V. I. Lenin

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

JULY 17 (30)–AUGUST 10 (23), 1908

7

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

JULY 31 (AUGUST 13)

Theword “militia” does not say anything new and makes for confusion. The
words “universal arming of the people” are clear and quite Russian. I
find Comrade Lieber’s amendment superfluous. {1}

| 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}
In the discussion of § 12 of the general political demands of the
draft programme (§ 9 of the Iskra draft), which said that the
standing army should be substituted by the “universal arming of the
people”, Lieber proposed that the word “militia” should be used instead
of the “universal arming of the people”. Lieber’s proposal was rejected
by the Congress.

p. 87