V. I.

Lenin

On P. B. Axelrod’s Pamphlet The People’s Duma and a Workers’ Congress

Analysis of the Pamphlet [1]

Inconnection with P. B. Axelrod’s little pamphlet entitled The People’s Duma and a Workers’ Congress , the following should be noted:

Thisis the prototype of all of Iskra’s follies — both of a parallel parliament and a deal with the Constitutionalists Democrats.

Byand large, it is all playing at parliamentarianism — in the
People’s Duma, and in arranging a deal with the Constitutionalists-Democrats
— in the parliamentary interpretation of a “Workers’
Congress” with illustrations “from Lassalle” (who was working
in conditions of a constitution ten years alter it had been
won by a revolution).

Wehave no end of ineptitudes here: “the first and primary
foundation” (page 13) “of serious negotiations and agreements
between our party and liberal organisations”... of action. What
kind?

{{ {
Comrade P. B. Axelrod (is three years late! Can this be considered an agreement
with a political party ? It amounts to services rendered, technical in the first place, which were
sufficient three years ago.

1) Material means...

2)premises...

3) arms “delivery”]

4)influence on public institutions, utilisation of connections

5)in the bureaucracy and the military, in the interests of open political action.

“School-levelpedagogy”: even if the convoking of a

People’s Duma and a Workers’ Congress is a failure (page 12), “ the agitation and organisational work done will not have been lost ”.

Comparewith an insurrection—can organisational work in one
“have been lost”? No. And agitation work? No, since an insurrection is in progress, is a fact. As for the

People’s Duma —that is a comedy, a phantom, a hollow phrase.

Asaccharine approach to the workers .

Page.7:“of a constituent popular assembly, i.e., a really
’People’s Duma’.”

{Not “ i.e. ” and not “really"} (page7) "’The duties’ of the People’s Duma

1&degr1) “to present to the State Duma the demand that a constituent
assembly be convened, and that it declare [?—and?] itself non-competent,
without the right to function.”

2)
∼"∼

!! ha-ha! and what about the “right” to convene a constituent assembly?

113) “to serve as the centre and spokesman of the will
of all democratic (page 7) sections of the population, and organiser of
defensive and offensive action by these sections against the government and its
allies.”

Comparethis nonsense with a provisional revolutionary government as the organ
of insurrection.

Aspate of meaningless words, and the reality of revolution.

The difficulty of an uprising=the difficulty of climbing Mt. Blanc.

The difficulty of a “People’s Duma” under the autocracy=“the difficulty” of flying through the air on to the
top of Mt. Blanc.

Noteshould be taken of confirmation of our Central Committee’s opinion, as
expressed in its leaflet, that Iskra’s plan is a piece of invention
coming from abroad. Axelrod wants to bring round to his point of view
his correspondent, who (a) (page 6) doubts whether the slogans of the People’s
Duma and a Workers’ Congress will win over the mass of the people; (b) (page 14)
has motivated the policy of an “active boycott” (page 15 and page 14
in fine ).

Axelrodconsiders the policy of an active boycott reactionary and utopian

— reaction?—aconference of
Social-Democrats+ Osvobozhdeniye have settled this question. A coalition with the Black
Hundreds?—fear of Moskovskiye Vedomosti and Novoye Vremya .

— utopia? Two “utopias”:

insurrection and playing at parliamentarianism .

Whichof these is being effected is shown by the general strike and
street fighting all over Russia.

Theutter jumble of ideas about a “deal”, an “agreement”
(page7)

“ with the central organisations of liberal democracy ”.

Completeinability to single out revolutionary democracy and indicate concrete slogans on a political agreement with the latter. Axelrod’s
slogans are all of an
Osvobozhdeniye nature.

Regardinga “workers’ congress”.

The Third Congress: utilisation of open action so as to create points d’appui for the Party . [2] (Clearand precise.)

WithP. B. Axelrod one cannot make out anything.

An All-Russia workers’ congress sans phrase (page 3)—or a “ phrase ”?

Quidest ?

Itwould be best to have two congresses

1)a “General Congress” (page 4)

2)a “Social-Democratic congress” ("of members of a
General Congress

?||who share our programme, plus representatives of our Party organisations,
for a reform of the whole Party”. Page 4)

||The ridiculousness of a comparison with the Lassalle affair:

1) there was
already a constitution then.

2) Then Lassalle
was openly appealed to, and his appeal was an open one.

3)
Then the formation of the Allgemeiner Deutscher Arbeiter-Verein was a
pretext for abuse of “workers’ independent activity” against the Social-Democratic Workers’ Party.||

---
Notes:
[1]
Lenin’s pamphlet on this subject was not published.

[2]
The reference is to the resolution written by Lenin and
adopted by the Third Congress of the Party. It was worded, “On
the Question of Open Political Action by the R.S.D.L.P.” (see present edition, Vol. 8,
pp. 377-78).