The Programme of the Russian Social-Democratic Labour Party, Proposed by the Newspaper Iskra Together with the Journal Zarya
Программа российской социал-демократической рабочей партии, предложенная газетой «Искра» вместе с журналом «Заря»
Date: 1902
Source: PSS vol 7
Translated by: AI (Claude)

We have already spoken about what a programme is, why it is needed, and why the Social-Democratic Party alone comes forward with a definite, clear programme. The final adoption of the programme can only be done by a congress of our party, i.e., by a meeting of representatives from all party workers. Such a congress is now being prepared by the Organising Committee. But a great many committees of our party have already publicly declared their agreement with Iskra and their recognition of Iskra as the leading newspaper. Therefore, before the congress, our draft (proposal) of a programme can perfectly well serve for a precise acquaintance with what the Social-Democrats want, and we consider it necessary to reproduce this draft in full in the appendix to our booklet.

Of course, without explanation not every worker will understand everything that is said in the programme. Many great socialists worked on the creation of the Social-Democratic teaching completed by Marx and Engels; the workers of all countries went through many experiences to acquire the experience which we want to use, which we want to make the basis of our programme. Therefore the worker must study the Social-Democratic teaching in order to understand every word of the programme, his programme, his banner of struggle. And workers especially easily understand and assimilate the Social-Democratic programme, because this programme speaks of what every thinking worker has seen and experienced. Let no one be frightened by the "difficulty" of understanding the programme at once: the more every worker reads and thinks, the more experience he has in the struggle, the more fully he will understand it. But let every person think over and discuss the whole programme of the Social-Democrats, let everyone constantly keep in mind everything that the Social-Democrats want and what they think about the emancipation of the whole working people. The Social-Democrats want everyone to know clearly and precisely the whole truth, to the end, about what the Social-Democratic Party is.

We cannot explain the whole programme in detail here. For that a special booklet is needed. We shall only briefly indicate what the programme speaks about, and advise the reader to obtain two booklets to help him. One booklet is by the German Social-Democrat, Karl Kautsky, entitled The Erfurt Programme, translated into Russian. The other is by the Russian Social-Democrat, L. Martov, The Workers' Cause in Russia. These booklets will help in understanding our entire programme.

Now let us designate each part of our programme with a special letter (see the programme below) and indicate what each part deals with.

A) At the very beginning it speaks about the fact that the proletariat throughout the whole world fights for its emancipation, and the Russian proletariat is only one detachment of the world army of the working class of all countries.

B) Then it speaks about what the bourgeois order is in almost all the countries of the world, including Russia. How the majority of the population lives in poverty and destitution, working for landowners and capitalists, how the petty artisans and peasants are ruined while the big factories grow, how capital oppresses the worker himself and his wife and children, how the position of the working class worsens, unemployment and want increase.

C) Then it speaks of the union of the workers, of their struggle, of the great goal of the struggle: to liberate all the oppressed, to completely destroy every oppression of the rich over the poor. Here it is also explained why the working class is becoming stronger and stronger, why it will inevitably defeat all its enemies, all the defenders of the bourgeoisie.

D) Then it speaks about why Social-Democratic parties have been established in all countries, how they help the working class to wage the struggle, unite and guide the workers, educate them, prepare them for the great struggle.

E) Further it speaks about why the people in Russia live even worse than in other countries, what a great evil tsarist autocracy is, and how we must first of all overthrow it and establish popular elected government in Russia.

F) What improvements should elected government bring to all the people? We speak about this in our booklet, and the programme speaks about this too.

G) Then the programme indicates what improvements must be immediately fought for, for the whole working class, so that it may live more easily and fight more freely for socialism.

H) Separately indicated in the programme are the improvements that must first of all be fought for, for all the peasants, so that the rural poor may find it easier and freer to wage the class struggle both against the rural bourgeoisie and against the entire Russian bourgeoisie.

I) Finally, the Social-Democratic Party warns the people not to believe any police and bureaucratic promises and honeyed speeches, but to fight firmly for the immediate convening of a free all-national assembly of deputies.