V. I.

Lenin

Commenting on the resolution of the Central Committee of April
20 concerning the necessity of transferring power to the
revolutionary proletariat “ with the support of the majority of the people ”, today’s Dyen
writes:

“ Very simple, then what’s the hitch? Instead of passing
resolutions, come and take the power.”

We have here a typical example of the methods used by the
bourgeois press. People pretend not to understand the simplest
thing, and ensure themselves—on paper—an easy victory. Anybody who says “take the power” should not have to
think long to realise that an attempt to do so without as yet having the backing of the majority of the people would
be adventurism or Blanquism ( Pravda has made a special point of warning against this in the
clearest, most unmistakable and unequivocal terms). [See also: Blanquism ]

There is a degree of freedom now in Russia that enables the will
of the majority to be gauged by the make-up of the
Soviets. Therefore, to make a serious, not a Blanquist, bid for
power, the proletarian party must fight for influence within the Soviets.

All this has been gone over and hammered out by Pravda again and again, and only stupidity or malice can fail to grasp
it. Let the reader judge for himself to which of these two
unenviable categories Rabochaya Gazeta belongs when it describes the “recommendation” (made
to the Soviet) “to take power into its own hands” as “irresponsible provocation”, as “demagogy, devoid of all sense
of political responsibility, light-heartedly urging democrats
towards civil strife and war, and inciting the workers and
soldiers not only against the government but against the Soviet
itself” and so on.

Can one imagine a worse muddle than this, when the blame on the
question of demagogy is laid at the wrong door?

Prime Minister Lvov is reported by the evening paper Birzheviye Vedomosti [2] for April 21 as having said literally the
following:

“ Up till now the Provisional Government has invariably met with
the support of the Soviet’s leading organ. During the last
fortnight these relations have changed. The Provisional
Government is suspect. Under the circumstances it is in no
position to administer the state, as it is difficult to do
anything in an atmosphere of distrust and discontent. Under
such circumstances it would be best for the Provisional
Government to resign. It is fully alive to its responsibility
towards the country, in whose interests it is prepared to resign
immediately if need be.”

Is this not clear? Is it possible not to understand why,
after such a speech, our Central Committee proposed that a public opinion poll be held?

What have “civil war”, “provocation”, “demagogy” and similar
frightening words to do with it, when the Prime Minister himself
declares the government’s readiness “to resign” and recognises
the Soviet as the “leading organ”?

One or the other: either Rabochaya Gazeta believes that
in making such statements Lvov is misleading the people, in
which case it should not urge confidence in and support of the
government, but no confidence and no support; or
Rabochaya Gazeta believes that Lvov is really “prepared
to resign”, in which case, why all this outcry about civil
war?

If Rabochaya Gazeta understands the situation correctly, understands that the capitalists are raising
a hullabaloo about civil war in order to cover up their
desire to flout the ’will of the majority by means of force,
then why this outcry on the part of the newspaper?

Lvov is entitled to ask the Soviet to approve and accept his
policy. Our Party is entitled to ask the Soviet to approve and
accept our, proletarian, policy. To speak of “provocation” and
so on is to reveal an utter lack of understanding of what it is
all about or to sink to base demagogy. We are entitled to fight
for influence and for a majority in the Soviet and the Soviets,
and we are going to fight for them. We repeat:

“ We shall favour the transfer of power to the proletarians and semi-proletarians only when the Soviets of Workers’ and Soldiers’ Deputies adopt our policy and are willing to take the power into their own hands .” [1]

[ Resolution of the C.C. of the R.S.D.L.P. of April 22, 1917 ]

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Notes:
[1]



— Ed .

[2]