"A Retrograde Trend
in Russian Social-Democracy"
p ... We recognise the duty of comradeship, the duty to support all comrades, the duty to tolerate the opinions of comrades, but as far as we axe concerned, the duty of comradeship derives from our duty to Russian and international Social-Democracy, and not vice versa.
We recognise our comradely obligations to Rabochaya Mysl [40•* not because its editors are our comrades; we consider the editors of Rabochaya Mysl our comrades only because and to the extent that they work in the ranks of Russian (and, consequently, of international) SocialDemocracy. Therefore, if we are certain that the “comrades” are moving backwards, away from the SocialDemocratic programme, that the “comrades” are hemming in and distorting the aims of the working-class movement, we consider it our duty to give expression to our convictions with a complete certainty that leaves nothing unsaid!
Notes
[40•*] Rabochaya My si-the newspaper of the “Economists”. In articles published in the newspaper. Iskra and in his book What Is to Be Done?, Lenin criticised the views of Rabochaya Mysl as being a Russian variety of international opportunism.