Marxism in Russia: Key Documents 1879-1906

431 Pages·2008·11.27 MB·English

by  Neil Harding, Richard Taylor

MA,RXISM IN
RUSSIA
Key Documents 1879-1906
Edited, with an introduction by
NEIL HARDING
Senior Lecturer in Politics and Russian Studies,
University College of Swansea
With translations by
RICHARDT AYLOR
Lecturer in Politics and Russian Studies,
University College of Swansea
CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS
Cambridge
London New York New Rochelle
Melbourne Sydney
Published by the Press Syndicate of the University of Cambridge
The Pitt Building, Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 1 RP
32 East 57th Street, New York, NY 10022, USA
296 Beaconsfield Parade, Middle Park, Melbourne 3206, Australia
©Cambridge University Press 1983
First published 1983
Printed in Great Britain at the University Press, Cambridge
Library of Congress catalogue card number: 82-19754
1-iX
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
)Id
Marxism in Russia.
1. Communism - Soviet Union - Sources .M:,·::,
I. Harding, Neil
320.5'315 HX724
ISBN 0 521 25123 0
WD
To the memory of J .C.R.

Contents
Acknowledgements page xi
Preface xiii
Introduction
DOCUMENTS
Section 1. 1879-1893: theoretical foundations and worker projects 39
Programme, NORTHERN UNION OF RUSSIAN WORKERS (1879) 41
2 Socialism and the Political Struggle, G.V. PLEKHANOV (1883):
extracts 44
3 Programme of the Social Democratic Emancipation of labour Group,
G.V. PLEKHANOV (1884) 55
4 'Propaganda Among the Workers', from Our Differences,
G.V. PLEKHANOV (1884) 59
5 From the Publishers of the 'Workers' Library', G.v. PLEKHANOV
AND P. AKSELROD (1884) 68
6 The Demands of the Morozov Workers (1885) 72
7 A Draft Programme for Russian Social Democrats, and Statutes of
the Fund, BLAGOEV GROUP (1885) 74
8 Second Draft Programme of the Russian Social Democrats,
G.V. PLEKHANOV (1885) 81
9 Four Speeches by Petersburg Workers ( 1891) 84
10 Report [to the International] by the Editorial Board of the Journal
Sotsial-Demokrat, G.V. PLEKHANOV AND v. ZASULICH (1891) 92
11 The Tasks of the Social Democrats in the Struggle against the
Famine in Russia, G.v. PLEKHANOV {1891): extracts 100
12 Manuscript Programme for Studies with the Workers, M.I. BRUSNEV
(1892) 108
vii
viii Contents
13 A Programme of Action for the Workers, N .E. FEDOSEEV
(1892) page 109
14 The Tasks of the Worker Intelligentsia in Russia, P. AKSELROD
( 1893): extracts 113
Section 2. 1894-1897: bridges to the workers - economic agitation 121
15 TheWorkingDay,ANON. (1894) 123
16 Questionnaire on the Situation of Workers in Enterprises, v .I. LEN IN
(1894/5) 138
17 To the Workers of the Semyannikov Factory, v .I. LENIN (1895) 140
18 What Should the Port Workers Strive for?, AN o N. (I 89 5) 143
19 Appeal to the Workers to Unite into a Workers' Union, Moscow
'WORKERS' UNION' (1895) 145
20 Appeal to the Workers to Unite and Demand the Shortening of the
Working Day, MOSCOW 'WORKERS' UNION' (1895) 146
21 To the Working Men and Women of the Thornton Mill, v .I. LEN IN
(1895) 146
22 What Are the Demands of the Women Workers at the Laferme
Factory?, ST PETERSBURG UNION OF STRUGGLE (1895) 149
23 From the Union of Struggle for the Emancipation of the Working
Class, ST PETERSBURG UNION OF STRUGGLE (1895) 150
24 What Is a Socialist and a Political Offender?, 1.v. BABUSHKIN
(1895) 151
25 To the Weavers of the Lebedev Mill, ST PETERSBURG UNION
OF STRUGGLE (1896) 152
26 The Demands of the Weavers at the Lebedev Mill, ST PETERSBURG
UNION OF STRUGGLE (1896) 153
27 Draft and Explanation of a Programme for the Social Democratic
Party, V.I. LENIN (1895/6) 153
28 The Workers' Holiday of 1 May (19 April by our Calendar),
ST PETERSBURG UNION OF STRUGGLE (1896) 171
29 To the Workers in All the Petersburg Cotton Mills, ST PETERSBURG
UNION OF STRUGGLE (1896) 174
30 ToAIIPetersburgWorkers,ST PETERSBURG UNION OF
STRUGGLE (1896) 175
31 Report Presented by the Russian Social Democrats to the (London)
International Congress of Socialist Workers and Trade Unions,
G.V. PLEKHANOV (1896) 176
ix Contents
32 To All St Petersburg Workers, ST PETERSBURG UNION OF
STRUGGLE (1896) page 187
33 To the Tsarist Government, v .I. LENIN (1896) 188
34 On Agitation, A. KREMER AND YU. MAR TOV (1896) 192
35 To the Workers in the Petersburg Cotton Spinning and Weaving
Mills, ST PETERSBURG UNION OF STRUGGLE (1897) 206
36 ToAllPetersburgWorkers,ST PETERSBURG UNION OF
STRUGGLE (1897) 209
37 The World-Wide Workers' Holiday of 1 May, ST PETERSBURG
UNION OF STRUGGLE (1897) 210
38 The First of May, ST PETERSBURG UNION OF STRUGGLE
(1897): extracts 212
39 To All Moscow Workers, MOSCOW WORKERS' UNION (1897) 215
40 Letter to All Kiev Workers, KIEV UNION OF STRUGGLE
(1897): extracts 216
Section 3. 1898-1902: political agitation and the critics of orthodoxy 221
41 Manifesto of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party,
P. STRUVE (1898) 223
42 Decisions of the First Congress of the RSDLP, RUSSIAN SOCIAL
DEMOCRATIC LABOUR PAR TY (1898) 225
43 On the Question of the Present Tasks and Tactics of the Russian
Social Democrats (Draft Programme), P.B. AKSEL ROD (1898) 227
44 Our Reality, K.M. TAKHTAREV (1899): extracts 242
45 Credo, E.D. KUSKOVA (1899) 250
46 A Protest by Russian Social Democrats, v.1. LENIN (1899) 253
47 The Urgent Tasks of Our Movement, v .I. LENIN (1900) 259
48 Where to Begin?, V.I. LENIN (1901) 263
49 Our New Programme, RABOCHEE DELO (1902) 268
Section 4. The Bolshevik/Menshevik dispute - organisational questions
and appraisals of the 1905 revolution 277
50 Second Party Congress: The Debate on Clause I of the Party Rules,
RUSSIAN SOCIAL DEMOCRATIC LABOUR PARTY (1903) 279
51 The Programme of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party,
RUSSIAN SOCIAL DEMOCRATIC LABOUR PARTY (1903) 288
x Contents
52 The Organisational Statutes of the RSDLP, R usstAN SOCIAL
DEMOCRATIC LABOUR PARTY (1903) page 293
53 Organisational Questions of Russian Social Democracy,
R. LUXEMBURG (1904) 295
54 Petition of the Workers and Inhabitants of St Petersburg to
Nicholas II, G. GAPON AND I. VASIMOV (1905) 309
55 On an Armed Uprising, MENSHEVIK CONFERENCE
RESOLUTION (1905) 313
56 On the Seizure of Power and Participation in a Provisional
Government, MENSHEVIK CONFERENCE RESOLUTION (1905) 314
57 Two Tactics of Social Democracy in the Democratic Revolution,
V.I. LENIN (1905): extracts 315
58 The People's Duma and the Workers' Congress, P.B. AKSELROD
(1905): extracts 331
59 Our Revolution, L. TROTSKY (1906): extracts 337
60 The Driving Forces of the Russian Revolution and Its Prospects,
with Preface by V.l. Lenin, K. KAUTSKY (1906) 352
Notes 373
List of sources 404
Guide to further reading 406
Glossary 408
Index 410
Acknowledgements
Thanks to: Caryl Johnston and Pat Rees for their fortitude in preparing so lengthy
and unmanageable a manuscript; Mary Ghullam for help in the initial collecting of
documents; Alan Bodger and Bruce Waller for their expert counsel on knotty prob
lems of Russian and German respectively; the staff of the International Institute of
Social History in Amsterdam for their legendary courtesy and expertise; finally, to
the Centre for Russian and East European Studies, University College of Swansea,
for financial support.
xi