of these commodities, the proletariat now holding political power would receive, in addition to that political power, the economic power also. We cannot extricate ourselves from this difficulty without resorting to freedom of local exchange of commodities. If this exchange of commodities gives to the state a certain minimum quantity of grain, sufficient to satisfy the needs of the cities, of the factories, and of industry, this exchange of commodities will contribute to solidify and strengthen the political and national power of the proletariat.
In a word "local" free trade is to be permitted within narrow limits (see Chapter VII) in a manner to increase both the political and the economic power of "the proletariat," i.e., the Communist Party, over the agricultural majority.
Lenin then says: "We shall now be asked how and where we are going to get the commodities?" For a certain minimum of commodities are essential to "satisfy" the peasants, just as beads are necessary to extract valuables from the savages. The answer to this question is simple indeed. The commodities are to be obtained at the expense of the foreign and domestic enemy, the big and little bourgeoisie, the capitalists and the peasants. The patrimony of the Russian people-or a large part of it-is to be offered to foreign concessionaires at an enormous sacrifice, the argument of the concession- aires being that the uncertainty of continued Bolshevist rule and the vagaries of their methods demand a huge reward, while the Bolshevists' calculation is that they will be released of the entire debt by world revolution. Or, if the world revolt does not materialize the future generation (90 per cent of it peasants) will pay.
