Speech on the Resolution of the Executive Commission of the Soviet of Soldiers' Deputies
Речь по поводу резолюции Исполнительной комиссии Совета солдатских депутатов
Date: 1917
Source: PSS vol 31
Translated by: AI (Claude)

Lenin reports that he has read the resolution of the Executive Commission and the Committee on his activities and decided to place his article about this resolution in "Pravda"; right now he wants to answer in brief words those accusations that are leveled against him. He has four questions that he wants to answer: 1) The formal question, 2) The question of land, 3) About the government, 4) About the war.

On the first question he welcomes the silence of the resolution about his journey through Germany, as this shows that the Commission has taken the point of view of both parts of the Committee, which kept silent about this. He reads an extract from the resolution: "... Considers the propaganda of the so-called Leninists, etc." and declares that he takes full responsibility for the propaganda of the Leninists upon himself. To answer this accusation of the resolution, it is necessary to examine the three above-named questions. He proceeds to explain these questions. On the question of land - he stands for the transfer of all lands to the use of the toiling masses without redemption; he speaks of the transfer by decision of peasant committees, pointing at the same time to Shingarev's telegram, in which the taking of land is called arbitrariness. This is incorrect, because if this is done by decision of village committees, this is already lawful seizure. It is naive to think that one can influence peasants by preaching from Petrograd, this is impossible. The question of land will be decided locally. It is necessary to take land right now in view of the approaching hunger. Voluntary agreement with landowners is nonsense, one cannot demand an agreement of 300 peasant families with one landowner, and such a ratio is observed in European Russia.

(A proposal was made to limit the time of the speaker. The floor is given for and against. By vote the time is limited to 30 minutes.)

Lenin says that if the meeting wishes, he can change the time of explanations, but can finish the explanation in 20 minutes.

On state structure and government he says that we do not need a republic with officials, capitalists and troops, we need a people's republic. Soviets of workers', peasants' and farm laborers' deputies from bottom to top - that is the ideal of government. Power must be with the people. On the question of war he declares that he never spoke about marching companies and is completely unfamiliar with this question. Therefore he speaks only about war. Our government consists only of capitalists, and war is waged for the benefit of capitalists, the end of such a war can occur only thanks to the revolution of the working masses. The obligations given by our allies are predatory, they only speak of division; annexation is connected with capital, and as long as capital is not taken in hand, annexations cannot be cast aside. He considers the capitalists in Germany the same as our capitalists, considers Wilhelm a bloodsucker, and, of course, there can be no talk of a separate peace with him - this is senseless. The capitalists started the war and cannot end it - a workers' revolution is needed to end the war. The Leninists are against a separate peace. They declared this back in 1915, they said that the proletariat, having taken power into its own hands and declared all treaties, must propose peace to the whole world. If anyone refuses this peace, the proletariat will begin a revolutionary war. Only the revolution of workers in several countries can end the war. Universal peace can be achieved only through a workers' revolution. The practical way to end the war is fraternization at the front, strengthening the power of the Soviet of workers', peasants' and farm laborers' deputies. Only by these means can a workers' revolution and universal peace be achieved.