The Stalin school of falsification - Marxists Internet Archive

Stalin School of Falsification - Chapter 14
democratic delegation will vote for or against the draft of the Executive Committee. It is necessary to
clarify the position of the majority and then to decide the question of the minority. I move that each
group elaborate its own resolution and come out at the Conference in the name of the majority and of the
minority. I welcome this meeting because instead of four points of view, we will have two: that of the
majority and that of the minority.
KAMENEV: To pose here the question of defensism and anti-defensism is to repeat the discussion which
we have already had. We have come to the conclusion that it is imper missible to vote for the resolution
of the Executive Commit tee. It is not a socialist resolution. The Executive Commit tee assumes in it the
viewpoint of Henderson and Thomas. It is impossible to vote for a resolution which says nothing about
peace, about the abrogation of the secret treaties left over from Czarism. Another resolution must be
counterposed to it. Our task is to fuse the socialist-internationalists around the resolution. [Reada the
resolution.]
ROZANOV: I take part in this private conference, empow ered by nobody. At the present time, in many
places in the provinces, there is taking place the spontaneous unification of the masses of Bolsheviks and
Mensheviks. Every time that party activity is revived, such a unification takes place. I consider this to be
a Sign of a healthy instinct on the part of the working class masses who strive with all their might for the
creation of a united social democratic party. I consider it necessary that whenever possible all public state
ments generally should be made in solidarity. And I appeal to all those comrades who are not satisfied
with the resolution to make concessions. In particular, I appeal to those com rades who are defensists and
who are dissatisfied with the resolution. Comrades, do not stress the disagreements, for this will cause a
split.
As regards the text of the resolution, it underscores, as has already been said at the Menshevik
conference, that the Pro visional Government is not revolutionary in itself, that the proletariat of all
countries has a common basis for solidarity, and that it is necessary to exert all our strength to re-enforce
this basis of solidarity. The masses lacked this basis, so long as the revolution did not break out. Only
when the democratic idea triumphed, did this solidarity manifest itself.
With respect to the last point, I foresee objections on the part of the defensists. The compromise will
satisfy neither the comrades Bolsheviks nor the comrades Defensists. But, nevertheless, both sides can
arrive at an agreement. After all, it is impossible to satisfy at one and the same time both sides, because
we have two different viewpoints here, and it is impossible not to fool anybody and to have a single
resolu tion. The appeal to remain at the posts cannot be interpreted as primitively as is being done by
some soldiers, namely:
Neither to advance nor retreat. While the defensists do not look upon the Bolsheviks and the
internationalist-Mensheviks as people upon whom one could spit -- and I hope there is nothing of the sort
here -- you should consider whether or not it is expedient, while remaining socialists, to cause a large
section of the party to split off, merely because this does not correspond to the mood of the soldier and
peasant masses -- and all the more so, of the bourgeoisie! [Applause.]
To us you are valuable as representatives of the working class masses, and you defensists will be drawn
into a single socialist party. For the sake of this future, I call upon you to unite on the resolution.
Motion is made to have two reporters for the second tendency: Lieber and Voitiissky.
LIEBER: Comrade Rozanov is absolutely wrong in posing the question of the prospects of our future
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