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.Why, for instance, is there no slogan of a republic? How is it that theSocial-Democrats in the interest of "relentless revolutionary war against all thefoundations of the system of social estates and the monarchy" "demand" from thebourgeois democrats anything you like except a fight for a republic?That this question is not mere captiousness, that the mistake of the new-Iskraists is ofmost vital political significance is proved by the "Russian Liberation League" (seeProletary, No.4).1) These "enemies of tsarism" will fully meet all the "requirements" ofthe new Iskra supporters.And yet we have shown that the spirit of Osvobozhdeniyereigns in the program (or lack of program) of this "Russian Liberation League" and thatthe Osvobozhdentsi can easily take it in tow.The Conference, however, declares in theconcluding section of the resolution that "Social-Democracy will continue to oppose thehypocritical friends of the people, all those political parties which, though they display aliberal and democratic banner, refuse to render genuine support to the revolutionarystruggle of the proletariat." The "Russian Liberation League" not only does not refuse thissupport but offers it most insistently.Is that a guarantee that the leaders of this Leagueare not "hypocritical friends of the people," even though they are Osvobozhdentsi? You see: by inventing "terms" in advance and presenting "demands" which are ludicrousby reason of their grim impotence, the new-Iskraists immediately put themselves in aridiculous position.Their terms and demands immediately prove inadequate when itcomes to gauging living realities.Their chase after formulae is hopeless, for no formulacan embrace all the various manifestations of hypocrisy, inconsistency and limitations ofthe bourgeois democrats.It is not a matter of "litmus paper," of forms, or written andprinted demands, nor is it a matter of drawing, in advance, a line of distinction betweenhypocritical and sincere "friends of the people"; it is a matter of real unity in the struggle,of unabating criticism by Social-Democrats of every "uncertain" step taken by bourgeoisdemocracy.What is needed for a "genuine consolidation of all the social forces interestedin democratic change" is not the "points" over which the Conference laboured soassiduously and so vainly, but the ability to put forward genuinely revolutionary slogans.For this slogans are needed that will raise the revolutionary and republican bourgeoisie tothe level of the proletariat and not reduce the aims of the proletariat to the level of themonarchist bourgeoisie.For this the most energetic participation in the insurrection andnot sophist evasions of the urgent task of armed insurrection is needed.Next: Will the Sweep of the Democratic Revolution be Diminished if the BourgeoisieRecoils from it?Footnotes1)Proletary, No.4, which appeared on June 4, 1905, contained a lengthy article entitled"A New Revolutionary Labour League".The article gives the contents of the appealsissued by this league which assumed the name of "Russian Liberation League" and whichset itself the aim of convening a constituent assembly with the aid of an armedinsurrection.Further, the article defines the attitude of the Social-Democrats to suchnon-Party leagues.How far this league really existed, and what its fate was in therevolution is absolutely unknown to us.[Author's note to the 1907 edition.]Two Tactics of Social-Democracy in the Democratic Revolution Vladimir LeninTwo Tactics of Social-Democracy in the Democratic RevolutionWill the Sweep of the Democratic Revolution beDiminished if the Bourgeoisie Recoils from it?The foregoing lines were already written when we received a copy of the resolutionsadopted by the Caucasian Conference of the new Iskra supporters, published by the Iskra.Better material than this pour la bonne bouche (for dessert) we could not even haveinvented.The editors of the Iskra quite justly remark: "On the fundamental question of tactics, theCaucasian Conference also arrived at a decision analogous" (in truth!) "to the oneadopted by the All-Russian Conference" (i.e., of the new Iskra-ists)
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