Collected Works of V. I. Lenin - Vol. 13 - From Marx to Mao

464V. I. LENIN“...In the committee that examined the question of the relationsbetween the trade unions and the political party, he [Plekhanov]literally said the following: ‘There are 11 revolutionary organisationsin Russia; with which of them should the trade unions alignthemselves?... Introducing political differences into the trade unionsin Russia would be harmful’. In answer to this the members of thecommittee all unanimously declared that the Congress resolutionmust not be interpreted in that way, that they ‘do not by any meansoblige the trade unions and their members to join the S.D. Party’,that they, as stated in the resolution, demand their ‘complete independence’”(Znamya Truda’s italics).You are mixing things up, gentlemen of Znamya Truda!In the committee a Belgian comrade asked whether it couldbe made obligatory for trade-union members to join theSocial-Democratic Party, and everyone answered that itcould not. Plekhanov, on the other hand, proposed an amendmentto the resolution, saying: “Unity of the trade-unionorganisation, however, should not be lost sight of”. Thisamendment was adopted, but not unanimously (ComradeVoinov, who represented the views of the R.S.D.L.P., votedfor the amendment, and in our opinion was right in doingso). That was how matters stood.Social-Democrats should never lose sight of unity of thetrade-union organisation. That is quite right. But this appliesalso to the S.R.’s, whom we invite to ponder over this“unity of the trade-union organisation” when the latterannounces its close ties with Social-Democracy! Nobodyever dreamt of “obliging” trade-union members to join theS.D. Party; fear made the S.R.’s imagine that. And to suggestthat the Stuttgart Congress prohibited trade unions fromdeclaring their close ties with the Social-Democratic Partyor from establishing such ties in reality, in actual life, is acock-and-bull story.“The Russian S.D.’s,” writes Znamya Truda, “are conductinga strenuous and unremitting campaign to win the trade unionsand subordinate them to their Party leadership. TheBolsheviks are doing this frankly and openly ... the Menshevikshave chosen a more roundabout way...” Correct, gentlemenof the S.R. Party! For the sake of the prestige of theworkers’ International you are entitled to demand of us thatwe conduct this campaign in a tactful and restrained way,“not losing sight of the unity of the trade-union organisa-