ability, must remember that the solid front of our pressure will annihilate completely the northwestern army of Yudenich. L. TROTSKY, The President of the Revolutionary Military People's Commissar of the Army and Navy 30 RESOLUTION OF THE Moscow COMMITTEE OF THE RUSSIAN COMMUNIST PARTY [Severnaya Kommuna, February 22, 1919] At the session of the Moscow Committee of the Russian Communist Party on February 15, 1919, the following resolutions were carried: taking into account: (1) that the uninterrupted growth of our party during the year of dictatorship has inevitably meant that there have entered its ranks elements having absolutely nothing in common with Communism, joining in order to use the authority of the Russian Communist Party for their own personal, selfish aims; (2) that these elements, taking cover under the flag of Communism, are by their acts discrediting in the eyes of the people the prestige and glorious name of our Proletarian Party; (3) that the so-called "Communists of our days" by their outrageous behavior are arousing discontent and bitter feeling in the people, thus creating a favorable soil for counterrevolutionary agitation-taking all this into account, the Moscow Committee of the Russian Communist Party declares: (a) That the party congress about to be held should call on all party organizations to check up in the strictest manner all members of the party and cleanse its ranks of elements foreign to the party; (b) that one must carry on a decisive struggle against those elements whose acts create a counter-revolutionary state of mind; (c) that one must make every effort to raise the moral level of members of the Russian Communist Party and educate them in the spirit of true proletarian communism; (d) that one must direct all efforts towards strengthening party discipline and establishing strict control by the party over all its members in all fields of party-soviet activity. 31 TWO CIRCULAR LetterS OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THE RUSSIAN COMMUNIST PARTY TO THE PARTY ORGANIZATIONS Comrades: [Petrograd Pravda, October 1, 1919] Now, that in accordance with the resolutions of the Eighth Congress of our party the re-registration and weeding out has been almost accomplished in all the party organizations, the Central Committee considers it appropriate to undertake a campaign to recruit new members into the party. At its session of September 26 the plenum of the Central Committee of the Russian Communist Party resolved to organize in the near future in cities, villages, and among the troops a “party week." The Central Committee does not fix the date of this week, leaving it to the party organizations to establish it locally, in accordance with local conditions, but the Central Committee insists that this work must be everywhere finished during the month of October. The principal condition which the Central Committee considers essential is that during the "party week” members are to be received only from among working men and women, Red soldiers, and men and women of the peasantry. During this period admission to the party is closed to all others. We want to increase the numerical strength by an accession of working men and women of factories and shops, of peasants, men and women, from the villages. The Eighth Congress of the party in its resolution regarding organization justly pointed out that a quantitative improvement in the composition of the party must not be attempted at the expense of its qualitative strength. This decision of the party congress must be kept in view constantly during the campaign of the "party week." In the course of the "party week" we must point out to all the new recruits to whom we appeal that we are calling them to a difficult, hard, but great struggle, against a long line of enemies. The recruits must be told that membership in the party involves tremendous duties, that the difficult times through which we are passing demand from members of the Russian Communist Party an iron discipline and self-sacrifice. Let only those enter our party who knowingly take upon themselves these difficult duties, who are ready to sacrifice everything to the work of the Russian Communist Party. At the same time we must open the door wide to workingmen, Red Army soldiers, and peasants who want to enter our party. During the “party week” there must be organized everywhere tens and hundreds of large and small meetings; there must be spread tens and thousands of copies of our program. We must appeal first of all to those workmen who consider themselves nonpartisans. In this work we must seek the fractions of trade unions and soviets, the factory and shop committees, etc. During the "party week” entry into the party is not to be conditioned by the presentation of two written recommendations as heretofore. All the formal requirements for workers, Red Army soldiers, and peasants are during this week suspended. In the shops, in the barracks, after laborers' meetings there is to be offered a chance to those who wish to inscribe themselves as members of the party. The lists thus made up are later published for the general information at the given factory or at the barracks, and afterwards the leaders are passed on by the old party nucleus of the given party or by the local party committee. In accordance with local conditions comrades may find other forms of attracting better elements of the workers and peasant masses into the party. It is only necessary to get to work, to get rid of red tape, to attempt to dig out new strata and put to the work of recruiting some new members and without exception all the old party members. Every workman who is a member of the party must attempt to recruit one or two new party members. Every Communist engaged in Soviets must find time during the "party week" to visit that factory or shop where he was employed before in order to enlist one or more new members in the party. If we make the proper effort, we shall thus double the strength of our party. During the "party week" we ought to increase the membership of our party to half a million, and the results of the "party week" must be communicated immediately in detail by all provincial committees to the organization bureau of the central committee. To work, comrades! All honest and thinking workmen ought to be in the ranks of our party. THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THE RUSSIAN COMMUNIST PARTY The Central Committee of the Russian Communist Party has addressed to all the party organizations the following letter: "In the struggle against Denikin there must be utilized all the reserve of revolutionary energy which our party possesses. The whole government machinery must be put at the service of the sole task of defeating Denikin and destroying the man power of his White Guard bands. "In the name of this task there must be done away all the red tape of the administration; there must be released all Communists from those institutions where they can and ought to be replaced by non-partisan workers, women and invalids of the civil war. These Communists are to be placed at the disposition of the military authorities. "The principle of administration by 'colleges' must be reduced to a minimum. Discussions and considerations must be given up. The party must be as soon as possible rebuilt on military lines, and there must be created a military revolutionary apparatus, which would work accurately and solidly. In this apparatus there must be clearly distributed privileges and duties. Every Communist must know what his function is, where he ought to be in the moment of danger. Strict accountability is to be maintained for all inaccurate carrying out of instructions, for all looseness. "Comrades! The advance of Denikin demands that our party immediately manifests to the full its energy. The true representative of the interests of the laboring class, the representative of the world revolution, the Communist Party, will save the Soviet government and destroy the attempts of the counterrevolution to break it. Every Communist must be at his post in this decisive moment, without confusion, without panic, but without lightly underrating the seriousness of the position, and accomplish their obligations as the representatives of the proletarian revolution. "To work, comrades! Do not lose one moment in the matter of mobilization, agitation, in the matter of help to the southern front. In particular, there must be immediately furnished tens of workers to occupy the posts of regimental commissars. Comrades who are fit for this work must be immediately taken away from their usual occupation and put at the disposal of the political administration of the army. There must be furnished for the organization of cavalry formations all Communists who 51 have served in the cavalry who are to be released and organized into nuclei of the Soviet Cavalry. "Denikin must be beaten and will be beaten by a new impetus of revolutionary will of the proletarian Communists." 32 "UNFORTUNATE MISUNDERSTANDING" [Petrograd Pravda, November 15, 1919] A writer in the Tver Pravda (No. 121 of November 11) shares his impressions of the "party week": “Already three days of the 'party week' have passed. The general impression is most encouraging. We Communists feel that we have not become detached from the workmen and peasants' masses. Wherever meetings take place the halls are filled. Factory districts take a sympathetic attitude toward the 'party week' and listen with attention to a long list of speakers. For the most part, conscious people sign up in the party, people of middle age, that is, not very old, up to 60 years. Several trade-union boards have signed up for all the members of the union. In general the signing up progresses successfully." Thus everything goes well. But the following lines are very surprising: "But things are not as satisfactory in the city districts, that is, with respect to the ordinary inhabitant. The latter come to the meetings in order to laugh and criticize, and in general consider this 'party week' as a kind of children's picnic. They either do not understand or do not wish to understand the importance of the present moment * * "But it is particularly discouraging to note the attitude of the Soviet employees, or these nestlings that are living off the Soviet authority-what are they doing? what do they think?" What does this mean? Have our comrades in Tver forgotten that this "party week" has been ordered not in order to bring into the ranks of the party "Soviet employees" and "ordinary inhabitants"-petty bourgeois elements, but in order to open the doors wide to workmen and peasants. It is not at all surprising that the comrades in Tver have suffered such a complete fiasco in their efforts to attract non-proletarian elements. |