V. I. Lenin

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

JULY 17 (30)–AUGUST 10 (23), 1908

SPEECH IN THE DEBATE
ON THE GENERAL SECTION OF THE PARTY
PROGRAMME

JULY 29 (AUGUST 11)

This insertion makes it worse. {1} It creates the impression that
Consciousness grows spontaneously. Yet, there is no conscious activity of
workers in international Social-Democracy outside the Social-Democrats’ sphere
of influence.

| 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}
A reference to an amendment to the paragraph of the general section of
the draft programme which said: “But as all these contradictions, which
are inherent in bourgeois society, increase and develop, the discontent
among the labouring and exploited masses with the existing state of things
grows, the number and the solidarity of proletarians increase, and their
struggle against their exploiters becomes sharper.” When this paragraph
was discussed by the Programme Committee (a sitting Lenin did not attend)
the word “consciousness” was inserted after the words “the number and
the solidarity”.

The amendment was rejected by the Congress, with a majority voting for
the original wording.

p. 86