What Is To Be Done?

What Is To Be Done? is a seminal political pamphlet written by Vladimir Lenin during his exile in Munich and published in 1902 under the imprint of the Iskra newspaper. The work was a direct response to ideological debates within the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP), particularly against the Economist trend and the ideas of figures like Karl Kautsky. It systematically outlines Lenin's vision for a revolutionary vanguard party, arguing against spontaneous worker movements and for centralized, disciplined organization led by professional revolutionaries. The text became a foundational document for Leninism and profoundly shaped the structure and strategy of the Bolsheviks, leading to the eventual October Revolution of 1917.

Historical context and publication

The pamphlet emerged from intense factional struggles within the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party following the arrest of many leaders in the 1890s. Lenin, then in exile, was engaged in a fierce polemic against the Economist wing, which prioritized trade union struggles over political revolution, and against revisionism associated with Eduard Bernstein in Germany. Key debates were aired in the pages of Iskra, the newspaper Lenin co-edited with Julius Martov, Georgi Plekhanov, and others. Written primarily in Munich and finalized after Lenin's move to London, the work was smuggled into the Russian Empire and distributed clandestinely to party cells. Its publication preceded the pivotal 2nd Congress of the RSDLP in 1903, where the split between the Bolsheviks and Mensheviks crystallized, with Lenin's concepts forming the core of the Bolshevik platform.

Summary of the text

Lenin's text is structured as a series of polemical chapters defending the necessity of a tightly-knit revolutionary party. He opens by attacking what he calls the "tailism" of the Economists, accusing them of trailing behind the spontaneous working class movement exemplified by events like the St. Petersburg industrial unrest. Lenin argues that socialist consciousness must be introduced into the working class from outside by a party of professional revolutionaries, a concept he borrows from Karl Kautsky. He dedicates significant space to criticizing the organizational chaos of the period, advocating for a centralized, secretive party apparatus capable of withstanding persecution by the Okhrana. The pamphlet concludes with detailed plans for an all-Russia political newspaper, like Iskra, to serve as a "collective organizer" and ideological unifier for the scattered revolutionary forces across the empire.

Key concepts and arguments

The central thesis of the work is the concept of the **vanguard party**, composed of dedicated, theoretically informed professional revolutionaries. Lenin vehemently opposes "spontaneity" in the labor movement, contending it leads only to "trade union consciousness" under capitalism. He introduces the famous distinction between "Economism" and "political agitation," insisting the party must foment a revolutionary challenge to the Tsarist autocracy. Key organizational principles include **democratic centralism** (though not yet fully named), strict secrecy, and ideological purity against "opportunism." The pamphlet also stresses the paramount importance of revolutionary theory, quoting Friedrich Engels's dictum that "theoretical struggle" is a crucial form of political action, and warns against the dangers of "kustarnichestvo" (amateurishness) in party work.

Influence and legacy

*What Is To Be Done?* became the organizational blueprint for the Bolsheviks and, after 1917, for Communist parties worldwide under the Comintern. Its principles directly guided the creation of the party that led the October Revolution and established the Soviet Union. Figures like Leon Trotsky (initially a critic) and Joseph Stalin were deeply influenced by its arguments on party discipline. The text is considered a cornerstone of Leninism and was canonized as essential reading within the Marxism-Leninism curriculum in states like the People's Republic of China and Cuba. Its emphasis on a vanguard elite also provided a theoretical justification for one-party states and was used to critique rival socialist traditions, such as those of Rosa Luxemburg and later, Eurocommunism.

Critical reception

The pamphlet provoked immediate and enduring controversy. Within the RSDLP, Julius Martov and the Mensheviks denounced its "Jacobinism" and authoritarian blueprint, a critique later echoed by Rosa Luxemburg in her work *Leninism or Marxism?*. Leon Trotsky, in *Our Political Tasks*, warned it would lead to a party substituting itself for the working class. Western scholars, such as Robert C. Tucker and Leszek Kołakowski, have analyzed it as a key text in the development of totalitarian political systems. Conversely, orthodox Marxist-Leninists and revolutionary leaders like Ho Chi Minh and Che Guevara hailed it as a practical guide to seizing power. The debate over its legacy continues in analyses of the Cold War, the collapse of the Soviet Union, and within contemporary far-left movements. Category:Political pamphlets Category:Works by Vladimir Lenin Category:1902 books