# Date: 1917-01

2 9 4
LENIN MISCELLANY
Regarding Engels' preface to «Klassenkampfe in Frankreich», Kautsky
wrote in Neue Zeit (1909), XXVII, 2,
S. И 6 («Der charakterlosc Engels»)...— «in
seinem (Engels) Manuskript sei (Kautsky wrote earlier) der revolutionäre Stand-
punkt energisch betont gewesen, die revolu tionären Stellen wurden ihm jedoch in Berlin
gestrichen, wenn ich recht berichtet bin vom
Genossen Kichard Fischer»......
j
and Neue Zeit XVII, 2 (1898 — 9, № 28)
in a polemic with Bernstein
...«Die deutschen Freunde drangen in ihn (Engels) den Schluss, weil zu revolutionär
(italicized by Kautsky), wegzulassen». (S. 47).
+ Neue Zeit XXVII, 1, (2. X. 1908)
S. 6 — 7, letters of Engels to Kautsky
about
Engels' preface to «Klassen- kampfe».
cf. also (in more detail; with quotations from the letters of Engels to Kautsky) in «Weg
j zur Macht».
* MARX: "THE CIVIL WAR IN FRANCE".
«Der B u r g [e r ] k r [ i e g ] in F r [ a n k - reich]» (Leipzig 1876). Dated 30. V.
1871 (cf. here, p. 2, in the middle) **— the whole of chapter III, or almost all of it, is devoted to the question
of the state, explaining that the working class cannot "simply" seize the "ready-
made state machine" (see
_ л \ *** above, p. 1).
*
In the manuscript, this Phrase is written between the two quotations above
from Kautsky's articles and framed; the words enclosed by us in parentheses are written by Lenin without parentheses above the words: "cf.
also in aWeg zur Macht"". Ed.
** See this collection, p. 216. Ed.
*'* Ditto, p. 210 — 212. Ed.

MARX: "THE CIVIL WAR IN FRANCE".
Regarding
Engels' preface to "The Class Struggle in France," Kautsky
wrote in "Neue Zeit" (1909), XXVII, 2,
p. I 6 ("The spineless Engels")...— "in
his (Engels') manuscript (Kautsky wrote earlier) the revolutionary point of view was
forcefully emphasized, but the revolutionary passages were deleted in Berlin, if I am
correctly informed, by Comrade Richard
Fischer".......
and "Neue Zeit" XVII, 2 1898 — 9, № 28)
in a polemic with Bernstein
... "The German friends insisted that he (Engels) omit the conclusion, as too
revolutionary" (Kautsky's italics) ", (p. 47).
- f "Neue Zeit" XXVII, 1 (2. X. 1908)
pp. 6 — 7, Engels' letters to Kautsky about
Engels' preface to "The Class Struggle."
NB
NB
cf. also (in more detail; with quotations from
Engels' letters to Kautsky) in "The Way* to Power*."
* MARX: "THE CIVIL WAR IN FRANCE".
"The Civil War in France" (Leipzig 1876). Dated SO. V. 1871
(cf. here, p. 2, in the middle) * — the whole of chapter III,
or almost all of it, is devoted to the question of the state,
explaining that the working class cannot "simply" seize the "ready-made state
machine" (see above, p. 1).**
* See this collection, p. 217. Ed.
** Ditto, 211— 213. Ed.

organs of the "state power"
NB
.. .((Die centralisierte Staatsmacht, mit ihren allgegenwärtigen
Organen — stehende
Armee,.
Polizei, Bureaukratie, Geistlichkeit, Richterstand»__[23J ((originates] from the Middle Ages and developed further in the 19th century...)). With
the development of class antagonism] between capital and labor «nahm die Staatsmacht
mehr und mehr den Charakter einer öffentli- chen Gewalt zur Unterdrückung der Arbeit, einer
Maschine der Klassenherrsehaft an. Nach jeder
Revolution, die einen Fortschritt des Klassen- kampfs bezeichnet, tritt der rein unterdrü-
ekende* Charakter der Staatsmacht offener und offener hervor».. [24]
((Further details are given: the revolution of 1830 — 1848, etc. the Second Empire.))
Among other things (after 1848/9): .. .«Die Staatsmacht»=«das nationale Kriegswerk-
zeug des Kapitals gegen die Arbeit» ...)) [24]
.. .«Der gerade Gegensatz des Kaisertums» war die Kommune.» «Die Kommune war die
bestimmte Form dieser Republik» (namlich «einer
Republik, die nicht nur die monarchische Form der Klassenherrsehaft beseitigen sollte, sondern
die Klassenherrsehaft selbst»). [26] «Der Burgerkrieg»r edition] 1876 r.
especially N. B.:
S. 28, Zeile 2 von Unten—(«bricht»)
» »
»
18 von 0[ben]—(«abschneiden»)
» »
»
13 v[on j 0[ben]—(«Vernichtung»)
S. 29: state = "parasitic
excrescence"
Thus, the Commune = "the definite form " of the proletarian
socialist republic*
*
The word "unterdruckende" is underlined and in ink and colored pencil. Ed.

MARX: "THE CIVIL WAR IN FRANCE"
... ((The centralized state power with its ubiquitous organs: the standing
army, police, bureaucracy, clergy, judiciary"---- ((originates from the
Middle Ages and developed further in the 19th century...)).
With the development of class antagonism between capital and labor, "the state power
took on more and more the character of a public power for the oppression of labor, the character
of a machine of class domination. After every revolution, signifying a certain step forward
in the class struggle, the purely oppressive character of the state power becomes apparent
more and more openly".. [397] ((Further details are given: the revolution
of 1830, — 1848, etc. the Second Empire.))
Among other things (after 1848/9): .. ."The State power" = "the national war instrument
of capital against labor" ...))
... "The direct opposite of the Empire was the Commune." "The Commune was the definite
Form of this republic" (namely "such a re public that was to eliminate not
only the monarchical Form of class domination, but also class domination itself")*
"The Civil War," 1876 edition, especially N.B.:
p. 28, line 2 from the bottom — ("breaks")
|
» »
»
18 from the top — ("cut off")
j
» »
»
13 from the top — ("destruction") j
p. 29: the state = "parasitic
excrescence" * j
Thus, the Commune = "the definite form of the proletarian
socialist republic.
* See this collection, pp. 301 and 303 (points
organs of "state power"
|!
((12)) and ((14))). Ed..

LENIN’S COLLECTION abolition of the standing army democratically
elected [parlia- mentary] institution responsi bility and change
ability at any time
In what exactly did this manifest itself? What exactly is this "definite Form"?*
((I)) «Das erste Dekret der Commune war daher die Unterdrückung des stehenden Heeres **
und seine Ersetzung durch das bewaffnete
Volk»..............[26J g4f6^publ. 3
*** ((2))..... «Die Commune bildete sich aus den durch allgemeines Stimmrecht in den verschie-
denen Bezirken von Paris gewählten Stadträten.
Sie waren verantwortlich und j e d e r z e i t ab s e t z b a r ** Ihre Mehrzahl bestand selbstredend
aus Arbeitern oder anerkannten Vertretern der
Arbeiterklasse» ................
in 1876 they wrote Commune in 1891
Commune "not parlia- mentary, but working":
both leg[isla- tive] and executive power the police is devoid of po-
litical fu[nc- tions] and re]- turned to changeable executors
the same are all j officials ((3)).......... «Die Commune sollte
n i c h t ei ne p a r l a m e n t a r i s c h e , s o n d e r n ei ne
A r b e i t end e K ö r p e r s c h a f t s e in ** vollzie-
hend und gesetzgebend zugleich» ...
((4))... «Die Polizei, bisher das Werkzeug der Staatsregierung, wurde sofort aller ihrer
politischen Eigenschaften entkleidet und in das verantwortliche u[ndj jederzeit absetzbare Werk
zeug der Commune verwandelt.)>...
((5)) ... «Ebenso die ren Verwaltungszweige» ...
Beamten aller andeIn the manuscript, the Phrase: "What exactly is this defInite Form?" is
written above the words: "In what exactly did this manifest itself"? Ed.
Underlined in colored pencil. Ed.
Lenin cites quotations from "The Civil War" from the second edition
(1876), comparing their text with the third edition (1891). Ed.

MARX: "THE CIVIL WAR IN FRANCE"
In what exactly did this manifest itself? What exactly is this "definite Form"?
((1)) "The first decree of the Commune was therefore the suppression of the standing army and its replacement by the armed
people"...... [397] ((2 ))........ "The Commune was formed from the city councilors
elected by universal suffrage in the various districts of Paris.
They were responsible and at any time c h a n g e a b l e. The majority of them consisted, of course, of workers or recognized
representatives of the working class"..............[397]
in 1876 they wrote Commune in 1891
»
ITommune ((3)) .........."The Commune was to be “not a p a r l i a m e n t a r y, but a w o r k i n g
c o r p o r a t i o n, at one and the same time legislating and
executing laws". .. [400] (4)) ... "The police, hitherto an
instrument of the state government, was immediately stripped of all its political
functions and transformed into a responsible organ of the Commune, changeable at any time." ... 1397]
((5)) ... "The same is true of the officials of all other branches of government"....
abolition of the standing army___ democratically elected
institution responsibility
I
and
I
change ability at [ any time
)
“n o t parlia- mentary, but working": both legislative and
executive power the police is de- void of poli- tical functions and turned
into change- able executors
I
the same are all officials "the usual wages of workers"
destruction of privileges (of noble) high- ranking offi
cials
| ,
L
NICS
"to break" the power of the priests "nation al o[rgani-
j
za]tion" by
|
communes
|
"central gov[ern- me]nt" from "communal" i.e.
strictly re- sponsible, offi cial]s "communal arrangement" =
"destruction of that ((6)) ... «Von den Milgliedern der Commune
an abwarts, musste der öffentliche Dienst fur
Arbeiterlohn besorgt werden.» ((7)) ... «Die erworbenen Anrechte und
die Reprasentationsgelder der hohen Staatswiir- denträger verschwanden mit diesen AWiirdentra-
gern selbst» (26 — 27 )...
S. 46 edition 3
((8))... «Das slehende Heer u[ndi die Po- lizei, die Werkzeuge der materiellen Macht dcr
alten Regierung, einmal beseitigt, ging die Com mune sofort darauf aus, das geistliche I nter-
driickungswerkzeug, die Pfaffenmacht, zu bre chen» ... (dissolved and expropriated churches).
((9))... «Die richterlichen Beamlen verloren jene scheinbare Unabhangigkeit»___ Sie
«sollten fernerhin offentlich gewahlt, verant— wortlich und absetzbar sein» (27)...
((10)).... «In einer kurzen Skizze der na- tionalen Organisation, die die Commune nicht
die Zeit hatte, weiter auszuarbeiten, heisst es ausdriicklich, dass die Commune die politische
Form selbst des kleinsten Dorfes sein.. .sollte»__ from the communes would be elected a «Nationaldelegation»
in Paris (28) ... | S. 47 edition 3 j ((11))... «Die wenigen,
aber wichtigen
Funktionen, welche dann noch fur eine Cen- tralregierung blieben, sollten nicht, wie
dies absichtlich gefalscht worden, abgeschafft, son- dern an kommunale, d. h. streng verantwortliche
Beamte ubertragen werden» ...
((12))... «Die Einheit der Nation sollte nicht gebrochen, sondern im Gegenteil organi-
siert werden durch die Communalverfassung; sie

MARX:
((THE CIVIL WAR IN FRANCE))
((6))... "Starting with the members of the Commune, from
top to bottom, public service was to be carried out for the
wages of a worker."
[397]
((7))... "All privileges and payments of money for representation to high state
officials disappeared together with these officials themselves" ...
(26 — 27) [397] ((8)) . . .
"But on the elimination of the standing army and the police, these instruments of the material
power of the old government, the Commune immediately took steps to break the instrument of spiritual
oppression, the power of the priests." .. [397—8] (dissolution and expropriation of churches)
(9)) ... "Judicial officials lost their apparent independence"__ They "were
henceforth to be elected openly, be responsible and changeable" (27)... [398]
((10)) . . . "In that short sketch of the national organization, which the Commune did not
have time to develop further, it is stated quite definitely that the Commune was to...
become the political Form even of the smallest village"... from the communes would be elected a
"national delegation" in Paris (28)... [404] r ((11)) ... "The few, but very important
functions that would then still remain for the central government were not to be abolished — such a statement was a
deliberate falsification — but were to be transferred to
communal, i.e., strictly responsible, officials"... [404]
((12)) ... "The unity of the nation was not to be destroyed, but, on the contrary, organized by
means of the communal system.
The uni- " the usual wages of workers" destruction of privileges
(of noble)
high-ranking officials "to break" the power of the priests
"national organization" by com munes "the central government"
from "commu nal " i.e. strictly responsible, officials "communal
arrangement" = "destruct

LEPPHUSKY COLLECTION
t^°M y #p - stvepnnosti", kotoraya by la parasitic growth
see p. 3 4 here/ as
Bernstein "brought" this closer to
Proudhon!
sollte eine Wirklichkeit werden durch die V e r- n i c h t u n g j e n e r St a at sm a с ht, welche sich
fiir die Verkörperung dieser Einheit ausgab, aber unabhangig und iiberlegen sein wollte ge-
geniiber der Nation, an deren Körper sie doch nur ein
Schmarotzerauswuchs war. Wahrend es gait, die bloss unterdriickenden Organe der
alten Regierungsmacht a b z u s c h n e i d e n , soil-
ten ihre berechtigten Funktionen einer Gewalt, die iiber der Gesellschaft zu stehen beanspruchte,
entrissen und den yerantwortlichen Dienern der Gcsellschaft iibergeben werden.» (28)...
but e the old parl[ia- men]m[a- rism], but "the people, consti
tuted by com munes" ((13))... «Statt einmal in drei oder sechs
Jahren zu entscheiden, welches Mitglied dor herrschenden Klasse das Yolk im Parlamente
ver- und zertreten soil, sollte das allgemeine
Stimmrecht dem in Communen konstituirtea
Yolk dieneu, wie das indiyiduelle Stimmrecht jedem andern Arbeitgeber dazu dient, Arbeiter,-
Aufseher und Buchhalter in seinem Geschaft auszusuchen.»
S. 47 edition 3
"a new histo- rical crea- tion" "this n e w communa, breaking the con
temp. state power"...
((14))... «Es ist das gewtihnliche Schick- sal n e u e r g esc hi e h t l i c her SchOpfungen,
fiir das Seitenstuck alterer und selbst verleb- ter Formen des gesellschaftlicben Lebens ange-
sehen ** zu werden, dencn sie einigermassen ahnlich sehen. So ist diese neue Commune, die
die moderne Staatsmacht bricht, angesehen wor- den fiir eine Wiederbelebung der mittelalterlicheu Communen__ fur einen Bund kleiner Staar
ten (Montesquieu, Girondins)... fiir eine iiber- triebene Form des alien Kampfes gegen Ueberzen-
tralisation»... [28 — 29]
S. 48 edition 3
* See this collection, p. 308. Ed.
** In the 3rd edition the word: "aogesehen" is replaced by the word: "versehen". Le
nin quotes from the 1876 edition. Ed.

MARX: ('.THE CIVIL WAR IN FRANCE" ty of the nation was to become a real-
i t y through the destruct tion of th a t state p o w e r that presented itself as the
embodiment of that unity, but wanted to be independent of the nation, standing above it. In
fact, this state power was only a parasitic excrescence on the body
of the nation. The task consisted in c u t t i n g off the purely oppressive organs of the old govern-
mental power, and to take away its lawful
Functions from such a power as pretends to stand above society, and to transfer
them to the responsible servants of society." (28)... [404]
((13)) ...((Instead of deciding once every three or six years which member of the
ruling class is to represent and suppress the people in parliament, instead,
universal suffrage was to serve the people, organized into communes,
for the purpose of seeking for their under- taking workers, supervisors, accountants,
as individual suffrage serves for this purpose any other em-
ployer. " [400] ((14))...
"The usual fate of n e w h i s t o r i c a l creations is to be taken
for a semblance of old and even obsolete Forms of social life, to
which the new institutions are in some way similar.
So this new Commune, which breaks the modern state power, was regarded
as a revival of the medieval commune...
as an alliance of small states (Montesquieu, Girondins)... as an exaggerated Form of the old struggle against
excessive centralization"... [407] of state ness", which
was a parasi tic excrescence see p. 3 U here/ as
Bernstein "brought" this closer to
Proudhon!
not the old parlia- m e n- tarism, but "the people, consti
tuted by communes" "a new histo- rical crea- tion" "this n e w
commune, brea king the con- temporary state power"...
* See this collection, p. 309. Ed.

Max about ((pa rasitic growth))
((state)):
Sic!
«jetzt iiber- fliissig ge- machte Staats- macht»
NB:
destroyed the army and offi cialdom
Commune= p r a o fu me l[stvo r [a So what] class ((15)) ...«Die Communalverfassung wiirde
im Gegenteil dem gesellschaftlichen
Korper alle die Kräfte zuriickgegeben haben, die bis- her der Schmarotzeranswuchs * « S t a a t »,
der von der Gesellschaft sich nährt ufnd] ihre freie Bewegung hemmt, aufgezehrt hat. Durch diese
Tat allein wiirde sic die Wiedergcburt Frank- reichs in Gang gcse(zt haben».......
S. 48. edition 3
((16))... «In Wirklichkeit... hatte die Com munalyerfassung die landlichen Produzenten un-
ter die geistige Fiihrung der Bezirkshauptstadte gebracht und ihnen dort, in den sladtischen
Arbeitern, die naturlichen Vertreter ihrer Inte- ressen gesichert. — Das blosse Bestehen der Com
mune fiihrte, als etwas selbstverstandlichest die lokale Selbstregierung mit sich,** aber nun nicht
mehr als Gegengewicht gegen die, j e t z t iiber- f l ü s s i g
g e m a c h t e, S t a a t s ma c h t . » (29)
S. 48 edition 3 !
((17))... «Die Commune machte das Stichwort aller Bourgcois-Revolutionen — wohlfeile Regie-
rung— zur Wahrheit, indem sie die beiden gros- sten Ausgabequellen d ie A rm ee ufnd] d a s B e a m -
te n tu m , a u f hob.» (30) j (S. 49. edition 3).
((18)) «Die M a n n i c h f alt i g k e i t der
D e u t u n g en, denen die Commune unterlag, und die Mannichfaltigkeit der Interessen, die
sich in ihr ausgedriickt fanden, beweisen, dass sie eine d u r c h и [nd] d u r c h a u s d e h n u n g s -
f ahi g e p о I it i s che F o r m war, wahrend alle friiheren R e g i e r u n g s f o r m e n wesentlich
unterdriickend gewesen waren. Ihr wahres Ge- heimniss war dies: sie war wesentlich eine Re-
gierung der Arbeiterklasse 1курс[ив] М[арк]са), In the manuscript and (in the 1876 edition)
instead of: "Schmarotzerauswuchs" stands "Schmarotzerauswurf". Ed.
Underlined in colored pencil. Ed.

MARX: "THE CIVIL WAR IN FRANCE"
((15)) ... "The communal system would have returned to the social body all the forces that have hitherto been devoured by th a t p a r a-
s i t i c g r o w t h “ t h e s t a t e,” feeding on the society and hindering
its free movement. By this act alone the revival of France would have been set in motion".......
[407].
((16))... "In reality... the communal system would have brought the rural producers
under the spiritual leadership of the main cities of each region and would have secured to them
there, in the person of the urban workers, the natural representatives of their
interests. — The very existence of the Com mune led with it, as something self-evident, local self-
government, but no longer as a counterweight to the state power, which now b e c o m e s s u p e r f l u o u s." (29) [407]
((17))... "The Commune made true the slogan of all bourgeois revolutions — cheap govern-
ment, by eliminating two of the largest items of expenditure, the army and officialdom."
(30) [399] ((18)) " T h e v a r i e t y o f i n t e r p r e t a -
tions to which the Commune gave rise, and the variety of interests
that found expression in it, prove that it was a h i g h l y f l e x i b l e p o l i t i c a l
Form, whereas all previous forms o f g o v e r n m e n t had been, by their very nature,
oppressive. Its real secret was this: it was, in essence, a government of the working class (Marx's italics), the resultMarx on
"the parasitic growth:
“the state))
So!
|
"the state power, which now becomes superfluous"
NB:
I;
destroyed j the army and offi cialdom
Commune = th e gove