolutionary proletariat in Russia.

30. Special position of the P.S.D.

The development of capitalism closely linked Poland and Russia. The Lodz factories for the Russian market. It is not our business to create a new class state. Only!!

(α) Not stated: is the bourgeois-democratic revolution in Russia and the East finished? No.

(β) The essence of the matter is not Poland and its secession, but the Russian peasant.

1863

XI. 1905

Rebuff to the nationalism of the Russian peasant not only in the demand for non-oppression of nations, not only for autonomy, but necessarily for the right of secession.

(γ) Example: Marx’s attitude to Poland (Lopatin) and to Ireland…

Where does the absurdity of the P.S.D. come from?

Nationalism turned inside out.

Frightened by the Papuans.

Cracow—an example.

Not along the right line.

History of the P.S.D.’s coming forward with its absurd and reactionary idea.

1895: K. Kautsky

(α) Materialismus einseitig

(β) Afraid of pandering to the nationalism of the petty bourgeoisie? You are helping Russian reaction!

1903. Commission of the Second Congress vs. Warszawski.

E. Equality of nations and minority rights…

31. No privileges for any nation, for any language.

This is necessary from the standpoint of the ABC of democracy and working-class solidarity.

32. State language. Its uselessness.

33. Example of Switzerland. Special leaflet.

(α) Three languages (70–22–7%).

(β) Graubünden 100,000 inhabitants

< 30,000 Romansh [1%]

ad

(γ) Minority rights and the fundamental law.

(δ) Model solution of the national question in bourgeois society.

34. Autonomy of regions and local self-government = general principle of the democratic system. Boundaries? National + economic + everyday life, etc.

35. Is it feasible? Fortunatov versus Medem.

36. “If you are going to break with economics” (Medem).

37. Guarantee of minority rights. Fundamental law of the state (cf. Brünn § 4).

38. Medem’s objections I, 2 NB))

39. Necessity of such a law (cf. Switzerland) general, central.

40. Only a generally democratic and centralised democratic system is a guarantee.

F. Cultural-national autonomy.

41. What is the plan?

(1) Cadastre

(2) Diet

(3) Compulsory taxation.

42. Experience of Austria (Brünn),

Programme adopted by 1/2. The absurdity is immediately apparent.

43. Fundamental principles of the plan.

(0) Absolute, purified nationalism. Carried to its logical conclusion.

(α) Slogan of national culture. Bourgeois slogan, reactionary versus the working-class movement and internationalism.

National culture and international culture:

(β) “Removal from the jurisdiction of”. Utopia! Its petty-bourgeois basis. Invention of a poor intellectual.

(γ) National curiae in school affairs. Harmful. Negroes in America.

(δ) Objective logic: “not instead of, but together with” centralised democracy. Austria versus Switzerland.

(ζ) Jews—traders mainly.

44. National autonomy for the Jews?

O. Bauer and K. Kautsky. “Caste”.

Services of the Jews to world culture and two trends in Jewry.

45. In Russia the caste isolation of the Jews.

Way out? (1) its consolidation in one way or another

(2) rapprochement with the democratic and socialist movement of the countries of the diaspora.

[ “To strike the Jews out of the list of nations”… ]

46. 10½ million in the world. Two halves [Ascher on Vienna—150,000.]

47. All bourgeois Jewish parties in Russia have adopted cultural-national autonomy

[ What putty did Bauer’s invention (petty-bourgeois opportunist) serve?

G. The national principle in the organisation of socialist parties.

Austria. Only since Wimberg (1907). (Otto Bauer. I, 7. 1907.)

Otto Bauer I, 7 on the opponents

of it idem I, 8.

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Language:

1) Cf. spread of languages.

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Liège: 2. II. 1914

Rabinovich: The national question = “invention”

Written between January 10 and 20 (January 23 and February 2), 1914

First published in 1937 in Lenin Miscellany XXX

Printed from the manuscript