The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-07-29
ZInoviev Discusses Question of Communist Tactics


over the majority. There is nothing
new to be said on the subject. All
we shall have to do will be to oppose
any attempt to revise the formula Of
the Third Congress. There are COM
rades who are little concerned about
winning over the majority and are
generally careless in their handling
of this cardinal question. We combat
these "ultra.lefts," but they represent
an insignificant minority. They are
sentimental revolutionaries. They are
not dangerous. The real danger lies
in several serious comrades demand
| ing a statistical majority of SO per
cent or thereabout before even con-
templating proper fight. 1t is worse
still when Hula writes such an arti-
Gle; for it reveals more moods than
are usually developed by Hula. AS
to the winning over of the majority, l
think we must endorse the formula of
the Third Congress. We must realize
that the time will come when we shall
be confronted with the question of
winning over the majority not only in
the abstract but in practice, for in a
number of countries we are reaching
the point of getting the majority on
our side. Tables have been elabor-
ated on this question, which you see
displayed in this hall. l am not going
to take up your time with a string
of figures, but will merely tell you
that these figures show that the time
is near when we shall be as strong as
the Second International at the zenith
of its power. Our numbers will grow
las we approach this point. In some
countries this has already been
achieved. This being so, we run the
same risks as the Second Interna-
tional, just because we have become
mass parties. OF course, we do not
run exactly the same risk, because
side by side with US, we have the
social democratic parties which abb
sorb the worst elements. The greater
the treachery of the social democrats
the stronger we will be. At this Con-
gress we may raise the question of
the majority quite definitely. We must
continue our fight for the capture of
the most important sections Of the
working class. This is one of Lenin's
most important slogans. This does
not mean, Of course, that we shall al
low ourselves to be driven back to
the position of the social democrats.
We have nothing to do with the Kaut-
sky methods of first organizing the
working class into parties and trade
unions, then taking the vote and only
then-revolution Such methods will
not carry us into the revolutionary
fight, and will never convert us into
a revolutionary party.
All of you must be familiar with
Comrade Lenin's brilliant work on
the results of the election to the Con-
stituent Assembly in Russia. We
went through this election campaign
when we had already assumed power
Nevertheless, our party polled 91s
million votes out of So million, while
the socialist revolutionaries and the
mensheviks polled 25 million votes.
IComrade Lenin frankly commented on
this as follows:
AT that time we did not have a
numerical majority, but we had a
majority in the most important cen
tiers and at the decisive moment, and
it is this that mattered."
II oOmrade Hula regards himself as
a disciple of comrade Lenin, he should
teach the precept of his great master
to the Czech workers, viz. the decisive
majority, at the decisive place, and
at the decisive moment. Is the great
est danger in the Czech party the
probability Of 1t coming into the fray
too soon? This danger, comrades,
does not exist in Czecho- SIovakia.
Why, then, this article? And what is
its objective meaning after the recent
conflict in the German party and in
the Comintern generally? In this sit
uation, this article is nothing but sup
port of the fright" This must be
frankly stated. hope that comrade
Hula will not persist in his errors. All
of us make mistakes, but having made
mistakes, we should rectify them. tkIf
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