V. I.

Lenin

336

To:   INESSA ARMAND

... [1]
In regard to the opportunism of the German opportunists, Grigory and I are
of one mind, I believe, and I have met no differences in the appraisal of
their infamy . (I did not read the article on “The New
Currents”.)

The Germans virtually have 2 parties , and this has to be borne
in mind without trying to shield the opportunists ( the way Neue Zeit and Kautsky are now doing ).

But it is incorrect to say that the German party is the most
opportunist party in Europe. It is nonetheless the best party, and our task
is to adopt from the Germans all that is most valuable (the mass
of newspapers, the large party membership, the mass membership of the trade
unions, the systematic subscription to the newspapers, strict control over
the parliamentarians—all the same the Germans are better at this
control than the French and Italians, not to mention Britain—and so on),
adopt all this without playing up to the opportunists.

We should not cover up the opportunists from Sozialistische Monatshefte [4] (they have heaps of leaders there)—the
way Neue Zeit and Kautsky and the German Vorstand are doing—but hound them with all our might . This is what Grigory
always does in his articles about the Germans. I am now reading Legien (the
trade union leader) on his visit to America and intend to pitch into that
mean opportunist good and proper. [2]

All the very best, Yours,

V.U.

Samoilov will probably change his address in a day or two. I shall
write you as soon as I know it. [3]