The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-07-25
Results Of the pIenary Session Of the
Executive Committee Of the
Communist International
(Speech by N. /. Bucharin. }

I
tional, with the well-known amend
ment to that resolution, proposed by
Comrades Lenin and Rosa Luxem-
burg at Stuttgart and Incorporated
in the Basic Resolution, and stating
that in the case of war it will be
necessary: "to make full use of the
economic and political crisis caused
by the war for the purpose of arous-
ing the people, and accelerating the
overthrow of the rule of capital"
(Lenin, Complete Works, vol. 49,.
Secondly, reference is made to one
of the last documents dealing pre-
cisely with the question of the fight
against war-the often quoted instruc-
lions issued by Comrade Lenin to
our delegation to the congress Of
trade union, cooperative, pacifist,
and other organizations, held at the
Hague.
In these instructions Lenin first
advances the thesis that we must COM
bat with our utmost energies the
foolish and senseless idea that it is
possible to "reply" to war with gen.
eral strike or a revolution; that in
reality the majority of the workers
will take sides with their bourgeois
government during the first days of
a war; that it is of the utmost i'm
portance to expose the foolishness Of
the standpoint of those who imagine
themselves in possession of uni
versal remedy against the "evil" Of
war; that we must unmask the oppor-
tunists, the semi-pacifissts, the pacif-
lists, ETC., who fancy that they 'know"
how to fight against war; that we
must contend determinedly against
the empty phrase of "reply" to war
by means of a general strike or
revolution. These theses are the main
import of the instructions drawn up
by Comrade Lenin.
Whilst our Commission was work.
ing various interpretations were
brought forward with reference to
the connection between these instruc-
tions of Lenin's and the Basic Resolu-
ton Git must not be forgotten that
the formula of the Basic Manifesto
was taken from document which
had already been accepted at the
Stuttgart Congress. The original
wording of the amendment referred
directly to revolutionary action, that
is to strike and insurrection). The
Basic Resolution makes mention Of
the Paris Commune and of the rev.
olution of 1905, in which the general
strike and instruction formed the
leading forms" of the struggle. The
slogan of the general strike and of the
armed insurrection was here Indirect
ly presented as a slogan determining
our action during preparation for
war on the part of the bourgeoisie,
and further during the war itself.
But on the other hand the Hague in
structions state that the phrases on
replying" to a war by revolution
are nonsensical; that we have to obey
the dictates of common sense, and face
the fact that at the beginning Of a
war the majority of the working peo-
pie take sides with their bourgeois
fatherland.
Various shades of opinion have
arisen during the course of our work
in the Commission, and we have come
to various decisions upon them. One
of these may be formulated as fol-
lows: The slogans of the general
strike and of armed insurrection must
stand, without reservation, as rules
of action for the Communist Party,
both during the period of preparation
for war on the part of imperialist
states, and during the war itself. An
other standpoint: The point of main
Importance is precisely the exposure
of the absurdity of the standpoint
that war can be replied" to by a
general strike, revolution, or insur-
rection.
What is the right answer to this
question? First of all, it is absurd to
confront one document with another
in this case; it is absurd to confront a
document with the demands of the
mass struggles of the communards and
the revolutionists of 1905, with the
instructions" given by Lenin to the
Hague Delegation, dealing with the
necessity of forming careful and at
tentive judgment of the position, free
from all illusions, during the first
days or a war.
ITO Be Continued).