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

282V. I. LENINWhen the subcommission’s draft came back to the commissionfor final adoption these were the two points uponwhich we fixed our attention. Together with Guesde wemoved two (main) amendments: firstly, to replace the words“(the co-operative societies) help the workers to preparethe democratisation and socialisation of production anddistribution” by the words: “(the co-operative societies)help to a certain extent to prepare the functioning of productionand distribution after the expropriation of the capitalistclass.” This amendment, which stylistically isnot very happily formulated, does not mean that the co-operativesocieties cannot help the workers at present, butthat the future mode of production and distribution, whichis being prepared now by the co-operative societies, canbegin to function only after the expropriation of the capitalists.The second amendment concerned the point whichspeaks of the relation of co-operative societies to the Party.We proposed either to add the words “which (i.e., aid tothe workers’ struggle) is in any case desirable from thestandpoint of socialism”, or to replace the whole of thispoint by another expressly recommending socialists inthe co-operative societies to advocate and insist upon directsupport for the class struggle of the proletariat.Both amendments were rejected by the commission andcollected only about 15 votes. The Socialist-Revolutionaries—asthey always do at International Congresses—votedfor Jaurès. Before the Russian public they are not averseto reproaching even Bebel with opportunism, but beforethe European they follow Jaurès and Elm! Wurm tried topatch up the last part of the resolution by rearranging theorder of the last three paragraphs. Let it be said first of allthat the unification of the co-operatives in a single federationis desirable (second paragraph from the end). Then letit be stated that it rests with the co-operative societies todecide whether they should render direct assistance to theParty or not (third paragraph from the end). And let thelast paragraph begin with “but” (but the congress declaresthat it would be desirable to have increasingly intimaterelations between the Party, the trade unions and the cooperativesocieties). Then it would be clear from the generalcontext that the Congress recommends the co-operative