58 THE CLASS STRUGGLE POLITICAL PARTIES IN RUSSIA 59 tion, that is, their passing over into the possession of the whole people.
23. What form of Socialist International, establishing and realizing a brotherly union of all the workers in all countries, is now desirable for the nations? and Generally speaking, any kind of Socialist International is harmful and dangerous to capitalists and landholders, but if the German Plekhanov, whose name is Scheidemann, will come to an agreement with the Russian Scheidemann, whose name is Plekhanov, and if they can find in each other any vestige remaining of their socialist consciences, then we, the capitalists, must hail with delight such an International, of such socialists, as stand by the side of their own governments. Socialist International is needed that will include all elements: the Scheidemanns, the Plekhanovs and the centrists, who are those who vacillate between the Social Patriotism and Internationalism. The bigger the mixup, the greater their unity. long live our great socialistic unity! The nations need only that International which consists of the really revolutionary workers, who are capable of putting an end to the awful and criminal slaughter of nations, capable of delivering humanity from the yoke of capitalism. Only such people (groups, parties, etc. as the German Socialist Karl Liebknecht, now in a German jail, only people who will tirelessly struggle with their own government and their own bourgeoisie, and their own Social Patriots, and their own centrists, can and must immediately establish that International which is necessary to the nations.
24. Must the fraternization between soldiers of the warring countries, at the front, be encouraged? and No; it is bad for the interests of the landholders and capitalists, since it may accelerate the liberation of humanity from their yoke. Yes, it would be good. But we are not fully convinced that such an encouragement of fraternization should be at once undertaken in all warring countires. Yes; it is good and indispensable. It is absolutely necessary in all countries at war to encourage all attempts at fraternization between the soldiers of both warring groups.
25. What should be the color of the flag indicating both the nature and character of the various political parties? Black, for this is the real Black Hundred. Yellow, for that is the international banner of those workers who serve capital through choice and not by compulsion. Pink, for their whole policy is the policy of rosewater. Red, for that is the emblem of the international proletarian revolution. Supplement)
Resolution on War, Passed by the General Russian Conference of the Russian Social Democratic Workers Party.
April 26 May 9, 1917. All voting in favor except seven, who refrained from voting at all. The present war, on the part of all the belligerents, is an imperialist war, that is, it is fought by capitalists for the division of spoils through their domination of the world, for markets, for financial capital, for the suppression of the backward nations, etc.
Each day of war enriches the financial and industrial bourgeoisie and impoverishes and weakens the powers of the proletariat and the peasantry of all the belligerents, and later of the neutral countries. In Russia the prolongation of the war involves also a grave danger to the revolution and to its further development.
The passing of government authority, in Russia, into the hands of the Provisional Government, that is, the government of the landholders and capitalists, did not and could not alter the character and significance of the Russian participation in this war.