Social Democracy’s Attitude Towards the Peasant Movement

“Social Democracy’s Attitude Towards the Peasant Movement” was an article written by Lenin on the attitude of the Social-Democratic Party towards the peasant movement which was written in September 1905, and published in the Proletary, on September 1, 1905, issue No. 16. The Chinese translation is included in Vol. 11 of the second edition of Complete Works of Lenin.

First of all, Lenin pointed out the enormous significance of the peasant movement in the present-day democratic revolution in Russia. The Third Congress of the Russian Social-Democratic Labor Party adopted a special resolution on the peasant movement to define and unify more precisely the actions of the entire conscious proletarian party with regards to the present peasant movement.

Secondly, Lenin elaborated the attitude of the Russian Social-Democratic Labor Party towards the peasant movement. The first point, it was necessary to publicize the support of the whole conscious proletarian party for the peasant uprising and get in touch with the peasants through books, magazines, workers, special organizations, and so on. He pointed out the primary task of the peasant movement, the importance of the proletarian party in the peasant movement; most importantly the revolutionary democracy of the peasant uprising, and the problem of organizing the rural proletariat as a class party. The second point showed that the essence of the current problem was not to make a hollow plan of “equalitarian distribution of land” or nationalization of land, but that the peasants should recognize and actually destroy the old system by revolutionary means. The third point, it expounds on the tactical principles of the Social-Democratic Labor Party in treating the peasant movement. The peasant revolt should be helped to the utmost until the lands are confiscated. “We support the peasant movement to the extent that it is revolutionary-democratic. We are making ready (doing so now, at once) to fight it when, and to the extent that, it becomes reactionary and anti-proletarian. The essence of Marxism lies in that double task, which only those who do not understand Marxism can vulgarise or compress into a single and simple task.”

Thirdly, Lenin expressed the thoughts of the alliance of workers and peasants and the permanent (uninterrupted) revolution. “We shall certainly be with the rural proletariat, with the entire working class, against the peasant bourgeoisie.” Lenin pointed out: “... There are as yet no material conditions for large-scale socialist production; it may mean nationalization—given complete victory of the democratic revolution—or the big capitalist estates being transferred to workers’ associations, for from the democratic revolution we shall at once, and precisely in accordance with the measure of our strength, the strength of the class-conscious and organised proletariat, begin to pass to the socialist revolution. We stand for uninterrupted revolution.”

Finally, Lenin explained the different views of the Social-Democratic Labor Party and the petty-bourgeois Social Revolutionary Party regarding the peasant movement. The petty-bourgeois social revolutionaries emphasized the so-called “socialization”, while the Social-Democratic Labor Party emphasized the revolutionary peasant committees. In the eyes of the Social-Democratic Labor Party, without the revolutionary peasant Committee, all reforms would be futile. With them, and relying on them, the peasant uprising can win. Their ideal was purely Social-Democratic committees in all rural districts, and then agreement between them and all revolutionary-democratic elements, groups, and circles of the peasantry for the purpose of establishing revolutionary committees. Lenin analyzed the problem dialectically and pointed out that it was exactly similar to the situation that the Social-Democratic Labor Party maintained its independence in the cities and formed alliances with all revolutionary democrats for the purpose of the uprising at the same time the confusion and fusion of the various class members and the various political parties had to be resolutely opposed.