V. I.

Lenin

To the Editors of Nashe Slovo [4]

Berne, 9.2.1915

Dear Comrades:

In your letter of February 6 you proposed to us a plan of struggle
against “official social-patriotism”, in connection with the
proposed London conference of socialists of the “allied
countries” of the Triple
Entente. [5] As you have, of course, seen from our newspaper Sotsial-Demokrat, we support that struggle in
general, and are conducting it. That is why we are very glad to have
received your message. and accept with pleasure your proposal for a
discussion of a plan of joint action.

The conference, which is said to have been planned for February 15 (we
have not yet received a single document regarding it), will perhaps be
postponed until February 25 or later [judging from a letter from Huysmans,
who wrote of the sitting of the Executive Commission for February 20 and of
the plan for personal talks between members (the Secretary) of the Executive
Commission and socialists of France, Britain and Russia]. The conference may
possibly be contemplated as one, not of official members of the
International Socialist Bureau, but as private meetings between
individual “prominent” socialists.

That is why the contraposition to “official social-patriotism” of a “clear, revolutionary and
internationalist” point of view, a contraposition which you write of
and which has our full sympathy, should be prepared for all possible contingencies (both for a conference of the official representatives of
parties and for a private meeting in all its forms, both for February 15 and
for any later date).

For our part and in view of the desire you have expressed, we propose the
following draft declaration, which contains such a contraposition (so that
the declaration may be read and printed):

“ The undersigned representatives of the Social-Democratic
organisations of Russia (Britain, etc.) proceed from the conviction:

“ that the present war is, on the part, not only of Germany and
Austro-Hungary, but of Britain and France (acting in alliance with tsarism),
an imperialist war, i.e., a war of the epoch of the final stage in the
development of capitalism, an epoch in which bourgeois states, with their
national boundaries, have outlived themselves; a war aimed exclusively at
the grabbing of colonies, the plundering of rival countries, and the
weakening of the proletarian movement by setting the proletarians of one
country against those of another.

“ Consequently it is the absolute duty of the socialists of all
belligerent countries immediately and resolutely to carry out the Basle
resolution, viz.:

“(1) the break-up of all national blocs and the
Burgfrteden [1] in all countries; “(2) a call to the workers of all the belligerent countries to wage
an energetic class struggle, both economic and political, against the
bourgeoisie of their country, a bourgeoisie that is amassing unparalleled
profits from war deliveries and makes use of the military authorities’
backing so as to gag the workers and intensify oppression of the latter; “(3) decisive condemnation of any voting for war credits; “(4) withdrawal from the bourgeois governments of Belgium and
France, and recognition that entry into governments and voting for war
credits are the same kind of treachery to the cause of socialism as is the
entire behaviour of the German and Austrian Social-Democrats; “(5) that the hand be stretched out to internationalist elements in
German Social-Democracy that refuse to vote for war credits, and that an
international committee be set up, together with them, for the conduct of
agitation for the cessation of the war, not in the spirit of the pacifists, the Christians, and the petty-bourgeois democrats, but in inseparable
connection with the propaganda and organisation of mass revolutionary action
by the proletarians of each country, against the governments and the
bourgeoisie of that country; “(6) support for any attempts by the socialists of the belligerent
countries to bring about contacts and fraternisation in the fighting forces
and the trenches, despite the bans imposed by the military authorities of
Britain, Germany, etc.; “(7) a call to women socialists of the belligerent countries to
intensify agitation in the direction indicated above; “(8) a call for support by the entire world proletariat of the
struggle against tsarism, and for support for those -Social-Democrats of
Russia who have not only refused to vote for credits, but have shown
disregard of the danger of persecution and are conducting socialist work in
the spirit of internationalist and revolutionary Social Democracy.”

*     * *
As for certain Social-Democratic men of letters in Russia who have come
out in defence of the official social-patriotism (as, for instance,
Plekhanov, Alexinsky, Maslov, and others), the undersigned disclaim all
responsibility for any action or statements by them, energetically protest
against the latter, and declare that, according to all available
information, the Social-Democratic workers of Russia do not hold that point
of view.

It goes without saying that Comrade Litvinov, our Central
Committee’s official representative in the International Socialist
Bureau (his address [2]

:

We are sending him your letter and a copy of our reply to you. Please address him directly on all urgent matters), as he
has been authorised to use his own judgement in the matter of all particular
amendments, special steps in negotiations, etc.; we can merely state our
complete solidarity with this comrade on all essential points.

As for the Organising Committee and the Bund, who are both represented in
the International Socialist Bureau, we have grounds for apprehension that
they stand for “official social-patriotism” (in its Francophile
or Germanophile form, or in any other that would reconcile these two
tendencies). At any rate we would appreciate your kindness in sending us
both your reply (your amendments, your counter-draft of the resolution,
etc.) and the reply of those organisations (the Organising Committee, the
Bund, etc.) that you have already addressed or intend doing so.

With comradely greetings, Lenin

My address is: [3]