Collected Works of V. I. Lenin - Vol. 26 - From Marx to Mao

570 NOTES149150151152153154recognise the results of the questionnaire as being exhaustive andadopted a resolution drafted by Lenin (see p. 397).The manuscript of Lenin’s questionnaire has not come downto us; the text published here was given in a letter from a manwho was present at the conference, D. S. Vitebsky, to the LeninInstitute in 1924.The Army Congress on the Demobilisation of the Army washeld in Petrograd from December 15 (28), 1917, to January 3 (16),1918. It was attended by delegates from the Soviets of Workers’and Soldiers’ Deputies, front- line and corps committees, engineers,artillery units and brigades, staffs, etc. When the Congressopened there were 234 delegates, 119 of them Bolsheviks and45 Left Socialist- Revolutionaries. The Mensheviks and the RightSocialist- Revolutionaries appeared to have formed the so- called“extra- factional group”. The number of delegates subsequentlyincreased to 272. The task of the Congress was to control the spontaneousdemobilisation of the army and to discuss the creationof a new army of the socialist state. The Congress was for all purposesa caretaker organ to guide the army demobilisation anddid a great deal of work to that effect.On December 28, 1917 (January 10, 1918), the Congress discussedthe organisation of a socialist army, and the Bolshevikgroup motioned a project for the formation of a workers’ and peasants’army. It was opposed by the Mensheviks and Right Socialist-Revolutionaries. After some hesitation the Left- wingers supportedthe Bolsheviks. The project was adopted by 153 to 40with 13 abstentions.Lenin was expected to speak at the Congress but was unableto do so because of pressure of work. On January 3 (16), the closingday, he sent a message of greetings to the delegates (see p. 426).p. 395Adopted by the Council of People’s Commissars on December 18(31), 1917. p. 397See Marx’s letters to Liebknecht of April 8, 1871 and to Kugelmannof April 12, 1871 (Marx and Engels, Selected Correspondence,Moscow, 1955, pp. 317-18). p. 401Belinsky, Vissarion Grigoryevich (1811- 1848)—outstanding Russianrevolutionary democrat, critic, publicist and materialist philosopher.His activity had a great impact on the progress of socialthinking and the liberation movement in Russia. p. 408Marx, Letter to Wilhelm Bracke of May 5, 1875 (Marx and Engels,Selected Correspondence, Moscow, 1955, p. 360). p. 413A quotation from Goethe’s Faust, Part One, Scene 4—Faust’sStudy. p. 413Written December 25- 28, 1917 (January 7- 10, 1918). Lenin saidin his Preliminary Theses that in writing the draft he had made