V. I. Lenin

On the Open Letter of the Executive Committee of the Moscow Regional Committee {1}

Inconnection With this resolution on the celebrated “school” we must remark that we do not make any accusation against the
workers who have eagerly seized the opportunity to go abroad to
study. These workers made “contact” both with us and with the Central
Committee (in the letter just received and the Executive Committee of the
Moscow Regional Committee writes that one of the students has already sent
it a report as well) and we explained to them the significance of this
so-called school, Incidentally, here are a few quotations from the
hectographed “Report” of this school which was sent to us. “It has been
decided to begin the courses with the students (nine comrades) and
lecturers (six comrades) already here.” Of these six lecturers the
following are well-known to the Party: Maximov, Lunacharsky, Lyadov and
Alexinsky. Comrade Alexinsky (at the opening of the school) “pointed
out”: “A certain place has been chosen as the venue of the school because
many of the lecturers are there.” Comrade Alexinsky is too modest: not
“many” but all the lecturers of the new faction (some even say all the initiators, and organisers, and agitators, and
functionaries) are “there”. Finally: “Comrade Alexinsky opened the
practical course on the organisational question.” We venture to hope that
a detailed explanation during this “practical” course is being given of
the hints in Maximov’s “Report” that the editorial board of
Proletary is trying to get control over the property of the whole
faction....

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Notes:
{1}
On the Open Letter of the Executive Committee of the Moscow Regional Committee of the R.S.D.L.P . (dated August 17 [30], 1909) was
written in connection with the discovery of the anti-Party and factional
nature of the Capri school.

Inthe “Letter” the Executive Committee reminds those attending the
school that it is their duty to keep in close contact with the Moscow
Regional Committee and it calls for a full report on the school’s
activities. The “Letter” was published in Proletary No. 47–48,
of September 5 (18), 1909, together with Lenin’s comment “From the
Editorial Board”.

The Capri school —a factional centre of the otzovists, ultimatumists and god-builders, who joined forces against Bolshevism. It
was established on the Italian island of Capri in 1909 by A. Bogdanov
(Maximov), Alexinsky and Lunacharsky with the participation of Maxim
Gorky. Under cover of being pro—Party, the Bogdanovists succeeded in
having 13 students sent to attend the school from some local
Social-Democratic organisations. The school was in existence for about four
months (August to December). In November a split occurred among the
students: part of them, headed by N. Y. Vilonov, definitely dissociated
themselves from the Bogdanovists. The Leninist students sent a letter to
the editors of Proletary protesting against the anti—Party
behaviour of the lecturers, for which they were expelled from the school. At the end of November
(beginning of December) 1909, on Lenin’s invitation, they went to Paris
where they attended a course of lectures, including those by Lenin, viz.,
“The Present Time and Our Tasks”, “Stolypin’s Agrarian Policy”. In
December 1909, the students who remained in Capri, together with the
lecturers, founded the anti-Party Vperyod group.

Ameeting of the enlarged editorial board of Proletary condemned the Capri school as “a new centre of the faction splitting off
from the Bolsheviks”.