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On Imperialist War. Selected Writings: 1

Core Argument

This collection of Lenin's writings from 1907 to 1917 establishes that modern imperialist war is not an aberration or a relic of feudal barbarism, but a necessary and inevitable expression of the contradictions inherent in the capitalist mode of production at a certain stage of its development. Lenin insists that war must be understood as a continuation of politics by other means, and that politics itself is the concentrated expression of economics. Therefore, to grasp the origins of the imperialist slaughter, one must first grasp the laws of motion of capital. The drive for expansion inevitably leads to a struggle for the redivision of the world, and war is the only means by which such a contradiction can be resolved under capitalism.

The central polemical thrust is directed against the social-chauvinists and centrists within the Second International who, in the name of "defence of the fatherland," abandoned the principles of international socialism and voted for war credits. Lenin excoriates the lie that this is a war of national defence, demonstrating that for the imperialist powers, the "fatherland" is nothing but a mask for the interests of the monopolies and the banks. The correct slogan is the conversion of the imperialist war into civil war against the bourgeoisie, following the Basel Manifesto of 1912. Lenin argues that a revolutionary class must desire the defeat of its own government in a reactionary war, and that only the revolutionary overthrow of the capitalist order can produce a genuinely democratic peace.

Overview

The volume opens with a theoretical grounding in Marxist political economy, establishing that modern war is not an accident but flows from the fundamental contradiction between the social character of production and the private form of appropriation. As capitalism develops, productive forces become increasingly socialised while control remains in the hands of a shrinking number of monopolists, generating a relentless drive to expand. The uneven development of capitalism means that the existing colonial map no longer corresponds to the real balance of economic power, and war becomes the only means of resolving this contradiction. This analysis draws heavily on Marx's theory of accumulation and crisis, and on Clausewitz's formulation of war as the continuation of politics by other means.

The collection then traces the development of the international socialist movement's response to the approaching war. The Stuttgart Congress of 1907 marked a decisive turn, with Lenin and Luxemburg successfully amending the anti-militarism resolution to emphasise using war crises to hasten the overthrow of the bourgeoisie. The Basel Congress of 1912 was the high-water mark, explicitly calling on socialists to use the conditions created by war to hasten the downfall of capitalist class rule. Yet on 4 August 1914, the German SPD voted for war credits, triggering the collapse of the Second International. Lenin identifies the social roots of this betrayal in the labour aristocracy, a stratum of workers bought off by imperialist super-profits.

The Zimmerwald Conference of September 1915 and the Kienthal Conference of April 1916 represent the attempt by anti-war socialists to rebuild an internationalist pole. Lenin's pamphlet Socialism and War articulates the Marxist position: Marxists are not pacifists but analyse each war's class character, opposing imperialist wars while supporting progressive wars of national liberation and class war. The Zimmerwald Left, though a minority, pushed for revolutionary opposition. After the February Revolution of 1917, Lenin abandoned the "lesser evil" defeatist slogan, now addressing masses in a revolutionary context. The April Theses deliver a strategic break from the entire edifice of Second International Marxism, demanding that power pass entirely to the Soviets and that the Party rename itself Communist.

The collection culminates in the Seventh (April) All-Russia Conference of the RSDLP(B), which established the fundamental class analysis that would guide the Party through the revolutionary months ahead. The conference recognised that the imperialist war had accelerated capitalism into state monopoly capitalism, the immediate stepping stone to socialism. The Russian revolution was only the beginning of the world socialist revolution; without socialist victory, any peace was merely a truce before renewed slaughter. The volume closes with the October Revolution and the Decree on Peace, closing the arc from theoretical analysis to revolutionary action.

Chapter Guide

  1. Production — Modern war is a necessary expression of the contradictions of capitalist production, not an aberration.
  2. Note on Dates — Establishes the calendrical framework for dating documents across the Old Style and New Style calendars.
  3. Introduction — Traces the Marxist analysis of war through the Second International's collapse and the Zimmerwald Left's response.
  4. The International Socialist Congress in Stuttgart — The 1907 Congress marked a decisive turn, defeating proposals for a "socialist colonial policy."
  5. The War and Russian Social-Democracy — The war is imperialist on all sides; the only correct slogan is its conversion into civil war.
  6. To the Editors of 'Nashe Slovo' — Lenin confronts Trotsky's illusions about unity with conciliators and defends revolutionary defeatism.
  7. Socialism and War — The 1915 pamphlet delineates the Marxist position: analyse each war historically, condemn imperialist wars, support progressive wars.
  8. The Draft Resolution of the Left Wing at Zimmerwald — The Left's draft resolution was refused submission but marked a step toward a new International.
  9. Revolutionary Marxists at the International Socialist Conference, 5-8 September 1915 — The Bolsheviks achieved ideological consolidation against the vacillating "near-Kautskyites."
  10. Opportunism and the Collapse of the Second International — The Basel Manifesto proves the Second International's betrayal; opportunism has become social-chauvinism.
  11. Proposals Submitted by the Central Committee of the RSDLP to the Second Socialist Conference at Kienthal — A democratic peace is impossible without revolutionary overthrow of capitalism.
  12. The Junius Pamphlet — Lenin corrects errors in an illegal German pamphlet: national wars remain possible under imperialism.
  13. To the Workers Who Support the Struggle Against the War — The Zimmerwald Right has slid into social-pacifism; a split is an accomplished fact.
  14. How To Achieve Peace (Fourth 'Letter from Afar') — Only Soviet power can achieve a democratic peace; appealing to the Provisional Government is futile.
  15. Report at a Meeting of Bolshevik Delegates to the All-Russia Conference of Soviets — Lenin launches a frontal assault on the Party leadership's conciliatory line.
  16. The Tasks of the Proletariat in the Present Revolution (April Theses) — Power must pass to the Soviets; the Party must rename itself Communist.
  17. Resolution of the Central Committee of the RSDLP(B) — The Party denounces accusations of fomenting civil war and proposes a popular vote.
  18. Seventh (April) All-Russia Conference of the RSDLP(B) — The conference establishes the class analysis guiding the Party through the revolution.
  19. Resolution of the Seventh International Socialist Congress at Stuttgart — The 1907 resolution and the 1915 Zimmerwald manifesto are reprinted for comparison.
  20. Timeline — A chronological spine from 1907 to 1917 mapping the Second International's collapse and the Russian Revolution.
  21. Glossary — Biographical entries for over one hundred political figures and organisations referenced in the text.

Key Concepts

Imperialist war — War arising from the contradictions of monopoly capitalism, not from national defence or progressive aims.

Social-chauvinism — Socialists in words, chauvinists in deeds; supporting "defence of the fatherland" in an imperialist war.

Revolutionary defeatism — A revolutionary class must desire its own government's defeat in a reactionary war.

Conversion of imperialist war into civil war — The correct slogan following the Basel Manifesto, turning war crisis into revolution.

Labour aristocracy — A stratum of workers bought off by imperialist super-profits, forming the social base of opportunism.

Kautskyism — Verbal Marxism stripped of revolutionary content, reconciling chauvinism with sham leftist concessions.

Dual power — The unstable coexistence of the Soviets and the bourgeois Provisional Government after February 1917.

State monopoly capitalism — The immediate stepping stone to socialism, accelerated by the imperialist war.

Zimmerwald Left — The revolutionary wing at the 1915 Zimmerwald Conference, led by Lenin, pushing for a break with social-chauvinists.

Social-pacifism — Demanding peace without revolution, deceiving workers by dressing imperialist war aims in socialist language.

Chapters

21 chapters