V. I. Lenin

Speech at a Sitting of the Bolshevik Group of the First All-Russia Congress of Soviets of Workers’ and Soldiers’ Deputies

MAY 31 (JUNE 13), 1917

BRIEF NEWSPAPER REPORT

Onbehalf of the Central Committee, Lenin greets all internationalist Social-Democrats without distinction of group affiliation.

Thespeaker goes on to the question of how the European war can be
eliminated. It then turns out that he does not see the settlement of the
European crisis in such optimistic colours as
A. Lunacharsky. {1} He says that the “without annexations” formula
does not at all mean any desire to return Europe to the “status quo
ante”. We believe that “without annexations” also means without the
seizures carried out before the war. We take this formula to mean giving
the peoples complete freedom to secede from one state and join another. But
it is impossible to implement this formula without a socialist revolution,
which is why there is no way out of the European war except a world-wide
revolution.

Referringto fraternisation, Lenin says: the spontaneous fraternisation
will not settle the question of peace, but we regard it as the cornerstone
of our revolutionary work. Fraternisation does not in itself solve the
question, but then no other measure alone decides the revolution until it
leads to one. What is a strike or a demonstration? They are after all only
a link in the entire chain of the revolutionary struggle. We are being told
that this fraternisation has worsened the situation on the other
fronts. That is not true. It has created a virtual armistice on our front
and has caused small changes on the Western front. But in whose favour? In
favour of Britain and France. On the other hand, Britain has scored a great
success in Asia:
she has gobbled up Baghdad. The suspension of the fighting on our front has
been brought about by revolutionary fraternisation, against which Kerensky
is waging a war, and against which an offensive signed by the Mensheviks
has been announced.

Wemust make fraternisation conscious, we must see that it is
transformed into an exchange of ideas, that it is carried over to the other
fronts, that it kindles a revolution on the other side of the trenches.

Onthe question of regulating industry, the speaker says: since
February 28, the government has done nothing to cut down the
industrialists’ profits. The other day we read about the establishment of a
commission consisting of several ministers led by Skobelev to work out
control measures. But we had commissions under the tsar, they are nothing
but a swindle. The speaker says there is need immediately to take over the
landed estates, and ends his speech by stating that the Soviets of Workers’
and Soldiers’ Deputies must either take all the power or die an inglorious
death.

Notesare being passed to the speaker from every side. Within a short
time they number 20. The first of them asks whether the draft
reinforcements should be sent to the front. Replying to the question, Lenin
says: under the tsarist power we had to go into the army and work
there. Liebknecht put on a uniform to conduct agitation against the war. It
is naive to think that the war can be abolished by separate anarchic
action.

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Notes:
{1}
A. V. Lunacharsky, who spoke before Lenin, proposed an ultimatum to the
governments of France and Britain to make them accept the formula of peace
without annexations and indemnities, and the announcing of a ceasefire on
all fronts. At the same time, said Lunacharsky, we must appeal to the
peoples of the Allied countries and also of Germany and Austria, urging
them to exert pressure on their governments with all means at their
disposal. If the German Government should insist on continuing the war
under this unconditional formula, the falsity of its assertion that it was
waging a defensive war would be exposed.

p. 436