PLAN OF THE REPORT ON
THE POLITICAL ACTIVITY OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE
TO THE X CONGRESS
OF THE RCP¹)

FIRST VARIANT.
A — MARCH
1921
[Between March 4-7, 1921]

X Congress
RCP III [19, 21*
POLITICAL REPORT

HISTORY
AND LESSONS

1) Transition (1920 and beginning
of 1921) from war to peace.
1920-
1921
IV. 1920: IX Congress (economic construction)
IV-IX: Polish war. ½ year.
XI: Wrangel
Result: we could not concentrate on economic policy and its foundations.
(Lesson: now greater concentration on foundations is necessary;
economically it was not possible then.)

2) Certain surplus and improper
its use.

(a) military forces — Warsaw (b) food requisition — 235 — 80 = 155
155:6 = 25⁵/₆* fuel (c) factories insufficiently equipped (Lesson:
(elements of (economic (improvement (on the whole, but incorrectly
(used resources (not only in the sense of distribution,
(but in the sense of the ratio of economic factors).

Crop failure sharpened the crisis
Crop failure:
in every way ease the situation of the peasantry

Crisis of transition from war to peace
Crisis of proper accounting of economic ratios
Crisis of the base: weakening of smallholder peasant economy.

4) Discussion on trade unions, which grew out of the discussion (or replacing
the discussion on party building)², distracted the party's
attention from the main issue.

5) Trade agreement with England.
possibility of economic relations with Italy concessions and America

6a. Kronstadt events (II-III. 1921).
Political aspect and political expression of economic evil

6b. Kronstadt events
Political ["crisis"] aspect of the matter and political
expression of economic disorder and inconsistencies.

Mensheviks, SRs, anarchists } (Change of power (in Kronstadt — new power) } Its hopelessness.
Its meaning: transition to bourgeois restoration under the slogan of "freedom"

We have politically combated and almost defeated them, but economically we must not act recklessly.

Tax in place of requisition (not tax plus requisition): adaptation to the economic
conditions of the smallholder, freedom of local trade, "reconciliation with the peasantry."
The two-sidedness of this "reconciliation" (according to Kronstadt):
change of power?
change (?), definition of the foundations of economic policy.

Freedom of local economic trade under
Proletarian state power
[two] (1) state capitalism (concessions) payment for technical help: forests,
timber, hemp, furs, etc.
decree on concessions | 23. XI. 1920* purchase of coal (15 million poods)
On the basis of contractual relations

[for example] (2) smallholder economy with freedom of small-scale trade
(contracts with it)
under "pillars" (3) Energy in struggle against bureaucratism
[and] worker democracy.
2 economic bases
2 political (against bureaucratism)
superstructures (for worker democracy)

---

SECOND VARIANT⁵.
[7 or 8 March 1921]

X Congress of the RCP 8-9 III
[1921]

Political report of the Central Committee.

Political most important events "nodal points"

The following main points of the past, taking into account their lessons for the future = theme.

1) Transition from war to peace.
2) Incorrectness of our tactics and errors and "inconsistencies."
3) Crop failure and attitude toward the peasantry.
4) Discussion on trade unions.
5) Attitude toward the capitalist
world (trade agreements and concessions).
6) "Kronstadt" events: their significance, political
and economic.
7) Natural tax, its significance.
8) State capitalism above (concessions)
and agreement with the small landowner below, as bases of economic policy, founded
on the lessons of experience.
9) Struggle against bureaucratism and the slogan "worker
democracy" as tasks both political (internal)
and "constructive."

1. Transition from war to peace (far, far from immediately)
X Congress and Polish war ("peace")
— Wrangel
Social and other difficulties of demobilization**.

2. Incorrectness, "inconsistencies" of tactics and policy
aa. Under Warsaw bb. Distribution of food 235 — 155
Distribution of fuel.
(c)
Known surplus — inability to adapt to it.
Failure to account for the ratio of factors.

3. Crop failure: extreme sharpening of relationships toward the peasantry#

4. Discussion on trade unions.
Error.
"Bureaucratic" upper echelons of the party and petty bourgeois
anarchist tendencies ("distortion") of "worker" opposition
and peasant opposition)
Lesson:
A multi-million mass party inevitably reflects the currents and moods of
the surrounding elements.

Discipline must be tightened "Concessions" to petty bourgeoisie
and peasants?
(distraction of the party's attention from the main issue)

Foreign relations
Trade agreement with England
Concessions (decree 23. XI. 1920)
Purchase of coal (15 million in gold ((1.11. 1921)) 18.4 million
poods).

1. P. O. Baku

6. Kronstadt events.
Politics***
Shift of power somewhat to the right = collapse
Economics:
peasant petty bourgeois*** tendencies.

7. Natural tax.
Its legislative history.
(30.X.1918⁷)
Its present formulation.
(and postponements)

8. State capitalism above (concessions)
agreement with the small landowner (below)
("freedom of trade")
2 economic bases.

9. Struggle against bureaucratism and for "worker democracy."
Taking lessons into account and setting new tasks:
with reconnaissance forward. Tempo slower, more solid economic base! "password"******

---

¹ The first variant of the plan of the political report to the X Congress of the RCP(b) was compiled by Lenin between March 4 and 7, 1921. The first date "March 4" is established from A. Khalatov's report dated March 4, 1921, used by Lenin in his political report, the plan of which was reported to the Central Committee plenum on March 7. Lenin delivered his report on the activity of the Central Committee at the Congress on March 8.

² The calculation was made by Lenin on the basis of A. Khalatov's report, in which grain receipts as of February 1 were indicated as 235 million, and the balance as of February 1 — 83 million. Taking these figures, Lenin notes further that over 6 months from the new harvest of 1920 to February 1, 1921, 155 million poods were spent, more than 25 million poods per month.

³ The exacerbation of the intraparty situation, in connection with the contradictions of war communism, extreme centralization and the absence of mass educational work, was noted in the resolution of the September 1920 All-Russian party conference. The Conference recognized it necessary in the sphere of party building to transition to methods of intraparty democracy, particularly emphasizing that the party struggles against any attempts to make distinctions among party members on the basis of "upper and lower echelons, intelligentsia and workers, national characteristics, etc." After the September conference, the discussion on the question of organizational party building and methods of intraparty work continued with renewed force, reaching particular intensity in the Moscow organization. In November-December 1920, a discussion on trade unions began.

⁴ The Decree of the Council of People's Commissars "On Concessions" of November 23, 1920, was published in "Izvestiya" No. 265 of November 25, 1920.

⁵ The second variant of the plan of the political report of the Central Committee to the X Congress of the RCP(b) was written by Lenin in ink on two half-folded quarter-sheets of plain white paper. Later the document was revised a second time by Lenin, with all marks of the second revision made in blue pencil. The notation at the top "X Congress of the RCP 8-9 March 1921" was made later in chemical pencil. The document is dated "March 7 or 8" on the basis of point 7 "On the legislative history of the tax," not included in the first plan of the political report. On March 7, Lenin appealed to the People's Commissariat of Justice for information on all decrees related to this question, apparently because, having included this point in the plan of the political report, he wished to verify the information he had gathered on the legislative history of the tax.

⁶ The purchase of coal was decided at a meeting of the Council of People's Commissars on February 1, 1921. At the same meeting of the Council of People's Commissars, the granting of concessions in Baku and Grozny was approved in principle.

⁷ Lenin refers to the decree of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee "On the assessment of rural producers with a natural tax in the form of a deduction of part of agricultural products," October 30, 1918, published in the Collection of Decrees of November 15, 1918, No. 82 (see Lenin Collection XVIII, p. 153). Following this decree came a series of resolutions developing it. Lenin, preparing for the Congress, familiarized himself with all resolutions on this question, having requested additional information from the People's Commissariat of Justice. As is evident from the reply of the People's Commissariat of Justice, Lenin overlooked only one decree of the Council of People's Commissars from 1919.