V. I.

Lenin

Titbits for the “Newborn” Government [1]

From a Rech editorial, penned with an air of heavy gravity:

“ Let us hope that no great shocks to our relations with the
Allies will ho needed to prove to the supporters of the formula
‘without annexations or indemnities’ [read: to the new government] that it is impracticable.”

They are right, the capitalists for whom Rech speaks. The formula is indeed “impracticable” ... unless a
revolution against capital is put into practice!

*     * *
From a speech by Milyukov, who didn’t resign, but got the
sack:

“ Whatever noble formulas of friendship for the Allies we may
devise, once our army remains inactive, we shall merely be
shirking our obligations. And vice versa, whatever terrible
formulas betraying our loyalties we may devise once our army is
actually fighting, then that, of course, will be actual
fulfilment of our obligations towards the Allies.”

Correct! He knows what he is talking about sometimes, does
Citizen Milyukov! Citizens Chernov and Tsereteli, don’t you
realise what inference is to be drawn from this as regards your
actual attitude towards the imperialist war?

*     * *
From a speech by Shulgin at a meeting of the rallying counter-revolution:

“ we prefer to be beggars, but beggars in our own country. If you
ran preserve that country and keep it safe for us, then take our
last shirt from us. we shall shed no tear.”

Don’t try to frighten us, Mr. Shulgin. Even when we are
in power we shall not take your “last shirt” from you, but shall
see that you are provided with good clothes and good food, on
condition that you do the job you are fit for and used to! You
can frighten the Chernovs and the Tseretelis, but you can t
frighten us.

*     * *
From a speech by Maklakov at the same meeting (of “members of
the Duma”):

“ Russia has proved unworthy of the freedom she has won.”

Read: the workers and peasants have failed to satisfy the
Maklakovs. These gentlemen want the Chernovs and Tseretelis to
“reconcile” the masses with the Maklakovs. It won’t work!

*     * *
From the same speech:

“ Many people can be blamed, but we, in Russia, can’t do without
the bourgeoisie or the proletariat, without the various currents
or the various individuals.”

We beg your pardon, Citizen Maklakov, but “we” (the party of the
proletariat) “can do without the bourgeoisie” “in Russia”. Time
will show you and make you admit that there was no other way out
of the imperialist war,

*     * *
From the same speech:

“ We see a mass of evil instincts which have risen to the
surface: we see a reluctance to work, reluctance to recognise
one’s duty to one’s country. We see that at a time of cruel
warfare this country has become a land of festivities, meetings
and talk, a country that does not recognise authority and
refuses to obey it.”

Correct! A mass of “evil instincts”, especially among the
landowners and the capitalists. The petty bourgeois has evil
instincts, too: for instance, the instinct that drives him into
a coalition cabinet with capitalists. The proletarians and
semi-proletarians have evil instincts, too: for example, they
are slow in discarding petty-bourgeois illusions, slow in coming
to the conclusion that all “power” must be taken over by this class, and this class alone.

*     * *
From the same speech:

“ The government will move steadily leftward, while the country
will move farther and farther to the right.”

By “the country” Maklakov means the capitalists. In this sense
he is right. But “the country” of the workers and the poor
peasants. I assure you, Citizen Maklakov, is a thousand times
more leftward than the Chernovs and the Tseretelis, and a
hundred times more leftward than we are. The future will prove
this to you.

---
Notes:
[1]
With the exception of the Rech editorial, this article was
written on the basis of speeches made at a private meeting of
the Fourth Duma members in Petrograd, reported in newspapers for
May 5 (18), 1917.

After the February revolution the Provisional Government did
not, in spite of the public demand, officially dissolve the
Fourth Duma, the members of which (from the violent monarchists
to the Cadets) regularly gathered at private meetings held at
the residence of M. V. Rodzyanko, the Chairman of the Duma, to
discuss and adopt resolutions on important issues of foreign and
domestic policy. These meetings were widely reported in the
bourgeois press. Lenin called these meetings of the Fourth Duma
deputies “the headquarters of counter-revolution”.

The particular meeting referred to in this article was held on
May 4 (17), 1917, and was attended by representatives of all the
Duma parties except the Social-Democrats. Speeches were made by
the Octobrist and Cadet leaders A. I. Guchkov, V. A. Maklakov,
P. N. Milyukov N. V. Savich, V. V. Shulgin and others, the
fundamentals of which was summed up in two demands: first, that
the Russian army resume offensive operations at the front, and
second, that “order” be restored in the army and in the country
at large, i.e. reaction. The aim of the meeting was to bring
pressure to bear on the new, coalition, government.

In June-July the counter-revolutionary activities of the Fourth
Duma deputies increased still further. On June 2 (15) Rodzyanko
addressed a letter to the deputies of the Fourth Duma calling
upon them not to leave Petrograd. since “current political
events required that the members of the Duma should be ready on
the spot”.

On the demand of the Bolsheviks, the Fourth Duma was officially
dissolved by the Provisional Government on October 6 (19),
1917.