V. I. Lenin

Source: ru:LS/v2;es:MT
Translated: machine translation (DeepSeek) from the Russian; AI-translated.

4.

Dear Friend,

In two or three days you will receive our Central Organ,\(^2\) and then, I hope, there will be complete harmony in our views.

I am afraid, frankly speaking, that some of your steps may be interpreted as if you were by-passing our legitimate representative in the International Socialist Bureau, Mr. Litvinov, 76 High Street, Hampstead, London, N.W. Of course, such an interpretation would be a malicious distortion, but still, be more careful.

Troelstra has deceived or misled you. He is an arch-opportunist and an agent of the intrigues of the most despicable centre of the most despicable opportunists—the German Social-Democrats (with Kautsky at their head, who basely defends the opportunists) and their most vile Vorstand.\(^3\) We will not go to any conferences, nor take any steps on the initiative of such scoundrels; we will stand aside: let them cover themselves with shame! And having once disgraced themselves, they will disgrace themselves still further.

The French have already rejected their intrigues, and without the French only a dirty comedy of dirty scoundrels is possible.

Larin, apparently, is shamelessly fooling you.\(^4\) If he expresses “confidence” in the German Vorstand, I understand that Troelstra has “noted” it.

Of course!! Confidence in the most filthy opportunists!!

For God’s sake, correct what can be corrected, and express not the slightest confidence, either directly or indirectly, to any of the opportunists, neither the Germans nor the French.\(^5\) Pannekoek is right: the Second International is finally dead. It was killed by the opportunists, not by “parliamentarisation” (as the clumsy Pannekoek put it).

“Gluing over” differences is only a petty intrigue, and we must take no part in it, either directly or indirectly.

We shall try to send you a couple of leaflets soon.

Do not leave, be patient.

Arrange everything I wrote to you about, wait until the Central Organ is in Russia, wait until we are in full harmony with the Russian colleagues (with Kamenev and others) after they receive the C.O. Until all this is done, there is no point in even thinking about your departure.

Our move is premature for the time being.

Find out, among other things, whether it is possible to print Social-Democratic things in Sweden (like our C.O.).

Poor Gorky! What a pity that he disgraced himself by signing that filthy little document of the Russian liberal hacks.\(^6\) Meshkovsky, Plekhanov, etc. (including Maslov and Smirnov) have also sunk to their level.

Be sure to get and re-read (or ask someone to translate for you) Kautsky’s *Weg zur Macht*\(^7\)—what he wrote there about the revolution of our day!!

And now, how he has acted meanly, renouncing all this!

Our task now is a ruthless war against chauvinism, which is covered up (by talk of defence of the “fatherland”, etc.), especially against the “socialist chauvinism” of Plekhanov, Guesde, Kautsky (the most despicable of all, the hypocrite!) and Co.

By defending revolution (bourgeois in Russia and socialist in the West), we preach it even in war.

Our slogan is civil war.

All the talk that this slogan is unsuitable, etc., etc., is sheer sophistry. We cannot “make” it, but we preach it and work in that direction.

In each country—first and foremost, the struggle against the chauvinism of *that* country, rousing hatred of *one’s own* government, calls (repeated, persistent, frequent, unflagging) for the solidarity of the workers of the belligerent countries, for their *joint* civil war against the bourgeoisie.

No one can *vouch* when and to what extent this preaching will be “justified” in practice: that is not the point (only despicable *sophists* renounce revolutionary agitation because of uncertainty as to when revolution will come).

The point is the line of work.

Only this work is socialist, not chauvinist. And it alone will bring socialist fruits, revolutionary fruits.

A. Shlyapnikov.

1914.
October 31.\(^1\)