BourgeoisieCapitalismCivil WarLeninOpportunism

Saturday, May 17, 1919 THE REVOLUTIONARY AGE Imperialism. the Final Stage of Capitalism Spain.
nation. in 1910 local or temporary may (Continuation)
By Lenin It is not without interest to notice that the connecX the first months of 1904 the steel syndicate of Ger Translated from the Russian by Andre ridon tion between the purely economic and the social politmany was organized. in November 1904 the interical essentials of the newborn Imperialism was pernational rail combine was reorganized on the followfectly obvious to those leaders of the English bourgeing basis England 53 Germany 28. 83 and The most noticeable fact of that period. the author oisie Chamberlain stated that Imperialism was the Belgium 17. 67. France joined the combine on a says in his conclusion, is the division of Africa and only wise and economical policy, and pointed to the basis of 80 80, and of the profits above Polynesia.
competition which England is now meeting with in 100 for the first, second and third years, respective, As there are no unoccupied lands, that is, no lands the world market on the part of Germany, America.
lv. In 1905 the Steel Trust of America (the United belongingg to no power in particular, in Asia and in and Belgium. The salvation lies in monopolies, capStates Steel Corporation) joined the combine and so America, we might go farther than Supan and say that italists said, and the organized cartels. syndicates, did Austria and Now, wrote Vogelstein in 1910, the division of the most noteworthy fact of the period in question is trusts. Salvation lies in monopoly, tl:e bourgeois leadthe earth is completed, and the large consumers. especi sense that a redistribution of territories tis henceforth the world which had not as yet been seized by some ally the national railroal systems, can live like the impossible. on the contrary that redistribution is posBut Cecil Rhocles. as his intimate friend poet on Jupiter cloud, for in that division of the sible and inevitable) but in the sense that the colonial Stead tells us offered in 1865 the following argument world, their interests have not been taken into ac policy of the capitalist nations lias attained its object. in favor of his imperialistic plans: was yesterclay We may also mention the international zinc syndic lands on the planet.
which was to take possession of all the unoccupied in the East End of London and witnessed a meeting of the unemployed. After listening to all the wild ate founded in 1909, which divided up the business The world has been divided up, and what is coming flected upon what had seen and hcard. and came to talk and cries for bread, loread, went liome, and reamong five groups of mills, German, Belgian, French, Spanish and English. Also the international powder now is a redistribution of lands. that is, the passage of trust which, to quote Liefmann, was a close combine land from one domination under another, not from the conclusion that Imperialism was more imperative than ever.
Here is my solution for the social of all the explosive plants of Germany and which independence into dependence.
agreed with similar French and American factories We are living through a peculiar era of world wide problem: if we are to save the forty million inhabitants for the production of dynamite to divide up the world, colonial expansion which is intimately related to the of the United Kingdom from a murderous civil war.
so to speak. 71)
latest phase in the development of Capitalism, with occupied by the growing population, where we can we. the colonialists, must secure new territories to be Liefmann listed in 1897 some 40 international. com finance capital. We must therefore dwell at length find new markets for the goods manufactured in our lines, including Germany, that number rising to 100 upon concrete facts which will enable is not only to mills and factories. It is all a question of food supshow wherein this era differs from the one preceding bly. If you do not want a civil war you must become Some bourgeois writers have expressed the opinion it, but also to visualize clearly the actual state of afthat international combines, being one of the most imperialistic. 74)
fairs at the present day.
striking features of the internationalization of capital, Thus spake in 1895 Cecil Rhodes, millionnaire, And first of all we must answer two (lefinite quesjustify one in expecting peace among the nations tions: financial magnate. more than any one else responsible under the capitalist system. Theoretically, such an for the Transvaal war.
idea is absurd. practically, it is a peace of sophistry evoch of finance capital? How is the world divided tion of the world and of the various changes having Do we notice a keener struggle for colonies in our To present a clearer picture of the territorial partiand can be used to justify the lowest kind of opportunism.
up at the present time, from the point of view of col taken place in the distribution of colonial lands in the International combines reveal the growth of caponies?
course of the last decade, we shall quote the figures italistic monopolies and also what groups of capitalAn American writer, Morris, in his book on the given by Supan in his writings on the colonial posists are fighting for among themselves. The latter history of colonization, gives us an idea of the growth sessions of all the nations. Supan figures are for point is the most important, but it only throws light of the colonial empires of England, France and Ger the vears 1876 and 1900. We shall start with the year upon the historical and economic meaning of the many in the course of the 19th century.
1876 for it marks the end of the development of prepast, for the fight may assume and does continually Here are, in condensed form. the figures le ar monopolistic Capitalism and establish a comparison assume a shape, for various reasons, more or less rives at: with the year 1914. giving for the latter vear Huelbut the essence of the fight itself, England France Germany ner figures taken from his Geographical statistical its class character. cannot change as long as class Arca Ponul istinctions remain. Of course, it Area Popul Arca PopulTables.
be of interest millions ation nillinns ation millions ation Supan only gives us the size and population of some bourgeois, let us say, the German bourgeoisie, Years miles miles the colonies. To make the picture more complete, we misrepresent the essential of the modern economic 1815 30 126. intend to mention also the area and population of non ht (for the division of the world) and to insist now 1860 145. colonial or semi colonial lands, such as ersia, China one detail, now on another detail of the fight. This 1880 267. 0. 7. and Turkey: the first of those lands is almost entirely 3 309. 3. 14. t the German Houtskooimakeric For after all, it is 1899 colonized, the second and third are gradually becoman, but the bourgeoisie of the entire world. CapIt was between 1860 and 1880 and significantly ing so.
alists divide up the world, not out of any malicious enough, in the last twenty years of the roth century Colonial possessions of the arcat noreers in millions intent, but simuly because the degree of business also, that England entered her greatest period of colon of square kilometres and millions of population.
concentration which we have reached compels them to ial conquests, while France and Germany secured Colonies Motherland!
resort to that device in order to make any profits.
most of their colonial possessions between 1880 and 1876 to their divide it up according to their capital, And they for under a capitalist system of We have seen in a preceding chapter that the preEngand production, the division cannot be made upon any mononolistic era in the develonment of Capitalism, Russia other basis. Power does not vary according to econthat is Capitalism dominated by free competition, irance omic and political development: in order to understand stretched from 1860 to 1870.
Germany 64. the past one must know what questions are settied 9. We now see that that era preceded an enormous br variations of power, but whether those variations rise in colonial acquisitions, a more and more bitJapan are purely economic or extra economic (for instance tar struggle for the territorial division of the world.
Totals 40. 273. 65. 3234 163 37. 81. 0. due to wars) is after all question Colonies of other nations (Belgium, Holland cannot in any way change the essential aspects of the polistic capital to finance capital is bound to make the latest stage of Capitalism. To neglect the essentials struggle for the division of the world more and more Semi colonial lands (Persia, China. Turkey. 31. of the fight and of the division of the world among relentless.
apitalists in order to discuss the outward appearance Hobson, in his book on Imperialism. characterizes Entire world 139. 1657. pie restricted the next day, and then again world tour period front of a to 1900 as a period of powerWe see clearly that the division of the world was ide) isto dally with sophism. glance at our cording to his estimates. England secured during that completed by the dawn of the 201! century after mern Canitalism will show us that groups of cap: period million square miles of land with a popula 1876 colonial empires grew by gigantic steps and on the basis of an economic division of the world, miles with a million souls: France million square but that concurrently, and in connection with thein, nexation of between 10 and 65 million square kilopolitical groups, or governments reach certain agree Portugal 800, 000 square miles with a million people of their own area, that is 10. million square kilo000 square miles with a population of 20 millions: meters: six great powers scizeri ihe cruivalent of 150 ments on the basis of a territorial division of the The hunt for colonies at the end of the roth century, world, of a struggle for colonies, for exclusive territories.
especially in the eighties, on the part of all the capital In 1876 three powers had no colonies: and at thirst ist nations, constitutes a generally arlınitted fact in one. rance, hvad hardly any. In 1914 those four VI the history of cliplomacy and foreign relations.
The Dirision of the World Amony the Great Powers.
powers had acquired a colonial empire of 14. million When free competition was especially Mourishing in square kilometres, or approximately one and a half The geographer. Supan, in his book on The Ter England, that is from 1840 to 1860, the bourgeois poli times greater than the area of Europe with a popularitoriol Development of European Colonies (75) gives ticians who were in the saddle opposed any sort of a tion of some 100 million souls. The new colonial 10us in a condensed form a clear idea of that develop colonial policy, and considered that it would be neces sessions were very unevenly livided. If we compare inent at the end of the 19th century.
Area occupied by colonies of the arious European ence, to let them secede entirely.
sary for England to grant her colonies their intepend the colonies of France, Germany and Japan, three nations which do not differ greatly in arca and populaPowers and of the United States: Baer. in an article published in 188 on the latest tion, we see that France acquireil three times as much 1876 1900 Gain Loss levelopments of English Imperialism, quotes the im land as Germany and Japan put together.
In Africa 10. 90. 79. verialistically minded Disracli as saving in 1852: Cold From the point of view of financ capital. France In Africa 10. 90. onies are just a millstone around our neck. It the was probably at the begining of the period under conPolynesia 98. end of the 19th century the men of the day in Eng. ideration several times wealthier than Germany and Asia 51. 56. 5. land were Cecil Rhodes and Joseph Chamberlain the Japan combined.
Australia prophets of Imperialism applying purely imperialistic America 27 27. 0. policies with the greatest cynicism. To be continued. miles 02 0. 3 56. 1. 1900.
area pop22. 251.
17. 15. 0. 1914 area pom.
33. 393 17. 3. 10. 2. 12. 0. 0. 16). 1914 area pap. 6. 5. 1. 36. 0. 39. 0. 9. 97. 0. 53. Total 1914 area pop. 110. 22. 169. 11. 95. 3 77. 9. 106. 0. 72. etc. 45 Odher nations.
280 280. metres.
56. 79. 42. 100 TOO