The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-12-19
By LENIN.
TRANSLATED by B. Borisoff.)

(Fr0m ISkrG, December, 1900.
The term ",SociGI DemOcrdcy'
t00s at that time used in Russia
as 1t 1o0s used turnout the
toorId as applying to the revolu-
ttoNGry MGrgiGn tcorkers' nlove-
meHt.1
TUE Russian social democracy has
= proclaimed more than once that the
immediate political task of the Rus
Sian labor party must be the over
throw of autocracy, the conquest of
political freedom. This was pro-
claimed over fifteen years ago by the
representatives of the Russian social
democracy, members of the group
Osvobozhdenie Truda Liberation of
Labor; this was also proclaimed two
and half years ago by the represen-
ta1ves of the Russian social-demo-
cratic organizations, who formed in
the spring of 1898 the Russian Social
Democratic Labor Party. But despite
these repeated declarations the ques-
ton Of the political problems of the
social democracy in Russia is once
more in the forefront at the present
time. Many representatives of our
movement are expressing doubt as to
the correctness of the above mention
ed solution of the question. 1t is said
that the economic struggle is of pre-
dominant importance; the political
problems Of the proletariat are pushed
to the background. These problems
are narrowed and restricted and it is
ever proclaimed that discussion about
the formation Of an Independent work
ers' party in Russia is simply a repeti-
ton of what is said by others and
that the workers must carry on only
economic struggle, leaving politics to
the alliance of intellectuals and lib
erals. This latter proclamation of the
new symbol of faith 1.-THE famous
'1Credo) 1leads directly to the acknowl-
Sedgemeat. that~the Russian proletariat
is not yet Of age and to the complete
negation of the social-democratic pro-
gram.
The Robochaya Misl (The Work
ers' Thot), especially in its supple
ment, has explained itself essentially
In the same sense. The Russian So
clal-democracy is living thru a period
of doubts, bordering on self negation.
On the one hand the labor movement
is breaking away from socialism; the
workers are being assisted in the car
rying on of the economic struggle, but
the socialist aims and political prob
lens OF the movement as a whole are
not at all made clear to them. On
the other hand, socialism is breaking
away from the labor movement. The
Russian socialists again begin more
and more to say that the intelligentsia
must carry on the struggle against
czarism with its own forces, because
the workers are limiting themselves to
the economic struggle alone.
Conditions Of a threefold kind have.
in our opinion, prepared the soil for
these said phenomena. First, at the
beginning OF their activity the Russian
social-democrats limited themselves to
the propaganda work in small circles
(Kruzhok). Having passed to agita-
ton among the masses, we have not
always been able to refrain from fall
Ing into another extreme Second, at
the beginning of our activity we were
very frequently compelled to defend
our right to exist in the struggle
against the Narodovoltsi, who con-
ceived Of politics" as form of ac-
tivity detached from the labor move
ment. and who narrowed politics down
to conspiratorial struggle alone. Re-
jecting such politics, the socialdemo-
Gratis have fallen into the extreme DO
sition Of pushing politics, generally, to
the background. Third, acting in
disjointed manner in the small local