Page:Lenin - What Is To Be Done - tr. Joe Fineberg (1929).pdf/104

waiting for the appearance of Iskra^[1] …" [and while doing you said that it was "impossible to impose on the mass labour movement, or on the workers' circles, the primary political task of overthrowing absolutism," that the only task they could carry out was to struggle for immediate political demands, and that "immediate political demands are understood by the masses after a strike, or at all events, after a few strikes"] "… but in the publications that we procured from abroad for the comrades working in Russia provided the only Social-Democratic political and agitational material …" [and this only Social-Democratic material, the only political agitation that was carried on by you at all widely, was based exclusively on the economic struggle, and you even went as far as to claim that this restricted agitation was "the most widely applicable." And you fail to observe, gentlemen, that your own arguments—that this was the only material provided—proves the necessity for Iskra's appearance, and proves how necessary it is for Iskra to oppose Rabocheye Dyelo]. "… On the other hand, our publishing activity really prepared the ground for the tactical unity of the party. …" [Unity in the conviction that tactics are a process of growth of party tasks that grow together with the party? A precious unity indeed!] "… and by that rendered possible the creation of a 'militant organisation' for which the League did all that an organisation abroad could do." [Rabocheye Dyelo, No. 10, p. 15.] A vain attempt at evasion! I would never dream of denying that you did all you possibly could. I have asserted and assert now, that the limits of what is "possible" for you to do are restricted by the narrowness of your outlook. It is ridiculous to talk about a "militant organisation" fighting for "immediate political demands," or conducting "the economic struggle against the employers and the government."

But if the reader wishes to see the pearls of Economist primitive methods, he must, of course, turn from the eclectic and vacillating Rabocheye Dyelo to the consistent and determined Rabochaya Mysl. In its Special Supplement, p. 13, R. M. wrote:

 

Now two words about the so..called revolutionary intelligentsia proper. It is true that on more than one occasion it proved that it was quite prepared to "enter into determined battle with tsarism!" The unfortunate thing, however, is, that, ruthlessly persecuted by the political police, our revolutionary

 

1. The interjections in brackets are Lenin's running comment on Rabocheye Dyelo's reply to Iskra.—Ed.

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