Socialism and war (the attitude of the R.S.D.L.P. towards the war).

by Vladimir Lenin

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Genres: Politics, Nonfiction, Lenin, World War I, History

72 pages

First published November 10, 1908

About the author

Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov, better known as Vladimir Lenin, was a Russian revolutionary, leader of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (Bolsheviks), statesman and political theorist. After the October Revolution he served as the first and founding head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 until his death in 1924 and of the Soviet Union from 1922 until his death in 1924.

Reviews

[Jehiel L · Rating 5 out of 5]

The text begins by asserting concreteness for analysis of war. 'War is the continuation of politics by other means'. This is a very important principle. The author do not discount supportable wars, such as those of one bourgeois country against a feudal or absolutist power. Thus the distinction between 'defensive' and 'agressive' wars must be qualified as being about the defence against or aggression for exploitation and oppression. The authors declare that India attacking and declaring war against Britain would be defensive on India's part. In contrast, a war between two slave owners for a redivision of the spoils has no supportable side.

The development of imperialism has seen the whole globe divided between exploitative and oppressive world powers. The world war is a war over the spoils of exploitation, particularly of the colonies. When a revolutionary situation is at hand, the masses are an audience for revolutionary struggle, any wavering on the cause of making good on that revolutionary situation is to uphold imperialist exploitation.

The economic analysis is careful. Even though imperialism allows for the accumulation of great wealth, it in its conjectural form does not develop the productive forces, because it perpetuates archaic modes of exploitation. There's much more to the nuances of 'historical development' and necessity in Marxism. For Lenin imperialism as a necessity of capitalism demands a recognition as necessary of the struggle against imperialism, the opposite of necessity implying acceptance.

It's good to acknowledge that even in 1915 the authors make a point to argue the importance of the kind of parliamentarism which serves the proletariat and the revolution. They describe as heroes those parliamentarians who stand against the war and put themselves in danger for the sake of the movement. This is contrasted to those parliamentarians who work for peace with the bourgeoisie.

[Mehmet · Rating 5 out of 5]

1914, 1.paylaşım savaşı öncesi ve sırasında, sosyalist siyaset içindeki sapmalar ve eğilimleri anlatan ve savaşlar karşısında devrimci partinin bu sapmalara savrulmaması için takınması gereken, ideolojik, siyasal tavır ve teorik arka planı anlatan bir eser. Bir paylaşım savaşı arifesindeki dünyamız için çok güncel.

[Cade]

Relevant

[Nando Sapiña · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Südekum y Heine, Sembat y Vaillant, Bissolati y Mussolini, Chjeídze y Plejánov aceptan el parlamentarismo. Aceptan asimismo el parlamentarismo nuestros camaradas de la minoría obrera socialdemócrata de Rusia, así como los camaradas búlgaros e italianos que han roto con los chovinistas. Hay parlamentarismo y parlamentarismo. Unos utilizan la tribuna parlamentaria para hacer méritos ante sus gobiernos o, en el mejor de los casos, para lavarse las manos, como la minoría de Chjeídze. Otros utilizan el parlamentarismo para ser revolucionarios hasta el fin, para cumplir su deber de socialistas e internacionalistas incluso en las circunstancias más difíciles. La actividad parlamentaria de los unos conduce a los sillones ministeriales; la actividad parlamentaria de los otros conduce a la cárcel, al destierro, a trabajos forzados. Los unos sirven a la burguesía; los otros, al proletariado. Los unos son socialimperialistas. Los otros, marxistas revolucionarios."

"Y consideramos que la tarea principal de la oposición socialdemócrata en los momentos actuales consiste en alzar la bandera del marxismo revolucionario, en decir con firmeza y claridad a los obreros cuál es nuestro criterio de las guerras imperialistas, en lanzar la consigna de acciones revolucionarias de masas, es decir, la consigna de transformar la época de guerras imperialistas en el comienzo de una época de guerras civiles."

[Hjalmar · Rating 5 out of 5]

En kort bok som alla borde läsa!

[Adela Chelminski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very clear, concise work on what the socialist position on war should be

[Giorgio Biscari · Rating 2 out of 5]

Short pamphlet, interesting from the historical, political and sociological point of view.

[شفيق · Rating 2 out of 5]

إننا نفهم الروابط الوثيقة التى تربط الحروب بنضال الطبقات فى داخل كل بلد، ونحن نعرف أن من المستحيل القضاء على الحروب بدون القضاء على الطبقات، ودون إقامة الإشتراكية!


كان هذا كلام لينين فى كراسة الحزب الاشتراكى الديمقراطى عالم
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[Ike Schell · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short work, but I think that this is one of the most important things Lenin ever wrote. To be a Marxist, to be a communist in any way to any extent, you must be an internationalist, and you must advocate for the defeat of your own country in an imperialist war.

[Davide Ramelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Analisi puntuale e completa delle cause reali della Prima Guerra Mondiale e delle derive opportuniste e scioviniste della gran parte dei partiti socialisti della Seconda Internazionale