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What was Lenin’s attitude at that time,—finding himself in one Party side by side with the Mensheviks,—towards the principles of democratic centralism, Party discipline and Party unity? Of course, he insisted on the freedom of factional conflict; he demanded freedom of discussion, and criticism of the Central Committee. At that time he most energetically championed the rights of the local organizations against the Menshevik Central Committee. At the same time, however, he recognized as Immutable—except for some slight reservation—the Principles of democratic centralism and strict Party discipline. In an article entitled "The Fight Against the Pro-Cadet Social Democrats and Party Discipline," he wrote:

"We have more than once, on principle, defined our views on the significance of discipline and the conception of discipline in the ranks of the Labor Party. We defined it as: unity of action, freedom of discussion and criticism. Only such a form of discipline is worthy of a democratic Party of the progressive class. The strength of the working class is organization. Without organization the mass of the proletariat is nothing. Organized, it is all. Organization is unity of action, but of course, all action is useful only because and to the extent that it advances and does not retreat, to the extent that it intellectually combines the proletariat and lifts it up and does not degrade and weaken it. Organization without ideas is an absurdity which in practice converts the workers into miserable