As to the basic principles of the revolutionary struggle against war and during it, considerations of space compel us to confine ourselves here to our theses on war, which were adopted in May 1934 by the International Secretariat of our movement, have since formed one of the most important programmatic documents of Bolshevism, and acquire more topical importance with the passing of every day. But in the nature of practical action considerable differences may arise, depending on the concrete war situation. But the proletariat of a country fighting against the USSR would be absolutely obliged to resort to actions of this sort-strikes, sabotage, etc. Only in this way can a real alliance with the USSR be created and the first workers' state be saved from disaster. Hitler hopes to attack the USSR tomorrow just as Japan attacks China, i.e., to alter the imperialist relationship of forces without directly violating the essential interests of the other imperialisms and thereby temporarily to localise the conflict.
War is only the continuation of politics by other means.
Hence the proletariat must continue its class struggle in war-time, among other things with the new means which the bourgeoisie hands it. This tactic, known as revolutionary defeatism and realisable internationally, is one of the strongest levers of the proletarian world revolution in our epoch, and therewith of' historical progress. As in the imperialist countries it strives with all its strength for the social revolution and the seizure of power, the establishment of its dictatorship, which, moreover, alone makes possible a sure and lasting victory over the imperialists. But in such cases, it cannot and does not, as in the imperialist camp, seek revolutionary victory at the cost of a military defeat but rather along the road of a military victory of his country. Class struggle and war are international phenomena, which are decided internationally.