Speech on the Agrarian Question November 14 (27). Newspaper Report
Речь по аграрному вопросу 14 (27) ноября. Газетный отчет
Date: 1917-11-14 (November 27)
Source: PSS vol 35
Translated by: AI (Claude)

Comrade Lenin, on behalf of the Bolshevik faction, comes out with an exposition of the view of the Bolshevik party on the agrarian question.

The SR party has suffered a fiasco on the land question, preaching confiscation of landlord lands in words and refusing to implement it in practice.

Landlord land ownership is the foundation of feudal oppression, and confiscation of landlords' lands is the first step of revolution in Russia. But the question of land cannot be resolved independently of other tasks of the revolution. The correct formulation of these tasks follows from analysis of those stages through which the revolution has passed. The first step is the overthrow of autocracy and the establishment of power of the bourgeoisie and landlords. The interests of landlords are closely intertwined with the interests of the bourgeoisie, banks. The second stage is the consolidation of Soviets and the policy of agreement with the bourgeoisie. The mistake of the Left SRs is that at that time they did not oppose the policy of agreement, referring to the fact that the masses are insufficiently developed. The party is the vanguard of the class, and its task is not at all to reflect the average condition of the mass, but to lead the masses. But to lead the vacillating, it is necessary to stop vacillating yourselves, comrade Left SRs.

Comrade Left SRs, in July began the period of rupture of the popular masses with the policy of agreement, but the Left SRs even until now extend the whole hand to Avksentyev, extending to workers only the little finger. If conciliationism continues, then the revolution is lost. If the peasantry supports the workers, only in this case can the tasks of the revolution be resolved. Conciliationism is an attempt of workers, peasant and soldier masses to achieve the implementation of their needs by means of reforms, concessions from capital, without socialist revolution. But it is impossible to give the people peace, land without overthrowing the bourgeoisie, without socialism. The task of revolution is to break with conciliationism, and to break with conciliationism means to take the path of socialist revolution.

Comrade Lenin further defends the instructions to volost committees and speaks of the necessity of breaking with the upper levels, like army committees, the Executive Committee of Peasants' Deputies, etc. - We took our law on volost committees from the peasants. The peasants want land, prohibition of hired labor, inventory for cultivation. But this cannot be obtained without overthrowing capital. We told them: you want land, but the lands are mortgaged and belong to Russian and world capital. You are challenging capital, you are going by another path than we, but we converge with you in that we are going and must go to social revolution. As for the Constituent Assembly, the rapporteur said that the work of the Constituent Assembly will depend on the mood in the country, and I will say: rely on the mood, but don't forget the rifles.

Comrade Lenin further stops on the question of war. When the speaker speaks of the removal of Dukhonin and appointment of Krylenko as commander-in-chief, laughter is heard. - You find it funny, but the soldiers will condemn you for this laughter. If there are people here who find it funny that we removed a counterrevolutionary general and appointed Krylenko, who went against the general to conduct negotiations, then we have nothing to talk about with these people. With those who do not recognize struggle with the counterrevolutionary generals, we have nothing in common, we prefer rather to leave power, perhaps to go underground, but will have nothing in common with such people.