Collected Works of V. I. Lenin - Vol. 16 - From Marx to Mao

254V. I. LENINent plane, and Plekhanov in No. 13 of the Central Organhad already passed from the history of his clashes with theGolosists to a fight against their present-day policy. TheGolosists, in recalling old “insults” (right up to 1901!),are floundering as helplessly as the Vperyodists, who arestill appealing to the kind-hearted to protect them fromthe Bolshevik Centre.And see how our “offended” ones, who in 1910 are ravingat the very thought of a “Lenin-Plekhanov” agreement(their terminology!) in just the same way as Maximov did ayear ago over the same thing, are more and more betrayingthemselves. Like Maximov, the Golosists try to make itappear that it is a question of almost a personal agreement“between Lenin and Plekhanov”, moreover the actions ofthe latter are explained as a “wild caprice” (p. 16 of the“Necessary Supplement”), as the “transformation of Saulinto Paul”, as “fluttering”, etc., etc. By recalling Plekhanov’s“five years of activity” (ibid.) as a Menshevik, Martovis doing his utmost to compromise him (retrospectively) forthis fluttering, without noticing that by doing so he isdisparaging himself most of all.In the very same “Necessary Supplement”, the collectiveeditorial board of Golos assures us (p. 32) that Plekhanovwas “great” precisely during the above-mentioned fiveyearperiod (1904-08). Just see what follows from this.The Mensheviks proclaim Plekhanov to be “great” notbecause of his activity during the twenty years (1883-1903)when he remained true to himself, when he was neither aMenshevik nor a Bolshevik, but the founder of Social-Democracy,but because of his activity during the five yearswhen, as the Mensheviks themselves admit, he was “fluttering,”i.e., was not following a consistent Menshevik line.It follows that his “greatness” consisted in that he didnot sink entirely into the morass of Menshevism.But it is precisely the five-year history of Menshevism,which Axelrod and Martov recalled to their own disadvantage,that furnishes a number of facts which help to explainthe split among the Mensheviks by causes other than thosepetty, personal causes stressed by Martov.Plekhanov co-opted Axelrod and Martov in 1903, declaringin Iskra No. 52, in an article entitled “What Should