It is convenient to take into account some things regarding On the State by Lenin, if the text is read (at least by those in leading positions) it would be very useful because it aims to view the State, to pay even more attention to it. This document is useful for viewing the process of the State and for understanding things that are important for us and for combating the general counter-revolutionary offensive. In it Lenin tells us, in relation to the State and the difficulties to study it, how it is possible to advance: "And for you it will be very easy to return to this problem, since it is such a basic question, so fundamental in politics and not only in difficult times, in times of revolution such as now, but also in more peaceful times, in every period that deals with any economic or political question. Everyday you will run into these questions: What is the State? what is its essence? what is its meaning and what position should our Party adopts before it, the Party that struggles for the overthrow of capitalism, the Communist Party? This a question which, for one reason or another you will have to return to everyday. And the essential thing is that as a result of your lectures and other meetings and conferences regarding the State, you learn to deal with this problem on your own, since you will run into it for the most diverse motives, in each little question, in the most unexpected combinations, in the conversations and disputes with adversaries. Only when you learn to deal with this problem on your own, you may consider yourselves to be sufficiently firm in your convictions, only then you will be able to defend them with success against anyone and in any moment". What stands out here is that we run into this problem everyday for the most diverse motives in each little question, in the most unexpected combinations and in the disputes with the adversaries; this is most certain, today more than ever. That is the important thing.
Lenin continues telling us as follows: "I already said that the work by Engels, The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State could be of much help. Precisely there it is observed that all States in which private property of the land and means of production exist and in which capital dominates, is a capitalist State, no matter how democratic it may be, machinery in the hands of the capitalists to maintain the oppression of the proletariat and the poor peasants. And the universal suffrage, Constituent Assembly, and Parliament are nothing more than the form, a kind of pay-off, which does not alter at all the essence of the question". This is what interests us, the State "is a machine to maintain the proletariat and the poor peasants oppressed"; and the elections, the assembly and Parliament? These are forms, not the essence, not the content. The content, the reason for such fashionable forms is none other than to maintain exploitation, oppression. This is what is of interest to us. And he adds "the form of state domination can be diverse: capital expresses its force in a certain way where a form already exists, and in another way where other forms exist, but, in essence power always continues in the hands of capital; it is the same if there are restricted elections or other types of election; or the existence of a democratic republic, even when it is the most democratic, it still is the most cynical and filthy capitalist domination. One of the most democratic republics is the United States of America, and in no other country (as whoever was there after 1905 surely has realized), is the power of capital, the power of a clique of multi-millionaires over the whole of society, so coercively manifested with such shameless arrogance as there. Capital, once it exists, dominates the whole of society and no democratic republic, not a single electoral right changes the essence of the matter". This is good, it is well explained and perfectly understood. Continues as follows: "the democratic republic and general elections, in comparison with the feudal regime, are a great progress since it permits the unification of the proletariat, its present cohesion and the formation of harmonious and disciplined ranks, in systematic struggle against capital". The text that follows has to be read, but we are not going to analyze it now; later we will pay attention to this: "Not only conscious hypocrites, wise men and priests support and defend this bourgeois lie that the State is free and that it is bound to defend everyones interests, but also many persons who sincerely repeat the old prejudices and fail to understand the movement from the old capitalist society towards socialism. Not only the people directly dependent on the bourgeoisie, not only those who find themselves under the fist of capital or those being bribed by it (all kinds of wise men, artists, clergymen, etc. at the service of capital), but also persons who are simply under the influence of prejudices such as bourgeois freedom; they all have mobilized the whole world against bolshevism, because the foundation of the Soviet Republic rejected this bourgeois lie and openly declared: you call your State free, when in reality as long as private property exists, your State, even if it is a democratic republic, is nothing more than a machine in the hands of capitalists with the aim to crush the workers. Even when the State has more freedom, despite this absurd idea that the State is free and above everyone, such fact becomes increasingly clear. Here we should emphasize that many are deceived, how rooted is this absurd idea that the State is free, that it is above everyone, that it serves all. And Lenin tells us that this occurs in any State; he presents the example of the United States of America and Switzerland: "there are fewer soldiers in these countries, the regular army is smaller; in Switzerland and a militia exists, and each Swiss has a rifle in his house; in the USA until recently there was no regular army, and because of such arrangement, when a labor strike bursts, the bourgeoisie arms itself, it employs mercenary soldiers and smashes the labor strike, and in no other place is such an attack on the workers movement so oppressive and ferocious as in Switzerland and the USA. In no other place is the parliament under as much control of capital as precisely in such countries." He presents the essence right before us, that is how democratic they are, they have small army, but when there is a labor strike they hire mercenaries, they arm themselves; here in Peru we are seeing something similar, but because of the Peoples War their repressive forces become insufficient. In this way they always arm their forces, they buy mercenaries, they defend their wealth and power. Before, there is a paragraph that deserves special attention, when talking about such countries: "In no other place does capital dominates so cynically and implacably, and in no other place is it so clearly manifested as precisely in these countries, even though they are democratic republics, no matter how elegant they may dress, and regardless of all the words on the democracy of labor and the equality of all citizens". Very well said, good paragraph. No matter how much they recite their democracy, in no other place is there such a cynical and implacable domination, no matter how elegant they may dress it up or sound all their cheap talk on democracy of labor and equality of all citizens. Lenin continues, in these countries, the USA and European countries, "the force of capital is everything; the stock exchange is everything, while the Parliament and the elections are marionettes, puppets..." This for us is right on the mark, especially today because we are seeing the same thing in the Peruvian Parliament; nevertheless, here they fill up everyone with democracy, this is useful to uncover and expose their democracy and their democratic paradigms (the USA and European countries) which allows us to perceive and understand what the system implies; in synthesis, the Peruvian Parliament is a good example of its own putrefaction.
And Lenin continues telling us: "But, as more time passes by the idea of Soviet Power becomes clear for the workers, gaining major and broad significance, in particular after the bloody massacre we just went through", he speaks of World War I, "The working class sees, each time with more clarity, the need of an implacable fight against capitalists". After dealing with the State, starting with the necessity to study the problem of the State, he arrives at the bourgeois State; these are the last sentences we just read. There bourgeois democracy is unmasked and exposed, the fallacy of the States liberty, a vile deception, and the demagogic outgrowth of democracy of labor and the equality of citizens, the puppet condition of all parliaments is exposed. The elections are deceiving marionettes, he tells us, because where is the power, the force of the bourgeoisie? It is in the force of capital; capital is everything, he tells us, the stock exchange is everything; and by coincidence a short while ago the stock exchange opened in Peru. Once at this point, Lenin sustains: the workers question the bourgeois order, they understand the need to overthrow the old State, and in such way develop an implacable struggle against the capitalists, and ends by talking about the new system, the New State: "Whichever may be the forms to cover up the republic, if it is bourgeois, if in it continues existing private property of the land and factories, and if such capital is private it maintains all of society in wage-slavery, that is if the program of our Party and the Soviet constitution are not realized in it, such a State is a machine destined to the oppression of some by others. And this machine we will place in the hands of that class that must overthrow the power of capital. We will reject all the old prejudices such as the State is equality for all, because it is a lie: as long as exploitation exists there can be no equality. The land owner cannot be equal to the workman, the hungry person cannot be equal to the well fed person. This machine, called the State, before which the people bow in respect and superstition, showing faith to the old tales that power is of the whole people, the proletariat rejects it because it is bourgeois lie. We take this machine away from the capitalists and we appropriate it. With this machine or weapon we will destroy all exploitation; and when the possibility of exploitation no longer remains in the world, without any more landlords and factory owners, without some living in abundance and others suffering starvation, only when this is no longer possible will we throw this machine onto the pile of garbage. Then there will be no State and there will be no exploitation. This is the point of view of our communist Party". It is good text to study for understanding the problem of the State, and it is even better to reach to the broad masses with a topic they need to know, especially today. It is quite good because after exploring through it, I repeat, he arrives at bourgeois democracy, he criticizes it in depth, exposes its essence and then deals with our State, which means the conquest of Power, to make our own State machinery by destroying the old State machinery; and with it, he says, we destroy, we demolish all remaining exploitation, oppression, and only then there will be equality. When such thing exists there will be no classes, and there will be no State. The important aspect is that as long as the State does not carry out the program of the Communist Party, it will not be a State that truly benefits the proletariat, the people; in this way, only the New State is the one that can serve them. This is very good, it poses before us the course and the final perspective; and, the principal thing, it demands that we must understand what is the State, to destroy the old State, to raise up the New State, to establish the dictatorship of the proletariat and with it transform the world (democracy for the people, dictatorship for the exploiters) and march on towards communism, only then we will make the State disappear forever.