Lenin on the World Revolution

1920

24 January 1920

Speech at the conference of non-party workers and Red Army soldiers of the Presnya district of Moscow

(Newspaper report) Pravda No. 18, 28 January 1920

Lenin, Works, Volume 30, page 292ff

This victory of ours over a far stronger enemy proves that the Bolsheviks were right and not those who claimed that it was hopeless to take up the struggle against the world bourgeoisie [emphasised by the Comintern SH]. ( page 292 )

The Mensheviks have often declared that the proletarians of the West do not support us, that they tolerate our throats being cut, that they allowed Hungary to be crushed. Apparently that is true. But why did the Entente troops withdraw from the north and from Odessa? Because their soldiers, who are workers themselves, are increasingly refusing to fight against us as they advance into Soviet Russia. So one of the reasons for our victory lies in the fact that war can only be waged against us with a large army, but that a large army can only be made up of workers and peasants, and that these workers of the West do not want to fight against us. So we did not win because we were stronger, but because we are closer to the labourers of the Entente countries than their own government. [ emphasised by the Comintern SH ]. ( page 293 )

The second cause of our victory was the failure of the "campaign of the 14 states". This means that the small states cannot unite to fight the Bolsheviks because they fear that in the event of their victory and a simultaneous victory of the Denekin gangs, the Russian Empire will be re-established, which would make life impossible for the small peoples once again. And we make peace with Estonia, thereby effectively breaking the blockade, even if the formal lifting of the blockade is nothing but a sham.

The great powers of the Entente cannot unite to fight the Soviet power because they are too much at war with each other.

The second cause of our victory therefore lies in the fact that the workers are in solidarity, while the bourgeoisie, precisely because they remain bourgeoisie, must necessarily struggle and fight over a larger share of profits. [ emphasised by the Comintern SH ]. ( page 293 )

Formerly labour was organised by the exploiter, formerly hunger held the workers together, now the workers and peasants must be imbued with the consciousness that they must make an effort to get out of their difficult situation.

But many people still lack this awareness. We are starting a new, bloodless struggle for the development of this consciousness.

So far, all revolutions have ended in a way that favoured a handful of capitalists and exploiters. This was the case because the labourers who rose up lacked the consciousness of solidarity. Everyone thought only of themselves, everyone fought each other, and the crooks and speculators gained the upper hand. [ emphasised by the Comintern SH ]. ( page 294 )

It used to be said: "Every man for himself, God for us all". How much suffering has resulted from this! We, on the other hand, say: "Every man for all, but without God we will get along somehow." (page 295)

27 January 1920

Speech at the III All-Russian Congress of People's Economic Councils

Newspaper report, Pravda No. 19, 29 January, 1920

Lenin, Works, Volume 30, page 299ff

... a people capable of coping with the whole world. Without exaggeration - with the whole world! For the whole capitalist world has suffered a defeat. This is the specific situation in which we are raising the labour army to solve the most urgent tasks. (page 302)

... to make our country a culturally advanced country and to find our way out of the quagmire in which the countries of international capitalism and imperialism are currently mired through a properly conducted socialist struggle.[ emphasised by the Comintern SH ]. ( page 303 )