Date: 1922
Source: ru:PSS/v45

PREFACE TO THE BROCHURE “OLD ARTICLES ON TOPICS CLOSE TO NEW ONES”
PREFACE TO THE 1922 EDITION
This brochure is being published at the initiative of Moscow communists, not at my own. Initially, I was opposed to republishing the old material, believing it to be outdated.
After rereading the text prepared for publication by our comrades in Moscow, I came to the conclusion that, in this instance, the old material was less outdated than one might have expected. In most respects, it has not aged at all—indeed, despite the four years that have passed since then, a period marked by extraordinarily turbulent and rapid revolutionary development.
On a broad scale, the current moment in the spring of 1922 mirrors the fundamental characteristics of the spring of 1918. Back then, there was a “breather” between wars: between the imperialist war we had brought to a close—or, more accurately, nearly brought to a close—in February 1918, and the civil war that had not yet been settled by the first victory over counterrevolutionaries like Bogaevsky, but was still being prepared by the Czechoslovaks, Kornilov, Denikin, and their ilk.
Now, Genoa marks yet another “breather,” albeit on an incomparably larger, truly global scale—a respite between the war waged against Soviet Russia—whose defeat the world bourgeoisie had already suffered—and the new war that this same bourgeoisie is preparing, though it has not yet fully mobilized itself for it at this very moment. (I am writing these lines on April 28, 1922, when the latest reports speak of an imminent threat of rupture.)

PREFACE TO THE BROCHURE
Then as now, the “keystone” of all Soviet policy lies in organization, in accounting and control, in a slow, cautious, and thoroughly pragmatic approach to practical tasks—rooted in the verification of actual work, in the study of our practical experience. I had occasion to speak about this at the Eleventh Congress of the RCP, just a few weeks ago. As is evident from the Congress’s resolution on the Central Committee’s report and from its other resolutions, this “line” has been adopted by the Congress. I sought to summarize this line in my closing address at the Eleventh Congress*.
Reprinting the old 1918 brochure is not without value today, for the debates of that time help clarify many aspects of our party’s present-day tasks. Speeches such as those delivered by Comrades Preobrazhensky, Osinsky, and Larin at the Eleventh Party Congress, during the discussions on the Central Committee’s report, vividly demonstrated that the attention of many highly respected and influential party leaders was directed not where it ought to be. The “keystone” of our political tasks was misidentified in these speeches. I hope to discuss this matter in greater detail with readers in the near future. For now, I must limit myself to noting that the brochure being reprinted focuses precisely on elucidating why, back then—and still today—the task of “learning to work” was brought to the fore: properly assigning individuals to specific tasks, ensuring that each person bears individual responsibility for clearly defined work; studying and scrutinizing practical experience with greater care, rather than endlessly chasing after “new” plans for new institutions or for novel approaches to organizational reform and the like.
In conclusion, one more absolutely essential remark. I have omitted from this brochure my concluding speech before the All-Russian Central Executive Committee in the spring of 1918*. That speech was recorded in such a way that it is utterly unfit for publication. On this point, I must reiterate what I once said, in 1919 or 1920, in a letter to my comrades in Petrograd—a statement intended for print, but which, unfortunately,

* See this volume, pp. 10–116, 136–138. Ed.
** See Collected Works, 5th ed., vol. 36, pp. 268–276. Ed.

was never published*. To be clear: I do not take responsibility for the texts of my speeches as they are typically transmitted in newspapers, and I earnestly request that these speeches not be reprinted—except in cases of extreme and special necessity, and in any event without repeating this precise statement of mine. Whether it is because I often speak too quickly; whether it is because I frequently err badly in matters of style; whether it is because the usual transcription of speeches in our country is done in haste and far from satisfactorily—whether due to all these reasons combined, or to some other cause—what is certain is that I do not assume textual responsibility for my spoken words and I ask that these speeches not be reprinted. Let those who compile the transcripts bear the responsibility. As for reprinting, if there is any need for it, there are ample brochures and articles for which I am unconditionally and fully accountable.
April 28, 1922.
N. Lenin
Published in 1922 in the brochure:

N. Lenin (V. I. Ulyanov).
“Old Articles on Topics Close to New Ones,” Moscow, Gosizdat

Printed from manuscript

* See Collected Works, 5th ed., vol. 44, pp. 246–248. Ed.