V. I.

Lenin

156

To:   CLARA ZETKIN

July 26, 1918

Esteemed Comrade Zetkin, Many warm thanks for your letter of June 27, which was
brought me by Comrade Hertha Hordon. I will do all I can
to help Comrade Hordon.

We are all extremely glad that you. Comrade Mehring and the other “Spartacus comrades” in Germany are with
us, “head and heart”. [1] This gives us confidence that the
best elements of the West-European working class—in spite
of all difficulties—will nevertheless come to our assistance.

We here are now living through perhaps the most difficult
weeks of the whole revolution. The class struggle and the
civil war have penetrated deep among the population:
everywhere there is a split in the villages—the poor are for us,
the kulaks are furiously against us. The Entente has bought
the Czechoslovaks, a counter-revolutionary revolt is raging,
the bourgeoisie is making every effort to overthrow us.
Nevertheless, we firmly believe that we shall escape this
“usual” (as in 1794 and 1849) course of the revolution, and
will conquer the bourgeoisie.

With great gratitude, very best greetings and sincere respect, Yours,
Lenin

P.S. My wife asks me to give you her special greetings.
To Comrade Hoschka (we have translated his speech, as we have your article) and to all, all friends the very best
greetings.

P.S. I have just been brought our new State Seal. Here is
the impression. The inscription reads: Russian Socialist
Federative Soviet Republic. Workers of all countries, unite! [2]

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Notes:
[1]
Spartacists —members of the Spartacus group, a revolutionary
organisation of the German Left Social-Democrats, formed at the beginning of the First World War by Karl Liebknecht, Rosa
Luxemburg, Franz Mehring, Clara Zetkin, Julian Marchlewski, Leon
Jogiches (Tyszka) and Wilhelm Pieck. The group carried on
revolutionary propaganda among the masses, organised anti-war
demonstrations, led strikes, and exposed the, imperialist nature of
the war and the treachery of the opportunist Social-Democratic
leaders. In April 1917, the group joined the Centrist Independent
Social-Democratic Party of Germany, while maintaining its
organisational independence. In November 1918, during the revolution
in Germany, the group renamed itself the Spartacus League; on
December 14, 1918 it published its own programme and broke with
the “Independents”. At the Inaugural Congress held from December
30, 1918 to January 1, 1919 the Spartacists founded the Communist
Party of Germany.

[2]
Lenin stamped the end of the letter with the State Seal of the
R.S.F.S.R.