betraying his own country?”
Lenin: “Hatred for one’s own government and one’s own bourgeoisie—the sentiment of all class conscious workers… is a banal phrase if it does not mean revolution against their own governments. It is impossible to rouse hatred against one’s own government and one’s own bourgeoisie without desiring their defeat.”{148}
Student: “Would an American Communist be expected to engage in subversive and disloyal activities even if the United States were at war?”
Lenin: “A revolutionary class in a reactionary war cannot but desire the defeat of its government…. And revolutionary action in wartime against one’s own government undoubtedly and incontrovertibly means not only desiring its defeat, but really facilitating such defeat.”{149}
Student: “But if you are so anxious to break down loyalty to individual governments why you do insist on American Communists maintaining a loyalty toward the USSR?”
Official Statement: “In view of the fact that the USSR is the only fatherland of the international proletariat, the principle bulwark of its achievements and the most important factor for its international emancipation, the international proletariat must on its part facilitate the success of the work of socialist construction in the USSR and defend it against the attacks of the capitalist powers by all the means in its power.”{150}
Student: “In other words—and to be more specific—you are against nationalism except when applied to the USSR?
P. E. Vyshinsky: “The defense of the USSR, as of the socialist motherland of the world proletariat, is the holy duty of every honest man everywhere and not only of the citizens of the USSR.”{151}
Student: “If American Communists are expected overthrow their own Government and serve the interests of the USSR, would that not make them anarchists and insurrectionists?”
Lenin: “Only insurrection can guarantee the victory of the revolution.”{152}
Lenin: “The revolution confronts us directly with the problem of armed insurrection. And to speak of this without proper technical preparations, is merely to mouth empty phrases. He who wants the revolution must systematically prepare for it the broad masses, which will, in the process of preparation, create the necessary organs of the struggle.”{153}
Student: “And all this for the violent overthrow of the Government?”
Lenin: “The purpose of insurrection must be not only the complete destruction, or removal of all local authorities and their replacement by new… but also the expulsion of the landlords and the seizure of their lands.”{154}
War and Peace
Student: “Does not such an inflammatory policy completely contradict your widely publicized program for a peace offensive?”
Official Statement: “Complete Communism will know no more war. A real, assured people’s peace is possible only under Communism. But the goal cannot be reached by peaceful, ‘pacifist’ means; on the contrary, it can be reached only by civil war against the bourgeoisie.”{155}
Student: “In other words, Communists in all countries constitute a war party rather than a political party designed to promote peace?”
Official Statement: “In the capitalist world today, the revolutionary proletariat supports the war of defense of the proletarian state (the USSR) against the imperialist states.” {156}
Student: “But the Soviet Union has consistently waged or encouraged wars of aggression. How can you conscientiously support these?”
Official Statement: “Every war of the Soviet Union is a war of defense, even if it is conducted with offensive means.”{157}
Student: “If you are going to call all Soviet wars ‘defensive’ even when you admit she is using ‘offensive means’ what will be your attitude toward other nations which maintain heavy armaments simply as a defense against Communist aggression?”
Official Statement: (We stand for the) “systematic exposure and stigmatizing of all capitalist armaments, war pacts and war preparations and especially of the defense of the Soviet Union against the league of the imperialists.”{158}
Student: “Are the Communist leaders expecting a spontaneous uprising in various countries or will they order their followers to engineer an uprising?”
Lenin: “If the situation is ripe for a popular uprising, in view of the fact that the revolution in social relationships has already taken place, and if we have prepared for it, we can order an uprising.”{159}
Student: “What methods would you use to overthrow the Government?”
Lenin: “Riots—demonstrations—street battles—detachments of a revolutionary army— such are the stages in the development of the popular uprising.”{160}
Student: “Based on experience, what are the most ideal circumstances for a successful insurrection?”
Lenin: “Combining of a mass political strike with an armed uprising.”{161}
The Communist International
Student: “Originally, what did you say about the organization which was supposed to run the world revolution?”
Official Statement: “The Communist International is the concentrated will of the world revolutionary proletariat. Its mission is to organize the working class of the world for the overthrow of the capitalist system and the establishment of Communism. The Communist International is a fighting body and assumes the task of combining the revolutionary forces of every country.”{162}
Student: “Was the purpose of the Communist International to spread dissension and build the Red Army?”
Official Statement: “In order to overthrow the international bourgeoisie and to create an International Soviet Republic as a transition stage to the Communist Society, the Communist International will use all means at its disposal, including force of arms.”{163}
Stalin: “The tasks of the Party in foreign policy are: 1—to utilize each and every contradiction and conflict among the surrounding capitalist groups and governments for the purpose of disintegrating imperialism; 2—to spare no pains or means to render assistance to the proletarian revolution in the West; 3—to take all necessary measures to strengthen the Red Army.”{164}
Student: “What was the program of the Communist International?”
Official Statement: “The Communist International must devote itself especially to… everyday organization work… in the course of which work legal methods must unfailingly be combined with illegal methods; organized work in the army and navy—such must be the activity of the Communist Parties in this
