V. I. Lenin

The Second Congress of the R.S.D.L.P.

JULY 17 (30)–AUGUST 10 (23), 1908


 

8

PROPOSALS ON VARIOUS POINTS OF THE GENERAL POLITICAL DEMANDS OF THE PARTY = PROGRAMME{1}

1) Let “and language” stand at the end of § 6.

2) Insert new point:

“The right of the population to receive education in the native language, the right of each citizen to use the native language at meetings and in public and state institutions”.

3) In § 11 delete the sentence about language.

Written between July 30 and August 1 (August 12 and 14), 1905 First published in 1959 in Vol. 7 of the Fifth Russian edition of the Collected Works
Printed from the original
 

Notes

{1} The draft proposals here published were tabled by Lenin at a sitting of the Programme Committee during the second discussion of the wording of § 7 of the general political demands of the Party Programme (§ 6 of the Iskra draft).

In the Iskra draft programme this paragraph contained a demand for the abolition of the social estates and lull equality of rights for all citizens, regardless of sex, creed or race. During the initial discussion, the end of the paragraph had been reworded as follows: “Creed, race, nationality and language”, and was so tabled at the 16th sitting of the Congress on July 30 (August 12). During its discussion at the Congress, the Bundists demanded the inclusion in the Party Programme of a special point on the “equality of languages”. They succeeded in winning over a section of the vacillating Iskra supporters and there was a split when the proposal was put to the vote.

The wording of § 7 was again referred to the Programme Committee. Lenin’s proposals with slight stylistic changes were adopted by the committee and on its behalf tabled at the 21st sitting of the Congress on August 1 (14). The Congress rejected the first point of the proposals and adopted the second with some amendments (§ 8 in the Programme adopted by the Congress); point three was adopted without alteration.

Paragraph 11, of which Lenin spoke in point 3 of his proposals, had the following wording in the Iskra draft: “Free and compulsory general and vocational education for all children of either sex up to the age of 16. Provision of poor children with food, clothing and study aids at the expense of the state.” The Programme Committee initially adopted this paragraph without amendment (§ 14), but during its discussion at the 18th sitting of the Congress on July 31 (August 13) the following addendum was adopted: “Instruction in the native language, on the demand of the population” (Vtoroi syezd R.S.D.R.P., 1959, p. 198). This addendum became superfluous with the adoption of a separate point on the question of language. p. 87

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