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Title: Letter to R-S Author: Mikhail Bakunin Date: 21 October 1874 Language: en Topics: letter Source: Retrieved on 2016-10-28 from http://marxists.architexturez.net/reference/archive/bakunin/works/1874/letter-r-s.htm Notes: Source: Correspondance de Mikhail Bakounine; Lettres Ă Herzen et Ă Ogareff. Edited by Michel Dragomanov. Paris, Perrin et Cie., 1896; Translated: for marxists.org by Mitchell Abidor.
21 October 1874, Lugano
I received your letter. As for friendship, R-S, let’s not talk about it.
After all you've cooked up against me (I now know about this to the
tiniest detail) to call ourselves friends would be a horrific lie on
both of our parts. You did all you could to kill me physically, morally,
and socially by pretending up to the bitter end to be my friend, and if
you didn’t succeed in doing so it wasn’t for lack of trying.
The perspicacious and intelligent Cafiero was nothing but an instrument
in your hands, and you were the one who used him. I'd like to believe
that you fooled yourself by taking the inspiration of your impatient and
immoderate ambition for devotion to the cause. It’s undeniable, and you
must admit this at least, that you acted towards me like the worst of my
enemies. And despite this I continue to believe in your devotion to the
Russian cause, in believing you capable of serving it, and because of
this, and on this level I am still ready to extend my hand to you.
You are now preparing yourself to take a decisive step, one on which
you're your entire future, and even more importantly, your career as a
revolutionary, will depend. Allow the old man that I am to tell you some
truths, probably the last ones I will express to you.
Try to force yourself to bring to all the relations with the new men
with whom you will find it useful and possible to join with all the
truth, all the sincerity, and all the affection which your not very
prodigal nature is capable of. Try to understand that nothing solid or
viable can be built on Jesuitical lies; that revolutionary action can
never be based on vile and base passions, and that the revolution can
only emerge triumphant if it has an elevated, humane goal. In this sense
and direction I wish you total success
M. Bakunin