V. I.

Lenin

The capitalists either sneer at the fraternisation of the
soldiers at the front or savagely attack it. By lies and slander
they try to make out that the whole thing is “deception” of the
Russians by the Germans, and threaten—through their generals and officers—punishment for
fraternisation.

From the point of view of safeguarding the “sacred right of
property” in capital and the profits on capital, such a policy
of the capitalists is quite correct. Indeed, if the proletarian
socialist revolution is to be suppressed at its inception it is essential that fraternisation be
regarded the way the capitalists regard it.

The class-conscious workers, followed by the mass of semi-proletarians and poor peasants guided by the true instinct
of oppressed classes, regard fraternisation with pro found
sympathy. Clearly, fraternisation is a path to peace. Clearly,
this path does not run through the capitalist governments,
through an alliance with them, but runs against them. Clearly, this path tends to develop, strengthen, and
consolidate fraternal confidence between the workers of
different countries. Clearly, this path is beginning to wreck the hateful discipline of the barrack prisons, the
discipline of blind obedience of the soldier to “his” officers
and generals, to his capitalists (for most of the officers and
generals either belong to the capitalist class or protect its
interests). Clearly, fraternisation is the revolutionary
initiative of the masses , it is the awakening of the conscience, the mind, the courage of the oppressed classes; in
other words, it is a rung in the ladder leading up to the
socialist proletarian revolution.

Long live fraternisation! Long live the rising world-wide socialist revolution of the proletariat!

In order that fraternisation achieve the goal we set it more
easily, surely and rapidly, we must see to it that it is well
organised and has a clear political programme.

However much the enraged press of the capitalists and their
friends may slander us, calling us anarchists, we shall never
tire of repeating: we are not anarchists, we are ardent
advocates of the best possible organisation of the masses and
the firmest “state” power—only the state we want is not a
bourgeois parliamentary republic, but a republic of Soviets of
Workers’, Soldiers’, and Peasants’ Deputies.

We have always recommended that fraternisation be conducted in
the most organised manner, taking care—with the help of the
intelligence, experience and observation of the soldiers
themselves—that there should be no catch in it, and that
the officers and generals, who for the most part spread vicious
slander against fraternisation, be kept away from the meetings.

Our aim is not to have fraternisation confine itself to talk
about peace in general, but pass on to a discussion of a
clear political programme, to a discussion of how to end the war, how to throw off the
yoke of the capitalists, who started this war and are now
dragging it out.

Our Party has therefore issued an appeal to the soldiers of all the belligerent countries (for the text
of which see Pravda
No. 37), [1] which gives a definite and precise answer to these questions and a clear political
programme.

It is a good thing that the soldiers are cursing the war. It is
a good thing that they are demanding peace. It is a good thing
that they are beginning to realise that the war is advantageous
to the capitalists. It is a good thing that they are wrecking
the harsh discipline and beginning to fraternise on all the
fronts. All this is good.

But it is not enough.

The soldiers must now pass to a form of fraternisation in which
a clear political programme is discussed. We are not anarchists. We do not think that the war can be ended by a
simple ’refusal”, a refusal of individuals, groups or casual
“crowds”. We are for the war being ended, as it will be, by a
revolution in a number of countries, i.e., by the conquest of state power by a new class, not the
capitalists, not the small proprietors (who are always half-dependent on the capitalists), but by the proletarians and
semi-proletarians.

And so, in our appeal to the soldiers of all the belligerent
countries we have set forth our programme for a workers’
revolution in all countries, namely, the transfer of all state
power to the Soviets of Workers’ and Soldiers’ Deputies.

Comrades, soldiers, discuss this programme among yourselves and
with the German soldiers. Such a discussion will help you to
find the true path, the most organised and shortest path, to
end the war and overthrow the yoke of Capital.

*     * *
A word about one of the servants of Capital, Plekhanov. It is
pitiful to see how low this former socialist has sunk! He
compares fraternisation to “treachery”! His argument is: will
not fraternisation, if it succeeds, lead to a separate peace?

No, Mr. ex-socialist, fraternisation, which we have supported on
all the fronts, will not lead to a “separate” peace between the capitalists of several countries, but to a universal
peace between the revolutionary workers of all countries,
despite the capitalists of all countries, against the capitalists, and for the overthrow of
their yoke.

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Notes:
[1]


— Lenin