Vladimir Lenin

Resolution Adopted At A Joint Session Of

The All-Russia Central Executive Committee, The Moscow Soviet, Factory Committees And Trade Unions

October 22, 1918

The proletarian and peasant revolutionary movement against the
imperialist war has recently had tremendous successes in all
countries, especially in the Balkans, Austria and Germany. These
successes, however, have particularly embittered the international bourgeoisie, now headed by the Anglo-American and
French bourgeoisie, and have forced them to make hasty efforts
to organise themselves as a counter-revolutionary force for
crushing the revolution and, above all for crushing Soviet power
in Russia, which is the chief hotbed of revolution at present.

The German bourgeoisie and the German Government, defeated in
the war and threatened by a mighty revolutionary movement from
within, are threshing about in their search for salvation. One
trend in the ruling circles of Germany still hopes by delays to
gain time before the winter and to prepare for the country’s military defence on a new line of
fortifications. Another trend is feverishly seeking agreement
with the Anglo-French bourgeoisie against the revolutionary
proletariat and the Bolsheviks. Since this trend is running up
against the flat refusal of the victors, the Anglo-French
imperialists, to strike a bargain, it is trying to frighten them
with the Bolshevik danger and bribe them by offering its
services against the Bolsheviks, against the proletarian
revolution.

The bourgeoisie of the countries subordinated to Germany or
occupied by her are still more eagerly seeking agreement with
the Entente, especially in those cases—as, for example, in
Finland, the Ukraine, etc.—where they are aware that it is
completely impossible for them to maintain power over the
exploited working people without the aid of foreign bayonets.

Owing to these circumstances, Soviet power finds itself in the
following peculiar situation: on the one hand, we have never
been so close to an international proletarian revolution as we
are now; on the other hand, we have never been in such a
perilous position as we are now. There are no longer two
approximately equal groups of imperialist plunderers, devouring
and weakening each other. There remains a single group of
victors, the Anglo-French imperialists, which intends to divide
the whole world among the capitalists. It intends to overthrow
Soviet power in Russia at all costs and replace it by bourgeois
power. It is preparing now to attack Russia from the South,
through the Dardanelles and the Black Sea, for example, or
through Bulgaria and Rumania. Moreover, at least a part of the
Anglo-French imperialists evidently hope that the German
Government, by a direct or tacit agreement with them, will
withdraw its troops from the Ukraine only as the latter becomes
occupied by Anglo-French troops, so as not to allow the
otherwise inevitable victory of the Ukrainian workers and
peasants and their establishment of a Ukrainian workers’
and peasants’ government.

Behind the back of the Krasnov and whiteguard counter-revolutionaries, preparations are being made for an
attack against us by a much more dangerous force, the force of
the international counter-revolutionary bourgeoisie, with the
Anglo-American and French bourgeoisie in first place. This is a
fact that is not realised everywhere and the awareness of which
has not penetrated deep down among the broad mass of the workers
and peasants. We must therefore tirelessly imbue this awareness
in the people. The most assiduous attention must be devoted to
strengthening the Southern Front and establishing and arming an
incomparably mightier Red Army than we have now. Every workers’ organisation, every union of poor peasants, every
Soviet institution must again and again give priority to the
question of strengthening the army, and repeatedly re-examine
whether we have done enough, and what new measures we could and
should undertake.

A marked change has taken place in the mood of our workers and
peasants. The people have overcome their extreme war-weariness. An army is being created and has been created. A
new, communist discipline, a class-conscious discipline of the
working people, has developed. And this fact gives us every
reason to confidently expect that we can and will defend our
socialist homeland and secure the victory of the international
proletarian revolution.