LENIN MISCELLANY

O.
PROPOSAL OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THE RSDLP TO THE 2ND SOCIALIST CONFERENCE,
CONVENED BY THE I.S.C. (BERNESE).
(THESES ON ITEMS OF THE AGENDA V, «, 7A II 711 II 8)
Announcing the convocation of the 2nd international socialist
conference, the I.S.C. published the following most important items
of the agenda:
5. «the struggle for the end of the war»
6. «questions of peace»
7a. parliamentary factions
7b. manifestations
8. M.S.B.
The I.S.C. invited organizations to discuss these questions and
send in their proposals.
Here is the response of the Central Committee of our party to this invitation.
1. As every war is only a continuation by means of violence of that policy, which the warring powers and the dominant classes within them pursued for many years or decades before the war, so too the peace that ends any war can only be an accounting and record of the real changes in strength achieved as a result of the given war.
2. Therefore, the greatest absurdity and dull-wittedness, from the point of view of theory, from the point of view of the doctrine of socialism, and the greatest deception of the working class in practice, are all kinds of talks about assessing the given war on the basis of "simple" concepts of defense and attack and about assessing the coming peace on the basis of "simple" pious wishes for a lasting, democratic, honorable, etc. peace.
3. The present war is an imperialist war, i.e. a war engendered by contradictions on the basis of highly developed, monopolistic capitalism, which is ripe for the transition to socialism. This war is being waged for the sake of world hegemony, i.e. for the sake of new oppression of weak nations, a new division of the world, a division of colonies, spheres of influence, etc. — a division in which the old predatory powers, England, France, Russia, would concede a share of their spoils to the young and stronger predatory power, Germany.
4. Therefore, unless the revolution of the proletariat overthrows

PROPOSAL OF THE CC OF THE RSDLP TO THE 2ND SOCIALIST CONFERENCE

the present governments and the present dominant classes of the warring «great» powers, then absolutely no other peace is possible except a more or less short-term truce between the imperialist powers, [on the condition of strengthening], a peace accompanied by the strengthening of reaction within the states, the strengthening of national oppression and enslavement of weak nations, an increase in the combustible material preparing new wars, etc. and so on. For from the objective content of that policy, which is engendered by the entire epoch of imperialism and which was pursued by the bourgeoisie of all the warring «great» powers both before this war and during it, a peace on the basis of new and worse oppression of nations, etc., inevitably follows.
5. To arouse in the masses of the people thoughts or hopes for the possibility of a lasting or democratic, etc. peace between the present governments and the present dominant classes (i.e., the bourgeoisie in alliance with the landlords), as the majority of official socialist parties do, means not only shamelessly deceiving the people, but also lulling them to sleep, diverting them from the revolutionary struggle, which is in fact already beginning in the form of strike and demonstration movements.
6. It is precisely this character of deceiving the people and diverting the proletariat from the revolutionary struggle that is possessed by that «peace program» which is now «unanimously» put forward both by the official representative of the 2nd International, Huysmans, at the congress of the S.D.A.P. of Holland in Arnhem, and by the most influential theorist of the 2nd International, the most influential defender of social patriots and social chauvinists of all countries, Kautsky. Their program consists in the verbal and hypocritical recognition of several democratic good wishes: rejection of annexations and indemnities, self-determination of nations, democratization of foreign policy, arbitration tribunals for resolving conflicts between states, disarmament, the United States of Europe, etc. and so on.
7. The most obvious confirmation that this «peace program» is sheer hypocrisy is, on the one hand, the verbal recognition of it by a number of bourgeois pacifists and demagogic ministers of the warring countries, and on the other, the repetition of it by notorious chauvinists at conferences of «socialists» of one group of warring powers in London (II. 1915) and another in Vienna (IV. 1915?). Precisely those «socialists» who enter bourgeois ministries waging a predatory war, voted for war credits, helped the war by participating in various organizations and institutions, etc., precisely they, who are in fact pursuing a policy of defending old and new annexations, colonial oppression, etc., proclaim to the whole world their «peace program», consisting in the rejection of annexations, etc.
8. If the greatest authority of the 2nd International, Kautsky, announced to the whole world on May 21, 1915 (Neue Zeit) that this agreement and «unanimity» of «socialists» in Copenhagen and in Vienna regarding the principle of «independence» or self-determination of nations proves the «unanimity» and «vitality» of the 2nd International in the «peace program», then this defense and sanction of the most outrageous, most brazen hypocrisy and deception of the workers is by no means accidental, but a systematic policy which in a whole series of countries is pursued by people who, in words, present themselves as «internationalists», but in deeds embellish the imperialist war by applying to it the idea of «defense of the fatherland» and strengthen the domination over the labor movement of the social-chauvinists who have betrayed socialism by preaching «unity» with them. This policy, the most harmful and dangerous for the working class, is pursued by Kautsky, Haase, etc. in Germany, Longuet, Pressemane, etc. in France, the majority of leaders in England, Axelrod, Martov and Chkheidze & Co. in Russia, Treves, etc. in Italy (see the threat of the central organ of the Italian party «Avanti!» of 5. III. 1916 to expose Treves and other «reformist possibilists» for having «used all means to impede the action of the party leadership and Oddino Morgari, directed towards the Zimmerwald union and towards the newest International»). This worldwide policy, the most dangerous for the working class, can be called, after the name of its authoritative representative, Kautskian policy.
9. Socialists cannot* abandon the struggle for reforms. They must vote, inter alia, in parliaments for any, even negligible, improvements in the situation

* Above «cannot» is written «must». Ed.