V. I.

Lenin

Second Congress of the R.S.D.L.P.

July 17 (30)-August 10 (23), 1903

8. Draft Resolutions Not Submitted to the Congress

Withdrawal of the Bund

The Congress considers the refusal of the Bund delegates to submit to the
decision adopted by the majority of the Congress as the Bund’s withdrawal
from the R.S.D.L.P.

The Congress deeply regrets this step, which, it is convinced, is a major
political mistake ...[ One word here is indecipherable.— Ed . ] on the part of the leaders of the “Jewish Workers’ Union,” a mistake
which must inevitably injure the interests of the Jewish proletariat and
working-class movement. The Congress considers that the arguments cited by
the Bund delegates in justification of their step amount in practice to
entirely unfounded apprehensions and suspicion that the Social-Democratic
convictions of the Russian Social-Democrats are insincere and
inconsistent; in respect of theory they are the result of the unfortunate
penetration of nationalism into the Social-Democratic movement of the
Bund.

The Congress voices its desire for, and firm conviction of, the need for
complete and closest unity of the Jewish and Russian working-class
movement in Russia, unity not only in principle but also in organisation,
and resolves to take all measures in order to acquaint the Jewish
proletariat in detail both with this resolution of the Congress and with
the general attitude of the Russian Social-Democrats towards every
national movement.

Separate Groups

The Congress expresses its regret at the separate existence of such groups
of Social-Democrats as the Borba, Zhizn and Volya . Their
separateness cannot but, on the one hand, lead to disorganisation
impermissible in the Party, and on the other hand, to regrettable
departures from Social-Democratic views and Social-Democratic tactics
towards so-called socialist-revolutionism (as exemplified by the
Volya group and partially also by the Borba in its agrarian programme), or towards Christian socialism and anarchism
( Zhizn ). The Congress would like to see the above-mentioned
groups, and in general all groups which identify themselves with
Social-Democracy, join the ranks of united and organised Russian
Social-Democracy. The Congress instructs the Central Committee to collect
the necessary information and to adopt a final decision on the place of
the above-mentioned and other separate groups within the Party, or on the
attitude of the Party towards these groups.

The Army

The Congress calls the attention of all Party organisations to the
importance of Social-Democratic propaganda and agitation in the army, and
recommends that all efforts should be made for the speediest strengthening
and proper channelling of all the existing contacts among the officers and
other ranks. The Congress considers it desirable to form special groups of
Social-Democrats serving in the army, in order that these groups should
occupy a definite position in the local committees (as branches of the
committees), or in the central organisation (as institutions formed
directly by the Central Committee and subordinated directly to it).

The Peasantry

The Congress calls the special attention of all Party members to the
importance of developing and strengthening work among the peasantry. It is
necessary to acquaint the peasantry (and, especially, the rural
proletariat) with the Social-Democratic programme in its entirety, and to
explain the significance of the agrarian programme as the first and immediate demands under the existing system. It is necessary to get
class-conscious peasants and intellectuals in the countryside to form
solidly united groups of Social-Democrats, which would maintain constant
contact with the Party committees. It is necessary to counter the
propaganda conducted among the peasantry by the Socialist-Revolutionaries,
propaganda which spreads unprincipledness and reactionary Narodnik
prejudices.

| Written on August 5 (18)-10 (23), 1903 | Published according to the manuscript |
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| First published in 1930 in Lenin Miscellany XV | |

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