V. I. Lenin

(ON POTRESOV)

... {1}
Mr. Potresov quotes (rather distorts) G. V. Plekhanov’s article which
appeared in August of 1905. At the time, there was a complete and formal
split between the Bolsheviks, who united at the Third Congress of the
Social-Democratic Party (London, May 1905), and the Mensheviks (a
“conference” at Geneva at the same time). {2} The Bolsheviks and the Mensheviks had their own separate
press organs both in 1905 and in the spring of 1906.

These are all generally known historical facts, and the rider,
Mr. Potresov, speculates on their being forgotten.

He has to keep silent about them because they expose the
rider’s impudence!

Neither of the then existing two Social-Democratic parties (and at the time Plekhanov was out of touch with both of them) had
any party decision concerning the non-Party significance of
G. V. Plekhanov’s article, or its liquidationism its destruction or denial
of the Party!

That tells the whole story, Mr. Dodging and Hiding Liberal Rider.

Liquidationism is a trend condemned by formal Party decisions in December 1908 and again in January 1910 ( unanimously
by all trends).

No conference (or any other institution) of the Party ever “read” any liquidationism into Plekhanov’s
article. That tells the whole story . Mr. A. N. Potresov clutches
at an old article and presents a sheaf of quotations in order to
hush up the fact that the whole Party condemned him, Potresov, his liquidationist trend .

Riders from among the liberal intelligentsia, like Mr. Potresov, are
full of a grand, aristocratic contempt for working-class party
decisions. These riders ignore party decisions!

And the working-class party ignores the liberal Luch and the
liberal Mr. Potresov, who “reads” liquidationism into Plekhanov’s old
articles, as Mr. V. Chernov used to “read” Narodism into Liebknecht.

Mr. Potresov is pathetic and ridiculous in his vain efforts to talk his
way out of the fact that liquidationism has been condemned by the Party.

It is only idle talk on the part of Mr. Potresov and Luch
about taking Plekhanov to court , it is only an effort to fool the
reader. They are well aware that everyone will blame them and will laugh at their vain efforts to accuse
Plekhanov.