The texts published in this Collection were written during the period 1914-1917, that is, in the years of World War I.

They reflect the great importance of a class-scientific approach to the issue of war, which gave the Bolshevik Party the ability to guide the working class of Russia to the victory of the revolution against its own bourgeoisie. The processing of these texts took place under conditions of fire, in circumstances where the pressure for 'national unity' and the opportunistic pressure for adaptation were enormous.

It is characteristic that at that time almost all leaders of the Second International, despite contrary declarations (Copenhagen and Basel conferences), betrayed the working class of their countries and called on them to fall into the slaughter for the interests of capital - the reformists evolved into socialist chauvinists.

The opportunists of the Second International argued that the assessment of the Basel Congress (1912) regarding the formation of a revolutionary situation was not confirmed, as governments appeared strong at the beginning of the war. Lenin responded that never have the governments, the ruling classes of various states needed the consent of the working masses (their 'peaceful submission') as much as during wartime.

He also pointed out that if at the beginning of the war, 'particularly in a country expecting a quick victory, the government seems all-powerful, no one anywhere in the world has ever linked the expectation of a revolutionary situation exclusively with the moment of the war's 'beginning' and even less identified the 'apparent' with reality.

This issue had been discussed earlier within the Second International, at the Stuttgart Congress in 1907. Lenin, responding to Herve, emphasized that the struggle must aim 'to replace capitalism with socialism and not merely to replace war with peace.' The essence is not just to prevent the outbreak of war but to exploit the crisis that the war generates to expedite the downfall of the bourgeoisie.

Contrary to Herve's 'semi-anarchist' views on 'strike' and 'uprising' against the war, Lenin emphasized that the choice of means depends on the character of the crisis caused by the war. Lenin relentlessly exposed the centrism trend, which in words stigmatized the horrors of war, but in practice, was dragged by the chauvinists in the name of unity with them, under the influence of the fear of being outlawed by the bourgeoisie.