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Special pages :
Letter to David Wijnkoop, January 12, 1914
Published: First published in Pravda No. 21, January 21, 1934. Sent to Amsterdam. Printed from the original.
Source: Lenin Collected Works, Progress Publishers, 1976, Moscow, Volume 35, pages 133-134.
Cracow, January 12, 1914
Dear Comrade Wijnkoop,
Thank you most cordially for your kind letter. I hope you have read in the German Social-Democratic papers (Vorwärts and Leipziger Volkszeitung) the articles of our opponents (for example, J. K. of the Rosa Luxemburg group, and Z. L., who represents no group in Russia, in Leipziger Volkszeitung). The German Social-Democratic press is boycotting us, particularly Vorwärts, and only Leipziger Volkszeitung has printed one article from us (signed by the editorial board of Sotsial-Demokrat, Central Organ of the Russian Social-Democratic Labour Party[1] ).
In Bremer BĂźrger-Zeitung[2] Radek writes about Russian affairs. Yet Radek also represents no group whatever in Russia! It is ridiculous to print articles by emigrants who represent nothing, and not accept articles from the representatives of organisations which exist in Russia!
And the attitude of Kautskyâcan anything be more idiotic? In relation to all other countries he studies the history of the movement, criticises documents, tries to understand the true sense of the differences, the political significance of splits. In relation to Russia, history does not exist for him. Today he repeats what he has heard from Rosa Luxemburg, yesterday he repeated what he had heard from Trotsky, Ryazanov and other writers who only represent their own âpious wishesâ, tomorrow he will begin to repeat what other Russian students or emigrants are kind enough to tell him, and so on. While in Neue Zeit (!!) only commonplaces, declamations, no facts, no understanding of the essence of the questions on which we differ!! Pure childishness!!
We are being lectured on unity with the liquidators of our Partyâan absurdity. It is we who are bringing unity into being, by rallying the workers of Russia against the liquidators of our Party. I attach a document which we circulated to members of the International Socialist Bureau. You will find there facts and figures which prove that we are the ones who represent the unity of the Party (and the vast majority of the workers) in Russia against, groups of liquidators who are without workers.
Unfortunately even Pannekoek in Bremer BĂźrger-Zeitung refuses to understand that you have to print the articles of the two wings of Social-Democracy in Russia, and not the articles of Radek who represents only his own personal ignorance and fantasy, and who does not wish to provide precise facts.
Once again I thank you, dear Comrade Wijnkoop, you personally and the Executive Committee of the Social-Democratic Party, for your kind letter, and please pass on my greetings to Comrade Gorter.
I hope you will forgive my bad French.
Yours,
Vl. Ulyanov (N. Lenin)
Wl. Uljanow. 51. Ulica Lubomirskiego, Krakau (Cracovie).
- â See âThe Split in the Russian Social-Democratic Duma Groupâ (present edition, Vol. 49, pp. 480â54).âEd.
- â Bremer BĂźrger-ZeitungâSocial-Democratic daily published from 1890 to 1919. Until 1916 it was under the influence of the Bremen Left Social-Democrats, but later fell into the hands of the social-chauvinists.