V. I. Lenin

To the Red Army Men


Written: 19 October, 1919
First Published: 1919
Source: Lenin’s Collected Works, 4th English Edition, Progress Publishers, Moscow, 1965, Volume 30, page 70
Translated: George Hanna
Transcription/HTML Markup: David Walters & Robert Cymbala
Copyleft: V. I. Lenin Internet Archive (www.marx.org) 2002. Permission is granted to copy and/or distribute this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License


Comrades, Red Army men! The tsarist generals--Yudenich in the North and Denikin in the South--are once again bending every effort in an attempt to vanquish Soviet power and restore the power of the tsar, the landowners and the capitalists.

We know how a similar attempt by Kolchak ended. He did not succeed in deceiving the workers of the Urals and the peasants of Siberia for long. Having seen through the deception and having suffered endless violence, floggings and robbery at the hands of the officers, the sons of landowners and capitalists, the Ural workers and Siberian peasants helped our Red Army defeat Kolchak. The Orenburg Cossacks came straight over to the side of Soviet Power.

That is why we are fully confident in victory over Yudenich and Denikin. They will not succeed in restoring the power of the tsar and the landowners. that will never be! The peasants are already rising in Denikin's rear. The flames of revolt against Denikin are burning brightly in the Caucasus. The Kuban Cossacks are grumbling and stirring to action, resentful of Denikin's violence and robbery on behalf of the landowners and the British.

Let us then be firm, comrades, Red Army men! The workers and peasants are rallying ever more solidly, consciously and resolutely to the side of the Soviet government.

Forward, comrades, Red Army men, to the fight for the workers' and peasants' rule, against the landowners and the tsarist generals! Victory will be ours!

N. Lenin

October 19, 1919