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

58THESES OF A REPORTMADE AT THE ST. PETERSBURG CITY CONFERENCEOF JULY 8 ON THE ATTITUDEOF THE SOCIAL-DEMOCRATIC LABOUR PARTYTO THE THIRD DUMA 311. The boycott of the Duma, as the experience of theRussian revolution has shown, is the only correct decisionon the part of the revolutionary Social-Democrats undersuch historical conditions as make it a really active boycott,i.e., one that represents the force of a broad and universalrevolutionary upswing moving directly towards astraightforward assault on the old regime (consequently,towards an armed uprising). The boycott fulfils a great historicaltask when it serves as a warning by the proletariatto the whole people against blind petty-bourgeois infatuationwith constitutional illusions and with the first quasiconstitutionalinstitutions granted by the old regime.2. To regard the boycott as an effective means in itself,apart from a sweeping, universal, powerful, and rapid upswingof the revolution and a direct assault of the wholepeople aimed at overthrowing the old regime, apart fromthe aims of the struggle against popular enthusiasm forthe granted constitution, is to act under the influence offeeling rather than of reason.3. Therefore, to proclaim a boycott of the Duma on thegrounds that the electoral law favourable to the Cadetshas been superceded by one favourable to the Octobristson the grounds that a frankly Octobrist Duma is taking theplace of the Second Duma, which spoke in a Cadet way andacted in an Octobrist way and in which the Social-Democratstook part not without benefit to the cause of the rev-Olution—to proclaim a boycott on such grounds wouldmean not only substituting revolutionary excitability for