Vladimir Ilyich Lenin

NOTEBOOK “ο”

(“OMICRON”)


VOLKSSTIMME (CHEMNITZ)

“AGAINST BOTH JUNIUSES”

Volksstimme (Chemnitz), Supplement to No. 131 (June 8, 1916).

A short article: “Against Both Juniuses.”

“Political arguments will, of course, carry no weight with those who judge only by the enormous sacrifices and suffering of this war and speak only in embitterment and desperation. For one, however, who does not want to hit out blindly, but to analyse and judge, the situation is already quite clear. Our readers will know from our reports of the Junius pamphlet, which seeks to persuade the German proletariat that its greatest interest lies in Germany’s defeat, to which end the working class must exert all its efforts. It is no accident that the anonymous author of the pan-German pamphlet attacking the Reichs-Chancellor a pamphlet emanating from the Tirpitz opposition and annexationist and blood-thirsty to a degree of madness, signs himself Junius Alter, the second Junius. Both Juniuses, one propagating Germany’s defeat and the other Germany’s world domination, actually play into each other’s hands. And, reading the pamphlet of the first Junius, we have repeatedly asked ourselves whether it was really written by a Social-Democrat who has lost all judgement, or whether it is the work of a Russian police agent! The German working class will send both Juniuses packing. It will continue to fight the external enemies until they are ready for a reasonable peace, and the internal enemies who want to sacrifice precious German blood for the sake of lunatic plans of conquest. Such is the policy of Social-Democracy, and the history of the working-class movement will thank the leaders who in these days are so vigorously championing this policy in the Reichstag in defiance of all attacks and slanders.”

End. The entire item

“QUITE CORRECT!”

Volksstimme (Chemnitz), 1916, No. 133
(Saturday, June 10, 1916):
 “Quite correct. Apropos our remarks on Comrade
Dr. Lensch’s speeches on the colonial question, the
Bremer Bürger-Zeitung writes:
N.B.:

“’The Chemnitz Volksstimme seems to be concerned for the cessation of Party strife. However, it is probably speculating on the prospects this will present for unity between social-patriots, social-imperialists and social-pacifists, thanks to the behaviour of even the extreme Left wing of the Party Centre. The Chemnitz Party organ is probably not far off the mark. But as regards the radical Left, the paper’s hopes for a re-union with the social-patriots are, of course, in vain.

 “We can confirm that the Bremen newspaper’s idea is
quite correct. We do, in fact, consider it of the very greatest
importance that Party strife should cease, or at any rate
be so [sic!] restricted [sic!] that it would no longer endan-
ger organisational unity. Even today we still confidently
hope that the social-pacifists—which in the jargon of the
Bremer Bürger-Zeitung means the Haase-Ledebour group—
will once again join with the social-patriots (that means
us) and the social-imperialists—that refers to the trade
union leaders Lensch, Cunow, etc.—to form a single,
united Social-Democratic Party. We are aware that
the Rühle-Knief group, which has already declared that
a split is the prerequisite for the Party’s further activity
[Chemnitz Volksstimme’s italics], will not take part.
But the proletariat can suffer this loss without damage
to its fighting capacity”.

((the entire item))


DELBRÜCK, GOVERNMENT AND THE PEOPLE’S WILL | BREMER BÜRGER-ZEITUNG

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