Published:
Proletary. No. 46, July 11 (24), 1909.
Published according to the text in Proletary.
Source:
Lenin
Collected Works,
Progress Publishers,
1973,
Moscow,
Volume 15,
page 467.
Translated:
Transcription\Markup:
R. Cymbala
Public Domain:
Lenin Internet Archive
(2004).
You may freely copy, distribute,
display and perform this work; as well as make derivative and
commercial works. Please credit “Marxists Internet
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• README
We gladly give space to Comrade Lyadov’s public statement, and have only the following to say to him:
To observe the traditions of Bolshevism—the orthodox Marxist trend in the R. S. D. L. P.—is of course splendid, Comrade Lyadov. But to observe this tradition means, for one thing, protecting Bolshevism from its caricature. But the contortions of otzovism and god-building—as we have proved at length in a number of articles, and as has now been officially recognised by the Bolshevik section—are nothing more than a caricature of Bolshevism.
As regards the “revolutionary ethics” to which Comrade Lyadov appeals, we may calmly leave him to square this account with his own conscience—hut as for his “standpoint in principle”, it is high time that Comrade Lyadov and those who share his views should state it openly to the whole Party, because, so far, we have only their word for it that they have something more to offer than otzovism and god-building.
In conclusion we express the confident hope that Comrade Lyadov, who has worked for so many years in the ranks of revolutionary Social-Democracy, will not stay very long with the new faction of god-building otzovists, or, as they are called for short, “the godly otzovists”, but will return to the Bolshevik ranks.
[1] This comment was published in the form of a note to M. N. Lyadov’s letter to Proletary in which he expressed disagreement with the decisions of the conference of the extended editorial board of Proletary.
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