V. I. Lenin

Closure Of The Menshevik Newspaper

Undermining The Country’s Defence

All-Russia Central Executive Committee Draft
Resolution [1]

Taking into consideration that

1) the Menshevik newspaper Vsegda Vperyod published an
article "Stop the Civil War" on 20.2.19, which proved once
and for all that it is counter-revolutionary;

2) the slogan “Down with the Civil War”, openly
advo-cated in the paper at a time when the landlord and
capi-talist troops, led by Kolchak, have captured Perm as
well as Siberia, is equivalent to support for Kolchak and an
obstacle to the workers and peasants of Russia winning the
war against Kolchak;

3) the Mensheviks, who in their conference resolution condemned
the overwhelming majority of Menshevik party members who have
lined up with the propertied classes, i.e., the landowners
and capitalists in Siberia, Archangel, on the Volga, in
Georgia and the South, are thus now start-ing to pursue the
same policy in fact, while hypocritically denying it in
words;

4) those of the Mensheviks who are not hypocritical friends of
the landowners and capitalists are now again displaying the
spineless vacillation bringing them to serving Koichak;

5) the Soviet Government, right at the time of the last,
decisive and sharpest armed clash with the landlord and
capitalist troops, cannot put up with people who are un-willing to endure great sacrifices alongside the workers
and peasants fighting for their just cause;

6) such people are again and again leaning towards the Kolchak
brand of democracy under which the bourgeoisie and their
hangers-on do so well, the Central Executive Committee decrees that a) the newspaper Vsegda Vperyod shall
be closed down until the Mensheviks show by actions their
resolve to break once and for all with Kolchak and firmly
stand for the defence and support of the Soviet government;
b) all the necessary measures shall be taken to exile
Mensheviks hampering the victory of the workers and peasants
over Kolchak to a life under the Kolchak brand of democracy.

Endnotes

[1]
Lenin compiled this draft for discussion by the All-Russia Central
Executive Committee on the question of the Menshevik newspaper
Vsegdn Vperyed (Always Forward) (the paper was published in Moscow; one issue appeared in 1918, and in 1919 it
appeared from January 22 to February 25).

The minutes of the Council of People’s
Commissars for February 22, 1919, contain a note from Secretary of
the All-Bussia Central Executive Committee Avaoesov addressed to
Lenin: “Have you received the resolution on the
Mensheviks?” It appears that Lenin had seen a preliminary
draft of the resolution in question and compiled his own draft On
February 25, 1919, the Presidium of the All-Russia Central
Executive Committee adopted a decision to close down the
news-paper. On the following day the plenary session of the
All-Russia Central Executive Committee confirmed the decision and
Inani-mously passed a lengthy resolution which incorporated the
main. ideas of Lenin’s draft. On February 27 the decision
was published in Izvestia No. 45 over the signatures of
Sverdlov and Avanesov.