The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1932-10-20
Lenirl>>FrOn1
February to
October IL

IRE TASKS OF The PROLE-
TARIAT IN OUR REVOLUTION,
by V. I. Lenin, Little Lenin
Library, Vol. 9, Is cents.
THE APRIL CONFERENCE, by v.
1. Lenin, Little Lenin Library,
Vol. 10, 20 cents.
All published by International Pub
fishers, 3S1 Fourth Ave-, New York.
Reviewed by ]. S. ALLEN
WWORKERS. you have displayed
W marvels of proletarian and pop
ular heroism in the civil war
against tSarism; you must display
marvels of proletarian and nation
wide organization in order to pre-
pare your victory in the second
stage of the revolution"
Thus wrote Lenin in his first
Letter From Afar" to the Russian
workers, five days after he had
received news in Zurich, Switzer-
land, where he was in exile, of
the revolution on March IA, which
had overthrown the Tsar. On
March 16, he had already referred
to the revolution as the first stage
of the first revolution" In the let
ter referred to above Lenin speaks
of the situation then existing in
Russia as "a transition stage from
the first phase of the revolution to
the second
With his unfailing revolutionary
perception, with his profound
knowledge of history and the role
of each class in modern society,
Lenin already saw, though he was
"afar," what working class leaders
in Russia had not yet clearly
grasped. He saw that it was neces-
sary to fight and overthrow the
Provisional Government, which had
taken power as the representative
Of the bourgeoisie and the big land
owners, although it was the work
ers and the soldiers, nearly all of
them peasants, who had led the
revolution. He saw the necessity
to push the revolution into is Sec
ond stage" the proletarian reyolu-
ton.
| IN his Letters From Afar" Lenin
l discusses all the problems of de-
veloping the revolution into its
second stage" shows that the
power must be transferred to the
workers and poorest peasants whose
government must be organized after
the model of the Petrogad Soviet
of Workers and Peasants Deputies
and that only such government
could obtain real peace, bread, land
and freedom. He already sees
clearly the necessity for forging
the unbreakable alliance with the
poorest peassntry by confiscating
the land of the big landowners and
Matchmaking the entire land as
demanded by the peasants. All
these, said Lenin, would constitute
the transition to Socialism"
Today this estimate of the Rus
sian revolution and its development
is an integral part of Marxism-
Leninism. is unquestioned in the
policies and tactics of the Commu
mist Parties. Then it was only
Lenin who clearly saw the perspec-
tives of the developing revolution,
understood how to lead the masses
to the attainment of their de-
mands.
THE principles that guided the
strategy and action of the Boil
sheviks during the transition from
the bourgeois revolution in March
to the proletarian revolution In
November we're enunciated by Lenin
in complete form in THE Tasks of
the Proletariat In Our Revolution. "
His famous April Theses" which
he wrote on his arrival in Russia
under the title of THE Tasks of
the Proletariat in the Present Rev
olution," are also contained in this
Little Lenin volume. Together with
Letters on Tactics in which he
answers the counters arguments of
his Bolshevik opponents, whose
leader was Kamenev, these writings
served as the basis for discussion
at the All-Russian Conference of
the Bolsheviks which took place in
Petrograd (now Leningrad in May
(April, old calendar.
At the National Conference Lenin
convinced the Party, and through
it the workers, of the correctness of
his views. The speeches delivered
by him at the conference-on the
political situation, the war, the ma
tional question, the agrarian ques-
ton, on the situation within the
international socialist parties-are
contained in the pamphlet 1.-THE
April Conference" Events which
TRANSFERRED during the first week in
May-the tremendous outpouring
of the masses under revolutionary
slogans on May Day and the DEM
onstrations of May and 4 pro-
testing the continuation of the war
were already proving Lenin TO be
right.
The further development Of the
revolution to the successful upris-
ing of November workerd out Just
as Lenin had said. Taking Marx
and Engels as his teachers, study
ing in detail all the lessons offered
by history, always able TO perceive
the needs and moods of the masses,
Lenin was able to be the leader of
the successful proletarian revolu-
ton and guide it to the creation
OF the Soviet State, laying the foun-
dation for Socialism which today
covers one-sixth of the earth.
THE introductions to the PAM
phlets by Comrade Alexander
Trachtenberg help the reader not
| only TO understand the historical