V. I.

Lenin

March 27-April 2, 1922 [1]

Proposal to the Draft Resolution on the Report of the
R.C.P.(B.) Delegation in the Comintern

The purpose and sense of the tactics of the united front
consist in drawing more and more masses of the workers into the struggle
against capital, even if it means making repeated offers to the leaders of
the II and II 1/2 Internationals to wage this struggle together. When the
majority of the workers have already established their class, i.e., their
Soviet, and not “general national” (i.e., in common with the bourgeoisie)
representation, and have overthrown the political domination of the
bourgeoisie, then the tactics of the united front, of course, cannot
require co-operation with parties such as that of the Mensheviks (the
“R.S.D.L.P.”) and the S.R.s (the “Party of Socialist-Revolutionaries”)
for these have turned out to be opponents of Soviet power. Influence upon
the working-class masses under Soviet rule has to be extended not
by seeking co-operation with the Mensheviks and S.R.s , but in the
manner mentioned above. [2]

_WRITTEN_ Written between March 29 and April 2,1922

_FIRST_PUBLISHED_ First published in 1959 in the journal Voprosi Istorii KPSS No. 2

_PRINTED_FROM_ Printed from the manuscript

2

Speech on the Question of Printing Advertisements in
Pravda
April 2 [3]

Comrades, an almost fatal mistake has occurred here. I have risen to a point of order (as the chairman made clear) and not to make
a closing speech. I have taken the floor to ask the congress to waive
standing orders and procedure. There is a rule that after a decision has been passed there can
be no interference on that question. I ask the congress to give me 4 or 5
minutes in order to oppose the decision that has been wrongly passed here.

When I heard that the congress had passed this decision and when I
heard that Comrade Ryazanov had defended it ( Ryazanov: “That is
not so.”) All the better—at least one absurd decision has by-passed
Ryazanov. If we were dealing here with an innocent young lady of some
twelve summers, who had learned only yesterday that there was such a thing
in the world as communism, and she would have put on a frilly white frock
with red ribbons and said that Communists were just pure tradesmen—that
would be funny, and we could enjoy a hearty laugh over it, but seriously,
what are we doing? Where will Pravda get the money to make up for
the advertisements we have deprived it of? I ask—how much money does
Pravda need to keep up with Izvestia ? You don’t know? Nor
do I!

_FIRST_PUBLISHED_ First published in 1931 in the Second and Third editions