V. I.

Lenin

The Seventh (April) All-Russia Conference of the R.S.D.L.P.(B.)

APRIL 24–29, 1917

1

Speech Delivered at the Opening of the Conference

April 24 (May 7)

C omrades, we are assembled here as the first conference of the proletarian party, in conditions of the
Russian revolution and a developing world revolution as
well. The time is approaching when the assertion of the founders
of scientific socialism, and the unanimous forecast of the
socialists who gathered at the Basle Congress, that world war
would inevitably lead to revolution, is being everywhere proved
correct.

In the nineteenth century Marx and Engels, following the
proletarian movements in various countries and analysing the
possible prospects for a social revolution, repeatedly stated
that the roles would, in general, be distributed among these
countries in proportion to, and in accordance with, their
historically conditioned national features. They expressed their
idea briefly as: The French worker will begin, the German will
finish it.

The great honour of beginning the revolution has fallen to the
Russian proletariat. But the Russian proletariat must not forget
that its movement and revolution are only part of a world
revolutionary proletarian movement, which in Germany, for
example, is gaining momentum with every passing day. Only from
this angle can we define our tasks.

I declare the All-Russia Conference open. Please nominate your
candidates for election to the Presiding Committee.

| A brief report published May 12 (April 29), 1917 in Sotsial-Demokrat No. 43 | Published according to the typewritten copy of the Minutes |
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| First published in full in 1921 in N. Lenin (V. Ulyanov), Works , Vol. XIV, Part 2 | |