Antiwar.com,
A nascent empire falls in love with its “liberating” political and economic state system and decides it is time to export its domestic model to other countries by means of war, of course. Liberation to all is the ultimate goal. No, it is not early 21st century, the leader is not George W. Bush, the empire in question is not the U.S., and the export commodities are not democracy and free market economy. It is August 1920, Vladimir I. Lenin is the leader, Soviet Russia's invasion of Poland is the event, and the goal is inflaming the world with socialist revolution bringing about global unification and true liberation of mankind.
The theory of “revolution export,” in Lenin's words, is this: “We have never concealed the fact that our revolution is only the beginning, that it will arrive at a successful conclusion only when we inflame the entire world with such a revolution.” And the gain for everybody is this: “Only the Russian Socialist Republic has raised the banner of true freedom, and throughout the world sympathy is moving in its favor.”
Exporting revolution to all, in particular Europe, Lenin thought, is the way to bring true freedom to everyone. But, an all-European revolution was not to be. Lenin never did figure out why Europe had not followed Russia's lead to revolution. However, in 1920 Lenin was presented with an opportunity to test his theories with a bayonet. He could not pass up the chance to push European workers with the Russian soldier's rifle butt to the glory of liberation.
The Poles had penetrated far into the Ukraine. The Red Army repulsed them quickly, and in June 1920 it stood on the old Polish frontier. This raised the question: What is to be done? Lenin's judgment was that Poland too was ready for revolution. When the Red Army drove the Polish army out of Ukraine, Lenin favored hot pursuit into Poland and through Poland on to Germany, giving the proletariat there the impetus to rise up. Other Bolshevik leaders warned against the invasion. Stalin, Rudek, and Trotsky were aware of military difficulties ahead and the low likelihood of revolution in Poland (and beyond).
So why, then, did Lenin order the Soviet invasion of Poland? The answer, in a nutshell, is: for domestic reasons. He knew that the Russian revolution was quickly fizzling away; the “perversion” of capitalism was yet to be eradicated from millions of peasant heads. Bolshevism was not delivering at home. Only a foreign “success”
