V. I. Lenin

Source: ru:LS/v15;es:MT
Translated: machine translation (DeepSeek) from the Russian; AI-translated.

282

319.
'24
V. I. LENIN.
Lenin's letter to the editors of *Iskra* concerning Plekhanov's article was printed in No. 53 of *Iskra* (see Works, Vol. VI, p. 120).
Lenin's notes on the organisation of propaganda work on questions of the Party programme, consisting of five separate parts, represent Lenin's outline notes for his reports and the discussions on them, which took place over two evenings. S. Gusev, at the end of December 1903, in a letter to Lenin from Paris, asked him for "instructions, especially regarding work with the workers," and asked him to "send, even if only in brief outline... a commentary on the programme." These notes of Lenin's precisely reflect two of his conversations with propagandists on this question. Among his other interlocutors, S. Gusev and P. Lepeshinsky are noted here. Undoubtedly these reports of Lenin and the discussions on them
*
In the manuscript this draft is written in blue pencil on the reverse of the outline-synopsis "The Narodnikising Bourgeoisie and the Distraught Narodism" (see above, p. 279). Ed.

3 NOTES ON THE ORGANISATION OF PROPAGANDA WORK
283 took place in Geneva after Gusev's return from Paris and before the time when Lenin settled down to write the pamphlet *One Step Forward, Two Steps Back*, i.e., approximately in January-February 1904.
320.
V. I. Lenin.
NOTES ON THE ORGANISATION OF PROPAGANDA WORK ON QUESTIONS OF THE PARTY PROGRAMME.
[January-February 1904. Geneva.] a.
PLAN FOR A PROPAGANDA TALK ON CRISES.*
9.20 – 9.55
Plan for a propaganda talk on crises.
1. Quid est?* Stagnation. Unem-
It seems I developed this too ployment. Unsold goods. Bank-
little * ruptcy. Overproduction and under-
consumption.
2. Cur?**** World market. Com-
Commodity production. Unknown modity production. Very rapid
market. movement of masses of goods.
3. Gigantic scale of production. Production of surplus value (Mehrwert). Insufficient consumption by the workers.
Accumulation of capital, chase after the market.
4.
The worker is needed only for profit.
Modern slavery.
(A sign of slavery).
develop on the position of the workers:
women's and children's labour, insecurity of the aged, housing, etc.*****
*
The first heading of this part of the notes, the time (hours and minutes) of Lenin's delivery of the report and his note in square brackets: "It seems I developed this too little" — are written in pencil in the manuscript. Ed.
** — What is it? Ed.
*** — Overproduction and underconsumption. Ed.
**** — Why? Ed.
***** This note is crossed out in pencil in the manuscript. Ed.

LENIN MISCELLANY
5. Crises and revolutionary movement of the unemployed and the proletariat.
6. Crises and the ruin of small enterprises, growth of large-scale production.
7. Crises and capitalism, socialism.
6.
* RECORD OF THE DISCUSSION AT THE TALK WITH THE PROPAGANDISTS.
Lebedev points out that my talk is not intended for the most backward workers, is not popular.
9.55 – Lebedev.
1. It is necessary to study the causes of the "existing system," to understand them.
2. Production bears a large-scale capitalist character.
3. Production of commodities... Production for sale. (a)
4. Production for profit. (b)
5. 2 classes of modern society.
6. Composition of the population in America 20 million [probably from Capital] = 12 + etc. who works? [Yet § 5]**
7. What is the essence of exploitation?
8. The workers' payment (to the capitalist) for permission to work.
9. Remedy: socialism. Abolition of work for oneself.
10.10)
10. Chasm between classes.
11. Insecurity of existence.
*
"Socialism" is added later in pencil instead of the crossed-out "Capitalism". Ed.
** The notes: "probably from Capital" and "Yet § 5" are Lenin's own remarks. Ed.
*** — remedy. Ed.

NOTES ON THE ORGANISATION OF PROPAGANDA WORK

12. Crises.
Unemployment (developed well, thoroughly). *
10.20) 13. Aufschwung. ** Example: the 90s in Russia. Crisis again.
14. Chase for expanded production. "Overproduction" ........ Disasters of crises.
15. Subordination of exchange to production: anarchy (domination of productive forces over man).
[Unclear]. *
16. Excerpts from Capital (omitted),* from Iskra and the role of the government (deportation of the unemployed).
10.30
17. Social revolution. Socialist society. Aim of Social Democracy.
10.35
Further plan: means of struggle of the proletariat (consciousness and organisation)...
Sonya 10.45. (Such propaganda does not achieve its aim.) Talks needed:
how it was received.
c.
THREE SUBJECTS FOR TALKS ON THE PROGRAMME: *** a) explanation of some questions of formulation, story of the drafting of the programme, familiarising the listeners with the process of working out the programme.
main: b) elucidation (illustration, popularisation) of the meaning of
NB
the propositions of the programme.
c) additional data and more detailed information on some individual points of the programme.
d.
* PLAN OF THREE TALKS ON THE SOCIAL-DEMOCRATIC PROGRAMME.
a) The modern system.
b) Socialist aims and class struggle.
*
The note in brackets is Lenin's own remark. Ed.
** — upswing. Ed.
*** In the manuscript the text of the document is crossed out in pencil. Ed.


c) Struggle against autocracy.
[for 2 – 3 hours]
| Divide a – c into three talks |
Plan of the 1st talk on the s.-d. programme.
1. All over the world there is a struggle of the workers against the masters for the improvement of
their position. Strikes – socialism.
What is the matter?
2. Modern society is organised thus: it is divided into the working people and the exploiters. 2 classes. Owners and proletariat. Who supports whom.
3. Miseries of the workers: low wages. Starvation. Unemployment. Women's labour. Children's labour. "Degeneration of the nation." Prostitution. Social and political oppression.
4. Unification of the workers in large-scale production for struggle against the masters.
All society is drawn closer together in capitalism and makes possible the transition to socialist production. Example of the uselessness of the masters in large factories and estates.
5. Social revolution = transfer of land, factories to the hands of the workers. Socialist production, shortening of the working day, etc.
6. Demands on modern society to facilitate the workers' struggle, to protect them from degeneration: workers' reforms, 8-hour working day, weekly payment, housing, medical aid, schools, etc.
7. Political demands. What is autocracy? Struggle for political freedom. (Constitution – republic, freedom of speech, assembly, etc., etc.).
8. Revolutionary parties and their role in the struggle of the working class.
Narodnaya Volya and
Social Democracy.

NOTES ON THE ORGANISATION OF PROPAGANDA WORK

e.
NOTES ON THE DISCUSSIONS ON THE PLAN FOR PROPAGANDA WORK.
9.03 – – +
9.43
9.57, ("average worker").........
programme = plan of action
Development of exchange... Uneven development of industry---- How did exchange arise?
and close connection... [several incoherent remarks on industry] *...... formation of the proletariat......
Joint struggle of workers of different countries...
(What do they fight with? Obscuring of the people... Deceit...** of the masters ([benefactors]. Is that so? Do I not feed them? Murmur
( among the workers. Struggle is needed.
Have they the right to own? Is it property------- (for we make it. Growth of capital and poverty of the workers.
The workers must take away their property (— ultimate aim). How?
Development of consciousness....
character of bourgeois.......... ** workers and class stages – a series of transitions (I got a bit confused)... Growth of large-scale production. Then there will be only 2 classes.
10.00 – a maximum of agitation and minimum of propaganda. Vice versa. *** a representations – scientific concepts. Vice versa.

2 worlds ((relations of production)) (like Milyukov)___ nature of masters ((Vgaca)) ... ** masters
10.45 old forms of oppression and revolt
One:
"Mikheich did not understand the task we set ourselves"
*
In square brackets – Lenin's own remark. Ed.
** One very unclearly written word not deciphered. Ed.
*** – On the contrary. Ed.


321.
26993

This apparently refers to a short trip by Lenin somewhere from Geneva.
A careful study of the manuscript of the pamphlet *One Step Forward, Two Steps Back (The Crisis in Our Party)*, preserved in the Lenin Institute archive under No. 4582, makes it possible to establish a number of revisions made by Lenin to the manuscript before it was sent to the printer, and to specify the dates of Lenin's work on this pamphlet. By publishing the variants of the manuscript of the pamphlet with the printed text of its first edition (1904), the editors aim to present to the reader those Lenin revisions of the pamphlet which are recorded in the manuscript.
The date of the beginning of the writing of the pamphlet should correctly be placed in the second half of January 1904, after the publication of the minutes of the Second Party Congress (see *Len. Misc.* XI, pp. 264–348).
On January 13, 1904, N. Krupskaya wrote to L. Knipovich: "Now Lenin is reissuing the letter to Yerema with a preface and afterword*
* See Works, Vol. V, p. 179 and Vol. VI, pp. 137 and 139.

VARIANTS OF THE MANUSCRIPT OF "ONE STEP FORWARD, TWO STEPS BACK"

(answering Axelrod's article), and then will issue a pamphlet about the congress with all the documents" (*Len. Misc.* X, p. 450). This communication from N. Krupskaya indicates that by January 13 Lenin apparently already had a plan for the pamphlet ready and was only waiting for the congress minutes to begin work. Two documents establish that the writing of the pamphlet was completed in the last days of February 1904: 1) in a letter to the editors of the "Commentary on the Minutes of the Second Congress of the Foreign League" Lenin wrote on February 20: "I shall have to deal with the controversial questions... in detail in the pamphlet now being prepared for the press" (*Len. Misc.* X, p. 536); 2) in the manuscript of the preface to the pamphlet there is a date crossed out in blue pencil: "February 1904" (see p. 294 of this collection and the illustration).
The manuscript of the pamphlet has three main revisions: 1) the original text with minor corrections (deletions and insertions) during the process of writing; 2) a revision carried out throughout the manuscript in black pencil, with simultaneous numbering of the pages of the pamphlet text (up to p. 244); and 3) a revision of the end of the pamphlet (see p. 244, see p. 344), the preface and the appendix, carried out in blue pencil. The appendix to the pamphlet was written later, when the whole pamphlet was ready (and perhaps already set in type). It explains why the passage about the incident with the list was corrected (see Works, Vol. VI, p. 225 and here p. 300).
The first revision was carried out by Lenin during the writing – in January-February; the second and third – in March-April before sending the manuscript to the printer. At the beginning of April the pamphlet was already in production. This is evident from letters of N. Krupskaya to L. Knipovich. Thus in a letter of April 8: "At the end of this month Lenin's pamphlet (a weighty one, 8–9 signatures) about the congress and the state of affairs in the party will be ready" (see p. 45); in a letter of April 16: "The old man's pamphlet is nearing completion and, it seems, is turning out well" (p. 46); in a letter of April 23: "Lenin is still fussing with the pamphlet" (p. 47).
In the proofs Lenin made a number of editorial corrections, mainly deletions; the text deleted by Lenin in the proofs is placed here between two vertical lines.
The pamphlet, as established from N. Krupskaya's letter to Russia of May 19, was published on May 19, 1904 (p. 22).
The basis of the text of the variants here is the last revision of the manuscript (i.e., the one made in blue pencil). The previous revisions of the manuscript are conveyed by means of small type and conventional signs. To trace these revisions, the reader needs to have before him Lenin's Works, Vol. VI, pp. 155–536.
Those lines of the printed text which differ from the manuscript are printed here according to the manuscript with all its peculiarities and as is customary for printing Lenin's text in the *Lenin Miscellanies*: underlined text is printed in italics, deleted text in small type in square brackets, inserted text in angle brackets.
The entire manuscript of the pamphlet together with the preface and appendix was written by Lenin in black ink on large-format letter paper with a watermark – B. The manuscript has 546 pages of main text numbered by Lenin + 7 of the preface + 11 of the appendix. Of these, three pages are missing from the surviving manuscript: page 96 (corresponds to p. 244, line 44 from bottom, from the words: "they worked," – p. 245, line 20 from top, ending with the words: "means not"); page 122 (corresponds to the first two paragraphs of chapter k, on p. 228); page 244 (corresponds to p. 283, line 27 from top, from the words: "boycott, when," – line 2 from bottom, ending with the words: "that in fact the minority"). On the reverse of the pages of the manuscript there are several remarks by F. Lengnik, which are printed in footnotes. The manuscript bears typographical markings for typeface and typesetters.
Variants in punctuation and spelling and some deleted and immediately corrected slips of the pen have been left unmarked. The main notes explaining the circumstances touched upon in the text of the variants are to be found in the notes to Vol. VI of Lenin's Works.
* VARIANTS OF THE MANUSCRIPT OF LENIN'S PAMPHLET "ONE STEP FORWARD, TWO STEPS BACK (THE CRISIS IN OUR PARTY)" WITH THE FIRST EDITION OF 1904.

PREFACE.
[159, line 14 from top,] ...which are of enormous interest [p. 4]*
p. 160, lines 2–6 from top ... and the minority – the opportunist wing of our party; [and that] (the disagreements dividing the one
*
Reference to Lenin's Works, Vol. VI. Ed.
** Reference to the manuscript. Ed.

/
^

-
^

VARIANTS OF THE MANUSCRIPT OF "ONE STEP FORWARD, TWO STEPS BACK"

and the other wing at the present time, reduce [for the present] (mainly) not to programmatic and not to tactical, but only to organisational questions;) the (new) system ... (p. 5).
p. 160, lines 14–12 from bottom. ...(and their hostility to "Formalism," which demands from a party member membership in one of the organisations recognised by the party,)... (p. 4)
p. 161, lines 5–7 from top. ...picture of the existing political shades within, (showing) their comparative strength,... (p. 6)
– lines 10–16 from top. ...Only [by careful and independent] by means of careful and independent study...
– line 15 from bottom. [Parties, a picture of the views, plans and moods presented by the participants in the movement themselves, a picture of the real political shades within the Party, their interrelations and struggle.]*
One more word to the opponents of Social Democracy.
p. V
[February 1904]° (May 1904)°°**
N. Lenin.
a) PREPARATION OF THE CONGRESS.
p. 162, line 1 from top. [An old proverb says] (There is a saying),... (p. 1)
– lines 6–8 from top. ...and try in every way to discredit, belittle the significance and authority of the congress. ...
– line 13 from top. ...by the congress [and not recognised as fit to hold a certain party office], continues...
– lines 10–9 from bottom. ...before uniting... (p. 2)
– line 1 from bottom. ...the most urgent, p. 165, lines 9–10 from top. ...their (political) lack of character)... (p. 3)
*
The symbol ° here and below indicates that the deletion was made in blue pencil.
This end of an unknown phrase is written at the beginning of the 7th page of the manuscript (see illustration); the absence in the manuscript of the beginning of the phrase indicates that Lenin, before sending it to the printer, threw out part of the manuscript of the preface. Ed.
** The symbol °° here and below indicates that the words indicated as an insertion are written in blue pencil.
Further, at the beginning of the 1st page of the manuscript of the pamphlet, Lenin wrote in black pencil:
"NB. Pp. 8 – 65 set in small type. P. 110

too". On pp. 58 and 65 is written the draft party rules drawn up by Martov (see pp. 192 – 196; in Lenin's Works the draft rules are set in body type). On pp. 110 – 112 is written the letter of the minority (see pp. 223 – 224). Ed.

292
LENIN MISCELLANY p. 165, line 19 from top.
...pronounced over the minority [in general and over many members of the present editorial board of Iskra in particular]! ... (o)
– lines 5 – 10 from bottom. ...(of which they speak so often and so inappropriately) now, euphemistically characterising by the term good what more deserves the epithet [evil or] capricious). ...(p. 4)
– lines 10 – 9 from bottom. ...(which was given by all Russian Social Democrats). ...
b) THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE GROUPINGS AT THE CONGRESS.
p. 164, lines 18 – 19 from top. ...and were distinguished by [complete] instability ... (p. 5)
– line 14 from bottom.
...[from the point of view of] (for the study of that,... (p. 6)
– line 10 from bottom.
...[from the point of view of] for understanding...
– line 9 from bottom. ...[For this reason]' * (That is why)" ** I ...
p. 165, line 12 from top. An Iskra-ist – he says – is "one who at the Party Congress...
(p. 7')
– lines 23 – 24 from top.
...in [identical] (equal) members of the Party... (p. 8).
– lines 8 – 2 from bottom.
...The group of anti-Iskra-ists (5 Bundists and 1*** Rabocheye Dyelo-ist) is revealed, consequently, here too, on
this very example, most favourable for the present views of Martov and chosen by him himself, with complete clarity. Take the vote for the second part of the resolution (p. 147 of the minutes) (recognition of Iskra by the O.C. without any motivation and without expression of solidarity):
(p. 9)
p. 166, line 2 from top. ...two voted against c) THE BEGINNING OF THE CONGRESS. THE INCIDENT WITH THE ORG. COMM.
p. 166, line 1 from top. Analysis of the debates and votes at the congress [I will] (it is most convenient to) conduct (p. 10)
*
The symbol ' here and below indicates that the deletion was made in black pencil. Ed.
** The symbol " here and below indicates that the words indicated as an insertion are written in black pencil. Ed.
*** The Roman numerals indicating the transposition of words are written in black pencil. Ed.

VARIANTS OF THE MANUSCRIPT OF "ONE STEP FORWARD, TWO STEPS BACK"

p. 166, line 3 from bottom – p. 167, line 1 from top. ...(Only when this is absolutely necessary will deviations from the chronological order be made for the joint examination of closely related questions or homogeneous groupings.)... (p. 11)
p. 167, lines 1–2 from top. ...In the interests of impartiality [it would be desirable] ' (we shall try) " to note...
– line 10 from top. ...(in the [Tagesordnung] ' ("order of the day") of the congress) ...
– line 17 from top. ...it was [useless and senseless] useless and senseless "to make believe",... (p. 12)
– lines 21–22 from top. ...to put (the question) and directly, honestly decide the question] (make a choice)...
– lines 16–15 from bottom. ...(two votes of the Nikolaev Committee, which shortly before had expressed its solidarity with Iskra! One of the most instructive examples of how often these expressions of solidarity were a matter of ... "fashion" [or calculation], and not of considered conviction;). ...
– line 14 from bottom. ...our so-called "party" editorial board,... (p. 13)
– lines 14–10 from bottom. ...had not yet noticed this "sore spot"! Four members of the Iskra editorial board followed Comrade Makhov – we think that for this reason alone his political physiognomy deserves special attention. Besides, Comrade Makhov is of enormous interest as one of the most typical representatives [, if not leaders] ' of those unstable, wavering elements of which I spoke above. We must therefore carefully follow his participation in the course of events, we shall see later what a reliable support for the old Iskra editorial board he proved to be on the question of elections.'
– lines 5–3 from bottom.
...Eleven votes, it turns out, abstained – apparently not taking the side of either of the contending [sides] ("parties"). ...
– line 1 from bottom, then [among the number] of those who voted for § 2 . ..
p. 168, lines 12–13 from top ... question
[practical] of real politics... (p. 14)
– lines 16–17 from top. ...would have voted for point two as a whole." /Dear to the heart of Martov and the unelected editors of "Iskra" the "Iskra-ist" appears in the role of a pure-blooded Realpolitiker]' (Comrade Makhov perfectly assimilated the spirit of "real politics"):"
– lines 14–7 from bottom. ...when everyone says: no. [An instructive example of the confusion of political concepts and political lack of character. And Comrade Martov will assure us that at the congress no group of "unreliable conscripts" was revealed, helplessly wavering between the Iskra-ists and the anti-Iskra-ists?] '
Following the vote on the question of the place of the Bund question at the congress, the question of the group "Borba" emerged, also leading to an extremely interesting grouping and closely connected with the most "sore" question of the congress (the question) " of the personal composition of the centres. (p. 15)
p. 169, line 5 from bottom. ... – this was equivalent [to] ' a blow (p. 17)
p. 170, line 2 from top. ...adopted by five of its members (p. 18)
–
line 5 from top. ...and a member of the group of Yuzhny Rabochy, [being, so to speak, caught in the act,] ' evades
– lines 25–26 from top ... in the name of imaginary rights or statutes of lower colleges and circles or complete, not only in words but also in deeds, ...
– lines 9–8 from bottom. ...ally of the present [so-called] ' editorial board of Iskra and our acquaintance (Com.) " Makhov... (p. 19)
p. 171, line 10 from top. ...to that group of a lower order,...
p. 172, line 14 from bottom. ... [by the desire to act stealthily without] (fear of) " an open exposition of his credo, – ... (p. 22)
p. 173, line 17 from top, and in the C.O. | When Martov was in the majority, he found the question of inviting the X's important, and when he became in the minority, he tries to turn it around here too. | This is not good— ... (p. 25)
d) DISSOLUTION OF THE GROUP OF YUZHNY RABOCHY.
p. 175, lines 2–5 from top. ...But this would be a mistaken opinion and to remove it,... [p. 24)
p. 174, line 1 from top. ...(expression of Comrade Rusov) [p. 314] ' and Comrade Deich [p. 315])' (p. 25)
– line 8 from top, ([p. 314,]' expression of Gusev)...
– line 9 from top. ..."does not find it necessary" [(p. 314)]'...
– line 11 from top. ..."immediately: yes or no" [(p. 313)] ...
– line 18 from top. ...dissolve" [(p. 314)].'
– line 19 from top. Thus an (important) principled question... (p. 26)
– line 8 from bottom. ...achieved earlier" [(p. 315)] # ...
– line 5 from bottom, against these, [already secondary] (repeatedly raised)..

VARIANTS OF THE MANUSCRIPT OF "ONE STEP FORWARD, TWO STEPS BACK"
p. 175, line 12 from top. at the congress [even from the "party of the centre", and to such an extent strained, artificial and forced is the present invention of the present Iskra, that in our Party Economism has already become a corpse, has already completely merged with the other shades. Comrade | Egorov even much later, ... (p. 27)
– lines 5–4 from bottom. ... The anti-Iskra-ists declared themselves at the congress... (p. 28)
e) THE INCIDENT OF THE EQUALITY OF LANGUAGES.
p. 176, line 14 from top ....
One cannot but note only,... /p. 28; – line 19 from top. The debates [were directed]' (revolved)" here mostly [to particular amendments, representing] (around particular amendments representing)'"* little interest... (p. 29)
– line 14 from bottom. ...when the editorial board examines
– line 8 from bottom. Pending this [one can only ask the question] ' (we shall only ask)"...
p. 177, line 5 from top, about a "serious disagreement". . . .
– lines 9–10 from top.
...or else all democratic principles must be subordinated exclusively to the advantages of our party? ** (p. '30)
– lines 11–15 from top. ...against "abstract" consideration of them [in even more definite and more decisive expressions].
– line 18 from top.
...right persons [belonging] belonging
– lines 2–4 from bottom.
...against representatives of the anti-Iskra ["party"] ("right") (Goldblatt) and ["party"]) (congressional) "centre" (Egorov). ... (pp. 6b – 51) p. 178, lines 1–5 from top. ...to express themselves freely on (this or) analogous questions,... (p. .14)
– lines 6–5 from bottom. ...in the course of 3 sessions... (p. 32)
– line 1 from bottom. ...in the creation of which it was later accused,...
p. 179, line 5 from top. ...concerning
[the "rigging"]' (artificiality)". ...
*
The symbol here and below means that the words indicated as an insertion are not written anew, but corrected in black pencil from the words indicated as deleted. Ed.
** In Lenin's Works, Vol. VI, erroneously set in italics. Ed.
*** The symbol "" here and below means that the words set in italics are underlined in black pencil in the manuscript. Ed.