V. I. Lenin

Source: ru:PSS/v11; en:CW/CW41;es:MT
Translated: machine translation (DeepSeek) from the Russian; AI-translated.

THE PRINCIPAL TASK OF THE SOCIALIST POLICY

An independent political party of the proletariat with a clear socialist programme.

The first practical application.

The Cadets. Their (objective) tasks. Cf. *Nasha Zhizn*, September 18: to win over the people, to strengthen the people’s confidence, etc., etc.

Cf. ibid. on the formation of the Cadets and the refutation of *Birzheviye Vedomosti*.

To destroy this confidence or to support it on certain “conditions”?

The waverings of the *Iskra* supporters (Parvus, Cherevanin, Martov: “the choice of the decisive”).

Unconditional struggle against the Cadets. The “conciliators”. The beginning of betrayal.

Objections:

1) “Absenteeism”. Slander. On the contrary, the most active agitation.

2) “Support of the revolutionary bourgeoisie”. Ça dépend. In parliament? Yes. At elections by us from the Conservatives and the Cadets? Yes. But now neither the one nor the other, for parliamentarism does not yet exist. The struggle for it. Betrayal in the struggle. Real support of the Cadets at the present time is revolutionary struggle, insurrection. In the street or in parliament? (Cf. Marx on Ledru-Rollin, 1849.)

Use of legal and semi-legal means? Unconditionally yes. A workers’ congress?—Yes. Meetings? Yes. But to use something near at hand does not mean to merge, to dissolve. To use, one must be independent, whole, united.

The absurdity of the *Iskra* supporters’ tactics: “agreement and support” plus “comic elections as a possible motive for insurrection”. There may be a thousand and one pretexts.

No. The tactics now are different: 1) Ruthless struggle against the Cadet conciliators. 2) Hounding them for having gone into the Duma. 3) Development of an independent Social-Democratic party in the struggle against the Cadets and in agitation on the subject of the State Duma.

4) Preparation for insurrection, which is coming and which, not “parliamentarism”, is now the crux of the situation.

5) Use of all semi-legal and legal means for this preparation, for agitation. 6) Concentration on the slogans: armed insurrection, revolutionary army, provisional revolutionary government.