Page:Building Up Socialism - Nikolai Bukharin (1926).pdf/65



comrade Zinoviev gives Lenin a completely upside-down interpretation and in vain does he refer to the abc of Communism. In vain does Zinoviev confuse the question. It would be absurd to commence an argument about the question as to whether we have guarantees for the construction of Socialism under any international situation in the event, say, of intervention on the part of the capitalist countries. It is clear that the sole guarantee against dangers from without is international revolution.

On this question, there is no dispute whatever. The argument is not about this at all. It is not here that the line runs which marks off the system of views of our Central Committee from the system of views advocated by the opposition. The argument is: can we construct Socialism and complete the construction apart from the question of international affairs; i.e., the argument is about the character of our revolution. Can we say with Lenin that our centre of gravity would be transferred to cultural development were it not for our international obligations, etc.? Or, will our backwardness inevitably drag us to the ground? That is the question. That this is so is proved by the history of the differences with the present opposition. The first differences on this question were observed at the meeting of the Polit-Bureau where comrade Kamenev and to a certain extent also comrade Zinoviev stated that we cannot cope with the