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Bolshevik leadership Correspondence. 1912-1927
Collection of documents 1996.
Compiled by: A.V.Kvashonkin, L.P.Kosheleva, L.A.Rogovaya, O.V.Khlevnyuk.I. V. Stalin - L. B. Kamenev
[December 1912]
Hello friend!
Kiss you on the nose, Eskimo style. Damn me. I miss you like hell. I miss you - I swear by the dog! There is no one for me, no one to talk heart to heart with, damn you crush. Can't you just move to Krakow? one
There are five of us here: three deputies (Petrovsky, Malinovsky, Badaev, of which Petrovsky represents the six in the faction) 2 . I [was] alone. Will be the sixth. Despite the stupidity made by four out of six about Luch 3(I found out about this later), the six remain a close-knit group. It is only necessary to give it time to get used to the state of affairs, to get acquainted with Party affairs, to seriously work on it. A good worker will come out of Stavsky. There is nothing to say about Malinovsky. Yes, you can’t say everything in a letter, but there is something to talk about. Ilyich recommends the "firm policy" of the Six within the faction, the policy of threatening the majority of the faction, the policy of appealing to the rank and file, against the majority of the faction, but Ilyich [will yield], for it goes without saying that the Six are not yet ripe for such a firm policy, are not prepared, what is needed first strengthen the six, and then beat the majority of the faction with it, as Ilya [Muromets] beat the Tatars with the Tatar. In addition, it is very possible that in two or three months there will already be a majority in the faction (there is hope to drag one or two), and then we will have the opportunity to beat the liquidators with a faction, this is much more profitable. Therefore, we need to work and wait a little with a firm policy. The last mistake with participation in Luch once again shows that it is necessary, first of all, to strengthen the very six, who want to be Bolshevik, but are not yet completely Bolshevik. The Six at every step [need] what [...] in the leader: I accidentally did not attend one of the meetings of the faction and that was enough for the Six to throw out nonsense with Luch. In a word - you need to wait a little ... Well, bye, I firmly shake my hand. Koba. but not yet fully Bolshevik. The Six at every step [need] what [...] in the leader: I accidentally did not attend one of the meetings of the faction and that was enough for the Six to throw out nonsense with Luch. In a word - you need to wait a little ... Well, bye, I firmly shake my hand. Koba. but not yet fully Bolshevik. The Six at every step [need] what [...] in the leader: I accidentally did not attend one of the meetings of the faction and that was enough for the Six to throw out nonsense with Luch. In a word - you need to wait a little ... Well, bye, I firmly shake my hand. Koba.
RTSKHIDNI. F. 558. On. 1. D. 5391. L. 3. Autograph.
Notes:
1 . After escaping from exile in September 1912, Stalin, being a member of the Central Committee of the RSDLP and the Russian Bureau of the Central Committee, in November-December 1912 took part in a meeting of the Central Committee with party workers in Krakow. Kamenev had been abroad since 1908 and lived mostly in Geneva. Following Lenin, he moved to Krakow in 1913. Kamenev's acquaintance with Stalin took place in Tiflis in 1904. The letter was sent from Krakow to Geneva.
2 . The Bolshevik part of the Social Democratic faction of the Fourth State Duma took part in the work of the party meeting.
3 . Luch is the daily legal newspaper of a group of members of the RSDLP, supporters of legal methods of political struggle, the creation of an open party, called liquidators by Lenin. The newspaper was published in St. Petersburg from September 16 (29), 1912 to July 5 (18), 1913. The organizers of the newspaper are Axelrod, Dan, Martov, Martynov.
We are talking about the events of November-December 1912. On November 15, 1912, the IV State Duma began to work. At the initiative of the Bolsheviks, a one-day political strike and a demonstration at the Tauride Palace (the seat of the Duma) in St. Petersburg were timed to coincide with this day. At a meeting of representatives of the Social Democratic Party, convened on the initiative of the Social Democratic faction of the Duma on November 13, opinions were divided. The St. Petersburg Committee of the RSDLP spoke in favor of the demonstration, while the Organizing Committee (the leading body of the liquidators) and the editors of Luch opposed it. The strike took place, but after the meeting, the Social Democratic faction, fearing a provocation, came out together with the editors of Luch and condemned it. Upon learning of this, Lenin criticized the faction and raised the question of the need to break its "workers'" wing with the liquidators. In the second half of November, he wrote the work “On the Question of the November 15th Event. (Unspeakable speech)”, where he called the incident a shame (Lenin V.I. PSS. T. 22. S. 208). However, in December 1912, the "workers' deputies" of the Social Democratic faction of the Duma again agreed to have their names included in the list of Luch employees, while continuing to collaborate with Pravda. In Krakow, at a conference, this question was discussed in the context of the need for a complete organizational break with the liquidators. On December 26, 1913, Stalin published in No. 47 of Pravda a special article on the Luch incident under the title "The Situation in the Social Democratic Fraction." The article was signed - K. Stalin (Stalin I.V. Works. T. 2. S. 368-372). where he called the incident a shame (Lenin V.I. PSS. T. 22. S. 208). However, in December 1912, the "workers' deputies" of the Social Democratic faction of the Duma again agreed to have their names included in the list of Luch employees, while continuing to collaborate with Pravda. In Krakow, at a conference, this question was discussed in the context of the need for a complete organizational break with the liquidators. On December 26, 1913, Stalin published in No. 47 of Pravda a special article on the Luch incident under the title "The Situation in the Social Democratic Fraction." The article was signed - K. Stalin (Stalin I.V. Works. T. 2. S. 368-372). where he called what happened a shame (Lenin V.I. PSS. T. 22. S. 208). However, in December 1912, the "workers' deputies" of the Social Democratic faction of the Duma again agreed to have their names included in the list of Luch employees, while continuing to collaborate with Pravda. In Krakow, at a conference, this question was discussed in the context of the need for a complete organizational break with the liquidators. On December 26, 1913, Stalin published in No. 47 of Pravda a special article on the Luch incident under the title "The Situation in the Social Democratic Fraction." The article was signed - K. Stalin (Stalin I.V. Works. T. 2. S. 368-372). while continuing to collaborate in Pravda. In Krakow, at a conference, this question was discussed in the context of the need for a complete organizational break with the liquidators. On December 26, 1913, Stalin published in No. 47 of Pravda a special article on the Luch incident under the title "The Situation in the Social Democratic Fraction." The article was signed - K. Stalin (Stalin I.V. Works. T. 2. S. 368-372). while continuing to collaborate in Pravda. In Krakow, at a conference, this question was discussed in the context of the need for a complete organizational break with the liquidators. On December 26, 1913, Stalin published in No. 47 of Pravda a special article on the Luch incident under the title "The Situation in the Social Democratic Fraction." The article was signed - K. Stalin (Stalin I.V. Works. T. 2. S. 368-372).