Remarks on Trotsky’s Draft Theses “The Immediate Tasks of Economic Development”

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Remarks on the Draft

Re § 1

a) Point I to be headed: On Labour Enthusiasm.[1] The words “raising the will to work” in he second line to be replaced by the words “labour enthusiasm”.

b) Add the principle establishing the strict responsibility of every staff worker (board member, manager, director, etc.) for the performance of a definite operation or job or task, a principle generally recognised and endorsed by many economic council and other meetings, should be persistently applied in practice without fail. Up till now this is not by any means being sufficiently practised.

c) The consumers—through the consumers’ societies, etc.—should be systematically enlisted for control over production.

d) The Workers’ and Peasants’ Inspection should be encouraged to greater participation in control over production and distribution.

e) The fight against profiteering and red tape, as well as against bureaucratism, should be highlighted.

f) Every effort must be made to organise competition. Measures aimed at improving discipline and raising labour efficiency should include cuts in rations for offenders, etc.

g) The end of § 4 of Trotsky’s text (nine last lines) should be removed or toned down, or worded in a more general form.

(These are my rough preliminary remarks.)

Lenin

3/111.

  1. Point I of Trotsky’s draft theses was headed “The Will to Work”(see The Ninth Congress of the RCP(b). March-April 1920. Minutes. Moscow, 1900, p. 533)