Draft Decision On The Use Of State Control

Add a subpage to this text

Read the help page for usage.

 

This draft decision was submitted by Lenin on December 3, 1918, at a sitting of the commission set up by the Council of Defence (see Note 151) for the purpose of regulating the work of Soviet bodies and enhancing the country’s defence capacity. The commission’s decision on the question was based on Lenin’s draft.

On the question of using State Control for keeping check on work and improving defence capacity, the majority on the commission have voted for lightning control, that is, dispatch of groups or commissions with wide powers to check on various institutions.

We must have concrete, factual, numerical data on the forces at our disposal (Party members first, then non-Party, but absolutely honest men) for exercising genuine control. We must know the number of specialists in the various branches; the number of those experienced in administration and management.

Tasks of control are of two kinds:

the very simple task of checking on warehouses, goods, etc.;

the more difficult one of checking on the efficiency of the work; combating sabotage, completely exposing it; checking on the way the work is being organised; ensuring the greatest efficiency of work, and so on.

No. I task is to improve work in the Food and Communications Commissariats.