Preliminary Draft of the April Theses

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Upon his arrival in Russia on April 3 (16), 1917, Lenin spoke about the new tasks facing the Bolshevik Party at a meeting of Petrograd Party workers organised that very night at the former K&shat;esinska mansion to mark his arrival. His speech was apparently based on the preliminary draft of the April Theses.

THESES:

1) Attitude to the war.

No concessions to “revolutionary defencism”.

2) “The demand that the Provisional Government” should “renounce conquests”.

(α) Attitude to the Provisional Government.

(β) Attitude to the Soviets of Workers’ Deputies.

2 bis) Criticism of the Soviets of Workers’ Deputies.

3) Not a parliamentary republic, but a republic of Soviets of Workers’, Agricultural Labourers’, Peasants’ and Soldiers’ Deputies.

(α) Abolition of the army, the bureaucracy and the

police.

(β) Salaries to officials.

4) Specifics of propaganda, agitation and organisation in the period of transition from the first stage of the revolution to the second. Maximum of legally recognised rights.

Supporters, honest, but duped by the bourgeoisie, of only “war through necessity”, “war not for conquest”, and their deception by the bourgeoisie.

5) The agrarian programme.

(α) Nationalisation. (Confiscation of all landed estates.)

(β) Each large-scale estate to be turned into a “model farm” under the control of a Soviet of Agricultural Labourers’ Deputies.

+ (γ) Soviets of Agricultural Labourers’ Deputies to be pivotal.

6) A single bank under the control of the Soviets of Workers’ Deputies.

6 bis) Not introduction of socialism at once, but the immediate, systematic and gradual transition of the Soviets of Workers’ Deputies to control over social production and distribution of products.

7) Congress.

Change of programme and name.

A new International. Creation of a revolutionary international....