What Is to Be Done?

What’s What Is to Be Done? by Vladimir Lenin about?

• Core focus: The book analyzes the Russian Social-Democratic movement’s challenges at the turn of the 20th century, emphasizing the need for a disciplined, centralized revolutionary party.
• Historical context: Written in 1901-1902, it critiques prevailing trends like Economism and opportunism, arguing for a theoretically grounded, militant organization.
• Purpose: Lenin aims to clarify the role of Social-Democrats, combat narrow trade-unionist politics, and lay out a plan for building an all-Russia revolutionary organization.
• Political and organizational analysis: The work distinguishes between economic and political struggles, advocating for a professional revolutionary leadership.

Why should I read What Is to Be Done? by Vladimir Lenin?

• Foundational revolutionary strategy: The book provides essential insights into the organization and tactics required for a successful revolutionary movement under autocratic conditions.
• Critique of opportunism: It exposes the dangers of reducing socialism to trade-unionism or reformism, which is crucial for understanding socialist movements’ dynamics.
• Historical significance: Lenin’s arguments shaped the Russian Social-Democratic Labour Party and influenced revolutionary movements worldwide.
• Clarifying political struggle: The text helps readers understand the ideological and organizational foundations of Marxist revolutionary praxis.

What are the key takeaways from What Is to Be Done? by Vladimir Lenin?

• Leadership is essential: A strong, professional, and centralized leadership is necessary to transform the spontaneous awakening of the masses into a conscious political struggle.
• Political over economic struggle: The political struggle to overthrow autocracy must take precedence over narrow economic demands, though both are important.
• Preparation and unity: Systematic preparation, unity, and readiness are achieved through centralized organization and an all-Russia newspaper, balancing secrecy with mass participation.
• Organizational principles: Strict secrecy, professionalism, and centralization are vital for revolutionary success under repressive conditions.

What does Lenin mean by "Economism" in What Is to Be Done? and why does he criticize it?

• Definition of Economism: Economism is a trend that prioritizes economic struggle and trade-unionism over political revolution, reducing Social-Democratic politics to immediate economic demands.
• Lenin’s critique: He condemns Economism for bowing to spontaneity, neglecting conscious political leadership, and subordinating revolutionary goals to narrow trade-unionist aims.
• Consequences: Economism, according to Lenin, prepares the ground for opportunism and bourgeois influence, weakening the revolutionary movement’s capacity to challenge autocracy.
• Confusion of struggles: Economists conflate economic and political struggles, ignoring the necessity of political agitation and leadership.

How does Lenin define the relationship between spontaneity and consciousness in the working-class movement in What Is to Be Done??

• Spontaneity as embryonic consciousness: Lenin acknowledges that spontaneous mass movements produce only trade-union consciousness, not revolutionary socialist consciousness.
• Consciousness from outside: Revolutionary consciousness must be introduced into the working-class movement by the revolutionary intelligentsia, not left to develop spontaneously.
• Struggle against spontaneity: The more spontaneous the movement, the greater the need for conscious, organized leadership to elevate the struggle beyond trade-unionism.
• Role of leadership: Only a disciplined party can guide the masses from economic to political struggle.

What is the difference between trade-unionist politics and Social-Democratic politics according to What Is to Be Done? by Lenin?

• Trade-unionist politics: Focuses on economic struggles for better wages and working conditions within capitalism, often limiting itself to immediate, practical demands.
• Social-Democratic politics: Encompasses a broader revolutionary struggle against the entire capitalist and autocratic system, aiming for political emancipation and socialism.
• Lenin’s critique: He argues that Economists confuse these two, restricting political agitation to economic issues and thus weakening the revolutionary potential of the working class.
• Necessity of political struggle: Social-Democratic politics must lead the working class beyond economic demands to challenge the political system itself.

What does Lenin mean by "freedom of criticism" in What Is to Be Done? and how does he address it?

• False slogan: Lenin argues that "freedom of criticism" is often used as a cover for opportunism, allowing revisionist trends to undermine Marxism by promoting bourgeois ideas within socialism.
• Opposition to opportunism: He critiques the "new critical" trend, which seeks to turn Social-Democracy into a party of social reforms rather than revolution.
• Party unity and struggle: Lenin insists that freedom of criticism should not mean tolerating opportunist deviations but rather strengthening the party by purging such tendencies.
• Maintaining revolutionary clarity: The party must remain ideologically unified to effectively lead the revolutionary movement.

What is Lenin’s concept of the "organization of revolutionaries" versus the "organization of workers" in What Is to Be Done??

• Distinct purposes: The organization of workers refers to broad, public trade unions focused on economic struggles, while the organization of revolutionaries is a secret, compact group dedicated to political struggle.
• Membership and secrecy: Revolutionary organizations must include both workers and intellectuals, erasing distinctions of trade or profession, and maintain strict secrecy to survive under autocracy.
• Functional relationship: Trade unions mobilize the masses, but the revolutionary organization provides leadership, political education, and strategic direction.
• Professional revolutionaries: Lenin advocates for a party of trained, disciplined, full-time revolutionaries to lead the movement.

How does Lenin propose to reconcile the need for secrecy with mass participation in the revolutionary movement in What Is to Be Done??

• Centralization of secret functions: A small core of professional revolutionaries should centralize all secret activities, such as planning and producing illegal literature, to protect the movement from police infiltration.
• Broad public involvement: The wider masses can participate openly in less secretive activities like reading and distributing literature, attending demonstrations, and joining trade unions.
• Training and promotion: The organization should promote capable workers to become professional revolutionaries, ensuring continuity and stability while expanding mass involvement.
• Balancing secrecy and outreach: This approach allows for both effective clandestine work and broad mobilization.

Why does Lenin stress the importance of an all-Russia political newspaper in What Is to Be Done??

• Collective organizer: Lenin sees the newspaper as a "collective organizer," connecting and coordinating revolutionary activities across Russia.
• Political education: The newspaper disseminates Social-Democratic theory and political knowledge, raising the consciousness of the masses.
• Overcoming fragmentation: It counters the amateurism and isolation of local groups by providing a common line and fostering unity.
• Preparation for struggle: The newspaper helps prepare for both everyday agitation and eventual nationwide revolutionary action.

How does Lenin connect Economism and terrorism in What Is to Be Done??

• Different poles of spontaneity: Lenin sees Economism and terrorism as two forms of subservience to spontaneity—Economism to the spontaneous labor movement, terrorism to the spontaneous indignation of isolated intellectuals.
• Common danger: Both evade the need for organized, conscious revolutionary activity and thus undermine the development of a coherent socialist movement.
• Need for agitation: Only through comprehensive political agitation and organization can the revolutionary movement avoid these pitfalls and build a genuine proletarian vanguard.
• Unified strategy required: Lenin insists on a unified, organized approach to revolutionary work, rejecting both economic reductionism and isolated acts of violence.

What are the main organizational principles and methods advocated by Lenin in What Is to Be Done??

• Strict secrecy and selection: Lenin insists on the strictest secrecy and careful selection of members to protect the organization from police repression and ensure reliability.
• Professionalism: Members must be professional revolutionaries, trained and dedicated full-time to revolutionary work, capable of combating political police and leading the movement.
• Centralization with mass support: Secret functions are centralized, but the organization must maintain close ties with broad, public workers’ organizations and the masses.
• Combating amateurism: Lenin criticizes primitive, uncoordinated methods and calls for systematic, strategic planning and leadership.