The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-02-16
BY GREGORY zINovIEv.

: III LHG year lOOC Llc IeHuClCy To-
wards liquidation became very evil
dent. The tendency itself began to
be felt in Petrograd as early as the
beginning of 1908, if not at the end
| of 1907. But the expression, "liqui-
dation"-as we clearly remember
first arose in the middle of 1908.
A serious struggle arose within
the Bolshevist faction itself. The
epoch of counter-revolution gave rise
to "Otsovism," and to such excres-
ences as the notorious Goods image"
idea. Hatred of the opportunist tao
tics pursued by the minority of the
Duma faction at first induced even
number of revolutionary Bolshevist
workers to support Otsovism. There
fore, the first articles which we is
sued against Otsovism were of an ex-
ceedingly cautious didactic character.
1t was not until later on, when A.
Bogdanov and Co. attempted to util-
ize the trend of feeling among the
Bolshevist workers for the purpose
of forming an Otsovist faction that
we adopted a sharper tone. The VIC
tory of Otsovism would have signi-
fed in reality the destruction of Boil
shevism. The cherished hope of the
Mensheviki-that Bolshevism would
degenerate into a mere sect, and
cease to be mass party-would have
been best fulfilled by the Otsovist
tactics" 1t was not until Bolshe-
vism had carried thru an additional
campaign against the attempts at
liquidation from the cleft" that is,
from Otsovism, rightly termed by US
"Menshevism reversed" that Bolshe-
vism was finally steeled and
strengthened, and could demonstrate
its right to existence.
Why did we devote so much atten-
ton, at that time, to fighting against
the Cancellation" tendency? Why
did we deal our heaviest blows
against the center? All these ten
denotes were represented by numeri-
ca,ly insignificant groups, incapable
of exercising serious influence on the
labor movement.
Where we differed in opinion from
the CENTER" these differences of
opinion were naturally of a produc-
tive character. We were divided
from the Menshevist camp by differ
ences of opinion in matters of prin-
ciple. But the advocates of "concil-
iation," in supporting liquidatory
Menshevism, in repeating its argu-
ments, and even lending it cover by
granting it an externaI appearance
of allegiance to the party, were even
more dangerous for a time than the
hquidators themselves. / recollect
that Rosa Luxembourg, when asked
why she and her friends devoted so
much attention to the fight against
the German social democratic "cen-
ter" instead of simply routing the
revisionists, she replied: eff it is still
worth while to rout the revisionists
at all, it is only if the centrists are
combatted at the same time" In
Russia the state of affairs was SINH
lar. The openly expressed ideas of
the adherents of liquidation, smacked
SO much of betrayal, that they at
once aroused the antagonism of the
revolutionary workers. But the
treacherously yelled ideas of liquida-
ton, improved by the idea of "unity,"
and associated with "party alleg-
lance" were much more able to lead
the workers astray.
The years 1909 to 1911 witnessed
a rapprochement between the main
core of the Bolsheviki and G. M.
Plechanov. The old revolutionist re-
awakened in Plechanov during these
years. He could not reconcile him
self to the idea of liquidation.
"Martov proposes that we drop the
designation of Party thus wrote
Plechanov to us-"and Martov ought
to be hanged for making this pro-
posal."
At the same time the orthodox Boil
shevii approached nearer to PIE
chanov in the course Of their struggle
against the philosophical revisionism
of Bogdanov and Co. Our first at
tempts at the establishment of a
legal Marxist press in Russia 1.-THE
periodical Misl in Moscow, the news
paper Sviesda in Petrograd, etc.
met with appreciate support from
Plechanov. It is much to be regretted
that Plechanov took up with Mem
shevism again later, when a fresh
rovivol in fla Ioho.. ,..owa-.a,k 49,