V. I.

Lenin

Session of the Council of the R.S.D.L.P. (January 1904)

January 15-17 (28-30), 1904

1

Draft Resolution On Measures to Restore
Peace In the Party, Moved On January 15 (28)

In view of the character and forms of manifestation of the
divergence among the Party membership in connection with the
Second Regular Congress, the Party Council deems it urgently
necessary to call vigorously on all Party members to work
together in harmony under the direction of both central
institutions of the Party: the Central Organ and the Central
Committee.

The historical juncture through which Russia is now passing—the
tremendous intensification of revolutionary ferment within the country
and the international complications, which may lead to war—imposes particularly serious duties on the party of the
class-conscious proletarians, who are fighting in the front ranks for
the emancipation of the entire people from the yoke of the
autocracy. The need to work together in harmony, under the direction
of both the central bodies of the Party, at strengthening our
organisation and developing the class-consciousness and
solidarity of the widest possible masses of the working class has never been so urgent
as it is now.

Individual differences over all manner of questions have always arisen
and inevitably will arise in a party which rests on a vast popular
movement and sets out to be the conscious spokesman of that movement,
emphatically rejecting all circle spirit and narrow sectarian
views. But if our Party members are to be worthy representatives of
the class conscious militant proletariat, worthy participants in the
world working-class movement, they must do their utmost to ensure that no individual differences over the
interpretation and methods of realising the principles of our
Party programme shall interfere, or be capable of interfering,
with harmonious joint work under the direction of our central
institutions. The deeper and broader our under standing of our
programme and of the tasks of the inter national proletariat,
the more we value positive work in developing propaganda,
agitation, and organisation, and the farther removed we are from
sectarianism, the petty circle spirit, and considerations of
place and position, the more must we strive to have differences
among Party members discussed calmly and on their merits and not
to let these differences interfere with our work, disrupt our
activities, impede the proper functioning of our central
institutions.

The Party Council, as the supreme institution of the Party,
vigorously condemns all disruptive moves, no matter on whose
part, all refusals to work, all withdrawals of financial support
for the central Party treasury, all boycotts, which are only
calculated to lower a purely ideological struggle of opinions,
views and shades to the level of methods of gross mechanical
pressure, the level of an unseemly scuffle. The Party is worn
out by the dissensions, which have already lasted nearly six
months, and insistently demands peace. No differences among
Party members, no dissatisfaction with the personal composition
of one or other central body can justify boycotts or similar
methods of struggle, which denote a lack of principles and
ideals and show that the interests of the Party are being
sacrificed to the interests of a circle, and the interests of
the working- class movement to narrow considerations of place
and position. Cases occur, of course, in our Party, as they
always will in every big party, when some of the members are
dissatisfied with some nuance in the activities of one or other
of
the central bodies, with some features of its line, or with its
personal composition, etc. Such members can, and should, state
the causes and nature of their dissatisfaction in a comradely
exchange of opinions, or by a controversy in the columns of the
Party press; but it would be absolutely impermissible and
unworthy of revolutionaries to express their dissatisfaction by
resorting to boycotts or refusing to support in every way they
can all the positive work co-ordinated and directed by both the central Party bodies. To support
both central bodies and work together under their direct guidance is
our common and plain duty as Party members.

Such unprincipled, grossly mechanical methods of struggle as
have been mentioned above are deserving of unqualified condemnation, for they could completely wreck the whole Party,
whose u iity depends solely and entirely on the free will of the
revolutionaries. And the Party Council reminds all Party members
that that free will was quite definitely expressed in our common
decision—to which no protest was raised—to regard all the decisions of the Second Congress and all its elections
as binding on all Party members. Already the Organising
Committee in its time, which earned a general vote of thanks for
its work in arranging the Congress, adopted in Point 18 of the
Regulations for the Second Congress the following decision,
which was approved by all the Party committees:

"All decisions of the Congress and all the elections it carries
out are decisions of the Party and binding on all Party
organisations. They cannot be challenged by any one on any pretext
whatever and can be rescinded or amended only by the next Party
Congress."

This decision, accepted by the entire Party before the Congress and
reaffirmed several times at the Congress itself, was equivalent to a
word of honour freely pledged by all Social-Democrats to each
other. Let them not forget this word of honour! Let them at once
abandon all petty mutual grievances! Let them once and for all confine
the struggle of ideas within such bounds that it does not lead to
breaches of the Rules or hamper practical activities and positive
work!

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