V. I. Lenin

Source: ru:LS/v5;es:MT
Translated: machine translation (DeepSeek); AI-translated.

OUTLINE OF A REPORT BY V[ASILY] VASILIEVICH—
M. S. OLMINSKY].
7. II. 05
P Z ZH ^ ZH U P  *).
1) In G[eneva] w[o]rk is m[ore] th[eore]tical. 2 assessments
of events, corresponding to] 2 t[rend]s w[i]th[in] R[ussian] S[ocial] D[emocracy]
2) 2nd C[ong]ress = split (from the moment of o[rgani]z[a]t[i]on of the m[i]n[ority] in a)... Vp[eryod] is merely a continuation of the split. M[enshevi]ks
understood this earlier, and we were stupid. 2 p[ar]ties. The n[ames] m[i]n[ority] and m[a]j[ority] are unsuitable. Th[eore]tical d[i]sagreem[ents] grew.
3) What is o[pportu]nism? Not = B[er]nst[ein]ism.
Not o[n]ly within s[ocial]d[emocracy].
O[pportu]nism of
Gambetta:
p[rin]c[i]p[l]essness,
a[bsen]ce of a definite p[ro-
gram]me.
F
----------------------------- B[er]nst[ein]ism
is
merely
a part
of o[pportu]nism. P a r v u s  i n  Zarya 2).
—  O[pportu]nism is possible] in every p[ar]ty. In s[o]me p[ar]ties it is held in contempt.
4)
C[h]ar[a]ct[eristi]c of o[pportu]nism. Its f[un]damental feature —
a change of principles, p[rin]c[i]p[l]essness, inability to link principles
with current w[o]rk.
Vacillation, leaps,
they are "applied"...
Ch
Chasing after catchy phrases and words:
t[a]ctics - a p[ro]c[ess], o[rganiza]tion - a p[ro]c[ess].
O[pportu]nism is
ready to
subs[cribe] to any p[rin]c[i]p[l]e. (D[e]p[ending] on convenience.)
All this — within limits. Beyond the limit o[pportu]nism = betrayal.

O[pportu]nism = a little betrayal. Betrayal = big o[pportu]nism [Parvus].
5)
In prole[tarian] p[ar]ties o[pportu]nism is contemptible.
In b[ourgeoi]s p[ar]ties it is not despised | l[ibera]ls |.
Struve, a[s] a type of o[pportu]nism [universal] suff[ra]ge and the propertied classes 3). Beautiful and empty phrases in a s[ocial]d[emocratic] p[arty] usually conceal o[pportu]nism. P[ro]c[ess]-dial[e]ctics! M[arxi]sm and the doctrine of p[ro]c[ess]... "The m[ovemen]t is everything, the f[inal] g[oal] is nothing". Plausible 4 *)... The m[eaning] of this phrase [v[ery] correctly!!]... 5)
—  6) B[er]n[stein]ism was killed, a[mong] o[ther] th[ings], by P[l]e[kha]no[v]. [Plekhanov's funeral oration]] 6). But you cannot kill even a fly with a human being. 2 t[a]ctics of the m[i]n[ority] and the majority | to kill | *). Circumstances confused P[l]e[kha]no[v]: an imp[oss]ible goal set by him [f[or] the m[ost] p[art] great people c[ome] a[cropper] on th[is]].
|Plekhanov's cunning is insufficiently emphasized.|
"E[xpediency] everything, F[ormality] nothing." 7) P[l]e[kha]no[v] is not an o[pportu]nist, but the phrase is o[pportu]nist[i]c a la B[e]rn[stein. Proletarians of all countries, u n i t e!] Analysis of the l[ast] word. U[nite] into an o[rganiza]tion. And organization is a f o r m  of a[c]tivity.---------The form of a[c]tivity of a p[ar]ty. [This feature was n[oted] by Parvus]. P[l]e[kha]no[v] is not an o[pportu]nist.
j
zfz
.7) A[ks]e[l]rod does not u[n]d[erstand] what o[pportu]nism is in the o[rgani]z[a][tional] q[uestion]. 14.50 up to th[is] p[oint] written,| *)
8)
Forgetfulness regarding] y[ester]day = o[pportu]nism. N[ew] Iskra. W[o]rk[er]s' m[ovemen]t and the Intelligentsia: what from what? P[l]e[kha]no[v] for the w[o]rk[er]s' m[ovemen]t. A[kselrod] — v[ice] v[ersa] 8).
NB and about P[l]ekhanov] and A[kselrod]
precise quotations are needed here 9).

*) The word "to kill" is written directly above the words "2 tactics of the minority and the majority", but probably refers to the entire 6th point. Ed.

8 8
— Aut[onomy] of c[ommit]tees ("the f[un]damental q[uestion]" a[c]c[ording] to P[l]e[kha]no[v])— and the St. P[eters]b[urg] c[ommit]tee was broken 10).
N[ew] I[s]kra. ["abyss"] and T[rotsky]'s...
V[ice] v[ersa] P[l]e[kha]no[v]. A l i t t l e
b e t r a y a l .
Martov beats himself [P[rotocols] of the I I C[ongress], pr[eface] to Cherev[anin] about a conspir[atorial] organization].] 12)
[The o[ld] board and Iskra-ism have outlived themselves\
[C. O. and C. C. at the II C[ongress] — the C[entral] O[rgan] created the C[entral] C[ommittee.]] [M[artov] about M[a]rt[y]n[o]v the League 13) and now.]
[L[enin] regarding]
debauchery — invitation to]
L[enin.] 14)
According to circumstances — up to 5 o —  o[pportu]nism —
9)
New events. | Up to 84 | 13). All features of o[pportu]nism:
-^ E[mpty] b[eautiful] ph[r]ases: attributing inventions: | Parvus | ("They kick"),
"Utopians of a conspiratorial o[rganiza]tion" 16): where? who?
That which does not exist.
The organizational] question [for] 1 1/2 y[ears] — now the organizational] q[uestion] disappears [M 84]. [Propaganda] and a[gitation],
but not organization! ("3rd, 4th and 5th congresses")... 16)
84j — new tasks: "to at-
Here it would be good to insert about the pre-
tack the
rear
of the
rev[o]l[u]-
paratory class of the proletariat *19).
tionary movement" 17) Quid est 18).
—  "A m[eeting] of w[ork]ers
was
a broad o[rganiza]tion,
based on the initiative of the w[ork]er masses" 20).
The rear of the rev[o]l[u]tion])...
F
The r[e]v[o]l[u]t[i]o[n-
ary] m[ovemen]t began
not th[e]n,
wh[e]n
the w[ork]ers
e s t a b l i s h e d
these
soc[iet]ies, but wh[e]n
they broke them up...
Regarding the rear,
add that not i n i t i a t i v e =  p r a i s i n g the rear\21) tailism
and quote the att[itude] to Zubatovism]. Wh[at] is to be done...
I n i t i a t i v e and the Zub[atov]-
ites spoke.
Say
nothing.
Further tasks |M 84[: in the squ[ares], [in] taverns etc. [What voice]? 22). [Commonplace] = [Unf[old] one's forces] = All n[ew] t[asks]. "Broad o[rganiza]tions"). Who doubted?

10) O[pportu]nism f o r g o t  y[ester]day  22), fell
into one-sidedness], forgot about the organization of p[ro]fessional
rev[olutionaries]; g e n e r a l  p h r a s e s  [,] follows events,
does not carry out d[e]f[inite] p[rin]c[i]p[les], does not l e a d
but c a t c h e s  the moment, | 5 o'clock 05 I.
Slog[an] of internal] structure: down with o[pportu]nism, long
live revolutionary] s[ocial]d[emocracy]. 5 o'clock 05 |
1) The marks "3.45 — 5.05" indicate the start and end times of the report. Additionally, it is noted: "4.30 up to this point written" (see end of point 7 of the "Outline"). At the most superficial glance at the "Outline", it can be noticed that the exposition of the first 7 points differs somewhat in content and form from the end of the "Outline", namely: the first 7 points bear the character of theses, the exposition is methodically consistent. Beginning with point 8, however, remarks and corrections to the report appear (for example, "precise quotations are needed here about Plekhanov and about Akselrod"), hasty notes and questions are encountered. The recording itself is made in several columns (see point 9). The above allows us to think that the words: "up to this point written" mean that a draft of the report existed in written form even before the start of the report.
2) Parvus's article "Opportunism in Practice" was printed in "Zarya" No. 4 (August 1902, section 2, pp. 1 — 39), reprinted in his book "In the Ranks of German Social-Democracy", published by Glagolev, St. Petersburg 1907.
3) See the article "A Variety of Opportunism.
4) Plausible — plausible.
5) The article says: "What is the final goal? It is a goal upon reaching which there is nothing more to strive for, it is the end of all development"... "It turns out as if Bernstein is right. But one need only think a little to see how wrong he was. Where did Bernstein get the final goal? Does Marxism set itself some final goal, upon reaching which there is nowhere to go?" ("A Variety of Opportunism"). Lenin's words: "Very correctly!!" refer to the assessment given by M. S. Olminsky to Bernstein's phrase about the final goal and the movement.
6) "The question now is this: who will bury whom: social democracy by Bernstein, or Bernstein by social democracy." (Plekhanov. Works, vol. XI, pp. 35 and 36.)
7) In Plekhanov's article "Now Silence is Impossible!" in No. 66 of "Iskra" of May 28 (15), 1904, it is said: for a "revolutionary... expediency is everything, and formality — nothing." (G. V. Plekhanov. Works, vol. XIII, p. 108.)
8) Vice versa — conversely.
9) The article juxtaposes the statements of Akselrod and Plekhanov on issues touched upon in point 8 of the document.
10) Possibly the following fact is meant here. Under the cover of the idea of autonomy, the Mensheviks formed a separate Menshevik group under the C.C. in St. Petersburg and introduced disorganization into the committee.
11) Trotsky's words in his pamphlet "Our Political Tasks" are meant: "Between the new and the old 'Iskra' lies an abyss."
12) In his preface to Cherevanin's pamphlet "The Organizational Question", published by the new "Iskra" in 1904, L. Martov wrote: "In the present conditions of our party's work — this [i.e., the question of the limits of committee autonomy. Ed.] is a question of necessary guarantees... against the bureaucratic and conspiratorial degeneration of the organization" (p. 14).
13) At the 2nd Congress of the League, Martov said: "going to the congress, I knew that neither Lenin nor I... would agree to enter the party's service as editors, if for one reason or another he were offered to unite with Ryazanov or Martynov." (Minutes of the 2nd Congress of the Foreign League, p. 53.)
14) In response to a letter from Glebov (Noskov) of September 9, 1904, in which Lenin is informed that the C.C., in agreement with the C.O., invites him to join the editorial board of "Iskra", Lenin replied to Glebov with a well-known letter in which he denounces the hypocrisy and double-dealing of the conciliators and, among other things, says: "What debauchery is being introduced into the party by these private, secret deals, which concern the vital interests of the entire party..." Noskov's letter and Lenin's reply are printed in the pamphlet: N. Shakhov. "The Struggle for the Congress", Geneva 1904, pp. 94 — 99.
15) The article by F. Dan "The Beginning of the Revolution" in No. 84 of "Iskra", of January 31 (18), 1905, is meant.
16) In the same article by Dan (see note 15) it is said: "what a lesson to those utopians of a 'conspiratorial' organization, who considered it possible, in the name of the habit of obedience, in the name of formal-organizational 'discipline', to move the million-strong army of the working class at their discretion by the mechanical lever of an 'agency'!.. Let them try in the organizational rules of the third, fourth and fifth congresses of 'professional revolutionaries' to seek that magical means which will give the s.-d. the greatest happiness accessible to it — to inspire this mass stream with class consciousness, political independence!".
17) In the same article it is said: "Should we, if the revolution at first goes 'not our way' and we are not able to master it enough to force it to go otherwise, attack the rear of the revolution? [our italics. Ed.] This would be a criminal, suicidal policy."
18) Quid est — what is this?
19) P. Struve in No. 63 of "Osvobozhdenie" of January 20 (7), 1905, in the article "The Pressing Task of the Time" said: "The illusion of contemporary Russian social democracy is that it fears 'cultural' work, fears 'legal' paths, fears 'economism'... The workers' movement must also pass through a preparatory class of political education."
20) The quoted words directly follow the reasoning of Dan cited in note 10 on page 80.
21) i.e., initiative does not consist in praising the rear.
22) In Dan's article "The Beginning of the Revolution" it is said: "In the squares and streets, at the gates of idle factories, in workers' quarters, in taverns and tea houses, the voice of the social democrat must continuously sound, carrying into the 'incorrect' movement of the masses a correct understanding of class interests and methods of struggle of the proletariat, criticizing today in order to prepare a more revolutionary tomorrow." [Our italics. Ed.]