JLUTIONAL. Saturder Docum To the American Workers Moscow. August 20, 1918 By Lenin the interests of the Russian and the international Su cialist revolution.
OMRADES: Russian Bolshevik who partA Message from the Soolet Republic icipated in the Revolution of 1905 and for In this way we furthered the cause of the working class of Russia and of other countries, in this way many years afterwards lived in your country power of the Allied countries to make the Brest Lihas offered to transmit this letter to you. have tovsk negotiations the forerunner of a general peace. geoisie of the world by making use of the usual and we strengthened the proletariat and weakened the bourgrasped this opportunity joyfully for the revolutionIt ill becomes them to throw the blame for the absolutely legal practice of manoeuvering, shifting and ary proletariat of America. insofar as it is the enemy of American imperialism is destined to perRusso German peace upon our shoulders!
waiting for the moment the rapidly growing proletaform an important task at this time.
The workers of the whole world, in whatever rian revolution in the more highly developed nations The history of modern civilized America opens country they may live, rejoice with us and sympathize had ripened.
with one of those really revolutionary wars of liber with us, applaud us for having burst the iron ring of Long ago the American people used these tactics to ation of which there have been so few compared imperialistic agreements and treaties, for having the advantage of its revobition. When America with the enormous number of wars of conquest that dreaded no sacrifice, however great, to free ourselves, waged its great war. of liberation against the English were caused, like the present imperialistic war, by for having established ourselves as a Socialist repub oppressors, it likewise entered into negotiations with squabbles among kings, landholders and capitalists lic, even so rent asunder and plundered by German other oppressors, with the French and the Spaniards over the division of ill gotten lands and profits. It imperialists, for having raised the banner of peace, who at that time owned a considerable portion of was a war of the American people against the Eng the banner of Socialism over the world. What wonder what is now the United States In its desperate strug.
lish who despoiled America of its resources and held that we are hated by the capitalist class the world gle for freedom the American people made agreein colonial subjection, just as their civilized des over. But this hatred of imperialism and the symments with one group of oppressors against the other cendants are draining the lifeblood of hundreds of pathy of the class conscious workers of all countries for the purpose of weakening all oppressorsand streng.
millions of human beings in India, Egypt and all give us assurance of the righteousness of our cause.
thening those who were struggling against tyranny.
corners and ends of the world to keep them in sub He is no Socialist who cannot understand that one The American people utilized the antagonism that jection.
existed between the English and the French, at times cannot and must not hesitate to bring even that greatSince that war 150 years have passed. Bourgeois est of sacrifice, the sacrifice of territory, that one even fighting side by side with the armies of one group civilization has born its most luxuriant fruit. By must be ready to accept even military defeat at the of oppressors, the Freach and the Spanish against developing the productive forces of organized human hands of imperialism in the interests of victory over the others, the English. Thus it vanquished first the labor, by utilizing machines and all the wonders of the bourgeoisie, in the interests of a transfer of power English and then freed itself (partly by purchase)
technique America has taken the first place among to the working class. For the sake of their cause, from the dangerous proximity of the French and free and civilized nations. But at the same time that is for the conquest of world power, the imperialSpanish possessions.
America, like a few other nations, has become char ists of England and Germany have not hesitated to The great Russian Sevolutionist Tchernychewski acteristic for the depth of the abyss that divides a once said. Political activity is not as smooth as the ruin a whole of row nations, from Belgium and Servia handful of brutal millionaires who are stagnating in to Palestine and Mesopotamia. Shall we then hesitate pavement of the Neyski Prospect. He is no revolu1 mire of luxury, and millions of laboring starving to act in the name of the liberation of the workers of tionist who would have the revolution of the proletamen and women who are always staring want in the the world from the yoke of capitalisr in the name riat only under the condition that it proceed smoothface.
ly and in an orderly manner, that guarantees against of a general honorable peace; shall we wait until we Four years of imperialistie slaughter have left can find a way that entails no sacrifice; shall we be defeat be given beforehand, that the revolution po their trace. Irrefutably and clearly events have afraid to begin the fight until an easy victory is assurforward along the broad, free straight path to victory, shown to the people that both imperialistic groups, ed; shall we place the integrity and safety of this that there shall not be bere and there the heaviest sacthe English as well as the German, have been playing fatherland created by the bourgeoisie over the inrifices, that we shall not have to lie in wait in besieged false. The four years of war have shown in their terests of the international Socialist revolution?
fortresses, shall not have to climb up along the nar.
effects the great law of capitalism in all wars; that he rowest path, the most impassible, winding, dangerous who is richest and mightiest profits the most, takes We have been attacked for coming to terms with mountain roads. He is no revolutionist, he has not German militarism. Is there no difference between the greatest share of the spoils, while he who is weak.
yet freed himself from the pendantry of bourgeois est is exploited, martyred, oppressed and outraged to a pact entered upon by Socialists and a bourgeoisie intellectualism, he will fall back, again and again, the utmost. native or foreign against the working class, against into the camp of the counter revolutionary bourgeoiIn the number of its colonial possessions, English labor, and an agreement that is made between a worksie.
imperialism has always been more powerful than any ing class that has overthrown its own bourgeoisie of They are little more than imitators of the bourgeoiof the other countries. England has lost not a span one side against a bourgeoisie of another nationality sie, these gentlemen who delight in holding up to us of its acquired land. On the other hand it has for the protection of the proletariat? Shall we not the chaos of revolution, the destruction of inacquired control of all German colonies in Africa, has exploit the antagonism that exists between the various dustry, the unemployment, the lack of food. Can occupied Mesopotamia and Palestine.
groups of the bourgeoisie. In reality every European there be anything more hypocritical than such accur German imperialism was stronger because of the understands this difference, and the American people, ations from people who greeted and supported the wonderful organization and ruthless discipline of its as will presently show, have had a very similar ex imperialistic war and made common cause with Kerenarmies, but as far as colonies are concerned, is much perience in its own history. There are agreements sky when he continued the war? Is not this imperialweaker than its opponent. It has now lost all of its and greer fagots et fagots, as the Frenchman istic war the cause of all our misfortune? The revocolonies, but has robbed half of Europe and throttled says.
lution that was born by the war. must necessarily go most of the small countries and weaker peoples. What When the robber barons of German imperialism on through the terrible difficulties and sufferings that a high conception of liberation on elther side! How threw their armies into defenseless, demobilized Russia war created, through this heritage of destruction and well they have defended their fatherlands, these in February 1918, when Russia had staked its hopes reactionary mass murder. To accuse us of destruc gentlemen of both groups, the Anglo French and upon the international solidarity of the proletariat tion of industries and terror is hypocrisy or clumthe German capitalists together with their lackeys, before the international revolution had completely sy pedantry, shows an incapability of understanding the Social Patriots.
ripened, did not hesitate for a moment to come to the most fundamental of the raging, climatic force American plutocrats are wealthier than those of certain agreements with French Monarchists. The of the class struggle, called Revolution.
any other country partly because they are geograph French captain Sadoul, who sympathized in words In words our accusers recognize this kind of ically more favorably situated. They have made the with the Bolsheviki while in deeds he was the faithful class struggle, in doeds they revert again and again greatest profits. They have made all, even the weak servant of French imperialism, brought the French to the middle class utopia of class harmony and the est countries, their debtors. They have amassed officer de Lubersac to me. am a Monarchist. My mutual interdependence of classes upon one another.
gigantic fortunes during the war. And every dollar only purpose is the overthrow of Germany, de Lu In reality the class struggle irt revolutionary times is stained with the blood that was shed by millions bersac declared to me. That is self understood (cela has always inevitably taken on the form of civil war, of murdered and crippled men, shed in the high, hon va sans dire. replied. But this by no means pre and civil war is unthinkable without the worst kind orable and holy war of freedom.
vented me from coming to an understanding with of destruction, without terror and limitations of form Had the Anglo French and American bourgeoisie de Lubersac concerning certain services that French of democracy in the interests of the war. One must accepted the Soviet invitation to participate in peace experts in explosives were ready to render in order be a sickly sentimentalist not to be able to see, to unnegotiations at Brest Litovsk, instead of leaving Rus to hold up the German advance by the destruction of derstand and appreciate this necessity. Only the sia to the mercy of brutal Germany a just peace with railroad lines. This is an example of the kind of Tchechov type of the lifeless Man in the Box can out annexations and indemnities, a peace based upon agreement that every class conscious worker must be denounce the Revolution for this reason instead of complete equality could have been forced upon Ger ready to adopt, an agreement in the interest of Social throwing himself into the fight with the whole vehe many, and millions of lives might have been saved. ism. We shook hands with the French Monarchists mence and decision of his soul at a moment when Because they hoped to reestablish the Eastern Front although we knew that each one of us would rather history demands that the highest problems of humanby once more drawing us into the whirlpool of war have seen the other hang. But temporarily our in ity be solved by struggle and war.
fare, they refused to attend peace negotiations and terests were identical. To throw back the rapacious. The best representatives of the American proletagave Germany a free hand to cram its shameful terms advancing German army we made use of the equally riat those representatives who have repeatedly down the throat of the Russian people. It lay in the greedy interests of their opponents, thereby serving given expression to their full solidarity with us, the