25 April 1917. Vladimir Lenin

Non-fiction

Project 1917 is a series of events that took place a hundred years ago as described by those involved. It is composed only of diaries, letters, memoirs, newspapers and other documents

Vladimir Lenin

Petrograd, Russian Empire

Dear Friends,

Up to now we have received nothing, absolutely nothing from you—no letters, no packets, no money. Only two telegrams from Hanecki. We are sending you two files of Pravda: one for you, the other for Karpinsky (Mr. Karpinsky. Bibliothèque russe. 7. rue Hugo de Senger. 7. Genève. (Genf) Suisse), and two sets of cuttings: one for you, the other for Karpinsky.

Notify us by postcard (M. T. Yelizarov for V. I. Shirokaya Ul., 48, kv. 24. Petrograd) or by telegram that you have received this letter and the papers.

Steinberg has arrived, and promises to get hold of the packets which were sent. We shall see whether he succeeds.

If you get the newspapers, they will give you an idea of the whole situation.

In case the papers don’t reach you, let me describe it in brief.

The bourgeoisie (+Plekhanov) are furiously attacking us for travelling through Germany. They are trying to incite the soldiers against us. So far it isn’t coming off: there are supporters, and loyal ones, among them. Among the S.R.s and the Social-Democrats there is the most desperate chauvinist excitement, which has taken the form of “revolutionary defencism ” (now, they allege, there is something to defend, namely, the republic against Wilhelm). We are being furiously attacked for opposing “unity”, while the masses are for the unity of all Social-Democrats. We are against.

Chkheidze has sunk completely into “revolutionary defencism”. In a bloc with Potresov. All are for the Liberty Loan. It is opposed only by us+the Nashe Slovo group+ Larin and a handful of Martov’s friends.

We are calling an all-Russia conference of Bolsheviks on April 22, 1917.

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Sofia Tolstaya

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My daughter Sasha arrived today. She remains, thank God, as blooming and healthy as ever; she still smiles and still laughs loudly. I am trying not to get too excited about Sasha’s stay, as she will stay with us only for a couple of days, despite how much we anxiously awaited her visit.

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Paul Signac

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Maurice Paleologue

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