Page:Lenin - The State and Revolution.pdf/12

 of last century, Engels' last preface being dated June 16, 1891. The turn towards Imperialsm, in the shape both of a complete domination of the trusts and of the all-powerful large banks, and of a colonial policy on a grand scale, had only just begun in France, and was even weaker in North America and in Germany. Since then the "rivalry in conquests" has made gigantic advances—especially as the beginning of the second decade of the 20th century found the whole world finally divided up between these "rival conquerors"—that is between the great predatory powers. Military and naval armaments then grew to monstrous proportions, and the predatory war of 1914–17 for the domination of the world by England or Germany, for the division of spoils, bids fair to bring about the "swallowing up" of all the forces of Society by the rapacious State power, and to lead to a complete catastrophe.

Already in 1891 Engels was able to point to "rivalry in conquests" as one of the most important features of the foreign policy of the Great Powers, but in 1914–17, when this rivalry, many times intensified, had given birth to an Imperialist war, the rascally Social-chauvinists cover up their defense of the policy of grab of "their" capitalist classes by phrases about the "defense of the Fatherland," or “"defense of the Republic and the Revolution," and so on, and so on!

For the maintenance of a special public force standing above Society, taxes and State loans are indispensable.

"Wielding public power and the right to exact taxes, the officials [Engels writes] are raised as organs of Society above Society. The free, voluntary respect enjoyed by the organs of the tribal (clan) Society is no longer sufficient for them, even could they win it."

Special laws are enacted regarding the sanctity and the inviolability of the officials. "The most insignificant police servant" has more authority than the representative of the clan, but even the head of a civilized State might well envy the elder of a clan in respect to the "spontaneous, unforced regard on the part of Society" enjoyed by that elder.

Here is raised the question of the privileged position of the officials as agents of the State power, and the fundamental query to be answered is this: What is it that places them above