Lenin Collected Works:
Volume 18

Preface by Progress Publishers

Volume Eighteen contains works written by V. I. Lenin from April 1912 to March 1913, during the new revolutionary upswing in Russia.

The bulk of the volume is made up of writings in which Lenin analyses the socio-economic and political causes of the growth of a new revolution in Russia, elaborates the tactics to be followed by the Bolshevik Party in the conditions of the new revolutionary upswing, and exposes the counter-revolutionary nature of the liberal bourgeoisie and the treacherous part played by the Menshevik liquidators, Trotskyists and Vperyodists in the working-class movement. Among them are the articles “The Revolutionary Upswing” and “Political Parties in Russia”, the pamphlet The Present Situation in the R.S.D.L.P., “The Liquidators Against the Party”, “How P. B. Axelrod Exposes the Liquidators", etc.

A large number of writings —"The Fourth Duma Election Campaign and the Tasks of the Revolutionary Social- Democrats”, “The Platform of the Reformists and the Platform of the Revolutionary Social-Democrats”, “Results of the Elections", “Concerning Certain Speeches by Workers' Deputies", etc.—are devoted to the Fourth Duma election campaign, and to appraising the election results and the activity of the Duma Social-Democratic group.

In “The Essence of the 'Agrarian Problem in Russia'", “A Comparison of the Stolypin and the Narodnik Agrarian Programmes", “The Last Valve” and other articles, Lenin reveals the essence of Stolypin's agrarian policy and demonstrates why it was bound to fail.

The resolutions of the “February” meeting of the C.C. R.S.D.L.P. and Party functionaries, published in this volume, give directives on all the major questions of Social- Democratic work in Russia.

The volume contains fifteen writings that are included in Lenin's Collected Works for the first time. They are concerned with the struggle against the liquidators and with the elaboration of tactical problems of the Bolshevik Party.

The document “Concerning the Workers' Deputies to the Duma and Their Declaration” is a draft declaration for the Social-Democratic group in the Fourth Duma.

In “The Illegal Party and Legal Work"~ “A Reply to the Liquidators”, “Original Postscript to the Pamphlet The Present Situation in the R.S.D.L.P.", “Can the Slogan 'Freedom of Association' Serve as a Basis for the Working-Class Movement Today?", “Letter to the Swiss Workers", “On the Attitude to Liquidationism and on Unity. Theses", and “Original Postscript to the Article 'The Development of Revolutionary Strikes and Street Demonstrations'", Lenin criticises the views of the liquidators and of Trotsky, who fully supported the liquidators.

The articles “The Cadets and the Big Bourgeoisie” and “Constitutional Illusions Lost” expose the Duma tactics of the Cadets, the party of the counter-revolutionary liberal bourgeoisie.

The articles “Revolts in the Army and Navy", “The Workers and Pravda”, and “Before and Now” analyse the upswing of the revolutionary movement and the development of the legal Bolshevik press.

The “Notification” on the February meeting of the C.C. R.S.D.L.P. and Party functionaries sums up the results of that meeting.