V. I.

Lenin

The Petrograd City Conference of the R.S.D.L.P. (Bolsheviks)

APRIL 14–22 (APRIL 27–MAY 5), 1917

5

Two Remarks During the Debate

On the Question of the Municipal Elections

I.

Since we have proportional representation, there is no need for
a bloc; the minority is protected. I emphatically disagree with
Comrade Kalinin, because a bloc with the petty bourgeoisie, with
the chauvinists, is unthinkable. The very idea of a bloc with
the petty bourgeoisie, who are supported by the capitalists, is
a betrayal of socialism. With whom are we to form blocs, with
the editors of
Internatsional [1] ? But this paper has not been published yet, and therefore we do not know them. Chkheidze
is defencism’s worst mask. Trotsky, when editing his paper in
Paris, never made it clear whether he was for or against
Chkheidze. We have always spoken against Chkheidze, because he
is a subtle mask for chauvinism. Trotsky has never made himself
clear. How do we know that Larin, the editor of
Internatsional , does not follow the same tactics?

We must come forward with a definite programme. A struggle is
now on among three parties: the first is the party of robbers
and killers; the second is the party that shields these robbers
with fine words, and finally, the third party, the party that
refuses to support the robbers and stands for exposing the
mistakes made by everybody, the Executive Committee of the
Soviet of Workers’ and Soldiers’ Deputies included.

The fault of the Soviet is not that it didn’t assume power, but
that it teaches the people the wrong things, it shouts about its
victory over the government.

II.

I am decidedly in favour of placing on our tickets the names of
the Menshevik candidates who are breaking with chauvinism. This
is no bloc. As far as parties are concerned, Russia is remarkably well organised. About a programme: the question of a
paid militia, the question of food supply, the question of
taxes—all these are important.

| First published in 1925 in the book The Petrograd City and the All-Russia Conferences of the R.S.D.L.P. (Bolsheviks), April 1917 | |
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| Published according to the typewritten copy of the Minutes | |

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Notes:
[1]
An advance announcement of the publication of the weekly journal
Intertsational was published in Rabochaya Gazeta on April 16
(29), 1917. The first issue appeared on April 18(31), and on
April 22 (May 5) Lenin had apparently had not yet seen it.

The title page held a notice to the effect that pending the
arrival of L. Martov the journal was edited by Y. Larin. The
list of contributors included L. Martov, Y. Larin, P. B.
Axelrod and G. 0. Binshtok. In the first issue the editors
proclaimed the conciliatory slogan of bringing pressure to bear
on the Provisional Government to meet the demands of the
proletariat in domestic and foreign policies. The third issue of
the journal (for June 1917) was its last. In August 1917 some
of the journal’s contributors headed by Y. Larin broke with the
Mensheviks and joined the ranks of the Bolshevik Party.