V. I. Lenin
Collected Works, vol. 21, p. 319
"Socialism and War"
1915

"The proletariat is the only class in Russia
that nobody has been able to infect with chauvinism.
Only the most ignorant strata of the workers were
involved in the few excesses that occurred in the early
days of the war. The part played by workers in the
Moscow anti-German riots has been greatly exaggerated.
By and large, the working class of Russia has proved
immune to chauvinism. . . .

"The general situation in our country does not favour
any efflorescence of 'socialist' opportunism among the masses
of the workers. In Russia we see a series of shades of
opportunism and reformism among the intelligentsia,
the petty-bourgeoisie, etc., but it has affected an 
insignificant minority among the politically active sections
of the workers."

[MC5 comments: In "Imperialism: The Highest
Stage of Capitalism" and "Imperialism and the Split
in Socialism" Lenin said that whole countries could
become parasites. He also spoke of a majority in Germany
during World War I as bourgeois. Yet, many confuse his
quotes about Russia with the general situation of the world.
Some countries had more parasitism and most had less. 

In Russia's 1902 class structure, Lenin wrote "What Is To
Be Done?" and emphasized strong leadership, fighting economism
and simply leading the way against bone-headed "false consciousness"
of the workers. That does not mean he said the class structure
was the same everywhere else.

The above quote is about Russia and important in that regard.
It is also important as an example of what false consciousness
looks like--yes, some scattered bone-headed chauvinist demonstrations,
not as in the United $tates with decade after decade of frothy support
for every bombing and attack on every Middle East country except I$rael--
Palestine, Libya, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan. It is not wild support for imperialism
decade after decade in situation after situation. That can only
happen so consistently when there is a class interest--a labor
aristocracy actively defending and extending imperialism. The Russian
people snapped out of whatever scattered chauvinist tendencies they
demonstrated, because Lenin provided strong leadership against bone-headed
mistakes. That is not to occur in the united $tates, England etc. today.]