Reminisces of the Second Congress of the Russian Social-Democratic Labour Party from Fridrikh Lengnik, Krupskaya and Martyn Lyadov.
Participants in the Second RSDLP Congress. Seated (left to right), F. Lengnik, P. Krasikov, N. Krupskaya, R. Zemlyachka, V. Garin (Galkin), G. Krzhizhanovsky; standing: M. Lyadov, A. Shaman, S. Gusev, S. Stepanov, A. Stopani. Photo 1924.
From the Soviet English language magazine Socialism: Principles, Practice, Prospects, - July, 1983:
The Second Congress of the Russian Social-Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP) heralded the coming of a new type of party, Lenin’s Bolshevik Party.
Extensive work to train professional revolutionaries, the core of the Party, and to prepare the draft of the Party Programme and Rules preceded the Congress. This work was directed by Lenin and the illegal political newspaper “lskra” (1900-1903) founded by him.
The Congress began its work in Brussels and concluded its proceedings on August 23 in London. (1) Let us briefly recall some details. The delegates to the Congress represented different trends: of the 51 voting delegates 33 were Iskraists, Lenin’s supporters, 10 belonged to the vacillating centrists (“quagmire”) and 8 (Bundists and Economists) openly opposed Lenin’s line. This led to disagreement when decisions had to be made on major issues. After heated discussions the Congress adopted the Party Programme as Lenin proposed. It also adopted the provisions of Lenin’s draft of the Party Rules, with the exception of Clause One on party membership. Lenin’s formulation of the clause was opposed by Martov and other opportunist delegates. During the elections to the leading bodies of the Party the majority of votes were cast for the candidates proposed by Lenin. Lenin’s supporters began to be called Bolsheviks (from the Russian word “bolshinstvo”, meaning “majority”) and Martov’s supporters who were outvoted were called Mensheviks (from the Russian word “menshinstvo” meaning “minority”). The Second RSDLP Congress consolidated the victory of revolutionary Marxists over the opportunists.
Below we publish extracts from reminiscences three of congress delegates.
Fridrikh LENGNIK (1):
The Second Congress of the Party holds an exceptional place in the history of our working class movement because its substance determined the main trends in the struggle for the purity of revolutionary Marxism and Leninism which had already appeared on the historical scene in full fighting gear...
The struggle of the “lskra” organization for a revolutionary party of the proletariat had been a prelude to the struggle which subsequently developed at this historic Congress and afterwards.
Nadezhda KRUPSKAYA (2):
Throughout the winter of 1902 intensive preparations were being made for the Congress. The organizing committee was constituted in December. It would have been impossible to call the Congress without it. Complex work had to be carried out to establish organizational and ideological links between groups which were just emerging or had already been formed, between local organizations and those abroad. This work was made all the more difficult by our being constantly shadowed by the police. The entire work of maintaining contacts with the organizing committee in preparing for the Congress was actually shouldered by Vladimir Ilyich Lenin.
Lenin passionately dreamed of building a united well-knit party which would bring together all isolated groups and which would be free of artificial divisions, including national ones.
Over fifty delegates attended the Congress. It was small in comparison with today’s congresses where hundreds of thousands of party members are represented by numerous delegates, but at that time it seemed imposing: there were only 9 people at the First Congress in 1898. We felt that great progress had been made in the five years. The main thing was that the organizations represented by the delegates were not semi-mythical, they really had been formed and had links with the working class movement which was spreading far and wide.
How fervently Vladimir Ilyich dreamed of this Congress! He attached exceptional importance to party congresses throughout his whole life; he believed that this was the highest authority, that all personal feelings must be discarded at congresses, that nothing should be concealed, that everything should be said openly.
In point of fact, the Second Congress was inaugural. Fundamental questions of theory were raised and the foundations of party ideology were laid at it. The First Congress only adopted the name of the Party and the manifesto on its formation. The Party did not have a programme until the Second Congress. The “lskra” Editorial Board prepared the programme. It was discussed for a long time. Every word, every phrase was argued and weighed.
In the meantime we had to move to London. The Brussels police began to harass the delegates. Things were much quieter in London...The Congress resumed its work several days later. It was drawing near the time to elect three members to the Central Committee. The closer this election drew, the more tense the atmosphere became. In my opinion, this was because the comrades grouped around Lenin had a more serious attitude towards principles and wanted to put them into practice at all costs, to imbue all practical activities with them. The other group was more philistine, was inclined to make compromises, concessions in principles, was more preoccupied with personalities than principles.
Martyn LYADOV (3):
Each speech delivered by Lenin was a real higher education for us, representatives of local organizations. He always clearly formulated all questions, getting right down to their very essence. After every talk with him I felt that my horizons had been broadened, that I was becoming increasingly aware of general party affairs.
It somehow happened that everybody from the provinces where the mass movement had already flared up, where there was the smell of the coming revolution in the air, grouped around Lenin, increasingly realizing the importance of Lenin being at the head of the Party that was in the process of being formed. It was obvious from the start that only Lenin and his supporters firmly knew what the Party needed and in which direction it should be guided. In everything, even in minor things, Lenin stuck to his principles. It was clear that he was striving to create a party distinguished by the unity of its thought and action, not just a haphazard assembly of all those who called themselves Social Democrats.
When the Congress was closed, Lenin proposed going to Marx’s grave. He knew the way very well and saw us through the intricate labyrinth of numerous bus and tram changes without having to ask the way. Then, finally, after a long journey we reached the cemetery. As we stood around Marx’s grave, we Russian Bolsheviks were filled with the thought of supporting Marx’s whole theory which, at that time, had largely been forgotten and distorted. Now we can boldly say that we have indeed kept the vow made then. Under the guidance of Lenin and his true disciples we have not only revived Marx’s theory but have also made his teaching a reality on one-sixth of the Earth’s surface. In those memorable days, the foundations of Bolshevism, whose historical mission was to renew the world, were practically laid.
From the book "Reminiscences about the Second Congress of the RSDLP", Moscow, Politizdat, 1982
(1) - F. Lengnik (1873-1936) was a professional revolutionary, Bolshevik, one of the organizers of the Second Congress of the RSDLP.
(2) - N. Krupskaya {1869-1939) was Lenin's wife and colleague, professional revolutionary, Bolshevik.
(3) - M. Lyadov (1872-1947) was a professional revolutionary, Bolshevik. Delegate to the Second RSDLP Congress.
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