The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-02-07
Speech by Comrade Kamenev


concrete question of T'rotskyism an6
Bolshevism. and in doing this | refer
to Comrade Trotsky's latest utteranc
merely as one of theuelearest ant
most instructive examples of the gen
eral line pursued by Comrade Tro'
sky. Da
We must first of all ask ourselves;
Does any general line. really exist?
What do we understand under tn
term "Trotskyism" Is it question
of Comrade Trotsky's personality, o
of general and by no means persona
phenomena pertaining to the histor.
of the labor movement in Russia dur
ing the last twenty years? VIVA
have we to deal with here? With
personality. with an individuality, o
with some generalization, some treni
called into being by the general con
ditions of the evolution Of the lsboi
movement in petty bourgeois coun
try? With an accidental phenomena
or with a phenomena based upon
past which we cannot forget? If yol
turn to Comrade Lenin's works Tor
reply to this question: you will fine
that up to the time of the FeDruar:
revolution, and again, with a brief lis
terruption, after the year 1918, scarce
lly a work appeared from Comraec
Lenin's pen in which Trotsky:sm wa
not dealt with Systematically. Why?
Trotskyism and the Party Before tn
Revolution of 1917.
Our party originated in petty bour-
geois, alphabetically backward coun
try. Our proletariat existed unde-
more backward conditions than any
other proletariat in Europe. 1t wai
surrounded by more agrarian and pet.
ty-bourgeois elements than any othe
proletariat. And the question or hoy
this proletariat succeeded in the midst
Of czarist despotism, in creating ana
welding together party destined to
lead the whole International labo
movement, this is the main question
of the self-knowledge essential to the
party
This question of our origin and de
velopment has frequently been raise
4 in the party itself. and the party has
made II clear TO itself why and in wha
manner the proletariat of Russia IL
use the old world, in a backward agrar-
ian country, and under the despotisn
of the car, has been enabled to Great
that Leninism which today is Tho
guiding star of the whole 'nternationa
proletariat, Of the proletariat Of cour
tries much further developed in car
italism and much further advanced
in economics than Russia. One thing
Is certain: Under these conditions
the party of the revolutionary proie
lariat, the party Of the Bolsheviki,
could only originate lin the form OF
constant, systematic,s and unceasing
struggle against the petty bourgeois
element striving to subordinate the
working class. Bolshevism in its ia
nermost essence signifies a struggle
in the sense that it originated. grew
and attained its firm foothold in tn,
midst OF an uninterrupted and con.
slant struggle against every infiuenc
exercised by the bourgeoisie on the
proletariat.
The most concentrated expression
OF the policy Of bourgeois influence on
the proletariat is afforded by menshe
vism. The thirty years OF the histor
OF Bolshevism is the history OF thirty
years of struggle against menshevism
Leninism is the teaching OF the strug
gle OF the proletariat against the bour
geoisie Precisely for this reason
Leninism is therefore at the sam
time the teaching OF the struggl
against menshevismg
Ito be Continued)
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