PROTOCOL RECORD

1

Comrade Lenin polemicises with Milyutin and Shotman and demonstrates that the matter is not about armed forces, it is not about a struggle against the army, but about a struggle of one part of the army against another. He sees no pessimism in what has been said here. He demonstrates that the forces on the side of the bourgeoisie are not great. The facts prove that we have a superiority over the enemy. Why can the Central Committee not begin? This does not follow from all the data. To reject the Central Committee’s resolution, one must prove that there is no disruption, that the international situation does not lead to complications. If the trade union functionaries demand all power, they understand perfectly well what they want. The objective conditions prove that the peasantry must be led; it will follow the proletariat.

They fear that we shall not retain power, but it is precisely now that we have special chances to retain power.

He expresses the wish that the debates be conducted on the plane of discussing the resolution on its merits.

2

If all resolutions were defeated in this way, one could not wish for anything better. Now Zinoviev speaks in such a way that the slogan “all power to the Soviets”—down with it, and put pressure on the government. If one says that insurrection is ripe, then there is no need to speak of conspiracies. If insurrection is politically inevitable, then one must treat insurrection as an art. And politically it is already ripe.

Precisely because there is bread for only one day, we cannot wait for the Constituent Assembly. He proposes to confirm the resolution, decisively to prepare for it, and to leave it to the Central Committee and the Soviet to decide when.

3

Comrade Lenin objects to Zinoviev that one cannot counterpose this revolution to the February revolution. He proposes the resolution on its merits.

Resolution

The meeting fully welcomes and wholly supports the resolution of the Central Committee, calls upon all organisations and all workers and soldiers to thorough and most intensive preparation for armed insurrection, to support for the centre being created for this purpose by the Central Committee, and expresses full confidence that the Central Committee and the Soviet will indicate in good time the favourable moment and the expedient methods of coming out.

First published in 1927 in the journal Proletarian Revolution No. 10

Printed from the handwritten copy of the protocol record; the resolution – from the manuscript.