SPEECHES IN THE DEBATE ON THE GENERAL
POLITICAL DEMANDS OF THE PARTY PROGRAMME

JULY 30 (AUGUST 12)

1

Le nin finds Strakhov’s amendment unsatisfactory, because the committee’s
formulation specifically emphasises the people’s will . {1}

2

Le nin opposes the word “regional”, because it is very vague and may be
interpreted in the sense that the Social-Democrats want the whole state
split up into small regions. {2}

3

Le nin finds the addition of the words “and to every foreigner” superfluous,
because it is implicit that the Social-Democratic Party will insist that
the paragraph in question shall apply to foreigners as well. {3}

| Vtoroi ocherednoi syezd R.S.D.R.P. Polny tekst protokolov , Central Committee publication, Geneva, 1904 | Printed from the text of the book |

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Notes:
{1}
The point at issue is § I of the general political demands of the
draft Party programme, which was given the following wording by the
Programme Committee: “The sovereignty of the people, that is,
concentration of all the supreme state power in the hands of a legislative
assembly constituting a single chamber and made up of representatives of
the people” ( Vtoroi speed R.S.D.R.P. , 1959,
p. 179). K. M. Takhtarev (Strakhov) proposed that the words “sovereignty
of the people” should be substituted by the words “supremacy of the
people”. His amendment was rejected by the Congress.

p. 86

{2}
A reference to § 3 of the general political demands of the draft
Party programme tabled by the Programme Committee and containing a demand
for broad local and regional self-government.

p. 87

{3}
A reference to § 9 of the general political demands of the draft programme (§ 8 of the Iskra draft), which said: “The panting
to every citizen of the right to institute judicial proceedings against any
person in office without lodging a complaint with his superiors”. V. N. Krokhmal (Fomin) proposed that the word “citizen”
should be followed by “and to every foreigner”. The Congress rejected the
proposal.

p. 87