The State and Revolution (n. d.)/Preface
PREFACE
The question of the State has recently attained outstanding importance, both theoretical and practical.
The Imperialist war has greatly accelerated the transformation of monopoly-capitalism into State-monopoly-capitalism. The monstrous oppression of the laboring masses by the State—which identifies itself more and more intimately with the all-powerful capitalist combines—becomes ever more terrible. The foremost countries are being converted into military labor prisons for the workers.
The incredible miseries and horrors of the protracted war are making the position of the masses unbearable and increasing their indignation.
It is clear an international proletarian revolution is preparing.
The question therefore of its relation to the State takes on a practical importance.
The acquisition of opportunist elements during the decades of comparatively peaceful development brought into the official Socialist parties of the whole world a predominance of Socialist chauvinism: Plekhanoff, Potresoff, Breshkovskaya, Rubanovitch, and in a slightly concealed form, Tseretelli, Tchernoff & Co., in Russia; Scheidemann, Legien, David and others in Germany; Renaudel, Guesde, Vandervelde in France and Belgium; Hyndman and the Fabians in England; and so on, and so on. Socialists in words, chauvinist in deeds, these "leaders of Socialism" distinguish themselves by a base, servile adaptation to the interests not only of "their" national bourgeoisie, but also of "their" State—for plenty of smaller, weaker nationalities have long been exploited and enslaved by most of the so-called Great Powers. The imperialist war is just a scramble for more division and repartition of the same kind of booty.
The struggle for the emancipation of the laboring masses from the oppression of the bourgeoisie in general, and the Imperialist bourgeoisie in particular, cannot be separated from a struggle against the opportunist superstitions concerning the State.
First of all, we survey the teachings of Marx and Engels on the State, dwelling most fully on the forgotten parts, and on those aspects of their teachings which the opportunists have distorted. We then analyze particularly the chief representative of these perverters, Karl Kautsky, the best known leader of the Second International (1889–1914), who has suffered such a pitiful political bankruptcy during the present war. Finally, we bring forward the most important results of the experiences of the Russian revolutions, of 1905 and particularly of 1917.
This last revolution is evidently completing at the present time (beginning of August, 1917,) the first stage of its development; but in general the whole of this revolution can only be looked upon as a link in the chain of Socialist proletarian revolutions which will result from the Imperialist war.
The question of the relation of a proletarian Socialist revolution to the State is therefore not only of practical political importance, but is an urgent need of the day, involving the elucidation for the masses of what they will have to do in the very near future for their liberation from the yoke of Capitalism.
August, 1917.