STYLE IN WORK

THE FOUNDATION OF LENINISM

IX. STYLE IN WORK

I am not referring to literary style. What I have in mind is style in work, that specific and peculiar feature in the practice of Leninism which creates the special type of Leninist worker. Leninism is a school of theory and practice which trains a special type of Party and state worker, creates a special Leninist style in work.
[1] "On the Struggle Within the Italian Socialist Party," November 1920.

What are the characteristic features of this style? What are its peculiarities?

It has two specific features:

a) Russian revolutionary sweep and

b) American efficiency.

The style of Leninism consists in combining these two specific features in Party and state work.

Russian revolutionary sweep is an antidote to inertia, routine, conservatism, mental stagnation and slavish submission to ancient traditions. Russian revolutionary sweep is the life giving force which stimulates thought, impels things forward, breaks the past and opens up perspectives. Without it no progress is possible.

But Russian revolutionary sweep has every chance of degenerating in practice into empty "revolutionary" Manilovism if it is not combined with American efficiency in work. Examples of this degeneration are only too numerous. Who does not know the disease of "revolutionary" scheme concocting and "revolutionary" plan drafting, which springs from the belief in the power of decrees to arrange everything and remake everything? A Russian writer, I. Ehrenburg, in his story The Percomman (The Perfect Communist Man ), has portrayed the type of a "Bolshevik" afflicted with this disease, who set himself the task of finding a formula for the ideally perfect man and . . . became "submerged" in this "work." The story contains a great exaggeration, but it certainly gives a correct likeness of the disease. But no one, I think, has so ruthlessly and bitterly ridiculed those afflicted with this disease as Lenin. Lenin stigmatized this morbid belief in concocting schemes and in turning out decrees as "Communist vainglory."

"Communist vainglory," says Lenin, "means that a man, who is a member of the Communist Party, and has not yet been purged from it, imagines that he can solve all his problems by issuing Communist decrees." (See Vol. XXVII, pp. 50-5l.)[1]

Lenin usually contrasted hollow "revolutionary" phrase mongering with plain everyday work, thus emphasizing that "revolutionary" scheme concocting is repugnant to the spirit and the letter of true Leninism.

"Fewer pompous phrases, more plain, everyday work . . . ," says Lenin.

"Less political fireworks and more attention to the simplest but vital . . . facts of communist construction. . . ." (See Vol. XXIV, pp. 343 and 335)[2]

American efficiency, on the other hand, is an antidote to "revolutionary" Manilovism and fantastic scheme concocting. American efficiency is that indomitable force which neither knows nor recognizes obstacles; which with its business-like perseverance brushes aside all obstacles; which continues at a task once started until it is finished, even if it is a minor task; and without which serious constructive work is inconceivable.

But American efficiency has every chance of degenerating into narrow and unprincipled practicalism if it is not combined with Russian revolutionary sweep. Who has not heard of that disease of narrow empiricism and unprincipled practicalism which has not infrequently caused certain "Bolsheviks" to degenerate and to abandon the cause of the revolution? We find a reflection of this peculiar disease in a story by B. Pilnyak, entitled The Barren Year, which depicts types of Russian "Bolsheviks" of strong will and practical determination who "function" very "energetically," but without vision, without knowing "what it is all about," and who, therefore, stray from the path of revolutionary work. No one has ridiculed this disease of practicalism so incisively as Lenin. He branded it as "narrow-minded empiricism" and "brainless practicalism." He usually contrasted it with vital revolutionary work and the necessity of having a revolutionary perspective in all our daily activities, thus emphasizing that this unprincipled practicalism is as repugnant to true Leninism as "revolutionary" scheme concocting. [1] "The New Economic Policy and the Tasks of the Political Education Departments," October 1921.
[2] "A Great Beginning," June 1919.

The combination of Russian revolutionary sweep with American efficiency is the essence of Leninism in Party and state work.

This combination alone produces the finished type of Leninist worker, the style of Leninism in work.

J. V. Stalin, Works,
Eng. ed., Vol. 6, pp. 71-196

NOTES

[1] J. V. Stalin's lectures, "The Foundations of Leninism," were published in Pravda in April and May 1924. In May 1924, Stalin's pamphlet On Lenin and Leninism appeared, containing his reminiscences of Lenin and the lectures "The Foundations of Leninism." These lectures are included in all the editions of his book Problems of Leninism. [p.1]

[2] Marx and Engels, Manifesto of the Communist Party, Foreign Languages Press, Peking, 1973, p. 76. [p.10]

[3] This refers to the statement by Marx in his letter to Engels of April 16, 1856. (See Marx and Engels, Selected Works, Foreign Languages Publishing House, Moscow, 1951, Vol. II, p. 412.) [p.14]

[4] This refers to Engels' article "The Bakuninists at Work." (See Marx and Engels, Collected Works, Ger. ed., Dietz Verlag, Berlin, 1962, Vol. 18, pp. 476-93.) [p.15]

[5] Lenin, "Left-Wing" Communism, an Infanfile Disorder, FLP, Peking, 1970, p. 7. [p.16]

[6] See Lenin, What the "Friends of tbe People" Are and How They Fight the Social-Democrats, FLPH, Moscow, 1950, pp. 251-52. [p.16]

[7] The Basle Congress of the Second International was held November 24-25, 1912. It was convened in connection with the Balkan War and the impending threat of a world war. Only one question was discussed: the international situation and joint action against war. The congress adopted a manifesto calling upon the workers to utilize the organization and might of the proletariat to wage a revolutionary struggle against the danger of war, to declare "war against war." [p.17]

[8] See Marx, "Afterword to the Second German Edition," Capital, FLPH, Moscow, 1954, Vol. I, p. 20. [p.19]

[9] Engels, "Ludwig Feuerbach and the End of Classical German Philosophy." (Marx and Engels, Selected Works, FLPH, Moscow, 1951, Vol. II, p.338.) [p.21]

[10] See Marx, "Theses on Feuerbach." (Marx and Engels, Selected Works, FLPH. Moscow, 1951, Vol. II, p. 367.) [p.23]

[11] See Lenin, Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism, FLP. Peking, 1973. [p.24]

[12] Stalin refers to the writings by Lenin in 1905, namely, "Social-Democracy and the Provisional Revolutionary Government," from which he cites a passage; "The Revolutionary Democratic-Dictatorship of the Proletariat and the Peasantry"; and "On the Provisional Revolutionary Government." (See Lenin, Works, 4th Russ. ed., Vol. 8, pp. 247-63, 264-74 and 427-47.) [p.31]

[13] Marx and Engels, "Address of the Central Committee to the Communist League," Selected Works, FLPH, Moscow, 1951, Vol. I, p. 102. [p.34]

[14] A Russian saying carried over from the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78. There was heavy fighting at the Shipka Pass, but the tsarist headquarters in their communiques reported: "All quiet at the Shipka Pass." [p.43]

[15] Marx and Engels, "Preface to the German Edition of 1872," Manifesto of the Communist Party, FLP, Peking, 1973, p. 2; Selected Works, FLPH, Moscow, 1951, Vol. II, p. 420. [p.46]

[16] See Engels, "The Peasant Question in France and Germany." (Marx and Engels, Selected Works, FLPH, Moscow, 1951, Vol. II, p. 382.) [p.63]

[17] Ibid., pp. 394-95. [p.63]

[18] Selskosoyuz -- the All-Russian Union of Rural Co-operatives -- existed from August 1921 to June 1929. [p.65]

[19] Wolfgang Kapp (1868-1922) was the ringleader of the counter-revolutionary coup d'etat of 1920 in Germany, which was known as the "Kapp putsch." He became the head of a new short-lived government which was overthrown by the general strike of the German workers. [p.91]

[20] See Lenin, "The Importance of Gold Now and After the Complete Victory of Socialism," Selected Works, FLPH, Moscow, 1952, Vol. II, Part 2, pp. 603-11. [p.95]

[21] Manilovism -- smug complacency, futile daydreaming; from the landowner Manilov, a character in Gogol's Dead Souls. [p.101]

[22] The resolution "On Party Unity" was written by Lenin and adopted by the Tenth Congress of the R.C.P.(B.), held March 8-16, 1921. (See Lenin, Selected Works, FLPH, Moscow, 1952, Vol. II, Part 2, pp. 497-501, and also Resolutions and Decisions of C.P.S.U. (B.) Congresses, Conferences and Central Committee Plenums, in Russian, 1941, Part I, pp. 364-66