Page:Vladimir Ilyich Lenin - On Organization (1926).pdf/79

But the conclusions drawn from it are for their stupidity and their political tactlessness, worthy of the "Rabochaya Misl" (7). They represent the height of stupidity, because the author confuses the philosophical and social-historical question of striking the "roots" of a movement into the "depths" with the technical and organizational question of the best method of fighting gendarmes. They represent the height of political tactlessness, because the author, instead of appealing from the bad leaders to the good leaders, appeals from the leaders in general to the "crowd." This, from the organizational point of view, is as much an attempt at retrogression as it is, from the political point of view, an attempt to replace the idea of political agitation by provocatory terrorism. I am, indeed, experiencing a very embarras de richesses^[1], not knowing where to begin my criticism of the confusion wrought by "Svoboda." For the sake of clarity, let us begin with an example. Let us take the Germans. I trust you will not deny that with the Germans the organization embraces the crowd, that everything proceeds from the crowd, that the working class movement has learnt to walk on its own legs. Yet, how this vast crowd of millions values its "ten" trained political leaders, how firmly it clings to them! More than once in parliament have members of hostile parties tried to exasperate the Socialists by exclaiming: "What fine democrats you are! Your movement is a working class move-