The Ukraine¶
Core Argument¶
Here, Lenin dissects the political crisis precipitated by the Ukrainian Central Rada’s ‘First Universal’ of June 1917, using it as a prism to expose the bankruptcy of the coalition Provisional Government. The core argument is that the Russian bourgeoisie, now in power alongside the conciliatory socialists, has inherited the chauvinist mantle of tsarism. By refusing to recognise Ukraine’s right to autonomy and secession, the Provisional Government reveals its counter-revolutionary character, proving it is incapable of solving the national question in a democratic manner.
Lenin quotes the Rada’s declaration verbatim to demonstrate its moderation: it explicitly rejects secession from Russia, demands only autonomy, and acknowledges the supremacy of an all-Russian parliament. He insists that no democrat, let alone a socialist, can deny the legitimacy of these demands. The key claim is that only the unconditional recognition of a nation’s right to secede makes possible a genuinely voluntary and fraternal union. The evidence for this is the entire legacy of tsarist oppression, which deliberately turned Great Russians into “executioners” of the Ukrainian people, forbidding their language and culture. To break with this past, revolutionary democrats must actively win the trust of Ukrainian workers and peasants by treating them as equals, not by imposing a centralised state from above.
The chapter draws directly on the political context of the February Revolution and the subsequent crisis of dual power. The Rada’s act is presented as a test case for the new government’s democratic credentials. Lenin’s polemic is sharp and targeted. He attacks the liberal newspaper Rech, which hysterically denounces the Ukrainian action as a “crime” demanding “punitive measures”. For Lenin, this rage is the authentic voice of the counter-revolutionary bourgeoisie, which fears any break with the old imperial unity. He also implicitly argues against the opportunist socialists in the coalition who, by supporting the government, are complicit in this chauvinism. The final thrust is a call for a free union of workers and peasants across national lines, forged through struggle against the common class enemy, not through the coercion of a single state.