What Is to Be Done? Burning Questions of Our Movement[a] is a political pamphlet written by Russian revolutionaryVladimir Lenin (credited as N. Lenin) in 1901 and published in 1902.[1] Lenin said that the article represented "a skeleton plan to be developed in greater detail in a pamphlet now in preparation for print."[2] Its title is taken from the 1863 novel of the same name by the Russian revolutionary Nikolai Chernyshevsky.
What is to be Done? Burning Questions of Our Movement
In What Is to Be Done?, Lenin argues that the working class will not spontaneously become political simply by fighting economic battles with employers over wages, working hours, and the like. To educate the working class on Marxism, Lenin insists that Marxists should form a political party, or vanguard, of dedicated revolutionaries in order to spread Marxist political ideas among the workers. The pamphlet, in part, precipitated the split of the Russian Social Democratic Labor Party between Lenin's Bolsheviks and the Mensheviks.[3]
1953 stamp marking the 50th anniversary of What Is to Be Done?
Lenin first confronts the so-called economist trend in Russian social democracy that followed the line of Eduard Bernstein. He explains that Bernstein's positions were opportunist, a point expressed by the French socialistAlexandre Millerand as in taking a post in a bourgeois government. Against the economists' demand for freedom of criticism, Lenin advances the position that the orthodox Marxists had the same right to criticize in return. He stresses that in the struggle against the bourgeoisie, revolutionary social democrats would need to pay particular attention to theoretical questions, recalling Friedrich Engels' position that there were three forms of social democratic struggle, namely political, economic and theoretical.[4]
Lenin hypothesizes that workers will not spontaneously become Marxists merely by fighting battles over wages with their employers. Instead, Marxists need to form a political party to publicize Marxist ideas and persuade workers to join. He argues that understanding politics requires understanding all of society, not just workers and their economic struggles with their employers.
Class political consciousness can be brought to the workers only from without; that is, only from outside the economic struggle, from outside the sphere of relations between workers and employers. The sphere from which alone it is possible to obtain this knowledge is the sphere of relationships (of all classes and strata) to the state and the government, the sphere of the interrelations between all classes.[5]
Reflecting on the wave of strikes in late 19th century Russia, Lenin writes that "the history of all countries shows that the working class, exclusively by its own efforts, is able to develop only trade-union consciousness"; that is, combining into trade unions and so on. However, socialist theory in Russia, as elsewhere in Europe, was the product of the "educated representatives of the propertied classes", the intellectuals or "revolutionary socialist intellectuals". Lenin states that Karl Marx and Engels themselves, the very founders of modern scientific socialism, belonged to this bourgeois intelligentsia.[6]
Notes
^Pre-reformed Russian: Что дѣлать? Наболѣвшіе вопросы нашего движенія; Russian: Что делать? Наболевше вопросы нашего движения, romanized: Chto delat? Nabolevshe voprosy nashego dvizheniya
References
^Le Blanc, Paul. 2008. Revolution, Democracy, Socialism: Selected Writings of Lenin. London: Pluto Press. pp. 9, 128.
^Lenin, Vladimir (1901). "What Is To Be Done?". Lenin's Selected Works. Marxists Internet Archive. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
^Malia, Martin (1994). The Soviet Tragedy: A History of Socialism in Russia, 1917–1991. New York: Free Press. ISBN978-0-02-919795-0.
"What They Did to What Is to Be Done?", Hal Draper's essay contextualizing WITBD
External links
What Shall We Do? public domain audiobook at LibriVox
January 20, 2023
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This article is about Lenin s pamphlet For the Chernyshevsky novel see What Is to Be Done novel For other uses see What Is to Be Done disambiguation What Is to Be Done Burning Questions of Our Movement a is a political pamphlet written by Russian revolutionary Vladimir Lenin credited as N Lenin in 1901 and published in 1902 1 Lenin said that the article represented a skeleton plan to be developed in greater detail in a pamphlet now in preparation for print 2 Its title is taken from the 1863 novel of the same name by the Russian revolutionary Nikolai Chernyshevsky What is to be Done Burning Questions of Our MovementOriginal coverAuthorVladimir Lenin as N Lenin Original titleChto dѣlat Nabolѣvshie voprosy nashego dvizheniyaLanguageRussianPublished1902In What Is to Be Done Lenin argues that the working class will not spontaneously become political simply by fighting economic battles with employers over wages working hours and the like To educate the working class on Marxism Lenin insists that Marxists should form a political party or vanguard of dedicated revolutionaries in order to spread Marxist political ideas among the workers The pamphlet in part precipitated the split of the Russian Social Democratic Labor Party between Lenin s Bolsheviks and the Mensheviks 3 Contents 1 Main points 2 Notes 3 References 3 1 Primary source 4 Further reading 5 External linksMain points Edit 1953 stamp marking the 50th anniversary of What Is to Be Done Lenin first confronts the so called economist trend in Russian social democracy that followed the line of Eduard Bernstein He explains that Bernstein s positions were opportunist a point expressed by the French socialist Alexandre Millerand as in taking a post in a bourgeois government Against the economists demand for freedom of criticism Lenin advances the position that the orthodox Marxists had the same right to criticize in return He stresses that in the struggle against the bourgeoisie revolutionary social democrats would need to pay particular attention to theoretical questions recalling Friedrich Engels position that there were three forms of social democratic struggle namely political economic and theoretical 4 Lenin hypothesizes that workers will not spontaneously become Marxists merely by fighting battles over wages with their employers Instead Marxists need to form a political party to publicize Marxist ideas and persuade workers to join He argues that understanding politics requires understanding all of society not just workers and their economic struggles with their employers Class political consciousness can be brought to the workers only from without that is only from outside the economic struggle from outside the sphere of relations between workers and employers The sphere from which alone it is possible to obtain this knowledge is the sphere of relationships of all classes and strata to the state and the government the sphere of the interrelations between all classes 5 Reflecting on the wave of strikes in late 19th century Russia Lenin writes that the history of all countries shows that the working class exclusively by its own efforts is able to develop only trade union consciousness that is combining into trade unions and so on However socialist theory in Russia as elsewhere in Europe was the product of the educated representatives of the propertied classes the intellectuals or revolutionary socialist intellectuals Lenin states that Karl Marx and Engels themselves the very founders of modern scientific socialism belonged to this bourgeois intelligentsia 6 Notes Edit Pre reformed Russian Chto dѣlat Nabolѣvshie voprosy nashego dvizheniya Russian Chto delat Nabolevshe voprosy nashego dvizheniya romanized Chto delat Nabolevshe voprosy nashego dvizheniyaReferences Edit Le Blanc Paul 2008 Revolution Democracy Socialism Selected Writings of Lenin London Pluto Press pp 9 128 Lenin Vladimir 1901 What Is To Be Done Lenin s Selected Works Marxists Internet Archive Retrieved 11 February 2018 Malia Martin 1994 The Soviet Tragedy A History of Socialism in Russia 1917 1991 New York Free Press ISBN 978 0 02 919795 0 North David 6 September 2005 The Origins of Bolshevism and What Is To Be Done World Socialist Web Site International Committee of the Fourth International Archived from the original on 6 June 2013 Retrieved 3 June 2013 Lenin Vladimir 1901 What Is to Be Done Lenin Internet Archive at Marxists Internet Archive Le Blanc Paul 2008 Revolution Democracy Socialism Selected Writings of Lenin London Pluto Pres pp 31 137 138 Primary source Edit Russian Wikisource has original text related to this article Chto delat Works related to What is to Be Done at Wikisource Lenin Vladimir 1901 What Is to Be Done translated J Fineberg and G Hanna Lenin Internet Archive Marxists Internet Archive Retrieved 5 July 2020 Available as eText Further reading EditT Lih Lars 2006 Lenin Rediscovered What Is to Be Done in Context Historical Materialism series Leiden Brill Reviewed by Blackledge Paul 3 July 2006 What was Done International Socialism 111 Retrieved 5 July 2020 Craig Joe 10 November 2006 Review Lenin Rediscovered What Is to Be Done in Context Socialist Democracy Retrieved 5 July 2020 Sewell Rob 14 June 2018 The Revolutionary Lessons of Lenin s What Is to Be Done In Defense of Marxism International Marxist Tendency Retrieved 13 May 2019 What They Did to What Is to Be Done Hal Draper s essay contextualizing WITBDExternal links Edit What Shall We Do public domain audiobook at LibriVox Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title What Is to Be Done 3F amp oldid 1123250473, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
