Page:The Proletarian Revolution in Russia - Lenin, Trotsky and Chicherin - ed. Louis C. Fraina (1918).djvu/356

 revolutionary war. We do not doubt for a moment that, in consequence of the present war, the workmen of Europe will repeat the fight of the Russian proletariat, a month sooner or later, on more powerful economic foundations and in a more perfect political form. If, in awaiting the imminent revolutionary flood in Europe, Russia should be forced to conclude peace with the present-day governments of the Central Powers, it would be a provisional, temporary, transitory peace, with the revision of which the European Revolution will have to concern itself in the first place.

Our whole policy is built on the calculation upon this revolution. The peace-program, as submitted by us, can be fully accomplished only by overthrowing the capitalist governments. By resisting the realization of the democratic peace-program, the present-day governments are all the more surely preparing their catastrophic collapse. Through our peace-negotiations we are trying to give them every possible support in this respect.

Into the peace-program we include also the "United States of Europe.: This motto does not belong to the official program of the Government of Workmen's and Soldiers' Councils, nor has it as yet received recognition from our party. Nevertheless we believe that the program of democratic peace leads to a republican World Federation beyond a European one (and a considerable part of the pamphlet is devoted to the statement of this opinion). This question is practically put to the European proletariat by the further development of the Revolution.