The Congress recognises it necessary to ratify the most severe, humiliating peace treaty with Germany signed by the Soviet power, in view of our lack of an army, in view of the extremely unhealthy condition of the demoralised front-line units, in view of the necessity of taking advantage of every, even the slightest, opportunity of a respite before the onset of imperialism upon the Soviet socialist republic.

Historically inevitable at the present period, the era of socialist revolution that has begun, are repeated military offensives of the imperialist states (both from the West and from the East) against Soviet Russia. The historical inevitability of such offensives, given the present extreme sharpening of all internal state, class, as well as international relations, may at any very near moment, even within a few days, lead to new imperialist offensive wars against the socialist movement in general, and against the Russian Socialist Soviet Republic in particular.

Therefore the Congress declares that the primary and fundamental task both of our Party, and of the entire vanguard of the class-conscious proletariat, and of the Soviet power the Congress recognises to be the adoption of the most energetic, ruthlessly resolute and draconian measures to raise the self-discipline and discipline of the workers and peasants of Russia, to explain the inevitability of Russia’s historical approach to a liberatory, patriotic, socialist war, to create everywhere and in all places organisations of the masses that are bound together with the utmost strictness and cemented by a single iron will, organisations capable of united and self-sacrificing action both in everyday life and particularly at critical moments in the life of the people, – and, finally, for the comprehensive, systematic, universal training of the entire adult population, without distinction of sex, in military knowledge and military operations.

The Congress sees the surest guarantee of the consolidation of the socialist revolution that has won in Russia only in its transformation into an international workers’ revolution.

The Congress is confident that from the standpoint of the interests of the international revolution the step taken by the Soviet power, given the present correlation of forces on the world arena, was inevitable and necessary.

Convinced that the workers’ revolution is steadily maturing in all the belligerent countries, preparing the inevitable and complete defeat of imperialism, the Congress declares that the socialist proletariat of Russia will with all its strength and by all means at its disposal support the fraternal revolutionary movement of the proletariat of all countries.

Written in March, not later than the 8th, 1918.

First published January 1, 1919, in the newspaper *Kommunar* No. 1.

Printed from the newspaper text, collated with the manuscript.