Page:Vladimir Ilyich Lenin - Lessons of the Revolution (1918).djvu/26

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page has been proofread, but needs to be validated.

— 23 —

England and France—the capitalists make use of this subterfuge, and very successfully too, The «Socialist» leaders upon entering the bourgeois ministries invariably prove mere figureheads, puppets, simply a shield for the capitalists, a tool with, which to defraud the workers, The «democratic and republican» Russian capitalists set in motion the very same scheme. The Essers and Mensheviks fell a victim to it, and on May 6 a «coalition» ministry, with the participation of Tchernov, Tseretelli & Co. became an accomplished fact.

The fools of the Esser and Menshevik parties were jubilant, complacently basking as they did in the radiance emanating from the Ministerial glory of their leaders. The capitalists congratulated themselves on having obtained such formidable allies against the people as the «leaders of the Soviets»—on having received from them the promise to support «aggressive action on the front»; in other words, the renewal of imperialistic predatory, war, which had been interrupted for a while. Well did the capitalists know the impotence of these leaders; well did they know that the promises of the bourgeoisie—regarding control’ and organization of production, peace policy, etc.—would never be kept.

And so it happened. The second phase of the development of the revolution, extending over the period between May 6 and June 18, fully satisfied the expectations of the capitalists as to their success in deceiving the Essers and Mensheviks.